Saturday, March 30, 2013

'Pirate' Site Ad Transparency Report Loses Credibility | TorrentFreak

?Pirate? Site Ad Transparency Report Loses Credibility

The third edition of the Annenberg Innovation Lab?s Ad Transparency Report is now unofficially doing the rounds. Google, Quantcast and Open X are praised for making ?strong moves? to block sites that receive a lot of DMCA notices but the government and some major companies are in for criticism for failing to place their ads more carefully. This week?s ?Piracy is Progress? Times Square campaign is also mentioned in a negative light.

For years the entertainment industries have complained about American companies? advertising appearing on and therefore financially supporting so-called ?pirate? sites. Hollywood and the record labels believe that responsible companies should place their promotions elsewhere, for the sake of both their businesses and the U.S. economy.

To this end it?s common to publicly highlight the fact that U.S. companies are targeting potential customers on sites deemed offensive by the entertainment industries in the hope that their respective branding departments will feel nervous that continued exposure will cause damage to their image.

In advancement of this name-and-shame philosophy, since the start of the year the Annenberg Innovation Lab at the University of Southern California has produced a monthly report aiming to identify the online ad networks and companies offering the most support to ?major illicit file sharing sites around the world.?

The third installment for March 2013 delivers more of the same. The University researchers say they have monitored the top 500 URLs receiving the most DMCA takedown notices as listed in Google?s Transparency Report and from that worked out which ad networks give the most support to ?pirate? sites.

The technique is problematic, mainly due to the fact that just because a site receives a DMCA notice it doesn?t necessarily follow that they have refused to comply and therefore in non-compliance. Plus, these are notices sent to Google, not the sites themselves.

Of all companies online, Google receives the most DMCA notices to the tune of several million per week, but they aren?t considered a ?pirate site? and rightly so. From the report there is no indication that the USC researchers have considered whether the sites in the top 500 are compliant or not.

Ad Networks criticized

The ad networks topping the charts this month are:

1. Propellerads
2. Exoclick
3. Infolinks
4. Adcash
5. Admxr
6. Adsrevenue (New entry)
7. Yahoo/Right Media
8. Adserver (New entry)
9. Trix.net (New entry)
10. Sumotorrent

Google (Doubleclick) were present in the January report but have not appeared since. The same applies to Quantcast but for different reasons. USC appear to have retrospectively modified both of their previously issued reports when discussions with Quancast revealed the ad network had been included in error (they weren?t serving ads in many cases).

?In late February we have had productive talks with Quantcast about our January and February Ad Reports,? USC write. ?We now believe that Quantcast was incorrectly identified as being among the top ten Ad Networks placing ads on infringing piracy sites.?

It?s also worth noting that SumoTorrent, which has appeared in previous USC reports but this month at its lowest position yet, is listed as a large advertising network in its own right. It isn?t. SumoTorrent uses ads from other providers and serves them only on its own sites, SumoTorrent and Seedpeer.

Furthermore, some very basic clickstream analysis reveals several ad networks successfully funding some of the biggest file-sharing sites warrants not a single mention anywhere in USC?s report, which raises serious questions about the validity of the techniques being used.

Brands said to be reporting ?pirate sites?.

While noting that they may not have deliberately placed their ads on the sites in question, Annenberg Innovation Lab still lists many large brands who they claim are providing advertising revenue to sites that have received a lot of DMCA takedown notices.

There are some huge names, not least government related departments including the U.S. Army and National Guard.

From the world of fashion we see Adidas and Gucci. In the online and computing realm we see Amazon, Ancestry.com. AT&T, Bing, Google Play, HP, Verizon, World of Warcraft, Windows 8 and Xfinity. Motoring related brands include Firestone, Ford, Honda, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mini Cooper, Toyota. Sundry others include American Express, IKEA, Pizza Hut and Target.

Finally, and quite unusually, the report takes a shot at this week?s Times Square advertising campaign by the band Ghost Beach.

Speaking with TorrentFreak, band frontman Josh Ocean explained that they hoped the campaign would ?..open a discussion up with our peers about how they felt about music distribution on the internet and the future of the industry,? but the USC researchers frame things differently.

They are suggesting a contrast between what the band are really trying to do versus the actions of a company that took efforts to end associations with piracy earlier this year.

?Whether this is just a publicity stunt or a real counter trend, we can?t help but contrast this to the moves of Levi Strauss to make sure its ads did not appear on pirate sites,? the researchers write.

While Levi Strauss did indeed withdraw advertising from certain sites in January, as far as we know Ghost Beach have never advertised on a ?pirate site? but in fact have spent significant amounts of money through their licensing deal with American Eagle to place advertising for their own product with a completely legitimate agency. Why this latest campaign is even mentioned in the report seems to defy reason.

Moving forward, if this research by USC is to maintain credibility next month and beyond it will need to consider its methodology and accusations more carefully.

While there is undoubtedly plenty of sites in the top 500 domains in Google?s Transparency report that are not DMCA compliant, there will be many that are. Simply looking at DMCA notices sent to Google and from that concluding that the sites they concern aren?t compliant is seriously flawed.

For example, RapidShare ? a company that has made huge efforts to disassociate itself with piracy in recent years ? is in the top 50 sites as listed by Google?s Transparency Report. Is this company not allowed to make a living through advertising anymore, even though it is DMCA compliant?

If it is to remain neutral, USC needs to look at DMCA notices sent to the sites themselves (or obtain data on the same) and then measure how many of those are being ignored before it can start judging what is and what isn?t a ?pirate site?.

Source: http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-site-ad-transparency-report-loses-credibility-130329/

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Afghanistan car bomb injures British troops, underscores transition hurdles (+video)

On the heels of Secretary of State Kerry's surprise visit to Afghanistan, two separate attacks injured at least 15 Afghans. The Taliban claimed responsibility for one.

By Ryan Lenora Brown,?Correspondent / March 26, 2013

An Afghan National Army soldier and US forces arrive to the scene after eight suicide bombers attacked a police headquarters in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Tuesday, killing five police officers and wounding four others, a security official said.

Rahmat Gul/AP

Enlarge

As Secretary of State John Kerry met with President Hamid Karzai and oversaw the symbolic handoff of a major military prison on a surprise visit to Afghanistan this week, a suicide bombing killed five police officers in the eastern city of Jalalabad Tuesday.

Skip to next paragraph Ryan Lenora Brown

Correspondent

Ryan Brown edits the Africa Monitor blog and contributes to the national and international news desks of the Monitor. She is a former Fulbright fellow to South Africa and holds a degree in history from Duke University.?

Recent posts

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'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // --> On Monday Afghanistan took full control of Bagram prison from the United States, healing one running sore in their testy relationship as US-led forces wind down more than a decade of war.

The Taliban quickly?claimed responsibility for today?s attack, which also injured at least five Afghans at the police headquarters in the provincial capital, according to the Associated Press. ?In a separate incident today a car bomb blast injured at least 10 British troops?on a patrol base in Helmand Province, according to the Guardian.?

The timing of the violence highlights the major security challenges that remain as the United States attempts to wind down a decade of intensive military presence in the country and hand control to the Afghans.

