Wars on editing Wikipedia articles, uncovered

Public release date: 28-Feb-2013
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Contact: Marta Garca Gonzalo
marta.garcia@csic.es
34-915-681-476
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)

CSIC researcher Maxi San Miguel, director of the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems (IFISC), a joint research Institute of CSIC and the University of the Balearic Islands, explains: "We say there is a conflict when there is an unusual high number of editing and corrections in articles related to some topic or personage on which there are very divergent or polarised opinions. Our model identifies the different types of behaviours according to two main parameters: the reposition rate of editors as time goes by; and the level of tolerance, that is, how different your opinion must be on the written article so that you decide to take part".

The study describes the generic behaviours observed on a statistical analysis of a large number of articles. Representative examples of those behaviours are observed in articles about the Dresden bombing, Japan and anarchism. Detailed analysis of these three inputs reveals how editors interact and influence each other both directly (through the discussion page of the article) and indirectly (through alternative interactions in the text).

Types of behaviours

The simplest type of behaviour is one in which there are a clash of opinions and a large number of editing, but agreement is reached in a relatively short time. Another typical behaviour is that in which three groups of editors interact: one with a fixed number of individuals that form one "mainstream" and two opposing more "extremist" groups. In this case, consensus is only reached after a long time and the result may not correspond to the initial mainstream view. In the case of a dynamic scenario, where new editors are gradually replacing those who started the conflict, researchers found alternating periods of conflict and consensus, depending on the rate of newcomers and the degree of controversy in the article's topic, indefinitely repeated over time.

CSIC researcher concludes: "Despite all, the model shows that even the most opposing opinions finally converge over time, even without direct interaction between dissenting contributors. The article itself takes part in this process since it brings the opinions of individuals together and helps the convergence process".

###

Janos Trk, Gerardo Iiguez, Taha Yasseri, Maxi San Miguel, Kimmo Kaski, and Jnos Kertsz. Opinions, Conflicts and Consensus: Modeling Social Dynamics in a Collaborative Environment.

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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.

Public release date: 28-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Marta Garca Gonzalo
marta.garcia@csic.es
34-915-681-476
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)

CSIC researcher Maxi San Miguel, director of the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems (IFISC), a joint research Institute of CSIC and the University of the Balearic Islands, explains: "We say there is a conflict when there is an unusual high number of editing and corrections in articles related to some topic or personage on which there are very divergent or polarised opinions. Our model identifies the different types of behaviours according to two main parameters: the reposition rate of editors as time goes by; and the level of tolerance, that is, how different your opinion must be on the written article so that you decide to take part".

The study describes the generic behaviours observed on a statistical analysis of a large number of articles. Representative examples of those behaviours are observed in articles about the Dresden bombing, Japan and anarchism. Detailed analysis of these three inputs reveals how editors interact and influence each other both directly (through the discussion page of the article) and indirectly (through alternative interactions in the text).

Types of behaviours

The simplest type of behaviour is one in which there are a clash of opinions and a large number of editing, but agreement is reached in a relatively short time. Another typical behaviour is that in which three groups of editors interact: one with a fixed number of individuals that form one "mainstream" and two opposing more "extremist" groups. In this case, consensus is only reached after a long time and the result may not correspond to the initial mainstream view. In the case of a dynamic scenario, where new editors are gradually replacing those who started the conflict, researchers found alternating periods of conflict and consensus, depending on the rate of newcomers and the degree of controversy in the article's topic, indefinitely repeated over time.

CSIC researcher concludes: "Despite all, the model shows that even the most opposing opinions finally converge over time, even without direct interaction between dissenting contributors. The article itself takes part in this process since it brings the opinions of individuals together and helps the convergence process".

###

Janos Trk, Gerardo Iiguez, Taha Yasseri, Maxi San Miguel, Kimmo Kaski, and Jnos Kertsz. Opinions, Conflicts and Consensus: Modeling Social Dynamics in a Collaborative Environment.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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/2013-02/snrc-woe022813.php

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Army withholding findings of Madigan PTSD probe

By Rebecca Ruiz, NBC News contributor

The results of a months-long investigation into the reversal of post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses at Madigan Army Medical Center are being kept confidential.

Earlier this month, Army Secretary John McHugh told reporters at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state that the Madigan findings would not be disclosed.

Days later, the Army denied Freedom of Information Act requests for documents related to the?controversy made by three Seattle-area news organizations.

George Wright, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon, told NBC News that ?concerns brought up in the Madigan matter will be addressed? in a separate forthcoming report by the Army's?Task Force on Behavioral Health.

Wright said he had not viewed that document, which is an Army-wide review of mental health diagnoses as far back as 2001, and could not comment on what information it would include about the Madigan inquiry.

The Madigan investigation, completed last fall, sought to determine whether or not a team of forensic psychiatrists inappropriately changed soldiers? PTSD diagnoses, perhaps to save the federal government money.

---

In a memo obtained last year by the Seattle Times, a Madigan Army Medical Center psychiatrist gave a presentation to colleagues in September 2011 in which he noted that a soldier medically retired with a PTSD diagnosis would collect $1.5 million in disability payments over his or her lifetime. The psychiatrist warned his colleagues against ?rubber stamping? a PTSD diagnosis.

Around the same time, several soldiers screened at Madigan complained that their PTSD diagnoses had been switched to conditions like anxiety disorder, which could have affected their medical retirement rating and the amount of their disability payments.?

A subsequent review of 431 Madigan cases ? some of which had been overturned ? led to?PTSD diagnoses for 150 soldiers by last October, according to the office of Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

Murray pushed for the investigation into the PTSD diagnoses at Madigan ??an Army hospital in Tacoma, Wash., that serves soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord ??but has yet to see its findings.?

The Madigan investigation was reported by the Seattle Times in January 2012. In May, McHugh announced the Army-wide review,?which is said to contain 24 findings and 47 recommendations, and now according to Wright, details related to Madigan.?Murray is scheduled to be briefed on the review in the next few weeks, Matt McAlvanah, a spokesman for the senator, told NBC News.

Last year, Seattle-area news organizations asked to see documents related to the inquiry through Freedom of Information Act requests.

