Whether or not you agree that Samsung (005930) is the ?shameless? copycat?Apple (AAPL) has repeatedly accused it of being, there is no denying that the South Korean technology giant has borrowed a few pages from Apple?s playbook. If the design elements in its devices and the launch of features like S Voice and Blocking Mode rolling out on Samsung phones immediately following Siri and Do Not Disturb aren?t telling enough, this 132-page internal Samsung document is pretty damning.?Of course, Apple is hardly innocent in all this and has borrowed from plenty of companies?in the past as well. The latest chapter in this tiring tale came Tuesday as Samsung unveiled its new Wallet app for Android.
[More from BGR: Why every rival tech company should be scared to death of Samsung]
Unveiled during a developer event at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Spain, Wallet is just like Apple?s Passbook app for iOS. It allows users to store tickets, membership cards, boarding passes and coupons in one easy to access location. And as seen in the picture below, it also looks a lot like Passbook as well.
[More from BGR: Samsung is just trolling us now, and it?s not alone]
Samsung certainly isn?t backing down following its billion-dollar loss last year and whether or not Wallet leads to new lawsuits, it will be a welcome addition for Samsung smartphone owners looking for a sleek eWallet app on their devices.
LONDON (Reuters) - British government bonds held broadly steady on Thursday, with markets unwilling to re-test Wednesday's eight-week highs ahead of U.S. gross domestic product figures and German inflation data due later in the session.
An inconclusive Italian election, which threatens to derail austerity measures needed to ensure market confidence in the country's debt, pushed 10-year gilt yields to an eight-week low on Wednesday, just days after Britain lost its triple-A credit rating with agency Moody's.
Gilt markets are also weighing the possibility of an increase in Bank of England asset purchases at next Thursday's policy meeting, and there is background support from coupon payments and limited issuance in coming weeks.
But market moves on Thursday itself were limited. The June gilt future was 5 ticks down at 116.76 at 1149 GMT, off a session low of 116.52 set earlier in the session.
Ten-year yields were flat at 1.96 percent, not far from Wednesday's low of 1.926 percent, while gilts' spread over Bunds was a fraction wider on the day at 51 basis points.
"Now we're in a strange kind of holding pattern on peripheral risk and Italy. For sure, U.S. data is the short-term key, but the market is almost entirely focused now on next week's BoE decision," said Mark Capleton, a fixed-income strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Analysts have seen a greater chance that the central bank will vote for more gilt purchases since February policy minutes unexpectedly showed that Governor Mervyn King voted in favour of a restart to stimulus.
But policymakers have been considering other options too ahead of the arrival of Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, who will succeed King in July.
"The market is very divided on whether we take past precedent ... which would suggest there's a small dollop of QE coming," Capleton said. "The alternative view - which we would hold to - is that ... the MPC are putting all options on the table to give the new governor a fairly free rein."
Germany's February inflation data is due at 1300 GMT, followed by U.S. GDP data at 1330 GMT, which is forecast to be revised up to show 0.5 percent growth after an initial estimate of a 0.1 percent contraction.
There was no reaction to Britain's GfK consumer confidence data released overnight, showing morale stable at a low level, and the next major domestic figures are a manufacturing purchasing managers' survey and mortgage approvals data around 0930 GMT on Friday.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, was briefly hospitalized due to her bipolar disorder, the actress' spokeswoman said on Tuesday after video emerged of Fisher giving an unusual stage performance. The video came from a show Fisher gave aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean last week, according to celebrity website TMZ, which posted the clip. The clip shows Fisher, 56, singing "Skylark" and "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," at times appearing to struggle to remember the lyrics. ...
LONDON (AP) ? People exposed to the highest doses of radiation during the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in 2011 may have a slightly higher risk of cancer that is so small it probably won't be detectable, according to a new report from the World Health Organization released Thursday.
A group of experts convened by the agency assessed the risk of various cancers based on estimates of how much radiation people at the epicenter of the nuclear disaster received, namely those directly under the plumes of radiation in the most affected communities in Fukushima, a rural agricultural area about 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Tokyo.
Some 110,000 people living around the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant were evacuated after the massive March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami knocked out the plant's power and cooling systems, causing meltdowns in three reactors and spewing radiation into the surrounding air, soil and water.
Experts calculated that people in the most affected regions had an additional 4 to 7 percent overall risk of developing cancers including leukemia and breast cancer. In Japan, men have about a 41 percent lifetime risk of developing cancer of an organ while a woman's lifetime risk is about 29 percent. For those most hit by the radiation after Fukushima, their chances of cancer would rise by about 1 percent.
"These are pretty small proportional increases," said Richard Wakeford of the University of Manchester, one of the authors of the report.
"The additional risk is quite small and will probably be hidden by the noise of other (cancer) risks like people's lifestyle choices and statistical fluctuations," he said. "It's more important not to start smoking than having been in Fukushima."
Experts had been particularly worried about a spike in thyroid cancer, since iodine released in nuclear accidents is absorbed by the thyroid, especially in children. After the Chernobyl disaster, about 6,000 children exposed to radiation later developed thyroid cancer, because many drank contaminated milk after the accident.
