Greek Finance Ministry unveils draft budget 2014

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Economy

Greek Finance Ministry unveiled the draft Budget 2014 on Monday. In the ambitious draft, Athens predicts recession at 4% from 4.6% originally foreseen. A much better figure when compared to 6.5% of 2012. Deputy finance Minister, Christos Staikouras who presented the draft budget, said that the primary surplus will be at 380 million euro in 2013 and 2.8 billion euro in 2014.

Staikouras gave also the official rate of unemployment at 27% and said that it will drop to 26% in 2014.

“The 2014 budget will also foresee a primary surplus of 2.8 billion euros (1.5 percent of GDP), compared to about 300 million euros this year.

The draft budget might also give a better idea of the fiscal gap that Greece faces next year. The Finance Ministry believes it will be about 600 million euros, whereas the troika expects it to be as much as 3 billion euros.

The final version of the budget is due to be submitted to Parliament at the end of November and could contain a number of changes compared to the draft due to be issued on Monday.” (ekathimerini)

While the government claims that there would be no additional austerity measures, the big question is where the 2.8 billion euro surplus will come from – especially the moment that the government hardly proceeds to expenditure cuts.

A not-so-secret present is being currently wrapped by the technocrats of the Greek finance ministry. With love to the Greek taxpayer:  tax hikes to income from rent, tax hikes for free lancers and small enterprises, abolishing tax breaks and stricter taxes for farmers.

As of 1.1.2014 the new taxation system that will go into effect will abolish also the tax free amount of 5,000 euro for annual income.

Nevertheless the budget 2014 has to be approved by the Troika – business as usual….

PS What? the European Union claims as “poor” those with annual income of 7.500 euro? In Greece, they tax also the very poor… Of course. If they don’t cut expenditure, there is no other way than “Taxes and more Taxes”.

 

 

 

Source: http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2013/10/07/greek-finance-ministry-unveils-draft-budget-2014/
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NFL Network Analyst Daniel Jeremiah Discusses The Ravens

(Photo by Ryan S. Burkett / RSB Photography)

NFL Network Analysts and former Ravens scout Daniel Jeremiah joined the Norris and Davis Show on Baltimore?s 105-7 THE FAN Tuesday morning to discuss what he has seen from the Ravens during training camp.? Jeremiah tells that he is pleased with the strength the defense has shown, citing people like Chris Canty as being big additions to the team.? He also brings up his beliefs about the Brandon Stokley signing, saying no one needs to worry about Stokley dropping passes.? He believes Stokley is going to help something the losses of Dennis Pitta and Anquan Boldin.

When asked about the changes on defense this year, Jeremiah believes that they will be infinitely better than the defensive team that played on last year?s Super Bowl team.? He then moves to talking about the Dallas Clark signing, saying most teams are looking to get younger tight ends, so it isn?t a big surprise that Clark was still on the market.

When prompted about the rest of the AFC North, Jeremiah believes that Cincinnati might have the most talent on their 53-man roster in the entire division, even though Joe Flacco has developed faster than Andy Dalton.? The Steelers still could be a problem because their quarterback can make big plays when necessary and play at a high level.? However, Jeremiah thinks there is a big drop off in talent from the three other teams to the Browns,

When asked about Tom Brady, Jeremiah tells that Brady is always going to make everyone around him better, even though most of the receivers are going to be no-names this year.? He claims that Flacco is not quite ready to make everyone around him better, even though he has now won the Super Bowl and is the reigning Super Bowl MVP.? He thinks the Ravens are better suited to be a power football team rather than a passing team.

• NFL Network Analyst Daniel Jeremiah Discusses The Ravens
• 105.7 The Fan

Source: http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/08/13/nfl-network-analyst-daniel-jeremiah-discusses-the-ravens/

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Robert Griffin III: ?Now Is The Window? For NFL Players To Come Out

Robert Griffin III (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) ? In late April, former Net?Jason Collins became the first active male in the four major American professional sports to come out as gay.

There has been speculation that more current athletes will come out in the near future.

In March,?Mike Freeman ? then of CBSSports.com ? wrote that ?a?current gay NFL player is strongly considering coming out publicly within the next few months.?

Then, in early April,?Ravens linebacker?Brendon Ayanbadejo said that up to four NFL players might soon come out on the same day.

Well now we?re in mid-August, and no NFL players have come out as gay.

But Redskins quarterback?Robert Griffin III believes that there are certainly homosexuals in the National Football League, and he?s of the opinion that now is a perfect time for them to come out.

?Yeah, man, I think there are (gay players) right now, and if they?re looking for a window to just come out, I mean, now is the window,? the second-year sensation told GQ,

Though Griffin III is an ardent Christian, he supports his peers expressing themselves and being whoever they want to be.

?My view on it is, yes, I am a Christian, but to each his own,? last year?s?AP Offensive Rookie of the Year told the magazine.??You do what you want to do. If some Christians want to look at being gay as a sin, then thinking about other women, committing adultery ? or any of those other sins that are in the Bible ? those are sins, too. And God looks at all of us the same way.?

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

Source: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/08/13/robert-griffin-iii-now-is-the-window-for-nfl-players-to-come-out/

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North Korea unveils 'native' Android smartphone

North Korea likes to say that it's on the cutting edge, even if it usually isn't -- and that now includes a locally-built smartphone, the AS1201 Arirang. We don't know much about the Android handset, but state media claims that it's made in Pyongyang and ships with a domestically produced app. As you'd imagine, many outside of North Korea are skeptical of the AS1201's supposed roots. While it's difficult to verify North Korea Tech's suspicions that a Chinese firm makes the device on North Korea's behalf, the hardware is using stock Android -- you know, the OS designed by those "capitalist American pig-dogs" at Google. There's also the question of the device's real-world usefulness. As long as North Korea bans mobile internet use, the Ariang won't be much more capable than your typical feature phone.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/12/north-korea-unveils-native-android-smartphone/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Farrah Abraham's Mom Convinced Sex Tape Not Real or Her Fault

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/farrah-abrahams-mom-convinced-sex-tape-not-real-or-her-fault/

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Step up your speaking game in 6 steps - Business Management Daily

If you sense your presentations are falling short of inspirational and failing to rouse others to action, it?s probably time for a tuneup, says career and business advisor Beverly Flaxington, who offers six steps to a more powerful presentation.

