geologic sloppily: February 2013

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Merkel backs new EU talks for Turkey but has doubts

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday she favored new talks to revive Turkey's stalled European Union membership bid, following warnings by the Turkish prime minister its half-century wait was "unforgivable".

Yet Merkel, who favors a "privileged partnership" for Turkey in place of full EU membership, stressed the outcome of Ankara's talks with Brussels should be open, and she remained skeptical about whether Turkey should join.

Turkey has complained bitterly over Berlin's lack of support for its EU hopes, and has accused the EU of double-standards in conducting negotiations without full membership in mind.

Merkel made her comments in her regular weekly video message, a day before she sets off on a two-day visit to Turkey. Her defense minister visited German patriot missile batteries in Turkey, a fellow NATO member, on Saturday.

Socialist French President Francois Hollande said last week he was ready to unblock talks on the "chapter" or policy area dealing with help for EU regions. His conservative predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, strongly opposed Turkey's EU aspirations.

"I think a long negotiating path lies ahead of us. Although I am skeptical, I agreed with the continuation of membership discussions. We are engaging in these with an open result," Merkel said.

"In recent times, negotiations stalled somewhat and I am in favor of opening a new chapter in order to move forward."

Turkey's EU accession bid, launched in 2005, all but ground to a halt over an intractable dispute over the divided island of Cyprus, an EU member, and opposition from Paris and Berlin.

Turkey has completed only one of 35 policy "chapters" every accession candidate must conclude. All but 13 are blocked by France, Cyprus and the European Commission, which says Ankara does not meet standards on human rights and freedom of speech.

"Since Mrs Merkel came to office, she has repeatedly used the expression 'privileged partnership' about our European Union process. Yet when Germany had the rotating presidency, we were still able to secure the opening of certain chapters," Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul.

He expressed his hope for positive developments during Ireland's EU presidency which runs until July. Germany last held it in the first half of 2007.

"Now there is change in France and a difference in the views of Germany and France. Along with Chancellor Merkel's positive statement on opening chapters, these will pay off during Ireland's presidency," Erdogan added.

GROWING PRESSURE

Turkey is increasingly frustrated at the wait and support among its citizens for joining the EU has waned. Erdogan called the delay "unforgivable" on February 4 and has warned the EU would lose Turkey if it was not granted full membership by 2023.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, from Merkel's Free Democrat (FDP) coalition partners called the standstill unsatisfactory in December and urged renewed vigor in talks.

Even some within Merkel's own Christian Democrats back fuller support for Turkey, risking the chancellor becoming more isolated in advocating 'privileged partnership'.

EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger, a CDU member, told newspaper Bild this week, "I'd like to bet that within the next decade, a German chancellor along with their colleagues from France will go begging on their knees to Ankara saying 'friends come to us'".

Ruprecht Polenz, head of the CDU's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper on Saturday: "it is clear to most people in my party that the idea of 'privileged partnership' is defunct." Instead people should accept that negotiations will ultimately lead to membership.

(Additional reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley in Istanbul and Andreas Rinke in Berlin; Editing by Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/merkel-backs-eu-talks-turkey-doubts-172911699.html

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Friday, February 22, 2013

Distro Issue 79 examines the rise of the ever-expanding smartphone screen

Once upon a time, the future belonged to an increasingly smaller form factor when it came to mobile phones. Now it seems the tide has changed, and larger screens continue to expand their requisite real estate on new handsets. In this week's issue of our weekly, Jon Fingas takes a good, long look at the rise of those big screens, starting with 2002's BlackBerry 5810. Weekly Stat charts a day with an asteroid, Eyes-On has a peek at LaCie's collaboration with Philippe Starck and Brad Molen recounts week two with the BlackBerry Z10. We've just scratched the surface of the latest installment of this e-publication, so navigate to your favorite download link to procure a copy.

