Apr. 29, 2013 ? Having to explain how a political policy works leads people to express less extreme attitudes toward the policy, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
The research suggests that people may hold extreme policy positions because they are under an illusion of understanding -- attempting to explain the nuts and bolts of how a policy works forces them to acknowledge that they don't know as much about the policy as they initially thought.
Psychological scientist Philip Fernbach of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado, Boulder and his co-authors were interested in exploring some of the factors that could contribute to what they see as increasing political polarization in the United States.
"We wanted to know how it's possible that people can maintain such strong positions on issues that are so complex -- such as macroeconomics, health care, foreign relations -- and yet seem to be so ill-informed about those issues," says Fernbach.
Drawing on previous research on the illusion of understanding, Fernbach and colleagues speculated that one reason for the apparent paradox may be that voters think they understand how policies work better than they actually do.
In their first study, the researchers asked participants taking an online survey to rate how well they understood six political policies, including raising the retirement age for Social Security, instituting a national flat tax, and implementing merit-based pay for teachers. The participants were randomly assigned to explain two of the policies and then asked to re-rate how well they understood the policies.
As the researchers predicted, people reported lower understanding of all six policies after they had to explain them, and their positions on the policies were less extreme. In fact, the data showed that the more people's understanding decreased, the more uncertain they were about the position, and the less extreme their position was in the end.
The act of explaining also affected participants' behavior. People who initially held a strong position softened their position after having to explain it, making them less likely to donate bonus money to a related organization when they were given the opportunity to do so.
Importantly, the results affected people along the whole political spectrum, from self-identified Democrats to Republicans to Independents.
According to the researchers, these findings shed light on a psychological process that may help people to open the lines of communication in the context of a heated debate or negotiation.
"This research is important because political polarization is hard to combat," says Fernbach. "There are many psychological processes that act to create greater extremism and polarization, but this is a rare case where asking people to attempt to explain makes them back off their extreme positions."
In addition to Fernbach, co-authors include Todd Rogers of the Harvard Kennedy School; Craig R. Fox of the University of California, Los Angeles; and Steven A. Sloman of Brown University.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.
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Journal Reference:
P. M. Fernbach, T. Rogers, C. R. Fox, S. A. Sloman. Political Extremism Is Supported by an Illusion of Understanding. Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/0956797612464058
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.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares rose on Thursday, with recovering commodities and views that a run of weak global economic data will encourage major central banks to keep or deepen their monetary stimulus improving risk sentiment, but weak data undermined the dollar.
European stock markets were seen subdued, with financial spreadbetters predicting London's FTSE 100, Paris's CAC-40 and Frankfurt's DAX would open narrowly mixed between a 0.1 percent rise and a 0.1 percent drop.
U.S. stock futures were up 0.1 percent, hinting at a calm Wall Street open.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.7 percent, with Hong Kong shares rising 1.1 percent and hitting a three-week high, spurred by recovering commodity prices and positive quarterly earnings from China Minsheng Bank, the country's seventh-largest lender.
South Korean shares gained 0.4 percent as metals and chemicals rebounded on higher gold and oil prices, taking in their stride earnings from Hyundai Motor Co which showed a 15 percent fall in its quarterly net profit, broadly in line with forecasts.
Early on Thursday, South Korea said its economy grew a seasonally adjusted 0.9 percent in the January-March period from the previous quarter, the fastest in two years and far above market expectations. The surprising growth dented expectations for a rate cut by the Bank of Korea.
Adrian Foster, head of financial markets research for Asia-Pacific at Rabobank International in Hong Kong, said the main factor behind an improved tone in the region was the recent rally in the peripheral European government bond market which reflected waning fears about a euro zone implosion.
"We've already been seeing the market evolve from the European crisis to focus more on specific issues in a country or events," he said, adding that it was a positive development that investors were reverting to behaviour seen before the financial crisis.
U.S. equities were also underpinned by earnings prospect despite recent soft economic reports, with 68.4 percent of the 174 companies in the S&P 500 index that already have reported results exceeding analysts' expectations, according to Thomson Reuters data through Wednesday morning.
The euro zone debt crisis has taken a toll on the European economy but that has simultaneously strengthened the case for more easing, raising expectations of a rate cut by the European Central Bank when it meets next week.
Despite the rate cut speculation and weak euro zone data, the euro was up 0.3 percent at $1.3050 and away from Wednesday's three-week low of $1.2954. The resilience of the single currency partly stemmed from falling yields in highly-indebted Italy and Spain and hopes Italy will break its political deadlock two months after an inconclusive election.
The ECB rate cut speculation also helped offset growth concerns highlighted by U.S. durable goods posting their biggest drop in seven months in March and the Ifo survey showing that German business sentiment in April fell further than the most bearish forecasts.
The U.S. Federal Reserve meets next week and is expected to reaffirm its commitment to its bond-buying stimulus programme.
"Recent concerns have emanated from weak manufacturing data in China, the euro zone and the U.S., but none of these economies have plunged off a cliff," said Thomas Lam, chief economist at DMG & Partners Securities in Hong Kong.
"Probably we will see some stabilisation in the near term, based on expectations that central banks will, if not extend easing, then delay any normalisation of policy," he added.
NIKKEI POWERS AHEAD
Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 0.7 percent and hit its highest since June 2008, as a weakening yen bolstered expectations for improved corporate earnings.
Most observers have welcomed an April 4 decision by the Bank of Japan to embark on a radical monetary expansion campaign that could help the global economy. The BOJ plans to inject about $1.4 trillion into the world's third-largest economy in less than two years in an effort to end two decades of stagnation.
"The weaker yen is having a positive effect on companies' earnings, which in turn is lifting stocks," he said. "For now, we see this trend continuing," said Hiroichi Nishi, an assistant general manager at SMBC Nikko Securities.
Japan's capital flows data showed on Thursday that Japanese investors remained net sellers of foreign bonds, in line with comments from big life insurers that they remain cautious about immediately shifting their money out of Japanese government bonds into foreign bonds.
Japanese investors sold a net 862.6 billion yen of foreign bonds in the week to April 20, while foreign investors turned net sellers of Japanese shares.
The dollar was down 0.1 percent at 99.33 yen, still within sight of testing the symbolic 100 yen level which many traders say is just a matter of time. Against a basket of key currencies, the dollar was down 0.4 percent.
U.S. crude rose 0.5 percent to $91.89 a barrel and Brent was up 0.4 percent at $102.13.
Spot gold was up 0.8 percent at $1,442.16 an ounce while London copper rose 0.8 percent to $7,086 a tonne, a one-week high.
NEW YORK (AP) ? Armed with a pressure-cooker explosive and five pipe bombs, the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing made a spur-of-the-moment decision last week to give the Big Apple a taste of their mayhem, New York officials say.
The potentially deadly scheme fell apart when the brothers realized the car they had hijacked was low on gas.
