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Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Novel technology for producing 'electronic ink' may lead to inexpensive, durable electronics and solar cells
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Electronic touch pads that cost just a few dollars and solar cells that cost the same as roof shingles are one step closer to reality today.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Berlusconi faces verdict that could endanger Italian government
By Barry Moody
ROME (Reuters) - Italy's supreme court convenes on Tuesday to rule whether Silvio Berlusconi should be jailed and banned from public office for tax fraud, a verdict that could endanger Italy's shaky coalition government.
A ruling against the former prime minister would be his first definitive conviction and signal the end of an era in which he has dominated Italian politics for two decades through his media power and political skill.
It could also plunge the government - an uneasy coalition of Enrico Letta's center-left Democratic Party (PD) and Berlusconi's center-right People of Freedom (PDL) - into crisis and bring renewed uncertainty to the euro zone third's largest economy that could reverberate across the bloc.
The five judges of the Cassation Court - Italy's highest -will hear a final appeal by Berlusconi against a 1-year jail sentence and 5-year ban from office handed down by lower courts for the fraudulent purchase of broadcasting rights by his Mediaset media empire.
The court may take up to three days to deliver its ruling.
Berlusconi, 76, accuses leftwing magistrates of trying to bring him down in more than two dozen court cases since he stormed to power for the first time in 1994.
Although they are waiting for a signal from Berlusconi, PDL hawks have called for everything from a mass resignation of its government ministers to blocking Italy's motorways if the court rules against him.
Fabrizio Cicchitto, a senior PDL parliamentarian, said the media magnate had faced 30 trials. "If this is not a political use of justice what is?"
The departure of Berlusconi from parliament if he is convicted would also raise major questions about the future of his party, which depends on his charisma and wealth.
But a greater risk to the government could come from Letta's faction-ridden PD, many of whose members are already deeply unhappy with being in a coalition with their old enemy, and may refuse to continue if he is found guilty.
CHAOTIC
However, both President Giorgio Napolitano, who dragged the parties into a coalition in April after a two-month crisis that followed inconclusive elections, and Letta himself are adamant that Italy cannot afford more instability as it struggles to climb out of its worst postwar recession.
Both of the major parties may also be reluctant to precipitate an election whose result could be even more chaotic than the February vote and boost support for the populist 5-Star Movement of comedian Beppe Grillo.
Berlusconi has for months kept his hawks on a tight leash, saying the government must continue.
However, political sources say this stance was dictated by Berlusconi's lawyers, who wanted to avoid upsetting the supreme court judges. The mercurial magnate's reaction if he is found guilty is uncertain.
Berlusconi's lawyers have filed 50 objections to the supreme court, which will rule only on legal procedure and whether the previous appeal court properly justified its sentence.
The court has three choices: convict Berlusconi, acquit him or send the case back to the appeal court because of legal errors. It could also postpone a decision, probably until September - a move advocated by moderate politicians who want to avoid a summer crisis.
Even if Berlusconi is found guilty, his ban from public office depends on a vote by his peers in the Senate which could take weeks or months.
The scandal-plagued mogul is also appealing against a seven- year jail term handed down in June for abuse of office and paying for sex with Moroccan-born nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug alias "Ruby the Heartstealer" when she was underage.
(Additional reporting by Catherine Hornby and James Mackenzie; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/berlusconi-faces-verdict-could-endanger-italian-government-233240702.html
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Meilutyte, other teens doing just fine at worlds
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) ? For Ruta Meilutyte, a gold medal would merely be a bonus.
She's already grabbed what she came for at these world swimming championships.
A breakout star at last year's London Olympics, the 16-year-old from Lithuania set the first world record of the meet Monday night ? in the semifinals of the 100-meter breaststroke, no less.
Meilutyte will be an overwhelming favorite in the final Tuesday, but she considers the record a bigger accomplishment than a world championship. She nearly broke the mark during the morning preliminaries, then returned in the evening to go even faster.
The youngster touched in 1 minute, 4.35 seconds, beating the record set by American Jessica Hardy in 2009 at the end of the rubberized suit era.
"My biggest aim is accomplished now and I'll give it my best shot in the final," said Meilutyte, who trains in Britain. "It's one of the steps, one of the dreams. Obviously, a gold medal would be a cherry on top."
The kids are doing all right at these worlds, that's for sure.
Eighteen-year-old Missy Franklin cruised into the final of the 100 backstroke as the top qualifier, despite a tough start in the semifinals when her right leg slipped while pushing off the wall. Another young American, 16-year-old Katie Ledecky, followed up her gold medal in the 400 freestyle by easily qualifying for the 1,500 free final.
"It's so incredible to see the youth that the sport has and that it will continue to have," Franklin said. "It's so awesome watching it and kind of being a part of this whole experience as it's happening."
There were no American golds on the second night of swimming at the Palau Sant Jordi.
