Atari's celebrating 40 years of arcade classic Pong today by releasing ... another version of Pong. Pong World is being dubbed "the first-ever official new Pong game on iOS" (despite our search of the App Store dictating the contrary), but more importantly, it's totally free and it's already available on the iOS App Store (see gameplay below the break). The iPhone / iPad / iPod Touch game started life as one of many entries in Atari's "Pong Indie Developer Challenge," which pitted devs against each other for $50K and lead representation on the big four-zero celebration.
Should the free game not be enough for you, you could always vie for one of the crazy sweet portable Xbox 360s (seen above) on Atari's Facebook page. Why yes, that is a custom LCD screen attached to a modded Xbox 360, which also happens to resemble a classic Atari console. And yes, we agree, it is totally sweet.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A top California Democrat aims to ease requirements for voters to approve local taxes for schools, a potential first test of the state's tax-limiting Proposition 13 now that Democrats hold a supermajority in the Legislature
State Senator Mark Leno said on Thursday he would introduce a bill on Monday for a constitutional amendment that would reduce the threshold for approving school "parcel taxes" to 55 percent from two-thirds of voters set by Proposition 13, the landmark 1978 voter-approved measure best known for limiting property taxes.
The San Francisco Democrat's bill would apply to parcel taxes, which are tax measures put on ballots by school districts, community colleges and county offices of education.
If approved by both houses of the Legislature and signed by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, the bill would be put to a statewide vote, said Leno, head of the state Senate's Budget Committee.
Many political analysts expect Democrats to use the two-thirds' legislative supermajority they won in this month's election to propose tax-related legislation. Republicans no longer have the votes to block such bills.
Leno's bill should be taken seriously, said Jon Coupal, head of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a California anti-tax group.
He said the bill may soon develop into an early test of how hard Democrats could push against Proposition 13, which some see as the root of the state's fiscal problems because of the constraints it imposes on tax hikes. Republicans have long argued the state should simply restrain its spending.
"We hope there are a few moderate Democrats who see this is a direct assault," Coupal said. He noted some Democrats were urging moderation on tax bills after voters earlier this month approved tax increases in a measure proposed by Brown.
California's budget has experienced massive deficits in recent years as the state's economy fell on hard times that slashed revenue. Spending cuts figured prominently in budget-balancing efforts under Brown and his predecessor, Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.
(Reporting By Jim Christie; Editing by Peter Cooney)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? The United Nations voted overwhelmingly Thursday to recognize a Palestinian state, a long-sought victory for the Palestinians but an embarrassing diplomatic defeat for the United States.
The resolution upgrading the Palestinians' status to a nonmember observer state at the United Nations was approved by a more than two-thirds majority of the 193-member world body ? a vote of 138-9, with 41 abstentions.
A Palestinian flag was quickly unfurled on the floor of the General Assembly, behind the Palestinian delegation.
Real independence, however, remains an elusive dream until the Palestinians negotiate a peace deal with the Israelis, who warned that the General Assembly action will only delay a lasting solution. Israel still controls the West Bank, east Jerusalem and access to Gaza, and it accused the Palestinians of bypassing negotiations with the campaign to upgrade their U.N. status.
The United States immediately criticized the historic vote. "Today's unfortunate and counterproductive resolution places further obstacles in the path peace," U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the speech by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the General Assembly shortly before the vote "defamatory and venomous," saying it was "full of mendacious propaganda" against Israel.
Abbas had told the General Assembly that it was "being asked today to issue the birth certificate of Palestine." Abbas said the vote is the last chance to save the two-state solution.
After the vote, Netanyahu said the UN move violated past agreements between Israel and the Palestinians and that Israel would act accordingly, without elaborating what steps it might take.
DOHA (Reuters) - A court in Qatar, which has supported Arab uprisings abroad, jailed a local poet for life on Thursday for criticizing the emir and inciting revolt - a sentence that drew outrage and cries of hypocrisy from human rights groups.
In his verses, Muhammad Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami praised the Arab Spring revolts that toppled four dictators, often with the help of money and other support from the tiny, energy-rich Gulf state. But he also criticized Qatar's own absolute monarch and spoke, for example, of "sheikhs playing on their Playstations".
"This is a tremendous miscarriage of justice," said defence lawyer Nagib al-Naimi, who conveyed the verdict to Reuters after a trial held behind closed doors in the capital Doha.
At the prison where he has been held for a year, Ajami, 36, later told Reuters he believed the emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, to be "a good man" who must be unaware of his plight. Lawyer Naimi said the defence would appeal. A royal pardon may also be a possibility.
Ajami was not himself allowed in court and Naimi said the defence was barred from making oral arguments, although he contested the prosecution case that Ajami called for revolution in Qatar - an offence which carries the death penalty.
For Amnesty International, Middle East director Philip Luther said in a statement: "It is deplorable that Qatar, which likes to paint itself internationally as a country that promotes freedom of expression, is indulging in what appears to be such a flagrant abuse of that right."
Amnesty described Ajami's arrest in November 2011 as coming after he published a poem named "Jasmine" - for the symbol of the Tunisian revolt in January last year that launched the Arab Spring. In a broad criticism of Gulf rulers, he had written: "We are all Tunisia, in the face of the repressive elite."