"We don't know if we would have been able to stop the terrorists had they arrived here from Boston," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday. "We're just thankful that we didn't have to find out that answer."
New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told interrogators at his hospital bed that he and his older brother spontaneously decided the night of April 18 to drive to New York and launch an attack.
But when the Tsarnaev brothers stopped at a gas station on the outskirts of Boston, the carjacking victim they were holding hostage escaped and called police, Kelly said. Later that night, police intercepted the brothers in a blazing gunbattle that left 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev dead. Dzhokhar, 19, was discovered hiding in a boat in a suburban back yard the next day. He was wounded.
It is questionable whether the Tsarnaevs could have successfully made the 200-mile trip to New York since they had become two of the most-wanted men in the world since the April 15 explosions that killed three people and injured more than 260. Their faces had been splashed all over the Internet and TV in surveillance-camera images released by the FBI. Yet the news that the city may have narrowly escaped another terrorist attack still made New Yorkers shudder.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is charged with carrying out the Boston Marathon bombing April 15 that killed three people and wounded more than 260, and he could get the death penalty. Christina DiIorio-Sterling, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz in Boston, would not comment on whether authorities plan to add charges based on the alleged plot to attack New York.
Meanwhile in Massachusetts, the Middlesex County district attorney's office said it is building a murder case against Tsarnaev for the death of MIT police officer Sean Collier three days after the bombings.
As authorities began disclosing the suspects' plans and motives, the hospital-room questioning of Tsarnaev is generating concern about whether he should have been interrogated without first being told of his constitutional rights to stay silent and have a lawyer present ? and, conversely, whether federal agents actually should have had more time with him before he was read his rights.
Tsarnaev faced 16 hours of questioning before he was advised of his Miranda rights, and investigators say he told them of his role in the two bombings near the Boston Marathon finish line. He explained that he and his brother were angry about the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the killing of Muslims there, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the case with reporters.
Tsarnaev also described their plan to drive to New York and set off the remaining explosives there.
In Boston, federal agents invoked an exception to the Miranda warnings that allows for questioning when public safety may be threatened. But they knew their time with Tsarnaev in the absence of a lawyer would be limited.
On Sunday, prosecutors filed a criminal complaint charging Tsarnaev with a role in the bombings. That action led directly to an improvised court hearing in the hospital the following morning at which U.S. Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler told Tsarnaev he did not have to answer questions and could have a lawyer. He then stopped talking.
Civil liberties advocates have said a suspect should rarely be questioned without a lawyer and without being told he doesn't have to respond.
"Miranda rights are an incredibly important civil liberties safeguard," said Hina Shamsi of the American Civil Liberties Union. "The public safety exception must be read narrowly, as it has been by the courts."
But California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, a former federal prosecutor, said he has questions about how the court proceeding came about.
"I would have thought the public safety exception would have allowed more time for the questioning of the suspect prior to the arraignment and/or advising of rights," Schiff said.
Based on the younger man's interrogation and other evidence, authorities have said it appears so far that the brothers were radicalized via Islamic jihadi material on the Internet instead of any direct contact with terrorist organizations, but they warned it is still not certain.
The brothers are ethnic Chechens from Russia who came to the United States about a decade ago with their parents. The family was granted asylum.
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Thursday that the way the U.S. grants asylum to immigrants may need to be addressed after the marathon bombings.
"People getting asylum because they are in the minority, but engaging in aggressive tactics in their home country that may cause them to be susceptible to doing the same thing elsewhere, that obviously ought to be a part of our consideration in granting political asylum to avoid situations like Boston," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., who's working to develop a series of bills to fix problems with the country's immigration system.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano defended the asylum process this week in an appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying it involves multiple layers of vetting.
A comprehensive immigration bill introduced last week in the Senate also may undergo changes in response to Boston. One of its authors, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has suggested strengthening background checks done on certain immigrants considered higher-risk, such as refugees or asylum-seekers.
In New York, Kelly and Bloomberg said they were briefed on the New York plot on Wednesday night by the task force investigating the Boston bombing.
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said in a CNN interview that the city should have been told earlier "so it could go into its defensive mode."
Kelly, citing the interrogations, said the Tsarnaev brothers "planned to travel to Manhattan to detonate their remaining explosives in Times Square" four days after the Boston bombing.
A day earlier, Kelly said that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had talked about coming to New York "to party" after the attack and that there wasn't evidence of a plot against the city. But Kelly said a later interview with the suspect turned up the information.
Kelly said there was no evidence New York was still a target. But in a show of force, police cruisers with blinking red lights were lined up in the middle of Times Square on Thursday afternoon, and uniformed officers stood shoulder to shoulder.
Outside Penn Station, Wayne Harris, a schoolteacher from Queens, said: "We don't know when a terrorist attack will happen next in New York, but it will happen. It didn't happen this time, by the grace of God. God protected us this time."
In 2010, Times Square was targeted with a car bomb that never went off. Pakistani immigrant Faisal Shahzad had planted a bomb in an SUV, but street vendors noticed smoke and it was disabled. Shahzad was arrested as he tried to leave the country and was sentenced to life in prison.
Meanwhile, the Tsarnaev brothers' father said he is leaving Russia for the U.S. in the next day or two, but their mother said she was still thinking it over.
Anzor Tsarnaev has expressed a desire to go to the U.S. to find out what happened with his sons, defend the hospitalized son and, if possible, bring the older son's body back to Russia for burial.
Their mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, who was charged with shoplifting in the U.S. last summer, said she has been assured by lawyers that she would not be arrested, but was still deciding whether to make the trip.
___
Associated Press writers Verena Dobnik and Tom Hays in New York and Mark Sherman in Washington contributed to this story.
New grass hybrid could help reduce the likelihood of floodingPublic release date: 25-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Chris Melvin, Media Officer chris.melvin@bbsrc.ac.uk 01-793-414-694 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
A collaboration of plant and soil scientists from across the UK has shown a grass hybrid species could help reduce the impact of flooding.
The BBSRC-funded scientists, from Rothamsted Research, the James Hutton Institute, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University, Lancaster University and the University of Nottingham, used a hybridised species of grass called perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) with a closely related species called meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis).
They hoped to integrate the rapid establishment and growth rate of the ryegrass with the large, well developed root systems and efficient water capture of the meadow fescue.
Over two years of field experiments in the south west the team demonstrated that the hybrid, named Festulolium, reduced water runoff from agricultural grassland by up to 51 per cent compared to a leading UK nationally-recommended perennial ryegrass cultivar and by 43 per cent compared to meadow fescue.
It is thought the reduced runoff is achieved because Festulolium's intense initial root growth and subsequent rapid turn-over, especially at depth, allows more water to be retained within the soil.
The hybrid grass also provides high quality forage with resilience to weather extremes, making the grass doubly useful to farmers.