Distro Issue 79 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store
Distro in the Windows Store
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile

Comments

Source: iTunes, Google Play, Windows Store

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/bHzp-6w6aFY/

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Chinese New Year Parade returning to San Francisco

Evil spirits have until Saturday night to hang around Chinatown before they are banished for another year by a San Francisco tradition that dates to Gold Rush times.

The drums, fireworks, lion teams and 268-foot-long golden dragon are staples of the Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade, along with being a celebrated cultural tradition.

Some 100 parade floats, drum teams, school groups and other units from across the Bay Area will take to the streets, rain or shine, to celebrate a hopefully prosperous and healthy year to come.

The parade?s emcee is Chinatown political heavyweight Rose Pak, who greets The City?s elected officials with praise, insults and jokes, as she sees fit, when their parade entourages enter Chinatown.

New Year events

Miss Chinatown USA Coronation Ball

6 p.m.-midnight Friday
San Francisco Hilton, 333 O?Farrell St.
Tickets: $120
Info: (415) 982-3000

Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade

Where: Second and Market streets to Kearny and Jackson streets
When: Begins 5:15 p.m. Saturday
TV coverage: 6-8 p.m. on KTVU (Ch. 2) and KTSF (Ch. 26)
Info: tickets: www.chineseparade.com

Chinatown street fair

Where: Grant Avenue from California Street to Broadway; Pacific Avenue from Kearny to Stockton streets; Washington and Jackson streets from Kearny to Stockton streets
When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sfexaminer/Local/~3/qLVFuY8M_ws/chinese-new-year-parade-returning-san-francisco

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C?mo aplicar el Jailbreak a los iPhone y iPad actualizados a iOS 6.1.2

Tal y como se esperaba, hace unos d?as Apple lanz? una nueva versi?n de su sistema operativo para iPhone, iPad y iPod Touch. La nueva entrega es iOS 6.1.2 y llega para solucionar los problemas causados tras la ?ltima actualizaci?n, como ya hemos comentado anteriormente iOS 6.1 supuso un calvario para muchos usuarios que vieron como la bater?a de sus terminales se agotaba a un ritmo galopante, todo causado por un error en la sincronizaci?n de Exchange. Adem?s iOS 6.1.2 tambi?n cierra una vulnerabilidad que permit?a acceder al terminal aunque estuviera protegido con el bloqueo con c?digo.

Como siempre que llega una versi?n nueva, la gran pregunta es si Apple habr? cerrado el exploit que permite el Jailbreak y en este caso podemos respirar?tranquilos. El Jailbreak Untethered sigue siendo compatible con iOS 6.1.2 por lo que todos los usuarios con problemas de bater?a pueden actualizar sin miedo de perder el Jailbreak. Planetbeing anunci? r?pidamente que la nueva versi?n era vulnerable al proceso y en pocas horas lanzaron una actualizaci?n de Evasi0n, el programa con el que se puede aplicar el Jailbreak. A continuaci?n explicamos paso a paso como hacer Jailbreak Untethered en un iPhone, iPad o iPod Touch actualizado a iOS 6.1.2.

1) Como siempre, para evitar problemas inesperados es recomendable realizar una copia de seguridad de todos los datos almacenados en el terminal. Este proceso se puede hacer de forma inal?mbrica a trav?s de iCloud o con ayuda de iTunes, esta segunda opci?n es m?s r?pida pero ambas son igual de efectivas. Evasi0n es una aplicaci?n segura pero puede dar problemas si por ejemplo desconectamos el cable en mitad del proceso, por eso es mejor ser cautos.

2) Lo siguiente es descargar Evasi0n que ya se encuentra en la versi?n 1.4, el programa est? disponible para Windows, Mac y Linux. Se puede descargar desde la?p?gina oficial. Cuando la descarga finalice hay que extraer el contenido del archivo .rar donde m?s nos convenga, por ejemplo en el escritorio.