In Japan, dairy radiation levels were closely monitored and children are not big milk drinkers anyway.
WHO estimated that women exposed as infants to the most radiation after the Fukushima accident would have a 70 percent higher chance of getting thyroid cancer in their lifetimes. But thyroid cancer is extremely rare and the normal lifetime risk of developing it is about 0.75 percent. That would rise to 0.5 percent for those women who got the highest radiation doses as babies.
Wakeford said the increase in such cancers may be so small they will probably not be observable.
For people beyond the most directly affected areas of Fukushima, Wakeford said the risk dropped dramatically. "The risks to everyone else were just infinitesimal."
Some experts said it was surprising that any increase in cancer was even predicted and believe that the low-dose radiation people in Fukushima received hasn't been proven to raise the chances of cancer.
"On the basis of the radiation doses people have received, there is no reason to think there would be an increase in cancer in the next 50 years," said Wade Allison, an emeritus professor of physics at Oxford University, who was not connected to the WHO report. "The very small increase in cancers means that it's even less than the risk of crossing the road," he said.
Gerry Thomas, a professor of molecular pathology at Imperial College London accused the WHO of hyping the cancer risk.
"It's understandable that WHO wants to err on the side of caution, but telling the Japanese about a barely significant personal risk may not be helpful," she said.
Thomas said the WHO report used inflated estimates of radiation doses and didn't properly take into account Japan's quick evacuation of people from Fukushima. "This will fuel fears in Japan that could be more dangerous than the physical effects of radiation," she said, noting that people living under stress have higher rates of heart problems, suicide and mental illness.
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Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
Feb. 27, 2013 ? Research indicates that half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, well before adulthood. Three new studies investigate the cognitive, genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to mental health disorders in adolescence.
The studies are published in Psychological Science and Clinical Psychological Science, journals of the Association for Psychological Science.
Social-Information-Processing Patterns Mediate the Impact of Preventive Intervention on Adolescent Antisocial Behavior
Kenneth A. Dodge, Jennifer Godwin, and The Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group
Fast Track is a preventive intervention designed to help children who show aggression at an early age. The intervention addresses kids' social-cognitive processes in several ways, including social-skill training groups, parent groups, and classroom curricula. In this study, the researchers investigated the processes underlying this intervention's success. A total of 891 kindergarteners who were at high risk for adolescent antisocial behavior were randomly assigned to receive either the Fast Track intervention or a control program. The data revealed that children in the intervention showed decreased levels of antisocial behavior at the end of 9th grade, which was driven, in part, by improvement on three specific social-cognitive processes. These results suggest that social-cognitive processes may play an important role in the development of antisocial behavior in youth.
Published online February 13, 2013 in Psychological Science
A Comparison of Two Models of Urgency: Urgency Predicts Both Rash Action and Depression in Youth
Gregory T. Smith, Leila Guller, and Tamika C.B. Zapolski
Smith and colleagues test two competing theories concerning the trait of urgency. One theory posits that urgency reflects the people's tendency to act rashly or impulsively when they're emotional. Another theory suggests that urgency reflects a general responsiveness to emotions that can lead to rash action (such as heavy drinking or binge eating) or ill-advised inaction (which is associated with symptoms of depression). In previous research, Smith and colleagues found that urgency levels in 5th grade predicted addictive behaviors (including alcohol consumption, binge eating, and smoking) in 6th grade, which is consistent with both theories. In this study, the researchers found that level of urgency in 5th grade also predicted higher levels of depression at the end of 6th grade. These results support the view that urgency can lead either to rash action or ill-advised inaction. The researchers conclude that urgency may be an important trait in various diagnoses, across both internalizing and externalizing disorders.
Published online February 15, 2013 in Clinical Psychological Science
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Rumination, Distraction, and Depressed Mood in Adolescence
Mollie N. Moore, Rachel H. Salk, Carol A. Van Hulle, Lyn Y. Abramson, Janet S. Hyde, Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant, and H. Hill Goldsmith
About one in 10 adolescents will experience major depression or dysthymia by age 18. Rumination, the process of dwelling on one's feelings and problems, is an established cognitive risk factor for depression. In this study, Moore and colleagues investigated whether response styles associated with rumination might account for some of the genetic vulnerability associated with depression. A total of 756 adolescent twins ages 12 to 14 completed the Response Styles Questionnaire and several measures of depressive symptoms. Brooding was positively correlated with depressive symptoms, while distraction was negatively correlated with the symptoms. About 54% of the variation in depression symptoms could be attributed to genetic variation, while 37% of the variation in reflection and 30% of the variation in distraction were accounted for by genetic variation. Further analyses showed that individual differences in distraction share both genetic and environmental sources of variation with depression. Together, these results suggest that the same genetic factors that contribute to distraction may protect against depression.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.
