LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Things won't be cooling down in Cleveland anytime soon.
TV Land has ordered a fifth season of its hit comedy "Hot in Cleveland," starring Betty White, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeve and Wendie Malick.
The 24-episode season will bring the total of episodes for the series - TV Land's maiden foray into original scripted comedy - to 104 episodes.
The new season will begin filming this fall.
Earlier this year, CBS Television Distribution announced that it had sold "Hot in Cleveland" for syndication to 92 percent of the country for a September 2014 launch.
"This is an incredible milestone for the show and for TV Land," network president Larry W. Jones said Wednesday. "To have our first scripted sitcom make it to the syndication level is a huge accomplishment. We have a brilliant creative team both in front of and behind the camera. We are so proud to be on this exciting ride with them."
A friend of a man accused of killing and burying his landlady?s adult son in the mid-1980s testified Tuesday that she questioned him about a freshly dug patch of dirt in the backyard of the San Marino home.
Dana Glad Farrar, who knew Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter as Christopher Chichester, told jurors she asked about the overturned dirt while playing Trivial Pursuit at the home months after the landlady?s son and his wife went missing in 1985.
FULL COVERAGE: Rockefeller imposter on trial
?He said he had been having plumbing problems,? she testified.
Prosecutors say there was no plumbing in that area of the yard and that Gerhartsreiter bludgeoned John Sohus to death before burying him in the yard of the Lorain Road home. The victim?s remains were discovered by construction workers building a pool for a new owner of the home in 1994, according to prosecutors.
Shortly before vanishing in early 1985, Sohus and his wife, Linda, had been living in the main house on the property with Sohus? mother, while Gerhartsreiter had been living in a guest house. Gerhartsreiter also disappeared, surfacing on the East Coast under a series of new names, including Clark Rockefeller. Gerhartsreiter masqueraded as a member of the wealthy family.
Farrar, a special education teacher, testified she was studying at USC about the time she met Gerhartsreiter, who had befriended her aunt in San Marino and often visited the USC film school. He claimed to be descended from royalty, she said, and passed out cards with a family crest.
She testified that he hosted a gathering in the summer of 1985 and that she saw him go into the main house on the property, bringing out spoons, ice and sugar for iced tea his guests were drinking. Farrar asked him why he was going into the house, she said.
?They are away; they will not mind,? she recalled him saying.
Farrar said she called San Marino police after the bones were discovered. She did not recall whether she told detectives in 1994 about seeing the dug-up portion of the yard. Defense attorney R. Bradford Bailey noted that a police report from her interview then did not include any reference to the account. Farrar, however, insisted that she did recall seeing the dug area.
Also Tuesday, a construction worker told jurors how he and his father unearthed Sohus? remains while digging a pool behind the guesthouse for the new owners of the property. The soil behind the home was rocky and hard, ?more difficult to dig than your average dirt,? Jose Perez Jr. said.
Perez, a large man, said it would have taken him several hours to hand dig the three-feet deep hole where the bones were buried. The digger?s hands, he said, would probably be covered in blisters.
A defense attorney hinted that Linda Sohus -? about 6 feet tall and 200 pounds -? would have been more physically capable of digging the hole than Gerhartsreiter, who is about five inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter. Linda has never been located.
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Photo: Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter in June 2001. Credit: Lisa Poole / Associated Press
There has been a great deal of confusion among carriers and retailers regarding Samsung?s (005930) strangely tepid Windows Phone support over the past few months. Samsung?s supposed flagship Windows Phone device, the ATIV S, debuted in Europe in December and sank without a trace. The ATIV was simply the Galaxy S III with very minor tweaks and the Windows Phone OS slapped on. It now looks like the ATIV S will never launch in India. The U.S. launch of the ATIV Odyssey at Verizon (VZ) has been a complete disaster; the phone received no marketing support and is not even listed among the top 20 contract models at Verizon Wireless.
[More from BGR: The Boy Genius Report: Apple?s billion dollar mobile payment magic trick]
It sure looks like Samsung gave only the most cursory and superficial support to its Windows Phone project, while ensuring the ATIV range would vanish without a trace just before the Galaxy S 4 launches. Of course, it is not hard to see why Samsung might feel obligated to offer fake support for Windows Phone. Its laptop and notebook division probably needs to stay on good terms with Microsoft (MSFT). But could there be something more sinister going on?
[More from BGR: Samsung Galaxy S 4 crushes iPhone 5, other leading phones in early performance tests]
Samsung has been surprisingly vocal about the upcoming Tizen model it plans to launch this autumn, even risking the wrath of Google (GOOG). Samsung Vice President Lee Young Hee has publicly characterized the autumn Tizen model as a ?high-end phone.??Samsung?s recent friction with Google has created speculation that Samsung may have started tiptoeing away from Android. Could the ATIV fake-out be part of Samsung?s plan to ensure a strong Tizen take-off during the third quarter this year?
