Saturday, October 19, 2013

Happy World Vasectomy Day!

Dr. Doug Stein and his billboard in The Vasectomist.
Doug Stein and his billboard in The Vasectomist

Photo courtesy of Scott Iskowitz








Five years ago, while walking in the park with a childhood friend, we began a typical guy conversation, covering topics from the World Series to his upcoming vasectomy to the financial challenge of supporting the school he had launched in the Amazon to train indigenous people as environmental activists. In one of those a-ha moments, I suggested we auction off his vasectomy to raise money. We’d describe him as “a man who is willing to put his balls on the line for Mother Earth.” 














I ran home to plot out our strategy, but 15 minutes later, his wife called to let me know in no uncertain terms that her husband is “not going on film to put his balls on the line for Mother Earth or any other planet,” and in closing, “if it's such a great idea, do it yourself.” Click. 










That was the inspiration for World Vasectomy Day on Friday. The dream to fund a school in the Amazon morphed into a global event whose purpose is to inspire a conversation about sexuality, male responsibility for family planning, and of course the complex issue of population on the planet.












As a documentary filmmaker, I have traveled for 25 years covering war, child soldiers, poverty, extreme crime and punishment, and ecological disaster, and while I don’t believe our destiny is determined by numbers alone, every problem we face is made more difficult to resolve with more people.














Along the way to World Vasectomy Day, I made a film about Doug Stein, one of the world’s most committed vasectomists. He’s performed more than 30,000 procedures in Florida, Haiti, the Philippines, and Kenya. He is a man on a mission to save the planet, one vasectomy at time.










While drinking beer one evening in Kenya, I came­ up with the idea to convince 100 doctors in 25 countries to perform 1,000 vasectomies. I Googled “World Vasectomy Day,” and to my surprise, nothing came up. I tracked down a paper by statistician Paul Murtaugh who calculated that each vasectomy reduces someone’s carbon footprint by more than 28 lifetimes’ worth of recycling, reusing, and reducing. Another researcher figured out that every 1,000 vasectomies in Africa save the lives of between 15 and 21 women who would otherwise die giving birth.










I announced to a few friends and colleagues that we’re going to create a new global cause. Some laughed; most just thought I’d lost it. Others warned me that raising the issue of overpopulation is dangerous, a first step on a slippery slope to eugenics, forced sterilization, or even genocide. Many days I wanted to give up and pretend I never came up with this idea.










Sixteen men agreed to have their vasectomies done before a live audience.










Then the Royal Institution of Australia and the Australian Festival of Ideas, both based in Adelaide, agreed to serve as headquarters for World Vasectomy Day. Stein will lead our vasectomy-athon, and 16 men agreed to have their vasectomies done before a live audience. Surrounding Stein and his patients will be a roundtable of scientists discussing population and the future of the planet, including Paul Ehrlich, author of the 1968 best seller The Population Bomb. The whole event is to be live-streamed, and instead of 100 doctors, close to 200 doctors from 25 countries and counting will participate. Our film The Vasectomist will premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival.










The dream that began on a walk in the park is finally happening. I don’t know where the path will take us. Is this the last World Vasectomy Day or the first of many? Are we witnessing a shift in consciousness that celebrates the courage of men who take responsibility for themselves, their families, and our future? Stick around. The final act is yet to be written.










I had my vasectomy, and I’m very happy. Indeed, it’s great to not worry about pregnancy. I like it. Save the world and have better sex. That’s a cause I can support.










Correction, Oct. 17, 2013: This article’s headline originally implied that vasectomies are performed using a scalpel. In many cases, a no-scalpel procedure is performed instead.








Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2013/10/world_vasectomy_day_a_holiday_for_family_planning_live_streamed_from_australia.html
Tags: Bum Phillips   Agents of SHIELD   The Conjuring  

Cheney feared heart device in assassination effort

(AP) — Former Vice President Dick Cheney says he once feared that terrorists could use the electrical device that had been implanted near his heart to kill him and had his doctor disable its wireless function.

Cheney has a history of heart trouble, suffering the first of five heart attacks at age 37. He underwent a heart transplant last year at age 71.

In an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes," Cheney says doctors replaced an implanted defibrillator near his heart in 2007. The device can detect irregular heartbeats and control them with electrical jolts.

Cheney says that he and his doctor, cardiologist Jonathan Reiner, turned off the device's wireless function in case a terrorist tried to send his heart a fatal shock.

Years later, Cheney watched an episode of the Showtime series "Homeland" in which such a scenario was part of the plot.

"I found it credible," Cheney tells "60 Minutes" in a segment to be aired Sunday. "I know from the experience we had, and the necessity for adjusting my own device, that it was an accurate portrayal of what was possible."

Cheney and Reiner are promoting a book they co-authored, "Heart: An American Medical Odyssey."

In the "60 Minutes" interview, Reiner says he worried that Cheney couldn't stand the pressure that came on Sept. 11, 2001, the day terrorists attacked the U.S. Medical tests seen that morning showed Cheney had elevated levels of potassium in his blood, a condition called hyperkalemia, which could lead to abnormal heart rhythms and cardiac arrest.

Reiner says he watched news coverage of the day's events on television and thought, "Oh, great, the vice president is going to die tonight from hyperkalemia."

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-10-18-People-Cheney/id-25d09da87ad543d1895face9f5a1f286
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Les News, 101513



Mikhail Stands Up, Sly's Costly Autograph, Tina & Amy FTW!