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Journal References:
K. A. Dodge, J. Godwin. Social-Information-Processing Patterns Mediate the Impact of Preventive Intervention on Adolescent Antisocial Behavior. Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/0956797612457394
G. T. Smith, L. Guller, T. C. B. Zapolski. A Comparison of Two Models of Urgency: Urgency Predicts Both Rash Action and Depression in Youth. Clinical Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/2167702612470647
M. N. Moore, R. H. Salk, C. A. Van Hulle, L. Y. Abramson, J. S. Hyde, K. Lemery-Chalfant, H. H. Goldsmith. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Rumination, Distraction, and Depressed Mood in Adolescence. Clinical Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/2167702612472884
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.
Just because you don't have a contract tying you down doesn't mean you don't deserve LTE speeds, right? Boost and Virgin Mobile will be getting their very own 4G handsets, with help from Sprint's network. You can pick up Samsung's Galaxy Victory 4G LTE over on Virgin's site, starting today for $300 a pop (with more retailers getting in on the action in the middle of next month). Over on Boost, they've got HTC's One SV and the four-inch Boost Force, both dropping on March 7th. Those handsets will run you $300 and $200, respectively.
New Orleans SEO company Webtyde Internet Marketing announces the launch of its specially tailored Local SEO packages, helping small businesses increase their online visibility.
New Orleans-based SEO and Internet marketing services company Webtyde Internet Marketing announced this week that it had rolled out new Local SEO plans geared toward increasing the overall online presence of businesses of every type and size?especially small businesses.
Webtyde Internet Marketing offers two primary small business Local SEO packages, ?Local SEO Business Listings? and ?Local SEO Business Listings + Social Media Optimization.? Though Webtyde works with companies large and small, it places a particular focus on helping small businesses?even those without a website?increase their visibility and establish their brand online.
?One of the biggest myths out there is that only big businesses can afford to be number one in the online search rankings in their area,? said Allyson Seitzler, Webtyde?s CEO. ?It?s simply not true. There?s a lot we can do to get small businesses online and in front of potential customers at a minimal cost. For the amount you would spend on one week of print advertisement in a local paper, Webtyde can position your small business to get great local rankings on even the biggest search engines.?
Local SEO services drive search engine traffic to a business?s website, helping to generate more qualified leads and, ultimately, increase overall revenue. Webtyde improves the online presence of the businesses it works with by creating and optimizing their Local SEO business listings with Google, Bing, Yahoo!, Yelp, and Yellow Pages, and by providing them with coordinated, keyword-focused social media campaigns.
The online campaigns Webtyde specializes in enables businesses to stand out among their local competitors?bringing their business front and center when someone in their area searches for the goods or services their company offers?and to be more specific about who their target audience is, ensuring that the majority of traffic driven their way is comprised of customers who are ready to buy. Even sole proprietors can get ranked for local results and increase their sales with Webtyde?s basic website and Local SEO packages.
?We?re based in New Orleans, so we know the market here better than anyone else does?but we offer affordable and effective search engine optimization for every city in the world,? said Seitzler. ?No matter where you live, if you have a business, Webtyde can get you listed and noticed online.?
About Webtyde Internet Marketing Webtyde Internet Marketing is an award-winning New Orleans-based online marketing company whose purpose is to provide its clients with ethical, knowledgeable, and experienced SEO and Internet marketing services. Led by owner and CEO Allyson Seitzler, an expert in her field with over 12 years of experience in Internet marketing, SEO, and website development, Webtyde?s team members and trusted partner companies work hard to increase the online brand visibility of the businesses it works with and to staying on the leading edge of SEO and Internet marketing industry news.
We already knew ASUS was prepping a product called the FonePad, a 7-inch tablet with built-in phone functionality (yes, just like the new Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0). Well, ASUS just formally unveiled it here at Mobile World Congress, which means we've got a few more details to share than we did previously. First off, the speculation about its specs was all true: this does indeed have an Intel processor -- a 1.2GHz Atom Z2420, to be exact -- along with 1GB of RAM, a PowerVR SGX540 GPU, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and an HSPA+ radio. What's more, the 4,270mAH battery is said to get up to nine hours of runtime, which would put this in the same league as other Atom tablets we've tested recently.
In terms of hardware features, the FonePad has a smooth metal back (available in gray and gold), making it drastically different in appearance from the similarly sized Nexus 7. 'Round back you'll find a panel where all the usual antennae are, and hidden underneath are both the micro-SIM slot and the microSD reader. That microSD slot, by the way, supports 32GB cards, which should come in handy considering this has just 16GB of built-in storage. Additionally, the tablet has a 3-megapixel rear shooter and a 1.2-megapixel front camera, attached to a 7-inch, 1,280 x 800 IPS display.
The FonePad will be available in Europe for £179 / €219. Here at MWC, ASUS also confirmed a US dollar price of $249, though we had heard rumblings it wouldn't actually be sold there. In any case, the on-sale date will be confirmed at some later time. We're hoping to test one ourselves soon enough, but until then, stay tuned for the usual round of hands-on shots.
Update: Our hands-on photos and video are in! Enjoy!
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) ? A video posted online Monday apparently shows seven French hostages kidnapped from northern Cameroon, with a masked militant claiming the radical Islamic group Boko Haram from neighboring Nigeria holds them.
The video, posted to YouTube and mentioned on a jihadist website, shows one of two French men reading a statement, with a woman in between them. Four children sit on the ground near them, flanked by two masked militants wearing camouflage uniforms and holding rifles.
