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Eurozone ministers agree on 10 billion-euro bailout package for Cyprus

Clyde K. Valle
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Eurozone ministers agree on 10 billion-euro bailout package for Cyprus

Finance ministers from eurozone have agreed a 10 billion-euro ($13 billion) bailout package for Cyprus to save the country from bankruptcy.

The deal was reached after talks in Brussels between the ministers and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In return, Cyprus is being asked to trim its deficit, shrink its banking sector and increase taxes.

For the first time in a eurozone bailout, bank depositors are facing a levy on their savings.

Cyprus’ banks were badly exposed to Greece, which has itself been the recipient of two huge bailouts.

“The Eurogroup was able to reach a political agreement with the Cypriot authorities on the cornerstones of this agreement,” Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem said after almost 10 hours of the negotiations.

“The assistance is warranted to safeguard financial stability in Cyprus and the eurozone as a whole,” he added.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde, who took part in the talks, said earlier: “We don’t want a Band-Aid. We want something that lasts, that is durable and sustainable.”

The deal also involves a levy on bank deposits intended to ensure investors contribute to the bailout.

Finance ministers from eurozone have agreed a 10 billion-euro bailout package for Cyprus to save the country from bankruptcy
Finance ministers from eurozone have agreed a 10 billion-euro bailout package for Cyprus to save the country from bankruptcy

People with less than 100,000 euros in Cypriot bank accounts will have to pay a one-time tax of 6.75%, while those with more will have to pay 9.9%. It is expected to raise 5.8 billion euros in additional revenue.A European Central Bank (ECB) official said the Cypriot authorities had already started to take action to ensure that the levy can be collected. Otherwise, there would be a likelihood of massive withdrawals to avoid it, our correspondent adds.

There has also been speculation that Russia could help finance the bailout by extending a 2.5 billion-euro loan already made to Cyprus. Cypriot Finance Minister Michael Sarris will travel to Moscow for meetings on Monday, reports say.

There are a lot of Russian deposits in the Cypriot banking system, according to economists.

Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, of the US-based Peterson Institute for International Economics, said that was a potential problem for any bailout negotiations.

“There is a general political sentiment that it is not acceptable to be bailing out a country, and thereby putting European taxpayers’ money at risk, to basically protect Russian depositors in Cypriot banks,” he said.

The Cypriot economy accounts for barely 0.2% of the eurozone’s overall output. But there is concern within the euro bloc that a default by Cyprus risks undermining the progress being made in Greece.

Cyprus is the fifth country to receive eurozone assistance since the bloc’s financial crisis began to unfold in earnest nearly three years ago.

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Maryland to abolish death penalty

Diane A. Wade
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Maryland to abolish death penalty

State of Maryland is poised to abolish the death penalty after its lawmakers voted 82 to 56 in favor of the move.

The measure now needs to be signed by Governor Martin O’Malley to become law.

Correspondents say it will be a formality as the Democratic Martin O’Malley has campaigned for five years to have the death penalty repealed.

Once signed into law, Maryland will become the 18th US state to abolish executions.

“Evidence shows that the death penalty is not a deterrent, it cannot be administered without racial bias and it costs three times as much as life in prison without parole,” Governor Martin O’Malley said in a statement.

“What’s more, there is no way to reverse a mistake if an innocent person is put to death.”

Opponents of the bill insisted capital punishment was a necessary tool to punish those who commit the most serious crimes.

State of Maryland is poised to abolish the death penalty after its lawmakers voted 82 to 56 in favor of the move
State of Maryland is poised to abolish the death penalty after its lawmakers voted 82 to 56 in favor of the move

Maryland has had the death penalty since 1638 when the territory was a British colony.However, the state has neither sentenced anyone to death nor executed a prisoner since 2005.

The vote took place in the Maryland House of Delegates in the state capital, Annapolis. Eighty Democrats and two Republicans voted for the bill, which needed 71 votes to pass. Eighteen Democrats joined 38 Republicans to vote against it.

Connecticut became the 17th state to repeal the death penalty last year, meaning more than a third of the 50 states have now renounced executions.

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US boosting missile defences on West Coast to counter North Korea threat

Diane A. Wade
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US boosting missile defences on West Coast to counter North Korea threat

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced plans to boost missile defences on the United States West Coast to counter the threat from North Korea.

Chuck Hagel said the US would add 14 interceptors, which can shoot down missiles in flight, to 30 already in place in California and Alaska by 2017.

He cited a “series of irresponsible and reckless provocations” recently by North Korea.

Tensions have risen after Pyongyang’s third nuclear test last month.

Only last week North Korea threatened the US with a pre-emptive nuclear strike.

However, despite North Korea’s latest fiery rhetoric, analysts say the regime is years away from producing a missile with the capability to reach the continental US.

“The US has missile defences to protect us from limited ICBM [Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile] attacks,” Chuck Hagel told Friday’s press conference.

“But North Korea in particular has recently made advances in its capabilities and has engaged in a series of irresponsible and reckless provocations.”

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced plans to boost missile defences on the US West Coast to counter the threat from North Korea
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced plans to boost missile defences on the US West Coast to counter the threat from North Korea

Chuck Hagel said the US would also deploy a radar-tracking station in Japan.He continued: “The reason we’re doing what we’re doing, and the reason we’re advancing our programme here for homeland security is not taking any chances, is to stay ahead of the threat and to ensure any contingencies.”

Chuck Hagel said the additional 14 interceptors would be deployed to Fort Greely, in Alaska, at a cost of about $1 billion.

He also announced the Pentagon was beginning environmental impact studies for additional interceptor sites, allowing a shorter timeline for construction if the president decides to go ahead with installing further interceptors.

The Alaska and California sites were built during the presidency of George W. Bush as protection from a possible strike by North Korea.

Technical difficulties with the interceptors slowed their installation.

When asked about the “poor performance” of interceptors during recent trials, Chuck Hagel said further tests would be carried out this year.

“We have confidence in our system and we certainly will not go forward with the addition of the 14 interceptors until we’re sure we have the complete confidence we need.”

What are the Ides of March?

James J. Williams
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What are the Ides of March?

The Ides of March fall on March 15, the date becoming intimately associated with the assassination of Julius Caesar, who was murdered in the Roman Senate on the same date in 44 BC.

Because the death of Caesar marked a radical change in Roman society, the time is familiar to most scholars of Western history, along with fans of William Shakespeare, who remember the line “Beware the Ides of March”, from his play Julius Caesar.

In modern days, the date carries a sense of menace and doom, because of this association.

