Despite cuts, Fort Knox's iconic status endures

FORT KNOX, Ky. (AP) -- Few military posts have a place in pop culture as rock solid as Kentucky's Fort Knox, thanks to its mysterious gold vault.

The name of the historic base is practically synonymous with impenetrability. In addition to housing the Treasury Department's U.S. Bullion Depository and its stacks of gold, the Army's tank training school was started at Fort Knox. And the sprawling central Kentucky Army post has been the setting for blockbuster Hollywood films.

But Knox's days as a war-fighting post may be over with the Pentagon's decision last week to strip its only combat brigade, which follows the loss of its famed armor school and thousands of tank personnel just a few years ago. The base will remain the site of the gold vault, but otherwise it could be destined to function less as a tip-of-the-spear military facility and more as a home to office and support workers.

Many of those workers file into a nearly million-square-foot structure on post that was completed a few years ago, but the massive building doesn't seem destined to unseat the vault as the symbol of Fort Knox.

"It is kind of an icon. Most people when they see the outline of the depository, they know what it is," said Harry Berry, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who is now judge-executive in Hardin County. "When you think about Fort Knox, if you don't have a military background, you instantly think about gold or 'Goldfinger,'" the 1960s James Bond film.

The Pentagon announced last week that it was eliminating Knox's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division as part of a major restructuring that will reduce the Army's active duty combat brigades to 33 from 45. The cuts will reduce the size of the Army from about 570,000 in the midst of the Iraq war down to 490,000, which includes personnel in units that support the brigades.

For some posts, that means the loss of a few hundred soldiers, but in Knox's case it's a cut of more than 40 percent to its active duty force and nearly a total elimination of its fighting personnel. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear puts the figure at about 10,000 lost troops and their families leaving Knox and the surrounding area.

Gen. Ray Odierno, Army chief of staff, said the military was not moving toward closing Knox: He pointed out that the Army's recruiting and human resource commands have relocated there since a major Army realignment almost a decade ago.

Baldy Carder, who owns a tattoo parlor in nearby Radcliff, said he's not worried about the post closing ? "because of the gold reserve." But he said his business could take a hit since about half his customers come from the post.

"When you're talking about 10,000 people leaving, that's quite a chunk of change that we're going to be losing," he said.

Fort Knox's own estimates project that its annual economic impact will shrink from about $2.8 billion a year to $2.62 billion upon the brigade's departure, said Ryan Brus with the post's public affairs office. That's a decrease of more than 6 percent.

Much of Knox's future is invested in the home for the Army's Human Resources Command, which opened in 2010. The gleaming structure is the largest office building in Kentucky and one of the biggest in the military.

The work going on inside is a far cry from the military post's heyday when tanks and infantrymen roamed the grassy hills. Knox was known as the home of the Army's tank and armored vehicle training for more than seven decades, before the Pentagon completed the move of the school to Fort Benning, Ga., in 2011.

Lonnie Davis hated to see the tanks go. Aside from the lost business for his Radcliff barber shop, the Kut Zone, he had a 20-year career in the Armored Division at Knox.

"That's why I went into Armor, to stay close to home," Davis said.

Today, the Gen. George S. Patton Museum and a scattering of aging tanks and armored vehicles sprinkled around the post are only remnants of that past.

Inside the museum, which just finished a $5 million renovation, visitors learn about the post's history, and tucked away in a small corner is a tribute to its Hollywood past. That started with "The Tanks Are Coming," a 1951 film about a tank crew fighting its way into German territory. Bill Murray's comedy "Stripes" was released in 1981, with Knox doubling as the fictional Fort Arnold where Murray goes through basic training.

But the most iconic film shot at the post was 1964's "Goldfinger," with Sean Connery in the role as 007, tasked to stop a madman from destroying the country's gold reserves.

The movie helped spur curiosity about Knox's gold vault, which opened in 1937. Its seemingly impregnable walls ushered Fort Knox into the American lexicon as a way to describe a safe and secure location.

During World War II, the gray stone fortress housed documents including the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The U.S. Treasury Department says on its website that there are now 147 million ounces of gold inside, with an estimated worth of more than $160 billion at today's prices.

But the gold stays inside, and the bullion depository is not a tourist attraction: No visitors are allowed in.

Berry and Davis said Knox's future success could depend on adding staff to Human Resources Command along with other administrative-oriented missions. The post's total workforce now is about 20,000, including active duty and civilians.

"We'll gain from that as opposed to the green-suit side, if you will," Berry said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/despite-cuts-fort-knoxs-iconic-204646658.html

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News laws kick in around nation on July 1

Early July is about more than fireworks, cookouts and long weekends. It's also about hundreds of new state laws.

Around the nation, July 1 marks the start of new fiscal years and the date recently passed legislation goes into effect, although states often mark their independence by enacting new regulations on their own calendars.

The laws and effective dates vary somewhat from state to state, but an overview of legislation set to hit the books Monday shows that state lawmakers took positions on the following five topics of national debate:

? GUNS: State legislatures across the U.S. discussed gun laws in the wake of mass shootings that shocked the nation in 2012. Most efforts to pass restrictions faded amid fierce opposition. Only a handful of states enacted new limits, some of which go into effect Monday. Among them Colorado is notable for requiring background checks for private and online gun sales and outlawing high-capacity ammunition magazines. At least 18 states, however, have gone the other way and loosened gun laws. Kansas laws set to take effect will allow schools to arm employees with concealed handguns and ensure that weapons can be carried into more public buildings.

? TECH: Dozens of states examined technology laws. Recently passed legislation in eight states will prevent businesses from demanding passwords to social media sites as a condition of employment. The law in Washington state also stops employers from compelling workers to add managers as "friends" so their profile can be viewed. Four states updated tech laws to allow drivers to show proof of car insurance on an electronic device, such as a smartphone.

? CARS: A handful of states have restricted cellphone use while driving. Starting Monday in Hawaii and West Virginia motorists will have to put down handheld devices. Meanwhile, in South Dakota beginning drivers will face similar restrictions. Utah also enacted limits for newbies with a law that has already taken effect. A few states have banned texting while driving. Other state laws affecting drivers will make it illegal to smoke in a car with a child, raise highway speed limits, crackdown on drunken drivers and raise gas taxes.

? ABORTION: Nationally, state lawmakers proposed more than 300 bills that would have restricted abortions, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. At least 13 state legislatures passed new limits, though two are waiting for governors to sign off. Notably, a bill that would have closed almost every abortion clinic in Texas was dramatically defeated by a Democratic filibuster and a restless crowd in late June. The Texas governor, however, has ordered another special legislative session to push the bill through. North Dakota has passed the nation's strictest abortion law, which takes effect in August, banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

?DRONES: An Idaho law taking effect Monday forbids anyone from using an unmanned aircraft for spying on another. Virginia has passed a ban preventing authorities from using drones for the next two years, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Four other states approved anti-drone regulations, though legislation aimed at law enforcement in Texas isn't effective until fall.

