Sunday, March 31, 2013

RolePlayGateway?

Long Short Story: Before The Day is Done

The Races Need To Know Information!

Vampires

* Can be turned and passed down.

Description-

Vampires are un-dead immortals who feed and survive on the blood of a living.

Transitioning-

Humans who have consumed vampire blood and died within 42 hours of doing so will rise un-dead. The nature of the human's death is irrelevant however the body must be preserved and able to function. If the Vampire turn's the person by choice, they will most likely brake their neck or or block their airways. When the new vampire is awakened they will need blood right away, from either a human or a vampire.

Food-

Blood is the main component of a vampire's diet, whether it be animal or human. If vampires fail to drink blood, their bodies will become severely weak, and will ultimately disintegrate into mummification. Blood (especially human blood) will not only satisfy a vampire's thirst, but will also increase and their physical capabilities. The longer a vampire abstains from blood, the more likely the vampire will lose all sense of their humanity and rationality until they finally give into their blood lust. Due to their acute senses, a vampire can detect whether or not a human has recently consumed alcohol or drugs, because their blood tastes unclean and can leave a vampire with a nasty aftertaste. Through animal blood would keep a vampire alive, it will not make them as strong as they would be from drinking human blood, nor will it stop the burning in their throat. Human blood is the best option.

Nature-

Vampires themselves are extremely feral, predatory creatures, and far more savage and beast-like than their human appearance suggests. They growl, hiss, snarl, and curl their lips back baring their fangs as signs of aggression when provoked. When they sense danger, they will immediately evade the area or per pair for battle. 99% of Vampire population feed off of humans rather than animals.

The bite of a vampire can sever the limbs of both animals and humans, as vampires are known for having extremely sharp and strong teeth. Despite their nature, vampires are also capable of human emotions, such as compassion, love, and self-control. However the emotions of vampires are far more intense than the emotions of humans; anger, happiness, hate, love, etc. are more powerful and much more overwhelming than when they were human. Whenever a vampire is faced with a powerful feeling (such as hunger) their faces transform into a paler complexion, while the pupils from their eye's will expand into their iris's, making their eyes look black. Their canine teeth will lengthen into fangs, giving them a more predatory look to scare off or threaten their prey.

Vampire's also feel bonds to certain humans, which will cause them to either kill the human or keep them as a pet, or even turn them when they feel the time comes. When a human drink's their, blood, the bond get's stronger and the Vampire will be able to feel their emotions and if they are in pain and or danger. This bond means that they are their soul mate, and they end up together no matter what, unless the vampire kills the human, of course.

Powers/Abilities-

Compulsion: The supernatural ability to control and manipulate the body, mind, and soul of an animal or human. However a vampire cant compel any other creature besides a human.

Healing: The supernatural ability to heal all illnesses, injuries, and wounds at superhuman speed. As well as heal other species when the vampire feeds them their own blood.

Immortality: The supernatural ability of eternal life, beauty and youth.

Super Senses: The supernatural ability to hear, see, smell, and taste beyond the human extent. The small of human blood is like a drug to them, the sweeter the better.

Super Speed: The supernatural ability to jump, move and run at superhuman velocity.

Super Strength: The supernatural ability of superhuman stamina.

Super Agility: Vampires possess superhuman agility. They can move, jump, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion.

Super Durability: Vampires can take far more trauma than Humans can without much discomfort or injury. they can also exert themselves without much tire

Supernatural Abilities Some vampires will have a supernatural power to call their own, through it is rare, it does happen often to the older vampires.

Weaknesses-

Decapitation: The act of dismembering or removing the head of a vampire will result in permanent death.

Fire: The act of exposing a vampire to fire will result in permanent death,Vampires do not die when exposed to sunlight, but thier powers will weaken if they are exposed for to long, and they tend to get horrible sun burn and head aches.

Heart Extraction: The act of removing a vampire's heart will result in permanent death.

The Seraph

Dark Seraph- Only can be turned by I violent death and the deep need for revenge

Light Seraph- Only can be turned by a peaceful death, and the need to do good, or a violent death and the need for justice, instead of revenge.

Dark Seraph?s- Dark Seraph?s are malevolent spiritual entities created by a violent death and the need for revenge. They are corrupted human souls after extensive torture in Hell, they're extremely evil and have a strong hate for human kind.

Transformation-
Humans who have had done bad things in their past such as murder, drug use, or had a violent death and want revenge. Once they have died and have paid for their sins they will turn into dark Seraph?s or as some believe demons.

Light Seraph?s-
The Light Seraph?s bring light and peace, everywhere they go, and they take care of their angels comrades help them at times of need. They like human kind, and their will to live, and they wish to keep them alive and help them re-build after the war.

Transformation-
Humans who have done good things in their life time like saving someone?s life, choosing to never do drugs, has a big heart or died a violent death and want to end all evil out in the world or if they are murdered or die from a disease without having them deserve to die are re-made as a light Seraph.

Powers/Abilities-

Dream Walking: Seraph can appear in people's dreams, they usually use this to communicate, when they can't find the person their looking for, or want to talk privately.

Immortality: Seraph don't age and cannot be killed by diseases. Nor, can they reproduce.

Sedation: Seraph are able to render humans unconscious with a touch or make them unconscious by using their feathers.

Superhuman Stamina: Seraph never tire, and they do not require food, water, oxygen, or sleep to sustain themselves.

Super Strength: Strong enough to punch a person through two wide buildings made of bricks.

Supernatural Perception: They are able to see all supernatural activity around them.

Telekinesis: They are able to telekinetically move beings and objects with their mind.

Telepathy: They can read the minds of Humans.

Teleportation: They are able to travel from one place to another, instantly, without occupying the space in between. They can also summon or send other beings.

Flying: Seraph can fly by making their wings grow or expand. Normally Seraph?s hide their wings or make them shrink in size, unless they?re in battle. They can also use their wings as a shield by wrapping them around themselves and another person?s body.

Weaknesses-

In Love: They're in touch with their human side when they fall in love with a human, some consider this bad and or good.

Ice: When a witch freezes their wings or them they will be unable to move and weak when attacked.

Darkness: Unless they have a orb of light, they are fearful of complete and otter darkness in small spaces. Most of them have orb?s of light through.

Wicans/Witches

*Can be turned by deal with devil and can be passed down.