Request denied
Patricia Murphy, a reporter at KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio, said the Army denied the station?s attempts to obtain information and subsequently denied an appeal.?The Army?described the Madigan documents as ?pre-decisional,? a legal privilege extended to documents that influence new rules and regulations. In a letter to the station, the Army said this designation is meant to ?protect the quality of agency decisions by encouraging frank and open discussions of agency policy.?

Murphy said she understood that the documents might contain sensitive government and patient information, but was hopeful the Army could strike a balance for transparency. ?We don?t care about the names,? Murphy told NBC News. ?We care about the reasons they were doing this and whether or not this was a cultural issue at Madigan.?

The Army has said that Madigan was the only Army hospital to employ a team of forensic psychiatrists who vetted PTSD diagnoses and said it had stopped that practice.

Last February, it announced that the hospital?s commander, Col. Dallas Homas, was reassigned during the inquiry. The Army reinstated Homas several months later after finding that he did not "exert any undue influence on PTSD diagnoses." The Army provided that document to KUOW in response to a FOIA request.?

The Army also issued new guidelines for PTSD screening last April, discouraging staff from using testing to identify patients who might be "malingering" or faking their symptoms, an approach some soldiers claimed was utilized at Madigan.?

Despite these corrective actions, critics of the decision to withhold the Madigan findings say that transparency is key to restoring trust in the Army?s ability to accurately diagnosis and treat PTSD.

Tom Tarantino, chief policy director of the advocacy organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and a former Army captain, said that keeping the report confidential reflected a ?shocking amount of tone deafness.?

?I don?t want anybody to release information that violates HIPAA, privacy or endangers national security, but there has to be some sort of accountability,? Tarantino said. He also fears that withholding the findings sends the wrong signal to soldiers who worry that the problems at Madigan could be widespread and might not seek mental health care as a result.

?You have to actually show patterns of behavior and convince people that you?re willing to change.?

Wright?said the Army wanted to make public its report on behavioral health ?as soon as possible,? but that it was weighing the feasibility of the recommendations and how to implement them.

?We expect that work to be completed shortly,? he said, ?and then we will be able to share not only the findings, but the way ahead.?

Rebecca Ruiz is a reporter based in the Bay Area.

Related:

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/28/17106411-army-withholding-findings-of-madigan-ptsd-probe?lite

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Budweiser maker InBev reports lower 4Q profit

AMSTERDAM (AP) ? Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, the world's largest brewer, says its profits fell 4.9 percent in the fourth quarter, due mostly to losses on foreign exchange rates.

Net profit was $1.76 billion (?1.35 billion), down from $1.85 billion in the same period a year ago. But revenues rose 8.8 percent to $10.3 billion, and operating profit rose 10.7 percent, the company said.

The Leuven, Belgium-based maker of Budweiser, Bud Light, Stella Artois and Beck's said it expects weak first quarter volumes in the United States, its most profitable market, as consumers there have less pocket money and weather is worse than a year ago.

It also expects "softness" in Brazil, where it has a 68.5 percent market share with brands Skol, Brahma and Antarctica, due to an early carnival and wet weather.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-27-Earns-AB%20InBev/id-6dc67f36ec154c54bb0978b9febd1081

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Superbugs may have a soft spot, after all

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The overuse of antibiotics has created strains of bacteria resistant to medication, making the diseases they cause difficult to treat, or even deadly. But now a research team at the University of Rochester has identified a weakness in at least one superbug that scientists may be able to medically exploit.

Biologists Gloria Culver at Rochester and Keith Connolly, now at Harvard University, thought one key to stopping the bacteria may lie with proteins, so they studied the mechanism behind the development of bacterial ribosomes?the cell's protein-manufacturing machine.

"We targeted the ribosomes in our research because cells and organisms can't live if they don't make proteins, and they can't make proteins if their ribosomes aren't functioning properly." said Culver.

Culver and Connolly specifically worked with cultures of E. coli, a bacteria commonly found in the intestines. While E. coli is usually harmless, some strains are resistant to antibiotics and can cause serious food poisoning.

They discovered that two proteins already present in E. coli cells?RbfA and KsgA?need to be in balance with each other in order for ribosomes to function. If those proteins are present in the wrong concentrations, the ribosomes will not mature properly and will be unable to produce proteins, leading to the death of the cells. Their findings are being published this week in the journal Molecular Microbiology.

Culver said with the discovery that KsgA and RbfA.must be balanced for the cells to function properly, the next goal is to determine an effective way to disrupt that balance.

Crucially, RbfA does not exist in humans. "That may make it possible," Culver said," to kill E. coli without having a harmful effect on people."

Eric Brown, a professor of biochemistry and biomedical sciences at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., calls their work creative and scholarly. "Ribosome assembly represents a rich target for much needed antibacterial drugs to treat drug-resistant infections," said Brown, "and this work offers new and important insights into the process."

Culver explained the role the proteins play in ribosome maturation. A healthy ribosome is made up of two compartments?or subunits?that must come together only when each one is mature. An overabundance of RbfA hurries the process along, which could result in an ineffective structure. The job of the KsgA is to bind with the smaller of the compartments, preventing the formation of the ribosome until both parts are ready.

Culver says RbfA and KsgA belong to "the chicken or the egg" category of microbiology. While they're essential to the development of ribosomes, the ribosomes themselves are needed to create proteins, including the RbfA and KsgA. She calls it an ongoing and intriguing question for biologists.

###

University of Rochester: http://www.rochester.edu

Thanks to University of Rochester for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127026/Superbugs_may_have_a_soft_spot__after_all

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The Throes of Love - Poem | Morocco World News

By Loubna Flah

Morocco World News

Casablanca, February 26, 2013

Drops of blood

Drops of tears

Your love is a war with a high toll

Your love aches with the years

Your love is the massacre of my soul

**************

Bits of sweetness

Bits of bitterness

Your love is lethal nectar

Your love is a misleading star

Your love is the fountain of madness

**************

Shades of darkness

Shades of gloom

Your love is a remote mirage

Your love is a beast that looms

In the heart of the wilderness

?? **************

Times of veneration

Times of repulsion

Your love is a piece of heaven

Your love is a damned raven

Your love is a failed redemption

? Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Source: http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2013/02/80136/the-throes-of-love-poem/

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Obama cites Navy threat, immigrants freed as budget cuts loom

NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday warned of threats to Navy readiness and the government released hundreds of illegal immigrants due to budget pressure as automatic government spending cuts crept closer.

