Artist Scott Garner's Still Life project uses technology similar to that found in today's smartphones to bring a traditional painting to life.
By John Roach
Life isn't still. Paintings don't have to be either. And now, thanks to Seattle-based artist Scott Garner, still life art is catching up with the times.
He's created an interactive gallery piece called Still Life that comes to life when tilted: the vase tips over, fruit rolls off plates and across the table, the fruit stand tumbles.
"It is about the role of technology in our lives and finding ways to switch our perspective on it a little bit," Garner told me Tuesday.
The installation consists of a traditional still life scene ? a set table with fruit, plates, and an ornamental vase ? presented on a flat screen TV that Garner wrapped in a traditional wooden frame.
"In any digital project, I try to find some source for more traditional craft," he noted.
This framed TV is hung on a rotating mount so that it swivels from side to side. A motion sensor is hooked to the back of the TV. As the screen moves, the tilt data is fed into a computer.
The computer, in turn, runs a video game engine from Unity 3D that Garner programmed so that it moves all the objects in?the digital scene as they would in real life.
He created Still Life while an intern at superfad, a brand driven design and production company. Garner is now packing his bags to travel around before starting graduate school in digital art next year.
Where he's going is undecided, but wherever he ends up, he'll likely cast technology in new ways.
"We have amazing technology like smartphones with touch screens and accelerometers and voice recognition and all of these things, but basically you are still using it like a bunch of analog buttons," he said.
"One of the things I'm really interested in is finding ways around that, in addition to just general creative exploration."
??Via Discovery News
More on high-tech art:
John Roach is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.
As computing power increases exponentially, the ways we relate to computers become more natural ? and more ubiquitous. Msnbc.com's Wilson Rothman explores the evolution of interfaces, from primitive punch cards to interactive buildings.
Quantum entanglement is such a mainstay of modern physics that it is worth reflecting on how long it took to emerge. What began as a perceptive but vague insight by Albert Einstein languished for decades before becoming a branch of experimental physics and, increasingly, modern technology.
Einstein?s two most memorable phrases perfectly capture the weirdness of quantum mechanics. ?I cannot believe that God plays dice with the universe? expressed his disbelief that randomness in quantum physics was genuine and impervious to any causal explanation. ?Spooky action at a distance? referred to the fact that quantum physics seems to allow influences to travel faster than the speed of light. This was, of course, disturbing to Einstein, whose theory of relativity prohibited any such superluminal propagation.
These arguments were qualitative. They were targeted at the worldview offered by quantum theory rather than its predictive power. Niels Bohr is commonly seen as the patron saint of quantum physics, defending it against Einstein?s repeated onslaughts. He is usually said to be the ultimate winner in this battle of wits. However, Bohr?s writing was terribly obscure. He was known for saying ?never express yourself more clearly than you are able to think,? a motto which he adhered to very closely. His arguments, like Einstein?s, were qualitative, verging on highly philosophical. The Einstein-Bohr dispute, although historically important, could not be settled experimentally?and the experiment is the ultimate judge of validity of any theoretical ideas in physics. For decades, the phenomenon was all but ignored.
All that changed with John Bell. In 1964 he understood how to convert the complaints about ?dice-playing? and ?spooky action at a distance? into a simple inequality involving measurements on two particles. The inequality is satisfied in a world where God does not play dice and there is no spooky action. The inequality is violated if the fates of the two particles are intertwined, so that if we measure a property of one of them, we immediately know the same property of the other one?no matter how far apart the particles are from each other. This state where particles behave like twin brothers is said to be entangled, a term introduced by Erwin Schr?dinger.
Even Bell?s work took years to become recognized. His inequalities were first tested by Stuart Freedman and John Clauser using pairs of entangled photons in 1972. More extensive tests by Alain Aspect and his team a decade later put to rest lingering doubts that the effect might be an experimental artifact. These are the experiments that Scientific American?s staffers have now dramatized in their entertaining video.
Gradually, physicists showed that quantum entanglement was not just weird but useful. It was a resource for information processing protocols such as teleportation, dense-coding and quantum computation. Bell sadly did not live long enough to witness the recent explosion of interest in entanglement.
The world of small particles is definitely weird, but excitingly for us physicists this weirdness is also starting to spread into the everyday world of large things. The quantum revolution has only just begun.
Also see:
- David Kaiser ? How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival [Excerpt]
- George Musser ? George and John?s Excellent Adventures in Quantum Entanglement [Video]
Two 15-minute tickles could be the future of male birth control. New research on rats indicates that currently available ultrasound machinery could be used to kill off sperm-growing cells, technology that could render males infertile.
"Our noninvasive ultrasound treatment reduced sperm reserves in rats far below levels normally seen in fertile men," study researcher James Tsuruta, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said in a statement.
Male birth control for humans is still far from ready for prime time, though, Tsuruta said. "Further studies are required to determine how long the contraceptive effect lasts and if it is safe to use multiple times." Further work is also needed to figure out what specific settings work best on humans.
Sonic testes
The researchers used commercially available ultrasound equipment, which is used in physical therapy. They isolated the specific power, frequencies and temperatures needed to lower rat sperm count.
The idea was first suggested in 1970 by Mostafa Fahim, a researcher at the University of Missouri-Columbia, who published several studies of ultrasound treatments that killed germ cells and caused infertility, even testing the theory in humans. The machinery Fahim used is no longer available, so the researchers had to start over with commercially available ultrasound equipment and see what would have a similar effect to what was observed historically.
Sperm develops in the testes and goes through multiple intermediate stages. The researchers were aiming to destroy the earliest stages of sperm development, so the treatment, while temporary, would last a few months.