The attacks came just hours after Secretary Kerry and President Karzai held a rosy news conference in Kabul on the state of US-Afghan relations, which have undergone particular strain in recent weeks after?Karzai accused the US?of working with the Taliban to deliberately keep the country weak.

(For more on the costs of the US war effort, read about the $610 million late fee Washington is currently paying on shipping containers it rented to ship home military equipment.)?

But during his trip, Kerry?was glowing in his appraisal of Karzai, declaring that he and the president were ?on the same page? when it came to Afghan security and reconciliation.

"I am confident the president [Karzai] does not believe the US has any interest except to see the Taliban come to the table to make peace and that we are completely cooperative with the government of Afghanistan with respect to the protection of their efforts and their people," Kerry told reporters.

Monday?s meeting was a pivot from the prickly interaction between Karzai and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Mr. Hagel?s own trip to the country earlier this month. During that visit, Hagel and Karzai abruptly called off a joint press conference after tense closed-door negotiations failed to yield progress on key diplomatic questions, including the transfer of a key US-controlled prison to Afghan hands.

The American military formally ceded control of all but a ?small number? of prisoners in that facility, known as Bagram Prison, to the Afghans during Kerry?s visit Monday.

This marks the formal completion of a transfer of 4,000 Bagram prisoners that began a year ago, but hit several snags over perceived security threats. The US military, however, will continue to hold in its custody around 50 high-level foreign prisoners considered ?enduring security threats,? along with hundreds of Afghans arrested since the initial transfer deal was authorized last March,?reports Russia Today.

Despite its limitations, however, the transfer has potent symbolic value for Afghanistan,?writes The New York Times.

Bagram Prison was the most flagrant symbol of Mr. Karzai?s lack of control. Americans detained several thousand Afghans there, and Mr. Karzai had no power to release them. His effort to wrest the prison from the Americans began in earnest more than year ago, and?nearly succeeded?at least twice, most recently two weeks ago, a day before Mr. Hagel?s first visit.

Each time, American military commanders backed out because of worries that the Afghans might release Taliban prisoners, who would return to the battlefield and endanger American soldiers. This time, despite those concerns, the transfer went forward.

?It?s about a shift that?s going on in how the U.S. is looking at what?s important,? said one American official knowledgeable about detention issues. ?We have to look at the larger picture: What?s the U.S. strategic interest here???

Kerry rounded out his visit Tuesday by?meeting with democracy activists and female entrepreneurs?at the American Embassy in Kabul. There, he traded headers with the captain of the Afghan women?s national soccer team and lauded civic leaders preparing for the 2014 elections, according to the Associated Press.?

"You're engaged in a remarkable effort and the whole world is watching," Kerry said.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/OGbc36zzMNA/Afghanistan-car-bomb-injures-British-troops-underscores-transition-hurdles-video

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U.S. debates how severely to penalize Russia in human rights spat

By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a controversy underscoring continued stresses in U.S.-Russia relations, Obama administration officials are debating how many Russian officials to ban from the United States under a new law meant to penalize Moscow for alleged human rights abuses.

The debate's outcome, expected in about two weeks, is likely to illustrate how President Barack Obama will handle what critics say is a crackdown on dissent in Russia and set the tone for Washington-Moscow relations in the president's second term.

The new law is named for Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year-old anti-corruption lawyer who died in his jail cell in 2009. It requires the United States to deny visas and freeze the U.S. financial assets of Russians linked to the case, or to other alleged violations of human rights in Russia.

The act was passed in December as part of a broader bill to expand U.S. trade with Russia, and Obama signed it December 14. But the White House was never keen on the rights legislation, arguing that it was unnecessary because Washington had imposed visa restrictions on some Russians thought to have played a role in Magnitsky's death. The United States has declined to name those people.

The Magnitsky Act says the president must publish by mid-April the list of accused human rights abusers - or explain to Congress why their names can't be published. The reasons for not publishing must be tied to national security.

U.S. officials said there are differences within the Obama administration over what kind of list to produce - short or long - or whether to even produce two lists, one for the visa bans and another for the asset freezes.

"The difference is essentially between those who don't want to piss off the Russian government any more than we absolutely have to, and those who don't want to piss off Congress any more than we have to," a State Department official said on condition of anonymity.

Magnitsky worked for the equity fund Hermitage Capital in Moscow and was arrested on tax fraud charges shortly after he leveled similar accusations against Russian state officials in 2008. Family and former colleagues say he was mistreated and denied medical care during his year in Russian jails.

His death spooked investors and blackened Russia's image abroad. The Kremlin's own human rights council aired suspicions that he was beaten to death. Magnitsky currently is being tried posthumously in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was angered by the Magnitsky Act, and Russia retaliated by banning U.S. adoptions of Russian children. Asked to comment this week, a spokesman for Russia's embassy in Washington pointed to warnings that Moscow may issue its own list of alleged U.S. human rights abusers.

The White House also is hearing warnings from Congress. One of the law's authors, Representative James McGovern, wrote to Obama on Monday to caution against abbreviating the list. McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts, enclosed over 230 names he said could potentially be included - such as senior Russian interior ministry and law enforcement officials who investigated and detained Magnitsky and oversaw his treatment.

McGovern said he heard some U.S. officials favor a "lax" approach to enforcing the law. "I think this would be a terrible message for the administration to send at this point in time, especially with Russia cracking down on human rights organizations," the congressman said in a telephone interview.

In recent weeks, Russian authorities have been searching the offices of advocacy groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Russia's oldest rights group, Memorial, in what activists say is part of a state campaign to stifle dissent.

Putin on Thursday dismissed criticism of state inspections of non-governmental organizations, saying the office searches that have prompted charges of harassment and caused concern in the West were routine.

After improvements under a "reset" Obama initiated in 2009, U.S. ties with Moscow have been strained by differences over the civil war in Syria; Putin's charges of U.S. meddling in internal Russian affairs; and his treatment of opponents since returning to Russia's presidency last May.

'CREDIBLE INFORMATION'

McGovern said that Congress intended that the administration put people on the visa ban list if there was "credible information" that they have violated human rights.

But some administration officials favor only putting people on the list if the evidence against them meets the strict standards used by the Treasury Department for freezing assets, which would produce a shorter list, the State Department official said.

He said he expected the advocates of the shorter list to triumph initially, but noted that it could be updated later.

"I expect a fairly small list, in the 20-something range, will end up on this submission to Congress," he said, adding that he hoped it would go beyond the Magnitsky case to include names of some people involved in other alleged abuses in Russia.

The Treasury Department declined comment. "We will implement the law as required and make information available once we're in a position to do so," a White House spokeswoman said.

In addition to Magnitsky, the law lists other human rights cases it says illustrate the danger of exposing wrongdoing by Russian officials. The cases include Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative journalist who was shot to death in Moscow in 2006, and Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a jailed former oil tycoon.

The only Russian official directly named in the Magnitsky law for "wrongdoing" is Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's Chechnya region. Kadyrov is not linked to the Magnitsky case, but the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recently said he "stands accused of involvement in murders, torture and disappearances of political opponents and human rights activists". He denies wrongdoing.