In the latest event staged by the White House to warn of the possible damage to public services, Obama spoke at the Newport News Shipbuilding shipyard where scheduled maintenance to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has been delayed by the budget crisis.

"The threat of these cuts has already forced the Navy to cancel the deployment, or delay the repair of certain aircraft carriers. One that's currently being built might not get finished," he warned.

The $85 billion across-the-board budget cuts are due to begin on Friday, and might eventually force the government to scale back on a host of services such as air traffic control, law enforcement and food safety inspections.

"These cuts are wrong. They are not smart. They're not fair. They are a self-inflicted wound that doesn't have to happen," he told workers in Newport News, Virginia.

In a move criticized by Republicans as a dangerous political stunt, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency released several hundred detained illegal immigrants in order to save money in preparation for the cuts.

An agreement in Congress would halt the cuts, but with days to go before the ax starts to fall, the two parties do not agree on what to replace them with. There have been hardly any budget talks between the parties since New Year.

Republicans seek different, more targeted, spending cuts than entailed in "sequestration," as the automatic cuts are known in Washington budget parlance. They complain that Obama is overplaying worries about sequestration to promote long-held plans to close tax loopholes.

House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner accused Obama of using "our military men and women as a prop in yet another campaign rally to support his tax hikes."

Boehner, under pressure by conservatives not to cave to Obama's demand for higher taxes, said members of the Democratic-controlled Senate need to "get off their ass" and pass legislation that would blunt the impact of the cuts.

In the Senate, Republicans struggled to come up with a unified plan for replacing the cuts, with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell saying lawmakers should simply pass a law giving the president flexibility on how the reductions would be carried out. Obama rejected that idea.

In a sign of how far they are from halting sequestration, congressional Republicans and the White House have been trying to blame each other for the cuts, which both Democrats and Republicans agreed to in a 2011 plan to fix an earlier budget crisis.

BLAME SHARED FOR CUTS

"The president's been running around acting like the world's going to end because Congress might actually follow through on an idea he proposed and signed into law - all the while pretending he's somehow powerless to stop it," said McConnell.

Americans blame both Obama and congressional Republicans for the sequestration crisis, according to a Reuters/Ipsos online poll released on Tuesday.

Twenty-five percent of people said Republicans in Congress were responsible for sequestration, 23 percent blamed Obama and 5 percent pointed to congressional Democrats. Thirty percent said all of them were to blame.

With a trip to a defense-heavy region of the country, Obama is seeking to draw attention to how the cuts would play out in communities where the military is a major source of jobs.

Defense spending makes up 9.8 percent of Virginia's gross domestic product.

But sequestration will be brought in gradually, and no shock to the economy is expected on Friday when it starts.

IMMIGRANTS RELEASED

"The impact of this policy won't be felt overnight but it will be real," Obama said. "The longer these cuts are in place the greater the damage."

The planned cuts will be phased in over seven months, giving lawmakers time to halt the worst effects, possibly in budget talks later in March.

But the Obama administration is highlighting a series of cuts to public services which are threatened.

The release of several hundred illegal immigrants due to budget pressures was criticized by the Republican head of the House Judiciary Committee as a political stunt to pressure Congress to put off sequestration.

"It's abhorrent that President Obama is releasing criminals into our communities to promote his political agenda on sequestration," U.S. Representative Bob Goodlatte said in a statement.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement released the immigrants while their deportation cases proceed. ICE spokeswoman Gillian Christensen said serious offenders were still being held.

Sequestration might be stopped as part of negotiations next month over another unrelated fiscal issue: a continuing resolution to fund government operations.

But House Republicans think they are in a strong bargaining position as there is not likely to be public outcry when the cuts start, unlike the "fiscal cliff" crisis at the New Year when the threat of tax hikes for most working Americans kept pressure on lawmakers to reach a deal.

The sequestration cuts apply in equal measure to non-defense spending and defense spending.

The reductions will force the Pentagon to put most of its 800,000 civilian employees on unpaid leave for 22 days, slash ship and aircraft maintenance and curtail training, Defense Department officials have told Congress. Pentagon contracting and acquisitions personnel were authorized last week to consult with their industry counterparts about the upcoming spending cuts.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, in testimony on Tuesday to the Senate Banking Committee, urged lawmakers to avoid the spending cuts, warning that combined with earlier tax increases it could create a "significant headwind" for the economic recovery.

(Additional reporting By Patricia Zengerle and Roberta Rampton in Washington; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Tim Dobbyn and Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/immigrants-freed-obama-cites-navy-threat-cuts-loom-002220145--business.html

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It's Not Wise To Upset a Skateboarder Riding a Wookiee

It doesn't come with Lucasfilm's or Disney's blessing, but if you're a rabid Star Wars fan with a particular penchant for Chewbacca, Geoff McCleary over at Weird Boards will happily build you this one-of-a-kind Wookiee longboard. It's 44 inches long with a hand-painted bandolier and faux fur completing the look. It's also $300, but that's not going to stop a serious Star Wars collector. [Weird Boards via DudeIWantThat] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/rG99LrLQAGQ/its-not-wise-to-upset-a-skateboarder-riding-a-wookiee

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How to I Prepare for Webinars and Teleseminars - Jason Alba

I do a lot of webinars, teleseminars and video recordings. ?Here are some tips on how I prepare.