They found that by rotating high-frequency ultrasound around the testes, they could kill most of the sperm-creating cells. The best results were seen after two 15-minutes sessions, two days apart. They tested the rats' sperm two weeks after their treatments.
They found that these two sessions reduced the rat's sperm count to an index of zero, or an extremely low number of motile sperm. They also looked inside and saw that the rats had fewer sperm-making cells.
Sterile rats
The study was performed in rats, which are much more fertile than humans. In the rats, the sperm concentration attained ? 3,000 motile sperm or fewer per milliliter ? would still allow them to reproduce. In humans that low of a sperm count would beconsidered infertile.
In humans, a low sperm count is defined as anything under 15 million sperm per milliliter; other permanent sterilization procedures, such as a vasectomy, decrease sperm concentration to 3 million sperm per milliliter.
"A permanent or reversible method of contraception based on therapeutic ultrasound treatment could encourage more men to share greater responsibility for family planning," the researchers write in the study, published online in the journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology on Jan. 29.
The researchers also noted this kind of ultrasonic sterilization may be adapted to induce permanent infertility, providing a noninvasive way to sterilize household pets to control the pet population.
You can follow LiveScience staff writer Jennifer Welsh on Twitter @microbelover. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.
DAVOS, Switzerland ? The head of the International Monetary Fund appeared to be making headway Saturday in her drive to boost the institution's financial firepower so that it can help Europe prevent its crippling debt crisis from further damaging the global economy.
Christine Lagarde, who replaced Dominique Strauss-Kahn as managing director of the fund six months ago, is trying to ramp up the IMF's resources by $500 billion so it can help if more lending is needed in Europe or elsewhere. The IMF is the world's traditional lender-of-last-resort and has been involved in the bailouts of Greece, Ireland and Portugal.
Insisting that the IMF is a "safe bet" and that no country had ever lost money by lending to the IMF, Lagarde argued that increasing the size of the IMF's resources would help improve confidence in the global financial system. If enough money is in the fund the markets will be reassured and it won't be used, she said, using arguments similar to those that France has made about increasing Europe's own rescue fund.
"It's for that reason that I am here, with my little bag, to actually collect a bit of money," she said at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alps town of Davos.
Her plea appeared to find a measure of support from ministers of Britain and Japan, sizable IMF shareholders that would be expected to contribute to any money-raising exercise.
George Osborne, Britain's finance minister, said there is "a case for increasing IMF resources and ... demonstrating that the world wants to help together to solve the world's problems," provided the 17 countries that use the euro show the "color of their money."
European countries have said they're prepared to give the IMF $150 billion, meaning that the rest of the world will have to contribute $350 billion. However, many countries, such as Britain and the U.S., want Europe to do more, notably by boosting its own rescue fund.
Osborne said he would be willing to argue in Parliament for a new British contribution, though he may encounter opposition from some members from his own Conservative Party.
Japan's economy minister, Motohisa Furukawa, said his country would help the eurozone via the IMF, too, even though Japan's own debt burden is massive. Unlike Europe's debt-ridden economies, Japan doesn't face sky-high borrowing rates, partly because there's a very liquid domestic market that continues to support the country's bonds.
Europe once again dominated discussions on the final full day of the forum in Davos. Despite some optimism about Europe's latest attempts to stem the crisis, fears remain that turmoil could return.
Whether the markets remain stable could rest for now on if Greece, the epicenter of the crisis, manages to conclude crucial debt-reduction discussions with its private creditors. It's also seeking to placate demands from its European partners and the IMF for deeper reforms.
A failure on either front could force the country, which is now in its fifth year of recession, to default on its debt and leave the euro, potentially triggering another wave of mayhem in financial markets that could hit the global economy hard.
One German official even said Saturday that Greece should temporarily cede sovereignty over tax and spending decisions to a powerful eurozone budget commissioner to secure further bailouts. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because talks on the idea are confidential.
"The fact that we're still, at the start of 2012, talking about Greece again is a sign that this problem has not been dealt with," Britain's Osborne said.
For Donald Tsang, the chief executive of Hong Kong, efforts to deal with the 2-year-old debt crisis have fallen short of what is required. The failure to properly deal with the Greek situation quickly has meant the ultimate cost to Europe has been higher, he said.
"I have never been as scared as now about the world," he said.
Most economic forecasters predict that the global economy will continue to grow this year, but at a fairly slow rate. The IMF recently reduced its forecasts for global growth in 2012 to 3.3 percent, from the 4 percent pace that the IMF projected in September.
Lagarde sought to encourage some countries that use the euro to boost growth to help shore up the ailing eurozone economy, which is widely expected to sink back into recession, adding that it would be counterproductive if all euro countries cut their budgets aggressively at the same time.
"Some countries have to go full-speed ahead to do this fiscal consolidation ... but other countries have space and room," Lagarde said.
Though conceding that there aren't many such countries, Lagarde said it is important that those that have the headroom explore how they can boost growth. She carefully avoided naming any countries, but likely had in mind Germany, Europe's largest economy and a major world exporter. She didn't specify how to boost growth or how one eurozone country could help others grow.
Lagarde said members of the eurozone should continue the drive to tie their economies closer together. On Monday, European leaders gather in Brussels in the hopes of agreeing on a treaty that will force member countries to put deficit limits into their national laws.
Britain's Osborne said eurozone leaders should be praised for the "courage" they have shown over the past few months in enacting austerity and setting in place closer fiscal ties, but said more will have to be done if the single currency is to get on a surer footing.
Fiscal transfers from rich economies to poorer ones will become a "permanent feature" of the eurozone, Osborne predicted.