Description-

A person can be turned by making a deal with the devil and can be passed down to those with the spirit.

A witch is a person with the power to effect change by magical means ("Witchcraft"). A witch can be either male or female, as they connect with the elements and forces of nature, in order to practice sorcery, they uses these powers for either good or bad, it is fully their choice.

Humans who are genetically born with magical powers are called "witches". The origin of witchcraft remains a mystery through people believe it came from making deals with the devil, it is also known that witches have existed for many centuries, passing down their knowledge and skills through generations in family lines.

Magic-

Magic, or Witchcraft, is the power to effect change by magical means. Magic can often be split into dark and light, though depending on the situation can also be neutral. Magic is mostly a genetic heredity that connects a witch to the elements and forces of nature in order to practice sorcery. If a person makes a deal with the devil to gain the power of Witchcraft, they will uses their powers for evil.

Powers/Abilities-

Seers: Seers, for example, have the skill of insight into future events. They may garner this insight through visions and dreams or through scrying physical objects like tea dregs, tarot cards, and crystal balls.

Animagi: While some witches have the ability to turn into animals, it is not an inherent power, but rather a trained technique.

Metamorphmagi: Other witches may have the ability to change only their physical appearance rather than their bodily form. This type of wizard is termed a Metamorphmagus. Such a witch can change the shape of their noses, hair color, and other physical attributes.

Communicating with Animals: Some witches have the ability to talk to animals.

Legilmens: Legilimens are people who can perform Legilimency. These people can tune into other people's minds, but have difficulty reading the minds of those people who can perform Occlumency.

Occulmens:[i] Some witches, and other supernatural being's have the ability to protect their minds from others who can perform Legilimency. This ability is called Occlumency, and it is also known that some humans have the unknown ability to protect their minds.

Weaknesses-

-They have to observe a special personal taboo to maintain their status.

-They have to protect a certain object as it is bound up with their spirit, soul, powers, etc.

-When they undergo a transformation for to long, they become weaker.

-They must respect nature as much as possible.

Shapeshifters

*Cannot be turned, must be passed down in order to be one.

Powers/Abilities-

[i]Animal Morphing: A special type of Shapeshifting where the user can only turn into animals.

Biomorphing: The ability to transform only into living things (Animals, Bacteria, possibly even Humans or Plants)

Doppelganger: Users may become people they have seen, they may need to have a similar body mass of the person they are turning into.

Enhanced Regeneration: By altering cellular structure, one can rejuvenate cells to regenerate, and even maintain youth, granting eternal youth, when they stop shifting they will age like a normal human, but each time they shift they take on that age, through their mental age stays the same and grows over time.

Size Manipulation: The ability to alter ones own size and mass by shifting additional mass from an outside source.

Weaknesses-

-Users may revert back to original form when unconscious.

-Users may require visual or genetic source material for a copy to be made.

-May be unable to return to original form unless unconscious.

-May be unable to assume the voice and accent of the person he/she shifts into (rare cases).

-Users may retain characteristics of their original form in their new shape (i.e., color scheme, birthmarks, scars, etc.).

Werewolves

*Can be turned and passed down.

Description-

Not much is known about the history of werewolves except that they existed before vampires were created. Who created them, how they were created, when exactly they were created and the reason for their creation is currently unknown.

Psychological characteristics-

Werewolves are known to be aggressive, strong and fast even in human form. Those with the werewolf curse still latent can exhibit some supernatural traits which can be triggered by aggression, along with unusual physical strength for the person's given size and age but they cannot fully transform and they also black out they go blind with rage when provoked. Also werewolves have a higher body temperature than humans. This high temperature allows the werewolves to withstand very cold weather and makes it difficult for them to become overheated. It also makes it very difficult for vampires to harm them in combat, due to vampires being extremely sensitive to high temperatures. The wolves bear an animal scent that makes them unappetizing to vampires, making it easier for vampires to resist the temptation caused by their blood.

Food-

Like normal people, werewolves can eat normal food if they choose to. However, because they turn into ferocious beasts at will, they are flesh eating creatures. When they feed, it is absorbed throughout the body and they need to consume organs or body parts, but they do not have to feed in order to prolong their existence like Vampires. There is no known side effects in the absence of devouring victims in werewolf form. Werewolves have not been seen to attack each other in human or wolf form, but have been known to hunt both human and vampire prey while transformed until they joined sides with Vampires.

Code of Loyalty-

Werewolves are very similar to Witches when it comes to their own kind. Unlike the vampires, werewolves are more sworn to loyalty and may bond with other werewolves they meet. They work with each other as sort of an extended family. The bond of loyalty between werewolves is strangely strong, the only things they do not attack are other werewolves.

Appearance-

Werewolves in their wolf form have the appearances of an ordinary wolf, but with a much larger and brute-like appearance. The fur color of wolf forms differs from one to the other. Each wolf's distinctive color and characteristics correlates with each wolf's soul. No real explanation of this phenomenon is given; none, perhaps, should be sought for - variability is the one fundamental of living beings. The "monstrous size" of these creatures is emphasized repeatedly. As humans, they are between 6'0" and 7'0" tall, and after phasing become bigger, more muscular, and harder in look and substance. Their voices also deepen considerably. The wolves become similar in their human forms, partly due to their appearances (hard-muscled bodies, and unusual height) and the synchronization of their movements, so that they could be mistaken for biological siblings. While their skin is much more durable than that of a human being, it is not granite hard like a vampire's.

Werewolf Transformation-

The first transformation at the age of 17 is quite slow and the person is subjected to at least five hours of intense pain before transforming. After the first transformation it will get faster but still hurt. During the transformation, the body of the person is twisted in an unnatural manner as bones reshape and shift to form a wolf skeleton, causing the person immense pain. A werewolf changes at will, and turns back at will, unless they get wounded horribly. Older werewolves or more powerful werewolves can control themselves when angry and turn at will, faster than a less experienced being.