• Go potty. ?You don?t want to be on a 1 hour call and have your bladder screaming at you. ?Maybe you *can* hold it, but do you want to concentrate, answer questions, and sound awesome while having that distraction?
• Have water. ?I have a big cup of water, full. ?I?ve done a few calls and didn?t get my cup filled? never a good idea. ?A coughing fit doesn?t sound very well?
• Have the right headset. ?I use GoToWebinar and Skype mostly (I use all kinds of systems but those are my favorites), and 99+% of the time I use VOIP, which means a headset, not a phone line. ?The most important part of my headset? ?The inline mute button, which allows me to to mute by pushing a button that is about 2 feet down the cord. ?And, the ?right? headset doesn?t mean expensive. ?My favorites are about $30.
• Write down the phone number on a piece of paper. If your internet goes down, and your smart phone loses service, you want to be able to pick up a landline and call in? but you need that number! ?I write down the number, the code to get in, and even the number of the host/hostess.
• Have a backup computer/laptop? ?I have been doing this for over a year. ?Look, my webinars are worth a lot of money to me. ?Whether it is thousands of dollars, or potential to make sales or share my brand, if someone schedules their time on my call, I want to make sure my main computer isn?t the cause of an early termination. I have a laptop and headset set up so that if my PC crashes, within 5 seconds I?m up on the backup laptop. ?The alternative (which has happened too many times) is my PC restarts and it takes seven to ten minutes to get back to the call. ?Those seven minutes are KILLER.
• Write down the talking points. ?I speak on different things, and most presentations are different from the others (even if it is the same topic). ?I always write down the talking points to make sure I talk about every point the audience thinks I?m going to talk about. ?No matter how smart you are, your brain will go in a lot of different directions, especially if the audience can ask questions during the call. ?Write down your points and respect your audience by talking about the stuff you said you were going to talk about.
• Respect TIME. ?I typically start within 60 seconds of the time I said I would, and I do what I can to end on time. ?Don?t go longer, don?t do part and tell people you?ll do another part later. ?Respect the audience and watch the clock.
• Be ready for the unexpected. ?If someone else is co-presenting and their line dies, what do you do? ?Can you talk through it? ?What if you get the hiccups? ?What about a bloody nose? ?What if there is unusual and loud noise by your office? ?I?ve had these and more? you need to be ready and able to ignore, or talk through, the unexpected. ?FOCUS on your audience and your presentation.
• ???

What would you add to this list? ?How do you prepare, or what have you seen other presenters do that is awesome?

?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 26th, 2013 at 12:13 pm and is filed under Business, Professional Speaking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://jasonalba.com/2013/02/26/how-to-i-prepare-for-webinars-and-teleseminars/

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Video Blogging for Beginners | Internet and Businesses Online Articles

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://internetandbusinessesonlinearticl.blogspot.com/2013/02/video-blogging-for-beginners.html

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2nd round of heavy snow in Plains, Midwest; 2 dead

Traffic moves on the I-40 service road Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. A blizzard packing 50 mph wind gusts and more than 11 inches of snow blasted Amarillo and Texas Panhandle Monday, making travel nearly impossible. Interstate 40 and many major highways in the Panhandle have been closed. (AP Photo/The Amarillo Globe News, Michael Schumacher)

Traffic moves on the I-40 service road Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. A blizzard packing 50 mph wind gusts and more than 11 inches of snow blasted Amarillo and Texas Panhandle Monday, making travel nearly impossible. Interstate 40 and many major highways in the Panhandle have been closed. (AP Photo/The Amarillo Globe News, Michael Schumacher)

Vehicles navigate along Interstate 27 during blizzard conditions in Lubbock, Texas, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. State troopers are unable to respond to calls for assistance and National Guard units are mobilizing as a winter storm blankets the central Plains with a foot of snow in some places. Roads are closed Monday throughout West Texas and the Panhandle. (AP Photo/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Zach Long)

Amarillo emergency personnel assist a stranded motorist on the I-40 service road Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. A blizzard packing 50 mph wind gusts and more than 11 inches of snow blasted Amarillo and Texas Panhandle Monday, Feb. 25, 2013, making travel nearly impossible. Interstate 40 and many major highways in the Panhandle have been closed. (AP Photo/The Amarillo Globe News,Michael Schumacher)

Cattle stand in blizzard conditions in Lubbock, Texas, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. State troopers are unable to respond to calls for assistance and National Guard units are mobilizing as a winter storm blankets the central Plains with a foot of snow in some places. Roads are closed Monday throughout West Texas and the Panhandle. (AP Photo/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Zach Long)

Chance Cain, from left, Simon Mourning and Nathan Talley walk towards a sledding hill near downtown Wichita, Kan. as a winter storm moves through the area on Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, Travis Heying) LOCAL TV OUT; MAGS OUT; LOCAL RADIO OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) ? The nation's midsection again dealt with blizzard conditions Monday, closing highways, knocking out power to thousands in Texas and Oklahoma and even bringing hurricane-force winds to the Texas Panhandle. Two people have died.

Already under a deep snowpack from last week's storm, Kansas was preparing for another round of heavy snow Monday evening and overnight, prompting some to wonder what it could do for the drought.

"Is it a drought-buster? Absolutely not," National Weather Service meteorologist Victor Murphy said. "Will it bring short-term improvement? Yes."

The storm is being blamed for two deaths on Monday. In northwest Kansas, a 21-year-old man's SUV hit an icy patch on Interstate 70 and overturned. And in the northwest town of Woodward, Okla., heavy snow caused a roof to collapse, killing one inside the home.

Earlier on Monday, blizzard warnings extended from the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles into south-central Kansas. The blizzard warnings were dropped Monday evening for the far western portion of the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles.

Meanwhile to the east, lines of thunderstorms crossed Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida, bringing heavy rain and an occasional tornado warning.

As many as 10,000 people lost power in Oklahoma, as did thousands more in Texas.

"I have a gas cooking stove and got the oven going," said Ann Smith, owner of the Standifer House Bed and Breakfast in Elk City, Okla., late Monday afternoon. Her daughter and grandchildren had come over because they lost power.

"If it gets cold tonight, I guess we'll have to put pallets in the kitchen," Smith said with a laugh.

Colorado and New Mexico were the first to see the system Sunday night, with up to 2 feet falling in the foothills west of Denver.

As it moved into the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles Monday, the storm ground travel to a halt, closing miles of interstates and state highways.

Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Daniel Hawthorne said about a dozen motorists had to be rescued, but no one was injured. The National Weather Service in Lubbock reported at one point that as many as 100 vehicles were at a standstill on Interstate 27.

Extremely strong winds whipped around at least a foot or more of snow in the Texas Panhandle, and a hurricane-force gust of 75 mph was recorded at the Amarillo airport. Amarillo recorded the biggest snowfall total in Texas ? 19 inches, just short of the record of 19.3 ? while Fritch was second with 16.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed all highways in the Panhandle and much of the state's northwest because of blizzard conditions. Trooper Betsy Randolph said several dozen motorists have reported being stranded or have abandoned their vehicles.