The Ides of March fall on March 15, the date becoming intimately associated with the assassination of Julius Caesar
The Ides of March fall on March 15, the date becoming intimately associated with the assassination of Julius Caesar

However, originally, the Ides of March carried no special meaning; it was merely part of the Roman calendar. The days of each month used to be counted in relationship to Kalends, the first day of the month, Nones, the seventh day, and Ides, which fell in the middle of the month – somewhere between the 13th and the 15th, depending on the month.Usually, Ides fell during the full moon, and it was actually an auspicious day in Roman society. This may explain why Caesar did not heed the warning of an anonymous soothsayer. The terms Kalends, Ides, and Nones were used in various parts of Europe through the Renaissance before being abandoned, and William Shakespeare’s original audience probably would not have found his phrase at all remarkable.

Rihanna is back on stage at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia

Lisa.Felice
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Rihanna is back on stage at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia

Rihanna was back onstage in Philadelphia on Thursday night after she was forced to cancel two dates back to back due to laryngitis.

Rihanna, 25, was glowing as she sang all her classic hits inside the Wells Fargo Arena as part of her Diamond World Tour.

The singer had cancelled two dates earlier in the week in Boston and Baltimore, but her fans in Philly really cheered her on for her comeback show.

And Rihanna thanked them by showing off her very sexy costumes and dance moves.

Rihanna simply dazzled as she belted out her tunes, wearing an array of typically revealing ensembles.

Rihanna was glowing as she sang all her classic hits inside the Wells Fargo Arena as part of her Diamond World Tour
Rihanna was glowing as she sang all her classic hits inside the Wells Fargo Arena as part of her Diamond World Tour

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Hungary deploys tanks to reach snowbound cars on M1 motorway

Diane A. Wade
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Hungary deploys tanks to reach snowbound cars on M1 motorway

Hungary has deployed tanks to reach snowbound motorists as cold weather causes transport chaos across Eastern Europe.

T-72 battle tanks trundled along icy roads, while thousands of people waited in cars on the M1 motorway from Budapest to Vienna.

Many had been stuck on the road since Thursday evening.

As Hungary was celebrating its national holiday on Friday many people were travelling when the extreme weather struck.

A series of accidents on the M1 trapped travellers as the snow built up around them.

Hungary has deployed tanks to reach snowbound motorists as cold weather causes transport chaos across Eastern Europe
Hungary has deployed tanks to reach snowbound motorists as cold weather causes transport chaos across Eastern Europe

On Friday afternoon, Hungarian interior ministry sent text messages to all mobile phone subscribers, telling people to stay in their cars as long as their fuel lasted, then move to other vehicles to stay warm.Meteorologists had predicted the cold weather but the sheer number of people trapped in the snow appears to have overwhelmed disaster management services.

Wind gusts of up to 100 km/h (60 mph) and snowdrifts up to 1 m (3 ft) high were reported. The wind is forecast to drop significantly while freezing temperatures will continue.

Outside Hungary:

  • Heavy snow paralyzed parts of south-eastern Poland, where police were redirecting heavy lorries for fear they would get stuck
  • At least 19,000 households were left without power in eastern Slovakia after high winds damaged the grid and lorries backed up on a road
  • Melting snow caused flooding in Kosovo, with reports that a girl of 10 was drowned
  • In Bulgaria, a woman was killed when high winds brought down scaffolding in the town of Gabrovo.

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Heidi Klum in Carl’s Jr. commercial for Jim Beam Bourbon Burger

Lisa.Felice
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Heidi Klum in Carl’s Jr. commercial for Jim Beam Bourbon Burger

Heidi Klum’s commercial for Carl’s Jr.’s Jim Beam Bourbon Burger is probably the hottest in the history of fast food commercials.

In the burger chain’s latest commercial, Heidi Klum, 39, strips down to skimpy negligee and shows off her cleavage as she gets to grip with the southern inspired new addition to the menu.

Heidi Klum plays a seductress in a recreation of the famous Mrs. Robinson scene from Dustin Hoffman’s movie classic The Graduate.

“Basically, I am Mrs. Robinson and I am seducing this cute little boy… with my burger,” Heidi Klum said in a behind-the-scenes video.

“I shove the burger in his mouth in a sexy way,” the supermodel adds.

The commercial’s creative director Mick DiMaria explained: “We’re basically taking that scene and foodifying it.”

Heidi Klum’s commercial for Carl's Jr.’s Jim Beam Bourbon Burger is probably the hottest in the history of fast food commercials
Heidi Klum’s commercial for Carl’s Jr.’s Jim Beam Bourbon Burger is probably the hottest in the history of fast food commercials

There’s no nutritional information available on the Carl’s Jr. website about the new burger, though obviously it is glazed with Jim Beam and there’s bacon and cheese in there as well as salad and beef.Burgers at Carl’s Jr. range between 600 to a whopping 1000 calories, though there are healthier options like the carb-free burger at 500 calories and white meat sandwiches.

A woman in Heidi Klum’s age range (31 to 50) needs between 1,800 to 2,200 calories daily so she no doubt balances these treats with a fair few salads.

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New York City population hits record 8.3 million

Nancy Clayson
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New York City population hits record 8.3 million

New York City population is at an all-time high, with an estimated 8,336,697 residents living in its five boroughs, according to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

More people moved into New York City in 2012 than moved out, marking the first time that’s happened in more than 60 years.

Some 12,200 more people moved into the city than left it, with large immigrant populations adding to the city’s ever-changing dynamic.

All five of NYC’s boroughs gained residents, Michael Bloomberg said, using the latest estimates from the US Census Bureau.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Mayor Bloomberg added the moderate boom “reverses a trend that has been a fact of life for decades and that a number of pundits have talked about when they predicted the end of New York City”.

The urban flight started slowly in the years after World War II and reached its zenith in the 1970s, when NYC’s poverty, crime, prostitution, and homelessness rates were at an all-time high.

The data reveals that the Asian population in New York City – which includes immigrants from China, India, and Bangladesh – has risen 30% in the last decade. The Hispanic population has grown around 8%, according to city planners.

Borough by borough, Brooklyn has grown the most in the last decade, gaining more than 60,000 residents. This could be in part because those previously living in Manhattan were driven out by staggering price increases or the desire for more space.

New York City population is at an all-time high, with an estimated 8,336,697 residents living in its five boroughs
New York City population is at an all-time high, with an estimated 8,336,697 residents living in its five boroughs

Previous population increases have been as a result of a surplus of births in the city. There were also more births than deaths in New York City in 2012, which could have helped the rising numbers of residents.The net influx was the first seen in the city since at least 1950, when the Census Bureau changed its methodology and made it possible to calculate the number of people moving into and out of New York, city officials said.

Michael Bloomberg hailed the city’s population increase to a number of factors, including the general climb in quality of living.

Crime rates are down in post-Giuliani New York, there is a new booming tech sector, and life expectancy is up to 80.9 years for a baby born in the city.

The national average is 78.7 years.

According to the Associated Press, there were several population booms following World War II, but “white flight” in the 1950s led to dramatic urban shifts.

Families looking for space and privacy left the city for the surrounding suburbs of Westchester, Connecticut, and Long Island.