1. Answer the ?why?? You need to answer several ?whys? before you can really start preparing your presentation, including why this topic, this timing, this audience.
2. Name the ?who?? You always want to tailor your message to your audience. If you?re speaking to one person or a small group, you can ask what they most want to know to help you structure your presentation.
3. Group your information. Organize the information into smaller themed groups, and then divide your presentation into sections that correspond with those groups.
4. Incorporate some context. You never want to leave your audience asking ?so what?? Present your information with explanations for why it matters to the people with whom you?re speaking.
5. Match your audience?s style. Is it a formal crowd or a more casual group? If you adjust your pace, tone, vocabulary and body language to fit the crowd they will be more receptive to your message. This is especially true when you?re speaking to an individual or small group.
6. Wrap it up with a clear close. Circle back to the top of your speech and end with what you hoped to inspire the audience to do, and make sure they?ve understood that expectation.

? Adapted from ?How can you improve your business presentations?? Beverly Flaxington, SmartBlog on Leadership.

Online resource: For more tips, check out "Tame your fears of public speaking: expert tips."

?

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BlackBerry Q10 comes to Canada on April 30th, U.S. launch still up in the air

"I like small penises," said no women interviewed for an actually scientific study released Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, or PNAS. Yes, PNAS is a funny sounding acronym, and, yes, PNAS has found that size does matter ? and that women prefer "showers" to "growers."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blackberry-q10-comes-canada-april-30th-u-launch-213152134.html

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?Game Of Thrones? Star Lena Headey Destitute?

“Game Of Thrones” Star Lena Headey Destitute?

Actress Lena Headey, who plays Queen Cersei in the popular HBO series “Game of Thrones”, has revealed that she is flat broke and relying on a legal settlement with her estranged husband for money. Headey claims she she has “less than $5 in her bank account” and barely getting by financially. How can this be? ...

“Game Of Thrones” Star Lena Headey Destitute? Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/04/game-of-thrones-star-lena-headey-destitute/

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Venezuela's Maduro says campaign sabotage suspects arrested

By Daniel Wallis and Marianna Parraga

CARACAS (Reuters) - Acting President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday that Venezuelan authorities have arrested several people suspected of plotting to sabotage one of his campaign rallies before an April 14 election by cutting the power.

Both sides have accused the other of dirty tricks during a bitter run-up to the vote to choose the successor to late socialist leader Hugo Chavez. Opinion polls give Maduro a double-digit lead over his opposition rival, Henrique Capriles.

"We've captured some of the saboteurs. ... One was caught red-handed," Maduro said in a televised meeting with commanders of the armed forces.

His late boss often dramatically unveiled alleged plots against his government, ranging from infrastructure sabotage to assassination plans.

"They were going to cut the electricity to the whole of Merida (state) while I was at the rally," Maduro added.

"Who is directing this war against our country? ... There are two options here: you are either for the fatherland or you're against it."

Maduro, who visited Merida on Wednesday, gave no other details about the arrests. He has ordered the military to tighten security at electricity installations.

Both sides are courting the military, which will play an important role in next Sunday's election by guarding the voting materials and polling centers.

Defense Minister Diego Molero has made statements pledging the loyalty of the armed forces to Maduro - something Capriles complains is unconstitutional.

Campaigning on the Caribbean island of Margarita this week, Capriles said it was the duty of the armed forces to protect the will of the people on April 14.

He frequently says soldiers suffer from many of the same daily problems that trouble all Venezuelans: high crime rates, inflation, and poor public services.

The vote in the South American OPEC member of 29 million people will decide not only the future of "Chavismo" socialism but also control of the world's biggest oil reserves and economic aid to a handful of left-leaning nations round the region.

The government held a ceremony at a military barracks on a Caracas hilltop to mark the exact one-month anniversary of Chavez's death from cancer. Soldiers played bugles and fired cannons in honor of the leader who was seen as a savior by millions but derided as an autocrat by his critics.

Maduro stood with top government officials and members of Chavez's family beside a marble sarcophagus where the former president's remains are encased.

FRAUD CLAIMS?

Capriles has also said that if he wins he will end "Cuban meddling" in the military. During his 14 years in power, Chavez forged close ties with communist-led Havana.

Capriles has demanded an explanation from the electoral authorities after the opposition said an audit of the voting system by both sides revealed the ruling Socialist Party had a confidential code to open 45,000 electronic polling machines.

Government officials say such allegations were laying the ground for the opposition to invent fraud claims after the vote, and that the code was only used for maintenance.

As the election nears, Capriles has gone on the attack against Maduro and his top officials, accusing them of being only "skin-deep" socialists who pay lip service to Chavez's ideology but are more interested in lining their pockets.

The government paints him as the puppet of a rich and venal Venezuelan elite and its "imperialist" friends in Washington.

On Friday, dozens of writers, artists and musicians attended an upbeat Capriles rally at a theater in a well-off Caracas neighborhood, taking the stage to sing, tell stories and read out messages calling for political change.

"I don't want this to end like this: a meeting between friends where we take some photos of each other and that's it," Capriles said, wearing a baseball cap and track suit top in the colors of the Venezuelan flag.