Tom Malinowski, director of the Washington office of Human Rights Watch, said the credibility of the initial Magnitsky list won't be so much the number of names but "whether the list at least touches on some of the most important cases that have the greatest resonance among people in Russia who are concerned about the absence of the rule of law."

(Editing by Warren Strobel and Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-debates-severely-penalize-russia-human-rights-spat-220007116.html

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Amanda Knox retrial: a tale of two countries' legal systems

Amanda Knox likely will not return to Italy for the murder retrial, and a new verdict is probably years away. In that time, much will be learned about the interaction of two 'very different legal systems.'

By Daniel B. Wood,?Staff writer / March 27, 2013

In this Oct. 3, 2011 file photo Amanda Knox cries after hearing the verdict that overturned her conviction and acquitted her of murdering her British roommate Meredith Kercher, at the Perugia court, central Italy, in 2011.

Pier Paolo Cito/AP/File

Enlarge

The decision by the Italian Supreme Court to retry American Amanda Knox for murder will highlight the differences between the two country?s legal systems and test how extradition treaties operate when citizens are convicted of crimes in a foreign country.

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The 25-year-old former exchange student in Perugia, Italy, was convicted in 2009 of murdering her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, and sentenced to 26 years in prison. She served almost four years before the verdict was overturned in 2011.

?This case will be very valuable for the spotlight it shines on how two countries with very different legal systems will behave in a high-profile case,? says Robert Pugsley, a professor at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles.

He and others say it is unlikely that Ms. Knox will go to Italy for the trial, but she could be tried ?in absentia? (without her presence), and the verdict is likely still years away. Most analysts also agree that the US likely would not extradite Knox if the Italian court sentences her to more time.

General rules about extradition among Westernized countries hinge on the rights of the accused or convicted person in the country where they are located. So, for example, the US would not extradite Knox if it felt the Italian trial would expose her to "double jeopardy" ? a concept that violates the US Constitution.

?The Fifth Amendment includes a double jeopardy clause ? stating that ?[no] person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb,? ? says Ian Wallach, a criminal attorney in Los Angeles, who clerked at the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. ?Having Ms. Knox tried again would violate the USA?s public policy against double jeopardy.?

The reverse can also be true. Some countries refuse to extradite murder suspects to the US unless there is an agreement between the two countries that the death penalty won?t be sought, because the death penalty violates that country's public policy.

A key issue in the Knox case could be how the US State Department perceives the new development: Is it a new trial or the continuation of the one already completed? ?This is a very fascinating case and will shed lots of light on this,? says Luz Nagle, a professor at Stetson College of Law in Tampa, Fla..

The case is opening a window on how foreign courts operate, and how that affects Americans caught in them.

For its part, Italy guarantees defendants three levels of trial before a conviction is considered definitive, and both sides are granted the right to appeal ? a system that developed after World War II to prevent some of the abuses of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. The flip side is that some high-profile officials have eluded prosecution for years, notably former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who moved from trial to trial for 20 years.

?Americans are getting a good, long look at how careful the Italian system has become, but also how incredibly long it takes,? says Professor Nagle.

Other analysts caution against jumping to any conclusions before a written opinion is issued by Italy?s highest court, known as Cassation.

?We need to wait to read that opinion before we try to understand it,? says Mr. Wallach. ?First, we would be offended if anyone accused our judges of acting with improper motives. Second, we will know what the reasoning was once that decision is made public.?

In the meantime, Americans should relax, he says. ?We should do our best to respect the legal processes of other countries, and know that we have means to protect our own citizens from being subjected to outcomes of policies that are different from ours.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/4OMidqNbTi4/Amanda-Knox-retrial-a-tale-of-two-countries-legal-systems

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The Collapse of the Value of a College Education

College education has become expensive and nearly useless. Got that? Price up, quality down. No surprise, when government gets involved. Even WSJ seems to get this (partially). In a recent article, they write:
By some measures, nearly half of employed college graduates are in jobs that don't traditionally require a college degree.
Unfortunately, WSJ seems to blame this on robots:
Ia paper released Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a team of Canadian economists argues that the U.S. faces a longer-term problem.?
They found that unlike the 1990s, when companies needed hundreds of thousands of skilled workers to develop, build and install high-tech systems?everything from corporate intranets to manufacturing robots?demand for such skills has fallen in recent years, even as young people continued to flock to programs that taught them.
If it was simply a case of robots replacing workers in certain jobs, this would mean that there would be productivity gains for the economy overall, beginning and end of story. But, it is not as though we live in paradise where goods and services are so plentiful that none of us has to work. Something else is going on

The problem is that a college education for the most part does not ?increase the value of a potential worker for an employer (aside from accounting and engineering degrees). The college system is far from a free market profit oriented system. Almost 100% of colleges take money from government or accept students who?receive government loans. This results in colleges being required to meet government guidelines which have dramatically dumb downed the system.

The Chinese government has created 60 million vacant apartments through its central planning policies, while the U.S. government through its intervention in the education system has created tens of millions of college graduates with vacant minds.

College for most is really a waste of time, unless you want that accounting or engineering degree, or you are really sharp, can get into an Ivy League school and have a strong enough mind that you won't be corrupted by the system. In this latter category, I suspect no more than 1 in 500,000 could pull it off. Tom Woods did it, but few others. I can think of many more that were swallowed up by the system and now spend their time justifying some intervention in the economy.

If you are interested in studying Austrian economics, just go to the Mises Institute web?site?and absorb that material. Studying under Professor Walter Block at Loyola University New Orleans or Richard Ebeling at Northwood University are outlier options, but that is about it. For most who want to advance, they are much better off reading James Altucher than going to college.

Source: http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/03/the-collapse-of-value-of-college.html

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PFT: Ravens add ex-Raiders DB Huff to secondary

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Free agency opened 15 days ago.? This year, the initial surge of cash was more limited than ever, more than a few guys settled for one-year deals, and plenty of other players are still waiting to get paid.

For some, the issue is cap space.? For many, it can?t be.? As of Tuesday, March 26, 13 teams still had more than $10 million in spending room for 2013, and five still had more than $20 million, per a source with knowledge of the NFLPA?s calculation of remaining cap room.

Leading the way are the Bengals, who despite numerous re-signings still have $28.9 million to spend.? The Browns come in a close second, with $28.7 million.

The Bucs get the bronze for saving their gold, with $26.8 million.? Also, the Jaguars have $26.6 million, and the Eagles have $26.3 million.

Others with eight figures include the Packers with $18.3 million, the Bills with $16.8 million, the Dolphins with $15.7 million, the Cardinals with $14.0 million, the supposedly spending-to-the-cap Patriots with $13.4 million, the supposedly cap-strapped Jets with $13.0 million, the Colts with $11.7 million, and the Titans with $10.7 million.

This year, teams are required to spend 89 percent of the unadjusted cap.? But that number is determined at least for now on a four-year rolling average, which essentially allows teams to pocket 44 percent of a single year?s spending limit from 2013 through 2016.? Based on the current cap numbers, some teams are well on their way to that number.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/27/ravens-agree-to-terms-with-michael-huff/related/

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

New study analyzes the risk to endangered whales from ships in southern California

New study analyzes the risk to endangered whales from ships in southern California

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Researchers have identified areas off southern California with high numbers of whales and assessed their risk from potentially deadly collisions with commercial ship traffic in a study published in the scientific journal Conservation Biology.