3) Abrimos el programa haciendo clic derecho sobre el ejecutable y seleccionando la opci?n ?Ejecutar como administrador?. En este punto hay que conectar el dispositivo al ordenador con el cable USB compatible y es muy importante asegurarnos de que el bloqueo por c?digo est? desactivado, para comprobarlo vamos a Ajustes ? General ? Bloqueo con c?digo . Cuando el programa Evasi0n detecte el terminal, el bot?n ?Jailbreak? se resalta y ya lo podemos pulsar.

4) Cuando empieza el proceso es muy importante no tocar nada, ni en el ordenador ni por supuesto en el dispositivo (y muchos menos desconectar el cable). Evasi0n es un programa muy r?pido y apenas te robar? unos minutos. En un punto el proceso se detiene y aparece un mensaje en el programa, lo que hay que hacer es desbloquear nuestro iPhone, iPad o iPod Touch y buscar un nuevo icono que se ha creado con el logo de Evasi0n y que se llama Jailbreak. Lo ?nico que hay que hacer es pulsarlo una sola vez para que el proceso se reanude, esta vez todo se llevar? a cabo en el dispositivo y cuando se reinicie ya tendremos el Jailbreak aplicado.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tusequipos/~3/yj_fKs3tXRc/

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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Business Referral Partnership Networking Event ... - Wyckoff Patch

Today, February 21, 2013, 7:15 am

4 Franklin Tpke, Waldwick, NJ | Get?Directions??
FREE

How do you become a better, healthier version of yourself this year?

Come join the Business Referral Partnership for a networking meeting on February 21^st?at 7:15 am at the Matthews Colonial Diner (4 Franklin Turnpike, Waldwick).

Noel Plasker of Plasker Family Chiropractic, our Featured Speaker, will talk about the benefits of chiropractic care and how it can improve your overall health, leading to a more active lifestyle.

First time attendees receive a FREE breakfast!?

Please contact Norberto Maldonado at 201-522-6234 or?Norberto@allamericanmortgage.us?for more info.

You can also visit our website?http://www.nj-business-networking.org/.

41.008254

-74.118029

primary

/events/business-referral-partnership-networking-event

/locations/8841620

Source: http://wyckoff.patch.com/events/business-referral-partnership-networking-event

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Rihanna Attacked By Fan Outside London Nightclub

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Source: http://www.theboombox.com/2013/02/19/rihanna-attacked-by-fan/

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Bank of Israel tightens mortgage loan regulations

JERUSALEM | Tue Feb 19, 2013 9:22am EST

JERUSALEM Feb 19 (Reuters) - Israel's banking regulator on Tuesday imposed tougher mortgage regulations in a move aimed at reducing banks' housing loan risks in their credit portfolios.

The Bank of Israel said housing credit has surged 76 percent the past five years along with a rise in home prices.

"The directives are intended to express better the risk inherent in housing loans on banks' portfolios - both in terms of capital allocations and in terms of allowance for credit losses, and thus to strengthen banks' ability to absorb losses without negatively impacting their ability to provide financing for the economy's needs," said David Zaken, the central bank's supervisor of banks.

The guidelines, which were likely to raise mortgage costs to consumers, also enable banks to increase credit to the construction industry.

Under the draft measures ordered by the central bank, housing loans with a loan to value ratio (LTV) of up to 45 percent will remain weighted at 35 percent of the basic capital adequacy ratio of some 9 percent of a bank's assets.

But loans with an LTV of 45-60 percent will be weighted at 50 percent for capital requirements, up from 35 percent previously. Loans with an LTV above 60 percent will be weighted at 75 percent for capital requirements.

The draft guidelines also establish a requirement to increase the provision for credit losses in housing loans so that the ratio between the group provision and the balance of housing loans is at least 0.35 percent, up from around 0.22 percent at the end of the third quarter of 2012.

The central bank issued draft guidelines in 2012 in which banks will have to hold core capital equivalent to at least 9 percent of their risk-weighted assets by the end of 2014. Israel's current core capital ratio - a measure of financial strength - is 7.5 percent, with banks averaging about 8 percent. (Reporting by Steven Scheer; editing by Ron Askew)

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/19/israel-centralbank-mortgages-idUSL6N0BJ9BG20130219

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The Android operating system has become quite the platform over the last couple...