Dr. Kit Macleod, catchment scientist at the James Hutton Institute and one of the authors of the paper, said: "Hybrid grasses of this type show potential for reducing the likelihood of flood generation, whilst providing pasture for food production under conditions of changing climate.
"In areas with similar climate and soils, then there is potential for reducing the likelihood of flood generation based on increased soil water storage within a river's catchment."
Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of BBSRC, said: "We usually think of improving food crops solely in terms of traits such as the yield and quality of the food itself, and apart from root crops such as potatoes and carrots these are easily visible, above-ground traits. However, there is increasing recognition that the health and utility of plants can be greatly enhanced by improving below-ground traits such as root growth.
"This is a superb example of that reasoning, and a hugely important advance resulting from decades of fundamental BBSRC-supported work on the hybridisation of Lolium and Festuca (Fescue) species. I am sure that we shall see a continuing resurgence of interest in root biology, which findings such as this are sure to promote. The enormous savings that will be possible by mitigating flooding through planting grasses such as these dwarf any possible cost of producing them."
###
For more information contact BBSRC media office on 01793 414694.
A novel grass hybrid to reduce flood generation in temperate regions has been scheduled for online publication in Scientific Reports on Thursday 25 April at 1400 London time/0900 US Eastern Time.
Scientific Reports is an online-only journal. The online version of the article can be considered definitive. The DOI for this paper will be 10.1038/ srep01683. Once the paper is published electronically, the paper will be freely available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep01683. Please note that the correct citation of the journal is "Scientific Reports" not "Nature Scientific Reports."
This research was funded by a grant (BB/D010683/1) from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Rothamsted Research and Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) are grant-funded by BBSRC.
Notes to editors
About BBSRC
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond.
Funded by Government, and with an annual budget of around 500M (2012-2013), we support research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes. BBSRC research and the people we fund are helping society to meet major challenges, including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
For more information about BBSRC, our science and our impact see: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk
For more information about BBSRC strategically funded institutes see: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/institutes
James Hutton Institute
The James Hutton Institute is a world-leading, multi-site scientific organisation encompassing a distinctive range of integrated strengths in land, crop, waters, environmental and socio-economic science. It undertakes research for customers including the Scottish and UK Governments, the EU and other organisations worldwide. The institute has a staff of nearly 600 and 125 PhD students.
The Institute organises its research through seven principal themes: Safeguarding Natural Capital, Enhancing Crop Productivity and Utilisation, Delivering Sustainable Production Systems, Controlling Weeds, Pests and Diseases, Managing Catchments and Coasts, Realising Land's Potential and Nurturing Vibrant and Low Carbon Communities.
IBERS
IBERS is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for the study of biological, environmental and rural sciences.
It is a unique institution within Higher Education the UK which draws on academic expertise to undertake ground-breaking research to improve agricultural practices and to inform policy. The extensive range of work undertaken covers teaching, research, enterprise and knowledge transfer which enables IBERS to play a valuable role in the global drive to tackle some of the world's most urgent challenges.
IBERS was established in April 2008 following the merger of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER),formerly part of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council(BBSRC), with Aberystwyth University. IBERS receives strategic funding for research from the BBSRC, and benefits from financial support from the Welsh Government, DEFRA and the European Union.
http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/
Lancaster University
Lancaster University is ranked in the top 1% of Universities in the world and ranked 9th in the Times Higher World's top 100 universities under 50.
Following the latest research assessment exercise over 90% of the research at Lancaster was found to be world leading or internationally significant with some key areas of research ranked top in the UK. Lancaster is a member of the N8 Group - a research partnership of the top 8 most research intensive universities in the North of England.
http://www.lancs.ac.uk
The University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham has 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It was 'one of the first to embrace a truly international approach to higher education', according to the Sunday Times University Guide 2013. It is also one of the most popular universities among graduate employers, one of the world's greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for 'Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development'. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong and the QS World Rankings.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its research into global food security.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fundraising campaign, will deliver the University's vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future.
About Rothamsted Research
Rothamsted is an independent scientific research institute and the longest running agricultural research station in the world. Established in 1843 and strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), we provide independent, cutting-edge scientific research to develop innovations that benefit our health, farming and the environment.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
New grass hybrid could help reduce the likelihood of floodingPublic release date: 25-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Chris Melvin, Media Officer chris.melvin@bbsrc.ac.uk 01-793-414-694 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
A collaboration of plant and soil scientists from across the UK has shown a grass hybrid species could help reduce the impact of flooding.
The BBSRC-funded scientists, from Rothamsted Research, the James Hutton Institute, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University, Lancaster University and the University of Nottingham, used a hybridised species of grass called perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) with a closely related species called meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis).
They hoped to integrate the rapid establishment and growth rate of the ryegrass with the large, well developed root systems and efficient water capture of the meadow fescue.
Over two years of field experiments in the south west the team demonstrated that the hybrid, named Festulolium, reduced water runoff from agricultural grassland by up to 51 per cent compared to a leading UK nationally-recommended perennial ryegrass cultivar and by 43 per cent compared to meadow fescue.
It is thought the reduced runoff is achieved because Festulolium's intense initial root growth and subsequent rapid turn-over, especially at depth, allows more water to be retained within the soil.
The hybrid grass also provides high quality forage with resilience to weather extremes, making the grass doubly useful to farmers.
Dr. Kit Macleod, catchment scientist at the James Hutton Institute and one of the authors of the paper, said: "Hybrid grasses of this type show potential for reducing the likelihood of flood generation, whilst providing pasture for food production under conditions of changing climate.
"In areas with similar climate and soils, then there is potential for reducing the likelihood of flood generation based on increased soil water storage within a river's catchment."
Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of BBSRC, said: "We usually think of improving food crops solely in terms of traits such as the yield and quality of the food itself, and apart from root crops such as potatoes and carrots these are easily visible, above-ground traits. However, there is increasing recognition that the health and utility of plants can be greatly enhanced by improving below-ground traits such as root growth.
"This is a superb example of that reasoning, and a hugely important advance resulting from decades of fundamental BBSRC-supported work on the hybridisation of Lolium and Festuca (Fescue) species. I am sure that we shall see a continuing resurgence of interest in root biology, which findings such as this are sure to promote. The enormous savings that will be possible by mitigating flooding through planting grasses such as these dwarf any possible cost of producing them."
###
For more information contact BBSRC media office on 01793 414694.
A novel grass hybrid to reduce flood generation in temperate regions has been scheduled for online publication in Scientific Reports on Thursday 25 April at 1400 London time/0900 US Eastern Time.
Scientific Reports is an online-only journal. The online version of the article can be considered definitive. The DOI for this paper will be 10.1038/ srep01683. Once the paper is published electronically, the paper will be freely available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep01683. Please note that the correct citation of the journal is "Scientific Reports" not "Nature Scientific Reports."