A masked militant in front says in the video that Boko Haram kidnapped the French hostages, a family of three adults and four children who were taken from outside a national park in Cameroon's Far North Region on Feb. 19. A black banner in the background, bearing the images of the Quran flanked by two Kalashnikov assault rifles, also resembles a symbol previously used by Boko Haram.
The man says the kidnappings came due to the French military intervention in northern Mali, where its troops have fought with Malian soldiers against Islamic extremists who took over the north in the months following a coup last year. The man also threatens the Nigerian and Cameroonian government, calling on them to release their imprisoned members.
"Let the French president know that he has launched war against Islam and we are fighting him everywhere," the man says in Arabic. "Let him know that we are spread everywhere to save our brothers."
The man threatens to kill the French hostages if the group's demands are not met.
The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the video's authenticity Monday, though it shares similarities with some Boko Haram propaganda videos published in the past.
However, in this video, the man speaks entirely in Arabic, while other Boko Haram videos have its leader Abubakar Shekau also speaking the Hausa language of Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north. Boko Haram has not published a video featuring hostages before. The video appears to have been filmed outside, as prayer mats hung in the background sway in a breeze.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement that "for us, these images are horribly shocking. They show cruelty without limits." He said France is fully mobilized to free the hostages but "verifications needed in these circumstances" are under way.
Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault of France told journalists his country's intelligence services are analyzing the video and "examining the nature of the demands."
The French gas group GDF Suez last week identified the captives as an employee working in Yaounde, the Cameroon capital, and his family. The group was vacationing in the north, a company statement said without elaborating. Cameroonian and Nigerian soldiers continue to search for them in the arid, rural border region the two countries share in West Africa.
Waza Park, a natural wildlife reserve in Cameroon's Far North Region attracts mainly foreign tourists. But the area often suffers from raids by bandits lurking in Cameroon, Chad and neighboring Nigeria, who abduct locals for ransom. A local witness told the AP he saw gunmen on motorcycles abduct the tourists on Feb. 19.
Boko Haram ? which means "Western education is sacrilege" ? has launched a guerrilla campaign of bombings and shootings across Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north. It is blamed for at least 792 killings last year alone, according to an AP count. It is known to have ties to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, an Algerian-based group that opened a front in Mali.
The sect, which typically speaks to journalists in telephone conference calls at times of its choosing, could not be immediately reached for comment Monday.
Boko Haram remains highly fragmented, without a clear command-and-control structure. One splinter organization launched from Boko Haram appears to be Ansaru, which has claimed the recent north Nigeria kidnappings of a British citizen, a Greek, an Italian, three Lebanese and one Filipino, all employees of a Lebanese construction company called Setraco. The group earlier claimed the kidnapping in December of a French national working on a renewal energy project in Nigeria's northern Katsina state.
However, the video claiming the kidnapping comes after supposed Boko Haram leaders denied this weekend that they took part in the kidnapping of the seven French citizens ? leading to more questions about who actually remains in control of the group. Shekau hasn't been seen in a video since late November.
A total of 15 French citizens are currently being held in western Africa. In addition to the seven kidnapped in Cameroon, there is one other in Nigeria and seven thought to be in northern Mali.
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Associated Press writers Maamoun Youssef in Cairo and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
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Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP .
Lots of people don't have the funds for for his or her children to visit individual colleges, nevertheless they would like them to get the best schooling possible. For them, home schooling is a great alternative. When you know the very best property-education strategies, you will see on it your children have the education they are entitled to. Please read on for some guidance which will help.
Routine is extremely important when you are home schooling. This can retain the family prepared and you will be able to ensure that you get every thing completed. Locate a schedule that really works for all. It might really just indicate targets to accomplish issues prior to establish periods.
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List all the pros and cons you can think of about public institution, and then develop a list about home schooling. Utilize your list to draft your plans for home schooling, making sure that your kids receives the very best education achievable. It can become a useful listing of things you can do and steer clear of. Put this collection apart and reference it when building a fresh lesson.
Will not be shy concerning your commitment to homeschooling. A lot of people may possibly appear on you for homeschooling your young ones. Hear them, but don't be injured by what they say. Create a list of reasons why you picked homeschooling, and go over this list if judgments manufactured you are feeling poor about your determination. You can not be successful in home schooling should you enable you to ultimately be impacted by what other individuals say regarding this.
Since you have gained much more information about home schooling, you most likely know that it's something that you can do also. Furnished with good information, it is much more achievable than you might have thought. Just placed all you discovered using this post to good use so that you can give your kids the best trainer possible: oneself!
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie sits next to first lady Michelle Obama as President Barack Obama welcomed the governors of the National Governors Association to the 2013 Governors? Dinner at the White House in Washington, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie sits next to first lady Michelle Obama as President Barack Obama welcomed the governors of the National Governors Association to the 2013 Governors? Dinner at the White House in Washington, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? First lady Michelle Obama will challenge governors to make it easier for military members to transfer their skills to civilian jobs.