While politicians and business people were discussing the state of the global economy within the confines of the conference center, protesters questioned the purpose of the event as income inequalities grow worldwide.
Protesters from the Occupy movement that started on Wall Street have camped out in igloos at Davos and were demonstrating in front of City Hall to call attention to the needs of the poor and unemployed.
In a separate protest, three Ukrainian women were arrested when they stripped off their tops ? despite temperatures around freezing ? and tried to climb a fence surrounding the invitation-only gathering of international CEOs and political leaders.
"Crisis! Made in Davos," read one message painted across a protester's torso.
Davos police spokesman Thomas Hobi said the three women were taken to the police station and told they weren't allowed to demonstrate. He said they would be released later in the day.
___
Frank Jordans and Edith M. Lederer in Davos, and Juergen Baetz in Berlin contributed to this report.
New auditing website takes an Apple-friendly look at abuse-riddled Chinese factories
Is Apple finally getting tough on their abusive Chinese suppliers? Maybe.?Intent on stemming the increasing complaints from the public and investors alike,?Apple CEO Tim Cook fired off an email yesterday to combat claims from "people questioning Apple's values," detailing what the company is doing to find "problems" in their supply chain.
Tech giant Apple may have a?net worth greater than most first-world countries, but working conditions at their Chinese suppliers' factories are notoriously third world. Addressing this, Cook wrote an email addressed to all employees to explain what the company is doing to combat abuses.
"Earlier this month we opened our supply chain for independent evaluations by the Fair Labor Association. Apple was in a unique position to lead the industry by taking this step, and we did it without hesitation. This will lead to more frequent and more transparent reporting on our supply chain, which we welcome. These are the kinds of actions our customers expect from Apple, and we will take more of them in the future."
Apple's new website,?Supplier Responsibility, allows visitors to track the company's progress in addressing issues regarding their suppliers. There, you can learn more about Apple's requirements with regard to labor and human rights, worker health and safety, and environmental impact of the companies it contracts work out to.
Public outrage over Apple suppliers, especially notorious Chinese company?Foxconn, is nothing new. Two workers were killed in a?Foxconn iPad factory explosion in 2011, and the high rate of worker suicides has forced the contractor to install suicide-prevention netting.?The Daily Show, among others, have compared Foxconn factories to prisons.
(Source)
This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca
Brooklyn-born actor Nick Santino committed suicide Wednesday, The New York Post reports.
More Entertainment stories
Demi Moore 911 call: 'She smoked something'
On the heavily redacted recording, one of Moore's friends argues with the dispatcher amid confusion over which agency shou...
Fran Drescher: Aliens implanted me with chip
Readers bid farewell to 'Kotter's' Juan Epstein
Reader: Demi Moore is too rich to be exhausted
Kim Kardashian tweets Cher death hoax
The soap opera star was wracked with grief after his beloved pit bull Rocco was euthanized Tuesday ? the same day Santino turned 47.
PHOTOS: Us Weekly's photo tribute to stars we've lost
"Today I betrayed my best friend and put down my best friend," Santino wrote in a suicide note, according to close friend Stuart Sarnoff. "Rocco trusted me and I failed him. He didn't deserve this."
The actor, who appeared on seven episodes of "All My Children" and six episodes of "Guiding Light," had been feeling "harassed" by his building management company, according to his neighbor Lia Pettigrew.
PHOTOS: Stars' soap opera beginnings
He was allegedly threatened with a $250 fine for having a barking dog, but according to neighbor Kevan Cleary, "the dog was not a barker, but somebody complained that the dog would bark."
Santino phoned a former girlfriend at 2 a.m. Wednesday. Police found Santino's body in his bedroom later that afternoon. The actor had overdosed on pills.
PHOTOS: Stars gone too soon
The actor's pet Rocco has been cremated; friends tell The New York Post Santino's remains will also be cremated.
Reporting inThe Lancet, researchers write that a preliminary study shows embryonic stem cell therapy in two patients with macular degeneration was safe. Results suggest the patients' vision improved slightly. Dr. Robert Lanza, Chief Scientific Officer of Advanced Cell Technology and co-author of the study, discusses the trial.
We all read reviews and check star ratings on Amazon before we buy stuff. We've already seen that companies sometimes write reviews themselves, and they're easy to spot by the way they're written. But there's a new trend among some less trustworthy Amazon sellers: bribing customers to write favorable reviews. More »
MAPUTO, Mozambique ? Mozambique's meteorological service says the second tropical depression to hit the southern part of the country in two weeks has destroyed thousands of homes.
Sergio Buque says that heavy rains, accompanied by strong winds have affected more than 250,000 families since the storms began last week. He says the newest tropical depression moved from the central province of Sofala, where it hit Wednesday night, to the southern Inhambane province.
State radio reported Thursday that two more people were killed by heavy rains in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, bringing the total death toll of the storms across Mozambique to 26.
The rains have also inflicted heavy losses in the Montepuez district, where more than 22,200 acres (9,000 hectares) of crops, including the country's staple food maize, are under water.
2 in 5 adults with rheumatoid arthritis are physically inactivePublic release date: 26-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dawn Peters healthnews@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley-Blackwell
Experts suggest initiatives to motivate RA patients to activity improves public health
A new study, funded by a grant from the National Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), found that two in five adults (42%) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were inactive. Taking measures to motivate RA patients to increase their physical activity will improve public health according to the findings now available in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
The ACR estimates nearly 1.3 million adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with RA, a chronic autoimmune condition characterized by systemic joint inflammation that can damage joints, impair function, and cause significant disability. Until the early 1980s, medical experts recommended medication and rest for those with arthritis. However, current medical evidence now suggests that regular, moderate physical activity benefits arthritis sufferers by maintaining joint flexibility, improving balance, strengthening muscles, and reducing pain.