"I need this to go further. We have a historic opportunity."

(Additional reporting by Eyanir Chinea and Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Philip Barbara)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/venezuelas-maduro-says-campaign-sabotage-suspects-arrested-194730013.html

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Weight Watchers Announces Debt Refinancing - Franchising.com

NEW YORK - April 2, 2013 // PRNewswire // - Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) today announced that it has successfully refinanced its long-term debt. Weight Watchers used the proceeds from its new term loans to pay off the outstanding borrowings under its previous term loans and revolving credit facilities.

Mr. Nicholas Hotchkin , Chief Financial Officer of the Company, commenting on the refinancing noted, "As we have indicated before, we are always open to ways to further optimize our capital structure. Our decision to refinance was driven by a unique opportunity to take advantage of robust debt market conditions so that we have greater flexibility to execute our long-term strategic growth agenda, which includes B2B and healthcare as well as opportunistic franchise acquisitions."

As part of the transaction, the Company's term debt remains $2.4 billion in aggregate principal amount but consists of a new seven year $2.1 billion institutional term loan with an interest rate of LIBOR + 300bp with a 75bp LIBOR floor and a new three year $0.3 billion institutional term loan with an interest rate of LIBOR + 275bp and no floor. The new term loans have a "covenant-lite" structure, a repayment schedule of 1% of principal per annum prior to maturity and are fully pre-payable. This represents a multi-year extension on the maturity dates from the Company's previous term loan facilities.

In addition, the Company also announced a new $250 million revolving credit facility with a maturity date of April 2018. Borrowings under the new revolving credit facility will bear interest at rates determined by leverage levels. At the Company's current leverage level, borrowings under the new revolving credit facility will bear interest at a rate of LIBOR + 225bp.

Accordingly, Weight Watchers announced today that it will prepay its Term B Loan due 2014, Term C Loan due 2015, Term D Loan due 2016, Term E Loan due 2017 and Term F Loan due 2019 with the proceeds from this transaction. All term loans will be prepaid at par.

The Company expects the annualized impact of the new capital structure to be approximately an incremental $18.0 million of interest expense or $0.20 per fully diluted share. For 2013, the partial year impact is expected to be approximately $14.0 million or $0.15 per fully diluted share of incremental interest expense versus previous expectations. There will also be a one-time charge associated with the partial write-off of prior refinancing fees which is excluded from the above provided interest expense outlook.

Hotchkin continued, "We are pleased with the strong demonstration of support from the banking and institutional loan community with regard to the strength of our business and strategic outlook. Further, we now also have greater visibility into the anticipated benefits of our cost savings initiative such that we believe these savings will more than offset the new and higher expected 2013 interest expense. We intend to update investors more broadly on our 2013 outlook when we report earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2013 in early May."

About Weight Watchers International, Inc.

Weight Watchers International, Inc. is the world's leading provider of weight management services, operating globally through a network of Company-owned and franchise operations. Weight Watchers holds over 40,000 meetings each week where members receive group support and learn about healthy eating patterns, behavior modification and physical activity. WeightWatchers.com provides innovative, subscription weight management products over the Internet and is the leading Internet-based weight management provider in the world. In addition, Weight Watchers offers a wide range of products, publications and programs for those interested in weight loss and weight control.

This news release and any attachments include "forward-looking statements," within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including, in particular, earnings guidance and any statements about the Company's plans, strategies and prospects. The Company generally uses the words "may," "will," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "plan," "intend" and similar expressions in this news release and any attachments to identify forward-looking statements. The Company bases these forward-looking statements on its current views with respect to future events and financial performance. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, among other things: competition from other weight management industry participants or the development of more effective or more favorably perceived weight management methods; the Company's ability to continue to develop innovative new services and products and enhance its existing services and products, or the failure of its services and products to continue to appeal to the market; the effectiveness of the Company's marketing and advertising programs; the impact on the Weight Watchers brand of actions taken by the Company's franchisees, licensees and suppliers; risks and uncertainties associated with the Company's international operations, including economic, political and social risks and foreign currency risks; the Company's ability to successfully make acquisitions or enter into joint ventures, including its ability to successfully integrate, operate or realize the projected benefits of such businesses; uncertainties related to a downturn in general economic conditions or consumer confidence; the seasonal nature of the Company's business; the impact of events that discourage or impede people from gathering with others or accessing resources; the Company's ability to enforce its intellectual property rights both domestically and internationally, as well as the impact of its involvement in any claims related to intellectual property rights; uncertainties regarding the satisfactory operation of the Company's information technology or systems; the impact of security breaches or privacy concerns; the impact of disputes with the Company's franchise operators; the impact of existing and future laws and regulations; the impact of the Company's debt service obligations and restrictive debt covenants; the possibility that the interests of the Company's majority owner will conflict with the other holders of the Company's common stock; and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. You should understand that many important factors, including those discussed herein, could cause the Company's results to differ materially from those expressed or suggested in any forward-looking statement. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements to reflect new information or events or circumstances that occur after the date of this news release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or otherwise. Readers are advised to review the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (which are available from the SEC's EDGAR database at www.sec.gov, at various SEC reference facilities in the United States and via the Company's website at www.weightwatchersinternational.com).

Investor Contacts:

Weight Watchers International, Inc.
Lori Scherwin
Investor Relations
(212) 589-2713

Brainerd Communicators, Inc.
Corey Kinger
(212) 986-6667

SOURCE Weight Watchers International, Inc.

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Source: http://www.franchising.com/news/20130403_weight_watchers_announces_debt_refinancing.html

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Don't call it vaporware: Scientists use cloud of atoms as optical memory device

Apr. 3, 2013 ? Talk about storing data in the cloud. Scientists at the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland have taken this to a whole new level by demonstrating* that they can store visual images within quite an ethereal memory device -- a thin vapor of rubidium atoms. The effort may prove helpful in creating memory for quantum computers.