  • • Concert poster artwork is a underappreciated artform. [Buzzfeed]

  • • A story of high school love. [Queerty]

  • Josh Hutcherson covers Seventeen magazine. [PopSugar]

  • Kate Winslet covers Vogue magazine. [GossipCop]

  • Mikhail Baryshnikov stands up for gay people in Russia. [Towleroad]

  • Cartier sells more than just for diamonds. [Oh La La]

  • Sylvester Stallone charges almost $400 for an autograph. [Newser]

  • Apple is gettin’ ready to unveil their new iPads. [Heavy]

  • Angel Haze puts her spin on Kanye West‘s Black Skinhead. [Idolator]

  • • Have you met Max and the Moon? [arjanwrites]

  • Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will host the Golden Globes for the next two years. [Starpulse]

  • • Oh gods, make it stop. [Global Grind]

  • Charlie Hunnam doing what he does best. [LaineyGossip]

  • Keyshia Cole is 32, Ginuwine is 43, Emeril Lagasse is 54, Tito Jackson is 60, Penny Marshall is 70 and Linda Lavin (Alice) is 76 years old. Click HERE to see who else is celebrating a birthday




Source: http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/2013-10-15/les-news-101513
Category: Naya Rivera   Agents of SHIELD   world war z   Darren Young   Chris Siegfried  

Friday, October 18, 2013

Gordon relishing chance to race for another Cup

Driver Jeff Gordon races through the tri-oval during practice for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., Friday, Oct. 18, 2013.(AP Photo/Dave Martin)







Driver Jeff Gordon races through the tri-oval during practice for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., Friday, Oct. 18, 2013.(AP Photo/Dave Martin)







Driver Jeff Gordon races through the tri-oval during practice for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., Friday, Oct. 18, 2013.(AP Photo/Dave Martin)







Driver Jeff Gordon watches in the garage area as his team works on his car during practice for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., Friday, Oct. 18, 2013.(AP Photo/Jay Sailors)







Driver Kyle Busch leans on his car as he waits during practice for Sunday's running of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., Friday, Oct. 18, 2013.







Driver Kevin Harvick prepares to practice for Sunday's running of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., Friday, Oct. 18, 2013.







TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — With flecks of gray in his sideburns, it's apparent that Jeff Gordon is long removed from those days as a hotshot young driver who seemed destined to win more NASCAR Cup championships than anyone.

Heck, not too long ago people were wondering if he was all washed up.

Well, look who's in contention for a Sprint Cup championship.

Yep, the guy they used to call Wonder Boy.

"I just like the fact that you're talking about that," Gordon said Friday, chatting with a reporter outside his hauler. "That means things are happening for us. It's been so long. I don't know what it feels like anymore to win a championship."

It's been 12 long years, to be exact, since Gordon captured the last of his four titles.

But he heads into Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway ranking fourth in the points and hoping to take advantage of a track where the standings can change in a hurry.

"I don't even know if I have the words to describe how much it would mean," Gordon said. "The longer you're in the sport, the more ups and downs you go through, the more meaningful the wins and the championships. Certainly nothing would top that."

He knows he's still a long shot, with Matt Kenseth and teammate Jimmie Johnson holding down the top two spots. Gordon trails Kenseth by 36 points and Johnson by 32 — a lot of ground to make up. The odds that both will suddenly go into a slump is a stretch, to say the least, and Kevin Harvick also stands between Gordon and the top spot.

But at Talladega, where restrictor plates lead to tight racing and big crashes, there's always a chance to make a big move — up or down.

Besides, it's already rather improbable that Gordon still has a chance for his fifth championship.

In the last race before the Chase, it looked as though he had come up one point shy of the 12-driver playoff. Then, NASCAR uncovered all sorts of shenanigans among teams trying to lock up their spot or help out a teammate, leading to the unprecedented decision to add Gordon as a 13th driver in the playoff.

He's doing his best to take advantage of the second chance, finishing in the top 10 in four of the first five Chase races.

He also understands why so many people began writing him off in recent years, the sport he once dominated seemingly passing him by.

"You know, I get it," Gordon said. "It's all about performance and stats in this sport."

While he never totally faded away, the last serious run at a title came way back in 2007, when Gordon won six times and finished second behind Johnson.

If nothing else, the long dry spell has made Gordon realize how much he took all those titles in his 20s for granted.

"Oh gosh, I can tell you I didn't appreciate the first one near enough," he said. "To have what, 11 or 12 years now in between our last one, you better believe I would appreciate it a lot more."

To make a run at Kenseth and Johnson, Gordon will likely need to win a race or two — something he hasn't done all season.

That's where things get a big tricky.

"I feel like I'm definitely a more patient and smarter driver today," Gordon said, before quickly adding, "Anytime a driver says that, it means that's probably not putting it out there on the edge quite as much as he used to. So, you've got to take the pros and cons of what you've learned over the years and where you're at. I feel like in some ways, I'm probably not putting myself in vulnerable positions enough and pushing the limits of it. But on the flip side of that, I'm bringing the car home in one piece a lot more often."

Another Hendricks Motorsports teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., said Gordon seems as driven as ever to win another title.

"How he goes through the process of working a race weekend, being tenacious, trying to figure out the car, working with the crew, utilizing practice, putting in the effort, that desire is as strong as it's always been as far as I can tell," Earnhardt said. "He's got the confidence that he's the best guy out there and he wants to prove that every week. You can see that in his demeanor and his body language."

No matter how the season turns out, Gordon has gotten another taste of what it's like to be in the mix.

He likes the feeling.

"Earlier in the year, people wrote me off and said, 'When are you going to retire?'" Gordon said, with plenty of satisfaction in his voice. "Now everybody is like, 'Wow, look at this guy. Where did he come from? He's back. He's got that confidence and that smile.' Well, yeah. Because the cars have been awesome and as a team, we're coming together at the right time and putting great efforts out there and results.

"That's fun. That's what I like to do."

___

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-10-18-NASCAR-Talladega/id-3e2c2f71e93b44708ab3ccaab9a3b0da
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At Home At Sea: Robert Redford, At His Best Alone





Robert Redford stars in All Is Lost as a solitary man struggling to make his yacht seaworthy again after it collides with a rogue shipping container adrift in the Indian Ocean.