Chris McBee, a storm chaser, got stuck outside Woodward in northwest Oklahoma in the mid-afternoon. By then, the city was leading Oklahoma's snow totals with 15 inches of snow.

"We were planning to go back to Oklahoma City tonight, but the road was just impassable," McBee told The Associated Press. "You couldn't see 50 feet in front of you." A man with a bulldozer dug out McBee's vehicle.

"He's just helping people," McBee said, adding he assumed the man was still out there. "We tried to pay him and he refused."

While the wintry precipitation is "a shot in the arm," National Drought Mitigation Center climatologist Mark Svoboda said, the drought in the Plains and Midwest is far from over. Svoboda, speaking from Lincoln, Neb., said 12 inches of snow is equivalent to about 1 inch of rain.

"We would need 2-4 feet of snow to just erase the October to present deficits," in Kansas, he said.

Jim Shroyer, a wheat specialist with Kansas State University Extension, said snow is more efficient than summer rain in replenishing soil moistures because rain tends to run off or evaporate during the summer months.

But it can take months or years for pastures and rangeland to recover to the point where there is good forage there for livestock.

"There is a lag coming out of drought where some of these impacts will linger on long after 'climatological drought' is gone," Svoboda said. "And there is always a sense of false security there."

Texas rancher Jay O'Brien warned the storm could be deadly for grazing cattle, with the wind pushing animals into a fenced corner where they could suffocate from the drifts.

"This type of snow is a cattle-killer," he said.

Parts of Kansas are bracing for anywhere from 8 to 24 inches of snow as the system moves through the state overnight. Wichita figures to take another hit after last week's storm that dumped about a foot and a half of snow.

In preparation, many Kansas school districts already have called off Tuesday classes, as has the University of Missouri-Columbia. And Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James declared a state of emergency Monday, as another foot or more could fall, adding to last week's 10 or so inches.

"This one has the potential to be quite serious," James said at a news conference.

Through the day Tuesday, the storm is forecast to spin toward the upper Midwest, bringing snow to Chicago and eventually Detroit before heading toward Buffalo, N.Y, and northern New England in the middle of the week.

___

Associated Press writers Jill Zeman Bleed and Kelly P. Kissel in Little Rock, Ark., Daniel Holtmeyer in Oklahoma City, and Roxana Hegeman in Wichita, Kan., Bill Draper in Kansas City, Mo., and John Milburn in Topeka, Kan., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-25-US-Winter-Storm/id-3b6e2e92d5134c80b6c7ed0a35f9279d

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Dancing With the Stars Cast: Revealed! Underwhelming!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/dancing-with-the-stars-cast-revealed-underwhelming/

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Intersect ENT Lands $30M From Norwest, Kleiner, USVP & More For Its Innovative Sinus Drug & Device Combo

In August 2011, Intersect won approval from the FDA for Propel, which, simply put, is a stent that doctors implant in the sinuses after surgery to help keep them open. The cool part is that, over time, the stent absorbs into the patient's body post-surgery (so that follow-up surgery isn't required), slowly releasing a steroid to help control local inflammation, according to Medgadget. In the fall of last year, the company won approval again for the Propel Mini, a miniaturized version of its flagship product designed for "less extensive surgeries," Medgadget says.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/MOWvOOQwBkY/

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New manager joins Bainbridge arts council - Bainbridge Island ...

Kathy Haskin has joined the Bainbridge Island Arts & Humanities Council as the council?s new education and communications manager.

Haskin has a diverse background in education, communications, event facilitation and nonprofit leadership. Having published three curriculum guides, education is at the heart of every position Haskin has taken on, from Ohio to New York, Wyoming and now Bainbridge Island, the council said.

?Kathy is deeply aware that communication efforts ? whether they are through social or traditional media, community events or ongoing dialogues ? are, at their core, educational activities. We are thrilled to have her on our team,? said Barbara Sacerdote, executive director of the Arts & Humanities Council.

Haskin and her husband John brought their family to Bainbridge just over four years ago.

?Of all the places we have lived, we find Bainbridge to be a special place; a beautiful expression of its people and community,? Haskin said.

Her focus during the coming months will be on the Arts & Humanities Council?s award-winning Arts in Education program, as well as its full spectrum of events and community programs aimed at nurturing Bainbridge Island?s arts and cultural opportunities.

?I am looking forward to communicating our mission and efforts as we work together with local artists, cultural organizations, businesses, educators and students to create an environment where the arts and humanities flourish,? she said.

Source: http://www.bainbridgereview.com/news/192871761.html

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Childhood obesity may boost MS risk | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Very obese children and teens may be at risk for multiple sclerosis, a new study suggests.

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In the study, very obese girls (those who had a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher) were nearly four times more likely to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) within the study period, compared with girls who were normal weight. The link was strongest among teenagers.

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No link between obesity and multiple sclerosis was found for girls in other weight classes, or for boys.

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In people with MS, the immune system attacks the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord, producing symptoms such as numbness, loss of balance, weakness and tremors. MS is rare in children ? about one to two kids out of every 100,000 will develop the condition. Symptoms are similar in children and adults, although youngsters may also experience symptoms not typical of MS, such as seizures or lethargy, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

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The findings suggest that, as the prevalence of childhood obesity increases, so will cases of multiple sclerosis, said study researcher Dr. Annette Langer-Gould, of Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation in Pasadena, Calif.

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"Our study suggests that parents or caregivers of obese girls and teenagers should pay attention to symptoms such as tingling and numbness or limb weakness, and bring them to a doctor's attention," said Langer-Gould.

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However, the study only found an association, and cannot prove that obesity causes multiple sclerosis. It could be that an aspect of the condition itself ? such as having trouble exercising before the condition is diagnosed ? predisposes youngsters to obesity. But if this were the case, researchers would expect to see the same link in girls and boys, which the study did not find, Langer-Gould said.

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The researchers analyzed information from 75 children and teens ages 2 to 18 who were diagnosed with pediatric MS, and compared them with more than 913,000 children and teens who did not have MS. For those with MS, BMI was measured before the condition was diagnosed.