Their work builds on an approach developed at the Australian National University, where scientists showed that a rubidium vapor could be manipulated in interesting ways using magnetic fields and lasers. The vapor is contained in a small tube and magnetized, and a laser pulse made up of multiple light frequencies is fired through the tube. The energy level of each rubidium atom changes depending on which frequency strikes it, and these changes within the vapor become a sort of fingerprint of the pulse's characteristics. If the field's orientation is flipped, a second pulse fired through the vapor takes on the exact characteristics of the first pulse -- in essence, a readout of the fingerprint.

"With our paper, we've taken this same idea and applied it to storing an image -- basically moving up from storing a single 'pixel' of light information to about a hundred," says Paul Lett, a physicist with JQI and NIST's Quantum Measurement Division. "By modifying their technique, we have been able to store a simple image in the vapor and extract pieces of it at different times."

It's a dramatic increase in the amount of information that can be stored and manipulated with this approach. But because atoms in a vapor are always in motion, the image can only be stored for about 10 milliseconds, and in any case the modifications the team made to the original technique introduce too much noise into the laser signal to make the improvements practically useful. So, should the term vaporware be applied here after all? Not quite, says Lett -- because the whole point of the effort was not to build a device for market, but to learn more about how to create memory for next-generation quantum computers.

"What we've done here is store an image using classical physics. However, the ultimate goal is to store quantum information, which a quantum computer will need," he says. "Measuring what the rubidium atoms do as we manipulate them is teaching us how we might use them as quantum bits and what problems those bits might present. This way, when someone builds a solid-state system for a finished computer, we'll know how to handle them more effectively."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Jeremy B Clark, Quentin Glorieux, Paul D Lett. Spatially addressable readout and erasure of an image in a gradient echo memory. New Journal of Physics, 2013; 15 (3): 035005 DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/15/3/035005

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/caDEXIsffb0/130404092829.htm

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Human infection with influenza A(H7N9) in China

Apr. 4, 2013 ? On 3 April 2013, the China Health and Family Planning Commission notified WHO of an additional four cases of human infection with influenza A(H7N9). The four patients are from Jiangsu province in eastern China. There is no link between the cases.

The patients include a 45-year-old woman with illness onset on 19 March 2013; a 48-year-old woman with illness onset on 19 March 2013; an 83-year-old man with illness onset on 20 March 2013; and a 32-year-old woman with illness onset on 21 March 2013. All of these patients are in a critical condition.

To date, the total number of confirmed cases of human infection with influenza A(H7N9) virus in China is seven. Three confirmed cases were reported earlier from Shanghai and Anhui provinces, including two deaths.

More than 160 close contacts of these four cases in Jiangsu province are being closely monitored. Thus far, none of them have developed any symptoms of illness. Retrospective investigation is ongoing into two contacts of one of the cases reported earlier from Shanghai. Both of these contacts developed symptoms of illness; one died and the other recovered. No laboratory confirmation is available for these two contacts.

The Chinese government is actively investigating this event and has heightened disease surveillance for early detection, diagnosis and treatment. Infection prevention and control has been strengthened in health-care settings. Communication efforts between human and animal health and industry sectors have increased. The government has advised the population to maintain good personal hygiene, including frequent handwashing and avoiding direct contact with sick or dead animals.

WHO is in contact with national authorities and is following the event closely. The WHO-coordinated international response is also focusing on work with WHO Collaborating Centres for Reference and Research on Influenza and other partners to ensure that information is available and that materials are developed for diagnosis and treatment and vaccine development. No vaccine is currently available for this subtype of the influenza virus. Preliminary test results provided by the WHO Collaborating Centre in China suggest that the virus is susceptible to the neuraminidase inhibitors (oseltamivir and zanamivir).

At this time there is no evidence of ongoing human-to-human transmission.

WHO does not advise special screening at points of entry with regard to this event, nor does it recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by World Health Organization.

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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/top_news/~3/4egK-Uagf6g/130404073553.htm

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Martin Luther King's 'Letter From Birmingham Jail' (Atlantic Politics Channel)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/296710950?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Celebs Without Makeup: See Demi Lovato & More!

The X Factor judge is the latest celeb to go makeup-free! Take a look at more stars who have shared their au naturel looks.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/celebrities-without-makeup-photos/1-b-459007?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Acelebrities-without-makeup-photos-459007

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Same-day water pollution test could keep beaches open more often

Apr. 3, 2013 ? With warm summer days at the beach on the minds of millions of winter-weary people, scientists are reporting that use of a new water quality test this year could prevent unnecessary beach closures while better protecting the health of swimmers. A study analyzing the accuracy of the test appears in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Meredith B. Nevers and colleagues point out that decisions on whether water is safe for recreational use have been based on tests that actually show the condition of water in the past. Those tests involve sampling water for the E. coli bacteria used as red flags for fecal contamination, putting the samples in culture dishes and waiting to see if any bacteria grow. As a result, managers might close a beach based on fecal contamination that existed in the past, but posed no current threat. Likewise, they might keep a contaminated beach open because the water was clean in the past.

They describe analysis and validation of a new rapid water-quality test that could prevent beaches from being closed by providing accurate, same-day results of bacteria levels. Developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the test's same-day results could help managers across the country determine whether beaches are safe for swimming.

The authors acknowledge funding from USGS Great Lakes Science Center

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Chemical Society.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Meredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli, Richard L. Whitman. Choices in Recreational Water Quality Monitoring: New Opportunities and Health Risk Trade-Offs. Environmental Science & Technology, 2013; 130318093351008 DOI: 10.1021/es304408y

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/7p17p7d-lVY/130403104220.htm

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Georges St-Pierre?s camp says he beat Nick Diaz with an injured Achilles tendon

The UFC gave a backstage look at Georges St-Pierre's win over Nick Diaz at UFC 158, complete with an adorable shot at the end of GSP high-fiving a young fan who was dressed like the champ from head to toe.