Richard Foreman/Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate


Robert Redford stars in All Is Lost as a solitary man struggling to make his yacht seaworthy again after it collides with a rogue shipping container adrift in the Indian Ocean.


Richard Foreman/Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate



All Is Lost


  • Director: J.C. Chandor

  • Genre: Action, drama

  • Running Time: 106 minutes

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language


With: Robert Redford


(Recommended)



As I watched Robert Redford acting all by himself in the superlative survival-at-sea movie All Is Lost, I suddenly realized why the setup feels so perfect: Redford is most in his element when he's alone.


His strength — and it seemed huge when he started in the late '50s and '60s — has always been his ability to convey thought on-screen. But he has never been much of an inter-acter, which is one reason his Jay Gatsby in the 1974 The Great Gatsby adaptation was a nonstarter. Gatsby thinks he needs someone else to complete him, whereas Redford looked uncomfortable when Mia Farrow's Daisy invaded his personal space.


The only time Redford has shown convincing affection onscreen was for Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting. After that, his most successful pairing was with Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were — and there the whole point was that the pushy Jewish woman and vaguely embarrassed WASP had a kind of anti-chemistry.


So here he is alone in All Is Lost, as an unnamed man whose 39-foot yacht drifts into an abandoned shipping container in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The container punches a hole in the side, water pours in, and what follows is a chain of disasters I'd call a perfect storm if the phrase weren't so overused.



I'm not giving anything away: The movie opens with the man reading a goodbye letter in voiceover as what's left of a raft bobs up and down. He apologizes to someone — his family, presumably, but the recipients are, like the man's name and profession, unstated. The point is that with death imminent, he seems finally to understand the ways in which he wasn't there for the people who needed him.


All Is Lost then flashes back to the start of the debacle, with the man waking up to find water pouring into his yacht. The film is at heart a procedural thriller. The man must extricate his sailboat from that container, pump out the water that has flooded the electrical system, and in various ways make his vessel seaworthy again. Writer-director J.C. Chandor breaks the narrative down into perfect fixer-upper units, and I would never have guessed that boat repair could be so riveting.


Redford looks amazing for a man in his late '70s. His skin is cracked and weathered — which has been true for decades, since he started spending so much time on the ski slopes — but his face has held its shape. And I've never been so conscious of his physical assurance.


That strength of his I mentioned, that ability to convey thought, is what keeps us watching even though he doesn't say a word for the first 90 minutes: It's all music and the sound of the ship creaking as it bobs up and down, or the noise of the storms that nearly wipe him out.


All Is Lost is also a parable, and there's some heavy-handed religious imagery in the final moments. But something momentous does happen on-screen, something that speaks to our connection with actors over time. What Redford and Chandor have pulled off is the ultimate fusion of actor and character. As the man loses control for maybe the first time in his life — as all indeed seems lost — Redford does something unprecedented for him on-screen: He lets go. He makes contact with the audience as he never has before. He stops thinking.


Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/18/236407832/at-home-at-sea-robert-redford-at-his-best-alone?ft=1&f=1008
Tags: eric decker   LC Greenwood   Kerry Washington   Brant Daugherty   djokovic  

Justin Bieber Is Smiling To Keep From Crying In New 'Believe Clip


'You always gotta keep a smile on your face,' Bieber says in another sneak peek at the documentary due out on December 25.


By Gil Kaufman








Source:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1715820/justin-bieber-believe-movie-smile-clip.jhtml

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Google flies high -- but Motorola sinks further



The good news about Google in its third-quarter results aren't hard to find: The company beat analyst estimates for revenue and earnings per share. But there is bad news, and it hints at how the company's big mobile hardware investment may be a much longer-term proposition for a profit.


Nobody, save maybe for Google's competition, is complaining about the company's revenues: $14.89 billion total, $11.92 billion net, up 12 percent from Q3 2012. The projections were for $11.7 billion revenue, and a $10.36 EPS (for the latter, Google made $10.74). Small wonder Google's shares jumped some 5 percent in after-hours trading.


One sign of how Google's business could change up with the ongoing shift away from desktops and toward mobile devices, is the dropping cost-per-click, or CPC, rate. A metric that measures the average price for an ad, CPC fell 8 percent over last year, and 4 percent from Q2, even while paid clicks rose 26 percent year-over-year and went up 8 percent from Q2.


Carolina Milanesi, a research VP at Gartner, described these steady-rather-than-drastic changes as a consequence of the movement toward mobile ads, "where there is a reluctance to pay as much." On the other hand, "the main thing is that more users are clicking on the ads that Google is serving."


Some of that may be due to the recently launched Enhanced Campaigns ad system (courtesy of its acquisition of AdMob). But other hints of how that might be happening came during the quarterly analyst conference call, where Chief Business Officer Nikesh Arora talked about how localized product-listing ads (a major component of the mobile ad strategy) and the transition "from links to answers" has been playing out.


"We’re transitioning from links to answers," he said, referring to the way Google has been reworking its results via its Hummingbird tuneup, "and product-listing ads are part of that because they're a good experience for the user, especially on mobile devices." But he declined to comment "on how that will impact going forward."


If Google plans to continue making up in volume what it loses in individual sales, it may well be one of the few entities on the planet with the muscle and the means to do so.


But Motorola Mobility, the in-house hardware side of Google's mobile strategy, hasn't experienced a turnaround of its own. Instead, it's slid even further into the red, with a Q3 loss of $248 million. At least the dip wasn't as pronounced as in Q2, where Motorola lost $342 million. Total Q3 revenue: $1.18 billion, down from $1.78 billion last year.


The real question: Is anyone even surprised by such lackluster performance? Under Google's stewardship, Motorola hasn't differentiated itself except by being remarkably underwhelming in most every respect. The U.S.-made Moto X phones have stolen no thunder from the likes of Samsung's Galaxy S4, let alone the iPhone 5s, and its "Motomaker" customization system hasn't done much for sales either.