The Android operating system has become quite the platform over the last couple of years. It only seems like yesterday when I was walking around town with my Nexus S, running Gingerbread, thinking I was the bee?s knees. Fast forward to 2013 and here ?

Source: http://www.facebook.com/DroidLife/posts/10151447689297902

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Successful hacker attack could wreak 'absolute havoc'

Kevin Mandia, the founder and chief executive of Mandiant, discusses cyber-attacks on US companies and organizations.

By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC News

A report tying the Chinese military to computer attacks against American interests has sent a chill through cyber-security experts, who worry that the very lifelines of the United States ? its energy pipelines, its water supply, its banks ? are increasingly at risk.

The experts say that a successful hacker attack taking out just a part of the nation?s electrical grid, or crippling financial institutions for several days, could sow panic or even lead to loss of life.

?I call it cyberterrorism that makes 9/11 pale in comparison,? Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican and chair of the House Intelligence Committee, told NBC News on Tuesday.

An American computer security company, Mandiant, reported with near certainty that members of a sophisticated Chinese hacking group work out of the headquarters of a unit of the Chinese army outside Shanghai.

The report was first detailed in The New York Times, which said that the hacking group?s focus was increasingly on companies that work with American infrastructure, including the power grid, gas lines and waterworks.

The Chinese embassy in Washington told The Times that its government does not engage in computer hacking.

As reported, the Chinese attacks constitute a sort of asymmetrical cyberwarfare, analysts said, because they bring the force of the Chinese government and military against private companies.

?To us that?s crossing a line into a class of victim that?s not prepared to withstand that type of attack,? Grady Summers, a Mandiant vice president, said on the MSNBC program ?Andrea Mitchell Reports.?

The report comes as government officials and outside security experts alike are sounding ever-louder alarms about the vulnerability of the systems that make everyday life in the United States possible.

Outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned in October that the United States was facing a threat that amounted to ?cyber Pearl Harbor? and raised the specter of intentionally derailed trains, contaminated water and widespread blackouts.

?This is a pre-9/11 moment,? Panetta told business executives in New York. ?The attackers are plotting.?

RELATED: Report: Chinese army tied to widespread U.S. hacking

The Times report described an attack on Telvent, a company that keeps blueprints on more than half the oil and gas pipelines in North and South America and has access to their systems.

A Canadian arm of the company told customers last fall that hackers had broken in, but it immediately cut off the access so that the hackers could not take control of the pipelines themselves, The Times reported.

Dale Peterson, founder and CEO of Digital Bond, a security company that specializes in infrastructure, told NBC News that these attacks, known as vendor remote access, are particularly worrisome.

?If you are a bad guy and you want to attack a lot of different control systems, you want to be able to take out a lot,? he said. ?The dirty little secret in these control systems is once you get through the perimeter, they have no security at all. They don?t even have a four-digit pin like your ATM card.?

Carlos Barria / Reuters

Locals walks in front of 'Unit 61398', a secretive Chinese military unit, in the outskirts of Shanghai. The unit is believed to be behind a series of hacking attacks, a U.S. computer security company said.

The 34-minute blackout at the Super Bowl earlier this month highlighted weak spots in the nation?s power system. A National Research Council report declassified by the government last fall warned that a coordinated strike on the grid could devastate the country.

That report considered blackouts lasting weeks or even months across large parts of the country, and suggested they could lead to public fear, social turmoil and a body blow to the economy.

Vital systems do not have to be taken down for very long or across a particularly widespread area, the experts noted, to cause social disorder and to spread fear and anxiety among the population.

Last fall, after Hurricane Sandy battered the Northeast, it took barely two days for reports of gasoline shortages to cause hours-long lines at the pumps and violent fights among drivers.