Pack Behavior-

In their wolf forms, pack members are telepathically linked with each other, enhancing their coordination during hunts and fights but allowing little or no privacy at any time. The Alphas of two different packs are able to communicate telepathically, and can control what thoughts they share, while the subordinates of different packs don't show this ability. The dominant male/female, the Alpha, can force the other pack members to obey his/her orders against their will. So can the Beta, though he/she can't command his/her own Alpha. Though implied, it is unknown whether this characteristic is also extended down the pack hierarchy. Alpha status is related to lineage, the born Alpha, having no interest in leading the pack. By having the rest of the pack agree to his/her decision, they can select a new candidate to lead the pack. Though possible, it is unclear whether a lower-ranking pack member can challenge the Alpha for status.

Powers/Abilities-

Alpha's Voice: A werewolf Alpha can use this on the other pack members to make them follow his orders willingly.(Only the alpha has of course)

Super Strength: Werewolves are much stronger than any human. They are not as strong as a vampire whilst in human form but when transformed they are at equal's with Vampires.

Telepathy: Werewolves can hear each other pack member's thoughts in wolf form, but only if those pack members are from the same pack.

Super Speed: Werewolves are extremely faster than any human and vampire or other supernatural beings other than Vampires. Werewolves can use this ability in either Human or wolf form.

Super Agility: Werewolves possess superhuman agility. They can move, jump, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion.

Super Senses: Werewolves have the extremely keen senses of smell, sight, taste, and hearing inherent in all canines, but not as strong as vampires.

Healing Factor: Werewolves possess superhuman regenerative abilities, meaning if ever injured, their bodies will heal near instantaneously. Werewolves have also been said to heal exactly as fast as vampires. Even in human form.

Shapeshifting: Willingly turn into wolves whenever they want or when they get angry.

Anger: When a Werewolf is furious, their anger increase all their powers and abilities for a short period of time, as well as can have an advantage over a Vampire.

Weaknesses-

Broken Neck: By breaking a werewolf's neck, it results in instant death. While their healing factor is identical to a vampire's, they are alive. Not un-dead.

Heart Extraction: If a werewolves heart is ripped out, it will cause instant death.

Decapitation: By removing the head of a werewolves, he dies.

Wolfs bane: Wolfs bane is an herb that which brought upon a werewolf, they will become weak and feverish.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/RolePlayGateway

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High-End Hi-Fi: Need or Desire

Music is eternity. No matter in whatever form music comes; it is always soothing, relaxing and stress relieving. You will not find a single person on the earth who does not like music. No language, heritage or culture can keep music confined; it transcends all boundaries. Either you are in high spirits or sad, stressed or relaxed, music is the only element that matches your mood. Let it be a live concert or hearing music on a DVD player, music is the only thing that touches your heart.
Back in the day, the vinyl, more commonly known as gramophone, was the only medium for artists to communicate to their audience. Music lovers would gently place the needle of the gramophone on the vinyl record and listen away. Then came the valve amplifiers in which music could be properly played back. It wasn't long ago that technological advancements further changed the way we listen to music. The advent of Mp3 CD and DVD players marked a new era of sound technology and greatly changed the way we listen to music. Since then, listening to music, while on the go, became more and more popular. With car audio systems, bluetooth devices, ipod and the latest smart phones, we have music everywhere and every time with us, if also on the move.
With the passage of time, our crave for music keeps on increasing. No matter, how many portable audio devices we have, a high-end hi-fi audio system or a high-end hi-fi home theater will always have the upper hand. For some a high-end hi-fi is a luxury product, whereas for audiophiliacs, a high-end hi-fi audio system is a must have. You expensive home theater will just not worth the price for which you got it if it doesn't produce powerful foot tapping sound. High-end hi-fi systems revolutionize the way we hear music and the sound quality they produce is of superlative standards.
Everyone loves music. We all started out on a small portable device, but today we crave for digital forms of music. The focus on increasing music quality has grown tremendously over the past few years. Low quality music is just like processed food; tasty or not, has minimal nutrition. High-end hi-fi systems help you discover the magic and power of music. Listening music on a high-end hi-fi stereo system is like changing your diet from processed foods to fresh, organic foods. Discerning music lovers and music enthusiasts all over the world can sacrifice any amount of money for even a small detail of high-end hi-fi equipment to get a premium quality sound. The high-end hi-fi systems that are available in the market these days deliver the best acoustic performance, no matter in whatever living space they are fitted. High-end hi-fi products are not for everyone. These esoteric products are meant only for high-end audio aficionados who love to hear music that agrees to their ears. Only audiophiles can understand and appreciate the sound quality produced by high-end hi-fi systems. They will also agree that such exotic products rightly deserve the price tag they carry.

Source: http://www.artipot.com/articles/1546445/high-end-hi-fi-need-or-desire.htm

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Lindsay Lohan and Kristen Stewart: Unexpected BFF Alert!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/lindsay-lohan-and-kristen-stewart-unexpected-bff-alert/

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They?re gonna clean up your looks with all the lies in the books (Unqualified Offerings)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295522333?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Gene responsible for short stature of dwarf pearl millet identified

Mar. 29, 2013 ? While pearl millet is a major food staple in some of the fastest growing regions on Earth, relatively little is known about the drought-hardy grain.

Recently, plant geneticists at the University of Georgia successfully isolated the gene that creates dwarfed varieties of pearl millet. It is the first time a gene controlling an important agronomic trait has been isolated in the pearl millet genome. Their work appeared in the March edition of the journal G3: Genes, Genomics, Genetics.

The dwarf varieties are economically important in the U.S., India and Africa, in particular.

The researchers, led by UGA's Katrien Devos, also were able to trace the dwarf gene to plants bred 50 years ago by Glenn Burton, a UGA plant breeder who worked on the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Tifton campus.

Knowing which gene controls the dwarfing trait will help plant breeders create more efficient, sustainable varieties of millet that have the short stature some farmers and ranchers want.

"Knowing the actual gene that reduces plant height has allowed us to develop markers that can be used by breeders to screen for the presence of the gene long before the effects of the gene can be visually observed," said Devos, a professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, housed in the department of crop and soil sciences, and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences' department of plant biology.

"In the longer term, the knowledge gained in pearl millet will help to develop semi-dwarf lines with high agronomic performance in other cereal crops," she said.

Rajiv K. Parvathaneni, a doctoral student working in Devos' lab, was in charge of tracking down the gene, which works by controlling the flow of the growth hormone auxin through the plant.

He also wanted to understand the mechanism by which the gene controls auxin and to develop plant-breeder-friendly markers that would allow breeders to screen for the dwarfing gene before their plants matured.