Scientists from NOAA Fisheries, the Marine Mammal Commission and Cascadia Research Collective analyzed data collected over seven years by NOAA on marine mammal and ecosystem research surveys in the Southern California Bight. Maps predicting the density of endangered humpback, fin and blue whales were developed by merging the observed whale sightings with oceanographic conditions to identify the habitat preferred by the different whale species.

"We know several endangered species of whales occur in the waters off southern California," said Jessica Redfern, a NOAA Fisheries marine mammal biologist and lead author of the paper. "What we didn't know, and what this study helps provide, is an understanding of the areas with the highest numbers of whales."

Knowing where whales are more likely to be found in the ocean environment is vitally important to reduce human impacts. Although this information could be used to assess any number of human impacts, the study specifically looked at current and alternative shipping routes to and from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the risk to humpback, fin and blue whales from ship strikes.

Researchers selected four routes to study; the shipping route in the Santa Barbara Channel, which is the current shipping route; a Central route south of the northern Channel Islands; a Central Fan route, or just the eastern part of the Central route; and a Southern route, a course south of the Central route and constrained by the protected areas around Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina, and San Nicolas Islands. (See figure 1)

By overlaying the routes with the predicted whale densities, researchers found the route with the lowest risk for humpback whales (Southern route) had the highest risk for fin whales and vice versa. However, risk may be ameliorated for both species in one of the Central routes.

Blue whales, however, were at approximately equal risk in all routes considered because of their more even distribution throughout the study area. The authors' estimate of the number of blue whales likely killed by ships exceeds levels established by the Marine Mammal Protection Act to ensure sustainable populations. This result suggests that it is important to find ways to reduce the risk of ships striking blue whales.

"The Southern California Bight is an incredibly complex system with a diverse set of users, including the military, shipping industry and fishing industry. All users have specific needs and their input is necessary to plan the best and safest uses of these waters," said Redfern, "This paper helps to incorporate whale habitat use in the planning process so that their needs can be considered as well."

###

NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov

Thanks to NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 21 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127461/New_study_analyzes_the_risk_to_endangered_whales_from_ships_in_southern_California

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Twitter Ad Agency: Gimmick or Genius?

The digital media world is all about real-time marketing these days. It would only stand to reason there?s now an agency for that.

World?s Fastest Agency?is?a new virtual agency that purports to be, as the name suggests, the world?s fastest agency. It was started by Floyd Hayes, a former creative director at Cunning. Hayes took his over decade of agency experience to create his own creative consulting business in New York, which led Hayes to the creation of WFA. Hayes noticed the shift towards immediacy and speed in marketing and wanted to create a agency that would better facilitate this new model.

?The nature of media and how people are interacting with it is changing constantly?everything is speeding up,? said Hayes.??Clients are asking questions about ?real time media,? and agencies have to be faster and leaner or risk losing?relevancy.?

Of course the obvious question is whether this is just a gimmick. Hayes insists it is not, Clients must first pay a fee of $999 via Paypal, then follow ?@FastestAgency in order to then DM their creative brief in 140 characters. Haye?s will respond within 24 hours with a creative pitch, which is of course 140 characters or less.

?Clients can say goodbye to 100-page PowerPoint decks, meetings, weeks of fee negotiation, countless emails, more meetings, lunch, meetings, scope of work to-ing and fro-ing, meetings, more emails, Q&A sessions, tissue meetings, inaudible conference call, pitch, feedback, feedback on the feedback, re-briefing, re-pitching, another meeting, more feedback, focus groups, another meeting, more emails.?

One thing is for sure: clients will pay attention to anyone who wants to do things quicker and cheaper. Doing everything over Twitter forces both parties to be direct, succinct, focused, and most of all, fast. And, as Hayes noted, it?s less expensive for everyone involved. Hayes has a network of people that he knows and trusts from his years in the industry who he taps if and when necessary, depending on the brief. According to Haye?s WFA got its first client within six hours of launching, which resulted in an experiential PR stunt.

The fly in the ointment: WFA doesn?t actually do the creative work, it just supplies the plan. It?s up to clients to use their own incumbent agents or send out a RFP. ?That?s going to take time ? and probably reworking of the idea. Hayes will happily, at no extra charge, refer clients a production partner if they don?t have their own resources. Hayes is enthusiastic about WFA?s new agency model, but he?s not delusional about it being the model of the future.

?We?re just another way to engage a service ? there is room for many models. Smart clients use many?different?methods to solve?their?marketing?communication challenges.?

?Image via Shutterstock

Source: http://www.digiday.com/agencies/twitter-ad-agency-gimmick-or-genius/

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Judge sides with Wyoming in fracking chemical suit

(AP) ? A judge in Casper has sided with the state of Wyoming and ruled against environmentalists who sought to obtain lists of the ingredients that go into hydraulic fracturing fluids.

Environmental groups had requested the ingredient lists from the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, arguing that the public needs to know what chemicals companies are putting underground.

They were denied on the grounds that the lists are trade secrets that may be withheld under Wyoming's open records law. Natrona County District Judge Catherine Wilking has upheld the denial, ruling that the state official who withheld the information acted reasonably.

The oil and gas commission oversees oil and gas drilling in Wyoming. The commission chairman, Gov. Matt Mead, praised the ruling.

"This decision recognizes the importance of a state-based approach to regulating hydraulic fracturing ? one that balances this important method for producing energy with environmental protection," he said Monday through spokesman Renny MacKay.

The lawsuit was filed against the commission by the Powder River Basin Resource Council, Wyoming Outdoor Council, Earthworks and OMB Watch. Oilfield services company Halliburton intervened on the state's side.

"We continue to believe we have strong claims, and we're still concerned the Wyoming oil and gas commission is withholding this information from the public," said Shannon Anderson, an attorney for the resource council.

An appeal was an option, she said.

Specially formulated lubricants are used in fracking, which involves pumping water, fine sand and fracking fluids underground to split open oil- and gas-bearing rocks. One purpose of fracking fluids is to help the sand flow into newly formed fissures and keep them propped open.

In 2010, Wyoming became one of the first states to require companies to disclose to state regulators the ingredients in hydraulic fracturing chemicals. The goal was to help the regulators track the source of any groundwater contamination that might occur at or near a drilling site.

Environmentalists say public knowledge of the chemicals can help landowners near oil and gas projects know what types of pollution to test for in their groundwater. Such testing targeted at certain chemicals can be done before or while drilling occurs and help to establish that well water ? at least at that point ? is not polluted by those chemicals.

The specific formulations of certain fracking fluids are closely guarded corporate secrets, attorneys for Wyoming and oilfield services company Halliburton countered in arguments before Wilking in January.

Disclosure could allow competing companies to reverse-engineer fracking fluid formulas, they argued, and Wyoming's open-records law contains an exemption that allows trade secrets to be withheld from the public.