According the GSP's trainer, Firas Zahabi, it's a fight the UFC welterweight champion went through with despite an injury. Zahabi said GSP injured his Achilles tendon during training for the fight, and it may have worsened during the bout.

"I was worried it would tear during the fight," Zahabi told MMAFighting.com. "We had to cut his last sparring [session] short due to his injury. He had a week to rest it and then the fight."

Does finding out that GSP was injured changed your opinion of his performance? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Friends Junior dos Santos and 'Big Foot' Silva ready to fight if UFC title is at stake
? Timothy Bradley managed to change public opinion with thrilling fight tactic
? Photo gallery: Best action from the NCAA tournament
? Flurry of offseason departures not new to Ravens

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/georges-st-pierre-camp-says-beat-nick-diaz-132833374--mma.html

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Study could aid development of new drugs to treat gout

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Findings from a Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study could lead to the development of new drugs to treat gout.

The study, led by Liang Qiao, MD, and his colleagues and collaborators, was published March 19 in the journal Nature Communications.

Gout is caused by a buildup of uric acid around joints, typically the big toe, knee or ankles. The immune system revs up to attack uric acid salt crystals, and this immune response causes painful inflammation.

The innate immune response is mainly activated by calcium that enters a macrophage immune cell through an opening called the calcium channel. There are several types of calcium channels. Researchers found that a particular type of calcium channel, called TRPM2, is responsible for initiating the immune response. (TRPM2 stands for transient receptor potential melastatin 2.)

In lab mice, study collaborators from Japan knocked out a gene that is responsible for this calcium channel. Qiao's team then exposed these "knockout" mice and a comparison group of normal mice to uric acid salt crystals and to a liposome, a compound that also causes inflammation. They found that inflammation was significantly lower in the knockout mice that lacked the TRPM2 calcium channel. They therefore concluded that disabling the TRPM2 calcium channel could be key to reducing painful inflammation from gout.

The next step will be to design a compound that would block the TRPM2 calcium channel, and then test how well this compound reduces inflammation in an animal model.

The study's findings might also apply to Alzheimer's disease and arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). These two diseases, like gout, have been linked to inflammation. And it is possible that the TRPM2 calcium channel may be key to initiating the inflammatory response in these two diseases as well. But this has not been proven yet, Qiao said.

The study also could aid in the development of new vaccines. Researchers elsewhere are studying whether liposomes could serve as more effective adjuvants in new vaccines. (An adjuvant is the component in a vaccine that stimulates the immune system to attack a pathogen such as a virus or bacterium). The Loyola study found that only liposomes with either a positive or a negative electric charge are effective in stimulating the immune system.

Liposomes with a neutral charge did not stimulate the immune system.

Qiao, senior author of the study, is a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Co-authors of the study are Zhenyu Zhong (first author, significant contributor), Yougang Zhai, Shuang Liang and Renzhi Han, all of Loyola University Chicago; Yasou Mori of Kyoto University in Japan; and Fayyaz S. Sutterwala of the University of Iowa.

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Loyola University Health System: http://www.luhs.org

Thanks to Loyola University Health System for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127370/Study_could_aid_development_of_new_drugs_to_treat_gout

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Eric Schmidt says Google Now for iOS hinges upon Apple

Sometimes, it's what you don't say that matters. When asked at Google's Big Tent Summit about when Google Now might show on the iPhone, the company's Eric Schmidt told a questioner that he'll "need to discuss that with Apple," and that there was no certainty Apple would approve what Google sent. Conspicuously non-committal? You bet -- but the statement also suggests that a Google Now release is just a question of whether or not Apple gives the thumbs up, not whether the iOS port exists at all. We'd add that the remarks sound eerily familiar. Schmidt was saying similar things about Apple's responsibility when he downplayed the odds of a stand-alone Google Maps release for iOS, and we all know how that turned out. Skip forward to about 17:50 in the video at the source link for Schmidt's own words.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Apple, Google

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: NDTV

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/21/eric-schmidt-says-google-now-for-ios-hinges-upon-apple/

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It?s All in the Nerves: How to Really Treat Depression

Exercise, Prozac and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may ultimately relieve depression in the same way.

That?s what the latest research, conducted on mice, suggests, and the scientists are encouraged that similar processes are at work in the human brain as well. According to the findings, published in the journals Cell Stem Cell and Molecular Psychiatry, all of these therapies can spur the growth of brain cells. And it seems that such neurogenesis, which perhaps results from changes in levels of brain chemicals like serotonin, can lift the symptoms of depression.

Since the mid-1990s, researchers have been piecing together a theory of depression that accounts for the seemingly disparate triggers of the mental illness, as well as the variety of treatments that seem to counteract the negative mood.

And so far, this is what they believe: extreme or uncontrollable stress, particularly early in life, can lead to excessive release of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain.? At these high levels, glutamate can damage or even kill certain cells in the hippocampus, a region known for its role in memory.? This can lead to a thinning of the neural network in this area, which contributes to depression for reasons that are not yet clear. But antidepressant treatments all seem to promote the birth of new brain cells in that part of the brain.

Moreover, ?It?s not just growth of new nerve cells [in this region],? says Bruce McEwen, professor of neuroscience at Rockefeller University,??There?s also plasticity of nerve cells all over the brain? that is ongoing and can be facilitated or blocked.? ?These changes may start in the hippocampus, where new cells can be born, but older cells can be revitalized elsewhere as well, perhaps even changing the circuit of nerve activity that keeps people stuck in depressive thoughts and feelings.