"PLAYING WITH PLAYSTATIONS"
Ajami "did not encourage the overthrow of any specific regime", Naimi said. He described the charges as having been "inciting the overthrow of the ruling regime", a capital offence, and criticising the ruler, which is punishable by up to five years imprisonment under the Qatari penal code.
Among offending passages from the poem, translated from Arabic, was the line: "If the sheikhs cannot carry out justice, we should change the power and give it to the beautiful woman."
In another section, Ajami accused a fellow poet of being "with the sheikhs, playing with their Playstations."
Naimi, who has been largely in solitary confinement, spoke to Reuters in the presence of prison guards and others: "The Emir is a good man," he said. "I think he doesn't know that they have me here for a year, that they have put me in a single room.
"If he knew, I would be freed," he said, noting the Qatari ruler's past promotion of a more open society, including his hosting of the groundbreaking television channel Al Jazeera, which has given a voice to many opposition groups abroad.
"This is wrong," Ajami said. "You can't have Al Jazeera in this country and put me in jail for being a poet."
Qatar, a close U.S. ally and major natural gas producer with a large American military base, has escaped the unrest seen in other Arab countries. The emir has taken a high-profile role at times in calling for human rights - for example, when he went to Gaza last month, the first foreign leader there in years.
Al Jazeera has assiduously covered the Arab revolts, though it gave scant coverage to an uprising last year in neighboring Bahrain - ruled by another Gulf Arab monarchy.
The Qatari government has also taken a prominent role in the confrontation between, on the one hand, Sunni Muslim-ruled Arab states like itself and Saudi Arabia and, on the other, non-Arab Iran and its Shi'ite allies in Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere.
"DOUBLE STANDARDS"
Qatar is backing the rebels in Syria's civil war. It supported the NATO-backed uprising in Libya and street protests that ousted rulers in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen. The emirate's maroon and white flag has been a common sight on the streets of Arab capitals where demonstrators have challenged autocracy.
But freedom of expression is tightly controlled in the small Gulf state, home to less than two million people. Self-censorship is prevalent among national newspapers and other media outlets. Qatar has no organized political opposition.
In October, Human Rights Watch criticized what it said was a double standard on freedom of expression in Qatar and urged the emir not to approve a draft media law penalizing criticism of the Gulf emirate and its neighbors.
In neighboring monarchy Saudi Arabia, human rights activist Ali al-Hattab said: "We are shocked by the verdict.
"Qatar has tried to help other countries like Libya and Syria become more democratic, but they won't accept it at home.
"It's shameful, and a double standard."
(Additional reporting by Rania El Gamal in Dubai and Dasha Afanasieva in London; Editing by Andrew Hammond, Mark Heinrich and Alastair Macdonald)
The vote is largely symbolic, the outcome nearly assured: The Palestinians and Israelis are closely watching the evolving positions of a few key countries in Thursday's U.N. General Assembly resolution to raise the Palestinians' status from a U.N. observer to a nonmember observer state. The measure only requires a majority and is all but certain to pass.
The United States and Israel are strongly opposed, saying they fear it will only slow progress toward a peace deal.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been lobbying Western countries, particularly in Europe, in hopes of presenting a broad international consensus against Israel. The international boost will also help him in his rivalry with Hamas, which gained popularity with Palestinians after battling Israel during eight days of fighting earlier this month.
Two-thirds of U.N. member nations have already recognized the state of Palestine.
IN FAVOR OR LEANING THAT WAY:
? FRANCE: Yes. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius made the announcement before parliament. "In any case, it's only through negotiations - that we ask for without conditions and immediately between the two sides - that we will be able to reach the realization of a Palestinian state," Fabius said Tuesday.
? CHINA: Yes. The foreign minister reaffirmed support for Palestinian aspirations at the U.N. during a meeting last Friday with a Palestinian envoy.
? SPAIN, NORWAY, DENMARK and SWITZERLAND: All announced Wednesday they would vote yes. The Swiss government called a change in status "both constructive and pragmatic."
?AUSTRIA: Yes. Martin Weiss, the foreign ministry spokesman, said Austria decided to vote for the resolution after it became clear there would be no common EU position.
?ICELAND. Yes. Iceland's foreign ministry said the country was "at the forefront of states that support the Palestinian cause" and hoped the resolution will help Palestine become a full-fledged UN member state.
?IRELAND: Yes. Ireland, which has long sympathized with the Palestinians, said it hoped the measure "will encourage the Palestinian people that they are slowly coming towards their goal," government minister Shane McEntee told the country's parliament.
? RUSSIA: Probably yes. It supported Palestinian membership in the U.N. cultural agency, UNESCO. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it "believes that the Palestinians have the right for such a move" but it added "we hope that the Palestinian leadership has well calculated possible consequences of such action."
?INDIA: Yes.
?GREECE: Yes.
OPPOSE, ABSTAIN OR LEANING THAT WAY
? UNITED STATES: Opposed. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said U.N. recognition of an independent Palestine won't help to reach a lasting two-state peace agreement and stressed that the "path to a two-state solution that fulfills the aspirations of the Palestinian people is through Jerusalem and Ramallah, not New York."