___

Not all of the measures set to take effect were matters dominating national political discussion. The following five examples of recently approved legislation show state-level updates can cover a variety of topics:

? SEXIST LANGUAGE: Washington lawmakers are completing work to strip the state's books of sexist language. References to "his" will be changed to "his or her," college "freshmen" will become "first-year students" and "penmanship" will be called "handwriting."

? JACKPOT: Wyoming residents might soon consider 7, 1 and 13 as lucky numbers. A Cowboy State law kicking in Monday calls for the state to establish a lottery for the first time, leaving a dwindling list of only a handful of states without such a prize drawing.

? ELECTION DAY DRINKING: Kentucky has lifted a ban on election day drinking. It was one of the last states with Prohibition-era restrictions on the sale of alcohol while polls are open.

? EDIBLE LANDSCAPING: Maine lawmakers this session have directed officials to plant edible landscaping, such as fruit trees or berry shrubs, around the Statehouse.

? TANNING: Dozens of states this year considered keeping minors out of tanning beds. New Jersey and Nevada restrictions kick in July 1, and an Oregon limit takes effect in January. The home of MTV's reality series "Jersey Shore" and its famously bronzed cast, however, took the law beyond sun lamps to block anyone younger than 14 from getting even a spray tan.

___

Associated Press writers Lauren Gambino in Salem, Ore., and Greg Moore in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/news-laws-kick-around-nation-july-1-182155218.html

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Iran's president-elect: Nation voted for change

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran's president-elect called his win in national elections this month a vote for change and vowed Saturday to remain committed to his campaign promises of moderation and constructive interaction with the outside world.

Hasan Rouhani's promises of outreach could lower the political temperature between Iran and the West and perhaps nudge the country's ruling Islamic establishment toward a more flexible approach in its standoff over Tehran's disputed nuclear program.

Rouhani has already promised greater openness on the nuclear issue while at the same time siding with the hard-liner establishment that refuses to halt uranium enrichment. He believes it's possible to strike a deal that would allow the Islamic Republic to keep enriching uranium while assuring the West it will not produce a nuclear weapon.

The U.S. and its allies fear Iran may ultimately be able to develop nuclear arms. Tehran has denied the charges, saying its program is peaceful and aimed at generating electricity and producing radioisotopes to treat cancer patients.

The reformist-backed Rouhani won a landslide majority in June 14 presidential election, defeating his conservative and hardline rivals. He will succeed hardline outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad early August.

"People chose a new path ... People said in this election: We want change," Rouhani told a conference in Tehran Saturday. "The best language of the people is the ballot box. The people's vote is very obvious. There is no ambiguity."

Rouhani's election has revived hopes for a mutually acceptable deal over Iran's disputed nuclear program, as it was seen in part as a referendum on Iran's nuclear diplomacy. The country's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, a hard-liner who supported a policy of resistance, finished third in the vote, which was widely seen as rejection of his tough stance on the nuclear issue.

Rouhani said he will keep his promise of following a path of moderation in domestic and foreign policy.

"Moderation in foreign policy is neither surrender nor conflict, neither passivity nor confrontation. Moderation is effective and constructive interaction with the world," he said.

The final word on all state matters, particularly on the nuclear issue, lies with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but a strong president can influence decision-making.

Rouhani has vowed that he will seek to have the stinging economic sanctions against Iran lifted and work with international powers to settle the nuclear issue through active diplomacy and dialogue.

The president-elect also said that the ruling system needs to allow more freedom for Iran's relatively young population.

"Happiness is people's right," he said. "I thank police for increasing the threshold of their tolerance." He was referring to wild street celebrations after he was declared winner of the election.

Iran's anti-vice police sporadically detain youths on vague charges of not observing Islamic codes. During Ahmadinejad's presidency, many detainees claimed to be mistreated while in detention.

"We should talk to girls and boys in the same way we talk to our own children. People's dignity must be preserved. Humiliating people is not acceptable but giving (polite) notice (of a morality offense) is fine," Rouhani said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/irans-president-elect-nation-voted-change-083803196.html

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A Year After Launch (And With 300K Sites Created), ?Social Front Page' RebelMouse Mulls Ad Strategy

It's been a little more than a year since former Huffington Post CTO Paul Berry first launched RebelMouse, a service allowing users to pull their content together from across social networks. To mark the occasion, Berry stopped by the TechCrunch office to look back at the past year and hint at his plans for the future. Overall, Berry said that the service's growth has backed up his initial vision. "We haven't done any pivots ? we've just been following the core path," he said. "A year ago, I had all these hypotheticals of how people could use the product. Now there's an insane amount of anecdotal evidence."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ey5jUvnXmTM/

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Netflix Launches ?Max,? A Goofy Virtual Assistant To Help With Recommendations, Available Now On PS3, iPad Next Week

Netflix this morning announced its own take on virtual assistants like the iPhone's Siri, with the debut of "Max," an on-screen guide for the Netflix app on PlayStation 3 devices which helps you find new movies or TV shows to watch. And yes, the guide does talk to you, but thankfully has yet to manifest itself in some more corporeal format, like Microsoft's "Bob."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/_SZW2RNe10c/

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Vatican official arrested in corruption plot

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? A Vatican official has been arrested by Italian police for allegedly trying to illegally bring 20 million euros ($26 million) in cash into the country from Switzerland with a private jet.

Prosecutor Nello Rossi says Monsignor Nunzio Scarano is accused of corruption and slander stemming from the plot and was being held at a Rome prison.

He was allegedly asked by friends to bring back the money that had been given to financier Giovanni Carenzio in Switzerland. Scarano is supposed to have asked Giovanni Zito, a military official, to bring the money back by jet, avoiding customs.

Scarano was allegedly due to pay Zito a commission of 600,000 euros for the work. He paid only an initial installment of 400,000 euros before being arrested.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vatican-official-arrested-corruption-plot-075720910.html

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Dead island that inspired Skyfall comes to Google Street View

It goes by the name of Hashima, or Gunkanjima ("Battleship Island"), or even "The Dead Island", since it inspired the water-locked cyberterrorist HQ in Skyfall. As you can now see for yourself, courtesy of Google Street View, it's a very a real place off the coast of Japan's Nagasaki Peninsula, and it's even lonelier than its fictional counterpart in the Bond film (which wasn't actually filmed there). There are no tourist offices or giant Oedipus Complexes, as far as we can see, just long stretches of overgrown roads and collapsing apartment blocks that once housed 5,000 people, before they abandoned the island in 1974 following the demise of its coal industry. It took a Google employee two hours to map the place and preserve its crumbling visage for posterity using a special backpack, but don't be surprised if you want to leave it after just a few minutes.