If Samsung had made it clear last year it has no real intention to support Windows Phone platform, that could well have provoked Microsoft to launch its own smartphone line or possibly strengthen its relationship with ZTE or Huawei. But Microsoft may have been lulled into a false sense of security by Nokia?s (NOK) strong dedication and Samsung?s apparent backing. Now, HTC?s Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S phones are stumbling and Samsung?s ATIV range is on the rocks. Windows Phone?s future is effectively riding on the Lumia brand?s success. It?s all up to Nokia.
In one potential timeline, sales of both the Lumia line the new BlackBerry 10 range disappoint over the summer months, while Android?s global smartphone market share continues growing. In that timeline, Samsung?s new Tizen flagship phone arrives in late August, just in time for the back-to-school season, tempting mobile operators who feel extra jittery about how Android and Apple (AAPL) seem to have a stranglehold on the smartphone market.
If Samsung has saved some major technological advances for the Tizen phone while both Windows and BlackBerry lack autumn momentum, the gambit just might work.
The flip side is that if Windows Phone and/or BlackBerry (BBRY) can accelerate sales growth through the summer, the whole Tizen project could stumble out of the gate. It is not immediately clear how many minor operating systems the mobile carriers are willing to nourish. Either way, the autumn quarter is starting to look extra dramatic.
TEL AVIV (Reuters) - The United States should be allowed to co-produce Israel's Iron Dome rocket interceptor so it can benefit from the money it has poured into the Jewish state's defense programs, a senior Israeli military officer said on Wednesday.
Israel developed Iron Dome to shoot down rockets launched from the Gaza Strip and it is the only system in the world to use radar-guided missiles for such short-range interceptions.
U.S. President Barack Obama, who arrived in Israel on Wednesday to underscore his backing for the country's security, has earmarked hundreds of millions of dollars for Israeli defense programs including Iron Dome.
Brigadier-General Shachar Shohat, the commander of the Israeli defense force, told Reuters it was important for Israel to show its appreciation to Obama as the administration decides where to make spending cuts to reduce the budget deficit.
Israel opposed a joint production of the system when it was proposed in Washington last year, but Shohat said such a venture would allow the Americans to gain from their financial largesse.
Obama will visit an Iron Dome battery near Tel Aviv's airport where he will be briefed by Shohat, who said he would thank the president for his administration's military backing.
"I understand the need of the other side to encourage investment in its side ... certainly given U.S. policy of trying to create jobs during a troubled economic situation," he said in an interview. "To me, it is clear that the American partner also has to look out for the American economy."
Some experts have suggested the United States might eventually want to use systems such as Iron Dome to protect zones in combat situations such as Afghanistan.
The Israelis say it has a more than 80 percent shoot-down rate of the short-range rockets favored by Gaza guerrillas.
The U.S. House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee called last year on the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency to "explore any opportunity to enter into co-production" of Iron Dome given American funding of the system, even though Washington has no rights to the Israeli technology involved.
The United States is already working with Israel to co-produce the ballistic missile interceptor Arrow and a mid-range counterpart, David's Sling, which is due out this year.
Shohat supported the idea of setting up a parallel U.S. factory to make Iron Dome's Tamir interceptor missiles, saying this could be a "win-win situation" for both countries.
"Opening joint manufacturing lines would increase production rates, which is of course is in my interest as the professional user," he said.
DOLLARS AND SENSE
Last year, Israel offered its U.S. ally Iron Dome know-how on the kind of technologies used in Tamir, as long as intellectual property rights were protected.
But the Israelis said at the time that co-production was not an option as it could hamper output by state-owned manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.
Israel is also upgrading Arrow for any conflict with Iran or Syria, and bills David's Sling as a bulwark against the powerful rockets of Lebanon's Hezbollah. Boeing Co and Raytheon Co are the respective U.S. partners in those systems.
The Pentagon says Israel's air defense will not be affected by across-the-board U.S. spending cuts. [ID:nL1N0BX9DZ] But some planners in Israel, which wants to increase its Iron Dome deployment from 5 to 13 batteries, fret about future shortfalls.
"What would be impacted, mainly, is the pace at which we equip ourselves," Shohat said. "Bottom line, I need as many (air defense units) as possible, and as quickly as possible."
Investing in the systems has been part of the Obama administration's strategy of reassuring the Israelis about world powers' efforts to negotiate a curb on Iran's nuclear program.
Seeing the makings of a mortal threat, Israel, which is assumed to have the region's sole atomic arsenal, has threatened to attack its arch-foe preventively. Should that happen, Tehran, which denies seeking the bomb, promises wide-ranging reprisals.
Mar. 19, 2013 ? The giant squid is one of the most enigmatic animals on the planet. It is extremely rarely seen, except as the remains of animals that have been washed ashore, and placed in the formalin or ethanol collections of museums. But now, researchers at the University of Copenhagen leading an international team, have discovered that no matter where in the world they are found, the fabled animals are so closely related at the genetic level that they represent a single, global population, and thus despite previous statements to the contrary, a single species worldwide.