?CANADA. Opposed. Canada is a staunch ally of Israel. Rick Roth, a spokesman for Canada's foreign minister, said any two-state solution must be negotiated and mutually agreed upon by both states. Roth said any unilateral action is ultimately unhelpful.
?GERMANY: No or abstain. It's "very certain that Germany will not vote for such a resolution," said Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert. Officials aren't saying whether that will translate into a no vote or an abstention.
?NETHERLANDS: Probably no. "Lasting peace in the region can only be reached if Israel and the Palestinians return to the negotiating table to reach a final agreement over a two-state solution," according to a letter the foreign minister sent to parliament this week.
? BRITAIN: Possibly abstain. The foreign secretary said Britain could support the measure only if there were a clear commitment by the Palestinians to return immediately and unconditionally to negotiations with Israel. "While there is no question of the United Kingdom voting against the resolution, in order to vote for it we would need certain assurances or amendments," said William Hague.
? AUSTRALIA: Abstain, according to Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Her government is divided on the issue, but Gillard told Parliament "bipartisan policy across the major parties in this parliament to support Israel, to support peace in the Middle East, to support two states in the Middle East."
___
Associated Press writers George Jahn in Vienna, Austria; Danica Kirka in London; Jamey Keaten in Paris; Rob Gillies in Toronto; Nirmala George in New Delhi; and Christopher Bodeen in Beijing; Elena Becatoros in Athens; Shawn Pogatchnik in Dublin; and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.
States have until Dec. 14 to decide whether they will implement their own insurance exchanges under 'Obamacare' or have the federal government do it. Many governors have already refused to set up exchanges.
By Brad Knickerbocker,?Staff writer / November 28, 2012
Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman earlier this month announced his decision that Nebraska will go with the federal health insurance exchange program. States must decide by Dec. 14 whether to set up their own exchanges or let Washington do it for them.
Nati Harnik/AP/File
Enlarge
The Affordable Care Act may be the law of the land, settled by the recent presidential election. But the 50 states have a big role to play, too, and many are scrambling to decide what that role will be.
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Some Republican-led states are still fighting the whole notion of Obamacare. Specifically, they're refusing to cooperate with Washington on setting up new health insurance markets ? also called exchanges ? where individuals and small businesses can shop for private health-care coverage.
According to the latest tally, 16 states and the District of Columbia have decided to set up their own insurance exchanges; another five states have decided to work with the federal government to do so; and 19 states have said they will default to the only other available position ? leaving it up to Washington to set up and administer their insurance markets. The 10 remaining states have yet to announce their decisions.
Not surprisingly, most of the states setting up their own insurance exchanges ? New York, California, and Maryland among them ? are run by Democrats. But some Republican-led states are, too, including Mississippi, Nevada, Iowa, and New Mexico.
In a recent letter to President Obama, however, Republican Govs. Bob McDonnell of Virginia and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana (the outgoing and incoming chairmen of the Republican Governors Association) warned of problems. "It is clear that putting in place the new programs you championed will be an enormous strain on state governments and budgets, as well as the federal government," they wrote, adding that the time frame and many provisions in the Affordable Care Act "are simply unworkable."
"States are struggling with many unanswered questions and are not able to make comprehensive far-reaching decisions prudently," the two Republican governors said.
Nevertheless, some states are ahead of the game. On the recommendation of a state health-policy commission back in 2006, Oregon passed legislation establishing an insurance exchange last year. Other states have followed suit, either through legislation or (as in New York) by gubernatorial order.
But as a recent Urban Institute report points out, "many state policy environments remain politically contentious, and progress in exchange development has been slow for some of them as a result." The report warns, "States not achieving significant milestones by now ... are unlikely to be able to establish a state-based exchange by late 2013."
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Garment workers shout slogans as they attend a procession on Tuesday to mourn victims of the Tazreen Fashions factory fire.
By NBC News staff and wire reports
A deadly factory fire that killed at least 111 textile workers was sabotage, Bangladesh authorities said Tuesday, as protesters took to the streets for a second day and garment factories across the world's second biggest clothes exporter stopped work to mourn the dead.
The country's worst-ever industrial blaze broke out on Saturday and consumed the multi-story Tazreen Fashions factory building. More than 150 workers were injured.
The interior minister, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, said according to a preliminary inquiry, the fire was the result of arson.
He promised to bring the culprits to justice.
"We have come to the conclusion that it was an act of sabotage. We are finding out as of now who exactly the saboteurs are and all culprits will be brought to book," Alamgir said.
Thousands protest after Bangladesh fire traps workers
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also said she suspected the fire was an act of sabotage but she did not identify any suspect or say why she thought the cause might have been arson.
Andrew Biraj / Reuters
A worker visits a burnt garment factory Monday after a fire which killed more than a hundred people in Savar, Bangladesh.
Victim's families to get $1,200 each The fire has put a spotlight on global retailers that source clothes from Bangladesh, where the cost of labor is low ? as little as $37 a month for some workers ? and rights groups have called on big-brand firms to sign up to a fire-safety program.