The gene that Parvathaneni found affects the downward transport of auxin, which is made in the top part of the plant. If this gene is on, the auxin flows freely, and millet will grow to its full height, about 10 feet. If it is off, the millet plant may only grow to be 3 to 5 feet in height.

Parvathaneni and Devos' team first found which region of the pearl millet's genome contributed to growth and then compared that section to a similar section of DNA from sorghum. Sorghum is a grain related to pearl millet, and a complete map of its genome recently was released by Devos' UGA colleague Andy Patterson.

The comparison revealed that ABCB1, a gene controlling auxin transport and causing reduced plant height in sorghum, was the prime gene candidate controlling pearl millet dwarf stature, Devos said.

Comparative genome analysis, a process in which an unmapped genome is compared to the genome of a similar and more thoroughly described plant genome, is a common method to help identify the functions of specific genes, especially in crops for which little genetic resources are available.

The next step for Devos' team is to work with researchers in other states to understand more fully how auxin transport differs in tall and dwarf millet plants and to verify that ABCB1 is in fact the gene that controls dwarfism.

After Devos and Parvathaneni located the dwarfing gene, they tested pearl millet dwarfs from around the world. All dwarfs caused by a nonfunctional ABCB1 gene have the same mutation as the dwarfs that were first bred by Burton in the 1960s.

Dwarf varieties of pearl millet are not ideal for every planting situation. In Africa, many farmers prefer taller varieties because they use the long stalks for roofing thatch and other applications.

However, where millet is intensively cultivated, dwarf millet allows farmers to harvest the grain with mechanical threshers. Ranchers like dwarf millet as a forage plant because it has a high leaf-to-stem ratio, Devos said.

Knowing more about the plant in general is key to broadening production of the very drought-resistant, hardy grain.

"The crop itself has a future, a bright one-especially in regions where climate change may lead to more erratic rainfall patterns as pearl millet is highly drought tolerant. It already is a popular food crop in semi-arid regions of India and Africa and will likely gain interest from drought-prone regions of the developed world as an alternative to corn in animal feed," Parvathaneni said.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Georgia. The original article was written by J. Merritt Melancon.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. R. K. Parvathaneni, V. Jakkula, F. K. Padi, S. Faure, N. Nagarajappa, A. C. Pontaroli, X. Wu, J. L. Bennetzen, K. M. Devos. Fine-Mapping and Identification of a Candidate Gene Underlying the d2 Dwarfing Phenotype in Pearl Millet, Cenchrus americanus (L.) Morrone. G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics, 2013; 3 (3): 563 DOI: 10.1534/g3.113.005587

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/4r0xnrj5Ms4/130329161249.htm

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EPA takes aim at auto emissions, sulfur in gas

FILE - In this July 10, 2012 file photo, Suzanne Meredith, of Walpole, Mass., gases up her car at a Gulf station in Brookline, Mass. Reducing sulfur in gasoline and tightening emissions standards on cars beginning in 2017, as the Obama administration is proposing, would come with costs as well as rewards. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

FILE - In this July 10, 2012 file photo, Suzanne Meredith, of Walpole, Mass., gases up her car at a Gulf station in Brookline, Mass. Reducing sulfur in gasoline and tightening emissions standards on cars beginning in 2017, as the Obama administration is proposing, would come with costs as well as rewards. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

(AP) ? The Obama administration proposed new regulations Friday to clean up gasoline and automobile emissions, claiming the new standards would provide $7 in health benefits from cleaner air for each dollar spent to implement them. The costs likely would be passed on to consumers in higher gasoline and automobile prices.

The Environmental Protection Agency said the new rule would reduce sulfur in gasoline and tighten automobile emission standards beginning in 2017, resulting in an increase in gas prices of less than a penny per gallon. The agency estimated it also would add $130 to the cost of a vehicle in 2025, but predicted it would yield billions of dollars in health benefits by slashing smog- and soot-forming pollution.

EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe said the proposal is designed to "protect the environment and public health in an affordable and practical way."

The oil industry, Republicans and some Democrats wanted EPA to delay the rule, citing higher costs. An oil industry study says it could increase gasoline prices by 6 to 9 cents a gallon.

"Consumers care about the price of fuel, and our government should not be adding unnecessary regulations that raise manufacturing costs, especially when there are no proven environmental benefits," said Bob Greco, an American Petroleum Institute official. "We should not pile on new regulations when existing regulations are working."

Environmentalists hailed the proposal as potentially the most significant in President Barack Obama's second term.

The so-called Tier 3 standards would reduce sulfur in gasoline by more than 60 percent and reduce nitrogen oxides by 80 percent, by expanding across the country a standard already in place in California. For states, the regulation would make it easier to comply with health-based standards for the main ingredient in smog and soot. For automakers, the regulation allows them to sell the same autos in all 50 states.

The Obama administration already has moved to clean up motor vehicles by adopting rules that will double fuel efficiency and putting in place the first standards to reduce the pollution from cars and trucks blamed for global warming.

"We know of no other air pollution control strategy that can achieve such substantial, cost-effective and immediate emission reductions," said Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies. Becker said the rule would reduce pollution equal to taking 33 million cars off the road.

But the head of American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, Charles Drevna, questioned the motives behind the agency's regulation, since refining companies already have spent $10 billion to reduce sulfur by 90 percent. The additional cuts, while smaller, will cost just as much, Drevna said, and the energy needed for the additional refining actually could increase carbon pollution by 1 percent to 2 percent.

"I haven't seen an EPA rule on fuels that has come out since 1995 that hasn't said it would cost only a penny or two more," Drevna said.

A study commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute estimated that lowering the sulfur in gasoline would add 6 cents to 9 cents a gallon to refiners' manufacturing costs, an increase that likely would be passed on to consumers at the pump. The EPA estimate of less than 1 cent is also an additional manufacturing cost and likely to be passed on.

A senior administration official said Thursday that only 16 of 111 refineries would need to invest in major equipment to meet the new standards, which could be final by the end of this year. Of the remaining refineries, 29 already are meeting the standards because they are selling cleaner fuel in California or other countries, and 66 would have to make modifications.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the rule was still undergoing White House budget office review.