Thus the circle, that was first opened in 1857 by the famous Danish naturalist Japetus Steenstrup as he first described the animal, can be closed. It was Steenstrup that realized this beast was the same animal that in the past gave rise to centuries of sailors tails, and even in more recent became immortalized by writers such as Jules Verne and Herman Melville, by demonstrating that the monster was based in reality, and gave it the latin name Architeuthis dux.
It was less than 1 year ago, that the giant squid, Architeuthis dux, was first filmed alive in its natural element. Taken at a depth of 630m and after 100 missions and 400 hours of filming, the footage was captured by a small submarine lying off the Japanese island of Chichi Jima -- near to the famous Iwo Jima that was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting between Japan and the USA in the Second World War.
Now, PhD student Inger Winkelmann and her supervisor Professor Tom Gilbert, from the Basic Research Centre in GeoGenetics at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen University, have managed to place new bricks into the puzzle of this giant 10 armed invertebrate, that is credibly believed to grow up to 13 meters long and way over 900 kg.
And the two scientists conclusions are: No matter what a sample looks like, its one species all over the deep oceans of the planet.
Sinking to the depths
PhD student Inger Winkelmann says about these findings, that are about to be published in the British journal the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
We have analysed DNA from the remains of 43 giant squid collected from all over the world. The results show, that the animal is genetically nearly identical all over the planet, and shows no evidence of living in geographically structured populations. We suggest that one possible explanation for this is that although evidence suggests the adults remain in relatively restricted geographic regions, the young that live on the ocean's surfaces must drift in the currents globally. Once they reach a large enough size to survive the depths, we believe they dive to the nearest suitable deep waters, and there the cycle begins again. Nevertheless, we still lack a huge amount of knowledge about these creatures. How big a range to they really inhabit as adults? Have they in the past been threatened by things such as climate change, and the populations of their natural enemies, such as the planet's largest toothed whale, the sperm whale that can grow up to 20 m in length and 50 tons? And at an even more basic level?how old do they even get and how quickly do they grow?
The kraken and the seamonk
These new results about the mysterious giant squid are released, fittingly enough, on the 200th anniversary of the Danish naturalist and polymath, Japetus Steenstrup (born in 1813).
At the age of 44, in 1857, it was Steenstrup who saw that many of the monsters of sea-legend were related to fragments that he had been sent of what appeared to be a giant squid, and in doing so described the species for the first time and removed any hope that sea monsters such as the Kraken and sea-monk really existed (although nevertheless, similar monsters still inspired beasts in literature and even films throughout the 20th century, including Tolkein's Lord of the Rings in 1957).
Professor Tom Gilbert, who lead the team that undertook the research, says: It has been tremendous to apply the latest techniques in genetic and computational analyses, to follow up on Steenstrup's scientific research 146 years after he started it. But its also been a fantastic experience to work with the giant squid as a species, because of its legendary status as a seamonster. But despite our findings, I have no doubt that these myths and legends will continue get today's children to open their eyes up -- so they will be just as big as the real giant squid is equipped with to navigate the depths.
The work was undertaken in collaboration with researchers around the world, including scientists in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Spain, Portugal, USA and Ireland.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Copenhagen.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
I. Winkelmann, P. F. Campos, J. Strugnell, Y. Cherel, P. J. Smith, T. Kubodera, L. Allcock, M.-L. Kampmann, H. Schroeder, A. Guerra, M. Norman, J. Finn, D. Ingrao, M. Clarke, M. T. P. Gilbert. Mitochondrial genome diversity and population structure of the giant squid Architeuthis: genetics sheds new light on one of the most enigmatic marine species. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2013; 280 (1759): 20130273 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.0273
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Tom Cruise is reportedly in talks to appear in the movie adaptation of 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' The movie version of 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' is planned to be directed by Guy Ritchie.
By Sandy Schaefer,?Screen Rant / March 19, 2013
'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' could star actor Tom Cruise if it's adapted for the big screen.
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
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Tom Cruise isn?t as invulnerable at the box office as he used to be (see: Rock of Ages), but WB is entrusting the Mission: Impossible star to carry another 1960s spy TV series-turned movie ? in the form of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. adaptation.
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Cruise is reported to have begun early talks for Man from U.N.C.L.E., presumably eying the role of American spy Napoleon Solo. We?re also hearing the actor is lining up to reprise his Jack Reacher role as the title character, drawing from one of the other seventeen books authored by Lee Child (whose eighteenth Reacher novel arrives this Summer).
Man from U.N.C.L.E. was going to be a reunion for screenwriter Scott Z. Burns and director Steven Soderbergh, with Channing Tatum being considered to star. Studio executives (reportedly) butted heads with Soderbergh on budget and casting, which prompted the director to move on and make?Side Effects with Burns and Tatum instead.?Sherlock Holmes producer Lionel Wigram and director Guy Ritchie were put in charge of the project?after Soderbergh departed.