MORE:?Antidepressants: Are They Effective or Just a Placebo?

Now, Hongjun Song, professor of neurology and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University, documents how disparate treatments, from exercise to antidepressants that manipulate serotonin levels, and even electrical stimulation of certain brain regions, can ultimately trigger this nerve growth that fights depression.

The brain must maintain a delicate balance, with complex chains of signals keeping various opposing processes in check.? One protein that stymies the growth of brain cells, sFRP3, is useful in controlling cell growth from getting out of hand, but could be harmful if it hampers necessary growth. Working with mice, Song and his colleagues showed that antidepressant medications, ECT and exercise all affect levels of sFRP3.

?If you treat with different classes of antidepressants or ECT, they all lead to changes in expression of sFRP3,? says Song, who studied Prozac (fluoxetine), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and imipramine, an antidepressant in another class of drugs called tricyclics, which regulate multiple neurotransmitters.? The research showed that these drugs reduced levels of sFRP3 levels in the hippocampus, which allowed new cells and connections to grow.

To further confirm the effect of sFRP3 on depression, Song and his colleagues also genetically engineered mice without the sFRP3 protein; these animals were less likely to show depressive responses when they were forced to swim until exhaustion, an indication that they were less prone to experiencing the negative mood state.

The research also found that in human patients, genes associated with the protein affected how long it took depressed people to respond to medication. Taken together, the latest data suggests that presence of elevated levels of sFRP3 protein may increase vulnerability to depression by preventing new nerve cells from growing in the hippocampal region.?Similarly, mice given ECT, and those that exercised regularly, also showed lower levels of sFRP3.

MORE:?Ketamine: Leading the Way Toward Fast-Acting Antidepressants

So how do things as different as ECT, drugs and exercise change the same protein? They all?affected a single type of cell in?the hippocampus, known as granule cells.? ?What matters is that you want to activate [these] granule cells,? says Song.??If the animals do running, that leads to firing of those neurons,? he says, explaining that all of the other treatments did so as well.

Further studies are needed to confirm whether consistently high levels of the protein increase the likelihood of depression in human patients, but if that?s the case, then activating granule cells, by way of suppressing the release of sFRP3, might be a promising new way of treating depression. So far, ?no drugs are known [to affect it directly],? says Song, ?The next step is trying to find an approach where we can modulate the function of sFRP3 as an antidepressant.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nerves-really-treat-depression-190012361.html

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Supreme Court upholds sale of used textbooks

Pete Williams, NBC News Justice Correspondent , NBC News ? ? ? 20 hrs.

The millions of Americans who sell used items on eBay and at garage sales, flea markets or church raffles got a big victory Tuesday in the U.S. Supreme Court.

The court ruled that copyrighted items made overseas -- and that includes not only books but also CDs, DVDs, computers, watches and anything else with copyrighted material in it -- are covered by a federal law that says a person who buys such a product is free to turn around and sell it.

The ruling came in a case involving Supap Kirtsaeng, a student from Thailand who was surprised by the high cost of academic textbooks when he arrived in the U.S. to attend c ollege. He asked his parents to search bookstores back home and send him much cheaper English language versions -- published overseas and sold at a fraction of the price -- of the same texts.

He was soon running what amounted to a small business out of his apartment, helping to pay his way through school by selling textbooks on eBay. The exact amount of his profit is unclear, but court records say it was around $100,000.

The publisher of some of the books he sold, John Wiley & Sons, sued him in federal court, and a New York jury ordered him in 2009 to pay $600,000 in damages. When he said he had nowhere near that kind of money, he had to hand over personal property, including his computer, printer and golf clubs. A federal appeals court upheld the verdict.

A law known as the the first-sale doctrine says if you buy the latest novel, you can then sell it on a website or give it away to the church library without violating copyright laws. A who's who of companies and groups involved in selling used merchandise had urged the Supreme Court to rule that the doctrine applied to goods made overseas.

The court ruled 6-3 that it does. The opinion, written by Justice Stephen Breyer, said that's what Congress intended and that's what the law has long been understood to mean.

"Reliance upon the 'first sale' doctrine is deeply embedded in the practices of those, such as booksellers, libraries, museums, and retailers, who have long relied upon its protection," Breyer wrote.

A contrary ruling, he said, "would prevent the resale of, say, a car, without the permission of the holder of each piece of copyrighted automobile software."

EBay warned that a ruling in favor of the publisher would have been a blow to "trade, consumers, secondary markets, e-commerce, small businesses and jobs." Goodwill Industries said such an outcome would have had "a catastrophic effect on the viability of the secondary market and, consequently, on Goodwill's ability to provide needed community-based services."

"There are enough copyright owners out there -- and enough crazy copyright lawsuits," said a group of book store operators in a friend of court brief. "No one should be put to the choice of violating the law and hoping they don't get caught, and losing their business."

The Software & Information Industry Association, the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries, said in a statement that it is "strongly disappointed" by the ruling.

"Today?s decision will create a strong disincentive for publishers to market different versions and sell copies at different prices in different regions," the statement said. "The practical result may very well be that consumers and students abroad will see dramatic price increases or entirely lose their access to valuable U.S. resources created specifically for them.

?American publishers will face direct harm, because our markets will be open to a flood of copyrighted material that was intended for purchase overseas. By exploiting pricing models that are meant for students in undeveloped nations, importers both deny those students a full education, and threaten American publishers? ability to do business abroad.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/supreme-court-backs-student-dispute-over-used-textbook-sales-1C8932489

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Fallon reportedly replacing Leno, moving to NY

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? As Jay Leno lobs potshots at ratings-challenged NBC in his "Tonight" monologues, speculation is swirling the network is taking steps to replace the host with Jimmy Fallon next year and move the show from Burbank to New York.