This research was funded by a grant (BB/D010683/1) from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Rothamsted Research and Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) are grant-funded by BBSRC.
Notes to editors
About BBSRC
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond.
Funded by Government, and with an annual budget of around 500M (2012-2013), we support research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes. BBSRC research and the people we fund are helping society to meet major challenges, including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
For more information about BBSRC, our science and our impact see: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk
For more information about BBSRC strategically funded institutes see: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/institutes
James Hutton Institute
The James Hutton Institute is a world-leading, multi-site scientific organisation encompassing a distinctive range of integrated strengths in land, crop, waters, environmental and socio-economic science. It undertakes research for customers including the Scottish and UK Governments, the EU and other organisations worldwide. The institute has a staff of nearly 600 and 125 PhD students.
The Institute organises its research through seven principal themes: Safeguarding Natural Capital, Enhancing Crop Productivity and Utilisation, Delivering Sustainable Production Systems, Controlling Weeds, Pests and Diseases, Managing Catchments and Coasts, Realising Land's Potential and Nurturing Vibrant and Low Carbon Communities.
IBERS
IBERS is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for the study of biological, environmental and rural sciences.
It is a unique institution within Higher Education the UK which draws on academic expertise to undertake ground-breaking research to improve agricultural practices and to inform policy. The extensive range of work undertaken covers teaching, research, enterprise and knowledge transfer which enables IBERS to play a valuable role in the global drive to tackle some of the world's most urgent challenges.
IBERS was established in April 2008 following the merger of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER),formerly part of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council(BBSRC), with Aberystwyth University. IBERS receives strategic funding for research from the BBSRC, and benefits from financial support from the Welsh Government, DEFRA and the European Union.
http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/
Lancaster University
Lancaster University is ranked in the top 1% of Universities in the world and ranked 9th in the Times Higher World's top 100 universities under 50.
Following the latest research assessment exercise over 90% of the research at Lancaster was found to be world leading or internationally significant with some key areas of research ranked top in the UK. Lancaster is a member of the N8 Group - a research partnership of the top 8 most research intensive universities in the North of England.
http://www.lancs.ac.uk
The University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham has 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It was 'one of the first to embrace a truly international approach to higher education', according to the Sunday Times University Guide 2013. It is also one of the most popular universities among graduate employers, one of the world's greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for 'Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development'. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong and the QS World Rankings.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its research into global food security.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fundraising campaign, will deliver the University's vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future.
About Rothamsted Research
Rothamsted is an independent scientific research institute and the longest running agricultural research station in the world. Established in 1843 and strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), we provide independent, cutting-edge scientific research to develop innovations that benefit our health, farming and the environment.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Apr. 23, 2013 ? The rediscovery of a mystery animal in a museum's underground storeroom proves that a non-native 'big cat' prowled the British countryside at the turn of the last century.
The animal's skeleton and mounted skin was analysed by a multi-disciplinary team of Durham University scientists and fellow researchers at Bristol, Southampton and Aberystwyth universities and found to be a Canadian lynx -- a carnivorous predator more than twice the size of a domestic cat.
The research, published today in the academic journal Historical Biology, establishes the animal as the earliest example of an "alien big cat" at large in the British countryside.
The research team say this provides further evidence for debunking a popular hypothesis that wild cats entered the British countryside following the introduction of the 1976 Wild Animals Act. The Act was introduced to deal with an increasing fashion for exotic -- and potentially dangerous -- pets.
The academics believe such feral "British big cats" as they are known, may have lived in the wild much earlier, through escapes and even deliberate release. There is no evidence that such animals have been able to breed in the wild.
The study of the Canadian lynx, rediscovered by research team member Max Blake among hundreds of thousands of specimens at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, details records unearthed at the museum which showed the animal had originally been mislabelled by Edwardian curators in 1903 as a Eurasian lynx -- a close relative of the Canadian lynx.
The records also showed that the lynx was shot by a landowner in the Devon countryside in the early 1900s, after it killed two dogs.
"This Edwardian feral lynx provides concrete evidence that although rare, exotic felids have occasionally been part of British fauna for more than a century," said lead researcher, Dr Ross Barnett of Durham University's Department of Archaeology.
"The animal remains are significant in representing the first historic big cat from Britain."
Co-author Dr Darren Naish, from the University of Southampton, added: "There have been enough sightings of exotic big cats which substantially pre-date 1976 to cast doubt on the idea that one piece of legislation made in 1976 explains all releases of these animals in the UK.
"It seems more likely that escapes and releases have occurred throughout history, and that this continual presence of aliens explains the 'British big cat' phenomenon."
The researchers point out in their paper that Eurasian lynxes existed in the wild in Britain many hundreds of years ago, but had almost certainly become extinct by the 7th century. Laboratory analysis of the Bristol specimen's bones and teeth established it had been kept in captivity long enough to develop severe tooth loss and plaque before it either escaped or was deliberately released into the wild. Ancient DNA analysis of hair from the lynx proved inconclusive, possibly due to chemicals applied to the pelt during taxidermy.
Julie Finch, head of Bristol's Museums, Galleries & Archives, said: "Bristol Museum, Galleries and Archives were pleased to be a part of this ground-breaking research, which not only highlights the importance of our science collections, it establishes the pedigree of our 100-year old Lynx and adds to our knowledge and understanding of 'big cats' in the UK.
"Our museum collections are extensive and caring for them requires the considerable skills of our collections officers. We have an amazing collection of taxidermy animals on display and we welcome museum visitors to come along, to take a closer look and discover more about the natural world."
Dr Greger Larson, a member of the research team from Durham University and an expert in the migration of animals, said: "Every few years there is another claim that big cats are living wild in Britain, but none of these claims have been substantiated. It seems that big cats are to England what the Loch Ness Monster is to Scotland.
"By applying a robust scientific methodology, this study conclusively demonstrates that at least one big cat did roam Britain as early as the Edwardian era, and suggests that additional claims need to be subjected to this level of scrutiny."
The lynx is now on public display at Bristol museum.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Southampton, via AlphaGalileo.
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Journal Reference:
Max Blake, Darren Naish, Greger Larson, Charlotte L. King, Geoff Nowell, Manabu Sakamoto, Ross Barnett. Multidisciplinary investigation of a ?British big cat?: a lynx killed in southern England c. 1903. Historical Biology, 2013; : 1 DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2013.785541
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.
DHAKA (Reuters) - A block housing garment factories and shops collapsed in Bangladesh on Wednesday, killing nearly 100 people and injuring more than a thousand, officials said.
Firefighters and troops dug frantically through the rubble at the eight-storey Rana Plaza building in Savar, 30 km (20 miles) outside Dhaka. Television showed young women workers, some apparently semi-conscious, being pulled out.
One fireman told Reuters about 2,000 people were in the building when the upper floors slammed down onto those below.