Mrs. Obama wants states to pass legislation or take executive action allowing veterans to receive professional credentials or licenses based on their experiences in the military. Administration officials said that would allow veterans to apply for jobs more quickly rather than having to take courses for skills they already have.
Mrs. Obama will announce her proposals Monday during remarks to governors who are in Washington for their annual meeting. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will also address the governors during the event at the White House.
The veterans' initiatives are part of Mrs. Obama's "Joining Forces" program, which aims to help veterans and their families. The program has focused in particular on assisting military personnel find civilian jobs, an effort that is expected to take on more urgency as more than 60,000 U.S. troops return home from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
Mrs. Obama will ask states to focus in particular on making it easier for veterans to obtain credentials and licenses for commercial driving, nursing, and emergency medical services, administration officials said. The White House has outlined suggested legislative language states can use for implementing the changes.
Officials did not have an estimate for how much it would cost states to implement the credentialing programs. But they suggested the programs could eventually be a cost-saver by keeping veterans off unemployment.
Mrs. Obama has previously called on states to help military spouses transfer their state-specific credentials when their families move due to changes in deployment. Seventeen states have passed such legislation over the past year, joining 11 states that already had laws on the books.
The officials requested anonymity in order to speak ahead of Mrs. Obama's announcement.
Should Single People Be Eligible to Lead a Church? Christian Post ?Honestly, I got a little frosted at a comment made by my friends concerning their pastoral search and the fact they wouldn?t consider a single pastor,? said Taber, who writes the popular blog, ?Small Town Preacher ? Big Time God.? It was during dinner ?
On Feb. 21, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the report "proves Iran is continuing to rapidly advance to the red line that the prime minster drew during his [September] speech in the United Nations."?
During that speech, Netanyahu called for a "clear red line" to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.?
At that time, he said Iran already had "70 percent of the necessary uranium enrichment for a bomb." Now, in light of the UN report, his office says "Iran is closer than ever to obtaining enriched material for a nuclear bomb."?
Israel believes Iran's pursuit of a nuclear must be stopped "at any cost," and will not rule out military action as an option.?
Two tiny satellites billed as the world's smallest space telescopes will launch into orbit Monday (Feb. 25) on a mission to study the brightest stars in the night sky.
The Bright Target Explorer (BRITE) nanosatellites?look like little cubes and will blast off atop an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) at 7:20 a.m. EST (1220 GMT) on Monday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.
While tiny nanosatellites have launched into space before, they have been mainly used to study Earth or test new spaceflight technologies, but the BRITE satellites will be the first to peer into the cosmos, their builders say. The diminutive spacecraft are less than 8 inches (20 centimeters) wide and weigh less than 15.5 pounds (7 kilograms). Once in orbit, they are expeted to observe the brightest stars (from Earth's perspective), including those that make up well-known constellations like Orion, the Hunter.
"BRITE is expected to demonstrate that nanosatellites are now capable of performance that was once thought impossible for such small spacecraft," said Cordell Grant, manager of satellite systems for the Space Flight Laboratory at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), where the satellites were designed.
One of the BRITE satellites launching Monday was designed and built at the Space Flight Laboratory. The other was designed by the center, but assembled in Austria, university officials said in a statement. They are two of seven satellites set to blast off with India's rocket launch on Monday.
The nanosatellites can only fit small telescopes, so they won't be capturing amazing high-resolution images of the cosmos, Grant explained in the statement. But they will be able to observe and record changes in a star's brightness over time. Such observations could help scientists find spots on the star, an orbiting planet or secondary star, or "starquakes" caused by oscillations within the star itself.
The nanosatellites can monitor their target stars from whatever orbit they are placed on. They just need to be above the atmosphere to avoid the twinkling, or scintillating effect, that overwhelms stars' relatively small changes in brightness, researchers said.
The two BRITE satellites launching Monday are designed to be the first wave of a planned constellation of six space telescopes to study the brightest stars in the night sky, UTIAS officials said. In all, the six-spacecraft constellation will include two Austrian nanosatellites, a pair from Poland and a pair provided by Canada.
By keeping the satellites small, they can be built faster and at a lower cost than their larger counterparts, and be launched as a piggyback payload on rockets carrying larger spacecraft, UTIAS officials said.
"A nanosatellite can take anywhere from six months to a few years to develop and test, but we typically aim for two years or less," Grant said.
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Samsung, on the eve of Mobile World Congress, has announced the Galaxy Note 8.0. It's a mid-size phone/tablet hybrid. The international (read: Non-U.S.) version will be able to make phone calls. (Though Samsung -- and we as well -- recommend doing so with a headset and not by holding it up to your head.)
The Galaxy Note 8.0 specs are nothing to sneeze at. It's powered by a quad-core Exynos processor running at 1.6 GHz, has a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3MP shooter out front. It's running Samsung's TouchWiz customizations on top of Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.
Most important, however, is the inclusion of (and improvements to) the S Pen stylus, which brings about a world of functionality not found in any other tablets at this point.
Also new is the inclusion of an "IR blaster," which is a sexy name for an infrared port on the side of the Note 8.0 that, thanks to the Peel application, lets you control your TV and other IR-enabled devices from the comfort and safety of your couch.