Peterson described being in Phoenix, Ariz., during a three-day gas pipeline disruption ?when people were waiting in line six hours and not going to work. You can imagine someone does these things maliciously, with a little more smarts, something that takes three months to replace.?

Similarly, hacking attacks last fall against major American banks ? believed by some security experts and government officials to be the work of Iran ? amounted to mostly limited frustration for customers, but foreshadowed much bigger trouble if future attacks are more sophisticated.

What worries Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder of the computer security company CrowdStrike, is a coordinated attack against banks that modifies, rather than destroys, financial data, making it impossible to reconcile transactions.

?You could wreak absolute havoc on the world?s financial system for years,? he said. ?It would be impossible to roll that back.?

While the report Tuesday focused on China, the experts also highlighted Iran as a concern. That is because China, as a ?rational actor? state, knows that a major cyberattack against the United States could be construed as an act of war and would damaging critical economic cooperation between the U.S. and China.

?With the Iranians in the game,? Rogers said, ?what?s worrisome is they don?t care. They have no economic lost opportunity.?

Security experts have for years expressed concern, if not outrage, that the nation?s critical infrastructure remains so vulnerable so long after Sept. 11, 2001. ?

But the escalating threats from hackers in China and Iran, in addition to Russia and North Korea, appear to be lending new urgency to efforts to make sure companies and government agencies are better prepared.

President Barack Obama announced in his State of the Union message last week that he had signed an executive order directing federal agencies to share certain unclassified reports of cyber threats with American companies.

The next day, Rogers and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, a Maryland Democrat, reintroduced legislation designed in part to help companies share information. The bill passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Tuesday that the United States has ?substantial and growing? concerns about threats to the U.S. economy and national security posed by cyberattacks.

?I think as recent public reports make clear, we?re obviously going to have to keep working on this,? she said. ?It?s a serious concern.?

Peterson said that oil, gas and electric companies had led the way in developing security perimeters, with water companies ?kind of in the middle? and transportation and mining companies lagging.

But even the protections enacted by companies so far leave too many holes, he said.

?They?re all in the same situation,? Peterson said. ?If you get through the perimeter, you can do whatever you want.?

A U.S. security firm has exposed the role of the Chinese military in an overwhelming number of cyber-attacks on U.S. infrastructure, government agencies, and corporations, resulting in the theft of information from military contractors and energy companies. Mandiant Vice President Grady Summers and Chris Johnson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies discusses.

This story was originally published on Tue Feb 19, 2013 2:47 PM EST

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/19/17019005-successful-hacker-attack-could-cripple-us-infrastructure-experts-say?lite

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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Liberal's throne speech offers vague outline of ... - Metro News

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne offered a speech from the throne that may keep her in power until the budget is unveiled, but it lacked details, critics charge.

Wynne, elected by her party less than a month ago, had promised the speech would include ideas from both opposition parties.

She offered an outline for what she calls ?a fair society,? which will need to be filled in quickly in time for the spring budget.

?Your government will balance its books. It will also challenge the people of Ontario to help the province innovate and grow,? said Lt.-Gov. David Onley, reading the speech. ?And yes, your government will strive for economic prosperity. It will also encourage a fair society, where all the people of Ontario have good jobs and strong communities. And where each and every one of us is safe, and healthy and cared for.?

Both opposition leaders weighed in, but only the NDP will support the speech at Wednesday?s confidence vote.

On debt

?Your new government will restrain program spending to reduce Ontario?s debt-to-GDP ratio, while recommitting itself to eliminating the deficit by 2017-2018,? the speech promised. ?And after that, it will restrict overall spending increases to one per cent below GDP growth until the province?s debt-to-GDP ratio returns to the pre-recession level of 27 per cent.?

On taxes

In a nod to the NDP, the speech promised the government will ?evaluate corporate tax compliance? and at the same time, in a nod to Hudak, promised to explore a tax break by raising the exemption threshold of the Employer Health Tax.