NBC confirmed Wednesday it's creating a new studio for Fallon in New York, where he hosts "Late Night." But the network did not comment on a report that the digs at its Rockefeller Plaza headquarters may become home to a transplanted, Fallon-hosted "Tonight."

The New York Times reported the plan in a Wednesday story, citing unidentified network executives. The Hollywood Reporter had a March 1 report about a Fallon-Leno switch, which was denied by the network.

Looming over NBC is its messy, failed effort to replace Leno with Conan O'Brien, which ended in 2010 with Leno regaining "Tonight" and NBC losing O'Brien ? who got a $45 million exit deal ? to TBS. Leno's current "Tonight" contract expires in September of 2014.

That occurred under a different regime, before NBCUniversal was taken over by Philadelphia-based Comcast Corp., which has a reputation for discipline. While NBC dithered and backtracked on its "Tonight" succession plan involving O'Brien, Comcast is likely to be more decisive.

"I don't know if it's possible to have a less orderly transition than Leno-O'Brien," said analyst Brad Adgate of media-buying firm Horizon Media.

Fallon contacted Leno in an effort to help smooth the potential switch, according to a Hollywood Reporter story Wednesday.

The latest roiling of the late-night waters began in January when ABC moved "Jimmy Kimmel Live" back to 11:35 p.m. Eastern to offer direct competition to Leno and CBS' David Letterman.

With the potential for Kimmel, 45, to draw advertiser-favored young viewers away from Leno (62) and Letterman (65), it's unsurprising that their networks might step up their succession planning.

At 38, Fallon is the youngest of the pack.

Leno, who took over "Tonight" from Johnny Carson in 1992, did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment. But he might be taking advantage of other ways to communicate ? the "Tonight" stage and its audience of millions.

Although late-night hosts are known for needling their network bosses on-air, the timing of Leno's latest jabs at NBC seemed to make the network particularly uncomfortable. They reportedly asked him to stop; he hasn't.

"You know the whole legend of St. Patrick, right? St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland ? and then they came to the United States and became NBC executives," Leno joked on Monday's show.

On Tuesday, he played off a news report about a Serbian woman with a rare brain condition that causes her to see the world upside down: "Isn't that crazy? It's unbelievable. She sees everything upside down. In fact, she thinks NBC is at the top of the ratings."

Leno, who briefly moved to prime-time to make room for O'Brien, has proved himself a wily survivor. Despite the challenge from Kimmel, he and "Tonight" have remained top-rated so far.

But if a change is destined, NBC could be eying next year's Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, as a premium launch pad for a revamped "Tonight," analyst Adgate said.

"If they're going to do it, it makes sense to do it when NBC is dominating television for 17 days," he said, and can heavily promote the "Tonight" switch. "They could have Fallon in Sochi, talking it up."

In the April issue of GQ magazine, "Late Night" producer Lorne Michaels ("Saturday Night Live") said a transition to Fallon had "an inevitability to it," adding that he was the closest to Carson that I've seen of this generation."

___

Online:

http:/www.nbc.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fallon-reportedly-replacing-leno-moving-ny-003357384.html

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Smartwatch Wars: Samsung Fires Shot Across Apple's Bow

Samsung has had a smartwatch in the works for a long time, according to Lee Young Hee, EVP for the company's mobile business, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. He didn't say what exactly the wearable wrist device might offer feature-wise, but the public acknowledgment suggests this could be the next highly contested arena for new gizmos.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/29c807c6/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C775770Bhtml/story01.htm

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March Madness 2013: wilder than usual?

In this file photo, Louisville's Peyton Siva (3) celebrates with teammates after an NCAA college basketball championship game against Syracuse at the Big East Conference tournament in New York last Saturday. (Frank Franklin II/AP/File)

The University of Louisville is the tournament's overall top seed and No. 1 seed in the Midwest region. The Cardinals have a 29-5 record after capturing a portion of the Big East regular season title and winning the conference tournament. The University of Kansas, at 29-5, is the South region's top seed by virtue of sharing the Big 12 conference regular season title and winning the conference tournament championship. In the West region, Gonzaga is the No. 1 seed after compiling a 31-2 mark and winning the West Coast conference tournament. Finally in the East region, Indiana is the number one seed. The Hoosiers, at 27-6, were the Big Ten regular season champions, and ranked No. 1 in the country for several weeks during the college basketball season.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/R-CqoqB-1BY/March-Madness-2013-wilder-than-usual

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Global rise in type 1 diabetes may be linked to reduced exposure to pathogens in early life

Mar. 19, 2013 ? Countries with lower mortality from infectious disease exhibit higher rates of type 1 diabetes, according to a new study by Dr. A. Abela and Professor S. Fava of the University of Malta. The findings, collating data from three major international studies and presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Harrogate UK, suggest that the as yet unexplained global rise in type 1 diabetes may be linked to reduced exposure to pathogens in early life.

Type 1 diabetes is caused when the immune system destroys the cells of the pancreas that release insulin, leaving the patient unable to control his own blood sugar. It is estimated to affect around half a million children worldwide, increasing in incidence by an estimated 3% every year. This increase is well documented and is linked to the developed world, but is so far unexplained -- various theories put forward include the 'hygiene hypothesis', which suggests that encounters between the developing immune system and micro-organisms such as bacteria and parasites are part of human evolution and may therefore protect against the development of auto-immunity.

The researchers investigated whether markers of infectious disease burden could be linked to the local incidence of type 1 diabetes. They used data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) DiaMond Project, WHO global burden of disease: 2004 update, and the Alexander Project, to correlate type 1 diabetes incidence by country with mortality from infectious disease and bacterial antibiotic susceptibility (which indicates antibiotic use and thus exposure to bacterial infection).