Bangladesh's booming garments industry has been plagued by fires and other accidents for years, despite a drive to improve safety standards. In November 112 workers died in a blaze at the Tazreen factory in a nearby suburb, putting a spotlight on global retailers which source clothes from Bangladesh.
"It looks like an earthquake has struck here," said one resident as he looked on at the chaotic scene of smashed concrete and ambulances making their way through the crowds of workers and wailing relatives.
People and rescuers gather after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are ... more? People and rescuers gather after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are feared trapped in the rubble. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad) less? "I was at work on the third floor, and then suddenly I heard a deafening sound, but couldn't understand what was happening. I ran and was hit by something on my head," said factory worker Zohra Begum.
An official at a control room set up to provide information said 96 people were confirmed dead and more than 1,000 injured. Doctors at local hospitals said they were unable to cope with the number of victims brought in.
CRACKS IN BUILDING
Mohammad Asaduzzaman, in charge of the area's police station, said factory owners appeared to have ignored a warning not to allow their workers into the building after a crack was detected in the block on Tuesday.
Five garment factories - employing mostly women - were housed in the building, including Ether Tex Ltd., whose chairman said he was unaware of any warnings not to open the workshops.
"There was some crack at the second floor, but my factory was on the fifth floor," Muhammad Anisur Rahman told Reuters. "The owner of the building told our floor manager that it is not a problem and so you can open the factory."
He initially said that his firm had been sub-contracted to supply Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer, and Europe's C&A. In a subsequent interview he said he had been referring to an order in the past, not current work.
Wal-Mart did not immediately respond to requests for comment. C&A said that, based on its best information, it had no contractual relationship with any of the production units in the building that collapsed.
The website of a company called New Wave, which had two factories in the building, listed 27 main buyers, including firms from Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Canada and the United States.
"It is dreadful that leading brands and governments continue to allow garment workers to die or suffer terrible disabling injuries in unsafe factories making clothes for Western nations' shoppers," Laia Blanch of the U.K. anti-poverty charity War on Want said in a statement.
November's factory fire raised questions about how much control Western brands have over their supply chains for clothes sourced from Bangladesh. Wages as low as $38.50 a month have helped propel the country to no. 2 in the ranks of apparel exporters.
It emerged later that a Wal-Mart supplier had subcontracted work to the Tazreen factory without authorization.
Buildings in the crowded city of Dhaka are sometimes erected without permission and many do not comply with construction regulations.
(Additional reporting by Andrew Biraj; Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Andrew Roche)
OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Oklahomans would face stricter requirements for receiving food stamps under a measure approved by lawmakers this week and now awaiting Governor Mary Fallin's signature.
The bill, approved by large margins in both chambers of the Republican-controlled legislature and finalized on Wednesday, requires most able-bodied adults from age 18 to 50 who aren't raising children to either hold a job or be involved in job training, volunteer work or a literacy program if they want to receive food stamps.
Fallin, a Republican, has not yet reviewed the final version of the measure, but is expected to act on the bill by the end of the month, spokesman Alex Weintz said on Thursday. He did not indicate whether she would sign or veto the measure.
"We want to encourage a culture of responsibility here in Oklahoma," said Joe Griffin, spokesman for Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon. "We want people to break the cycle of poverty and move on to prosperity."
The work requirement for food stamps is part of a federal mandate dating to 1996. But after the 2008 recession led to a sharp rise in unemployment, Congress approved economic recovery legislation that allowed states to seek waivers from the work mandate.
Oklahoma sought and received the food stamp work exemption in 2009. However, the Oklahoma bill revives the requirements for state residents and also prevents the state from seeking future waivers, Griffin said.
(Reporting by Steve Olafson in Oklahoma City; Writing by Carey Gillam; Editing by David Bailey and Andrea Ricci)
(Reuters) - Shares of Zynga Inc fell 10 percent in early trading on Thursday after the online game maker forecast a bigger-than-expected second-quarter loss on concerns about its slow transformation into a gaming company focused on mobiles.
Zynga management on Wednesday pleaded for more time for the turnaround effort, saying that the company's business, although stabilized, may not pick up until the latter half of the year.
Analysts said until the company showed more progress on its mobile strategy, it would have to fall back on its popular "Farmville" game and new games such as "Draw Something 2" to draw in and retain gamers and investors.
"Zynga keeps hinting at meaningful changes to come ... profitably, on mobile, but we will need to see it before we can give them credit for it," Macquarie Equities Research analyst Ben Schachter said.
The company now gets 22 percent of its revenue from its mobile platform, up from 12 percent a year earlier, but that share remains modest compared with similarly sized technology companies such as Twitter Inc, which gets more than half of its revenue from mobile users.
"Zynga is unlikely to ever dominate the mobile gaming market in the same way that it has the web-based gaming market for many years," Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said.
The company aims to tap gamers on smartphones as it loses users on PCs but doubts remain over whether this can sustain its revenues and profits.
"Zynga's path toward renewed growth is uncertain and fraught with competitive and internal risks," Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Olson said in a research note to clients.
The company has also said it would tap into potentially lucrative new revenue streams, after it revised its once-lucrative business partnership with Facebook Inc.
Zynga has in recent months sought to establish a more independent network even at the risk of less visitor traffic from the social media giant and is looking to launch real-money casino games around the world, starting with Britain.
Analysts said though real-money gambling games is a good long-term opportunity, it is unrealistic to think it would boost Zynga's prospects anytime soon.
"Zynga must overcome significant competitive and legislative issues, among others. The near-term impact of real money gaming should be limited," Wedbush's Pachter said.
Shares of the company fell to $3.01 in early trading on Thursday. The company's stock, which listed on the Nasdaq in February 2011 at $10, has lost nearly a third of its value over the past year.
(Reporting by Sayantani Ghosh in Bangalore; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? After weeks of threatening rhetoric from the North, South Korea on Thursday promised its own unspecified "grave measures" if Pyongyang rejects talks on a jointly run factory park shuttered for nearly a month.
The park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong is the most significant casualty so far in the recent deterioration of relations between the Koreas. Pyongyang barred South Korean managers and cargo from entering North Korea earlier this month, then recalled the 53,000 North Koreans who worked on the assembly lines.
South Korea's Unification Ministry on Thursday proposed working-level talks on Kaesong and urged the North to respond by noon Friday, warning that Seoul will take "grave measures" if Pyongyang rebuffs the call for dialogue.
In a televised news conference, spokesman Kim Hyung-suk refused to say what those measures might be. Some analysts said Seoul would likely pull out the roughly 175 South Korean managers who remain at the complex.
Kim said South Korea set a Friday deadline because the remaining workers at Kaesong are running short of food and medicine. He said the companies there are suffering economically because of the shutdown.
To resolve deadlocked operations at Kaesong, Kim said North Korea should first allow some South Koreans to cross the border to hand over food and medicine to the managers.
North Korea didn't make an immediate response Thursday, according to the Unification Ministry.