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Obesity is known to increase inflammation in the body, which may be involved in the development of MS, Langer-Gould said. Estrogen, a female hormone, also increases inflammation, and together with other inflammatory factors released from fat cells, could accelerate the development of MS, Langer-Gould said. The involvement of estrogen might explain why the link was only seen in girls.

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"The authors certainly have opened the door to an interesting association," said Dr. Michael Duchowny, a pediatric neurologist and director of academic affairs at Miami Children's Hospital Research Institute, who was not involved in the study. "These findings need to be repeated, expanded and clarified further" with additional research, including studies that test the estrogen hypothesis, Duchowny said.

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Previous studies in adults have suggested that obesity, or related factors, such as levels of appetite hormones, play a role in the development of MS, said Dr. Steven Mandel, ?a neurologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

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"It doesn't mean that if you're obese or overweight ,you're going to develop MS," but rather, that a link between the two conditions exists, Mandel said. The findings may be another reason to bring childhood obesity under control, he said.

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Although preliminary, some saw the findings as hopeful.

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"We're beginning to accumulate a good deal of information about some of the environmental factors that may play a role in MS, and environmental factors that are possible to be modified," such as smoking and obesity, said Dr. Nicholas LaRocca, vice president of health care delivery at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. "That?s a very exciting possibility," LaRocca said.

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The study will be published today (Jan. 30) in the journal Neurology.

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Pass it on: Childhood obesity is linked to an increased risk of MS.

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Related on MyHealthNewsDaily and MNN:

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This story was originally written for Space.com and is republished with permission here. Copyright 2013 MyHealthNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company.

Source: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/childhood-obesity-may-boost-ms-risk

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Lindsay Lohan Hit With ANOTHER Tax Bill

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/lindsay-lohan-hit-with-another-tax-bill/

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What Is Covert Surveillance?

Covert surveillance essentially means watching something or someone without their knowledge. The Security Services carryout surveillance on suspected criminals or terrorists, Councils can carryout surveillance on suspected benefit cheats or private companies may carryout surveillance on employees they suspect of wrongdoing. Covert surveillance can be a powerful way to gather information which, when collated and analyzed along with other information, can help to inform you about a situation or a persons behaviour.

There are many ways of conducting surveillance operations. Modern technology has provided a whole raft of extra capability, including covert cameras or listening devices or the ability to snoop on peoples email or online communications although this latter one is only really available to police or security services who have a warrant! There are also the more 'traditional' ways of carrying out covert surveillance. One, which any avid viewer of police type movies or police shows before this decade will be more than familiar with, is the physical covert surveillance method which tends to see the surveillance operator following the target either on foot or in a vehicle and observing where they go and who they meet.

Although covert surveillance sounds quite an easy thing to do, it can be fraught with problems. Firstly, knowing whether your target is aware they are or maybe under surveillance will heavily influence how you carryout and plan your operation. Also understanding what the end result will be. Will the surveillance form part of an investigation that could see its result's been used in court? And then there are the moral questions. Whilst most people support the activities of the security services that target dangerous elements of society as they look to protect us, surveillance carried out on a suspected errant husband falls into different category.

Carrying out covert surveillance on a partner who is suspected of cheating can be construed as significant invasion of privacy and should not be undertaken lightly but it can also provide categorical evidence of the truth. Ensuring a correctly planned operation, with properly analyzed results is essential to getting to the truth, which is un-swayed and unbiased.

What is the different between covert and overt surveillance? Whilst covert surveillance is aimed at catching people's real behaviour and attitudes, overt surveillance aims at moderating and shaping peoples behaviour to ensure it is socially acceptable and does not intrude negatively on people around them. It also acts as an effective deterrent where people looking to break the law, or do something morally wrong, will look for another location or target when faced with the real possibility of being caught in the act.

Intelligent Investigations don't just look to provide you with information, we provide you with intelligence which you can base your decisions on with confidence. Whether that's for hiring a new employee, tracing a missing person or a decision to stay or leave your partner, we can provide you with accurate and timely intelligence.

http://www.intelligent-investigations.co.uk

Source: http://articles.submityourarticle.com/what-is-covert-surveillance--317993

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Third straight weekend storm heads for New England

BOSTON (Reuters) - New England faced it third straight weekend of storms that will dump a messy, extended mix of wet snow and freezing rain across the region, meteorologists said Saturday.

Meanwhile another storm in the West will roll out of the Rocky Mountains this weekend and could create blizzard conditions in Colorado, according to a National Weather Service advisory.

Snow blanketed much of the Midwest earlier this week, with more than a foot in Kansas on Thursday, forcing airports to cancel hundreds of flights and leaving motorists stranded on highways.

Starting on Saturday, New England's coast from northern Connecticut to southern Maine was expected to be pelted with a mix of snow and rain, according to a National Weather Service advisory, while inland areas could see significant snow accumulations.

Wet snow and freezing rain was expected Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening in southern New Hampshire, northern Rhode Island and much of Massachusetts, including the Boston metropolitan area.

Up to a foot of snow was possible in parts of central Massachusetts, National Weather Service meteorologist John Foley said. From 2 to 5 inches of snow may fall in Boston.

The heaviest snowfall was expected Saturday night through Sunday morning, with 1 to 2 inches per hour possible, the weather service said.

Steve Scardino, a software sales executive and lifelong New Englander from Hopkinton, Massachusetts said he wondered what all the fuss was about.

"Look, it's winter, it's New England, it snows. Happens every time!" he said, laughing.

The storm may bring sleet and freezing rain to the Appalachians and mid-Atlantic states, with thunderstorms expected in the Southeast, the weather service said. It likely will dump rain from New York City to Philadelphia, it said.

The storm barreled eastward for the weekend after pummeling the Midwest. In Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Sly James said about 60 buses were stuck on snowbound streets on Friday, and even tow trucks were immobilized.

"It's still an ongoing process to get people off the roads," he told CNN.

SNOWY KANSAS

Kansas bore the brunt of the bad weather on Thursday, with up to 15 inches of snow in some parts of the state, according to the National Weather Service.

A closed 200-mile (323-km) stretch of Interstate 70 in central Kansas was strewn with cars stuck in snow.

National Guard troops riding in Humvees were dispatched to look for stranded motorists along the interstate and other highways, said Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for Kansas emergency management services.