We've got the full Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 specs after the break.
The US has deployed 100 troops to Niger to assist French forces in neighbouring Mali, the US president has said.
The armed troops will provide intelligence support, President Barack Obama informed Congress on Friday.
France deployed troops to Mali in January to counter al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militants.
The US and Niger signed a status of forces agreement last month, and the US is weighing a base for surveillance drones there, US media have reported.
A senior Niger official said in January that US Ambassador Bisa Williams requested permission to establish a drone base in a meeting with Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou, the Reuters news agency reported.
Last month, the US and Niger struck an agreement on the status of US forces as the two nations ?define precisely what kind of military presence we may have in Niger in the future?, a spokeswoman for the US state department said.
The new deployment of US forces are stationed in Niger with the government?s consent, Mr Obama said in his letter to Congress.
Their mission will focus on ?intelligence sharing?, the president said. They will be armed for their own protection, he said.
Boldness is science fiction?s most important plot device. Heroes fearlessly ?warp into voids in machines that can travel light-years without refueling, gallantly confronting new challenges and achieving ones once unimaginable (until somebody in Hollywood imagines it). There?s never any hesitation when you have total confidence in the technology. And the movie-franchise potential.
But that?s Star Trek, and those guys don?t make the lease payments on their own starships. This is the 2013 Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid people-mover, an urban shuttlecraft that asks you to be bold with your family?s transportation needs and to do so entirely at your own considerable expense.
Do not be misled by the recharging port on the left-front fender or the strange name.
The $33,745 Energi joins an exclusive list of pioneering hatchback plug-in hybrids, including the $32,795 Toyota Prius plug-in and the $39,995 Chevrolet Volt, with muscled-up battery packs and extension cords for wall charging. These three cars exist for the middling-bold of eco-buyers, or those who want all the benefits and public palaver that comes with courageously whispering along in an electric vehicle?except when they don?t. For then, after the juice runs out, the Energi and its competitors switch over to old-fashioned petroleum power, which, as dirty as it is, always trumps foot power.
The Energi carries its heart in its tail, where a 7.6-kWh lithium-ion battery pack overflows what could have been the spare-tire well if there were a spare tire. It?s a big leap up in capacity and cost from the 1.4-kWh battery used in its sister ship, the regular $25,995 C-Max hybrid. The larger battery is there to give the Energi something the C-Max hybrid lacks: a claimed 20 miles or so of electric-only driving. After that, the 2.0-liter four-cylinder internal combustion engine that is also being lugged along awakens, and the car operates essentially the same as any other hybrid does.
Read the Window Sticker Carefully
Confused? EPA fuel-economy ratings always have been troublesome to those who don't understand their context, but they've grown even murkier as manufacturers have developed hybrid and electric drivetrains. The EPA ratings are measured in a lab on a chassis dyno using five highly defined driving cycles to facilitate accurate vehicle-to-vehicle mileage comparisons. Auto companies are obliged by law to use the EPA ratings when they advertise fuel economy. Naturally, manufacturers optimize their vehicles to do well on the lab tests. Never mind that real-world-driving conditions vary, and only rarely do cars operate indoors.
In the case of the two C-Maxes' divergent EPA ratings, many factors contribute. Yes, the Energi has a larger battery pack, but it is also 259 pounds heavier, and this changes its test-weight class and resulting label. Ford says the heavier battery led to more-aggressive throttle mapping to minimize differences in the way the two C-Maxes accelerate off the line.
We could have achieved better fuel economy if we had used the Energi as a true plug-in, i.e., on short city runs supplemented by frequent recharging. But we drove it the way we think you would. The Energi's additional cost and complexity only make sense if you use it exactly as intended. Most people don't drive their cars the way the EPA does, however, which is why Ford, like Hyundai and Kia, is getting sued over fuel-economy claims. Remember, the window sticker says: "Your actual mileage will vary . . ."
The Energi can be charged fully in two and a half ?hours using a 240-volt charger, or in seven hours using a standard 120-volt household outlet. Like any hybrid, it also supplements its electric range with regenerative braking. Besides the battery and the power electronics, not much else is changed in a C-Max hybrid to produce an Energi. Between the front wheels lies the same DOHC 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder that Ford rates at 141 horsepower, abetted by a 118-hp AC motor. Mash up the electric motor?s output with that of the engine through the Energi?s continuously variable transmission and you get a net 188 horsepower, or the same as in the C-Max and Fusion hybrids.
The Energi also uses the same Atkinson-cycle 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine as the standard C-Max.
Along with the Fusion Energi, the front-drive, five-seat C-Max Energi is the most technologically advanced production vehicle Ford builds. But the C-Max never does anything more exciting than send out an instant message when its battery is charged. Driving it is like being the night watchman at a nuclear power plant. It?s best to just sit back and leave it in automatic mode and let the Energi almost imperceptibly dance between electric drive, gas power, and whatever combination the computer thinks best. Since there?s no tachometer, the driver must rely on audible cues to know when the engine is even running. At speed, the subdued wind noise and the substantial tire noise are enough to drown out any song sung by the four-cylinder.