A Ritchie-directed take on Man from U.N.C.L.E. could lie in Cruise?s wheelhouse, as his version should feature the A-lister playing the ?ordinary man with superhuman durability? type he?s perfected over the years. Soderbergh?s take would have fallen closer to The Informant!?meets Haywire, which probably wasn?t a great way to attempt and jump-start a?new lucrative franchise set on an international stage.
Will the masses be interested in watching Cruise trotting so close to his Ethan Hunt character, while crossing into Mission: Impossible territory (as far as contemporary spy game thrillers go)? There?s already a fifth Mission installment on the way, one which?could reteam Cruise with Jack Reacher?director Christopher McQuarrie.
Speaking of which: the Reacher sequel new comes as a surprise, following reports earlier this year suggesting that Paramount will only consider green-lighting the project after its predecessor reaches the $250 million global benchmark (according to?Box Office Mojo, it?s at?$215.6 million). The followup isn?t a sure thing, but the solid profits on a $60 million investment ? coupled with good vibes surrounding Cruise and McQuarrie?s hard-boiled crime/action throwback ? have convinced studio heads to not throw in the towel just yet.
Cruise returns to the big screen in next month?s Oblivion, a sci-fi blockbuster that could build on the momentum from Jack Reacher ? demonstrating its lead can still draw a sizable audience, outside of when he defies the laws of physics in a?Mission: Impossible?movie.
Indeed, it would be a nice to see the Cruise/Ritchie Man from U.N.C.L.E.?adaptation follow Brian De Palma?s Mission: Impossible -?by focusing on cloak-and-dagger espionage rather than cartoonish superheroics ? and not repeat the mistakes from Ritchie?s?overblown Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Otherwise, a Jack Reacher followup sounds like the more enticing future Cruise project.
Which sounds better to YOU: Richie?s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. starring Cruise or a Jack Reacher sequel? Do both sound equally promising ? or have you gotten your fill of Cruise saving the world on the big screen?
Sandy Schaefer blogs at Screen Rant.
The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of music, film, and television bloggers. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by The Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own and they are responsible for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here.
Sandwiched between 14 adjacent properties, The Balmain House in Sydney, Australia is the result of the conversion of a workers? cottage. The house was specially designed by Fox Johnston as a series of open and closed spaces, in order to serve as a comfortable modern living space for a young family. A sculpted timber volume floats above the bottom level accommodating the main bedroom, library/gallery and study.
The social areas are located downstairs and are well connected to the outdoor space: ?Spatially, we have used the small block to maximize advantage, setting up a dialogue between the garden space and the interior living areas to create the illusion of a bigger site. Each downstairs living room ? interior and exterior- borrows space from the other, maximizing volume, light and air?. Sustainable features of the project include recycled building materials, a natural ventilation system and hydronic heating.
Selena Gomez is loving the single life, and it's loving her right back. During a Monday night appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman, Gomez, 20, was radiant, confident -- and even made a joke at the expense of her ex, Justin Bieber. Watch the clip below!
The March 18 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Amzer Skin Case for Motorola Atrix HD. Made out of 100% premium silicone, the Amzer Skin Case is a great lightweight option for protecting your Atrix HD while adding little bulk. This skin absorbs shock from drops and provides additional grip to your device. Comes in a variety of colors to choose from.
Mar. 18, 2013 ? A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology suggests that controlling or preventing risk factors, such as hypertension, earlier in life may limit or delay the brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease and other age-related neurological deterioration.
Dr. Karen Rodrigue, assistant professor in the UT Dallas Center for Vital Longevity (CVL), was lead author of a study that looked at whether people with both hypertension and a common gene had more buildup of a brain plaque called amyloid protein, which is associated with Alzheimer's disease. Scientists believe amyloid is the first symptom of Alzheimer's disease and shows up a decade or more before symptoms of memory impairment and other cognitive difficulties begin. The gene, known as APOE 4, is carried by 20 percent of the population.
Until recently, amyloid plaque could be seen only at autopsy, but new brain scanning techniques allow scientists to see plaque in living brains of healthy adults. Findings from both autopsy and amyloid brain scans show that at least 20 percent of typical older adults carry elevated levels of amyloid, a substance made up mostly of protein that is deposited in organs and tissues.
"I became interested in whether hypertension was related to increased risk of amyloid plaques in the brains of otherwise healthy people," Rodrigue said. "Identifying the most significant risk factors for amyloid deposition in seemingly healthy adults will be critical in advancing medical efforts aimed at prevention and early detection."
Based on evidence that hypertension was associated with Alzheimer's disease, Rodrigue suspected that the combination of hypertension and the presence of the APOE-e4 gene might lead to particularly high levels of amyloid plaque in healthy adults.
Rodrigue's research was part of the Dallas Lifespan Brain Study, a comprehensive study of the aging brain in a large group of adults of all ages funded by the National Institute on Aging. Rodrigue's group recruited 147 participants (ages 30-89) to undergo cognitive testing, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and PET imaging using Amyvid. Amyvid is a compound that when injected travels to the brain and binds with amyloid proteins, allowing the scientists to visualize the amount of amyloid plaque. Blood pressure also was measured at each visit.