"While there is much evidence of the benefits of physical activity, RA patients are generally not physically active, and physicians often do not encourage regular physical activity in this patient population," explains Dr. Jungwha Lee, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. "Our study aims to expand understanding of the risk factors associated with inactivity among adults with RA and encourage clinical interventions that promote participation in physical activity."
Dr. Lee and colleagues analyzed data on 176 RA patients, 18 years of age or older enrolled in a randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of an intervention promoting physical activity. The team evaluated pre-intervention data for inactivity which was defined as no sustained 10-minute periods of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during a week. Researchers also assessed the relationships between inactivity and modifiable risk factors such as motivation for physical activity, obesity, and pain.
Results show that 42% of RA patients were inactive; participating in no moderate-to-vigorous physical activity periods of at least ten minutes during a 7-day period of objective activity monitoring. Researchers found that 53% of study participants lacked strong motivation for physical activity and 49% lacked strong beliefs in the benefits of physical activity. These two modifiable risk factors account for 65% of excess inactivity in this study group.
While previous research relied on self-reported physical activity measures, the strength of the current study lies in the use of accelerometersa device used to measure acceleration and movementto objectively assess physical activity in participants. "Physical inactivity among RA patients is a public health concern," concludes Dr. Lee. "Our results suggest that public health initiatives need to address the lack of motivation to exercise and promote the benefits of physical activity to reduce the prevalence of inactivity in those with RA."
###
This study is published in Arthritis Care & Research. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact healthnews@wiley.com
Full citation: "The Public Health Impact of Risk Factors for Physical Inactivity in Adults with Rheumatoid Arthritis." Jungwha Lee, Dorothy Dunlop, Linda Ehrlich-Jones, Pamela Semanik, Jing Song, Larry Manheim, Rowland W. Chang. Arthritis Care & Research; Published Online: January 26, 2012 (DOI: 10.1002/acr.21582).
URL Upon publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/acr.21582.
About the Journal:
Arthritis Care & Research is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the College. Arthritis Care & Research is a peer-reviewed research publication that publishes both original research and review articles that promote excellence in the clinical practice of rheumatology. Relevant to the care of individuals with arthritis and related disorders, major topics are evidence-based practice studies, clinical problems, practice guidelines, health care economics, health care policy, educational, social, and public health issues, and future trends in rheumatology practice. The journal is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). For more information, please visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)2151-4658.
About Wiley-Blackwell:
Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world's leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit www.wileyblackwell.com or our new online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), one of the world's most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.
[ | 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.
2 in 5 adults with rheumatoid arthritis are physically inactivePublic release date: 26-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dawn Peters healthnews@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley-Blackwell
Experts suggest initiatives to motivate RA patients to activity improves public health
A new study, funded by a grant from the National Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), found that two in five adults (42%) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were inactive. Taking measures to motivate RA patients to increase their physical activity will improve public health according to the findings now available in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
The ACR estimates nearly 1.3 million adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with RA, a chronic autoimmune condition characterized by systemic joint inflammation that can damage joints, impair function, and cause significant disability. Until the early 1980s, medical experts recommended medication and rest for those with arthritis. However, current medical evidence now suggests that regular, moderate physical activity benefits arthritis sufferers by maintaining joint flexibility, improving balance, strengthening muscles, and reducing pain.
"While there is much evidence of the benefits of physical activity, RA patients are generally not physically active, and physicians often do not encourage regular physical activity in this patient population," explains Dr. Jungwha Lee, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. "Our study aims to expand understanding of the risk factors associated with inactivity among adults with RA and encourage clinical interventions that promote participation in physical activity."
Dr. Lee and colleagues analyzed data on 176 RA patients, 18 years of age or older enrolled in a randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of an intervention promoting physical activity. The team evaluated pre-intervention data for inactivity which was defined as no sustained 10-minute periods of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during a week. Researchers also assessed the relationships between inactivity and modifiable risk factors such as motivation for physical activity, obesity, and pain.
Results show that 42% of RA patients were inactive; participating in no moderate-to-vigorous physical activity periods of at least ten minutes during a 7-day period of objective activity monitoring. Researchers found that 53% of study participants lacked strong motivation for physical activity and 49% lacked strong beliefs in the benefits of physical activity. These two modifiable risk factors account for 65% of excess inactivity in this study group.
While previous research relied on self-reported physical activity measures, the strength of the current study lies in the use of accelerometersa device used to measure acceleration and movementto objectively assess physical activity in participants. "Physical inactivity among RA patients is a public health concern," concludes Dr. Lee. "Our results suggest that public health initiatives need to address the lack of motivation to exercise and promote the benefits of physical activity to reduce the prevalence of inactivity in those with RA."
###
This study is published in Arthritis Care & Research. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact healthnews@wiley.com
Full citation: "The Public Health Impact of Risk Factors for Physical Inactivity in Adults with Rheumatoid Arthritis." Jungwha Lee, Dorothy Dunlop, Linda Ehrlich-Jones, Pamela Semanik, Jing Song, Larry Manheim, Rowland W. Chang. Arthritis Care & Research; Published Online: January 26, 2012 (DOI: 10.1002/acr.21582).
URL Upon publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/acr.21582.
About the Journal:
Arthritis Care & Research is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the College. Arthritis Care & Research is a peer-reviewed research publication that publishes both original research and review articles that promote excellence in the clinical practice of rheumatology. Relevant to the care of individuals with arthritis and related disorders, major topics are evidence-based practice studies, clinical problems, practice guidelines, health care economics, health care policy, educational, social, and public health issues, and future trends in rheumatology practice. The journal is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). For more information, please visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)2151-4658.