___

Follow Dina Cappiello on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dinacappiello

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-29-EPA-Cleaner%20Gasoline/id-d690c0bf0adb4abf8a565c838a05bad2

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Under Amazon's Wing, Goodreads Plans Closer Integration While Retaining Its Indie Status

otis and elizabeth chandlerFollowing this afternoon's announcement that Amazon has agreed to acquire Goodreads, I had a few minutes to talk to the Goodreads CEO Otis Chandler and Amazon VP of Kindle Content Russ Grandinetti. They stayed pretty vague about the two things I was most curious about ? how the deal came together, and the specifics of the planned Kindle/Goodreads integrations ? but they did drop a few hints about future plans. Chandler (pictured here with his co-founder and wife Elizabeth) said that Kindle integration has been a popular request among Goodreads users, and Grandinetti said he wants to make it "super easy" to have a social experience on the Kindle device and apps. As for what that will look like, he said, "We prefer to talk about features when we ship."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/5A82gAbukuE/

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Cypriot banks reopen after 12 days -- but customers can only withdraw $383 each

Katia Christodoulou / EPA

People wait outside a branch of the Bank of Cyprus, in Nicosia, Cyprus, as banks on the island prepared to open for the first time since March 16.

By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News

Banks on the tax haven of Cyprus opened Thursday for the first time in 12 days amid the island's continuing financial crisis.

Strict limits on the amount of money that could be withdrawn have been imposed ? people will be able to withdraw 300 euros ($383) a day and no checks will be cashed ? amid fears of a run on the banks.

Account holders showed up hours before the banks were due to open to get in line.

?

Early indications were that there was no mass rush to withdraw cash, with just 13 people waiting outside one large Bank of Cyprus branch on the island as it opened at noon local time (6 a.m. ET). They were surrounded by a scrum of journalists.

Previously people could only withdraw 100 euros (about $127) a day from the country's two biggest banks from ATMs.?Most who lined up for the opening were elderly people and those without ATM cards.?

However a small crowd of people did press against the doors of a branch of Laiki Bank, which is being liquidated. CNBC sources estimate those with more than 100,000 euros (about $128,000) in accounts in Laiki Bank could lose 40 to 70 percent of their deposits.

Deposits above 100,000 euros with the Bank of Cyprus will be frozen and 40 percent of each account will be converted into bank stock. Accounts in both banks with balances under 100,000 euros will be fully protected.

A previous proposal to take less from all bank accounts?was vetoed by the Cypriot parliament.

The country is seeking to meet the terms of a bailout from the European Union of 10 billion euros ($12.9 billion) and, in order to raise enough funds to meet strict conditions imposed by the EU, it is preparing to take money from bank accounts.

Ahead of the banks? reopening, money was flown into the island and guards were seen delivering cash to banks in armored vehicles.

The banks were due to close at 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET).

There was some relief on the island that the banks were finally opening again, but this was mixed with fear about what could happen.

The banks in Cyprus are set to reopen after days of being closed as a measure to prevent a run on deposits during the country's financial crisis. Millions in cash is on the move tonight as people camped out in expectation. ITV's Emma Murphy reports

'Slow death'
Yorgos Georgiou, who owns a dry cleaning business in Nicosia, told Reuters that "finally people's mood will be lifted and we can start to trust the system again."

But he added: "I'm worried about the poor kids working in the cashiers today, because people might vent their anger at them. You can't predict how people will react after so many days."

Kostas Nikolaou, a 60-year-old retiree, told Reuters that the uncertainty of the past two weeks had been "like a slow death."

"How can they tell you that you can't access your own money in the bank? It's our money, we are entitled to it,? he added.

The country?s president, Nicos Anastasiades, has described the bailout deal as ?painful? but essential.

However, Nobel laureate economist Christopher Pissarides said it was ?extremely unfair to the little guy.?

?For the first time in the euro zone, depositors are (being) asked to bail out failing banks," he said. "Now that used to be the case in the 1930s, especially United States (and) caused big bank runs. It has been decided since then that we shouldn?t allow that to happen again.?

As Cyprus celebrates its Independence Day, the ?government is defending the last-minute bailout deal it's negotiated with the European Union. This means shutting down the country's second biggest bank, with big savers facing ?losses. ?ITV's Emma Murphy reports.

Among other controls, the island's central bank will review all commercial transactions over 5,000 euros and scrutinize transactions over 200,000 euros on an individual basis, Reuters reported. People leaving Cyprus can take only 1,000 euros with them. An earlier draft of the decree had put the figure at 3,000.

Reuters summed up the situation facing the island:

With just 860,000 people, Cyprus has about 68 billion euros in its banks - a vastly outsized financial system that attracted deposits from foreigners as an offshore haven but foundered after investments in neighboring Greece went sour.

The European Union and International Monetary Fund concluded that Cyprus could not afford a rescue unless it imposed losses on depositors, seen as anathema in previous euro zone bailouts.?The bailout looks set to push Cyprus deeper into an economic slump, shrink the banking sector and cost thousands of jobs.

European leaders said the bailout deal averted a chaotic national bankruptcy that might have forced Cyprus out of the euro.

Many Cypriots say the deal was foisted upon them by Cyprus's partners in the 17-nation euro zone within the European Union, and some have taken to the streets to vent their frustration.

CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera and Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

Cypriots fear run on banks as branches prepare to reopen

Cypriots: Hope, but also fear they 'will be like slaves' to Russia

EU to Cypriots: Let us raid your savings or no bailout

This story was originally published on

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/2a1626f4/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C280C174975730Ecypriot0Ebanks0Ereopen0Eafter0E120Edays0Ebut0Ecustomers0Ecan0Eonly0Ewithdraw0E3830Eeach0Dlite/story01.htm

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Friday, March 29, 2013

ZTE Posts Second Straight Net Loss Of $183M In Q4 On Emerging Market Woes

zte-logo-001As it already warned, ZTE posted its second-straight quarterly loss, due to vastly trimmed margins in emerging markets, as well as contract delays and falling handset sales in China. It made a net loss of 1.14 billion yuan ($183 million) in the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with its net income of 991.16 million yuan a year prior. Sales in the fourth quarter also fell 16 percent to 23.5 billion yuan ($3.78 billion). This rounds off its first yearly loss, at 2.84 billion yuan ($456 million). The company blamed the decrease in profit margin on low-margin contracts in emerging markets like Africa, South America and Asia, as well as its home market of China. ZTE has spent the last 20 years aggressively expanding overseas, but often at the cost of profitability because of its slim profit margins as it undercuts European equipment makers in emerging markets such as India. It recently said it will try to cut costs and make a profit in the first quarter by focusing on developed markets, instead. ZTE has been lagging behind fellow Chinese rival, Huawei Technologies. The former recently announced it will increase its investment in 4G infrastructure, in order to catch up with Huawei, as the two compete for most 4G contracts from the three major carriers in China?China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom.