Filed under: GPS, Internet, Google

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Source: Google's Japanese Blog

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The Jones family jewelry box includes a Super Bowl ring and UFC championship belt (Photo)

Plenty of families have jewelry that is special to them. I have a pearl and sapphire ring that belonged to my grandmother that means the world to me. However, when you're a member of the Jones family, that jewelry is just a bit different.

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has a gold-encrusted belt for being the champ. His brother Arthur is a member of the Super Bowl-winning Baltimore Ravens, and he received his ring earlier this month. Jon displayed the two pieces together on his Instagram account. Jon's younger brother, Chandler, is a member of the New England Patriots, so there's a good chance this jewelry collection could grow soon.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/jones-family-jewelry-box-includes-super-bowl-ring-205305957.html

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Set status to 'fabulous': Millions of Facebook users 'like' gay marriage

Facebook

Yannick LeJacq NBC News contributor

14 hours ago

NBC News

Facebook says roughly 70 percent of its users in the United States now have friends who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, which might help explain why the social network saw well over 3 million mentions of today's Supreme Court decisions in favor of marriage equality.

Within 24 hours of the United States Supreme Court's two landmark decisions on same-sex marriage, Facebook saw an unprecedented spike in user activity around the issue, the social network said Thursday.

A Facebook spokesperson told NBC News that more than 4 million mentions of its top 10 keywords related to the court's decisions on California's Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act ? terms like "doma," "gay," "unconstitutional," "prop 8," "marriage" and, of course, "equal."

In the United States alone, this also led to more than 15 million interactions (likes, comments on one another's status updates, and posts) related to the Supreme Court cases. Worldwide, Facebook says that more than 25 million users changed their profile pictures on Wednesday in response to the decisions ? a million more than on Mother's Day.

This avalanche of status updates and comments about the decision might be explained in part by another piece of data Facebook shared: roughly 70 percent of all Facebook users in America have at least one friend who has identified himself or herself on the social network as gay, lesbian or bisexual.

Earlier this year, much of Facebook went pink-and-equal in support of marriage equality.

"Oh man. Doma-status liking spree," one of my Facebook friends wrote his morning shortly after the first of the two Supreme Court rulings was announced.

Another, who is lesbian, invoked a song from "West Side Story" when she posted this on Facebook about the news: "I FEEL PRETTY AND WITTY AND GAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

This article was updated at 3:44 p.m. ET Thursday, June 27.

Yannick LeJacq is a contributing writer for NBC News who has also covered technology and games for Kill Screen, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. You can follow him on Twitter at @YannickLeJacq and reach him by email at: ylejacq@gmail.com.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663301/s/2de4d186/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Cset0Estatus0Efabulous0Emillions0Efacebook0Eusers0Egay0Emarriage0E6C10A459238/story01.htm

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Microsoft Build 2013 opening keynote liveblog!

Hello, and welcome to sunny San Franciscso where Microsoft is about to kick off its annual Build developer conference. We already know today is the day Windows 8.1 becomes available as a public preview, and the execs in Redmond have hinted they have even more to share about the big OS update. But what else? Will those rumors of WebGL support for IE11 come to fruition? And how 'bout some news indie gaming developers can use? We'll be giving you the blow by blow, starting around 12PM ET today. Stay tuned!

June 26, 2013 12:00:00 PM EDT

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/26/microsoft-build-2013-opening-keynote-liveblog/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Islamic extremists target civilians in Nigeria

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) ? The pastor would not renounce his Christian faith so the Islamic extremists slit his throat.

High school students were taking exams in defiance of the militants of Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden." So the gunmen mowed them down at their desks.

The group that Nigeria's government has declared a prohibited terrorist organization "declared war" last week on vigilante youths who have been arresting suspects and handing them over to soldiers fighting to crush the insurgency in the northeast part of Africa's most populous nation and the continent's biggest oil producer.

The radical group that once attacked only government institutions and security forces is increasingly targeting civilians. Some 155,000 square kilometers (60,000 square miles) of Nigeria are now under a state of emergency.

"Today, there are no boundaries and they are targeting the civilian population in a way that shows Nigeria is at a dangerous turning point," said Comfort Ero, Africa program director for the International Crisis Group.

A month-long military crackdown by a joint force of troops and police, including bombing raids with fighter jets and helicopter gunships, has broken up militant camps but succeeded only in chasing the fighters into scrubby mountains from which they launch attacks on cities and towns, under the noses of the soldiers.

The government has described the change in tactics as an "end-game strategy" of a movement near collapse. But recent attacks indicate otherwise.

In broad daylight two weeks ago, militants sneaked into Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, and attacked students at Ansarudeen Private School as they were taking exams. Nine students were killed, according to Dr. Salem Umar of the General Hospital, who received the bodies in school uniforms. He said six other students were admitted with gunshot wounds.

That attack came hours after extremists attacked the Government Secondary School, a boarding school for seniors in Damaturu, capital of Yobe state, killing seven high school seniors and two teachers. The military said two soldiers and two jihadists also were killed in what developed into a five-hour shootout.

"They caught some of our student colleagues and ordered them to take them to the teachers' quarters, after which they were also killed," said a traumatized student who survived by hiding under his bed in a dormitory, for hours. He asked that his name not be used, fearing he would be targeted by the extremists.

On Friday, villagers streamed into Maiduguri from the Gwoza hills, saying Boko Haram fighters were threatening a bloodbath in the area where they appear to have regrouped, scrubby mountains with rock caves some 150 kilometers (90 miles) from the city.

Nigeria's government first sought to crush Boko Haram in punishing raids in 2009 on the sect's Maiduguri headquarters in which nearly 200 people were killed by security forces. The group was blamed for the killings of hundreds more civilians. The founding leader of Boko Haram, Mohammed Yusuf, was captured, then shot in the back by police who claimed he was trying to escape.

So it's not surprising that Boko Haram militants are not responding to a government offer of amnesty.

The group re-emerged in attacks on government institutions and especially the police, whom they accuse of executing Yusuf. Boko Haram is blamed for the killings of more than 1,600 people since 2010 alone, according to an AP count.

The World Policy Institute said this month that Boko Haram is funded by criminal activities including bank robberies, money from politicians, and contributions of money and arms from al-Qaida affiliates in Africa.

Nigeria's politicians have traditionally exploited explosive religious differences, and they have been publicly accusing each other of funding Boko Haram.

The movement appears to have little difficulty finding recruits among the plentiful unemployed and disgruntled youth as it seeks to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, where a moderate version of Sharia law already is in place.