During the 1970s, the alarming trend was at an all-time high, with as much of 10% of the population leaving. The city became derelict and almost went broke; graffiti tags were omnipresent around the city, and large parts of the Bronx were literally on fire.

“We have many indicators of quality of life in the city – record low crime, record high tourism, record high life expectancy, record high graduation rates, record job growth and more – but there’s no better indication of the strength of our city than a record high population and a net population influx,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.

“Generations change, and they change their views on where the good life is,” the mayor said.

Benjamin Netanyahu signs coalition deal to form new government

Diane A. Wade
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Benjamin Netanyahu signs coalition deal to form new government

Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has reached a deal to form a new coalition government.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-Yisrael Beitenu alliance signed the agreement with the centrist Yesh Atid and the pro-settler Jewish Home, the parties in the coalition say.

It is the first time in a decade that an Israeli coalition government will not include any ultra-Orthodox groups.

The deal follows weeks of deadlock since Benjamin Netanyahu’s election win on January 22.

It comes a day before a deadline passes for Benjamin Netanyahu to legally form a coalition.

“The prime minister welcomes the coalition agreements that have been signed between the Likud and Yisrael Beitenu (on one side) and the Yesh Atid party and the Jewish Home,” a statement from Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.

“On Saturday evening, the prime minister will inform President Shimon Peres that he has completed the task” of forming a government.

The government is expected to sworn in on Monday, two days before a visit by President Barack Obama.

Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has reached a deal to form a new coalition government
Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has reached a deal to form a new coalition government

According to Israeli media reports, there will be 22 ministers, making it the smallest government in decades.Likud will reportedly run the interior ministry, while Yesh Atid has secured five portfolios – including finance and education – and Jewish Home will have three.

In the new cabinet, it is believed Yair Lapid – a former TV presenter who leads Yesh Atid – will be finance minister and Jewish Home’s Naftali Bennett, a high-tech millionaire, will be economic and trade minister.

After tough negotiations, it was apparently decided that Yair Lapid’s deputy, Rabbi Shai Piron would take the education portfolio while Likud would have the interior ministry.

Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to act as foreign minister while Avigdor Lieberman, who leads his partner Yisrael Beitenu, faces charges of fraud and breach of trust in a trial.

The defence ministry will be headed by former IDF chief of staff, Moshe Yaalon, a Likud member.

Tzipi Livni, whose Hatnua party holds six seats, will be justice minister and chief negotiator in talks with the Palestinians.

In total Benjamin Netanyahu will control 68 Knesset seats.

The opposition will consist of Labour, the third-biggest party in the parliament with 15 seats, the ultra-Orthodox and Arab parties and centrist Kadima.

One of the first challenges for the new government will be passing the 2013 budget which will include austerity measures.

Benjamin Netanyahu called for an early election last October because he said bickering among his coalition partners made it impossible to pass a “responsible budget”.

During the drawn-out coalition talks, Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett formed a pact and got commitments to a new draft law that will compel more ultra-Orthodox men to perform national military service or other civilian duties.

Sharing the “social burden”, as it is known, was a contentious issue in the election.

Many secular Israelis object to the exemptions from army service given to students at religious seminaries or yeshivas and to the large state subsidies that their institutions receive.

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Red lips make a woman look younger

Lisa.Felice
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Red lips make a woman look younger

A new research claims that make-up makes women appear younger by increasing the contrast between facial features and skin tone.

The study by a professor from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania suggests the changing contrast of facial features is one of the cues people unconsciously use to decipher a woman’s age.

The discovery of this cue to age perception may partly explain why cosmetics are worn the way they are, the study claims.

Cosmetics are commonly used to increase aspects of facial contrast, such as the redness of lips.

Scientists propose that this can partly explain why make-up is worn the way that it is – shades of lipstick that increase the redness of the lips are making the face appear younger, which is related to healthiness and beauty.

“Unlike with wrinkles, none of us are consciously aware that we’re using this cue, even though it stares us in the face every day,” said Richard Russell, a professor of psychology at Gettysburg.

Richard Russell collaborated with researchers from cosmetic giant Chanel’s R&D division dedicated to skin related issues and facial appearance.

A new research claims that make-up makes women appear younger by increasing the contrast between facial features and skin tone
A new research claims that make-up makes women appear younger by increasing the contrast between facial features and skin tone

In one study, Prof. Richard Russell and his team measured images of 289 faces ranging in age from 20 to 70 years old, and found that the ageing process makes the lips, eyes and eyebrows paler, while surrounding skin becomes darker.This results in less contrast between the features and the surrounding skin –leaving older faces with less contrast than younger faces.

The difference in redness between the lips and the surrounding skin decreases, as does the luminance difference between the eyebrow and the forehead, as the face ages.

Although not consciously aware of this sign of ageing, the mind uses it as a cue for perceiving how old someone is, the research claims.

Prof. Richard Russell told Radio 4’s Material World programme: “The kind of contrasts that decreased was the contrast between the facial features – the lips, the eyes and the eyebrows with the surrounding skin.

“So, for example, we found that the redness of the lips decreases with ageing, but the skin that surrounds the lips actually becomes more red, so the redness contrast between lips and the rest of the face decreases with age and that certainly is something that can be manipulated with make-up.”

To confirm this hypothesis, the researchers carried out a further study involving more than a hundred subjects in Gettysburg and Paris, in which they artificially altered these facial contrasts using a computer.

They found that increased contrasts led observers to perceive faces as younger, while when they artificially decreased contrasts the faces appeared older.

Prof. Richard Russell’s findings appear in a study in the open access journal PLoS ONE.

Barack Obama has a food taster

Nancy Clayson
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Barack Obama has a food taster

Barack Obama couldn’t partake in tasting a delicious menu of lobster, potato chips and blueberry pie on Thursday at a dinner with Senate Republicans because his taster hadn’t verified the food was safe.

According to Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins, though he couldn’t indulge, Barack Obama “looked longingly at it”.

Susan Collins had organized the Thursday dinner, held in the Lyndon B. Johnson Room off the Senate chamber, and paid homage to her home state with a bevy of local delicacies.

She said that the menu included: “University of Maine recipe for healthy lobster salad – I pointed that out to the president in keeping with the first lady’s initiatives and Fox Family Potato Chips made in Aroostook County where I’m from and wild blueberry pie full of anti-oxidants,” according to an audio clip obtained by the Daily Caller.

Barack Obama couldn't participate at a dinner with Senate Republicans because his taster hadn't verified the food was safe
Barack Obama couldn’t participate at a dinner with Senate Republicans because his taster hadn’t verified the food was safe

“We did have a little ice cream on the pie too, also made in Maine, Gifford’s Ice Cream. So in all seriousness this was well received,” Susan Collins told the press after the meeting that lasted 90 minutes.Though GOP Senators who attended the event enjoyed the cuisine, the honored guest had to exercise self control and watch the others pleasure their taste buds.