Wilking wrote that both positions have "substantial" merit.

"However the court feels these competing concerns are best addressed through legislative action, or further rule promulgation and are not properly within the court's purview," Wilking wrote.

She ruled that the state oil and gas supervisor in charge of the commission as a state agency acted reasonably in evaluating requests for trade secret exemptions under the fracking disclosure rule. The environmental groups failed to demonstrate that the supervisor didn't properly follow the rule or state law, she wrote.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-25-Fracking%20Disclosure%20Lawsuit/id-7c09f46e9eb44a57bb3d964119308f1f

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Monday, March 25, 2013

Syracuse Holds Off Cal 66-60, Advances To Sweet 16 In NCAA Tournament

  • Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

    Carl Hall #22 of the Wichita State Shockers dunks the ball in the first half while taking on the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at EnergySolutions Arena on March 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

  • Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

    Carl Hall #22 of the Wichita State Shockers steals the ball from Gary Bell, Jr. #5 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs alongside Demetric Williams #5 of the Shockers in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at EnergySolutions Arena on March 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

  • Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

    Demetric Williams #5 of the Wichita State Shockers and Kevin Pangos #4 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs go after a loose ball in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at EnergySolutions Arena on March 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

  • Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

    Kevin Pangos #4 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs reacts in the first half while taking on the Wichita State Shockers during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at EnergySolutions Arena on March 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

  • Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

    Kelly Olynyk #13 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs drives to the basket against Ehimen Orukpe #21 and Carl Hall #22 of the Wichita State Shockers in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at EnergySolutions Arena on March 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

  • Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

    Ron Baker #31 of the Wichita State Shockers and Elias Harris #20 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs go after a loose ball in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at EnergySolutions Arena on March 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

  • Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

    Carl Hall #22 of the Wichita State Shockers and Kelly Olynyk #13 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs go after a loose ball in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at EnergySolutions Arena on March 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

  • Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

    Cleanthony Early #11 of the Wichita State Shockers blocks Sam Dower #35 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at EnergySolutions Arena on March 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

  • Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

    Cleanthony Early #11 of the Wichita State Shockers reacts after making a three-pointer in the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at EnergySolutions Arena on March 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

  • Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

    Carl Hall #22 of the Wichita State Shockers dunks the ball in the first half while taking on the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at EnergySolutions Arena on March 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

  • Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

    Ron Baker #31 of the Wichita State Shockers and Elias Harris #20 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs go after a loose ball in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at EnergySolutions Arena on March 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

  • Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

    Carl Hall #22 and Cleanthony Early #11 of the Wichita State Shockers react after Early makes a three-pointer in the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at EnergySolutions Arena on March 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

  • Wichita State vs. Gonzaga

    Mike Hart #30 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Carl Hall #22 of the Wichita State Shockers go after a loose ball in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at EnergySolutions Arena on March 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

  • Butler vs. Marquette

    Trent Lockett #22 of the Marquette Golden Eagles dives for the ball against Kellen Dunham #24 of the Butler Bulldogs in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Butler vs. Marquette

    Trent Lockett #22 of the Marquette Golden Eagles grabs a loose ball against Roosevelt Jones #21 of the Butler Bulldogs in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Butler vs. Marquette

    Head coach Buzz Williams of the Marquette Golden Eagles looks on from the sideline in the first half against the Butler Bulldogs during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Butler vs. Marquette

    Andrew Smith #44 of the Butler Bulldogs drives to the basket and draws a foul against Davante Gardner #54 of the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Butler vs. Marquette

    Junior Cadougan #5 of the Marquette Golden Eagles shoots against Kellen Dunham #24 of the Butler Bulldogs in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

  • Butler vs. Marquette

    Andrew Smith #44 of the Butler Bulldogs reacts after a play against the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

  • Butler vs. Marquette

    Derrick Wilson #12 and Trent Lockett #22 of the Marquette Golden Eagles celebrate after a defensive play in the first half against the Butler Bulldogs during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

  • Butler vs. Marquette

    Rotnei Clarke #15 of the Butler Bulldogs reacts after making a basket against the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Butler vs. Marquette

    Jamil Wilson #0 of the Marquette Golden Eagles reacts after having a foul called on him in the first half against the Butler Bulldogs during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Butler vs. Marquette

    Head coach Brad Stevens of the Butler Bulldogs talks to his players after a double flagrant foul in the first half against the Marquette Golden Eagles during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Butler vs. Marquette

    Jamil Wilson #0 of the Marquette Golden Eagles handles the ball against Roosevelt Jones #21 of the Butler Bulldogs in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Cody Ellis #24 is called for a foul as he and Jordair Jett #5 of the Saint Louis Billikens defend against Johnathan Loyd #10 of the Oregon Ducks in the second half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Cody Ellis #24 of the Saint Louis Billikens drives past Carlos Emory #33 of the Oregon Ducks in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Cody Ellis #24 of the Saint Louis Billikens and Arsalan Kazemi #14 of the Oregon Ducks vie for posession in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    The Oregon Ducks bench reacts in the first half against the Saint Louis Billikens during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Arsalan Kazemi #14 passes the ball to Damyean Dotson #21 of the Oregon Ducks on a fast break in the first half against the Saint Louis Billikens during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Rob Loe #51 of the Saint Louis Billikens goes up against the Oregon Ducks in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon Henderson/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Arsalan Kazemi #14 of the Oregon Ducks drives against Cody Ellis #24 of the Saint Louis Billikens in the fist half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Head coach Jim Crews talks to Kwamain Mitchell #3 and Grandy Glaze #1 of the Saint Louis Billikens in the first half against the Oregon Ducks during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Kwamain Mitchell #3 of the Saint Louis Billikens drives against Arsalan Kazemi #14 of the Oregon Ducks in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    E.J. Singler #25 of the Oregon Ducks falls on Dwayne Evans #21 of the Saint Louis Billikens as Jordair Jett #5 of the Saint Louis Billikens recovers the loose ball in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Grandy Glaze #1 of the Saint Louis Billikens drives against Tony Woods #55 of the Oregon Ducks in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon Henderson/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Arsalan Kazemi #14 of the Oregon Ducks rebounds over Grandy Glaze #1 of the Saint Louis Billikens in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Tony Woods #55 of the Oregon Ducks goes up for a shot over Rob Loe #51 of the Saint Louis Billikens in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Head coach Dana Altman (L) and assistant coach Tony Stubblefield of the Oregon Ducks react in the first half against the Saint Louis Billikens during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Damyean Dotson #21 of the Oregon Ducks goes up against the Saint Louis Billikens in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Mike McCall Jr. #11 of the Saint Louis Billikens guards Johnathan Loyd #10 of the Oregon Ducks in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon Henderson/Getty Images)

  • Oregon vs. Saint Louis

    Arsalan Kazemi #14 of the Oregon Ducks rebounds over Grandy Glaze #1 of the Saint Louis Billikens in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at HP Pavilion on March 23, 2013 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

  • Colorado State vs. Louisville

    Kevin Ware #5 of the Louisville Cardinals defends Wes Eikmeier #10 of the Colorado State Rams in the second half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