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

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National Digest: Former Florida GOP chairman sentenced to prison (Washington Post)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295060804?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Next step in Obama charm offensive: Dinner with Republican senators

By Dave Warner (Reuters) - The winner of one of the biggest Powerball jackpots of all time owes $29,000 in overdue child support payments, the Passaic County, New Jersey, sheriff's office said on Thursday. Pedro Quezada, 44, a county resident who is married and the father of five children ages 5 to 23, was the sole winner of a $338 million jackpot on Saturday. Because he chose the lump sum option, instead of annual payments over 30 years, he will actually receive $211 million, lottery officials said on Thursday. Officials said that is the third-largest lump sum payment in Powerball history. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/next-step-obama-charm-offensive-dinner-republican-senators-235153197--business.html

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Ashley Judd not running for Senate (cbsnews)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295078042?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Daily Report: Dispute on Spam Stirs Big Assault on the Internet ...

A squabble between a group fighting spam and a Dutch company that hosts Web sites said to be sending spam has escalated into one of the largest computer attacks on the Internet, causing widespread congestion and jamming crucial infrastructure around the world, John Markoff and Nicole Perlroth write on Wednesday in The New York Times.

Millions of ordinary Internet users have experienced delays in services like Netflix or could not reach a particular Web site for a short time. However, for the Internet engineers who run the global network, the problem is more worrisome. The attacks are becoming increasingly powerful, and computer security experts worry that if they continue to escalate, people may not be able to reach basic Internet services, like e-mail and online banking.

The dispute started when the spam-fighting group, called Spamhaus, added the Dutch company Cyberbunker to its blacklist, which is used by e-mail providers to weed out spam. Cyberbunker, named for its headquarters, a five-story former NATO bunker, offers hosting services to any Web site ?except child porn and anything related to terrorism,? according to its Web site.

A spokesman for Spamhaus, which is based in Europe, said the attacks began on March 19, but had not stopped the group from distributing its blacklist.

Patrick Gilmore, chief architect at Akamai Networks, a digital content provider, said Spamhaus?s role was to generate a list of Internet spammers. Of Cyberbunker, he added: ?These guys are just mad. To be frank, they got caught. They think they should be allowed to spam.?

Mr. Gilmore said that the attacks, which are generated by swarms of computers called botnets, concentrate data streams that are larger than the Internet connections of entire countries. He likened the technique, which uses a long-known flaw in the Internet?s basic plumbing, to using a machine gun to spray an entire crowd when the intent is to kill one person. The so-called distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attacks have reached previously unknown magnitudes, growing to a data stream of 300 billion bits per second.

Questioned about the attacks, Sven Olaf Kamphuis, an Internet activist who said he was a spokesman for the attackers, said in an online message that, ?We are aware that this is one of the largest DDoS attacks the world had publicly seen.? Mr. Kamphuis said Cyberbunker was retaliating against Spamhaus for ?abusing their influence.?

Source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/daily-report-dispute-on-spam-stirs-big-assault-on-the-internet/

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Trinidad Jame$' 'Female$ Welcomed' Video: Watch Now!

Even the devil stops by for the 'All Gold Everything' rapper's flaming-hot music video, shot in his native Trinidad.
By Driadonna Roland


Trinidad James in his video for "Females Welcomed"
Photo: Def Jam

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704478/trinidad-james-females-welcomed-music-video.jhtml

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Quebec researcher catches DNA 'spelling mistakes' linked to breast cancer

Quebec researcher catches DNA 'spelling mistakes' linked to breast cancer [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 27-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Eva Kammer
ekammer@genomequebec.com
514-519-6910
Gnome Qubec

Working with an international consortium conducting research on breast, ovarian and prostate cancer among 200,000 people, Professor Jacques Simard, holder of the Canada Research Chair in Oncogenetics at Laval University, was actively involved in the discovery of DNA "spelling mistakes" linked to breast cancer. These mistakes known as genetic variations are directly involved in the risk of developing breast cancer.

The research was part of an international study on an unprecedented scale performed by the largest international consortia, the Collaborative Oncological Gene-Environment Study (COGS), coordinated by Professor Douglast Easton of Cambridge University. Given the scope of this international study and the impact of its findings, it will be featured in a series of articles in the prestigious science journal Nature Genetics on March 27, 2013. The results will also be presented in three additional articles published simultaneously in PLoS Genetics and The American Journal of Human Genetics.

Giant leap forward in breast cancer research

For over 20 years now, Professor Simard has been working at the CHU Qubec Research Centre on genetic susceptibility to breast cancer. These latest research findings helped identify 49 new genetic variations involved in the risk of developing this disease, almost tripling the number of variations now known. In the vast majority of breast cancer cases affecting the general population, it is the interaction between these genetic variations and other environmental and lifestyle factors that is involved in the development of the disease.

Professor Simard explains: "The vast amount of genetic information gathered through this study makes it one of the most significant breakthroughs in recent years in terms of understanding the inherited risk factors of breast cancer. It is now possible to develop a DNA profile where 5 percent of women have one in four chances of developing the disease." By understanding the genetic causes and their interaction with environmental factors, Professor Simard is paving the way for better prediction of breast cancer risk.

Qubec technological expertise at the heart of this achievement

Half of the samples used in the study over 100,000 were analyzed in Montral by genomic experts working at the McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre.

Gnome Qubec President and CEO, Marc LePage, notes: "It was Professor Simard's leadership that secured the involvement in the project of the McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre. He positioned the Centre's expertise and attracted many international teams, who could have had their findings analyzed anywhere in the world. This is unequivocal proof that we have built a genomic infrastructure of international repute. We are proud of our role in this worldwide study and applaud the work of all the researchers who participated, including Professor Mark Goldberg of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, who spearheaded the portion of the study on the interaction between genetic and environmental factors and its impact on the risk of developing breast cancer."