About Wiley-Blackwell:
Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world's leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit www.wileyblackwell.com or our new online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), one of the world's most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.
[ | 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.
Temporary monuments are erected in Tahrir Square on Wednesday as thousands of Egyptians gather to mark the one year anniversary of the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.
?
They are scenes reminiscent of Egypt's 18-day revolution that toppled the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak.
Men and women, young and old, Muslim and Christian, rich and poor, secular and conservative ? all back in the symbolic heart of Egypt?s revolution, Tahrir Square. They are also in cities all across the country.
But the unity seen during Egypt's revolution in 2011 has been replaced by widening differences over where the country stands one year later.
The difference revolves around the transition to democracy. Is it on the right path? Led by the right people? Genuine or simply cosmetic? Actions versus promises. Accomplishments versus rhetoric.
Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the uprising that ousted Mubarak.
Some gathered in the square to celebrate that revolution. They said the past year had been one of transformation. They cited a newly elected lower house of parliament, new individual freedoms and an explosion of political parties running the gamut.
Those gathered Wednesday celebrated the accomplishments of the revolution. Those accomplishments cannot simply be dismissed. The pace of reform may be slow, but change has been tangible.
Those here commemorating the revolution argued change has been cosmetic. One regime has simply been replaced by another.
"We have changed the driver in the car, but you have not changed the car or its direction," one protester told me. "Only when the direction of the car changes will the revolution be considered successful," he added.
Related: Obama wants to boost Egypt aid quickly
Those commemorating the revolution said the anniversary should serve as a reminder of what Egyptians can accomplish when they are united. The past year has not lived up to its potential. They cited thousands of civilians in military trials as evidence that the ruling military council -- all appointed by Mubarak coincidentally -- has resorted to the same draconian measures as its predecessor. They said that in the past year, not a single senior officer of the internal security forces or minister has been convicted in the killings of around 800 protesters. So for them, Wednesday was about renewing demonstrations against the ruling military council.
The military council said it's holding the ship steady on the course to democracy. And while it has changed the timetable to elections a few times, it has done so only when events on the ground rapidly deteriorated and protests flared up. On one hand that showed it had been responsive to public sentiments and street protests; but on the other hand, it continued to act unilaterally when it came to fundamental issues concerning the process of reform. It retained exclusive power over the security services and the judiciary. It has refused to delegate powers and authority to the military-appointed prime minister or the newly elected lower house of parliament. At the same time, the military has issued a declaration of constitutional principles that many interpret as an attempt to retain powers after a new government is directly elected.
Related: Huge crowd in Cairo
And of course? there are the new democratic realities that have emerged in post-revolution Egypt. New political parties, but not necessarily new political voices. The loudest so far has been that of the Muslim Brotherhood and the ultra-conservative Salafist movement. Between the two of them, they overwhelmingly won the majority of seats in parliament. Will their mandate from the people be seen as a direct order to challenge the military? Some argue the Islamists are content with the democratic process undertaken by the military because it has paved their way to power. They fear the two have cut backroom deals. The military will move the democratic process at a pace and under conditions favorable to Islamist parties at the expense of the lesser and weaker secular and liberal forces. In exchange, the Islamists will not mobilize their massive street support against the military or hold them accountable for past misdoings going forward.
So whether Egyptians celebrate, commemorate or reinvigorate their January 25 Revolution, one thing is for certain, it has been a remarkable year in the history of this country.
Nintendo released its latest quarterly earnings report this morning and, as with last quarter's report, there's not a whole lot to celebrate. The company posted profits of ¥40.9 billion (about $631.6 million) for the October - December period, representing a 61 percent quarterly drop. That's especially disappointing, considering that this period has traditionally been strong for Nintendo, which had previously forecast an operating profit of ¥1 billion (around $12.9 million). Those forecasts have since changed, however, with the manufacturer now predicting a ¥45 billion ($580 million) operating loss for the full year, ending March 31st. Nintendo blames the poor showing to sagging 3DS sales, which have forced it to slash prices. Also on Thursday, President Satoru Iwata told reporters that his company plans to release its new Wii U console across the US, Europe Australia and Japan in time for the 2012 year-end holiday season. Read the report in full, at the source link below.
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, is licked by Napoleon the dog as he campaigns in Lehigh Acres, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, is licked by Napoleon the dog as he campaigns in Lehigh Acres, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets residents as he campaigns in front of a foreclosed home in Lehigh Acres, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, greets residents as he campaigns in Lehigh Acres, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. (AP) ? Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney came to ground zero of the housing crisis Tuesday to assail rival Newt Gingrich over his ties to the government-backed mortgage companies that helped make it worse, a message Romney has been pushing since he landed in the state. But that meant he also had to talk about banks ? and he continued what's become a habit of comparing companies to people.
Romney was standing outside a Fannie Mae-foreclosed home in a struggling neighborhood telling a small crowd why they're having so much trouble. "In this case, it's because of the banks," he explained. "Well, the banks aren't bad people. They're just overwhelmed right now."
During a Monday roundtable with business owners struggling in Florida's hobbled housing market, the former Massachusetts governor told the group that their troubles with banks came because the lenders were worried about staying in business.
"The banks are scared to death, of course," he said. "They're feeling the same thing that you're feeling. And so they just want to pretend that all this is just going to get paid some day."
Both comments echoed the now-famous line Romney delivered from a hay bale at the Iowa state fair: "Corporations are people, my friend!"