The renewed violence already has forced more than 6,000 people to flee to the neighboring country of Niger while some 3,000 others went to Cameroon, the United Nations has reported.

Those who remain say they are terrified of both sides, with the country's notoriously trigger-happy soldiers accused of killing dozens of innocents in the clampdown. The military denies charges by rights groups that it is responsible for gross human rights violations.

Sandbags, armored personnel carriers and military trucks loaded with soldiers bristling with guns and grenade launchers are a common sight. Tanks hide under trees on the outskirts. At checkpoints, dozens of cars line up, waiting to move out under a military escorts under the protection of gunners constantly swiveling their weapons atop personnel carriers.

Bustling markets usually open long into the night are deserted by sundown.

As the sun sets, instead of heading for an outdoor cafe to enjoy strong mint-flavored tea, lively discussion and traditional music on hand-made lutes, people scurry to lock themselves into their homes for the long, frightening night.

A dusk-to-dawn curfew has destroyed the social life that revolves around outdoor spaces in a region where state electricity is more off than on, temperatures soar into the 90s and, according to government statistics, 75 percent of people in northern Nigeria live from hand to mouth on less than $1 a day.

The region is the poorest in this country that is Africa's biggest oil producer, suffering more than other Nigerians from neglect epitomized by poor governance and corruption. Anti-Western sentiment has simmered since the region came under British colonial rule in 1903. Britain helped entrench traditional resentments by leaving northern Nigerians to be ruled by their traditional sultans and emirs while colonizers settled in the south where missionaries made many converts to Christianity. Northern Nigeria is predominantly Muslim while the south is mainly Christian.

Traditional northern leaders including the influential Sultan of Sokoto have voiced strong opposition to Boko Haram's terror tactics and aims, but it is difficult to gage how much support the extremists enjoy among the local population, or how that may be affected by the group's latest strategy.

In a series of attacks in the past week, the first major ones since the military deployed on May 15, the jihadists have targeted civilians.

Last week, extremists sought out the Rev. Jacob Kwiza, a retired pastor with the Church of Christ in Nigeria. They found him picking mangoes in his father's garden in the Gwoza hills, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) from Maiduguri, according to witnesses who fled the scene to Maiduguri.

The fighters ordered Kwiza to renounce his Christian faith and convert to Islam on pain of death.

When he repeatedly refused, they slit his throat, the witnesses said.

Extremists have torched at least four churches in the Gwoza hills in the past week.

It is not immediately clear how the targeting of civilians might affect people's perceptions of Boko Haram.

What is clear, according to Ero of the International Crisis Group, is that "the situation has worsened and not improved and that violence has become more widespread and that civilians are at the heart of the crossfire between government forces and Boko Haram.

She said that while there was a need for military action, the government has not pursued it in conjunction with finding "a way to win the hearts and minds of the northern population."

If the crackdown continues "you will find pockets of violence and it becomes a hotbed for further extremism," she warned. "You cannot fight fire with fire."

---

Associated Press writers Haruna Umar in Maiduguri and Adamu Adamu in Potiskum contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/islamic-extremists-target-civilians-nigeria-091727877.html

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UN sounds alarm on widespread designer drug use

VIENNA (AP) ? VIENNA ? The U.N. drug control agency on Wednesday sounded the alarm on the spread of designer drugs, which are sold openly and legally and sometimes result in deadly highs, while reporting that global drug use generally remains stable.

Such substances "can be far more dangerous than traditional drugs," the agency said in a statement accompanying its annual report. "Street names, such as 'spice,' 'meow-meow' and 'bath salts' mislead young people into believing that they are indulging in low-risk fun."

A six-page summary of the report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime warned that "the international drug control system is foundering, for the first time, under the speed and creativity" of their proliferation.

It said countries worldwide reported 251 such substances by mid-2012, compared with 166 at the end of 2009. The problem, said the report, is "hydra-headed" in that as fast as governments ban the drugs, manufacturers produce new variants.

Nearly 5 percent of European Union residents aged between 15 and 24 have already experimented with such drugs, said the report.

In the United States, 158 kinds of synthetic drugs were circulating during 2012, more than twice as many as in the EU, and use was growing in East and Southeast Asia, including China, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Gil Kerlikowske, director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, said the United States faces "continuing challenges with prescription drug abuse and new synthetic drugs." But he also noted successes, telling participants meeting in Vienna for the report's launch that U.S. cocaine use has decreased by 50 percent since 2006.

In a statement accompanying the organization's 151-page report, UNODC head Yury Fedotov said that while drug use and production overall appears to be stable in recent years, illicit drug consumption still kills around 200,000 people each year.

However, the office lowered its estimate of the number of people injecting drugs and those living with the HIV virus worldwide because of such injections.

It said 14 million people between the ages of 16 and 65 inject drugs and of those, 1.6 million have the virus as a result of such injections ? 12 percent and 46 percent less respectively than last estimated five years ago.

In other findings, the agency reported:

? heroin and opium use remains steady at around 16.4 million people, or 0.4 percent of the world's adult population.

?heroin use appears to be declining in Europe, with users aging and because of more efficient drug seizures.

?cocaine use, although still rare, appears to be growing in China and Hong Kong as shown by seizures of the drug, apparently reflecting the growth of a more affluent society.

?U.S. cocaine use fell by 40 percent between 2006 and 2011, due in part to less production in Colombia, more efficient law enforcement and disruptive turf wars among drug cartels.

?seizures of "amphetamine-type" drugs rose by 66 percent in 2011 compared with the year before, to 123 tons.

?the use of "ecstasy," one such drug, is declining globally but appears to be growing in Europe.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-sounds-alarm-widespread-designer-drug-093259636.html

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Woods hopes he is fully healthy for the next major

Tiger Woods, right, smiles as he stands next to PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, left, before an opening ceremony at the AT&T National Golf tournament, Wednesday, July 26, 2013, in Bethesda, Md. Woods will not play in the tournament because of a left elbow strain. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Tiger Woods, right, smiles as he stands next to PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, left, before an opening ceremony at the AT&T National Golf tournament, Wednesday, July 26, 2013, in Bethesda, Md. Woods will not play in the tournament because of a left elbow strain. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Tiger Woods reacts at a press conference at the AT&T National Golf tournament, Wednesday, July 26, 2013, in Bethesda, Md. Woods will not play in the tournament. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Tiger Woods speaks at a press conference at the AT&T National Golf tournament, Wednesday, July 26, 2013, in Bethesda, Md. Woods will not play in the tournament. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Tiger Woods speaks at a press conference at the AT&T National Golf tournament, Wednesday, July 26, 2013, in Bethesda, Md. Woods will not play in the tournament because of a left elbow strain.(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) ? Tiger Woods can't say whether his left elbow will be fully healed in time for the British Open, only that it will be "good enough."