Bangladesh has about 4,500 garment factories and is the world's biggest exporter of clothing after China, with garments making up 80 percent of its $24 billion annual exports.
Li & Fung, a company that has worked with the factory and that supplies some U.S. clothing firms, said on Sunday that it would provide victim?s families with approximately $1,200 each, and plans to set up an education fund for victim?s children.
On Monday, it said the company was "very distressed and saddened by the deaths" in a statement that?also sought to reassure investors that the fire?"will?not have any material impact on the financial performance of Li & Fung."
"The total value of orders placed for the year with Tazreen on behalf of Kids Headquarters, a?division of LF USA?? amounted to approximately $111,000," it said in a statement.
"Li & Fung also confirms that the Company has not placed orders for other customers with Tazreen," it addded.
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Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, said in a statement that one of its suppliers subcontracted work to the factory without authorization and would no longer be used.
The company would not comment on what products were made at the factory and whether the products made it onto store shelves. A spokeswoman, Megan Murphy, said in an e-mail to NBC News that the company would have no further comment beyond the statement released on its website.
A number of other retailers like Gap and Nike rushed to deny any relationship with the plant.
Officials in Massachusetts say a blast, that injured 18 people and damaged dozens of buildings in Springfield's entertainment district, was the result of a utility worker accidentally puncturing a high-pressure, underground pipe while looking for a gas leak.
Lax safety More than 1,000 workers, some carrying black flags, demonstrated in the Ashulia industrial belt on the outskirts of the capital where the factory is located.
They blocked traffic moving on a highway and vowed to avenge the deaths of their colleagues, witnesses said.
"Never shall we give up demands for punishment for those responsible for the tragedy," one worker said.
Hundreds of protesters, mostly from labor and rights groups, also gathered in the capital demanding to know the cause of the fire and calling for punishment of those responsible.
All of Bangladesh's garment factories closed as the nation observed a day of mourning. Flags flew at half-mast on all government buildings.
Working conditions at Bangladeshi factories are notoriously poor, with little enforcement of safety laws. Overcrowding and locked fire doors are common. More than 300 factories near the capital shut for almost a week this year as workers demanded higher wages and better conditions.
At least 500 people have died in garment factory accidents in Bangladesh since 2006, according to fire officials.
Reuters contribtued to this report.
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Despite professing to be individualistic by nature, humans typically possess herd mentality. In short, most individuals are influenced greatly by their peers to espouse certain kinds of behavior, follow particular fashion trends and even accept exacting norms regarding ideal body shape.?Societal and media pressure to stay thin is enormous. Excess body fat is frowned upon, while having a lean body frame is considered highly acceptable. To what extent will we go, to meet the demands that society in general and our peers in particular place upon us, to embrace a socially acceptable body shape?
An Insight into Drastic Weight Loss
Hollywood superstar Matthew McConaughey has undergone drastic weight loss to get into character for an upcoming movie. The robust celebrity has gone from hunky to gaunt in a matter of weeks. McConaughey has put down his drastic weight loss to a combination of extreme exercise regime and a calorie restricted diet plan.
Drastic weight loss or rapid weight loss refers to shedding a large amount of body weight in an extremely short span of time. Although rapid weight loss techniques can help individuals lose weight quickly, it can take a massive toll on their health. Some dangerous drastic weight loss techniques include excessive usage of laxatives, diet pills and / or diuretics.
Dangers Of Drastic Weight Loss
Rapid weight loss can lead to multiple health complications. Stroke, type II diabetes and even multiple organ failure are some of the health complications brought on by losing weight rapidly. Some very real dangers of drastic weight loss are explained in this article.
Dehydration
Rapid weight loss involves losing water weight rapidly. It does not entail burning excess body fat. People who participate in extreme workout regimens in hot and humid environment, to lose excess body weight, become severely dehydrated. Similarly, people who abuse diuretics to lose weight quickly may lose dangerous amounts of body fluids. Dehydration in turn can lead to numerous short term and long term health complications.
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Reasons For Drastic Weight Loss Healthy Effective Weight Loss Tips Four Crucial Causes Of Weight Loss Various Benefits Of Surgery To lose Weight Unknown Facts About Weight Loss Foods
Malnutrition
Our body requires vitamins, minerals and trace elements in precise amounts to carry out normal body functions. If our body is deprived of these vital elements it can cause dizziness, fatigue, nausea or anemia. When our body is systematically deprived of essential nutrients it can result in dangerous health problems including severe malnutrition.
Changes in Body Metabolism
The body metabolism is thrown completely out of gear when a person adopts rapid weight loss techniques. A lower than normal metabolic rate can lead to reduced energy levels, dizziness, fainting spells and dangerously low blood sugar levels.
Eating Disorders
Women and young girls who adopt various drastic weight loss techniques end up becoming victims of eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Extreme episodes of food bingeing and purging can ultimately take a massive toll on the victim?s health.
Reduced Sex Drive
Rapid weight loss can affect an individuals libido as well. People who have espoused drastic weight loss plans have experienced a lower sex drive compared to their counterparts who have shed their excess ?weight in a slow and sensible manner.?Hormonal imbalance, seizures, insomnia and infertility are just some of the other dangers of drastic weight loss.