The storm triggered severe thunderstorms from eastern Texas to Georgia.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and Kansas Governor Sam Brownback declared states of emergency because of hazardous travel and possible power outages..

In Nebraska, a 19-year-old woman was killed in a two-car accident on Wednesday on Interstate 80 near Giltner. The Nebraska State Patrol said weather was a factor.

An 18-year-old man died in Oklahoma when his vehicle slid into a tractor-trailer on a slushy state highway, the state's highway patrol said.

Drought-stricken farmers in the Great Plains, one of the world's largest wheat-growing areas, welcomed the moisture, although experts said more rain or snow would be needed to ensure healthy crops.

Meanwhile, in the Southeast, a "rich supply of Gulf moisture" will drive heavy rainfall from the Florida Panhandle east to the Carolinas on Saturday, the National Weather Service advisory said.

(Additional reporting by Kevin Murphy, Ian Simpson, Kevin Gray, Steve Gorman and Chris Francescani; Editing by Vicki Allen)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/major-snowstorm-headed-england-022416612.html

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Skier killed in British Columbia avalanche: report

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - As it turns out, Lindsay Lohan doesn't have much luck as a plaintiff in legal proceedings either. Troubled "Liz & Dick" actress Lohan, who has experienced more than her share of legal woes in recent years, was shot down Thursday in her lawsuit against Pitbull, Ne-Yo and Afrojack over the 2011 song "Give Me Everything." Lohan had sued the trio, along with others, under New York Civil Rights Law, claiming that the song made "disparaging and defamatory statements" about Lohan, violated her privacy, and used her name for advertising purposes without authorization. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/five-people-buried-british-columbia-avalanche-cbc-014454954.html

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Daytona put to work again after accident at track

Injured spectators are treated after a crash at the conclusion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Driver Kyle Larson's car hit the safety fence sending car parts and other debris flying into the stands. (AP Photo/David Graham)

Injured spectators are treated after a crash at the conclusion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Driver Kyle Larson's car hit the safety fence sending car parts and other debris flying into the stands. (AP Photo/David Graham)

Kyle Larson (32) goes airborne and into the catch fence in a multi-car crash involving Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88), Parker Kligerman (77), Justin Allgaier (31) and Brian Scott (2) during the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Track workers repair the safety fence along on the front grandstands, where Kyle Larson's car hit it on the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) ? Not long after a horrific crash caused carnage in the main grandstand of Daytona International Speedway, workers swept in to hurriedly make repairs.

Rest assured, NASCAR's biggest race will go on.

The green flag is set to drop Sunday for the Daytona 500 less than 24 hours after a last-lap crash injured at least 30 spectators and ripped apart a chunk of fencing that protects the mammoth seating areas at stock car racing's most famous track.

Large chunks of debris, including a tire, landed in the stands after Kyle Larson's car launched into the fence about 200 feet from the finish line during a race in the second-tier Nationwide series.

Speedway President Joie Chitwood declared the track will "be ready to go racing," and there were no plans to move fans who have those same seats where the wounded were strewn about Saturday.

This was the third time in four years the track has needed major repairs on Daytona 500 weekend. The 2010 race was interrupted for more than two hours because of a pothole in the track. Juan Pablo Montoya slammed into a jet dryer in last year's race, igniting a raging inferno that caused another two-hour delay.

"We're very confident that we'll be ready," said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's senior vice president of racing operations. "As with any of these incidents, we'll conduct a thorough review and work closely with the tracks as we do with all our events, learn what we can and see what we can apply in the future."

Chitwood said there where wasn't enough time to replace a gate in the damaged section of fencing, which allows fans to walk from the grandstands to the infield. Otherwise, it might be difficult to find any evidence of where the wreck occurred.

The speedway president stressed that all safety protocols were met, perhaps preventing a more tragic result.

"Our security maintained a buffer that separates the fans from the fencing area," he said.

NASCAR and track officials didn't know how much fencing would need to replaced or repaired. Sections of the impact-absorbing soft walls had to be fixed, too.

But the track's recent history with expediting repairs was expected to speed along the process.

"You try to prepare for as much as you can," NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said. "You also take away and learn from every incident."

The horror in the stands marred what had been a week of celebration that kicked off with Danica Patrick becoming the first woman to win a pole in the premier series.

Wreckage flew into both the upper and lower decks, and emergency crews treated fans on both levels. There were five stretchers that appeared to be carrying fans out.

A forklift was used to pluck Larson's engine out of the fence. There was a tire in the stands.

Across the track, fans pressed against a fence and used binoculars trying to watch. Reporters were ordered to leave the area.

Hours after the wreck, the fence was down and soft walls were being repaired as TV news helicopters hovered above the track.

Elsewhere, it was business as usual as the track underwent its makeover for "The Great American Race." The stages for driver introductions and the pre-race concert were already in place, as were the generators on pit road. The Daytona 500 logo was being painted on the grass and other track signage got a touch up. If not for the steady buzz from the welding done on the fence, it would have looked like any other late Saturday night before the 500.

Fans seated in the area of the wreck uploaded videos on YouTube that showed fans fleeing in horror and covering their heads as tires and an engine hurled their way. Most of the videos were soon removed from the video-sharing site.

NASCAR chief marketing officer Steve Phelps said the removal was ordered "out of respect for those injured. Information on the status of those fans was unclear and the decision was made to err on the side of caution with this very serious incident."

The scene was similar to a 2009 race at Talladega Superspeedway ? Daytona's sister track in Alabama ? when Carl Edwards' car went sailing into the fence on a last-lap accident.

O'Donnell said NASCAR and track officials would continue to strengthen safety standards as needed.

"We'll evaluate the fencing and see if there's anything we can learn from where gates are," he said. "I think we need to take the time to really study it and see what we can improve on, if we can. Certainly, the safety of our fans is first and foremost and we'll make that happen."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-24-NASCAR-Daytona%20500-Repairs/id-1fc17947e2b04ad1aa28997120da135f

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Japan Coastguard: More China Ships in Disputed Waters

by Naharnet Newsdesk 24 February 2013, 07:48

Japan said three Chinese surveillance ships entered its territorial waters off disputed East China Sea islands on Sunday, hours after one of Beijing's fisheries patrol boats sailed into the zone.