On jobs and the economy

The speech committed to helping bringing more new Canadians, young people, people with disabilities and Aboriginal peoples into the workforce. The plans will also include working with the education sector to create internships for young people.

Wynne said job creation will be aided by other measures to boost the economy, including efforts to strengthen global trade and a promise to spend $50 million on a new $300-million venture capital fund, along with the federal government and private sector.

Teacher strife

The speech promised ?respect for teachers, support staff, principals and school boards.? After the speech, leader of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers? Federation
(OSSTF) Ken Coran, and leader of the Elementary Teachers? Federation of Ontario (ETFO) Sam Hammond, said they were optimistic about the speech, but would wait to continue talks with the government before making any promises.

Transit

?To build these things and facilitate Ontario?s success, your government believes that smart infrastructure investment can no longer be mired in political rhetoric. Just as the hard-working men and women of this province can no longer afford to waste their time stuck in traffic,? Onley read in the speech. The speech did not mention revenue tools to fund transit in the GTA?such as road tolls or congestion taxes?but that is one of Wynne?s priorities, she said in a press conference afterwards.

On energy and public consultation

The speech promised ?dependable, affordable sources of energy? and continuing to end coal-fired energy generation. It also promised better consultation with communities, with a special mention to communities that have objected to wind turbine projects. ?Local populations (will be) involved from the beginning if there is going to be a gas plant or a casino or a wind plant or a quarry in their hometown.?

On the gas plants controversy

The speech promised the government ?will work with all parties in the legislature to review the decisions to relocate energy infrastructure in this province.? Wynne has asked the auditor general to take investigate both cancelled gas plants and offered to appear before select committee to answer questions about the scandal. However, Hudak will be asking to renew the contempt motion against former energy minister Chris Bentley, which tied up the legislature prior to prorogation.

Mental health

?Your government will also continue to expand access to mental health services and support efforts to reduce stigma for men and women coping with mental illness. It will work with partners in all related sectors to co-ordinate the best response to these challenges because Ontario?s minds and spirits must be healthy, too,? Onley read in the speech.

Source: http://metronews.ca/news/566112/liberals-throne-speech-offers-vague-outline-of-kathleen-wynnes-fair-society/

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Alec Baldwin Denies Racist Charges, Explains His Side of Run-In

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/alec-baldwin-denies-racist-charges-explains-his-side-of-run-in/

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With $1.4M In Tow, Celly Launches On iOS To Let Anyone Create An Instant Mobile Social Network

Once upon a time, the pinnacle of social networking was the ability to connect with former classmates and share what your cat had for breakfast. Today, the requirements for social networking have evolved and are more immediate. We need social networks to quickly connect us with the classrooms, businesses, hospitals, rallies and neighborhoods we frequent on a daily basis to allow private communications between parents and teachers, to notify neighbors about a burglary, to alert co-workers about emergencies, and so on.

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

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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Language protein differs in males, females

Feb. 19, 2013 ? Male rat pups have more of a specific brain protein associated with language development than females, according to a study published February 20 in The Journal of Neuroscience. The study also found sex differences in the brain protein in a small group of children. The findings may shed light on sex differences in communication in animals and language acquisition in people.

Sex differences in early language acquisition and development in children are well documented -- on average, girls tend to speak earlier and with greater complexity than boys of the same age. However, scientists continue to debate the origin and significance of such differences. Previous studies showed the Foxp2 protein plays an important role in speech and language development in humans and vocal communication in birds and other mammals.

In the current study, J. Michael Bowers, PhD, Margaret McCarthy, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Maryland School of Medicine examined whether sex differences in the expression of the Foxp2 protein in the developing brain might underlie communication differences between the sexes.

The researchers analyzed the levels of Foxp2 protein in the brains of four-day-old female and male rats and compared the ultrasonic distress calls made by the animals when separated from their mothers and siblings. Compared with females, males had more of the protein in brain areas associated with cognition, emotion, and vocalization. They also made more noise than females -- producing nearly double the total vocalizations over the five-minute separation period -- and were preferentially retrieved and returned to the nest first by the mother.