The demand for talks follows a lull in what had been a period of rising hostility between the Koreas. Pyongyang has recently eased its threats of nuclear war and expressed some tentative signs of interest in dialogue. Its demands, including dismantling all U.S. nuclear weapons, go far beyond what its adversaries will accept, but Washington, Seoul and Beijing have also pushed for an easing of animosity.
The Kaesong complex is the last major symbol of cooperation remaining from an earlier era that saw the Koreas set up various projects to facilitate better ties.
The factory park has operated with South Korean know-how and technology and with cheap labor from North Korea since 2004. It has weathered past cycles of hostility between the rivals, including two attacks blamed on North Korea in 2010 that killed 50 South Koreans.
More than 120 South Korean companies, mostly small and medium-sized apparel and electronics firms, operated at Kaesong before North Korean workers stopped showing up on April 9. Raw material came from South Korea, with finished goods later sent back south. Last year, the factories produced goods worth $470 million.
Impoverished North Korea objects to views in South Korea that the park is a source of badly needed hard currency. South Korean companies paid salaries to North Korean workers averaging $127 a month, according to South Korea's government. That is less than one-sixteenth of the average salary of South Korean manufacturer workers.
Pyongyang also has complained about alleged South Korean military plans in the event the North held the Kaesong managers hostage.
South Koreans remaining at Kaesong are free to leave, but have been staying to protect their companies' equipment and products. Their food, which had been brought in before North Korea closed the border, is dwindling, and there has been a daily trickle of managers returning home.
On Wednesday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said the country won't seek to resolve the Kaesong standoff by making concessions to the North. That was a reference to past liberal governments that were accused of providing the North with almost unconditional financial assistance to promote reconciliation.
"How the Kaesong issue is handled will be a touchstone for whether South-North relations will be predictable and sustainable," Park told South Korean journalists, according to her office. "I want the issue to be resolved quickly, but I would say there should not be a solution like funneling" aid, as has happened in the past.
Kim, the spokesman, said: "It's very regrettable for North Korea to reject (taking) the minimum humanitarian measures for our workers at the Kaesong industrial complex."
In Pyongyang, tens of thousands of people ? families, soldiers and students ? visited Kumsusan palace to celebrate the founding anniversary of the country's military. The plaza outside has been transformed into a park with gardens and fountains.
__
AP writer Jean H. Lee in Pyongyang, North Korea, contributed to this report.
As more developers are receiving their pair of Google Glass, the tinkering with the device is heating up. One developer found a very interesting easter egg within Glass itself, which introduces you to the entire Glass team. The steps to reproduce it are fairly simple: Settings -> Device info -> View licenses -> Tap the touchpad 9 times -> Tap Meet Team Here’s a video demo, including the neat sounds that happen as you keep tapping: The neat part about the photo is that you can see the entire panoramic image by moving your head around. This was hard to show in the MyGlass screencast, since it lags a little bit. We’ve learned that Mike Lebeau, Senior Software Engineer for Google X, is the one who dropped the hidden gem into Glass’ software. The team photo has Google co-founder, Sergey Brin, front and center. I’m sure that more of these easter eggs will pop up over time, but this one is particularly cool since it’s the first time that I’ve seen a panoramic image on the device since I started using it. This functionality could be something that isn’t exposed in the Mirror API as of yet, but once it is, it’ll be a fun one.
MOSCOW (AP) ? Two men in their early twenties lie face down in the snow, hands tied behind their backs, heads doused with dark red paint. A dozen young men, some wearing surgical masks, wreck a car with hammers and axes. One sets fire to a plastic bag filled with a greenish powder and a stack of cards that read: "Aroma. Smoking mixes."
The powder is a synthetic drug known as "spice" that is Russia's latest scourge. The pair on the ground are alleged pushers. And the hammer-wielding men? Vigilantes fighting the drug's spread with widespread public approval, admiring television coverage ? and, according to critics, the Kremlin's tacit blessing.
The anti-drug gangs roaming streets in Moscow and other urban centers are an offshoot of the pro-Kremlin youth movement Young Russia. The vigilantes, who call themselves the Young Anti-Drugs Special Forces, have tapped into rising public outrage over the spread of drug use in Russia, and the impotence of law enforcement to stop it. They are also stirring concerns about President Vladimir Putin's perceived tolerance for extralegal actions against forces considered harmful to the regime or to public order.
Young Russia and a half dozen other pro-Kremlin youth groups were formed in the mid-2000s, analysts and opposition figures say, to prevent street protests similar to those that ushered pro-Western opposition forces into power in three ex-Soviet states: Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. Russian authorities are accused of encouraging violence, or the threat of violence, by youth gangs when dealing with what they see as threats to stability. The vigilantes' free hand indicates that the spice epidemic is seen as one of such threats.
The Interior Ministry, which controls Russia's police, declined comment to The Associated Press on the gangs, which suspended their activities this month without explanation. The head of Russia's anti-drugs agency, Viktor Ivanov, criticized the group's actions as illegal and "nothing but noise."
Spice consists of herbs coated in chemicals that mimic the effects of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine. In recent years, millions here, mostly teenagers, have smoked various kinds of spice, attracted by its cheapness, availability and reputation for being harmless, officials and anti-drug campaigners say. Reliable figures on usage are not available because of the variety of kinds of spice on offer and the lack of official studies on the phenomenon.
Pushers sell bags of spice for less than $15, in schools or online, from bulletproof cars and shops with barred windows and metal doors. Their phone numbers are often scrawled on walls or sidewalks, or printed on business cards that carry messages such as "100 percent harmless smoking mix" and "Smoke and go to paradise." Some pushers never see their customers and text message the whereabouts of a spice stash after getting a money transfer.
Spice is mass produced in China and Southeast Asia and exported to Russia as bath salts, incense and slimming additives, often in mail packages.
Ivanov, who heads Russia's Federal Drug Control Agency, said fighting spice is nearly impossible, because banning one or more ingredients means manufacturers simply change the molecular structure of the chemicals or replace the herbs to skirt the law.
"There are 900 versions of it, and every week they come up with a new one," Ivanov told The Associated Press.
And that's where the masked men with hammers come in. The Anti-Drugs Special Forces, widely known by their Russian acronym, MAS, was formed last year and includes dozens of activists in Moscow, many of them with a background in martial arts. Leaders say the group gets funding from donors and small city-run construction projects that its volunteers work on.
And the group has its own formula for hunting down spice traders. They track down a pusher. One of them uses a hidden camera to videotape a "control purchase." And then a dozen or more attack, while one or two of them shoot video.
They sometimes face no resistance from lone pushers who beg to be released and swear never to sell spice anymore. Other times, they fail to break into their fortified shops, leaving after painting the doors and bullet-proof windows with graffiti saying: "Drugs are sold here" or "They kill your children with impunity." On rare occasions, pushers fight back or call their bosses ? burly men with guns and knives.