  • Colorado State vs. Louisville

    Colton Iverson #45 of the Colorado State Rams looks on in the first half agaisnt the Louisville Cardinals during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Colorado State vs. Louisville

    Peyton Siva #3 of the Louisville Cardinals falls trying to dribble around Colton Iverson #45 of the Colorado State Rams in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Colorado State vs. Louisville

    Montrezl Harrell #24 of the Louisville Cardinals takes a charge as Colton Iverson #45 of the Colorado State Rams goes up for a dunk in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Colorado State vs. Louisville

    Colton Iverson #45 of the Colorado State Rams handles the ball against Stephan Van Treese #44 of the Louisville Cardinals in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Colorado State vs. Louisville

    Montrezl Harrell #24 of the Louisville Cardinals reacts after a play against the Colorado State Rams in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Colorado State vs. Louisville

    Dorian Green #22 of the Colorado State Rams celebrates after making a three point basket against the Louisville Cardinals in the first half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Colorado State vs. Louisville

    Colton Iverson #45 of the Colorado State Rams looks up after being poked in the eye in the first half against the Louisville Cardinals during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Colorado State vs. Louisville

    Peyton Siva #3 of the Louisville Cardinals steals the ball from Greg Smith #44 of the Colorado State Rams in the second half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Colorado State vs. Louisville

    Colton Iverson #45 of the Colorado State Rams handles the ball and is fouled by Gorgui Dieng #10 of the Louisville Cardinals in the second half during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 23, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/24/syracuse-cal-ncaa-scores-2013_n_2942025.html

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    Sunday, March 24, 2013

    Russian tycoon found dead in Britain: Is it suicide?

    Russian tycoon found dead: Boris Berezovsky was found in his Surrey, England, home, dead. Cause of death is not known yet. But there is speculation that the once-wealthy Russian tycoon committed suicide.

    By David Clark Scott,?Staff writer / March 23, 2013

    Boris Berezovsky in 2008 as he arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice in London for his hearing against Roman Abramovich. United Kingdom police have said that Berezovsky has been found dead Saturday March 23, 2013.

    AP Photo/Sang Tan, File

    Enlarge

    Boris Berezovsky, once a wealthy Russian oligarch, was found dead in his home in Surrey, England.

    Skip to next paragraph David Clark Scott

    Online Director

    David Clark Scott leads a small team at CSMonitor.com that?s part Skunkworks, part tech-training, part journalism.

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    The cause of death is unknown at this time. But speculation that Berezovsky committed suicide is rampant, especially in Russian media.

    Two things are prompting the speculation. First, a Russian lawyer, Alexander Dobrovinsky, was among the first to announce his death and posted in social media the following, according to RT.com:

    ?Just got a call from London. Boris Berezovsky committed suicide. He was a difficult man. A move of disparity? Impossible to live poor? A strike of blows? I am afraid no one will get to know now,?

    There's no indication of the quality of Dobrovinsky's source. Certainly, British police have not yet made public a cause of death.

    The second factor fueling the suicide talk is the very public decline in Berezovsky's wealth. He had lost several court cases and was known to be selling off real estate, a yacht, and art to raise funds. As The Guardian of London reports:

    "Berezovsky's death comes only months after he lost a high-profile and personally disastrous court case against fellow Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. He had accused the Chelsea football club owner of blackmail, breach of trust and breach of contract in relation to a Russian oil company. After the claims were dismissed, he was ordered by the high court to pay ?35m of Abramovich's legal costs.

    His financial difficulties were recently further exacerbated after his former mistress Elena Gorbunova, 43, claimed that Berezovsky owed her $8m (?5m) in compensation over the sale of their $40m residence in Surrey."

    Just days ago, Berezovsky sold his Andy Warhol limited edition print of Vladimir Lenin, known as "Red Lenin," for just over $200,000, according to the Russian media outlet RIA Novosti.

    Berezovsky's political and financial success follows the arc of recent Russian history. In the 1980s, with the political opening and rise of free enterprise, he went from a quiet mathematician to powerful oligarch. His first business foray? - which Russian prosecutors later said was? illegal profit skimming - involved car sales for the state auto giant AvtoVAZ. Berezovsky used his initial wealth to build a media empire that included partial ownership of two national television networks and several respected newspapers.

    As his wealth grew, so did his political clout.

    In 1996, Berezovsky was among a group of businessmen who helped Boris Yeltsin's career. "It is no secret that Russian businessmen played the decisive role in President Yeltsin's victory," Berezovsky later told Forbes magazine. "It was a battle for our blood interests."

    In return, Yeltsin sold to his backers Russian national industries at a fraction of their actual value. By the late 1990s, Berezovsky had an 80 percent ownership share in Sibneft, an oil company.

    But as Agence France Presse reports "his most significant political move was the one that inadvertently sealed his fate: helping Yeltsin choose then-secret services chief Vladimir Putin as Russia's second president.

    Berezovsky quickly became a key target of Putin's crackdown on the oligarchs' political independence. He fled the country and fired back with his entire media arsenal, painting the new president as a budding dictator."

    The Guardian notes that "Berezovsky is been on Moscow's most wanted list since 2001 on charges of fraud, money-laundering and attempted interference in the Russian political process. A Russian court sentenced Berezovsky in absentia for embezzling $2bn from two major state companies."

    But in the past year, there are reports that Berezovsky was seeking to return to Russia. The Irish Times reports that he had recently written to Mr. Putin seeking a pardon, according to Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

    Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/qK3EZ3eMJrw/Russian-tycoon-found-dead-in-Britain-Is-it-suicide

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    In Moscow, new Chinese leader warns against meddling

    By Vladimir Soldatkin

    MOSCOW (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against foreign interference in the affairs of other nations during a speech in Moscow on Saturday, sending a signal to the West and echoing a message often repeated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    Permanent U.N. Security Council members with veto power, Russia and China have frequently teamed up diplomatically to blunt the influence of the United States and its NATO allies and have blocked three draft resolutions on Syria.

    "We must respect the right of each country in the world to independently choose its path of development and oppose interference in the internal affairs of other countries," Xi told students at an international relations school.

    He spoke a day after meeting Putin on his first foreign trip since becoming president, a choice both said underscored a "strategic partnership" between Russia and China.

    In the Kremlin, he told Putin: "you and I are good friends."

    Xi told Russian students on Saturday: "Strong Chinese-Russian relations ... not only answer to our interests but also serve as an important, reliable guarantee of an international strategic balance and peace."

    Putin, who began a six-year term last May, has often criticized foreign interference in sovereign states.

    Russia and China have resisted Western calls to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the two-year-old civil conflict that has killed more than 70,000 people in Syria.

    They have both criticized the NATO bombing that helped rebels overthrow Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and stood together in the Security Council in votes on the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs.

    In a symbolic show of trust, Xi became the first foreign leader to visit the Russian military command center in Moscow on Saturday, Russian news agencies reported.

    Xi and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the countries share concerns about U.S. global missile-defense deployments, Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said.

    Both China and Russia have also bristled at U.S. and European criticism of their human rights records.