Rodrigue classified participants in the study as hypertensive if they reported a current physician diagnosis of hypertension or if their blood pressure exceeded the established criteria for diagnosis. The participants were further divided into groups based on whether they were taking anti-hypertensive medications or if they were unmedicated and showed blood pressure elevations consistent with a diagnosis of hypertension. Finally, study subjects were classified in the genetic risk group if they were in the 20 percent of adults who had one or two copies of an APOE ?4 allele, a genetic variation linked to dementia.
The most striking result of the study was that nonmedicated hypertensive adults who also carried a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease showed much higher amyloid levels than all other groups. Adults with medication-controlled hypertension, even those with genetic risk, had levels of amyloid plaque equivalent to participants without hypertension or genetic risk.
The study suggests that controlling hypertension may significantly decrease the risk of developing amyloid deposits, even in those with genetic risk. Rodrigue noted that long-term studies are needed to be certain that the use of hypertensive medications decreased amyloid deposits. Nevertheless, this early finding provides a window into the potential benefits of controlling hypertension that goes beyond lowering the risk of strokes and other cardiovascular complications.
Scientists cannot fully explain the neural mechanisms underlying the effect of hypertension and APOE ?4 on amyloid accumulation. But earlier research in animal models has shown that chronic hypertension may enable easier penetration of the blood-brain barrier, resulting in more amyloid deposition.
The recent study is significant because it focuses on a group of healthy and cognitively normal middle-aged and older adults, which enables the examination of risk factors and amyloid burden before the development of preclinical dementia. The team plans for long-term, longitudinal follow-up with participants to determine the proportion of the subjects who eventually develop the disease.
The study's co-authors included Dr. Denise Park, director of the Dallas Lifespan Brain Study and co-director of the Center for Vital Longevity, Dr. Kristen Kennedy and doctoral student Jennifer Rieck, all from The University of Texas at Dallas. The team also included Dr. Michael Devous and Dr. Ramon Diaz-Arrastia from UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. In addition to the National Institute on Aging support, the Alzheimer's Association provided funds for the study and Avid Radiopharmaceutical provided doses of Amyvid used in scanning.
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Texas at Dallas.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Karen M. Rodrigue et al. Risk Factors for ?-Amyloid Deposition in Healthy AgingVascular and Genetic EffectsFactors for ?-Amyloid Deposition in Healthy Aging. JAMA Neurology, 2013; : 1 DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2013.1342
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Delta Travel Center in Valencia Is Now Offering Huge Savings For Members on Vacations to England Valencia, CA (PRWEB) February 07, 2013
Delta Travel is promoting great deals on travel to England for members of their private travel club in the Santa Clarita Valencia area.
According to Joe Dimms, Delta?s Travel Coordinator, ?England is and always will be a travel destination that is always in demand. And the company is always looking for ways to get the most bang for the buck for members. If visitng England is more affordable, or anywhere for that matter, the company is on the right road to making clients love what we do even more. That?s the company philosophy, improve a little more each day.?
Because everyone travels a little different, the details can vary too greatly, in that some may want a hotel, some may want a timeshare resort. The best deals are for those who travel within 60 days and take advantage of the Hot Weeks. Though even with hotels, members can receive a price of up to 40% less than they?ve seen on a website. Members can receive up to 30% off on their car rentals.
To become a member of Delta Travel, one must attend a sales presentation at their local office located in the industrial center in Valencia, near Magic Mountain Theme Park.
In regards to London, there?s no bad time to go. London at Christmas is a sparkling winter wonderland. In November, one can see the fireworks on Guy Fawkes Day. The Tower, Westminister Abbey, the British Museums and Regents Park are open year-round. Consider one?s appetite for crowds, budget and tolerance for rain and wet weather when deciding the best time of year to go to London. Consider visiting more than once. No matter how many times one goes, there?s always something interesting to see.
Many travelers believe, and most travel books say, that summer is the best time to travel to London. From May through September in London, the weather is almost always warm and dry, all the attractions are open for the maximum number of hours, and all the hotels and self-catering accommodations are accepting guests. Many experienced travelers will only go to London in spring or fall. If you ask people who live in England when you should go, they will also recommend these times.
Flight prices are much lower, hotels and self-catering accommodations cost far less, and the crowds at every attraction are smaller. One won?t see every attraction because many close in the cold months. One will also find the temperatures colder and the weather wetter than might be ideal.
But London is romantic in the rain, and the extensive public transportation system makes moving around in London fairly easy no matter what the weather is like. Having more time in London because one is spending less almost makes up for whatever climate-related hardships one endures.
Delta doesn?t book travel for the public so one must become a member to be able to reserve their travel at cost.
I would be if I had a computer that could play it.
My favourite thing from Rome Total War was actually the rpg element of making family members war generals or city rulers. And as they got older, I think they got different character traits that were either good or bad.
PARIS (AP) ? Police have discovered the body of one of France's most prominent lawyers washed up on a beach near his home in Brittany.