Milanesi's observation on this point was blunt: "It is hard to see what the advantage of having Moto is, considering the fact that they have lost close to $1 billion." But she also pointed out Google is "looking years ahead, not quarters ahead, a strategy that might make earnings analysis quite complex as we do not see the quick results on investments such as Moto."


On the analyst call, CFO Patrick Pichette reiterated a similar line: The company had a quality product in the Moto X, and it was still the early days for the new Motorola. How long those early days will go on is another story entirely -- especially with the mobile market fast becoming a settled field with Apple on top, Samsung under that, and everyone else far, far behind.


This article, "Google flies high -- but Motorola sinks further," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Get the first word on what the important tech news really means with the InfoWorld Tech Watch blog. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.


Source: http://www.infoworld.com/t/technology-business/google-flies-high-motorola-sinks-further-229051?source=rss_mobile_technology
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Human neutrophil peptide-1: A new anti-leishmanial drug candidate

Human neutrophil peptide-1: A new anti-leishmanial drug candidate


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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 17-Oct-2013



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Contact: Sima Rafati
sima-rafatisy@pasteur.ac.ir
98-216-695-3311 x21
Public Library of Science





Leishmaniasis is a vector borne disease caused by different Leishmania species with different clinical manifestations. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic and widespread especially among young individuals in Iran. Currently prophylactic or therapeutic vaccines are not available, and in spite of vector control wherever possible, the disease has not been controlled. Although the majority of zoonotic CL cases heal within 6-9 months, anthroponotic cases persist much longer. Both types leave lifelong scars that are the cause of social stigma and much morbidity; particularly important for young girls with lesions on the face or exposed area of the body. The first line drugs (antimonials) are toxic and require repeated painful injections accompanied by considerable side effects. This coupled with the development of drug resistance, recently reported in Iran, indicate the urgent need for development of new therapeutics.


Sara Dabirian, Ph.D student at Pasteur Institute of Iran, took advantage of molecules with limited toxicity to stimulate innate immune responses as a new approach to fight against leishmaniasis. Human neutrophil peptide-1 (HNP-1) is one of the most potent defensins with a broad antimicrobial activity. This peptide is naturally found within a granule of human neutrophils, a cell type that has the capacity to both kill Leishmania parasites and serve as an immediate host cell.


Using a prokaryotic expression system and an in vitro folding procedure, Dabirian et al. succeeded to cost-efficiently produce substantial amounts of active HNP-1.


The results, publishing October 17th, 2013 in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, demonstrated that HNP-1 has direct leishmanicidal effects for both promastigote and amastigote and efficiently kills the parasites at concentrations non-toxic to host cells. Treatment of neutrophils with the HNP-1 was further shown to increase the life-span of the neutrophils and reduce the ability to be infected by Leishmania parasites. This was accompanied by an increase in production of the cytokine TNF-α and a reduction of the regulatory cytokine TGF-β following HNP-1 treatment of Leishmania infected neutrophils.


Professor Sima Rafati, from Molecular Immunology and Vaccine Research Laboratory at Pasteur Institute of Iran, who led the study, said: "The effects of HNP-1 on parasites and infected cells are anticipated to favorably alter the outcome of Leishmania infection. These results showed that HNP-1 holds a real potential as a candidate for a new modality of treatment for leishmaniasis". This approach may also be applicable for treatment of different forms of leishmaniasis, although it needs further investigation both in vivo and in vitro.



###


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Human neutrophil peptide-1: A new anti-leishmanial drug candidate


[ Back to EurekAlert! ]

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 17-Oct-2013



[


| E-mail



| Share Share

]

Contact: Sima Rafati
sima-rafatisy@pasteur.ac.ir
98-216-695-3311 x21
Public Library of Science





Leishmaniasis is a vector borne disease caused by different Leishmania species with different clinical manifestations. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic and widespread especially among young individuals in Iran. Currently prophylactic or therapeutic vaccines are not available, and in spite of vector control wherever possible, the disease has not been controlled. Although the majority of zoonotic CL cases heal within 6-9 months, anthroponotic cases persist much longer. Both types leave lifelong scars that are the cause of social stigma and much morbidity; particularly important for young girls with lesions on the face or exposed area of the body. The first line drugs (antimonials) are toxic and require repeated painful injections accompanied by considerable side effects. This coupled with the development of drug resistance, recently reported in Iran, indicate the urgent need for development of new therapeutics.


Sara Dabirian, Ph.D student at Pasteur Institute of Iran, took advantage of molecules with limited toxicity to stimulate innate immune responses as a new approach to fight against leishmaniasis. Human neutrophil peptide-1 (HNP-1) is one of the most potent defensins with a broad antimicrobial activity. This peptide is naturally found within a granule of human neutrophils, a cell type that has the capacity to both kill Leishmania parasites and serve as an immediate host cell.


Using a prokaryotic expression system and an in vitro folding procedure, Dabirian et al. succeeded to cost-efficiently produce substantial amounts of active HNP-1.


The results, publishing October 17th, 2013 in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, demonstrated that HNP-1 has direct leishmanicidal effects for both promastigote and amastigote and efficiently kills the parasites at concentrations non-toxic to host cells. Treatment of neutrophils with the HNP-1 was further shown to increase the life-span of the neutrophils and reduce the ability to be infected by Leishmania parasites. This was accompanied by an increase in production of the cytokine TNF-α and a reduction of the regulatory cytokine TGF-β following HNP-1 treatment of Leishmania infected neutrophils.


Professor Sima Rafati, from Molecular Immunology and Vaccine Research Laboratory at Pasteur Institute of Iran, who led the study, said: "The effects of HNP-1 on parasites and infected cells are anticipated to favorably alter the outcome of Leishmania infection. These results showed that HNP-1 holds a real potential as a candidate for a new modality of treatment for leishmaniasis". This approach may also be applicable for treatment of different forms of leishmaniasis, although it needs further investigation both in vivo and in vitro.