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It has been a sluggish build during the last many years, but the very first time ever, NPD is confirming that tablet shows are shipping in greater amounts than individuals destined for notebook computers. This doesn?t mean mobile computing are dead by stretch from the imagination, however it does provide light a fascinating trend that?s only prone to accelerate.
Tablet deliveries the coming year might start to exceed traditional notebook computers, but PC hardware is on the considerably longer upgrade cycle than pills. Most customers think little of casting away a 2 years old tablet, while notebook computers typically hold their value for considerably longer. This might partly explain the phenomenon, but here?s what DisplaySearch thinks.
Inventory buildup in laptops: The notebook PC logistics has some slow-moving inventory?and panel deliveries rejected by almost 4 million models from September to October.
Change to Home windows 8: Notebook PC panel purchasers bought less shows because they ready for new Home windows 8 designs.
ScienceDaily (Nov. 22, 2012) ? You can see the color white; you can hear white noise. Now, Weizmann Institute researchers show that you can also smell a white odor. Their research findings appear online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The white we see is actually a mixture of light waves of different wavelengths. In a similar manner, the hum we call white noise is made of a combination of assorted sound frequencies. In either case, to be perceived as white, a stimulus must meet two conditions: The mix that produces them must span the range of our perception; and each component must be present at the exact same intensity. Could both of these conditions be met with odors, so as to produce a white smell? That question has remained unanswered, until now, in part due to such technical difficulties as getting the intensities of all the scents to be identical.
A research team in the Neurobiology Department, led by research student Tali Weiss and Dr. Kobi Snitz, both in the group of Prof. Noam Sobel, decided to take up the challenge. They began with 86 different pure scents (each made of a single type of odor molecule) spanning the entire "smell map," diluted them to obtain similar intensities and then created blends. Each blend contained a different mixture of odors from various parts of the smell map. These blends were then presented in pairs to volunteers, who were asked to compare the two scent-blends.
The team discovered that the more odors that were blended together in the paired mixtures, the more the subjects tended to rate them as similar -- even though the two shared no common components. Blends that each contained 30 different odors or more were thought to be almost identical.
The researchers then created a number of such odor blends, giving them a nonsense name: Laurax. Once the subjects were exposed to one of the Laurax mixes and became accustomed to the smell, they were exposed to new blends -- mixtures they had not previously smelled. They also called some of these new blends "Laurax," but only if those contained 30 or more odors and these encompassed the range of possible smells. In contrast, mixtures made of 20 scents or fewer were not referred to as Laurax. In other words, Laurax was a white smell. In a follow-up experiment, volunteers described it as being neutral -- not pleasant, but not unpleasant.
"On the one hand," says Sobel, "The findings expand the concept of 'white' beyond the familiar sight and sound. On the other, they touch on the most basic principles underlying our sense of smell, and these raise some issues with the conventional wisdom on the subject." The most widely accepted view, for instance, describes the sense of smell as a sort of machine that detects odor molecules. But the Weizmann study implies that our smell systems perceive whole scents, rather than the individual odors they comprise.
Also participating in the research were Adi Yablonka in the group of Prof. Noam Sobel and Dr. Elad Schneidman, also of the Neurobiology Department.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Weizmann Institute of Science.
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Journal Reference:
T. Weiss, K. Snitz, A. Yablonka, R. M. Khan, D. Gafsou, E. Schneidman, N. Sobel. Perceptual convergence of multi-component mixtures in olfaction implies an olfactory white. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1208110109
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.
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DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb killed at least five people and wounded 90 near a Shi'ite procession in Pakistan on Sunday, police said, as the government struggled to contain sectarian Sunni militants who have been stepping up attacks on the minority sect.
Sunni hardliners threatened to carry out major attacks this weekend, an important one in the Shi'ite religious calendar, prompting authorities to halt cellphone coverage in several areas to prevent bombings triggered by remote control.
Authorities have also restricted motorcycle travel, hoping to deprive suicide bombers of one mode of transportation.
Television footage showed the wounded being carried away in the northwestern city of Dera Ismail Khan, where a bomb targeting Shi'ites killed at least seven people, including four children, on Saturday.
Pakistan's Taliban movement, which is focused on trying to topple the U.S.-backed government but is also allied with Sunni sectarian groups, claimed responsibility for both attacks.
"For Interior Minister of Pakistan Rehman Malik, who blocked mobile phones across the country and banned motorbikes, you can't stop our activities against the Shi'ite community and security forces," Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehasan said by telephone from an undisclosed location.
"We will keep continuing our activities and this is a failure of security forces, police and army that we have made successful attacks in Dera Ismail Khan."
Past attacks during the religious event have killed large numbers of Shi'ites.
Sunday's bomb, planted in a shop beside a street market, also wounded five security officials, said senior police official Malik Mushtaq.
Doctors at a hospital in Dera Ismail Khan said five people were killed and 90 wounded. "There is a lack of ambulances and not enough hospital beds," said one. "People brought many of the injured to the hospital on rickshaws."