The C-Max Energi weighs in at a thick 3898 pounds. That?s 259 pounds or almost a full Rob Gronkowski more than the C-Max hybrid. The Energi is nearly 1000 pounds heavier than the lightest four-door Focus, with which it shares its basic structure, 104.3-inch wheelbase, suspension, and Wayne, Michigan, assembly plant.
In the driver-selectable all-electric mode, there?s a satisfying first jolt of torque off the line since the full 117 pound-feet is available immediately. But that?s over in an instant. Like virtually every electric motor, this one works in near silence and with the smoothness of Greek yogurt. But 117 pound-feet can only do so much with the Energi?s substantial mass. In pure-electric mode, the Energi accelerates as if?it is eroding. It takes an unbearable 16.1 seconds to run from zero to 60, and the quarter-mile lasts an agonizing 20.2 seconds, yielding 65 mph. It seems like the Rock of Gibraltar could weather down to a pebble while you?re goosing the Energi up to freeway speeds.
TEST NOTES:Low-grip tires don't do much on the skidpad, and keeping the undefeatable stability control at bay requires attention. Still, the C-Max is stable and provides fear-free understeer.
'Dateline NBC,' the signature broadcast for NBC News in primetime, premiered in 1992. Since then, it has been pioneering a new approach to primetime news programming. The multi-night franchise, supplemented by frequent specials, allows NBC to consistently and comprehensively present the highest-quality reporting, investigative features, breaking news coverage and newsmaker profiles.
Scientists believe the massive goldfish may be the result of aquarium dumping, and could threaten the ecosystem of the lake. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
By Tanya Lewis LiveScience
A new kind of lake monster has been found, in the depths of Lake Tahoe: gigantic goldfish. Researchers trawling the lake for invasive fish species scooped up a goldfish that was nearly 1.5 feet long and weighed 4.2 pounds.
"During these surveys, we've found a nice corner where there's about 15 other goldfish," environmental scientist Sudeep Chandra of the University of Nevada, Reno, told LiveScience. "It's an indication that they were schooling and spawning." The arrival of the fish, which were probably dumped there by aquarium owners, has Chandra worried ? goldfish are an invasive species that could interfere with Lake Tahoe's ecosystem.
It's unclear whether the giant fish were introduced as fully grown adults, or while they were still small, Chandra said. But even a small creature can have a big impact, if there are enough of them.
The goldfish are just one of several species of invasive warm-water fishes in Lake Tahoe. "The invasion is resulting in the consumption of native species," Chandra said. What's more, the invasive fish excrete nutrients that cause algal blooms, which threaten to muddy Tahoe's clear waters. [Photos: Giant Goldfish & Other Freaky Fish]
Fish out of water Aquarium dumping has become a common practice in the United States and elsewhere, and it's taking a toll on native wildlife. A recent report on California's aquarium trade?found that fish owners and importers are introducing hardy, nonnative aquatic species to California waters. "Globally, the aquarium trade has contributed a third of the?world's worst aquatic and invasive species," Williams, who was lead author of the report, told OurAmazingPlanet, a sister site of LiveScience, in January.
While the exact number of aquarium owners dumping fish is unknown, scientists know the practice is occurring because these species could not have ended up in these waters naturally. Between 20 percent and 69 percent of fish keepers surveyed in Texas admitted to dumping, according to Williams.
Other ways that invasive species find their way into natural ecosystems include aquaculture, live seafood, live bait, and fishing and recreation vessels. More than 11 million non-native marine organisms representing at least 102 species arrive at ports in San Francisco and Los Angeles alone, Williams has found.
The invaders include tropical fish, seaweed and snails. One of the nastiest is a deadly type of seaweed known as Caulerpa. A type of algae that produces toxic compounds?that kill off fish, Caulerpa was eradicated in 2000 (at great expense) from lagoons in Southern California.
Don't dump fish Aquarium owners should be more careful when disposing of unwanted fish and other animals, Williams cautioned. "It's pretty simple: Don't dump your fish," she said. Instead, she suggests calling the pet shop that sold the fish or your state department of fish and wildlife. (Euthanasia is another option, but simply flushing fish down the toilet can be problematic ? for the fish and for your plumbing.)
So why do people dump fish? Studies of dumping have shown that size and aggressiveness of the fish are two main factors, Williams said.
The largest pet goldfish, according to the BBC, was a fish named Goldie that was 15 inches (38 centimeters) long and weighed more than 2 pounds (0.9 kg).
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Bright dyes: Learn about different types of fabric by exploring how well they take a stain.Image: George Resteck
Key concepts Chemistry Dyes Fabric
Introduction Have you ever wondered about the materials that make up your clothes and why some look and feel different from others? The clothes you wear are made of fibers that come from many different sources. Some fabrics are made from natural fibers and others are from manufactured, or totally synthetic, fibers. In this activity you'll explore how well different fiber types can be dyed using fiber-reactive dye. Aren't you just dye-ing to find out which fabric works best?