    FRIENDSHIP AND FEAR

    Putin said in a foreign policy decree issued at the start of his new term Russia would counter attempts to use human rights as a pretext for interference, and his government has cracked down on foreign-funded non-governmental organizations.

    Xi told Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev his visit had "surpassed my expectations" and said he had chosen Russia as his first foreign destination as president to "show the special importance of our relations."

    But economic deals between the world's biggest energy producer, Russia, and its biggest consumer, China, have been harder to come by than diplomatic solidarity. Warm words hide Russian concerns that its far more populous, faster-growing Asian neighbor could pose a threat.

    Xi's visit produced an agreement for Russian state giant Rosneft to gradually treble oil supplies to China, but the sides are still short of a deal on the supply of pipeline gas to China, thwarted for years over prices.

    Viktor Yaskov, a student who attended Xi's address, said the Chinese leader made "a good impression," but expressed fears about Russia's neighbor. "We're worried about Chinese economic expansion," he said.

    Xi arrived in Moscow with glamorous first lady Peng Liyuan, prompting speculation about whether Putin's wife Lyudmila, last seen at a state event last May, would make an appearance.

    That did not happen, and Peng kept a low profile after her first steps off the plane caused an Internet sensation in China.

    After Russia, Xi will visit Tanzania, the Republic of Congo and South Africa, where he and Putin are expected to meet again at a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies next week.

    (Additional reporting by Megan Davies; Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Todd Eastham)

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/moscow-chinese-leader-xi-warns-against-meddling-001427804.html

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    Is Depression Contagious? | World of Psychology

    Is Depression Contagious? This guest article from YourTango was written by?Dr. Susan Heitler.

    Someone recently asked me about the following:

    ?My husband has been depressed for months. Now I?m getting depressed, too! Did I catch it from him??

    My answer? Probably. Depression is most certainly contagious.

    With that in mind, here are five prominent attributes of depression that make downer moods so easy to catch?

    1. The ?negative cognitive triad.?

    Psychologist Aaron Beck coined the term ?negative cognitive triad? to describe three arenas in which depressive thinking is negative. Depressed folks see themselves, others and their futures through dark-colored glasses. For example, Owen was depressed for several months after losing his job. Julie, his wife, felt dragged down by Owen?s constant, negative comments.?Owen tried to be more upbeat, but his dialogue was always peppered with self-reproach.

    Owen had also become uncharacteristically critical of his wife. As she headed to work feeling good about the way she looked, Owen ended his goodbyes with, ?Do you really have to wear so much makeup?? As to his future, Owen would say, ?I?m sure I?ll never get another job I love as much as the one I lost.? Eventually, Julie began to agree with him. His bad mood brought her down to his emotional level.

    2.?Negative energy.?

    Just walking into a room where Owen was sitting was enough for Julie to feel her energy level sink. Sometimes she avoided talking to him. Even being in the same room with him seemed to let the air out of her proverbial balloon.

    3. ?Social isolation.

    Owen seldom left the house. When the family was home, he?d stay in his room, alone with the TV.

    Soon, Julie followed suit and became a virtual shut-in. Bringing Owen with her to social gatherings was too painful. She could see that their friends, who used to love Owen, now avoided him. His dark cloud must have appeared contagious to them as well.

    For years, Julie and Owen exercised together. When it became too difficult for Julie to convince Owen to run with her anymore, Julie also stopped running. Running was once a way for Julie and Owen to stay in touch with their neighbors, who also were runners.Increasingly, Julie felt cut off, depressed at the loss of her old, fun, casual friendships.

    3. Learned helplessness.?

    Psychologist Martin Seligman identified the depressive phenomenon he labeled ?learned helplessness.? When people are seriously depressed, trying to do anything feels overwhelming.

    For example, for years, Julie and Owen shared household responsibilities. Eventually, however, Owen seemed to have lost his ability to see what needed to be done and take care of it. ?He seldom swept the floor no matter how much food the baby had scattered on it. He?d get up from the dinner table and walk into the TV room as if there were no dishes to be cleared from the table.

    With all the work of childcare and keeping up a household falling into her lap, Julie felt overwhelmed and helpless.

    4.?Dominant-submissive interactions.

    An episode of depression is usually triggered by a dominant-submissive interaction, like being criticized or told what to do, or by a decision in which someone submissively gives up on what they wanted.? Owen had known for a while that the hostile relationship he had with his boss was likely to get him fired. One final flare-up did the tric, and Owen was the clear loser.

    As Owen?s depression continued, his wife became wary of doing anything that might make it worse. This concern led her to say ?Yes? far too often when she really wanted to say ?No? ? ?Yes, I can clean up the kitchen;? ?Yes, I?ll cancel our plans to go out with friends.?

    Each time Owen and Julie made a decision together where one had to concede something of importance to him/her, more depression was the by-product.

    5. It?s treatable.?

    The good news is that depression is highly treatable. Psychotherapy, medications or both can make a significant difference. My experience as a therapist has clarified that couples therapy and/or a marriage education program is particularly high-impact for depressed people who are in ongoing relationships. Recovery brings light back into your life. The main goal of all therapy for depression is for internal feelings of empowerment, optimism and positive energy to return, lifting depression?s dark cloud for everyone.

    ?

    Denver clinical psychologist Susan Heitler, Ph.D. is author of PowerOfTwoMarriage.com, an interactive website that teaches the skills for marriage success.

    ?

    More from YourTango:

    Contributed by YourTango.com, an online magazine dedicated to love, life and relationships. From dating to marriage, parenting to empty-nest, relationship challenges to relationship success, YourTango is at the center of the conversations that are closest to our over 3 million readers' hearts. With daily contributions from our Experts, we have a little something for everyone looking to create healthier lives. We're excited to offer our contributions to the PsychCentral community, and invite you to visit us on YourTango.com.

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    ????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 21 Mar 2013
    ????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.

    APA Reference
    Experts, Y. (2013). Is Depression Contagious?. Psych Central. Retrieved on March 23, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/03/22/is-depression-contagious/

    ?

    Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/03/22/is-depression-contagious/

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    Saturday, March 23, 2013

    Eating too much salt led to 2.3 million heart-related deaths worldwide in 2010

    Mar. 21, 2013 ? ating too much salt contributed to 2.3 million deaths from heart attacks, strokes and other heart-related diseases throughout the world in 2010, representing 15 percent of all deaths due to these causes, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2013 Scientific Sessions.

    The researchers analyzed 247 surveys of adult sodium intake, stratified by age, gender, region and country between 1990 and 2010 as part of the 2010 Global Burden of Diseases Study, an international collaborative study by 488 scientists from 303 institutions in 50 countries around the world.

    Next, they determined how the amount of sodium people were consuming was affecting their risk of cardiovascular disease, by performing a meta-analysis of 107 randomized, prospective trials that measured how sodium affects blood pressure, and a meta-analysis of how these differences in blood pressure relate to the risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared with consuming no more than 1,000 mg per day of sodium, which the researchers defined as an optimal amount of sodium for adults. Cardiovascular disease includes all diseases of the heart and blood vessels, including stroke.