Hardline sectarian Sunni groups, which are becoming increasingly dangerous, have threatened more attacks as the Shi'ite mourning month of Muharram comes to a climax on Sunday.
Security officials say organizations such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) are stepping up attacks on Shi'ites, who they regard as non-believers, in a bid to destabilize nuclear-armed, U.S. ally Pakistan and establish a Sunni theocracy.
Al Qaeda, which is close to LeJ, pushed Iraq to the brink of a sectarian civil war several years ago with large-scale suicide bombings of Shi'ites.
More than 300 Shi'ites have been killed in Pakistan so far this year in sectarian conflict, according to human rights groups. The campaign is gathering pace in rural as well as urban areas such as Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city.
Shi'ites account for up to 20 percent of this nation of 180 million.
The growing death toll has discouraged some Shi'ites from taking part in processions this year during one of their most sacred rituals, when people flagellate themselves with chains and other items to commemorate the martyrdom of the grandson of Islam's prophet, who was killed during the battle of Karbala.
"If I were to compare with last year, the fear has definitely increased," said Sadia Fatema, 28. "Just last night me and my mother were asking my father and brother if they really had to go to the procession. We are worried."
Others say the pressure has made Shi'ites stand up to Sunni hardliners.
"There is fear, but there is also anger and defiance among Shi'ites," said one, who asked not to be named.
"Shi'ites never felt like a minority in Pakistan but now they are slowly being turned into a real minority. And Shi'ites will not let this happen."
Washington, a critical source of financial aid for cash-strapped Pakistan, has been pressuring the South Asian nation to crack down on militants based in tribal areas who cross the border to attack American-led forces in Afghanistan.
Pakistan, meanwhile, faces major domestic security challenges from a wide range of groups, including the Taliban, who capitalize on issues such as unemployment, official corruption and poverty to boost recruitment.
A series of crackdowns has failed to break the back of militant groups based along the border with Afghanistan.
(Additional reporting by Jibran Ahmad in PESHAWAR and Mehreen Zahra-Malik in ISLAMABAD; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Nick Macfie)
25 November 2012Last updated at 19:45 ETBy David ShukmanScience editor, BBC News
David Shukman spoke to scientists from different countries in the region about what the project means to them
Amid rising tensions in one of the world's most volatile regions, an audacious project to use science for diplomacy is taking shape in the heart of the Middle East.
In this land of ancient hatreds, a highly sophisticated scientific installation is being built in Jordan.
It has support from countries that are usually openly hostile to each other.
The plan is for a multi-million-pound synchrotron particle accelerator, known as Sesame.
It has backing from several Arab nations, together with Turkey, Pakistan, Cyprus, Iran and - astonishingly - Israel as well.
The Iranian government is publicly committed to Israel's destruction and Israel has threatened to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. And most recently Israel accused Iran of supplying Palestinian militants with the missiles launched at Israeli cities.
Yet the governments of both these countries and others have pledged to provide more funding to Sesame, and BBC News witnessed their scientists and officials meeting for lengthy discussions in Jordan earlier this month.
After years of doubts about the project's feasibility, construction is now at an advanced stage and most of the next round of finance is secured. The first science could start as early as 2015.
The synchrotron, which acts in effect like a giant microscope, will be used by researchers to study everything from viruses to new drugs to novel materials.
Synchrotrons have become an indispensable tool for modern science with some 60 in use around the world, almost all of them in developed countries, and this will be the first in the Middle East.
No barriers
David Shukman takes a look around the Sesame facility
The goal of fostering advanced research in the region - and opening a new path of dialogue - was first suggested back in the 1990s. Just as Cern was set up after World War Two to bring together scientists from former adversaries in Europe, Sesame is meant to allow researchers to collaborate across the Middle East.
The governing council of Sesame is headed by a British physicist, Prof Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith, a former director of Cern, which operates the Large Hadron Collider from Geneva in Switzerland.
During a visit to the facility, in the hills 20 miles northwest of Amman, he told BBC News: "It is pretty remarkable but it's happened and it's because the scientific communities in these countries have pushed for this and ignored the political barriers.
"Science is a common language - if we can speak it together, possibly we can build bridges of trust which will help in other areas."
Sesame stands for Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East. And it is also a reference to the famous phrase "open sesame", the secret command to open a treasure trove in the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
Despite immense political sensitivity, the project has already been opening new channels of communications so effectively that the prospect of the machine being commissioned is now a tangible possibility.
The most recent meetings of the "users" - the scientific teams who hope to make use of Sesame - and of the technical advisers and governing officials took place earlier this month in Jordan.
'Dare to believe'
The BBC was given exclusive access to the synchrotron construction site and to the gatherings - and the degree of harmony was striking.
Delegates from Cyprus and Turkey (which do not have diplomatic relations) and from Israel, Iran and Pakistan (the latter two having no relations with Israel) sat together, alongside Jordanians, Palestinians and Egyptians. Given the degree of tension at a political level, the atmosphere was amazingly calm and businesslike.
According to Prof Eliezer Rabinovici, a physicist from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the project is "a beacon of hope for many people in the area who dare to believe" that life in the region can be improved.