“Apparently he has to have essentially a taster, and I pointed out to him that we were all tasters for him, that if the food had been poisoned all of us would have keeled over,” Susan Collins said.

“He did look longingly at it and he remarked that we have far better food than the Democrats do, and I said that was because I was hosting.”

The security service keeps details of its security measures for the president under wraps but it is widely suspected that Barack Obama travels with a food taster.

Vatican denies Pope Francis failed to speak out during military rule in Argentina

Diane A. Wade
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Vatican denies Pope Francis failed to speak out during military rule in Argentina

The Vatican has denied that Pope Francis I failed to speak out against human rights abuses during military rule in his native Argentina.

“There has never been a credible, concrete accusation against him,” said Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, adding the Pope had never been charged.

Federico Lombardi blamed the accusations on “anti-clerical left-wing elements that are used to attack the Church”.

Former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis I, led Argentina’s Jesuits under the junta.

Correspondents say that like other Latin American churchmen of the time, Jorge Mario Bergoglio had to contend, on the one hand, with a repressive right-wing regime and, on the other, a wing of his Church leaning towards political activism on the left.

One allegation concerns the abduction in 1976 of two Jesuits by the Argentina’s military government, suspicious of their work among slum-dwellers.

As the priests’ provincial superior at the time, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was accused by some of having failed to shield them from arrest – a charge his office flatly denied.

The Vatican has denied that Pope Francis I failed to speak out against human rights abuses during military rule in his native Argentina
The Vatican has denied that Pope Francis I failed to speak out against human rights abuses during military rule in his native Argentina

Judges investigating the arrest and torture of the two men – who were freed after five months – questioned Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as a witness in 2010.The new Pope’s official biographer, Sergio Rubin, argues that the Jesuit leader “took extraordinary, behind-the-scenes action to save them”.

Another accusation leveled against Pope Francis I from the Dirty War era is that he failed to follow up a request to help find the baby of a woman kidnapped when five months pregnant and who was killed in 1977. It is believed the baby was illegally adopted.

Jorge Mario Begoglio testified in 2010 that he had not known about baby thefts until well after the junta fell – a claim relatives dispute.

Norman Collier dies at the age of 87

Sonia Pantiss
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Norman Collier dies at the age of 87

British comedian Norman Collier, best known for his faulty microphone act, has died at the age of 87, as his daughter confirmed today.

Norman Collier, who had Parkinson’s disease and was living in a nursing home near his hometown of Hull in UK, died on Thursday.

A contemporary of Little and Large, with whom he often worked, Norman Collier rose to fame on the club circuit, getting his big break on the Royal Variety Show.

“It’s kept me in good health, making people laugh. And it’s kept them in good health too,” Norman Collier said in 2009.

The eldest of eight children, Norman Collier was born in Hull on Christmas day in 1925, and once joked there were “five of us sleeping in one bed”.

After serving as a gunner in World War II, he worked as a laborer but turned to comedy in 1950 after a one-off stint at his local Perth Street Social Club.

Norman Collier, best known for his faulty microphone act, has died at the age of 87
Norman Collier, best known for his faulty microphone act, has died at the age of 87

Norman Collier quickly drew a popular following on the northern club circuit, but it was his debut at the 1971 Royal Variety Performance that brought him to wider attention.“Unknown comedian Norman Collier won a standing ovation for his act in the Royal Variety Show,” wrote the Daily Express, of his critically acclaimed turn.

“Norman turned out to be one of the big successes of this year’s Royal Knees-up,” added the Daily Mirror.

Norman Collier went on to make regular appearances on television and at theatres across the UK in the 1970s and 80s, and is arguably best remembered for his act featuring an intermittently working microphone – and his chicken impression.

He was also a frequent pantomime performer, notably playing Widow Twanky opposite Little and Large at Hull’s New Theatre in Aladdin.

Norman Collier never moved to London – despite the lure of fame – preferring to stay in the local area surrounded by his family.

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Syria marks two years of nation’s unrest

Roy Siemens
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Syria marks two years of nation’s unrest

As Syria marks two years since the start of the nation’s unrest, the EU is set to discuss lifting its arms embargo to allow supplying rebels.

The leaders of France and Britain will try to push other EU members to agree to the move at the Brussels summit.

Ties with Russia, one of Syria’s key allies, will also be discussed. Moscow strongly opposes arming the rebels.

Up to 70,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began.

About one million people have fled the country.

To mark the anniversary, the International Committee of the Red Cross urged world leaders to put pressure on both sides to stop attacks on civilians.

“It is deplorable that high numbers of civilian casualties are now a daily occurrence,” said Robert Mardini, who heads ICRC operations in the Middle East.

“These ongoing violations of international humanitarian law and of basic humanitarian principles by all sides must stop.”

Syria marks two years since the start of the nation's unrest
Syria marks two years since the start of the nation’s unrest

The unrest began on March 15, 2011, with nationwide protests following arrests in the southern city of Deraa.Rebels now control large sections of Syria, but the conflict has appeared to be largely in stalemate for months.

A number of vigils have already been held around the world to mark the second anniversary of the conflict, including in the South Korean capital, Seoul, and in Amman in Jordan, where children gathered in front of the Citadel for an event organized by Save the Children.

France’s President Francois Hollande and UK PM David Cameron are expected on Friday to raise the issue of the arms embargo at the talks in Brussels, although Syria is not a formal agenda item.

Speaking on Thursday, Francois Hollande said that Paris was “ready to support the rebels”.

“We cannot allow the massacre of a people by a regime which right now does not want a political transition.

“France’s view is that arms are being delivered to Syria – but to the regime of Bashar, in particular by the Russians,” he said.

But the French president stressed that his aim was not a “total war”.

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Jurassic Park 4 to be directed by Colin Trevorrow

Sonia Pantiss
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Jurassic Park 4 to be directed by Colin Trevorrow

Universal Pictures has announced that Jurassic Park 4 will be directed by little-known director Colin Trevorrow.

Colin Trevorrow, 36, made his feature film directorial debut in 2012 with the time travel comedy, Safety Not Guaranteed.

Steven Spielberg, who directed the first two installments of the lucrative $1.9 billion dinosaur franchise, will executive produce the fourth film.

Jurassic Park 4 – which will be made in 3D – is due for release in June 2014.

Steven Spielberg announced in 2011 that Jurassic Park 4 was in development, much to the delight of fans who will have waited 13 years when the fourth film hits the big screen.

Universal has given no other details regarding its cast or plot, however it will be written by Rise of the Planet of the Apes screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.

Jurassic Park and The Lost World Jurassic Park took $914.7 million and $618.6 million when they were released in 1993 and 1997 respectively.