When the researchers reduced levels of the Foxp2 protein in the male pups and increased it in female pups, they reversed the sex difference in the distress calls, causing males to sound like females and the females like males. This change led the mother to reverse her behavior as well, preferentially retrieving the females over the males.

"This study is one of the first to report a sex difference in the expression of a language-associated protein in humans or animals," McCarthy said. "The findings raise the possibility that sex differences in brain and behavior are more pervasive and established earlier than previously appreciated."

The researchers extended their findings to humans in a preliminary study of Foxp2 protein in a small group of children. Unlike the rats, in which Foxp2 protein was elevated in males, they found that in humans, the girls had more of the Foxp2 protein in the cortex -- a brain region associated with language -- than age-matched boys.

"At first glance, one might conclude that the findings in rats don't generalize to humans, but the higher levels of Foxp2 expression are found in the more communicative sex in each species," noted Cheryl Sisk, who studies sex differences at Michigan State University and was not involved with the study.

This research was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Institute of Mental Health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Society for Neuroscience, via AlphaGalileo.

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

Journal Reference:

j. Michael Bowers, Miguel Perez-Pouchoulen, N. Shalon Edwards, and Margaret M. Mccarthy. Foxp2 Mediates Sex Differences in Ultrasonic Vocalization by Rat Pups and Directs Order of Maternal Retrieval. The Journal of Neuroscience, February 20, 2013; Vol. 33, Issue 8:pages 3276 %u20133283 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0425-12.2013

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/child_development/~3/MlQXqHlU4Go/130219172153.htm

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China ships in disputed waters off Japan

CHINESE government ships are in waters around disputed East China Sea islands, Japan's coastguard says, as a senior Japanese diplomat prepares for meetings in Beijing aimed at mending frayed ties.

Three state-run Maritime Surveillance vessels were clocked in seas off the Tokyo-controlled Senkaku Islands, which Beijing calls the Diaoyus and claims as its own, the coastguard said on Monday.

Kyodo News Agency reported that Japan had made a formal protest to China about what it believes is an incursion into its sovereign waters.

It was the latest in a series of incidents at sea that have also included confrontations between warships, with Japan claiming Chinese vessels locked their weapons-targeting radar onto a ship and a helicopter.

Beijing has denied the charge, which rang alarm bells for commentators already warning of the growing possibility of a military exchange that could have disastrous consequences for the region.

The row between Asia's two largest economies blistered in September when Tokyo nationalised three islands in the chain, in what it said was a mere administrative change of ownership.

Months of angry exchanges followed, with the diplomatic temperature rising all the time.

But North Korea's nuclear test last week somewhat dampened the rhetoric, with the international community keen for China to come onboard a broad move to pressure its sometimes-irksome ally.

The Japanese foreign ministry is planning to dispatch Shinsuke Sugiyama, in charge of Asian and Oceanian affairs, on Tuesday for talks with Wu Dawei, China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, local media said.

Sugiyama was also expected to meet Luo Zhaohui, chief of Asian affairs at the Chinese foreign ministry, to discuss Tokyo's concerns about the radar incident.

The Japanese foreign ministry said Sugiyama was going to China for a meeting, but declined to discuss whether he would meet with his Chinese counterparts.

Source: http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/china-ships-in-disputed-waters-off-japan/story-e6freoo6-1226580385642?from=public_rss

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How About That! China and Russia block UN Security Council Climate Change Action

Monday, February 18th 2013, 7:41 AM EST

Russia and China blocked efforts last Friday to have climate change recognised as an international security threat by the UN Security Council (UNSC).
The council met in New York to discuss the potential effects of global warming, but according to Bloomberg the two permanent members objected to it being a ?formal session?.
Despite the participation of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon this meant the session ? planned by Pakistan and the United Kingdom ? had few political implications.
China, Russia, India and more than 100 developing countries oppose climate becoming a UNSC issue as the council does not operate under the principles of Common But Differentiated Responsibility, which underpins the UN climate talks.
They are concerned that securitizing the issue would place a greater burden on poorer nations with large greenhouse gas emissions to take action.