"We are having a rough period now - a very rough period - and it may become even rougher.
"But I think that as scientists, we have to look at the long range, and in the long range we see no conflict of interest between the people of Iran and the people of Israel."
His sentiments were echoed by one of the senior scientists from Iran, Prof Mahmoud Tabrizchi from Isfahan University, who told me: "Every scientist needs tools to work with and train his or her students but it costs a lot to buy instruments, especially good instruments. But this machine covers a large percentage of the needs of the scientists of this region.
"This is kind of helping each other to have a big machine to help everybody, the purpose of Sesame is to bring scientists to work together."
The next stage of construction is being funded with $5m each from Israel, Iran, Jordan and Turkey plus another $5m from the EU for Cern to provide the magnet system. Pakistan has agreed to provide $5m in kind.
That still leaves a $10m shortfall in funding to improve the "beamlines" - the parts of the synchrotron where research is actually carried out - and provide accommodation for visiting scientists.
Way forward
Synchrotrons work by accelerating electrons around a circular tube, during which excess energy is given off in the form of light - from X-rays to infrared - which is diverted into the beamlines. By focusing the intense light onto samples, the tiniest structures can be mapped in great detail.
The idea for Sesame got off the ground when a German synchrotron known as Bessy was being dismantled and a Stanford University professor, Herman Winick, suggested it should not be scrapped but shipped to the Middle East instead.
Prof Winick points to the role of synchrotrons in Brazil, South Korea and Taiwan in generating local scientific expertise and reversing the "brain drain" of talent and says a similar effect is possible in the Middle East.
He told me that Sesame could already be judged a success simply because preparatory meetings over the past decade have brought together scientists from countries that would never normally meet.
"Even if Sesame does not produce an X-ray or produce research, it has done immense good in this region.
"That's exemplified by the users' meetings in which a hundred or more scientists from this region get together and meet."
That view is shared by many of the scientists taking part in a project seen as having a value far beyond science.
Dr Jamal Ghabboun, a Palestinian physicist from Bethlehem University, said he had never imagined that he could collaborate in this way.
"What we hope is that science will open the door to further understandings concerning other issues - we will begin with science and somehow we will open the doors that are closed for years or centuries."
Prof Zuheir El-Bayyari of Philadelphia University in Jordan described science "as a wonderful thing to collaborate on".
"With science we can have a message of peace, of being humans dealing with each other on this basis, to have the knowledge for the benefit of all civilisation and our world in general," he said.
Political challenges
For Maedeh Darzi, a young woman science graduate from Iran, the visit to Jordan was her first abroad and, as with many here, her first encounter with Israelis.
She said Sesame was "a modern technology which will help people around the Middle East to develop and improve their knowledge".
I asked Prof Roy Beck of Tel Aviv University how he felt sitting with Iranian scientists when their government had vowed to destroy his country.
"Well, Iranian scientists have not vowed to destroy me," he said. "I mean, Iranian and Palestinian and Pakistani scientists are my friends because they are scientists so we have a common ground. This is really the essence of what Sesame can bring to the region."
The project still faces technical challenges, on top of the constant threat of political breakdown or conflict forcing the key countries to pull out or cancel their funding.
Prof Llewellyn Smith admits that there are plenty of uncertainties ahead: "Certainly a real war would stop us in our tracks but we've got to be optimistic and keep going."
And despite the recent conflict involving Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza, there is no sign so far of any country withdrawing.
Prof Zehra Sayers of Sabanci University in Istanbul says Sesame is so valuable that it cannot be allowed to fail.
"Maybe it will not bring peace to the region, but it can bring one small line of communication to the people who live in this area," he said.
"This is why it has to work. We need those tiny thin fragile lines of communication."
Got someone in your life who's addicted to exercise? Someone who proselytizes the active lifestyle? There are so many fitness-related items out there it's hard to separate the muscular wheat from the sweaty chaff. But we've selected a few of our favorite items you could get your fit friend, if you can catch them. More »
Photochemical etching, one of the manufacturing world's best-kept secrets, produces highly accurate, identical pieces for both large and small-scale operations. Photochemical etching in used in a variety of industries including: automotive, communications, electronics and precision engineering. The process can produce one off designs, to large batches of identical pieces.
Shelters have taken in many animals displaced by Hurricane Sandy, but owners are having some serious separation anxiety. (Photo: CBS 2)
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) ? While they would rather stay with their pets, many New Yorkers are taking advantage of the services of the Emergency Boarding Center in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn until they?re back on their feet.
As WCBS 880?s Marla Diamond reported, Shirley, a Canarsie, Brooklyn resident, dropped off her cat, Taco. But it wasn?t easy letting go.
LISTEN: WCBS 880?s Marla Diamond Reports
?I want to visit my cat every day,? she said.
Taco had been staying in a flooded-out basement, and his owner knew it was not good for his health.
?I don?t know what I would do if this wasn?t here, like, what would we be doing with Taco?? Shirley said. ?I wouldn?t know what to do with him.?
Goldie, a 6-year-old tabby from Far Rockaway, ran away from her owner, Campbell Emanuel, during Superstorm Sandy.