Type 1 diabetes rates were highest in countries with low mortality from infectious disease. This was true for total mortality from infectious disease (r=-0.35, p=0.008), as well as deaths caused specifically by diarrhea, respiratory disease, tuberculosis, and infections and parasitic disease (all p<0.05). They also found type 1 diabetes rates are significantly associated with the local susceptibility of the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae to all antibiotics studied.

This study suggests that there may be an association between type 1 diabetes rates and infectious disease burden. It is possible that the increasing global incidence of type 1 diabetes may be linked to lack of exposure to pathogens during early life. Whilst the data provide support for the hygiene hypothesis they do not prove it: the rise in type 1 diabetes rates is a complex problem and this study is of association only. Other potential contributing factors may show a similar geographical variation to infectious disease burden, as this is linked to the developed world. The authors are keen to use further studies to identify other environmental factors which may predispose to type 1 diabetes.

Study leader Professor Stephen Fava, Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology at Mater Dei Hospital, Malta & Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Malta, said:

"The global rise in type 1 diabetes is an unexplained phenomenon. Many suggest that the exposure, or rather the lack of exposure, to infectious disease when young might be linked to the development of autoimmunity.

"Our data show that type 1 diabetes rates were highest in countries where markers of exposure to infectious disease were lowest. Incidence of type 1 diabetes was significantly linked to mortality from a variety of infectious diseases and to the local susceptibility of a common bacterium to antibiotics.

"These data provide support for the notion that the immune system can somehow become disordered and attack the body's own cells if it is not trained by regular exposure to micro-organisms -- the so called hygiene hypothesis. More research is needed to try to identify other environmental factors that may be linked to the continuing conundrum of rising type 1 diabetes rates."

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

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Alexia-Giovanna Abela, Stephen Fava. Association of the incidence of type 1 diabetes with markers of infection and antibiotic susceptibility at country level. Endocrine Abstracts, 2013; : 1 DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.31.P223

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/top_news/top_health/~3/uvas5-Loy9c/130318203334.htm

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Rockefeller impostor on trial for murder

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? After 27 years, the murder trial of a man who posed as a member of the fabled Rockefeller family is getting under way with opening statements to the jury.

Seven women and five men were selected to as the jury to begin hearing the case Monday of Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter (GAYR'-hahrtz-ry-tur). He was known for 20 years as Clark Rockefeller. He says he is not guilty of the cold case killing of John Sohus.

Sohus disappeared with his wife, Linda, in 1985 while Gerhartsreiter was a tenant at the home of Sohus' mother.

The prosecution's case is circumstantial, based on a bag of bones found buried at the property and fuzzy memories of San Marino residents who knew the defendant.

The defense says there was no motive for the defendant to kill anyone. Linda Sohus vanished without a trace.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rockefeller-impostor-trial-murder-164839225.html

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Show mercy, don't rush to condemn, new pope urges

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, speaking to an overflow crowd of more than 150,000 in St Peter's Square, urged the world on Sunday to be more forgiving and merciful and not so quick to condemn other people's failures.

"A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just," he told the cheering crowd from the window of the papal apartments overlooking the square.

Four days after his election, the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina spoke both as pope and as parish priest -earlier he said Mass for a few hundred Vatican workers in a tiny church just inside the city-state's walls.

Chants of "Francesco, Francesco, Francesco," the pope's name in Italian, reverberated through the square and down a long boulevard leading to the Tiber River.

Since his election on Wednesday as the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years, Francis has signaled a sharp change of style from his more aloof predecessor, Benedict, and laid out a clear moral path for the 1.2-billion-member Church, which is beset by scandals, intrigue and strife.

"Brothers and sisters, good morning," he said, using a familiar style that has already become his hallmark.

He wove his address from the window as well as his earlier homily around the Gospel story of the crowd that wanted to stone a woman who had committed adultery but was saved by Jesus.

Jesus told them "let he among you who is without sin, cast the first stone" and then told the woman "go and sin no more".

"I think even we are sometimes like these people, who on the one hand want to listen to Jesus, but on the other hand, sometimes we like to stone others and condemn others. The message of Jesus is this: mercy," he said at the morning Mass.

"I came because I love this pope," said Anna Barone, an elderly woman from southern Italy as she craned her neck to get a glimpse of him.

"I hope this means a better future for the Church. He seems to have good intentions. I hope they let him make changes. The Church must be poor in spirit, not just in material goods. It has to get closer to the people. I am very hopeful," she said.

In a sign of appreciation that he had taken his name from St. Francis of Assisi, who preached to animals and defended nature, a group held up a banner reading: "Animal lovers and animals thank the pope".

BE OPEN TO MERCY

In both his address and homily, the pope said people should be open to God's mercy, even those who have committed grave sins.

"The Lord never tires of forgiving, never! It is we who tire of asking for forgiveness," he said at the Mass.

The crowd in the square laughed when he mentioned a book by German Cardinal Walter Kasper.

"I liked that book a lot but don't think I am trying to advertise books by my cardinals," he said.

Before he entered the tiny church of Santa Anna for the morning Mass, Francis stopped to greet well-wishers who had lined up outside a nearby Vatican gate.

He chatted and laughed with many of them before pointing to his black plastic wrist watch and saying: "It's almost 10 o'clock. I have to go inside to say Mass. They are waiting for me."

Inside, he wore the purple vestments of the liturgical season of Lent, which ends in two weeks on Easter Sunday.

At the end of the Mass, he waited outside the church and greeted people as they left the building, like a parish priest, asking many of them: "Pray for me".

His last words before he left the window were: "Have a nice Sunday and have a nice lunch".

(Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mass-vatican-parish-pope-francis-says-dont-condemn-104559215.html

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