Christian Sprenger made sure the Australian men won't endure another gold-medal shutout like the one in London, edging South African world-record holder Cameron van der Burgh in the men's 100 breast.
"To finally have the Australian anthem played for me, it's an extraordinary feeling, and after a swim I couldn't be prouder of," Sprenger said. "Our team had some setbacks last year, but we came through stronger. We are going to be back and going to be stronger."
Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom knocked off another world-record holder, Dana Vollmer of the U.S., in the 100 butterfly. For Sjostrom, the victory came four years after she won the same event at the world championships in Rome, which was followed by the bitter disappointment of fourth-place finishes at both the 2011 worlds and the Olympics.
"It's hard to believe because my confidence hasn't been that good after lots of fourth places," she said. "Now I am so happy. My confidence is so much better now. I know I can swim so much faster."
Vollmer, who took an extended break after the Olympics and came into the event battling an illness, settled for the bronze with a time more than a second off her gold-medal performance in London.
"The goal is to always try and win, but with where I am right now I am really happy with the bronze," Vollmer said. "I needed the fall off to recharge looking to 2016. It is disappointing now, but it lights that fire to get back in the pool and keep working hard for Rio."
Hungary's Katinka Hosszu ran away with a dominating win in the women's 200 individual medley, with Ye Shiwen among those in her wake. The 17-year-old from China, another of the young stars at the last Olympics, was last at the final turn and settled for fourth ? not even making the medal podium in Barcelona.
Ye swept the IMs in London, setting a world record in the 400.
"That was slower than expected but I did everything I could," she said through a translator. "After the Olympics I couldn't sleep, so I couldn't prepare like I had done before. I'm five kilograms heavier than I was at the Olympics. I need to go back and train harder and hopefully I'll do better next time. I was happy with my butterfly but nothing else."
Hosszu made it look easy, leading at every stroke change and cruising to the wall nearly 1.5 seconds ahead of the field.
"That was kind of my plan to go out and be aggressive from the beginning," she said. "I saw nobody was coming, so I just wanted to touch the wall and start celebrating."
Hosszu finished nearly 7 seconds behind Ye in the 200 IM at London, and just missed a medal with a fourth-place finish in the 400 IM.
This time, it was Ye coming over to shake hands with the winner.
"I was really surprised," Hosszu said. "I wasn't sure of the order after me. It was only later I saw she wasn't on the podium. I am sure she will be back on the podium. She is a great swimmer."
Longtime Brazilian star Cesar Cielo took gold in the 50 fly ? a non-Olympic event ? with Eugene Godsoe of the U.S. grabbing the silver.
But Meilutyte was the star of the night without even winning a medal.
She just keeps getting better after upsetting American Rebecca Soni for the Olympic gold in the 100 breast last summer. With Soni taking the year off, there's no doubt that Meilutyte is the new queen of the breaststroke ? at the moment and perhaps years to come.
"It's a new breed of swimmer coming up," van der Burgh said. "The 100 has become more of a sprint than it was before. If you are too slow than you can never catch up, and I think that's the big change."
Australia's Alicia Coutts didn't win gold but deserved a shout-out for pulling off a grueling double. She finished second in both the 100 fly and 200 IM, one night after anchoring the Aussies to silver in the 400 free relay.
Coutts was in tears after getting caught by American Megan Romano in the relay, feeling she let her team down, but the Aussie is piling up quite a medal haul in Barcelona.
The home crowd got a thrill when Mireia Belmonte of Spain won bronze in the 200 IM.
Meanwhile, Ryan Lochte put himself in position to take a run at his first individual gold of these championships. He was the second-fastest qualifier in the semifinals of the 200 free behind Russia's Danila Izotov.
___
Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/meilutyte-other-teens-doing-just-fine-worlds-190636193.html
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Chromecast rooted, operating system detailed
The operating system looks to be a special blend of Google Chrome and Android; more work to be done.
If anyone had any doubts, put them to rest because the Chromecast has been rooted. We're not surprised at this -- any device that runs an OS that accepts input will get exploited eventually -- but what the GTV Hacker crew found inside is a bit more intriguing.
Google says the Chromecast runs ChromeOS, and when you power it up it says Chrome big as life, but the folks at GTV Hacker say that's not really so. After digging into the software a little (rooting gives you access via telnet) they say what's there is closer to Android or Google TV than it is to Chrome. There are no methods to run any apps on the system, but they don't rule out the possibility of a real Android port to the $35 dongle.
If you have a powered USB OTG cable and a flash drive you can erase, you can give this a try yourself. The process seems trivial, though there's nothing you can do with it once you're finished other than look at the system files. For some of us though, that's reason enough. Let's hope content companies aren't scared off of the whole Google Cast concept now.