They're also part of a string of comments Romney has made that his opponents have used to pummel him as wealthy and out of touch with average Americans. Ahead of the New Hampshire primary, he said he once feared being "pink-slipped" and later said "I like to fire people." He was referring to insurance companies, but both Democrats and his Republican rivals attacked him for it.
In calling corporations people, Romney meant that the money companies make benefits individuals and ultimately employs people and creates jobs. And in Florida, he's been trying to explain that banks are scared they'll go out of business because so many people have stopped paying their mortgages. He's also argued that regulations passed during the Obama administration give banks less flexibility if they're trying to help consumers renegotiate the terms of their mortgages.
He's focusing on the housing market because it's a critical issue in Florida, where the GOP primary will be held on Jan. 31. Gingrich, his chief rival, earned more than $1.6 million working as a consultant to Freddie Mac. The mortgage giant was heavily involved in the subprime lending business that helped drive the housing bubble.
"Housing has become a mess in large measure because the government got in the middle of it," Romney said. "I'm running against a guy, as you know, in this primary, who was out there working for one of those guys in the case of Freddie Mac."
Freddie Mac, a government-sponsored enterprise, was originally designed to help more people get access to mortgages to buy homes.
Romney himself hasn't outlined any specific proposals to help fix the housing market. He says improving the economy will allow Americans to regain their footing and keep their homes.
Since coming to Florida, though, he's softened his rhetoric. Last year, he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the government should let the foreclosure crisis "run its course and hit the bottom." Now, he's saying the housing market needs to be "reset" so that the American economy can "rebuild."
"The distress they're feeling here was heartbreaking," Romney told reporters after the Monday roundtable. "I want to do my very best to help people like that."
LONDON (Reuters) ? The world economy will lose momentum in 2012 but it will keep moving in the right direction, according to Reuters polls of around 600 economists who said crisis-hit Europe would drag on global growth.
Asian economies will again power the expansion of the world economy this year, but with relatively subdued performances. The
United States, meanwhile, should continue to contribute modest growth that will easily outpace its recession-hit European peers.
Brazil will be one of the few big economies that will pick up steam this year, outshining slower Latin American stablemates Mexico and Argentina.
A Reuters poll that covers all of the top 20 developed and emerging economies, as well as some others in Asia, suggests global economic growth will slow to around 3.3 percent this year from an estimated 3.7 percent in 2011.
That is more optimistic than the latest forecast from the World Bank, which predicted world GDP would rise only 2.5 percent this year.
Although the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis represents a huge risk to the world's economic health, there have at least been promising signs of life from the United States.
"We're fairly optimistic on the U.S., and we're in the soft-landing rather than the hard-landing camp for China," said Investec economist Victoria Cadman, whose forecast for global growth in the high-three percent range is slightly more optimistic than the consensus.
"(That's) notwithstanding the huge risks that the euro crisis poses if a more disorderly fallout results."
China will again top the economic growth charts this year with growth of 8.4 percent, although that is only a little over the 8 percent mark economists deem necessary to create enough jobs to satisfy the country's fast-growing population.
India's economy will not be far behind, expanding 7.0 percent in the 2012 fiscal year, although that would still be its worst showing in two years thanks to tight monetary policy and political deadlock.
Brazil's fervent domestic demand and credit growth should propel the economy to growth of around 3.3 percent in 2012, and 4.5 percent in 2013.
DIFFICULT TIMES
This year looks certain to be difficult for the rich developed economies. The world's largest, the United States, should grow around 2.2 percent in 2012.
While fairly modest by historical standards and compared to its emerging peers, that would be vastly better than the 0.3 percent contraction expected for the euro zone economy.
The immediate risk to Europe's economy would be a disorderly sovereign debt default from Greece that would hammer the European financial system. Athens is bargaining with its private creditors on a bond swap deal needed before it can repay 14.5 billion euros ($18.5 billion) of bonds falling due in March.
"The seeming inability of euro zone policymakers to get on top of the region's sovereign debt crisis is threatening to exact a toll on economic growth well beyond its peripheral economies," said Mark Cliffe, chief economist of ING Group.
Germany will probably be the only major economy in Europe to rise above stagnation this year, although not by much - economists expect its economy to expand by 0.5 percent in 2012.
Even Japan, mired in deflation and struggling to overcome the economic shock of the earthquake and tsunami last March, will easily outstrip European economies with growth of around 1.8 percent in its fiscal year 2012-13.
That is the lowest forecast since the aftermath of last year's natural disasters, however, underscoring how over-optimistic some commentators were in expecting reconstruction to fuel a rapid expansion.
Backed by a mining boom, Australia's resource rich economy should lead the developed world in terms of growth, with a hearty 3.4 percent expansion this year.
"The mining investment boom is largely 'baked in' and is expected to contribute two-thirds of GDP growth in 2012," said Paul Bloxham, chief economist at HSBC Bank Australia.
(Reporting by Andy Bruce; Polling led by Shaloo Shrivastava in Bangalore and Reuters bureaux around the globe; Editing by Ross Finley and Catherine Evans)
ALEXANDRIA, Va. ? When Megaupload executives arrive in court to answer charges that they orchestrated a massive online piracy scheme, they'll be backed by a prominent lawyer who has defended Bill Clinton against sexual harassment charges and Enron against allegations of corporate fraud.
Washington attorney Robert Bennett said Friday that he will represent the company, which was indicted in federal court in Alexandria Thursday on copyright infringement and other charges. The U.S. government shut down Megaupload's file-sharing website on Thursday, alleging that the company facilitated illegal downloads of copyrighted movies and other content. Seven individuals ? including the company's founder, who had his name legally changed to Kim Dotcom ? were also charged. Dotcom and three others were arrested in New Zealand; three others remain at large.