The Vannes public prosecutor's office said 63-year-old Olivier Metzner was found dead about 9 a.m. on the coast of his private island, Boedic, which he had acquired in 2010.
Police said he left a note, but they could not confirm French media reports that it was a suicide letter.
His associate, Antonin Levy, told The Associated Press that Metzner's death represented a huge loss to the French bar, calling him a "great lawyer and a fighter."
In his four-decade-long career, Metzner became famous in France for taking the trickiest and most media-watched cases ? sometimes winning, sometimes losing.
He defended trader Jerome Kerviel, who stood accused of committing one of the biggest trading frauds in history. He also helped the daughter of France's richest woman and l'Oreal heiress, Liliane Bettencourt, who was at loggerheads with her mother over the family fortune.
He also defended Continental Airlines over the 2000 Concorde crash ? one of the most high-profile disasters in aviation history. Metzner won a surprise ruling only last year to have manslaughter charges against the U.S. airline overturned.
In 2009, Metzner defended former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin over the politician's alleged role in a smear campaign against former President Nicolas Sarkozy. The accusations centered on an alleged campaign to discredit Sarkozy in 2004, while he was still a rising government minister with his sights on France's highest office.
Bill Rieth, head of the United Way of Elkhart County, speaks to congressional leaders about tax deductions for donations to nonprofit groups.
Nonprofit groups are continuing the fight to maintain tax deductions in place for charitable donations. In February, I wrote a couple of stories about the head of the United Way of Elkhart County traveling to Washington D.C. to testify before Congress about donations and incentives for giving to nonprofit organizations. And just a couple of days ago, I received a news release from the Charitable Giving Coalition, a group that focuses its efforts to protect tax deductible donations for philanthropic nonprofits. Members of the coalition include United Way Worldwide, the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities among others.
Here?s a statement that was included in the release on behalf of the coalition from John Ashmen, president of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions:
?The coalition is alarmed that the Senate?s proposed budget plan does not protect the unique value of charitable deduction, especially now as communities continue to struggle to overcome a bruising recession. We simply can?t afford to chip away at incentives that encourage charitable giving. Doing so will have profound consequences for our communities and vital efforts that heal, educate, innovate and more.
Let?s be clear. The millions of disadvantaged people who need the most support ? not donors ? will be hit hardest by limits or caps to the charitable deduction. We would put at risk billions of dollars in private donations and just transfer to the government funds that would otherwise go to charity.
Elected leaders certainly have to make tough decisions to address our fiscal challenges, but limiting the charitable deduction is no solution. We are determined to make sure lawmakers clearly understand that this century-old tax incentive is unique. It encourages giving, provides no financial benefit to the donor and helps meet critical community needs. The nation?s budget crisis is undeniable, but that is exactly why we should be creating more ways to encourage giving ? not less.?
What do you think? Should tax deductible donations for charities remain in place? Should there should be limits on the value of deductions?
Email me at abarbazon@etruth.com. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
Earlier today, the Maryland legislature voted to make it the 18th state to ban capital punishment. While good news for the men currently on the state's death row, the move is mostly symbolic for any push to end the practice globally.
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States allowing capital punishment are in blue.
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Today's 82-56 vote in the House of Delegates approved a bill that already passed the state Senate. And there's no question Governor Martin O'Malley will sign it into law. In January, on Martin Luther King Day, the governor called for precisely such a ban, saying:
The Commission [on Capital Punishment] found that for every 8.7 Americans sent to death row, there has been one innocent person exonerated.
It was near unanimous in reporting that quote ?the administration of the death penalty clearly shows racial bias.? It determined that no administrative fixes could end these disparities.
And it found that the cost to taxpayers of pursuing a capital case is three times as much as the costs of pursuing a non-death penalty homicide conviction, where a person receives a life sentence without parole.
To O'Malley's point, four of the five men currently on death row in the state are black.
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That the number of doomed convicts is so low suggests why this step will make only a modest difference in curbing the number of executions around the world.
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Since 1923, Maryland has executed 85 prisoners ? not including those killed through lynching. The practice has waned significantly over the past few decades, even since the 1972 national ban on capital punishment was lifted in 1976.
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Data via State of Maryland.
But that number pales in comparison to, say, Texas, which has executed more than 85 people since 2008 ? almost 500 since 1982. (Note the scale difference here jumps from the previous chart.)
Texas data via TXExecutions.
And Texas pales in comparison to other places in the word. Texas executed 30 people in 2010 and 2011. Saudi Arabia executed 109. Iran, 612. The number of prisoners executed by China is unknown, listed by Amnesty International as simply, "thousands."
International data via Guardian.
None of which is meant to detract from the vote in Maryland. It is merely to suggest that, for opponents of the practice, there are much, much bigger battles in the future.
Did you claim your refund? The IRS reports that $917 million in unclaimed refunds from 2009 will be theirs to keep as of April 15. If your paycheck withheld more than you owed, there's no penalty for filing your taxes late ? but after three years, the feds get to keep your unclaimed refund.