The three marine surveillance ships entered the 12-nautical-mile territorial zone off Uotsuri, one of the Senkaku islands, shortly before 1:00 pm (0400 GMT), the Japan Coast Guard said in a statement.

The incident came hours after Japan said a Chinese fisheries patrol boat briefly entered the territorial waters off another disputed island on Sunday morning.

Beijing claims the Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea, which it calls the Diaoyus.

The incidents were the latest in a series since Tokyo nationalized three islands in the chain in September, in what it said was just an administrative change of ownership.

The same Chinese fisheries patrol ship briefly entered the territorial zone on Saturday, as Japan's leader vowed he would not tolerate Beijing's incursions into the area.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was on his first visit to the United States since he took office in late December, said Japan "simply cannot tolerate any challenge now and in the future" to its control of the islands.

"No nation should make any miscalculation or underestimate the firmness of our resolve," Abe said Friday in Washington.

But speaking after White House talks with President Barack Obama, Abe also cautioned that "I have absolutely no intention to climb up the escalation ladder.?

Source: http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/73149-japan-coastguard-more-china-ships-in-disputed-waters

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Best WWE Actor and Actress announced

This weekend, all eyes once again turn to Hollywood, where a gaggle of the industry?s brightest stars will gather to celebrate the craft of acting and to congratulate themselves over the course of the four-hour spectacle known as The Academy Awards.

There will be dresses and jewelry worn that are worth more than the GDP of small island nations, and speeches that will drag on for far too long, detailing the struggle of being beautiful and talented and rich in a world that just wants to love them. There will be (faux) gracious winners, thanking the ?other talented people? in their category who didn?t win, and there will be (faux) gracious losers, doing their best to grin and bear it while the camera is focused upon them.

And, of course, pretentiousness will be par for the course.????????

At WWE, however, we don?t believe in pretension. But we do recognize acting ability, and we?re certainly not above giving credit where credit is due. So for the first time ever, WWE.com has decided to hand out awards in the Best WWE Actor and Best WWE Actress categories.

It was tough narrowing down the field for these prestigious awards, but after many intra-office discussions (read: fights) and interviews with a bevy of Superstars and Divas, we?re confident that, just like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, we?ve done our due diligence to represent the vast array of talent under consideration.

And so, without further ado, WWE.com presents the first-ever Best WWE Actor and Best WWE Actress winners ... ????????????

View Comments

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/best-wwe-actor-and-actress-announced

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Have a Crucial Accident Repairs For Your Car Quickly

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Discovering a dependable automotive repair is essential on this case. There are numerous over Oldham, but selecting essentially the most suitable one is important. Through the roads of Oldham, chances are you?ll discover many bridges and tunnels and visitors remains at high peak. Traffic accidents are very common problem here. This is the reason you could be careful first. Secondly it?s essential to access the addresses of best accident restore in Oldham to get relief for you and your car both. There are some refined components of the automobiles that are instantly in want of repair if affected anyhow. Thus to make your automotive look new and extra durable, you could need to restore of change the excessively damages parts. Though companies are many for serving you, one reliable and mostly most well-liked organization is the Adamsons Car Care which is understood for the undoubted servicing of automotive for years. The company provides all the mandatory accident repair providers and has huge and geared up garages for storing cars. They provide services like

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Automotive service professionals possess immense information of your automobile and the products. The use the adhesives in the best way and also can restore any corrosion in order that there aren?t any future issues. The mechanics are all experienced skilled to know the necessities of each car and can deal with cars with numerous configurations. Accident repair in Manchesteralso offers a full range of maintenance companies reminiscent of sunroof alternative, interior upholstery repair, water leak troubleshooting, rag-top repair, convertible top repair, windshield restore and maintenance and lot more. Water causes quite a lot of damage to your car so a tiny leak from which water can enter causes harm to the automotive interior. So get it fastened instantly before the leak will get worse. Search for safety while you rent a automobile service professional so you have to run your eyes via the capabilities and features of the storage service and the protection requirements they supply to your car.

Source: http://www.stophr5034.com/crucial-accident-repairs-car-quickly/

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Wales' Adam Jones ready for Rome scrap with Italy prop Andrea Lo Cicero

Wales prop Adam Jones admits he will have to be at the top of his game against Andrea Lo Cicero in Rome on Saturday.

Jones took the blame for Wales' scrummaging difficulties against France a fortnight ago, a game the Welsh won despite the hosts dominating up front.

The tighthead, can expect a stern examination opposite Italian warrior Lo Cicero, who won his 100th cap against Scotland two weeks ago.

"You can blame many things, but at the end of the day it comes down to the tighthead," he said.

"It was my fault, really. As much as people say the scrum is an eight-man thing, it does need the tighthead to be straight and square.

"At times I felt I was under pressure. I will take it on the chin, I will take the blame - and then I will say the pitch was shocking!

"For us, there are a lot of things we can put right easily. There were a lot of things we didn't do correctly.

"There were a couple of times when certain things happened and we know we should do better than that. If I can't keep the scrum up, then the scrum isn't going to stay up.

"It's the be-all and end-all of my game and if I don't do that well then obviously I have had a bad game.

"Sometimes, I don't know who takes the scrum down," Jones added. "But at the end of the day it is up to the props to keep it up. If we scrummage squarely, that will be half the battle.

"We know it's going to be hard against Italy. We know how good they are. They are very similar to the French. They pretty much mirror each other how they scrummage and are as close to a French scrum as you can get.

"I think I first played against Lo Cicero at the World Cup in 2003. He looks a bit different now. He had a short haircut then, but he's gone to Paris (Racing Metro) and all of a sudden he's grown this gorgeous mane, like my good self.

"He is a good player. He has got 100 caps and I take my hat off to anyone who has played international rugby for that long, especially in the front-row."

Source: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12040_8516345,00.html

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Lay Waste To Wireless Networks With This Hacktastic Nexus 7

Tablets are great for slouching on the sofa and checking your Facebook, but they can also be super sleek hack-machines. Take the new Pwnie Express Pwn Pad as an example; it's a fully-loaded hacker suite designed to puncture any network. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Mwr11c0iM-0/lay-waste-to-wireless-networks-with-this-hacktastic-nexus-7

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