###


[ Back to EurekAlert! ]

[


| E-mail



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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.




Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/plos-hnp101113.php
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Hulu officially announces its new CEO, former Fox exec Mike Hopkins

Hulu has had a tumultuous 2013, as it lost founding CEO Jason Kilar in January, then went through the sale process, again, before sticking with its original owners, again. Confirming last week's rumors from Bloomberg and Reuters, the new CEO is Mike Hopkins, most recently head of distribution for ...


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/KlsXyaZZhRI/
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Wii U sales jump in wake of price cut, increased by 200 percent in September

It looks like Nintendo's Wii U is finally getting the shot in the arm it needs: according to the latest numbers, the console's sales jumped 200 percent last month. The company points to the Wii U's August price drop and the introduction of a limited-edition Legend of Zelda bundle for the increased ...


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/9-A87c3cjVk/
Category: Scott Carpenter   pittsburgh pirates   iOS 7 Release Time   9/11   2020 Olympics  

Thursday, October 17, 2013

The Most Beautiful Photo of Saturn You've Ever Seen


The first time you see this latest picture of Saturn, you'll probably think it's fake. The rings are too perfectly round. The swirling surface of the planet is too smooth. The shadows are too sharp. But it's all real, thanks to the Cassini spacecraft and a Croatian software developer with too much time on his hands.


The image you see below is a brilliant, high definition composite of images that Cassini took when it flew by Saturn on October 10. The 36 shots amounted to 12 taken with a green filter, 12 with blue and 12 with red to approximate true color. It does better than approximate. In the days that followed, Gordan Ugarkovic, the aforementioned Croation software developer, pieced the 36 images into one massive 4000 x 3200 pixel mosaic, and since he's tinkered with space images before, Ugarkovic does a great job smoothing out the seams:


The Most Beautiful Photo of Saturn You've Ever SeenS


As Slate's Phil Plait points out, the extraordinary detail affords unique looks at the blue-tinged hexagonal polar vortex as well as a white band in the northern hemisphere that appears to be the remnants of a massive storm that rocked the planet last year. The rings are also profoundly well defined from the dark A ring on the outside to the faint C ring in the very middle. The B ring looks like the grooves of a tan-colored record. You can even see how light from the rings is reflected onto the planet's dark side.


Turns out 2013 has been a pretty good year for photographing Saturn. On July 19, Cassini captured this dramatic shot of Saturn and a few of its moons. (Fun fact: Saturn has at least 62 moons in total.) It almost feels like abstract art. [Discover, Slate]


The Most Beautiful Photo of Saturn You've Ever SeenS


Images via NASA / Gordan Ugarkovic


Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-most-beautiful-photo-of-saturn-youve-ever-seen-1447226686
Tags: lil kim   Iams Recall   olinguito   Sean Sasser   Percy Jackson Sea Of Monsters  

CineAsia to Honor Intercontinental Group Holdings Limited’s Terry Lai and Rigo Jesu


Intercontinental Group Holdings Limited's Honorary Group chairman Terry Lai and adviser Rigo Jesu will be honored with the CineAsia lifetime achievement award in distribution at this year's convention.



The duo will be recognized at a Dec. 12 awards ceremony set to take place at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.


"It is with great pleasure that we are able to honor Terry Lai and Rigo Jesu with the CineAsia 2013 lifetime achievement award in distribution," said Robert H. Sunshine, co-managing director of the annual convention. "Both Terry and Rigo have a long and acclaimed history that makes them a 'tour de force' in distribution, production, content creation, video, gaming and live performances."


Lai established Intercontinental Film Distributors (HK) Limitedin 1969 to produce and export Chinese films around the world. This success led to the establishment of Intercontinental Group Holdings Limited in 1996, which today is an organization more than 400 employees with a turnover in the HK$600 million range. Its businesses include film and video distribution, cinema operations, advertising and promotion services, video games distribution, e-commerce and character products merchandising.


Rigo began his career in entertainment at Capital Artists Limited, where he was promoted to the position of acting general manager in 1973. In 1980, he formed his own company, Jesu International Entertainment Limited, and later joined Intercontinental Film Distributors (H.K.) Limited, focusing mainly on the sourcing of foreign films and introducing them into Hong Kong. In 1985, he shuttered his business to focus on the growth and development of IFDL and its parent, Intercontinental Group Holdings Limited, as managing director. From 2005-11, he served as co-CEO of Intercontinental Group before shifting into the role of adviser.


CineAsia 2013 will take place from Dec. 10-12 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. It will feature screenings of upcoming Hollywood films, sponsored events, timely and informative seminars,and the CineAsia Trade Show.


CineAsia is produced by Prometheus Global Media, owner of The Hollywood Reporter.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/business/~3/uizC6PT9-wc/story01.htm
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Economists: Shutdown Will Shave Half-Percent From Quarterly GDP


The government shutdown has taken a toll on the nation's economy and despite a deal that sidesteps a debt default and restarts the government (at least for a few months), growth forecasts for the last quarter of the year are being scaled back.


Economist Mark Zandi, of Moody's Analytics, has shaved his gross domestic product forecast from 2.6 percent to 2.1 percent for the last three months of the calendar year.


"If the treasury fails to make payments to Social Security recipients and Medicare providers, to bondholders, whoever that may be, it would clearly undermine (investor) confidence and would lay the foundation for the economy going back into recession," Zandi says. "And if this would extend for any length of time, into November, I think the recession we would see would be severe, on par with the Great Recession, the downturn we just went through."


Standard & Poor's says the 16-day partial shutdown cost U.S. taxpayers $24 billion. It reduced its projected fourth quarter growth from 3 percent to 2.4 percent.