    Nearly 1 million of these deaths -- 40 percent of the total -- were premature, occurring in people 69 years of age and younger. Sixty percent of the deaths occurred in men and 40 percent were in women. Heart attacks caused 42 percent of the deaths and strokes 41 percent. The remainder resulted from other types of cardiovascular disease. Eighty-four percent of these deaths due to eating too much sodium were in low and middle-income countries, rather than high-income countries.

    "National and global public health measures, such as comprehensive sodium reduction programs, could potentially save millions of lives," said Dariush Mozaffarian, M.D., Dr.P.H., lead author of the study and co-director of the Program in Cardiovascular Epidemiology and associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health.

    Among the 30 largest countries in the world, those with the highest death rates (per million adults) due to over consuming sodium were:

    • Ukraine -- 2,109
    • Russia -- 1,803
    • Egypt -- 836

    Among all countries, the three countries with the lowest death rates (per million adults) due to over consuming sodium were:

    • Qatar -- 73
    • Kenya -- 78
    • United Arab Emirates -- 134

    The U.S. ranked 19th out of the 30 largest countries, with 429 deaths per million adults due to eating too much sodium (representing 1 in 10 US deaths due to these causes).

    The American Heart Association recommends limiting sodium in your diet to no more than 1,500 mg a day, and has tips on how to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet, as well as information on six commonly consumed foods that are high in sodium.

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    Story Source:

    The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Heart Association, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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


    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/~3/DnFKYOa1dQo/130321205526.htm

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    Friday, March 22, 2013

    Low-cost 'cooling cure' would avert brain damage in oxygen-starved babies

    Mar. 21, 2013 ? When babies are deprived of oxygen before birth, brain damage and disorders such as cerebral palsy can occur. Extended cooling can prevent brain injuries, but this treatment is not always available in developing nations where advanced medical care is scarce. To address this need, Johns Hopkins undergraduates have devised a low-tech $40 unit to provide protective cooling in the absence of modern hospital equipment that can cost $12,000.

    The device, called the Cooling Cure, aims to lower a newborn's temperature by about 6 degrees F for three days, a treatment that has been shown to protect the child from brain damage if administered shortly after a loss of oxygen has occurred. Common causes of this deficiency are knotting of the umbilical cord or a problem with the mother's placenta during a difficult birth. In developing regions, untrained delivery, anemia and malnutrition during pregnancy can also contribute to oxygen deprivation.

    In a recent issue of the journal Medical Devices: Evidence and Research, the biomedical engineering student inventors and their medical advisors reported successful animal testing of the Cooling Cure prototype. The device is made of a clay pot, a plastic-lined burlap basket, sand, instant ice-pack powder, temperature sensors, a microprocessor and two AAA batteries. To activate it, just add water.

    The device could help curtail a serious health problem called hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, which is triggered by oxygen deficiency in the brain. Globally, more than half of the newborns with a severe form of this condition die, and many of the survivors are diagnosed with cerebral palsy or other brain disorders. The problem is particularly acute in impoverished regions where pregnant women do not have easy access to medical specialists or high-tech hospital equipment. The inventors say Cooling Cure could address this issue.

    "The students came up with a neat device that's easy for non-medical people to use. It's inexpensive and user-friendly," said Michael V. Johnston, a Johns Hopkins School of Medicine pediatric neurology professor who advised the undergraduate team. Johnston also is chief medical officer and executive vice president of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, an internationally recognized center in Baltimore that helps children and adolescents with disorders of the brain, spinal cord and musculoskeletal systems.

    For the past 25 years, Johnston has been studying ways to protect a newborn's brain, including the use of costly hospital cooling units that keep brain cells from dying after an oxygen deficiency. Several years ago, while visiting Egypt, he learned that local doctors were using window fans or chilled water bottles in an inadequate effort to treat oxygen-deprived babies. When he returned to Baltimore, Johnston and Ryan Lee, a pediatric neurologist and postdoctoral fellow at Kennedy Krieger, discussed the problem with Robert Allen, a Johns Hopkins associate research professor in a biomedical engineering program that requires undergraduates to design and build devices to solve pressing medical problems. Allen suggested that Johnston and Lee present the baby-cooling dilemma to biomedical engineering students in the school's Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design.

    The challenge was accepted in 2011 by a team of Whiting School of Engineering undergraduates. With an eye toward simplicity and low cost, the students designed a cooler made of a clay pot and a plastic-lined basket, separated by a layer of sand and urea-based powder. This powder is the type used in instant cold-packs that help reduce swelling. To activate the baby-cooling unit, water is added to the mixture of sand and powder, causing a chemical reaction that draws heat away from the upper basket, which cradles the child. (The chemical would not come into direct contact with the newborn.)

    The unit's batteries power a microprocessor and sensors that track the child's internal and skin temperatures. Small lights flash red if the baby's temperature is too hot, green if the temperature is correct and blue if the child is too cold. By viewing the lights, the baby's nurse or a family member could add water to the sand to increase cooling. If the child is too cool, the caregiver could lift the child away from the chilling surface until the proper temperature is restored.

    Last May, at a student invention showcase organized by the university's Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Cooling Cure team presented its prototype, designed for a full-term newborn weighing up to 9 pounds and measuring up to 18 inches in length. The team won the Linda Trinh Memorial Award, which recognized Cooling Cure as an innovative global health project. In August, two of the student inventors were chosen to visit medical centers in India for a two-week trip sponsored by a group called Medical and Educational Perspectives. The group has also offered modest financial support to advance the Cooling Cure design project.

    In recent months, three of the Cooling Cure's student inventors -- John J. Kim, Nathan Buchbinder and Simon Ammanual -- have opted to move the project forward through animal testing and improvement of the prototype.

    "We've tried to continue this because we've gotten such good feedback from people," said Kim, of Santa Barbara, Calif., a leader of the student team who completed his undergraduate studies in December. "This is a nonprofit project. The main thing we want to do is to make sure that people in developing countries can benefit from this device."

    Fellow team member Buchbinder, a sophomore from Marlboro, N.J., added, "It's not every day that you get to work on a medical device that could save lives and prevent disabilities in kids."

    Working with the Johns Hopkins Technology Transfer staff, the students and their faculty advisors have obtained a provisional patent covering the low-cost baby-cooling unit. In the near future, the student inventors hope to link up with an international medical aid group and begin human clinical trials in a developing region.

    John Kim was lead author of the Medical Devices: Evidence and Research study. The co-authors -- all Johns Hopkins student inventors and faculty advisors -- were Buchbinder, Ammanual, Robert Kim, Erika Moore, Neil O'Donnell, Jennifer K. Lee, Ewa Kulikowicz, Soumyadipta Acharya, Robert H. Allen, Ryan W. Lee and Michael V. Johnston.

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    The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Johns Hopkins, via Newswise.

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    Journal Reference:

    1. John Kim, Buchbinder, Ammanuel, Kim, Moore, O'Donnell, Lee, Kulikowicz, Acharya, Lee, Michael Johnston. Cost-effective therapeutic hypothermia treatment device for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Medical Devices: Evidence and Research, 2013; : 1 DOI: 10.2147/MDER.S39254

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    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/top_news/~3/JLpPv0IMF8Y/130321205303.htm

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