Universal Pictures has announced that Jurassic Park 4 will be directed by little-known director Colin Trevorrow
Universal Pictures has announced that Jurassic Park 4 will be directed by little-known director Colin Trevorrow

Jurassic Park 3, helmed by Captain America director Joe Johnston, was released in 2001, but its $368 million global box-office takings failed to match those of the first two films.Jurassic Park will be rereleased in US cinemas in 3D in April to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

Colin Trevorrow’s independent comedy, Safety Not Guaranteed, featuring Mark Duplass as an eccentric inventor who is seeking to travel back in time, was shown at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

Aubrey Plaza and Jake Johnson co-starred in the film, which also earned a best first screenplay award and nomination for best first feature at the Independent Spirit Awards.

Colin Trevorrow had previously only made a TV movie and documentary.

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Phil Spector movie criticized by Lana Clarkson’s friends

Sonia Pantiss
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Phil Spector movie criticized by Lana Clarkson’s friends

Friends and supporters of Lana Clarkson, the actress murdered by music producer Phil Spector, have been protesting at the screening of the movie about music producer trial.

Phil Spector film, starring Al Pacino, focuses on his relationship with his defence lawyer, played by Helen Mirren.

But the group against the movie says it is too sympathetic towards Phil Spector’s defence case.

Lana Clarkson’s former publicist, Edward Lozzi, called the film a “slap in the face”.

Edward Lozzi told the Hollywood Reporter the group initially hoped to stop the film from being made, but now wanted to ensure it receives no Emmy award recognition.

Phil Spector was convicted of second-degree murder in 2009 for shooting Lana Clarkson in his California home in 2003.

He is serving a prison sentence of 19 years to life.

“If this in any way makes Lana Clarkson look responsible for her own death, we are going to lobby the [television] Academy to prevent anyone from receiving an award,” Edward Lozzi said to the New York Post.

“Seeing Al Pacino play a crazed murderer like Phil Spector, who wouldn’t want to see that? But it is a bunch of lies,” he added.

Phil Spector film, starring Al Pacino, focuses on his relationship with his defence lawyer, played by Helen Mirren
Phil Spector film, starring Al Pacino, focuses on his relationship with his defence lawyer, played by Helen Mirren

The film’s director David Mamet told the Financial Times in 2011: “I don’t think he’s guilty. I definitely think there is reasonable doubt.”At the New York premiere of the film, Phil Spector’s defence lawyer, Linda Kenney Baden, told CNN the film was about “soul-searching”.

“Do we convict people because of how they look, what they look like, whether they’re freaky looking? Or do we convict people on the evidence?” she said.

Producers say the film “is neither an attempt to depict the actual persons, nor to comment upon the outcome”, according to an on-screen disclaimer.

Phil Spector’s wife Rachelle has also been speaking about the film which is due to air on HBO in the US on March 24.

Rachelle Spector told Entertainment Tonight it “brought tears” to her eyes but called it “fictionalized” and “bogus”.

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Brain scan can read your mind

James J. Williams
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Brain scan can read your mind

Brain scans have allowed researchers to know exactly what a person was imagining after scientists used them to decode images directly from the brain.

Researchers have been able to put together what numbers people have seen, the memory a person is recalling, and even reconstruct videos of what a person has watched.

“We are trying to understand the physical mechanisms that allow us to have an inner world, and a part of that is how we represent other people in our mind,” said Cornell University cognitive neuroscientist Nathan Spreng.

Nathan Spreng’s team gave 19 volunteers descriptions of four imaginary people.

These characters had different personalities half being agreeable and cooperative and half being cold and aloof.

Half were described as outgoing and social and half were depicted as shy and inhibited.

Scientists matched the genders of these characters to each volunteer giving them names like Mike, Chris, Dave, or Nick, or Ashely, Sarah, Nicole, or Jenny for the women.

The volunteer’s brains were then scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The technology measures brain activity by changes in blood flow.

Volunteers were then asked to picture how the characters might react in different scenarios, such as if they saw a homeless veteran asking for change or if they were at a bar and someone else spilled a drink.

“Humans are social creatures, and the social world is a complex place,” Nathan Spreng told Business Insider.

“A key aspect to navigating the social world is how we represent others.”

Brain scans allow researchers to know exactly what a person is imagining
Brain scans allow researchers to know exactly what a person is imagining

Brain activity in picturing each personality was linked to a unique pattern of brain activity in the medial prefrontal cortex.

“This is the first study to show that we can decode what people are imagining,” Nathan Spreng said.

That area of the brain helps people deduce traits about others and the findings suggest it’s also the region where personality models are encoded, assembled, and updated.

“The scope of this is incredible when you think of all the people you meet over the course of your life and are able to remember. Each one probably has its own unique representation in the brain,” Nathan Spreng said.

“This representation can be modified as we share experiences and learn more about each other, and plays into how we imagine future events with others unfolding.”

The area is also linked to autism and disorders that inhibit people in social interactions.

People with these disorders may not be able to build accurate personality models of other people.

These advances could someday help treat these disorders.

Carnival Dream cruise ship stranded at St Maarten

Nancy Clayson
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Carnival Dream cruise ship stranded at St Maarten

Carnival Dream cruise ship has been forced to fly passengers home after the vessel experienced overflowing toilets and power outages just a month after Triumph was stranded for five days in the Gulf of Mexico.

Carnival announced on Thursday that guests are being flown off the island of St Maarten where the ship is moored. Passengers will be refunded for three days of the trip and get a 50% discount on future voyages.

Carnival Dream cruise ship, which has a capacity of 3,646 passengers and 1,367 crew, is docked at Phillipsburg in the Caribbean on the last leg of a seven-day cruise from Florida.

There was no information on what would be happening to the crew on the crippled ship which had a mechanical issue with a diesel generator.

Dream’s captain alerted authorities of possible trouble with the ship’s propulsion system on Wednesday, a U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman in Miami said on Thursday.

Several passengers told CNN that guests had been held on the boat despite the fact toilets were overflowing and unusable on Wednesday.

Other passengers said that crew had announced over the tannoy system that generator problems would take an hour to fix but that seven hours later, the unsavory situation remained.

Carnival Dream cruise ship has been forced to fly passengers home after the vessel experienced overflowing toilets and power outages
Carnival Dream cruise ship has been forced to fly passengers home after the vessel experienced overflowing toilets and power outages

Carnival Dream had been due to leave the Caribbean island at 5 p.m. on Wednesday after making the trip from Port Canaveral.Passengers will now fly the two hours back to Florida on both commercial and private charter flights.

Petty Officer Sabrina Laberdesque said the ship has functioning sewage and power systems, adding that officials are working to correct the problems.

Sabrina Laberdesque said the Coast Guard is not involved because the ship is moored.

Carnival shares fell 1.3% on Thursday morning to $35.24 after the cruise cancellation was announced.