The shutdown and indictment generated headlines around the world in part because of the size and scope of Megaupload's operation. Sandvine, Inc., a Canadian company that provides equipment to monitor Internet traffic, said the website alone accounted for about 1 percent of traffic on U.S. cable and DSL lines. The site is even more popular in many foreign countries.
Bennett said that "we intend to vigorously defend against these charges" but declined to comment on the case in detail.
Bennett is best known for serving as President Bill Clinton's attorney when he was accused of sexual harassment by Paula Jones. He has also represented Defense Secretaries Clark Clifford and Caspar Weinberger.
Megaupload was no stranger to accusations that its website existed for the sole purpose of mass copyright breach. Before its website was taken down, Megaupload offered a more detailed defense of its operations, claiming in a statement that such accusations are "grotesquely overblown."
The company said it had a clear, easy-to-follow procedure if movie studios or other copyright holders saw that their products were being illegally shared on Megaupload, and said that it responded to those "takedown notices" as required by law.
"Of course, abuse does happen and is an inevitable fact of life in a free society, but it is curbed heavily and efficiently by our close cooperation with trusted takedown partners. It is just unfortunate that the activities of a small group of `black sheep' overshadows the millions of users that use our sites legitimately every day," the statement said.
Indeed, sites like megaupload.com, known as cyberlockers, can fulfill legitimate needs and are used every day by people looking for an efficient way to share or transfer large files that can't easily be sent by email.
In their indictment, however, federal prosecutors offered a detailed glimpse of the internal workings of the website. They allege that Megaupload was well aware that the vast majority of its users were there to illegally download copyrighted content.
According to the indictment, in a 2008 email chat session, two of the alleged coconspirators exchange messages, with one saying "we have a funny business . . . modern days pirates :)" and the other responds, "we're not pirates, we're just providing shipping services to pirates :)".
In another instance, one of the defendants allegedly laments in colorful language that an episode HBO's "The Sopranos" has been uploaded to site, but the dialogue is in French, limiting its appeal.
In fact, prosecutors allege that the entire website was specifically designed to encourage piracy. The website provided cash bonuses to users who uploaded content popular enough to prompt mass downloads ? such content was almost always copyrighted material.
Stefan Mentzer, an intellectual property partner with the White and Case law firm in New York, said it's likely that Megaupload will try to argue at least two defenses: One is that its service qualifies as a so-called "safe harbor" under Digital Millennium Copyright Act ? the federal law governing copyright infringement ? if they can show, for instance, that they had no actual knowledge that infringing material was on their system. Another possible defense would be jurisdictional ? specifically, that a case can't be brought in the Eastern District of Virginia against a Hong Kong-based company like Megaupload without evidence that they directed criminal activity related to the district.
But Mentzer said both defenses would be a challenge, given the evidence that prosecutors appear to have collected.
"The Department of Justice doesn't just cavalierly file these lawsuits," Mentzer said.
Federal prosecutors have made Internet piracy a priority in the last decade, especially in the Eastern District of Virginia, which can claim jurisdiction over many such cases because large portions of the Internet's backbone ? servers and other infrastructure ? are physically located in northern Virginia's technology corridor.
The vast majority of those cases have resulted in guilty pleas and prison time. On Friday, a day after announcement of the Megaupload case, a federal judge sentenced Matthew David Howard Smith, 24, of Raleigh, N.C., to 14 months in prison for his role in founding a website called NinjaVideo. That site was one of many shut down in 2010, at a time when it facilitated nearly 1 million illegal downloads a week.
NinjaVideo was what prosecutors called a "linking site" to Megaupload. Casual users of Megaupload would be unable to find popular movies and TV shows on the site without the proper links. Sites like NinjaVideo allowed users to easily search for the desired movies or music and provided the links that enabled them to download the content from Megaupload.
The other co-founder of NinjaVideo, Hana Beshara, was sentenced earlier this month to 22 months in prison. While she admitted guilt, she portrayed herself as a sort of Robin Hood of the online world, stealing from greedy movie studios to provide entertainment downloads to the masses in the form of free films, TV shows, videogames and music.
While the legal defense for piracy may be difficult, accused Internet pirates clearly have their supporters, as evidenced by the millions of people who use their sites as well as the response to Thursday's Megaupload shutdown. Within hours of the indictment being unsealed, the loose affiliation of hackers known as Anonymous caused temporary shutdowns of the Justice Department website as well as the websites of the Motion Picture Association of America and other industry groups that support a tougher piracy laws.
It could be months before the criminal case against Megaupload gets underway. The four defendants arrested in made an initial appearance in a New Zealand court Friday and are scheduled to make a second appearance on Monday. Authorities have said it could take a year or more to bring them to the U.S. if they fight extradition.
___
AP Business Writer Daniel Wagner in Washington contributed to this report.
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) ? Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum says Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich aren't electable because they've both supported policies too similar President Barack Obama's health care plan.
In Thursday night's GOP debate, Santorum says the health care plan Romney helped implement when he was governor of Massachusetts was an "abject disaster." Santorum says it is the basis for Obamacare and will make it impossible for Romney to debate Obama on the issue.
Santorum says Gingrich repeatedly supported "the core" of Obama's health care plan before disavowing it later.
Santorum says he's the only candidate who can stand up to Obama on the issue.
Gingrich and Romney are both defending themselves and say they can stand up to the president and vow to repeal Obama's health care plan.
Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
Passer cette ?tape
Connexion
Connexion
Rejoignez Twitter !
Did you know that 8 countries in West and Central Africa are facing serious food shortages? Let's do something! #change ow.ly/8kzYZIl y a environ 7 heuresvia HootSuiteRetweeted by 100+ people
MANCHESTER, N.H. ? Mitt Romney's rivals hoped to seize on back-to-back debates this weekend to knock the front-runner off stride and gain momentum heading into Tuesday's New Hampshire primary and upcoming contests later this month in the South.