Source: GTV Hacker
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/t4CFGX4aAtQ/story01.htm
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Monday, July 29, 2013
CU-Boulder hosts international animal behavior meeting
The mental exercise of learning something new may help calm a dog with behavior issues, while other dogs have proven the best way to help dogs rescued from puppy mills learn how to interact with humans.
Those were a couple of the many animal behavior tidbits shared at the 50th annual meeting of the international Animal Behavior Society convened today at the University of Colorado. The conference, which goes through Friday, includes lectures, scientific demonstrations and a film festival.
?Sometimes, I think the main reason (dogs) interact with (researchers) is because we're good at giving scratches,? said Julie Hecht, who researches canine cognition.
More than 800 scientists and students from the Americas and Europe are expected to attend the conference. The meeting will include more than 100 scientific presentations by Animal Behavior Society members on the behavior of organisms ranging from spiders, ants and bees to bluebirds, dolphins and baboons.
The conference kicked off today with a series of public lectures by animal behaviorists titled: ?Creating Quality Lives for Dogs and Cats through the Science of Animal Behavior.?
?Scientists have a responsibility to share their results with the public,? said Suzanne Hetts, one of the organizers of the public series. ?Our goal was to bring the science of pet behavior to pet owners and animal professionals.?
Sharon Wirant, one of about 50 certified applied animal behaviorists in the country and a conference attendee from New Hampshire, said misconceptions about animal behavior are rampant.
?It's encouraging people to look at animals as the species that they are and as individuals,? she said. ?Just like people who are siblings, every animal is different.?
The talks covered communicating with animals, helping dogs and cats get along, animals at play, canine cognition research and working with animal victims of human cruelty.
Animal behavior specialist Pamela Reid talked about the ASPCA's programs to help animals who are seized from puppy mills, from hoarders and from people who train dogs to fight. The organization recently started a six-week rehabilitation program to try to help animals who score the lowest on their evaluations, making them the ineligible for adoption.
Trainers work on fear of people, fear of handling, fear of novelty and willingness to wear a collar and walk on a leash.
She showed videos of dogs from puppy mills being evaluated who were too scared of people to eat treats, along with videos of dogs trained to fight who were good with people but viciously attacked a stuffed dog used to test aggression toward animals.
She also talked about the rehabilitation of a ?fighting? dog named Dragon, who was aggressive toward males but ?flirty? with females. With the help of the Longmont Humane Society, she said, he stopped being aggressive toward other dogs and eventually learned how to play with them instead.
?This was a huge breakthrough to see him play with other dogs,? she said.
After his rehabilitation, he was adopted by a family two years ago.
For dogs from puppy mills, who were never socialized, using a second ?helper? dog has proven the best way to help them ?come out of their shell? and learn to walk on a leash, go up and down stairs and not be afraid of new objects, she said.
?They start out needing that crutch of the helper dogs before they're able to do it on their own,? she said.
Ann Jones, who owns a pet sitting business in Fort Collins, said she attended to learn more about animal behavior ? both to better work with the animals in her care and to provide advice to clients who need help with an issue.
"It was excellent,? she said. ?I was always learning something new.?
Denver's Daniela Wohlwend, a self described ?dog geek,? said she's read articles and books written by the presenters and wanted to hear from them in person.
?I've get a big list of more books to read,? she said. ?It was great. I've learned a lot.?
For more information, on the public events, go here.
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Tips On Choosing Good Appliances For Home Improvement | Dads ...
Many people also utilize the kitchen for dining purpose along with cooking. In case people don?t have a separate dining room in their residence, they can either dine in the kitchen or anywhere else. In modern civilized world, it doesn?t makes a sense to dine anywhere except joinery kitchens and dining room. By dining in any part of the house creates deposition of food particles around various furniture of the home which makes those materials prone to the attack of bugs which may destroy your carpet and furniture.
For families with young children, simple shaker wholesale kitchens with minimal detailing on the doors tend to be favored to allow for easy cleaning and kitchen islands with stools are often appreciated, to give children somewhere to sit and eat snacks or do their school work. Granite has always been the worktop material of choice for families given its practicality and easiness to clean, however with recent advances in sealant technology, beautiful stone such as York or Belgian Fossil can now be equally considered. You need to give that area top priority which requires immediate renovation. Your cabinets may be in the worst condition possible for which you may immediately require a designer providing Custom Made Joinery in Sydney. The renovation should be such that your kitchen should become more functional than before.
You need to cook properly in your kitchen so that you get what you are working so hard for every month i.e. food. You need to update those kitchen appliances which are not working properly by simply replacing them with good small kitchen designs. For those who like to entertain, the use of space and the practicality of the design have to blend seamlessly with the aesthetic element of the kitchen. Frequent entertaining needs lots of workspace and storage, as well as extra appliances, so housing them can be a challenge. ?
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Source: http://www.dadsshed.com/3783/tips-on-choosing-good-appliances-for-home-improvement/
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