The New York Times says:




"Even with the shutdown of the United States government and the threat of a default coming to an end, the cost of Congress's gridlock has already run well into the billions, economists estimate. And the total will continue to grow even after the shutdown ends, partly because of uncertainty about whether lawmakers might reach another deadlock early next year.


A complete accounting will take months once the government reopens and the Treasury resumes adding to the country's debt. But economists said that the intransigence of House Republicans would take a bite out of fourth-quarter growth, which will affect employment, business earnings and borrowing costs. The ripple from Washington will be felt around the globe."




And The Washington Post writes:




"[The] the biggest failure of the agreement, analysts say, is that it keeps the government operating for only a few months, with a new need to fund agencies and raise the debt ceiling coming in the first five weeks of 2014.


As a result, economists say, consumers and businesses are likely to hold back on spending and investment during the important holiday season, knowing that a similarly economy-shaking political showdown might be right around the corner.


'If people are afraid that the government policy brinkmanship will resurface again, and with it the risk of another shutdown or worse, they'll remain afraid to open up their checkbooks,' Standard & Poor's U.S. chief economist Beth Ann Bovino said in an analysis. 'That points to another Humbug holiday season.'"




In the Federal Reserve's monthly Beige Book report, released on Wednesday, the central bank cited fears that the shutdown would have an impact on consumer and business confidence.


Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/17/236211286/economists-shutdown-will-shave-half-percent-from-quarterly-gdp?ft=1&f=1006
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Apple hires Burberry CEO to boost store sales

FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, file photo, Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts speaks at the National Retail Federation's annual convention in New York. Apple said Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013, that Ahrendts, who used technology to drive a remarkable turnaround at Burberry, will take charge of Apple's expansion plans and retail operation, as she will become a senior vice president at the company next spring. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)







FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, file photo, Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts speaks at the National Retail Federation's annual convention in New York. Apple said Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013, that Ahrendts, who used technology to drive a remarkable turnaround at Burberry, will take charge of Apple's expansion plans and retail operation, as she will become a senior vice president at the company next spring. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)







(AP) — Apple is entrusting the elegant stores that help define its brand to Angela Ahrendts, a respected executive who blended fashion sense with technological savvy to establish Burberry as a mark of luxury and success.

The hiring announced Tuesday is a coup for Apple Inc. Besides providing the Cupertino, Calif. company with another sharp mind, Ahrendts should help Apple deflect potential criticism about the lack of women in the upper ranks of its management.

Silicon Valley's long-running reliance on men to make key decisions has come into sharper focus as online messaging service Twitter Inc. prepares to go public. Twitter's closely scrutinized IPO documents called attention to the San Francisco company's all-male board of directors and the presence of just one woman in its executive inner circle.

Apple has one woman, former Avon Products Inc. CEO Andrea Jung, among the eight directors on its board.

Ahrendts will report directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook when she leaves Burberry to join Apple next spring in a newly created position of senior vice president of senior vice president in charge of retail and online stores.

In a memo sent Tuesday to Apple employees, Cook said he knew he wanted to hire Ahrendts from the time the two met in January and realized "she shares our values and our focus on innovation."

Ahrendts telegraphed her admiration of Apple in 2010 when The Wall Street Journal asked her if she was trying to mold Burberry into something similar to other luxury brands in the fashion industry.

"I don't look at Gucci or Chanel or anyone," Ahrendts told the Journal. "If I look to any company as a model, it's Apple. They're a brilliant design company working to create a lifestyle, and that's the way I see us."

Ahrendts' arrival comes at a crucial time for Apple and the stores that serve as the main showcase for its iPhones, iPads, iPods and Mac computers.

Like the rest of the company, Apple's stores aren't doing quite as well as they once were, primarily because tougher competition has forced the company to trim its prices.

For instance, in Apple's quarter ending in late June, average revenue per store declined 9 percent from the previous year to $10.1 million. Even more troubling, the retail division's operating profit for the quarter dropped 19 percent from last year to $667 million. Apple ended the period with 408 stores located in 13 countries.

The stores, which are staffed by nearly 42,000 workers, may have been suffering from a management void. Ron Johnson, a former Target Inc. executive credited for turning Apple's stores into a thriving operation, left the company in 2011 to become CEO of J.C. Penney Co. Johnson's successor, John Browett, left Apple in a management shake-up a year ago. Since then, the stores have been under the management of a lower-level executive and the senior vice president job remained vacant.

This will mark the first time that the Apple's senior vice president in charge of its brick-and-mortar stores also will be in charge of the company's online sales.

In his memo to Apple employees, Cook said he never had met an executive capable of doing both jobs until he got to know Ahrendts.

"She believes in enriching the lives of others and she is wicked smart," Cook wrote.

Ahrendts, 53, proved her ability to galvanize a well-established brand during the past seven years working in London as Burberry's CEO.

Burberry, established in 1856, was growing stale until Ahrendts came along to build upon the popularity of its trench coats by adding more flair and panache to the company's fashion line-up.

To help build buzz, the company brought more technology to the catwalk by streaming its fashion shows through online outlets such as Twitter. The strategy boosted Burberry's sales as Web surfers bought the fancy coats, shoes and bags the company previewed.

In the latest measure of Burberry's success under Ahrendts, the company's quarterly results released Tuesday disclosed that sales rose 14 percent to 1 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) in the first half of this year.

Ahrendts worked closely with Burberry's top creative officer, Christopher Bailey, who will become CEO when she leaves.

Although she is now a prominent fashion figure, Ahrendts comes from humble roots. She grew up in New Palestine, Indiana, which was a city with a population of about 2,000 in her youth. She graduated from Ball State University located about 50 miles from her home town.

___

Associated Press writer Danica Kirka in London contributed to this story.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-10-15-Apple-Burberry/id-5313b6b1c1b74af38a7b6436fbf238ab
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Apple Cuts iPhone 5C Production (Report)


Apple is cutting back production of its lower-cost iPhone 5C for the fourth quarter, according to sources close to the two Taiwanese companies that assemble the devices. The news gives ammunition to analysts who questioned the company's pricing strategy for the new addition to the iPhone line.