The $1.5 million investment by the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation played a key role in enabling Qubec researchers to take part in the international consortium. Francine Clroux, Executive Director of the Foundation, explains: "It is a major scientific breakthrough in breast cancer research and we are thrilled with the news. This discovery will make it easier to identify those women most at risk for the disease and offer them early screening and targeted prevention approaches."

###

Other partners include the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), which funded the international interdisciplinary research team working on the inherited risk of breast cancer spearheaded by Professor Simard.

About the McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre

The McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre is a world-class research facility for genomics and proteomics. Founded in 2002, the Centre has developed world-renowned expertise in complex genetic disorders, such as cardiac disease, asthma and Type 2 diabetes and cancer, and has become a resource and networking site for various research initiatives in human health, forestry, infectious diseases, agriculture and environment. Major funding for the McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre is provided by the Government of Canada through Genome Canada, and the Government of Qubec. For more information, visit http://www.genomequebec.com

About the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation

The Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to fund breast cancer research, promote breast health through education and awareness activities, and provide support for those affected by the disease. For additional information, please visit http://www.rubanrose.org or observationdesseins.org.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Quebec researcher catches DNA 'spelling mistakes' linked to breast cancer [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 27-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Eva Kammer
ekammer@genomequebec.com
514-519-6910
Gnome Qubec

Working with an international consortium conducting research on breast, ovarian and prostate cancer among 200,000 people, Professor Jacques Simard, holder of the Canada Research Chair in Oncogenetics at Laval University, was actively involved in the discovery of DNA "spelling mistakes" linked to breast cancer. These mistakes known as genetic variations are directly involved in the risk of developing breast cancer.

The research was part of an international study on an unprecedented scale performed by the largest international consortia, the Collaborative Oncological Gene-Environment Study (COGS), coordinated by Professor Douglast Easton of Cambridge University. Given the scope of this international study and the impact of its findings, it will be featured in a series of articles in the prestigious science journal Nature Genetics on March 27, 2013. The results will also be presented in three additional articles published simultaneously in PLoS Genetics and The American Journal of Human Genetics.

Giant leap forward in breast cancer research

For over 20 years now, Professor Simard has been working at the CHU Qubec Research Centre on genetic susceptibility to breast cancer. These latest research findings helped identify 49 new genetic variations involved in the risk of developing this disease, almost tripling the number of variations now known. In the vast majority of breast cancer cases affecting the general population, it is the interaction between these genetic variations and other environmental and lifestyle factors that is involved in the development of the disease.

Professor Simard explains: "The vast amount of genetic information gathered through this study makes it one of the most significant breakthroughs in recent years in terms of understanding the inherited risk factors of breast cancer. It is now possible to develop a DNA profile where 5 percent of women have one in four chances of developing the disease." By understanding the genetic causes and their interaction with environmental factors, Professor Simard is paving the way for better prediction of breast cancer risk.

Qubec technological expertise at the heart of this achievement

Half of the samples used in the study over 100,000 were analyzed in Montral by genomic experts working at the McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre.

Gnome Qubec President and CEO, Marc LePage, notes: "It was Professor Simard's leadership that secured the involvement in the project of the McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre. He positioned the Centre's expertise and attracted many international teams, who could have had their findings analyzed anywhere in the world. This is unequivocal proof that we have built a genomic infrastructure of international repute. We are proud of our role in this worldwide study and applaud the work of all the researchers who participated, including Professor Mark Goldberg of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, who spearheaded the portion of the study on the interaction between genetic and environmental factors and its impact on the risk of developing breast cancer."

The $1.5 million investment by the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation played a key role in enabling Qubec researchers to take part in the international consortium. Francine Clroux, Executive Director of the Foundation, explains: "It is a major scientific breakthrough in breast cancer research and we are thrilled with the news. This discovery will make it easier to identify those women most at risk for the disease and offer them early screening and targeted prevention approaches."

###

Other partners include the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), which funded the international interdisciplinary research team working on the inherited risk of breast cancer spearheaded by Professor Simard.

About the McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre

The McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre is a world-class research facility for genomics and proteomics. Founded in 2002, the Centre has developed world-renowned expertise in complex genetic disorders, such as cardiac disease, asthma and Type 2 diabetes and cancer, and has become a resource and networking site for various research initiatives in human health, forestry, infectious diseases, agriculture and environment. Major funding for the McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre is provided by the Government of Canada through Genome Canada, and the Government of Qubec. For more information, visit http://www.genomequebec.com

About the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation

The Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to fund breast cancer research, promote breast health through education and awareness activities, and provide support for those affected by the disease. For additional information, please visit http://www.rubanrose.org or observationdesseins.org.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/gq-qrc032613.php

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Review: ?Lincoln? Blu-ray brings historical gem home with deep look ...

Disney?s distribution partnership with DreamWorks continues to do well for both parties with the release of ?Lincoln,? the Academy-Award winning film from director Steven Spielberg that brilliantly portrays a rather brief, but extremely tense and historically important period in the life of the United States? 16th President.

The film isn?t for everyone, diving deep into the nitty gritty of lawmaking, but including enough humor and balancing politics with the importance of family to offer a glimpse at what Abraham Lincoln, the man, would have been like to work and live with, especially amidst the turmoil of permanently and legally abolishing slavery. Daniel Day-Lewis delivers another stunning character portrayal, this time fully embodying the role of the man every American thinks they know, but doesn?t fully understand until either seeing this film or reading the book its based on, ?Team of Rivals? by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

On Blu-ray, Lincoln looks fantastic, never gritty or dated in appearance, despite its centuries-old setting. The film was shot with each frame telling a story, even without dialogue, focusing on long, slow shots capturing not only what is said, but also how it?s said and how the speakers react to their own words. But those words are indeed the stars of this film, with stretches of lengthy speeches managing to keep viewers intrigued by the nuances of each character?s portrayal. And the subtle sound design of ticking clocks and horse-drawn carriages keeps audiences inside this world, crystal clear in the home release.