Romney, who narrowly beat Rick Santorum in Iowa this past week, had the most to lose in the debates Saturday night and Sunday morning as the other Republicans in the race try to prevent him from running away with the nomination.
Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry were competing to emerge as the conservative alternative to Romney. Jon Huntsman and Ron Paul were fighting for relevancy.
The debate at Saint Anselm College was the first in more than three weeks, and the first since Michele Bachmann dropped out of the race after a disappointing finish in Iowa this past week. The candidates faced a quick turnaround for the second debate, set for Sunday morning in Concord.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, has largely escaped setbacks in the previous 13 debates, but he has faced intensifying criticism from the other candidates in recent days.
Gingrich, who had promised to run a positive campaign, was the leading agitator and hours before the debate, the former House speaker showed no signs of relenting.
"I do think there's an enormous gap between somebody who is a bold Reagan conservative and somebody who is a timid Massachusetts moderate," Gingrich told voters in Wolfeboro, where Romney has a summer home.
Recent polling gave Romney strong leads in New Hampshire and South Carolina, which hosts the next nominating contest Jan. 21, followed by Florida on Jan. 31. A presidential contender has never won the first three contests.
The candidates have campaign aggressively in New Hampshire, trying to make their case with voters who are notoriously late deciders.
"I'm looking to finalize my decision. The debate will pretty much determine who I'm voting for on Tuesday," said Ed Cormier, 58, of Rochester. "I keep hearing how Romney's the most electable. I like Romney, but he's not my first choice."
Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou has overseen the most dramatic improvement in relations with China in the island's history, but economic anxieties could dash his re-election hopes in next Saturday's vote.
The 61-year-old Harvard-trained lawyer faces Tsai Ing-wen, 56, who is vying to become the island's first female head of state and has campaigned, with some success, on a promise to distribute wealth more fairly.
"The economy remains the most salient issue to a great majority of people, especially those in the low-income group," said George Tsai, a political expert at the Chinese Culture University in Taipei.
"These people are not really concerned about improved ties with the mainland or diplomatic issues."
Party politics in Taiwan has traditionally been defined by China policy, with Ma's Kuomintang (KMT) advocating closer ties with its giant neighbour, and Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leaning towards independence.
Taiwan has ruled itself since the end of a civil war in 1949, but China still claims sovereignty over the island and has made it clear it will not shy away from all-out war to bring about reunification if need be.
Despite this menace, mainland ties may no longer be a decisive factor in Taiwan elections, as many of the island's 23 million residents see China as something they can do nothing about anyway.
"The China relationship remains an important issue on Taiwan, but its significance has been in a slow, slow decline," said Joseph Cheng, a China analyst at City University of Hong Kong.
"Maybe it's because people understand the economic integration process will go on, and you don't want to rock the boat."
Voter apathy over China means Ma, who is aiming for a second and last four-year term, is unlikely to benefit from his record in dealing with Beijing, despite achievements such as a sweeping trade pact signed in mid-2010.
This is reflected in the last opinion polls allowed to be released before the election, which showed Ma leading Tsai by as little as three percentage points, on the border of the margin of error.
"It's really too close to call, although Ma seems to have a slight edge, since the economy is not doing too badly," said Cheng.
Taiwan's economy grew by 3.37 percent in the three months to September after expanding by a sizzling 10.88 percent in 2010 -- a 24-year high -- mostly fuelled by China, the island's main trading partner.
This owes much to the shifting fortunes of the global economy, which have an immediate impact on the export-dependent island.
Nevertheless, there is a clear note of frustration in the Ma camp, which believes voters do not give the government due credit for a respectable record.
"All statistics indicate that Taiwan's economy is moving in a positive direction. Too bad this trend has been ignored by the media and the people," Ma's chief aide King Pu-tsung told reporters late last month.
The biggest shortcoming in the KMT's policies for many voters is the lack of focus on the growing income gap in what has traditionally been one of Asias most egalitarian societies.
The richest 20 percent are six times better off than the poorest 20 percent, a situation that Ma critics say has been worsened by closer economic ties with China, which especially benefit those with capital to invest.
The Ma campaign has also been hurt by the emergence of a third candidate, former KMT heavyweight James Soong, who trails far behind the other two, but could take votes from the incumbent.
It all adds up to the most uncertain election in Taiwan since 2004, when then-president Chen Shui-bian of the DPP won with a razor-thin margin, helped by a sympathy vote after he was injured in a mysterious election-eve shooting.
Saturday's election will be watched carefully in Beijing, where Ma in all likelihood is the preferred candidate.
While the Taiwanese population may be gradually losing interest in China, the reverse is not true, especially not at the highest levels.
China is gearing up for a once-in-a-decade leadership transition and would prefer predictability in its immediate neighbourhood, said Liu Bi-rung, a political science professor at the Soochow University in Taipei.
"It will take Beijing some time, at least a year, to observe what measures Tsai will adopt in dealing with the mainland (if she wins). Under such circumstances, ties between Taipei and Beijing will become stagnant," he said.
"China obviously wouldn't like to see the Taiwan issue become a factor of uncertainty at a time when it is carrying out its own leadership transition."
Quantum entanglement is such a mainstay of modern physics that it is worth reflecting on how long it took to emerge. What began as a perceptive but vague insight by Albert Einstein languished for decades before becoming a branch of experimental physics and, increasingly, modern technology.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 26-Jan-2012
Share ] 
UNICEF 
MidOhioAtheists