An Associated Press reporter observed the Moscow attacks on the two pushers who were doused with red paint in the snow.
Screaming obscenities and threats, more than a dozen vigilantes wearing masks and holding hammers surrounded a man with a baseball bat who had just jumped out of a parked car. The man moved backward, swinging his bat as several masked vigilantes closed in. The driver sat in the car, face convulsed with fear.
The attackers broke a window of the car and threw in a smoke candle, forcing the driver out. They punched and kicked him, tied his arms and legs with duct-tape and threw him to the snow, dousing his head with paint. From the car's front seat, they took a plastic bag with spice and set it afire. Seconds later, the first man was tied up and also soaked in paint. The assailants smashed the car with metal bars and hammers and turned it on its side.
The group admits that its methods are illegal.
"We're walking on the edge, but you have to understand that fighting drugs is a serious thing," said group leader Alexei Grunichev, fair-haired and gaunt, while showing raid videos on his laptop at the group's headquarters in several decrepit rooms. "We also understand our guilt for what we do, but I think that what we do is right and we will fight, keep fighting using these methods until law enforcement agencies, authorities can put everything under control."
The group claims to have conducted more than 300 raids over the past year in Moscow alone, and posts many raid videos online. These short clips are the backbone of the group's reputation and popular support ? despite the violence, obscenities and property damage they contain. They are available on YouTube, the website of their mother group, Young Russia, and on the group's page on vk.com, Russia's most popular social networking site.
MAF issued a low-key statement on vk.com this month saying that it had halted drug raids on April 12. However, the group's main website does not mention the suspension and still advertises its hardcore solutions to the spice use problem.
Hundreds of Russians leave encouraging messages on the group's webpages, young rappers praise them in songs and Russian television networks run reports on the group's raids.
"People often say, 'You should just kill those pushers,' although that's not the way we work," says Arkady Grichishkin, an agitated 21-year-old martial arts student often seen on the group's videos as a leader of raids.
The Federal Drugs Control Agency said it does not condone the group's raids.
"We cannot welcome it," said Ivanov. "It lies beyond law ? first of all. And secondly, it makes nothing but noise." The vigilantes, however, appear to see Ivanov as an ally, posting his portrait on the walls of their headquarters.
Users say that the high they get is extremely intense and hallucinogenic. After several weeks of using spice, the drug causes sleep and weight loss, hypertension, seizures and can even lead to schizophrenia, according to officials, health experts and studies in Russia, EU and the U.S.
Users' parents also appear to be worried.
"Eighty per cent of phone calls our hot line gets are about spice," says Alexander Bysov of the Moscow-based Sodeistvie ? or Assistance ? anti-drugs fund that has a hotline for drug addicts and their parents and runs a rehab. "Parents are already crying SOS."
___
Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr. contributed to this report
We loved the Roku 3's new UI when we reviewed it recently and eagerly anticipated its arrival on "current-gen" hardware this month, but that may not be in the cards. Dave Zatz points out an email sent to Roku developers today that mentions "the new user interface introduced with the Roku 3 will be coming to Roku 2, Roku LT and Roku HD (model 2500) by the end of May." That could add a few extra weeks to the wait for current owners, but there may be a silver lining. The email goes on to mention that it expects channels to run the same, if not better (besides looking better) after the upgrade. We've contacted Roku to find out any more details, we'll update if we hear anything more specific.
Question: What is the situation with the Florida law that demanded visitors have a International Driving Permit when renting an automobile in the state?Answer: While it was perhaps enacted with the best of intentions, the Florida law that required visitors to carry an International Driving Permit was likely one of the biggest PR blunders the state launched in recent times.Even after they reported they would be repealing the law there were fears that insurance companies might follow the law to the letter and not cover those who were in automobile mishaps without the International Permit.We can all relax now as the law, according to recent releases, report that it in fact has been repealed, much to the relief of tourist officials throughout the state.Forward your travel questions to askjourneys@journeystravel.com. Ron Pradinuk is president of Journeys Travel & Leisure SuperCentre and can be heard Sundays at noon on CJOB. Previous columns and tips can be found at www.journeystravelgear.com? posted by That Travel Guy @ 4:07 PM ?|? Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
KIROV, Russia (AP) ? The trial has resumed in the case against a Russian opposition leader who led protests against President Vladimir Putin and exposed alleged corruption in his government.
Alexei Navalny is accused of heading an organized criminal group that embezzled 16 million rubles ($500,000) worth of timber from a state-owned company.
The charges not only threaten to send Navalny to prison, but strike at the essence of his image as an anti-corruption activist.
Navalny insists the charges are an act of revenge for his exposure of high-level corruption and are intended to silence him.
The trial began last week in the northwestern city of Kirov, but was adjourned until Wednesday at the request of the defense, which said Navalny had not been given enough time to read the case files.
For those in the United States and other locations that are lucky enough to be able to purchase huge data packages for their smartphones, thinking about deciding to “tweet or not to tweet” based on the cost that it could incur is a foreign concept, pun intended. For cell customers in India, it’s a very real situation, and Reliance Communications has partnered with Twitter to bring free, unlimited access to the social network to its prepaid GSM subscribers. This is yet another example of how important Twitter has become in our daily lives and how integral the communication platform is to locations all over the world. The service will be bundled with live cricket match updates, the most popular sport in the country. A customized version of the Twitter app has been created, reminding customers that they’re getting free access thanks to Reliance Mobile. If someone taps a link to an outside site, they will be reminded that doing so might incur extra charges. Reliance is the first operator to partner with Twitter in India, and its Chief Revenue Officer of Wireless, Nilanjan Mukherjee, had this to share: We are delighted to be the first operator to partner with Twitter in India on Twitter Access and offer the first of its kind unlimited Twitter access on our superior network. Our partnership with Twitter in India further strengthens our offering on the social media platform and is in line with our continuous efforts to offer innovative products with incredible affordability for our customers. Since prepaid cell phones are prominent in countries like India, signing deals like this makes the services more attractive. Back to how important cricket is to India’s culture, though. Mukherjee feels like this announcement could cause a “significant shift” of cricket fans to move over to Reliance. That’s knowing your customers. [Photo credit: Flickr]
Quarterback Matt Flynn has already been guaranteed something with the Oakland Raiders that he never received while with the Seattle Seahawks last year.
The right to be named the team?s starting quarterback.
Even though Flynn likely thought he?d win the starting job last year with the Seahawks after signing a three-year deal with the team last offseason, head coach Pete Carroll never said that would be the case.
Carroll said Flynn would have to compete with Tarvaris Jackson, and later on rookie Russell Wilson, for the starting job and that he wasn?t going to be handed the job. When the offseason work and training camp began, it was Jackson that was taking the first-team snaps in practice with the team. Flynn would earn the starts for Seattle in their first two preseason games before Wilson supplanted Flynn as the starter for the regular season.