Bonus features are plentiful, never going too far into the history of Abraham Lincoln, instead focusing on what it took to bring the man to life on the big screen. The six lengthy extras are essentially a continuation of one another, with many of the same interview subjects and settings broken up across different topics. Put together, they form one long and enjoyable documentary showcasing almost every element of making ?Lincoln.?

?The Journey to Lincoln? provides and overview of why Spielberg chose to make the film and the history behind his eager collaboration with Doris Kearns Goodwin and screenwriter Tony Kushner. The tale continues in ?A Historic Tapestry: Richmond, Virginia,? the shortest of the group that showcases the surprising amount of real-life governmen buildings in Virginia used to shoot the film, even transforming one into the White House.

?In The Company of Character? focuses on the authenticity of each actor transforming themselves into their respective characters, particularly Daniel Day Lewis? portrayal of Lincoln. Unfortunately neither this nor any of the other extras ever once shows a behind-the-scenes single clip of Lewis acting as Lincoln, leaving viewers only with photographs and the film itself to take in his Oscar-winning role. ?Crafting the Past? dives deep into the film?s production design, costuming, and make up, the former of which is elaborate and period accurate while the latter is surprisingly simple, devoted to creating a ?feeling? of the era, not a recreation.

?Living With Lincoln? and ?In Lincoln?s Footsteps? conclude the series of extras focusing on the ending of the film and its editing, sound design, and John Williams? musical score, written with the music Lincoln could have really heard in mind.

?Lincoln? is a fascinating and captivating journey into the life of what many regard as the greatest United States President to have ever held the office and the Blu-ray bonus features emphasize how the importance of the figure was felt deep inside every person who worked on creating the film.

?Lincoln? is available today on Blu-ray from Amazon and other major retailers.


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Source: http://www.insidethemagic.net/2013/03/review-lincoln-blu-ray-brings-historical-gem-home-with-deep-look-behind-the-scenes-of-spielbergs-filmmaking-process/

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Georges St-Pierre cast in the next ?Captain America?

The last time we saw UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, he was defending his belt against Nick Diaz at UFC 158. But now you'll get to see him outside the cage, as he was just cast in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." GSP will play Batroc the Leaper, a French mercenary and kickboxer with a penchant for kicking Captain America.

[Related: Georges St-Pierre apologizes for controversial fight attire]

GSP is the perfect fit. He's French-Canadian, and French was his first language. As for the kicking:

It doesn't look like he'll have to do much research to figure that part of the character out.

Memorable Moments from Yahoo! Sports:

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/georges-st-pierre-cast-next-captain-america-134706701--mma.html

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Too much choice leads to riskier decisions, new study finds

Mar. 25, 2013 ? The more choices people have, the riskier the decisions they make, according to a new study which sheds light on how we behave when faced with large amounts of information.

Researchers at the University of Warwick and the University of Lugano set up a gambling game in which they analysed how decision-making is affected when people are faced with a large number of potential gambles.

They found that a bias in the way people gather information leads them to take more risks when they choose a gamble from a large set of options, a phenomenon which researchers have labelled 'search-amplified risk'.

This means that, when faced with a large number of choices -- each having outcomes associated with different probabilities of occurring -- people are more likely to overestimate the probabilities of some of the rarest events.

The study, published in the journal Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, found that with large choice sets, people took riskier gambles based on a flawed perception that there was a higher probability of 'winning big' -- but in reality they more often went away empty-handed.

Dr Thomas Hills of the Department of Psychology at the University of Warwick said: "It's not that people just give up and make random decisions when faced with a large number of options.

"They are making rational decisions, but these decisions are based on faulty information gathering.

"The problem is with the information search strategies people use when faced with a large number of options.

"People search more when they have many choices, increasing the likelihood that they will encounter rare, risky events.

"The problem is that they don't sample any given choice enough to understand its underlying probabilities. This leaves the rare events sticking out like sore thumbs.

"As a consequence, people choose these riskier gambles more often."

For the study, 64 participants took part in a game where they had to choose one box out of a varying number of boxes presented on a computer screen.

Each box contained a different sum or money -- for example ?1 or ?5 -- and each box had a certain probability of paying out -- for example, 1 out of 10, 1 out of 3, or every time.

Participants were able to 'sample' each box by opening it as many times as they liked to determine the payout amount and to try to deduce the probability of a payout.

Once they were satisfied with the information they had gathered, they committed to their final choice by choosing a single box.

The game consisted of five turns, with either an increasing or decreasing number of boxes per turn.

The first group could initially choose from two boxes, this was then increased to four, then eight, then 16 then 32. Another group started with 32, then this decreased to 16, eight, four then two.

The researchers found that both the number of boxes per turn and whether the number of boxes was increasing or decreasing affected the quality of decision-making among the participants.

With a higher number of boxes, people made a higher total number of samples. For example one group on average made 12 samples when there were two boxes on screen and 50 samples when there were 32 boxes on screen.

However, as these figures show, the increase in sampling was not in proportion with the increase in box numbers.

For example in one group, people made six samples per box when there were two boxes on screen, but only two samples per box when there were 32 boxes.

These results show that with large choice sets, people gathered a broad range of information on the value of the potential sum they could win, so were aware that there were boxes with higher payout values.

However they were not delving deeply into that information, which in this context meant they were not fully investigating the probability of the payout of the higher-value boxes.

They came across a 'rare event' -- say a ?5 payout which was rarer than a ?1 payout -- and gambled on it, even though they had not fully researched the probability of that payout occurring.

This kind of gamble was more likely to result in a zero payout.

The researchers also found differences in decision-making between the 'many-to-few group' -- those who started with a large number of choices which were then decreased -- and the 'few-to-many group' where the order was reversed.

The study showed that people who started with smaller choice sets were more likely than the other group to gather more information across all choice set sizes.

In other words, there appeared to be a carry-over effect where people gathered a lot of information with a small choice set, and this comparatively higher rate of information gathering was repeated for larger choice sets.

Conversely, people who started with a large choice set gathered less information than the other group when it came to the smaller choice sets.

However when there were many options, neither group was able to consistently choose options with the highest expected values.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Warwick.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Thomas T. Hills, Takao Noguchi, Michael Gibbert. Information overload or search-amplified risk? Set size and order effects on decisions from experience. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2013; DOI: 10.3758/s13423-013-0422-3

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/kbbr4E3ddbo/130325093709.htm

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