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Carnival’s official statement:

“The Carnival Dream has a technical issue with the ship’s back-up emergency diesel generator which our engineering team is currently working on. Yesterday, during regularly scheduled testing of the ship’s emergency diesel generator, a malfunction occurred. At no time did the ship lose power and the ship’s propulsion systems and primary power source was not impacted. The ship is at dock in St. Maarten.

All guests are safe and comfortable. There were periodic interruptions to elevators and restroom services for a few hours last night. However, all hotel systems are functioning normally and have been functional since approximately 12.30 a.m.

While personnel continue to work on the technical issue we are making arrangements to fly all guests home via private charter flights and scheduled flights from St. Maarten.

Guests on the current voyage will receive a refund equivalent to three days of the voyage and 50 percent off a future cruise.

We are also cancelling the ship’s next voyage which is scheduled to depart on Saturday, March 16. Guests scheduled to sail on this cruise will receive a full refund and 25 per cent off a future seven-day cruise. Guests who re-book will have their current rate protected on the future sailing.
Additionally, any non-refundable transportation related expenses will be reimbursed.

Yesterday was a scheduled port of call visit to St. Maarten. Guests were able to spend the full day in port and have the option of continuing to do so until their scheduled return home. All of the ship’s activities and facilities are fully operational.

We are very sorry for this disruption to our guests’ vacation plans and extend our sincere apologies. We look forward to welcoming them back on another Carnival cruise.

The Carnival Dream was on the last leg of a seven-day cruise and was docked in St. Maarten when the technical problem arose. The ship is based in Port Canaveral, Florida.”

Nicki Minaj threatens to quit American Idol

Lisa.Felice
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Nicki Minaj threatens to quit American Idol

Nicki Minaj has threatened to quit American Idol on live TV during Thursday’s edition.

Nicki Minaj was furious to learn that her favorite contestant Curtis Finch Jr. – who at one point was being tipped as a possible winner – had landed in the bottom two of the Top 10.

Curtis Finch Jr. and Devin Velez received the fewest votes from viewers.

And when she discovered that the 24-year-old from St Louis, Missouri might be out, Nicki Minaj said she would quit the show.

“I definitely think Curtis should not be in the bottom two. I mean, I love Devin but I think that Curtis, if you look at every one of his performances, I mean – come on, America, are you kidding me?” she said.

“I didn’t think that your performance last night was your best, I think it was your worst.”

“Curtis, if you go home, I go home,” the singer said.

Fellow judge Keith Urban agreed in part, saying he was “a little shocked”.

But Nicki Minaj’s fears were realized after it was revealed that Curtis Finch Jr. actually got the fewest votes of all the contestants.

The revelation caused Nicki Minaj to jump out of her seat and approach the stage, only to seemingly be advised to return to the judge’s panel by Randy Jackson, who could be seen shaking his head, and beckoning her back.

Nicki Minaj was furious to learn that her favorite American Idol contestant Curtis Finch Jr. had landed in the bottom two of the Top 10
Nicki Minaj was furious to learn that her favorite American Idol contestant Curtis Finch Jr. had landed in the bottom two of the Top 10

Curtis Finch Jr. was then able to sing one last time to save himself – but only if all four judges agreed unanimously to keep him on.They didn’t – and he was kicked off the Fox show.

Curtis Finch Jr. gave a heartfelt and emotional performance of R Kelly’s I Believe I Can Fly, showing off his impressive vocal range.

He previously sang the song on the show to get him into the top 10.

Nicki Minaj looked like she was sulking as Randy Jackson and Keith Urban had an intense discussion on either side of her, while Mariah Carey concentrated on his make or break performance, that saw the audience go wild.

“The judges have got to be unanimous,” said Ryan Seacrest, who explained that they can “save” only one contestant once throughout the season.

“Save, save, save,” chanted the crowd.

“I’m completely shocked that this is where we’re at,” said Mariah Carey.

“This entire situation has been about Curtis, in a lot of ways, for me. We have had a connection. We still do, no matter what happens.”

“We are not unanimous, unfortunately,” Randy Jackson revealed, as some of the audience members began to boo.

The previous night Nicki Minaj had missed Curtis Finch Jr.’s singing because she was late to the live show in Hollywood, blaming bad traffic.

The show claimed over 26 million votes had been cast. But producers changed up the usual format by first revealing who was in the top three, but not what order they came in.

It was good news for Candice, Kree and Angie.

In fourth place was Lazaro Arbos. Amber Holcomb came fifth, while Janelle Arthur came in sixth place.

Burnell Taylor came in seventh place, followed by Paul Jolley.

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Li Keqiang confirmed as China’s new prime minister

Diane A. Wade
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Li Keqiang confirmed as China’s new prime minister

Li Keqiang has been named as China’s new prime minister, placing him at the helm of the world’s second-largest economy.

Li Keqiang, who already holds the number two spot in the Communist Party, takes over from Wen Jiabao.

He was elected for a five-year term but, like his predecessor, would be expected to spend a decade in office.

On Thursday, Xi Jinping was confirmed by legislators as the new president, completing the transition of power from Hu Jintao.

Li Keqiang’s widely-signalled elevation was confirmed by 3,000 legislators at the National People’s Congress, the annual parliament session, in Beijing. He received 2,940 votes to three, with six abstentions.

As premier, Li Keqiang will oversee a large portfolio of domestic affairs, managing economic challenges, environmental woes and China’s urbanization drive.

The appointments seal the shift from one generation of leaders to the next. A raft of vice-premiers and state councillors will be named on Saturday, before the NPC closes on Sunday.

Li Keqiang has been named as China’s new prime minister, placing him at the helm of the world's second-largest economy
Li Keqiang has been named as China’s new prime minister, placing him at the helm of the world’s second-largest economy

Li Keqiang, 57, who is seen as close to outgoing leader Hu Jintao, speaks fluent English and has a PhD in economics.He has called for a more streamlined government, eliminating some ministries while boosting the size of others.

The son of a local official in Anhui province, Li Keqiang became China’s youngest provincial governor when he was tasked to run Henan.

But his time there was marked by a scandal involving the spread of HIV through contaminated blood.

Li Keqiang is expected to end the NPC with a press conference on Sunday, given by Wen Jiabao in the past.

On Thursday, Xi Jinping’s move was approved by 2,952 votes to one, with three abstentions.

Hours later, President Barack Obama called both to congratulate him and raise concerns over ongoing issues, including cyber hacking and North Korea.

“Both leaders agreed on the value of regular high-level engagement to expand co-operation and co-ordination,” a White House statement said.

Barack Obama is sending both Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Secretary of State John Kerry to Beijing in coming days, in an apparent bid to reach out to the new administration.

In an editorial, state-run Global Times said Xi Jinping and his colleagues needed to show powerful leadership to unite society.

“China cannot stop developing or fighting corruption. Social unity is the key to how China can stand against complex international affairs,” it said.