By Stephen Ohlemacher,?Associated Press / March 14, 2013
Taxpayers search through 2009 tax forms at the Illinois Department of Revenue in Springfield, Ill., April 15, 2010. The IRS has almost $1 billion in unclaimed refunds that will be theirs to keep, if delinquent filers don't submit their 2009 tax forms by April 15, 2013.
Seth Perlman/AP/File
Enlarge
The IRS has $917 million in unclaimed tax refunds from 2009, and time is running out to claim them. If you didn't bother filing a federal tax return for 2009, that money might have your name on it.
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The unclaimed refunds are owed to nearly 1 million people who failed to file returns for 2009. If that describes you, you have to file your 2009 returns by April 15 to claim your refund.
The IRS says that when taxpayers don't file returns, they have three years to claim refunds. After that, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury.
You aren't penalized for filing a late return, as long as it qualifies for a refund. But your refund may be delayed if you also failed to file returns for 2010 and 2011.
The government can also withhold tax refunds to settle unpaid federal and state taxes, as well as unpaid child support and past due student loans.
People in every state and the District of Columbia are owed refunds, including 100,700 people in California and 86,000 people in Texas, the?IRS?said. Most of the refunds exceed $500.
Some people may not have filed tax returns because they made too little money and weren't required to file, the?IRS?said. However, if they had federal income taxes withheld from their pay, those people may be entitled to refunds.
Also, many low- and middle-income people who didn't file returns may be missing out on the Earned Income Tax Credit. In 2009, a married couple with three or more children could earn up to $48,279 and qualify for the credit. Income thresholds are lower for couples and single filers with fewer children.
Online:
Unclaimed refunds by state: http://tinyurl.com/atk4kd7
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Particles and fields package integrated on upcoming Mars-bound spacecraftPublic release date: 14-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Nancy Neal-Jones nancy.n.jones@nasa.gov 301-286-0039 NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
The six science instruments that comprise the Particles and Fields Package that will characterize the solar wind and ionosphere of Mars have been integrated aboard NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft. The spacecraft is on track for launch later this year.
The Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA) was the last of the six instruments to be delivered, and was integrated late last week at Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colo. SWEA measures the properties of electrons at Mars, one electron at a time, and can process up to one million events per second.
The other instruments in the package had been delivered earlier. In addition to the SWEA instrument, the package includes the Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA), Suprathermal and Thermal Ion Composition (STATIC), Solar Energetic Particle (SEP), Langmuir Probe and Waves (LPW), Magnetometer (MAG), and a data-processing unit.
"The Particles and Fields Package is designed to study the solar wind interaction with Mars and the structure and dynamics of Mars' ionosphere, including the influence of Mars' strongly magnetized crust," said David L. Mitchell, SWEA instrument lead and coordinator for the full package, from the University of California, Berkeley/Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL). "The package measures solar ultraviolet flux, solar wind properties, and energetic particles produced in solar storms to help us understand how the Sun influences the upper atmosphere and drives atmospheric escape."
The package was built by the University of California, Berkeley/Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) with support from the University of Colorado Boulder/Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (CU/LASP) and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
"The final components of the science payload are coming together, so we're getting closer to being ready for launch," said Bruce Jakosky, MAVEN principal investigator from CU/LASP. "I look forward to the exciting and diverse science results that the Particles and Fields Package instruments will provide."
The MAVEN spacecraft will carry two other instrument suites. The Remote Sensing Package, built by CU/LASP, will determine global characteristics of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer, provided by NASA Goddard, will measure the composition and isotopes of neutral ions.
"We're in the home stretch now of completing the assembly and test of the spacecraft. With the full complement of Particles and Fields Package instruments now onboard the spacecraft, we are in a very good position for delivering the spacecraft to the launch site on schedule in August", said David F. Mitchell, MAVEN project manager from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
MAVEN is scheduled for launch in November, 2013. It is the first spacecraft devoted to exploring and better understanding the Martian upper atmosphere. MAVEN will investigate the role that loss of Mars' atmosphere to space played in determining the history of water on the surface.
MAVEN's principal investigator is based at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. The university provides science instruments and leads science operations, and Education and Public Outreach. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the project and provides two of the science instruments for the mission. Lockheed Martin of Littleton, Colo., built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. The University of California at Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory provides science instruments for the mission. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., provides navigation support, the Deep Space Network, and the Electra telecommunications relay hardware and operations.
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Particles and fields package integrated on upcoming Mars-bound spacecraftPublic release date: 14-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Nancy Neal-Jones nancy.n.jones@nasa.gov 301-286-0039 NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
The six science instruments that comprise the Particles and Fields Package that will characterize the solar wind and ionosphere of Mars have been integrated aboard NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft. The spacecraft is on track for launch later this year.
The Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA) was the last of the six instruments to be delivered, and was integrated late last week at Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colo. SWEA measures the properties of electrons at Mars, one electron at a time, and can process up to one million events per second.