?She got out somehow and we couldn?t find her,? Emmanuel said. ?We?re lucky ? we went back into the house today? and the cat was there.
As of Saturday, the temporary shelter had 40 cats, 60 dogs, a parakeet, a ferret and a rabbit. All get checked out before they are boarded by Dr. Janet Ficcara, a Manhattan veterinarian volunteering her services.
?I fear for the animals that might still be out there that are hunkering down behind the house, where their house used to be, under a car,? Ficcara said.
The Emergency Boarding Center, at 1508 Herkheimer St., is the last resort for owners of the beloved pets, said Jessica Rubin of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
?These animals are really just for owners to board here for a temporary basis,? she said. ?It?s absolutely a pet hotel, and we?ll take care of them for free, so no charge to the owner, and they?ll get the care they need while they?re getting back on their feet.?
The ASPCA set up the 20,000 square-foot shelter in conjunction with Animal Care & Control of New York City and other city agencies, as well as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Veterinary Response team. It was funded by a $500,000 donation from celebrity chef and talk show host Rachael Ray.
The shelter is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Those who need to bring their pets to the facility should call the Hurricane Sandy Pet Hotline, at Hurricane Sandy pet hotline (347) 573-1561.
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Quantro is a puzzle game that we wouldn't blame you if you thought was Tetris at first glance. There are plenty of these types of games out there so what makes this one special? Well now with its latest update, Quantro is offering both local and online multiplayer support -- the latter being in "open beta" now. You can join public lobbies to play against random opponents, or choose to create a private lobby with just friends that you invite.
You can grab a download of Quantro at the Google Play Store link above. If you need a quick primer on the basics of the game, you can take a look at the video below as well.
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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) ? Authorities say it's a miracle a natural gas explosion in one of New England's biggest cities didn't kill anyone.
Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim Murray says two buildings were destroyed and several firefighters and police officers were injured Friday evening.
Gas company workers in the area because of a leak are among at least 18 people injured.
The explosion in a downtown area of Springfield leveled a building housing a strip club. It blew out all windows in a three-block radius, leaving three more buildings damaged beyond repair and prompting emergency workers to evacuate an apartment building that buckled.
Police say it looks as though there was a missile strike where the explosion occurred. Murray says it's "a miracle" no one died.
Firefighters say they're investigating how the blast happened.
ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2012) ? Scientists are developing new materials which could one day allow people to print out custom-designed personal electronics such as games controllers which perfectly fit their hand shape.
The University of Warwick researchers have created a simple and inexpensive conductive plastic composite that can be used to produce electronic devices using the latest generation of low-cost 3D printers designed for use by hobbyists and even in the home.
The material, nicknamed 'carbomorph', enables users to lay down electronic tracks and sensors as part of a 3D printed structure -- allowing the printer to create touch-sensitive areas for example, which can then be connected to a simple electronic circuit board.
So far the team has used the material to print objects with embedded flex sensors or with touch-sensitive buttons such as computer game controllers or a mug which can tell how full it is.
The next step is to work on printing much more complex structures and electronic components including the wires and cables required to connect the devices to computers.
The research was led by Dr Simon Leigh in the Department of Engineering at the University of Warwick.
Dr Leigh said: "It's always great seeing the complex and intricate models of devices such as mobile phones or television remote controls that can be produced with 3D printing, but that's it, they are invariably models that don't really function.
"We set about trying to find a way in which we could actually print out a functioning electronic device from a 3D printer.
"In the long term, this technology could revolutionalise the way we produce the world around us, making products such as personal electronics a lot more individualised and unique and in the process reducing electronic waste.
"Designers could also use it to understand better how people tactilely interact with products by monitoring sensors embedded into objects.
"However, in the short term I can see this technology having a major impact in the educational sector for example, allowing the next generation of young engineers to get hands-on experience of using advanced manufacturing technology to design fairly high-tech devices and products right there in the classroom."
The printed sensors can be monitored using existing open-source electronics and freely available programming libraries.
A major advantage of using 3D printing is that sockets for connection to equipment such as interface electronics can be printed out instead of connected using conductive glues or paints.
The research was funded by the EPSRC project: Novel 3D Printing Technologies for Maximising Industrial Impact (Subproject # 30821) and by the EPSRC UK Research Centre In Nondestructive Evaluation.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Warwick.
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Journal Reference:
Simon J. Leigh, Robert J. Bradley, Christopher P. Purssell, Duncan R. Billson, David A. Hutchins. A Simple, Low-Cost Conductive Composite Material for 3D Printing of Electronic Sensors. PLoS ONE, 2012; 7 (11): e49365 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049365
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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Despite professing to be individualistic by nature, humans typically possess herd mentality. In short, most individuals are influenced greatly by their peers to espouse certain kinds of behavior, follow particular fashion trends and even accept exacting norms regarding ideal body shape.?Societal and media pressure to stay thin is enormous. Excess body fat is frowned upon, while having a lean body frame is considered highly acceptable. To what extent will we go, to meet the demands that society in general and our peers in particular place upon us, to embrace a socially acceptable body shape?
Posted on Nov 27, 2012 in Technology 