The colorful, plastic encased iPhone 5C debuted in September along with the high-end iPhone 5S, which costs $100 more and comes with the fastest mass-market smartphone chips to date, along with a fingerprint sensor. 


STORY: Apple iPhones Go on Sale in China, Posthaste


Apple told its Taiwanese assemblers Pegatron Corp. and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. that it would be cutting shipments of the iPhone 5C in the fourth quarter, sources told the Wall Street Journal.


Pegatron, which the Journal says assembles two thirds of Apple's iPhone 5Cs, was told orders would be cut by less than 20 percent. Hon Hai, which assembles the rest of Apple's 5Cs, was told its orders would be reduced by a third.


Prior to Apple's iPhone release event in September, investors had been anticipating, and arguing for, the company to release a lower-cost model -- with a price tag around $350 -- to compete in developing markets such as China, where the company has been losing market share because many consumers don't have the disposable income for its "affordable luxury" class products. The iPhone 5C was the company's answer to this demand, but analysts were disappointed by the $550-plus price point. 


Consumer demand for the gold version of the 5S, however, has outstripped expectations, leading Apple to increase orders for that model.  


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HollywoodReporterAsia/~3/-ACiXi47RHs/story01.htm
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Liam Neeson's 'Non-Stop' Trailer Is Five Action Movies In One


We found five of the most reliable thriller clichés in the preview for the new film.


By Kevin P. Sullivan








Source:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1715709/non-stop-movie-liam-neeson-trailer.jhtml

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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Why U.S. Taxpayers Pay $7 Billion A Year To Help Fast-Food Workers





New York City Council Speaker and mayoral candidate Christine Quinn speaks at a fast-food workers' protest outside a McDonald's in New York in August. A nationwide movement is calling for raising the minimum hourly wage for fast-food workers to $15.



Richard Drew/AP


New York City Council Speaker and mayoral candidate Christine Quinn speaks at a fast-food workers' protest outside a McDonald's in New York in August. A nationwide movement is calling for raising the minimum hourly wage for fast-food workers to $15.


Richard Drew/AP


If you hit the drive-thru, chances are that the cashier who rings you up or the cook who prepared your food relies on public assistance to make ends meet.


A new analysis finds that 52 percent of fast-food workers are enrolled in, or have their families enrolled in, one or more public assistance programs such as SNAP (food stamps) Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).


That's right: With a median wage of $8.69 per hour for front-line fast-food jobs – cooks, cashiers and crew — workers are taking home a pay check, but it's not enough to cover the basics, according to the authors of "Fast Food, Poverty Wages."


"The taxpayer costs we discovered were staggering," says co-author Ken Jacobs of the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Berkeley.


"The combination of low wages, meager benefits, and often part-time hours means that many of the families of fast-food workers have to rely on tax-payer funded, safety net programs to make ends meet," Jacobs told me by phone.


The report finds that the fast-food industry's low wages, combined with part-time hours and lack of health care benefits, creates demand for public assistance including $3.9 billion per year in Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) benefits. Add on another billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamp assistance. Earned Income Tax Credit payments (a subsidy to low-wage workers) amount to about $1.95 billion per year.


Contrary to the assumption that the typical fast-food worker is a teenager living with his or her parents, the report finds that the vast majority of front-line fast-food workers are adults who are supporting themselves – "and 68 percent are the main wage earners in their families," Marc Doussard of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a co-author on the paper, says in a press release about the study.



He says about a quarter of those working these jobs in fast-food restaurants are parents supporting children at home.


The report was funded by Fast Food Forward, a group campaigning for higher wages.


The analysis comes as a campaign for $15 per hour wages has garnered significant attention around the country. Over the last year, workers in cities nationwide have temporarily walked off their jobs to protest low wages.


But, some more conservative-leaning economists say raising wages would do nothing to curtail the taxpayer spending on public assistance programs.


"I don't think raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would solve that problem," Michael Strain, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told me during a phone interview. He describes himself as a center-right economist.


Strain says raising wages to that level would have unintended consequences: Namely, fast-food companies would slow down their hiring. And this would lead to more workers looking for jobs — and potentially needing to rely on more public assistance.


Strain says the $7 billion taxpayer bill is not necessarily problematic.


"I think the system seems to be working the way it is — not that it's working perfectly," he says, adding, "In general, the government is making sure these people's basic needs are met, which is an appropriate role of government."


At the same time, Strain argues, fast-food businesses are paying their workers wages that they judge to be equal to the value these workers are adding to the production process.


"If we were to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, I think most economists, including me, would argue that that would result in a lot fewer workers," since fast-food companies would slow-down on hiring.


Ken Jacobs disagrees.


"I think there's very good evidence on what's happened when wages have been improved for low-wage and fast-food workers," Jacobs says.


He points to a fast-food company, In-N-Out Burger, as an example of an employer that pays higher-than-average wages, yet is still profitable.


And, Jacobs says, some municipalities are raising minimum wages, such as San Jose, Calif., where the minimum wage is set to increase to $10.15 per hour in January of 2014. And there are proposals in states including Maryland to phase in hourly minimum wage hikes as well.


Jacobs argues that it's possible that employers may see a small decline in profits, but when wages are raised, "you do find a significant decline in turnover (of workers), which is cost-saving for employers."


Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/10/16/235398536/why-u-s-taxpayers-pay-7-billion-a-year-to-help-fast-food-workers?ft=1&f=1006
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Obama presenting Medal of Honor to Afghan war vet

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Army captain is receiving the nation's highest military honor from President Barack Obama for his bravery in one of the most deadly firefights in Afghanistan.


William D. Swenson is being awarded the Medal of Honor Tuesday for his actions in a lengthy battle against the Taliban in the Ganjgal valley near the Pakistan border on Sept. 8, 2009, which claimed the lives of five Americans, 10 Afghan army troops and an interpreter.