Woods returned to the AT&T National on Wednesday as the defending champion only in name.

Doctors have recommended that he sit out this week at Congressional, along with next week at The Greenbrier, because of a left elbow strain that has been bothering him for more a month and was made worse by hacking out of the dense U.S. Open rough at Merion.

"I pushed it pretty good at the Open to play it and to play through it," Woods said. "Made it worse by hitting the ball out of the rough, and eventually got a point where I wasn't able to play here. We're treating it, and eventually I'll start the strengthening process, then starting hitting balls to get up to speed for the British."

The British Open is July 18-21 at Muirfield, and Woods could not say that he would be at 100 percent by then.

"How about ... good enough," he said.

There was no visible evidence of an elbow injury until he began dangling his left arm and flexing his wrist after hitting out of the rough at Merion in the opening round. He eventually said he first hurt it during The Players Championship, which he won on May 12, but he did not mention a specific shot or even a round.

On Wednesday, he said it wasn't a single shot.

"It was just playing there, and it didn't feel good then early in the week, but I pushed through it," Woods said. "It progressively just got worse. Got to a point where I was starting to struggle a little bit."

Woods still played the Memorial in the month between The Players Championship and the U.S. Open, which he conceded might have been a mistake. Woods was the defending champion and a five-time winner at Muirfield Village, so it was shocking when he turned in a 44 on the back nine ? the highest 9-hole score of his PGA Tour career ? and wound up 20 shots out of the lead. That was his largest deficit in a full-field tournament.

Asked if he should have sat out the Memorial, Woods said, "It would have been better, yes."

"I wouldn't necessarily say regret," Woods said. "I wish I would have played better so I didn't have so many shots I had to hit."

Woods had won three out of four tournaments going into the Memorial ? the exception was a tie for fourth in the Masters. In the two tournaments after The Players Championship, he finished a combined 32 shots out of the lead with a scoring average of 73.6. That includes his score of 293 at Merion, his worst ever in the U.S. Open.

He is treating the injury with electrical stimulation, ice, soft tissue treatment and anti-inflammatories to help with the swelling.

"Eventually, as I said, I'll start the strengthening process here," he said. "Hopefully, that will be sooner than later, and then start hitting balls."

Woods already has won four times this year, twice as many as anyone else, and he has established a comfortable margin again at No. 1 in the world. He still remains stuck on 14 majors dating to the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, which he won despite shredded knee ligaments and a double stress fracture in his lower left leg.

Now 37, Woods has to cope with injuries at an alarming rate.

He had reconstructive surgery on his left knee after his U.S. Open win. He withdrew from The Players Championship in consecutive years, with a sore neck in 2010 and after only nine holes in 2011 with Achilles tendon and other injuries in his left leg that forced him to miss two majors.

Woods said he has been dealing with injuries much longer.

"I played with a lot in my early 20s and no one ever knew about it," he said. "I just didn't play in certain tournaments. I took a few weeks off here and there, and that was the end of it. But I played a few events where I really shouldn't have played, and it caused some damage. There's a difference between being hurt and being injured. It's a delicate balance. I know what it's like to play both, unfortunately.

"You can play hurt," he said. "But playing injured, it can sideline you for a while."

Woods attended the opening ceremonies at the AT&T National, which benefits his foundation, and then he did a couple of interviews. The biggest pain Wednesday was not being able to play Congressional, which has hosted four major championships and presents as strong as test as the PGA Tour offers all year.

"Looks like the golf course is in fantastic shape," he said. "It's green. It's lush. It's thick. Temperature is up. It's going to present a hell of a test for the guys. I'll be watching."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-06-26-ATandT%20National-Woods/id-295444972ee148b18d2672a163bdd777

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New theory: Emotions arise through the integration of perceptual and cognitive information

June 25, 2013 ? A life without feelings -- unimaginable. Although emotions are so important, philosophers are still discussing what they actually are. Prof. Dr. Albert Newen and Dr. Luca Barlassina of the Institute of Philosophy II at the Ruhr-Universit?t Bochum have drawn up a new theory. According to this, emotions are not just special cases of perception or thought but a separate kind of mental state which arises through the integration of feelings of bodily processes and cognitive contents.

They describe the model in the journal Philosophy and Phenomenological Research.

Earlier theories of emotion

Around the turn of the 20th Century, the psychologists William James and Karl Lange proposed that emotions are nothing other than perceptions of bodily states. According to the James-Lange theory, we do not tremble because we are scared, but rather we are scared because we tremble. "This theory does not, however, consider the cognitive content of many emotions," says Albert Newen. If a student is anxious about an exam, then he is experiencing this anxiety because he thinks, for example, that the exam is important and that he will have a blackout. The so-called "cognitive theory of emotions" therefore says that emotions are essentially an assessment of the situation based on reason: this dog is dangerous because he is baring his teeth. "This theory is also unsatisfactory," says Newen, "because it forgets the feelings as a central component of the emotion." A person can realistically judge that a dog is dangerous and at the same time have no fear because he is an expert in handling dangerous dogs. So the cognitive assessment does not necessarily determine the emotion.

Integrative embodiment theory of emotions

Bochum's philosophers call their new model the "integrative embodiment theory of emotions." The emotional level is -- as postulated by William James -- the central starting point. An emotion only comes into existence, however, when the perception of bodily states is integrated with other aspects. The brain has to combine at least two components here: the perception of our own bodily states in a given situation, for example trembling, and the intentional object, such as the dog, which triggers the fear. Moreover, in "cognitive" emotions, typical thought content can also play a role, for example, with regard to a bull terrier: "bull terriers are particularly strong and dangerous." The result is a separate kind of mental state, namely an emotion that we conceive as a complex pattern of distinctive characteristics.

Emotions for things that do not even exist

According to Newen and Barlassina, the new theory is also superior to Jesse Prinz's most sophisticated theory of emotions so far, because this does not take into account that an emotion can also be directed at an object that is not present or does not even exist. A case study: Karl goes with his girlfriend Antje to a new bar. Because Karl has already been served by the barkeeper Fritz, Antje waits alone at the bar. Karl hears that she is insulted, but does not see by whom. He assumes it is Fritz. In the meantime, however, Fritz has left the room and John, an employee, is at the bar. He passes the insult and then leaves immediately. When Karl comes to the bar to vent his anger at the insult, Fritz is back. Karl is angry with Fritz although the cause of his bodily states associated with the feeling of anger was the utterance by John. The cause, John, and the object of the anger, namely Fritz, do not coincide. The object of anger is also known as the intentional object of anger, because it does not have to exist. People can even experience emotions about things that aren't real, for example, fear of vampires. While all feeling theories of emotion overlook the intentional object as an essential part of the emotion, the cognitive theories do tend to forget the feeling dimension of the emotion. Only the integrative embodiment theory takes all these components into account as constitutive of the emotion.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/8d45QfySl4k/130625073819.htm

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James on Sports Illustrated cover for 20th time

MIAMI (AP) ? LeBron James' final jump shot of the NBA Finals for the Miami Heat left him thinking about Michael Jordan.