But Flynn already has a leg up in Oakland. According to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie has named Flynn the starting quarterback as offseason workouts are set to begin. McKenzie said Flynn would have to compete with Terrelle Pryor and any quarterback the Raiders may select in the draft this week but it?s more that he was given in Seattle.
McKenzie was with Flynn in Green Bay for the only two starts he?s made in his NFL career and feels he can be a solid quarterback in the league.
?Two things that I feel are important and that?s presence, as far as leadership and knowing how to move a team down the field, and knowing how to do it,? McKenzie said.
?He has all the intangibles and I think he can play the position. He can throw the ball. I think he?s going to be a solid quarterback. Now how good can he be? We?ll figure that out, but I think he?s got a chance to be a good, solid quarterback.?
Virtual, squishy creatures evolve to run using evolutionary algorithmsPublic release date: 23-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Syl Kacapyr vpk6@cornell.edu 607-255-7701 Cornell University
ITHACA, N.Y. A research team led by Cornell University's Creative Machines Lab has created a computer algorithm that can be used to witness virtual creatures evolving their squishy, muscle-like features in order to teach themselves to walk.
The team incorporated concepts from developmental biology and how nature builds complex animals from jellyfish to jaguars. The result is an array of bizarre, simulated robots that evolve a diverse series of gaits and gallops.
The paper describing these soft-bodied robots will appear in Proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference and is titled "Unshackling Evolution: Evolving Soft Robots With Multiple Materials and a Powerful Generative Encoding."
Download the paper: http://jeffclune.com/publications/2013_Softbots_GECCO.pdf
See the video: http://youtu.be/z9ptOeByLA4
Lead author Nick Cheney, a Cornell graduate student, will present the paper at the July conference in Amsterdam. Robert MacCurdy, also a graduate student at Cornell, contributed to the work, as well as Jeff Clune, assistant professor at the University of Wyoming and former visiting scientist at Cornell.
The video shows evolution in action: A creature evolves into a galloping, soft robot over 1,000 generations. While 1,000 generations is relatively short by natural evolution standards, it is enough to demonstrate the power of evolution to create counterintuitive designs, according to the researchers.
In the paper, they describe how they challenged human engineers to design robots made of these soft and hard materials. The human efforts paled in comparison to the designs resulting from evolution.
###
More than a decade ago, Cornell professor Hod Lipson led a project called Golem that similarly evolved robots, and he later built them with a 3-D printer. That video and others from the Creative Machines Lab can be viewed at http://creativemachines.cornell.edu/videos.
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Contact Syl Kacapyr for information about Cornell's TV and radio studios.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Virtual, squishy creatures evolve to run using evolutionary algorithmsPublic release date: 23-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Syl Kacapyr vpk6@cornell.edu 607-255-7701 Cornell University
ITHACA, N.Y. A research team led by Cornell University's Creative Machines Lab has created a computer algorithm that can be used to witness virtual creatures evolving their squishy, muscle-like features in order to teach themselves to walk.
The team incorporated concepts from developmental biology and how nature builds complex animals from jellyfish to jaguars. The result is an array of bizarre, simulated robots that evolve a diverse series of gaits and gallops.
The paper describing these soft-bodied robots will appear in Proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference and is titled "Unshackling Evolution: Evolving Soft Robots With Multiple Materials and a Powerful Generative Encoding."
Download the paper: http://jeffclune.com/publications/2013_Softbots_GECCO.pdf
See the video: http://youtu.be/z9ptOeByLA4
Lead author Nick Cheney, a Cornell graduate student, will present the paper at the July conference in Amsterdam. Robert MacCurdy, also a graduate student at Cornell, contributed to the work, as well as Jeff Clune, assistant professor at the University of Wyoming and former visiting scientist at Cornell.
The video shows evolution in action: A creature evolves into a galloping, soft robot over 1,000 generations. While 1,000 generations is relatively short by natural evolution standards, it is enough to demonstrate the power of evolution to create counterintuitive designs, according to the researchers.
In the paper, they describe how they challenged human engineers to design robots made of these soft and hard materials. The human efforts paled in comparison to the designs resulting from evolution.
###
More than a decade ago, Cornell professor Hod Lipson led a project called Golem that similarly evolved robots, and he later built them with a 3-D printer. That video and others from the Creative Machines Lab can be viewed at http://creativemachines.cornell.edu/videos.
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Contact Syl Kacapyr for information about Cornell's TV and radio studios.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Public release date: 25-Apr-2013
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As more developers are receiving their pair of Google Glass, the tinkering with the device is heating up. One developer found a very interesting easter egg within Glass itself, which introduces you to the entire Glass team. The steps to reproduce it are fairly simple: Settings -> Device info -> View licenses -> Tap the touchpad 9 times -> Tap Meet Team Here’s a video demo, including the neat sounds that happen as you keep tapping: The neat part about the photo is that you can see the entire panoramic image by moving your head around. This was hard to show in the MyGlass screencast, since it lags a little bit. We’ve learned that Mike Lebeau, Senior Software Engineer for Google X, is the one who dropped the hidden gem into Glass’ software. The team photo has Google co-founder, Sergey Brin, front and center. I’m sure that more of these easter eggs will pop up over time, but this one is particularly cool since it’s the first time that I’ve seen a panoramic image on the device since I started using it. This functionality could be something that isn’t exposed in the Mirror API as of yet, but once it is, it’ll be a fun one.
For those in the United States and other locations that are lucky enough to be able to purchase huge data packages for their smartphones, thinking about deciding to “tweet or not to tweet” based on the cost that it could incur is a foreign concept, pun intended. For cell customers in India, it’s a very real situation, and Reliance Communications has partnered with Twitter to bring free, unlimited access to the social network to its prepaid GSM subscribers. This is yet another example of how important Twitter has become in our daily lives and how integral the communication platform is to locations all over the world. The service will be bundled with live cricket match updates, the most popular sport in the country. A customized version of the Twitter app has been created, reminding customers that they’re getting free access thanks to Reliance Mobile. If someone taps a link to an outside site, they will be reminded that doing so might incur extra charges. Reliance is the first operator to partner with Twitter in India, and its Chief Revenue Officer of Wireless, Nilanjan Mukherjee, had this to share: We are delighted to be the first operator to partner with Twitter in India on Twitter Access and offer the first of its kind unlimited Twitter access on our superior network. Our partnership with Twitter in India further strengthens our offering on the social media platform and is in line with our continuous efforts to offer innovative products with incredible affordability for our customers. Since prepaid cell phones are prominent in countries like India, signing deals like this makes the services more attractive. Back to how important cricket is to India’s culture, though. Mukherjee feels like this announcement could cause a “significant shift” of cricket fans to move over to Reliance. That’s knowing your customers. [Photo credit: Flickr]