Click source to read FULL report from Ed King

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ClimaterealistsNewsBlog/~3/6AG1MmYzbek/index.php

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Boy in Naples, Florida

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Sunday, February 17, 2013

Man charged with slapping toddler now out of a job

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ? A man charged with slapping a toddler on a Minneapolis-to-Atlanta flight is out of a job, his former employer said Sunday.

Joe Rickey Hundley, 60, of Hayden, Idaho, is no longer an employee of AGC Aerospace and Defense, Composites Group, Daniel Keeney of DPK Public Relations confirmed Sunday night.

Al Haase, president and CEO of AGC, issued a statement early Sunday that, while not referring to Hundley by name, called reports of behavior by one of its executives on recent personal travel "offensive and disturbing" and said he "is no longer employed with the company." Keeney would not say whether Hundley was fired or resigned. Hundley was president of AGC's Unitech Composites and Structures unit.

Hundley was charged last week in federal court in Atlanta with simple assault for allegedly slapping the 2-year-old boy during the Feb. 8 flight. His attorney, Marcia Shein, of Decatur, Ga., said Saturday that Hundley will plead not guilty. The charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail.

Shein did not immediately returned messages seeking comment left Sunday evening by The Associated Press. Hundley does not have a listed phone number.

The boy's mother, Jessica Bennett, 33, told the FBI their flight was on final descent into Atlanta when her 19-month-old son started to cry due to the altitude change. Hundley "told her to shut that (N-word) baby up," FBI special agent Daron Cheney said in a sworn statement. She said Hundley then slapped him in the face, scratching the boy below his right eye and causing him to scream even louder.

Bennett told Twin Cities television stations on Saturday that the incident has caused her family a great deal of trauma and that her son, Jonah, had been outgoing but had turned apprehensive of strangers.

Hundley became increasingly obnoxious and appeared intoxicated during the flight and complained that her son was too big to sit on her lap, she said.

"He reeked of alcohol," Bennett told KARE-TV. "He was belligerent, and I was uncomfortable."

Bennett said she was shocked by the racial slur she says Hundley used when Jonah started crying.

"And I said, 'What did you say?' because I couldn't believe that he would say that," she told WCCO-TV. "He fell onto my face and his mouth was in my ear and he said it again but even more hateful. And he's on my face, so I pushed him away."

Bennett and her husband are white, while Jonah, whom they adopted, is black.

"We wish to emphasize that the behavior that has been described is contradictory to our values, embarrassing and does not in any way reflect the patriotic character of the men and women of diverse backgrounds who work tirelessly in our business," Haase said in his statement.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/man-charged-slapping-toddler-now-job-025640670.html

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Streak seen across Northern California

It may not have been as spectacular as the space rock that streaked across the skies above Russia late Thursday, but Northern California's close encounter with a meteor Friday night was drawing its own attention on social networks.

Comments on Twitter indicated the object that flashed across the horizon around 7:45 p.m. was blue in color and visible throughout large areas of the West Coast, with at least one reported sighting in Washington state.

Radio scanner traffic also indicated sightings by people in the Moss Landing area.

Amateur video footage broadcast on Northern California television stations showed a bright streak lasting approximately five seconds that appeared to head downward. Some viewers described it as a firework in the night sky.

Scanner traffic at the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office indicated that they were aware of the event, but a dispatcher said they had not received any emergency calls related to it.

There were no immediate reports of damage from Friday's event.

Astronomers at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland said Friday night's light show was not connected to the fly-by of a small asteroid earlier in the day. The asteroid, which NASA dubbed 2012 DA14, came within 17,200 miles of the Earth before continuing on its cosmic journey.

Source: http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_22604409/streak-seen-across-northern-california?source=rss_viewed

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