James told Sports Illustrated for a story released Wednesday that he spent time during this year's title series watching Jordan's iconic, title-clinching shot for the Chicago Bulls against the Utah Jazz in the 1998 finals. So when James made a jumper with 27.9 seconds left in Game 7 of this year's title series against the San Antonio Spurs, his thoughts turned to that Jordan shot.

"I know it wasn't the magnitude of MJ hitting that shot in '98, but I definitely thought about him," James said. "It was an MJ moment."

He then paused for a moment, before adding, "It was an LJ moment."

James is on this week's SI cover, the 20th time he has appeared on the front of the magazine. The image is of him gazing down at the Larry O'Brien Trophy, with his reflection visible off the top of the gold ball.

James is often compared to Jordan, and the debate has raged for years about which NBA superstar is better. James has said many times that it's humbling to be in that conversation, and tweeted back in February, "I'm not MJ, I'm LJ."

He watched Game 6 of the 1998 Bulls-Jazz series in his hotel room in San Antonio during this year's finals, up to the moment where Jordan posed after making the shot that sealed Chicago's sixth championship.

James' jumper against the Spurs came with no pose, but it was enormous for the Heat. It gave Miami a 92-88 lead, and the Spurs didn't score again.

James told the magazine that when he woke up the day after Game 7, he began to realize how much of a physical toll the series took on him, and how many injuries he was playing through.

"I felt all these nicks and bruises and little injuries I didn't know I had," James said. "My back, my hamstring, my ankle, both my elbows, they were all aching. I guess I just didn't pay attention to them."

He also discussed the promises that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had the team make to one another, in the form of contracts that would remind everyone what they were tasked with during the postseason. James took his pact extremely seriously, using his formal signature ? not his scrawled autograph ? to seal his deal.

"I wrote out LeBron James like it was a check," James said.

The story also gives some detail about Miami's 27-game winning streak, which began on Super Bowl Sunday, a day the Heat spent in Toronto for a day game against the Raptors. The plane Miami uses for its charter flights is not equipped with live television, and the original travel plan for that day had the team scheduled to be in the air during the Baltimore-San Francisco game for the NFL title.

James wanted the team to remain in Toronto for a few hours to see the Super Bowl, and the team arranged to make that happen. It turned out to be one of the most important team-bonding moments of the season, Heat forward Shane Battier said.

"We were always close, but that took it to another level," Battier said. "I believe that night was the impetus for the streak."

James also addresses his future in the SI piece. He told reporters Tuesday that he will not start really thinking about the chance to be a free agent in the summer of 2014 until next season ends, and reiterated that stance with the magazine.

"I'm a totally different person on the court, off the court and everywhere in between," James said. "I know it will come up, but it's not going to come up until it's at that point."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/james-sports-illustrated-cover-20th-time-134511996.html

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LG Optimus G2 appears in leaked slides

A Wild LG Optimus G2 appears; uses dual-buttons. It's super-effective!

If you weren't pretty sure we are about to see the LG Optimus G2 in New York on August 7, you haven't been paying close attention. That's OK, rumors fly around and they can be hard to keep track of, but usually pictures make it easier. Thanks to habitual leaker @evleaks, we now have a few.

Nothing that confirms or denies the expected specs of a Snapdragon S800 processor and 1080p HD display, but LG and Qualcomm pretty much let that out of the bag a week or so ago.

What is interesting is that the mystery buttons on the back of the device are shown in these pictures, along with a slide that leads us to believe they will be tied to the volume setting. We'll likely know all there is to know in a little over a month, but for now we can look at the images and speculate. Hit the break to see the rest.

Source: @evleaks. h/t Jerry's Kid!

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

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Apple OS X Mavericks 10.9 preview

There was no OS XI at WWDC. There was no plan to reinvent the wheel. The takeaway message at the launch event was simple: Apple is committed to OS X. What that means, in the long run (naming scheme aside) is that changes to the desktop will probably continue to be gradual. New features will be added and things will evolve over time. Like other recent versions of OS X, version 10.9 Mavericks follows the lead of iOS, culling from its most successful features -- though there's nothing on the order of iOS 7's dramatic redesign in store. But while the iPhone operating system seems to have taken the lead in terms of innovation, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of feature crippling in Mavericks, which some feared would come with the mobilization of the OS.

In fact, there are a number of welcome upgrades here -- things like folder tabs, tags and a more interactive Notification Center will likely improve the workflow of many Mac users. Built-in apps like Safari and Calendar have gotten nice facelifts, as well. We've spent a few days with the most recent build of OS X and are ready to give you a peek at what you're in store for, come fall. Still, knowing Apple, the company's likely still got a couple of tricks up its sleeve.

Gallery: Apple OS X Mavericks 10.9 preview

Filed under: Software, Apple

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/24/apple-mavericks/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Peloton's Android-powered static bike lets you spin from home (video)

Here's some gear that'll ensure you'll never again have to fight for space in that hyper-competitive spin class. The Peloton Bike is two grand's worth of static bike that's designed to bring the gym experience to your home with a number of innovative touches. First up, the Android 4.1-running unit is controlled by a 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4470 with 1GB of RAM and 16GB storage with 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, ANT+, Bluetooth 4.0 and Ethernet. It's connected to a 21.5-inch 1080p multitouch display, which'll let you stream classes from Peloton's NYC studio live and on-demand. The display also holds a webcam and microphone, so you can still swear at your friends / the instructor as if you were there in real life.

Secondly, the New York design house has abandoned the bike chain -- replacing it with a belt drive that'll prevent your training getting too noisy, and a magnetic resistance system to reduce wear and tear on the flywheel. The company has taken to Kickstarter to raise funds for the initial production run, requesting $250,000 before it can release the hardware. Pre-ordering now means that you can get the bike for $1,700 with a year's worth of subscription to the spin classes, after which point will cost you $40 a month. Interested in learning more? There's a video after the break.

Filed under: Misc

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Source: Kickstarter

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/24/peloton-bike-kickstarter/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Child fire safety education pays off | Otago Daily Times Online News ...

Hemi Wharerimu (6, front) with his sister Kowhai (4), parents Emily and Nathan Wharerimu revisit the heater which burst into flames in Hemi's room at the weekend. Photo by Craig Baxter.

A Dunedin boy has been credited with saving his family from a potentially lethal house fire by alerting them to a burning heater in his bedroom early on Saturday.