Meanwhile, prominent dissident Hu Jia said he was detained and beaten by police on Thursday after he criticized the election of Xi Jinping as fake.

The well-known AIDS activist said police also refused him treatment for injuries to his head and ribs.

He said authorities were also angry because he had arranged meetings with Liu Xia, wife of jailed Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, who is under house arrest.

Li Keqiang:

  • Seen as one of the more reform-minded members of the new leadership
  • Started out as a manual laborer on a rural commune
  • Studied law at Peking University, where he became involved in student politics
  • Widely speculated that Li Keqiang was former President Hu Jintao’s preferred successor, but lost the top job to Xi Jinping

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New Zealand hit by worst drought in 30 years

Diane A. Wade
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New Zealand hit by worst drought in 30 years

New Zealand has declared drought emergency on the entire North Island in what the government describes as the worst dry spell in 30 years.

Farmers are especially hard hit, with losses in agriculture expected to shave about 1% off economic growth.

New Zeland’s capital Wellington is said to have just 18 days of water left, and parts of the South Island could soon be hit.

But there is likely to be some relief over the weekend when the first decent rainfall in two months is forecast.

The scale of the drought can be seen from space: satellite images show how parts of New Zealand have turned from lush green to parched brown.

Farmers, who traditionally drive the nation’s economy, estimate that the drought has already cost them about NZ$1 billion ($820 million) in lost earnings.

They are now being offered financial assistance by the government to deal with the crisis.

New Zealand has declared drought emergency on the entire North Island in what the government describes as the worst dry spell in 30 years
New Zealand has declared drought emergency on the entire North Island in what the government describes as the worst dry spell in 30 years

“What we are telling our farmers is forget about this season, start concentrating on next season,” said Derek Spratt, the chairman of New Zealand’s Rural Support Trust.

Some scientists say the unusually dry weather could be a harbinger of climate change.

At the same time, many city residents are enjoying sun soaked days as they go eating lunch outdoors or spend evening on the beach.

And winemakers describe the current conditions as perfect.

North Korea accuses US and South Korea of cyber attacks

Diane A. Wade
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North Korea accuses US and South Korea of cyber attacks

North Korea has accused the United States and its allies of attacks on its internet servers, amid tension on Korean peninsula.

KCNA news agency said the “intensive and persistent” attacks coincided with US-South Korea military drills.

Official sites such as KCNA, Air Koryo and Rodong Sinmun, the party newspaper, are reported to have been inaccessible on some occasions in recent days.

Tension has escalated in the wake of North Korea’s third nuclear test last month.

The test led to fresh UN sanctions being imposed on Pyongyang, which has responded with strong rhetoric – both to the UN move and the annual joint drills, which it bitterly opposes.

It says it has scrapped the Korean War armistice and ended non-aggression pacts with Seoul. It has also cut off a hotline that connects the two countries.

The two Koreas remain technically at war because the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a treaty. South Korea says North Korea cannot unilaterally dissolve the armistice and has called on Pyongyang to tone down its language.

North Korea called the cyber attack a “cowardly and despicable act”.

“It is nobody’s secret that the US and South Korean puppet regime are massively bolstering up cyber forces in a bid to intensify the subversive activities and sabotages against the DPRK [North Korea],” KCNA said.

North Korea has accused the US and South Korea of attacks on its internet servers
North Korea has accused the US and South Korea of attacks on its internet servers

However, accusations of cyber attacks on the peninsula usually flow in the opposite direction.South Korean intelligence sources say North Korea routinely attempts to access the network here, and Pyongyang is believed to have broken into Defence Ministry data at least once in the past few years, our correspondent adds.

Current internet access in North Korea is extremely limited for locals, with most people only having access to a small number of state-run pages. The wider internet is available only to the government and the military.

HIV infection cured in up to 15% of cases after very early treatment

Kathryn R. Bown
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HIV infection cured in up to 15% of cases after very early treatment

An immediate treatment after HIV infection may be enough to “functionally cure” about a 10th of those diagnosed early, say researchers in France.

The researchers have been analyzing 14 people who stopped therapy, but have since shown no signs of the virus resurging.

It follows reports of a baby girl being effectively cured after very early treatment in the US.

However, most people infected with HIV do not find out until the virus has fully infiltrated the body.

The group of patients, known as the Visconti cohort, all started treatment within 10 weeks of being infected.

They stuck to a course of antiretroviral drugs for three years, on average, but then stopped.

The drugs keep the virus only in check, they cannot eradicate it from its hiding places inside the immune system.

Normally, when the drugs stop, the virus bounces back.

This has not happened in the Visconti patients. Some have been able to control HIV levels for a decade.

An immediate treatment after HIV infection may be enough to functionally cure about a 10th of those diagnosed early
An immediate treatment after HIV infection may be enough to functionally cure about a 10th of those diagnosed early

Dr. Asier Saez-Cirion, from the Institute Pasteur in Paris, said: “Most individuals who follow the same treatment will not control the infection, but there are a few of them who will.”He said 5-15% of patients may be functionally cured, meaning they no longer needed drugs, by attacking the virus soon after infection.

“They still have HIV, it is not eradication of HIV, it is a kind of remission of the infection.”

Their latest study, in the journal PLoS Pathogens, analyzed what happened to the immune system of the patients.

Early treatment may limit the number of unassailable HIV hideouts that are formed. However, the researchers said it was “unclear” why only some patients were functionally cured.

However, he cautioned that many patients would be diagnosed much later than in this study.

Samsung Galaxy S4 can be controlled without touching and translates 9 languages using audio speakers

Nancy Clayson
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Samsung Galaxy S4 can be controlled without touching and translates 9 languages using audio speakers

Samsung Galaxy S4 has been launched last night revealing a last generation smart phone complete with a gallery of never-before-seen technology.

In a much-hyped public event, Samsung introduced the Galaxy S4 with an array of new features, including a few triggered with simply a wave of the hand.

The event at New York’s Radio City Music Hall – which featured a live orchestra, bubbly master of ceremonies and even a tap dance number – was streamed on Samsung’s YouTube channel.

Samsung Galaxy S4, which crams a 5-inch 1080p screen into body slightly smaller than the S III’s, will go sale globally in the April to June period.

Skinny but durable, the S4 is 69 mm wide, and 7.9 mm thick. It weighs just 130 grams, and is encased in polycarbonate.

The newest features involve different options for navigation. If the phone senses someone is looking at the screen, the user can tilt it forward or backwards to scroll up and down a Web page.

That feature falls slightly short of what some consumers may have expected after the New York Times reported that the phone would be able to scroll automatically by tracking readers’ eyes.

But what it can do is sense when it has someone’s attention. When a video is playing the stream will automatically pause if the person looks away from the device and it will restart when the eyes come back to the screen.