At the time, Swenson was an embedded trainer and mentor with the Afghan National Security Forces in Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan. He risked his life to recover bodies and help save fellow troops.


Swenson complained to military leaders after the fight that many of his calls for help were rejected by superior officers. Two Army officers were reprimanded for being "inadequate and ineffective" and for "contributing directly to the loss of life" following an investigation into the day's events.


Four Americans died in the ambush: 1st Lt. Michael Johnson, a 25-year-old from Virginia Beach; Staff Sgt. Aaron Kenefick, 30, of Roswell, Ga.; Corpsman James Layton, 22, of Riverbank, Calif.; and Edwin Wayne Johnson Jr., a 31-year-old gunnery sergeant from Columbus, Ga. A fifth man, Army Sgt. Kenneth W. Westbrook, 41, of Shiprock, N.M., later died from his wounds.


The military says Swenson's initial medal nomination was lost. Another man who fought in the battle, Marine Cpl. Dakota Meyer, was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2011.


Swenson, 34, retired from the military in February 2011. He has a Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal and lives in Seattle.


Swenson will be the sixth living recipient to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. Vice President Joe Biden and first lady Michelle Obama also will attend Tuesday's medal ceremony in the East Room of the White House.


Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-presenting-medal-honor-afghan-war-vet-061241042--politics.html
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First Look: Neil Patrick Harris Unveils The Poster Artwork For His New Production Of ‘Hedwig And The Angry Inch’



Coming Soon





Back in June we learned the exciting news that actor Neil Patrick Harris signed on to star in a new Broadway production of the smash off-Broadway show (turned indie cult classic film) Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Today we get our first look at NPH as Hedwig as the first promo poster for the show has been released. Neil posted a teaser photo from the poster photoshoot about 2 weeks ago on his official Instagram profile and debuted the poster itself on his official Twitter profile. Click below to see the poster artwork for Hedwig in full below and get your first look at his new incarnation of the fabulous character.




Hedwig News! The first ad image was just released, and I get to debut it! Tickets go on sale soon… @HedwigOnBway



Earlier this month, Neil posted the following photo on his Instagram profile:




Make up removal at the print art photo shoot for Hedwig.



I love both of these images. They are great teases for what’s to come. Even tho we still don’t know what NPH will look like wearing Hedwig‘s iconic wig, these teaser images are a great way to tide us over until that reveal is made as the show’s debut draws closer. This new production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch will open on Broadway next Spring so we still have some time to wait. As you can see above, NPH promises that tickets for the show will be available soon. What do you think of this first look at Neil as Hedwig? Do you think this is a show that you’d like to see on Broadway?


[Source, Source]





Source: http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/2013-10-16/first-look-neil-patrick-harris-unveils-the-poster-artwork-for-his-new-production-of-hedwig-and-the-angry-inch
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Ex-Countrywide executive denies fraud at BofA trial over mortgages


By Joseph Ax


NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former executive of Bank of America's Countrywide unit told a federal jury on Tuesday that she did not knowingly sell toxic mortgages to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the run-up to the financial crisis.


Rebecca Mairone, a former chief operating officer of Countrywide's Full Spectrum Lending Division, is the lone individual defendant in the lawsuit brought by the U.S. government against the bank, which acquired Countrywide in 2008.


The trial, now in its fourth week in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, is centered on the government's allegations that Countrywide defrauded Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac , the government-sponsored mortgage finance companies, by selling them thousands of defective mortgages. Countrywide sped up approvals to unqualified lenders in a process it called the "high-speed swim lane" (HSSL), or "Hustle."


Mairone, who oversaw the process, is one of only a handful of individual defendants in lawsuits the government has filed against major financial institutions over improper mortgage practices since the housing market meltdown. The Countrywide case is the first such case to reach trial.


At the start of Mairone's testimony, her lawyer, Marc Mukasey, asked a series of questions about whether she had deliberately sold substandard mortgages to Fannie and Freddie.


"No, never," she replied.


She said she believed HSSL would actually improve loan quality and that the company had controls in place to manage risks. Mairone, 46, is now a managing director at JPMorgan Chase & Co .


During cross-examination, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaimie Nawaday questioned Mairone about compensation plans for loan specialists and others, which included bonuses for funding a certain number of mortgages each month.


The government has accused Mairone and Countrywide of trading quality for volume by removing underwriters from the review process and paying employees based on the number of loans they produced.


Nawaday will continue questioning Mairone on Wednesday.


DEFENDANT CITES "LOAN QUALITY"


The case stems from a whistleblower lawsuit filed by former Countrywide executive Edward O'Donnell.


The government estimates the mortgage finance companies had a gross loss of $848.2 million on Countrywide's "Hustle" loans. The net loss on loans that were materially defective was $131.2 million, according to prosecutors.


In several hours of testimony on Tuesday, Mairone said she and other Countrywide employees were deeply committed to making sure the loans they sold were low risk.


"Loan quality was the foundation of what we did every day," she said. "That was the culture."


She also emphasized that decisions about how to design and manage HSSL, as well as steps taken to remedy flaws, were not unilaterally made but were the product of discussions with several company leaders.


The case is U.S. ex rel. O'Donnell v. Bank of America Corp et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 12-01422.


(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Leslie Adler)



Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-countrywide-executive-denies-fraud-bofa-trial-over-210023253--sector.html
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Youtube update adds video quality selector on WiFi

After pushing out an update to Maps, Google has also updated the YouTube app for for iOS today with a much requested new feature. When connected to WiFi, you're now able to select the quality of the video you're watching manually as well as setting auto-select.

Aside from this, there's also additional improvements to iOS 7 compatibility, and accessibility improvements as well. Grab it for yourselves from the App Store now.


    






Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/eDWrafeRWlU/story01.htm
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