Nathan Wharerimu was surprised to be woken by his son Hemi about 2am, shouting about a fire in his bedroom.

Hemi had woken to find his bedroom heater on fire, so he went to the bedroom next door to get his sister, before heading downstairs to raise the alarm to his parents.

Mr Wharerimu said he grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran up the stairs of his Ryehill St house to his son's room where he found an oil fin heater well alight and the room quickly filling with smoke. He put out the fire, but rang the Fire Brigade as a precaution.

''I don't know why Hemi woke up. The fire alarm batteries had gone flat. This was a good lesson for us.

''We're kicking ourselves for not checking. It could have been done quite easily.

''Cleaning up yesterday, it really brought it home that we could have been organising a funeral today.''

He was thankful for his son's actions, and that his family was celebrating a birthday yesterday rather than a fatality.

''Hemi's a hero - he got some treats the next day, that's for sure,'' his relieved father said.

East Otago Fire Risk Management officer Barry Gibson praised Hemi's actions, but stopped short of calling him a hero.

''What he did was the correct thing to do - to get help and then get out safely.''

Mr Gibson said when children found fire, it was common for them to shut the door and ignore the problem.

He said fire safety officers had spent a lot of time educating children about fire safety and what to do in the event of a fire. He believed the Wharerimu family had benefited from that education.

''Teaching them what to do is always going to be helpful at times like this.''

Thirty-one special smoke alarms for deaf children were handed over to the Otago Association for Deaf Children last Friday night. The $500 wireless alarms set off flashing lights and a vibration under the pillow of a sleeping child.

About $12,500 for the alarms was raised by the Green Island and Balmacewen Lions Clubs, Special Rigs for Special Kids, and donated by the Lloyd Morgan Lions Club Charitable Trust. Alan Hughes from the Otago Association for Deaf Children said the portable alarms offered deaf children, especially teenagers, some independence and security.

-john.lewis@odt.co.nz

Source: http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/262178/child-fire-safety-education-pays

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Leap Motion Opens Airspace App Store Beta, But the Hardware Is Still Delayed

Leap Motion's gesture-tracking devices won't ship until July 22nd, but the company is opening up its SDK and developer portal to the public.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/i565eEQPUXM/

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Hello there!

So, I've been a lurker for quite some time, however the community and writing that comes out of this site is fabulous so I decided to give it a shot! I'm a little shy so hopefully this goes over well. :P I really love Star Trek (quite obviously) but I also enjoy being a female gamer, painting, drawing etc. I've been rping since 2005, so I've been around the block a few times. I actually started out on MSN groups- miss that place!

So excited to meet people and get roleplaying! (:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/B65U-_QrMYQ/viewtopic.php

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Candidate shot at Albania election polling place

TIRANA, Albania (AP) ? An Albanian political candidate was shot and a supporter of a rival party killed in an exchange of gunfire near a polling station, police said Sunday, as the country held crucial elections already marred by a dispute that could leave the outcome up in the air.

Both conservative Prime Minister Sali Berisha and his close rival, Socialist leader Edi Rama, have hopes for eventual entry to the European Union, and the election is seen as a test of whether the country can run a fair and safe vote. An EU diplomat condemned the violence.

There were few immediate details, but a police spokesman said that Gjon Gjoni, 53, died after being shot in an exchange of fire with Mhill Fufi, 49, a candidate for Berisha's governing Democratic Party. An opposition party leader identified Gjoni as a supporter.

Another man, Kastriot Fufi, was also injured. It was not immediately clear if he and the candidate were related.

The shooting in the city of Lac started with an argument, said police spokesman Tefik Sulejmani, who gave few other details.

Once one of the world's hardest-line communist countries, the impoverished country has had a rocky road to democracy, plagued by corruption and elections marred by violence and vote-rigging.

The month-long contest had been relatively calm until election day, though there had been reports of civil servants and even school children being pressured to attend pro-government rallies.

Ilir Meta, the leader of the Socialist Movement for Integration said the dead man was a supporter and directly blamed police and "criminal elements" of the ruling Democrats of exerting pressure at polling stations.

"Sali Berisha is not Albania's premier any more. He cannot leave power without shedding blood," said Meta.

The EU's top diplomat in Albania took a hard stand on the violence.

"I want to say something very clear, very firm. Among the international and European standards for elections, there is the refusal of violence," said Ettore Sequi, the EU ambassador to Tirana.

Some 3.3 million registered voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the eighth national polls since the fall of communism in 1990.

The country's president called for unity.

"Peace, calm, citizens' life is important. I appeal for calm and maturity because, true we vote for different parties, but we are one nation," Bujar Nishani said.

Because of a battle over the country's election commission, it is uncertain when results will be announced, though the law mandates they be revealed no later than three days after the vote.

Rama postponed voting to head to Lac, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of the capital Tirana.

Berisha invited all Albanians to take part in the vote and turn Sunday "into a day of festivities and good understanding."

"I assure you that your vote will be fully respected," Berisha told reporters after casting his ballot.

The premier declined to comment on the killing, saying he needed more information first.

Following aggressive campaigns by both Berisha's Democrats and the Socialists, streets in the capital of Tirana were uncommonly empty, but had long queues of people at polling stations.

The country's seven-member election commission, which prepares and holds votes, is down by three people, meaning it may be unable to certify the election. If the election is not certified, it means Parliament cannot be convened and no government formed.

In April, one of Berisha's main government allies withdrew from the coalition to join forces with the opposition. He was then ousted and replaced at the election commission by Berisha's Democrats. That move drew sharp criticism from the United States and the EU, who said it would erode people's confidence in the electoral process.

Three members affiliated with the opposition withdrew in protest, leaving the commission short of the people necessary for 5-2 approval. They have said they would consider returning to the commission to certify the election once they see the results.

Albania joined NATO in 2009 but has failed to gain candidate status from the EU, which is pressing for broader democratic reforms and an improved election record.

Some 400 international observers and about 8,000 local ones are monitoring the voting.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/candidate-shot-albania-election-polling-place-101921554.html

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Findings emphasize importance of vitamin D in pregnancy

June 22, 2013 ? Pregnant women pass low levels of vitamin D on to their babies at almost three times the extent previously thought, according to new research carried out at London's Kingston University.

While current studies suggest that around a fifth (19 per cent) of a newborn baby's supply or deficiency of vitamin D comes directly from its mother, experts from Kingston's School of Life Sciences have discovered that the figure is, in fact, almost three times as high at 56 per cent. The results have been revealed using a new measuring technique, developed in the laboratories at Kingston, which is able to examine eight different forms of vitamin D in greater detail for the first time.