Texting while driving will be a thing of the past, as the smart phone’s voice recognition feature has the capability to dictate, reply, forward and save messages using only verbal commands.

The same voice recognition can be seen in the translator feature, which can understand nine languages.

Samsung has also made efforts to combat the issue of messy fingerprints, with a screen that now senses fingers hovering just above the screen, and applications that react.

The Mail application shows the first few lines of an email when a finger hovers above it in the list, and the Gallery application shows an expanded thumbnail.

Users can control some other applications by making gestures in the air above the phone.

In the browser, you can command the screen to scroll up by swiping from top to bottom a few inches from the phone.

The Camera application can now use both the front and rear cameras simultaneously, and can insert a picture of the photographer even as he or she is capturing the scene in front of them.

Samsung Galaxy S4 also has an erase feature, which allows the phone to take several pictures of a subject, then create a composite of the images to remove an unwanted photobomber.

In the US, Galaxy S4 will be sold by all four national carriers – Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA – as well as by smaller ones US Cellular and Cricket.

Samsung did not say what the phone will cost, but it can be expected to start at $200 with a two-year contract in the US.

JK Shin, the executive in charge of Samsung’s mobile communications division, promised the money would be well spent for a “life companion” that will “improve the way most people live every day”.

Samsung Galaxy S4, which crams a 5-inch 1080p screen into body slightly smaller than the S III's, will go sale globally in the April to June period
Samsung Galaxy S4, which crams a 5-inch 1080p screen into body slightly smaller than the S III’s, will go sale globally in the April to June period

Slightly thinner than its predecessor, the Galaxy S4 will go on sale next month.

The skinny but durable handset includes such special features as voice-recognition text messaging, translator software that can recognize 9 languages and an incredible touchscreen technology that toggles some features just by waving your finger.

It uses apps like Samsung’s WatchOn to bring on-demand video straight to the phone.

The cameras on each side of Galaxy S4 can be used in sync with each other, planting the photographer inside the photo he or she is taking. It also has an erase feature.

The phone also utilizes HomeSync, a way to store data on a cloud – and beam a photo across the world to be viewed on the home TV. Speaking of television, the smart phone can double as the remote

SAMSUNG GALAXY S4

Height: 136.6 mm (5.38 inches)

Width: 69 mm (2.72 inches)

Depth: 7.9 mm (0.31 inches)

Weight: 130 grams (4.59 ounces)

Touchscreen: 5in

Pixel density: 441 per inch

Display: 1920-by-1080 pixels

Network speeds: 3G and 4G LTE Lite

Camera: 13 megapixel in back-facing camera, 2 megapixel in front-facing

Voice recognition: Can translate 9 languages and utilizes voice-activated tools that can dictate, reply, forward or save text messages

Built-in apps: Video chat; internet browser; Gmail; Google Talk, Google Play Store; infrared LED; Google Maps; YouTube

Processor: 1.9GHz quad-core processor or 1.6GHz octa-core processor

Internal memory: 16GB; 32GB; or 64GB

Other memory: Data stored in Samsung’s HomeSync – a household cloud service

Battery: 2,600 mAh

Operating system: Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean

[youtube 2LHv1FPd1Ec]

What Is A Jesuit?

James J. Williams
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What Is A Jesuit?

The Jesuits (The Society of Jesus) represent a Catholic order that founded Holy Cross.

They are known throughout the world as educators dedicated to “finding God in all things,” exploring wide-ranging cultures and academic fields.

There are 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States.

Holy Cross is the only one that is exclusively devoted to undergraduates.

Jesuit education takes the whole person into account and fosters not only intellectual development, but also moral and spiritual growth.

Intellect and faith are seen as complementary, not contradictory.

The Jesuit tradition values the richness and variety of human experience and is therefore dedicated to helping all students discover the deeper meaning and purpose in their lives while also finding their individual places in the larger society.

With a strong commitment to service and social justice, Jesuits educate “men and women for others” who develop their gifts and achieve at the highest possible level.

True to Jesuit ideals, Holy Cross enables students to cultivate inquiring minds and ethical values for engaged, fulfilling lives.

The Society of Jesus has always been known for practicality and unflappability in the service of its motto: Ad Maiorem Dei gloriam (for the greater glory of God).

Equally well known is the Jesuits’ reputation as educators – giving rise to the adage: “Give me a child of seven, and I will show you the man.”

The Society of Jesus was founded by the Basque nobleman, soldier and future saint, Ignatius of Loyola, who turned to religion after a French cannonball mangled his leg in Pamplona in 1521. Despite attracting the interest of the inquisition, the Company of Jesus, as it was known at first, secured papal approval in 1540.

Francis I is the first Jesuit to be elected Pope
Francis I is the first Jesuit to be elected Pope

The term Jesuit – originally used pejoratively to describe someone who was too ready to use or appropriate the name of Jesus – was never employed by Ignatius of Loyola himself and was adopted only later. Nor were the Jesuits the initial agents of the Spanish Inquisition, which was run by the Dominicans when it was established in 1480.Central to the order’s philosophy are the spiritual exercises set down by Ignatius of Loyola, which offer a means for the individual to learn more about themselves and God through prayer and guidance from a director.

Such fortitude and focus was needed by the Jesuits, whose early missionary work took them through Protestant Europe and as far afield as the New World, Japan, Tibet and Goa. Although the 20,000-strong society is mainly comprised of priests, there are also 2,000 Jesuit brothers, and almost 4,000 scholastics – or men studying for the priesthood.

Members of the society undertake a variety of roles: some work as parish priests; others as teachers, doctors, lawyers, artists and astronomers.

They are organized into 91 geographical “provinces”, which are each overseen by a provincial superior, who answers to the head of the society, the superior general.

But despite their numbers and global presence – the society is the largest male order in the world, with members at work in more than a 100 countries around the world – Jesuits have had to wait almost five centuries to see one of their number elevated to the highest post in the Catholic Church.

Although they take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, Jesuits have historically been viewed with suspicion in Rome and elsewhere, and seen as a group that is a little too practical, a little too independent, and a little too powerful for its own good.

In Elizabethan England, Jesuits were reviled as the embodiment of the Catholic threat-from-within, ruthlessly persecuted and even dragged into the gunpowder plot.

In the new world, their defence of the indigenous peoples they had converted to Catholicism put them at odds with the Spanish and Portuguese governments, who saw their behavior as a hindrance to their economic interests in the area.

By the mid to late 18th century, the order had become so feared and despised that it was suppressed in many parts of the world, only to be re-established by Pope Pius VII in 1814.

In the late 20th century some Latin American Jesuits echoed their predecessors by angering Rome through their embrace of liberation theology, in which Christ’s teachings are interpreted in relation to the politics and economics of poverty. Among those who rejected the movement, which was later fiercely condemned by the Vatican under Pope John Paul II, was an Argentine Jesuit priest named Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He is now Pope Francisc.

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