The other instruments in the package had been delivered earlier. In addition to the SWEA instrument, the package includes the Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA), Suprathermal and Thermal Ion Composition (STATIC), Solar Energetic Particle (SEP), Langmuir Probe and Waves (LPW), Magnetometer (MAG), and a data-processing unit.
"The Particles and Fields Package is designed to study the solar wind interaction with Mars and the structure and dynamics of Mars' ionosphere, including the influence of Mars' strongly magnetized crust," said David L. Mitchell, SWEA instrument lead and coordinator for the full package, from the University of California, Berkeley/Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL). "The package measures solar ultraviolet flux, solar wind properties, and energetic particles produced in solar storms to help us understand how the Sun influences the upper atmosphere and drives atmospheric escape."
The package was built by the University of California, Berkeley/Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) with support from the University of Colorado Boulder/Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (CU/LASP) and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
"The final components of the science payload are coming together, so we're getting closer to being ready for launch," said Bruce Jakosky, MAVEN principal investigator from CU/LASP. "I look forward to the exciting and diverse science results that the Particles and Fields Package instruments will provide."
The MAVEN spacecraft will carry two other instrument suites. The Remote Sensing Package, built by CU/LASP, will determine global characteristics of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. The Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer, provided by NASA Goddard, will measure the composition and isotopes of neutral ions.
"We're in the home stretch now of completing the assembly and test of the spacecraft. With the full complement of Particles and Fields Package instruments now onboard the spacecraft, we are in a very good position for delivering the spacecraft to the launch site on schedule in August", said David F. Mitchell, MAVEN project manager from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
MAVEN is scheduled for launch in November, 2013. It is the first spacecraft devoted to exploring and better understanding the Martian upper atmosphere. MAVEN will investigate the role that loss of Mars' atmosphere to space played in determining the history of water on the surface.
MAVEN's principal investigator is based at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. The university provides science instruments and leads science operations, and Education and Public Outreach. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the project and provides two of the science instruments for the mission. Lockheed Martin of Littleton, Colo., built the spacecraft and is responsible for mission operations. The University of California at Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory provides science instruments for the mission. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., provides navigation support, the Deep Space Network, and the Electra telecommunications relay hardware and operations.
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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.
University of Montreal researchers found that changes in gravity affect the reproductive process in plants. Gravity modulates traffic on the intracellular "highways" that ensure the growth and functionality of the male reproductive organ in plants, the pollen tube. "Just like during human reproduction, the sperm cells in plants are delivered to the egg by a cylindrical tool. Unlike the delivery tool in animals, the device used during plant sex consists of a single cell, and only two sperm cells are discharged during each delivery event," explained Professor Anja Geitmann of the university's Department of biology. "Our findings offer new insight into how life evolved on Earth and are significant with regards to human health, as a traffic jam on these highways that also exist in human cells can cause cancer and illnesses such as Alzheimer's."
The interior of animal and plant cells is like a city, with factories?called organelles?dedicated to manufacturing, energy production and waste processing. A network of intracellular "highways" enables the communication between these factories and the delivery of cargo between them and between the inside of the cell and its external environment. Plant cells have a particularly busy highway system. "Researchers already knew that humans, animals and plants have evolved in response to Earth's gravity, and that they are able to sense it," Geitmann explained. "What we are still discovering is how the processes occurring within the cells of the human and plant bodies are affected by the more intense gravity, or hypergravity, that would be found on a large planet, or the microgravity that resembles the conditions on a space craft. Intracellular transport processes are particularly sensitive to disturbance, with dramatic consequences for cell functioning. How these processes are affected by a change in gravity is poorly understood."
The cells were placed into a large centrifuge, along with a camera attached to a microscope, enabling the researchers to track in real time how the cells develop in the intense gravity generated by the centrifuge. "Thanks to the facilities at the European Space Agency, I was able to determine how hypergravity and simulated microgravity affect the intracellular trafficking in the rapidly growing pollen tube," explained Dr. Youssef Chebli, a researcher in Geitmann's lab. "We chose pollen, the carrier of the male sperm cells, as our model because of its pivotal role in plant reproduction and agriculture and because of its extraordinarily rapid growth, meaning that we could observe the effects of the hypergravity within seconds."
The researchers stained specific structures within the cells, which revealed how the cellular components move around and how the cellular transport logistics responds to the changing gravity environment. "We found that intracellular traffic flow is compromised under hyper-gravity conditions and that both hyper and microgravity affect the precisely coordinated construction of the cellular envelope in the growing cell," Chebli said. "This allows us not only to understand general principles of the reproductive mechanism in plants but, more importantly, how the intracellular transport machinery in eukaryotic cells responds to altered gravity conditions. Our findings have implications for human health as similar effects are likely to occur in human cells such as neurons where long distance intracellular transport is crucial."
Chebli and Geitmann's study will be published in the journalPLOS ONE on March 13, 2013. Link: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0058246
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University of Montreal: http://bit.ly/mNqklw
Thanks to University of Montreal for this article.
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Public release date: 14-Mar-2013
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