The study, just published in Nutrition Journal, focused on 120 samples taken from 60 Greek mothers and their babies. The research was conducted with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. Although the Mediterranean nation enjoys more hours of sunshine than the United Kingdom, the research revealed that many of the mothers had low levels of vitamin D, suggesting that what they ate was an equally important source.

Professor Declan Naughton, who headed the Kingston University research team, said the findings made it more important than ever that mothers-to-be received the key nutrient not only through sunlight but also through foods such as oily fish. "The impact that mothers deficient in vitamin D have on their babies' levels is a much bigger problem than we thought," Professor Naughton said. "Maintaining good supplies during pregnancy is clearly of vital importance for both mothers' and babies' long term health."

Lack of the vitamin in pregnant women has been linked to diabetes and increased rates of caesarean section births, while babies can be smaller than average. In children, the deficiency can cause rickets -- a soft bone disease.

Vitamin D plays an important role in maintaining good levels of calcium and phosphate which help form healthy bones and teeth. The two main forms are vitamin D3, which primarily comes from sunlight, and D2 which is found in a small number of foods including egg yolk, mushrooms, farmed salmon, mackerel, sardines and fortified bread and cereals. Processes in the body convert the vitamin into what is known as the circulating form -- the type commonly measured in routine blood tests -- followed by the active form -- the type that promotes calcium absorption, cell growth and immunity.

Professor Naughton and his team found that the type of vitamin D commonly measured in blood tests was not as reliable an indicator of vitamin D activity as other strands. They went on to discover that two epimer forms, previously thought to be unimportant, influenced levels in babies. "This shows the need for more accurate measurement to assess levels of vitamin D as well as the need to look more closely at its different forms," Professor Naughton said.

Further clinical studies would be required to examine the effectiveness of vitamin D supplements in pregnant women to see whether particular factors made it difficult for them to absorb the nutrient, Professor Naughton added.

The research forms part of wider investigations being conducted by Professor Naughton and his team into vitamin D's role in conditions including Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/eecPir_52FI/130622154450.htm

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Brazil leader breaks silence about protests

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) ? Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff vowed to battle corruption while improving government services as she acknowledged the anger that has led to vast, sometimes violent protests across Latin America's largest country.

Friday's nationally broadcast 10-minute address ended Rousseff's much-criticized silence in the face of demonstrations that have roiled the nation for more than a week, and were projected to continue on Saturday.

She said she planned to soon meet with leaders of the protest movement, governors and the mayors of major cities. But it remained unclear who could represent the massive and decentralized groups of demonstrators taking to the streets, venting anger over a range of grievances, including woeful public services despite a high tax burden.

Rousseff said that her government would create a national plan for public transportation in cities. Officials in many cities have already backed down from the hike in bus and subway fares that set off the protests. She also reiterated her backing for a plan before congress to invest all oil revenue royalties in education and a promise she made earlier to bring in foreign doctors to areas that lack physicians.

"I want institutions that are more transparent, more resistant to wrongdoing," Rousseff said in reference to complaints of deep corruption in Brazilian politics, which is emerging as a focal point of the protests. "It's citizenship and not economic power that must be heard first."

The leader is a Marxist rebel who fought against Brazil's 1964-1985 military regime and was imprisoned for three years and tortured by the junta, and she pointedly referred to earlier sacrifices made to free the nation from dictatorship.

"My generation fought a lot so that the voice of the streets could be heard," Rousseff said. "Many were persecuted, tortured and many died for this. The voice of the street must be heard and respected and it can't be confused with the noise and truculence of some troublemakers."

Edvaldo Chaves, a 61-year-old doorman in Rio's upscale Flamengo neighborhood, said he found the speech convincing.

"I thought she seemed calm and cool. Plus, because she was a guerrilla and was in exile, she talks about the issue of protests convincingly," Chaves said. "I think things are going to calm down. We'll probably keep seeing people in the streets but probably small numbers now."

But Bruna Romao, an 18-year-old store clerk in Sao Paulo, said Rousseff's words probably wouldn't have an impact.

"Brazilians are passionate," she said. "We boil over quickly but also cool down fast. But this time it's different, people are in full revolt. I don't see things calming down anytime soon."

Some 1 million anti-government demonstrators took to the streets nationwide Thursday night to denounce everything from poor public services to the billions of dollars spent preparing for next year's World Cup soccer tournament and the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

The protests continued Friday, as about 1,000 people marched in western Rio de Janeiro city, with some looting stores and invading a $250 million arts center that remains empty after several years of construction. Police tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas as they were pelted with rocks. Police said some in the crowd were armed and firing at officers.

Other protests broke out in in the country's biggest city, Sao Paulo, where traffic was paralyzed but no violence was reported, and in Fortaleza in the country's northeast. Demonstrators were calling for more mobilizations in 10 cities on Saturday.

With Pope Francis scheduled to visit Brazil next month, the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops issued a statement expressing "solidarity and support for the demonstrations, as long as they remain peaceful."

"This is a phenomenon involving the Brazilian people and the awakening of a new consciousness," the Catholic leaders said in the statement. "The protests show all of us that we cannot live in a country with so much inequality."

Rousseff had never held elected office before she became president in 2011 and remains clearly uncomfortable in the spotlight. A career technocrat and economist, she was helped into the presidency by her mentor, the tremendously popular former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Marlise Matos, a political science professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, said before Rousseff spoke that officials need to take stronger action.

"The government has to respond, even if the agenda seems unclear and wide open," she said. "It should be the president herself who should come out and provide a response. But I think the government is still making strategic calculations to decide how to respond. What I'd like to see as a response is a call for a referendum on political reform. Let the people decide what kind of political and electoral system we have."

Social media and mass emails were buzzing with calls for a general strike next week. However, Brazil's two largest nationwide unions, the Central Workers Union and the Union Force, said they knew nothing about such an action, though they do support the protests.

A Thursday night march in Sao Paulo was the first with a strong union presence, as a drum corps led members wearing matching shirts down the city's main avenue. Many protesters have called for a movement with no ties to political parties or unions, which are widely considered corrupt here.

The unrest is hitting the nation as it hosts the Confederations Cup soccer tournament, with tens of thousands of foreign visitors in attendance.

Carlos Cardozo, a 62-year-old financial consultant who joined Friday's protest in Rio, said he thought the unrest could cost Rousseff next year's elections. Even as recently as last week, Rousseff had enjoyed a 74 percent approval rating in a poll by the business group the National Transport Confederation.

"Her paying lip service by saying she's in favor of the protests is not helping her cause," Cardozo said. "People want to see real action, real decisions, and it's not this government that's capable of delivering."

___

Barchfield reported from Rio de Janeiro and Brooks from Sao Paulo. Associated Press writers Stan Lehman in Sao Paulo and Jack Chang in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brazil-leader-breaks-silence-protests-001503729.html

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