Background From woven mummy shrouds in ancient Egypt to the ornate ball gowns ladies wore in the Victorian era to the tie-dyed shirts that gained popularity in the 1970s, dyed cloth has played an important role in human culture. Its production has also changed over time. Early dyes were made using natural resources, like plants, berries, minerals and seeds. The cloths, just like the dyes, were made from a natural resource?such as cotton, linen, wool or silk. Cotton and linen fibers are all formed from cellulose, the main component of plant cell walls. Wool and silk are animal-protein-based fibers.
Later, as advancements were made in chemistry and manufacturing, people learned to make other fibers, including polyester, nylon and rayon, which are known as synthetic fibers. Today's dyes are also different?they are now often made with artificial chemicals. By understanding how the molecules of dye react with the different types of fibers, chemists can design many vibrant and color-fast dyes (which means that they won't fade or run) and figure out on which fiber types they work best.
Materials ? Three different types of white fabric samples: such as linen, cotton?polyester blend, 100 percent polyester, 100 percent cotton, wool, rayon, silk and nylon. Collect enough to make at least one 10-inch by 10-inch square of each type. Preferably select one natural fabric, a synthetic one and one that is a blend of both. Scraps from old pillow cases, sheets, rags or unwanted clothes can make good sources?just be sure they are okay for discard and that you know the fabric type. Otherwise, small pieces can be purchased from a craft or fabric store. ? Ruler ? Scissors ? Permanent marker ? Newspaper or rags ? Measuring cup, which will not be used for cooking afterward (If unavailable, create a discardable plastic cup measurer. To do this, measure out one half cup of water, pour it in the disposable cup and mark the top of the water with a permanent marker. Dump out the water and repeat with one full cup. Use this marked container as your measuring cup.) ? Laundry detergent ? Safety goggles or protective glasses ? Rubber gloves ? Clean glass jar, at least 10 fluid ounces. It should not be used to consume food or beverages afterward ? Measuring teaspoon and tablespoon. (They should not be used for cooking afterward. If unavailable, measure one teaspoon of water into a disposable plastic spoon and note the quantity. Repeat with the tablespoon.) ? Fiber-reactive dye powder, such as Tulip Permanent Fabric Dye or Procion Pro MX Reactive Dye, often available at a craft and or fabric store. Use a bold color, like red, blue or green ? Salt ? Water ? Sealable plastic bag, one-gallon size ? Timer or clock ? Soda ash or Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda ? Plastic container that can hold four cups comfortably. (It should not be used for food or beverage afterward.) ? Old clothes to wear that can get stained
Preparation ? Cut at least one 10-inch by 10-inch square out of the each fabric sample (linen, cotton-polyester and 100 percent polyester, for example). ? Use the permanent marker to label each square with its fabric type. Because the permanent marker may leak through some types of fabric, if you are not working on a surface that can be stained, label the fabrics on top of newspaper or rags. ? Prewash the fabric squares by putting them in a normal clothes washing machine with laundry detergent. Wash using hot water, if possible. Allow the fabric squares to air dry. ? Before opening the dye powder packet, cover the area you will be working on with newspaper or rags so that you will not stain it. You might want to work outside to avoid staining something. Also put on clothes that you would not mind staining. ? Dyes often contain soda ash (sodium carbonate), which is caustic. Wear goggles and gloves when mixing the dye solution, mixing the soda ash solution and rinsing the fabric samples after dyeing.
Procedure ? Put on gloves and safety goggles. ? Put two teaspoons of powdered dye, one tablespoon of salt and one cup of warm water into the glass jar. Mix thoroughly. How does the dye look? ? Wet the fabric squares with water and place them in the sealable plastic bag. Carefully pour the dye solution into the bag then add one half cup of water. Seal the bag, trapping as little air as possible. How does the fabric change when the dye is added? ? Let the bag sit for 20 minutes. Every couple of minutes, gently squeeze the bag to coat all of the fabric samples. ? While the fabric is soaking, mix one tablespoon of soda ash (or Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda) with two cups of warm water in the plastic container. Break up any hard pieces that form. ? After the fabric is done soaking, carefully open the plastic bag and add one half cup of the soda ash solution. Reseal the bag, trapping as little air as possible. ? Gently squeeze the bag to mix the soda ash, dye and fabric. Let the bag sit for one hour, gently squeezing every 10 minutes or so. ? With gloved hands, reach into the bag and retrieve the fabric samples and place them on a surface where they will not stain anything. Carefully dump the contents of the bag into a sink (pouring directly into the drain so as not to stain any of the sink area). ? Rinse the fabric until the water runs clear. When you are done handling the rinsed fabric and disposing of the soda ash solution, you can remove your goggles and gloves. Wash the fabric samples in the washing machine just as you did before (but not with any other clothes). Allow the samples to air dry. ? Once they're dry, how do the fabric samples look? Did some types of fabric become dyed to a darker shade than others? Did some types not absorb much dye at all? ? Extra: In this activity you tested how well different fabric samples dyed using a fiber-reactive dye. But there are many other types of fabric you could test dyeing, and they may react differently. How well do other types of fabric become dyed with a fiber-reactive dye? ? Extra: Before synthetic dyes were created, humans used natural dyes. Do some background research and pick one or more natural dyes to try in this activity. You will probably want to use relatively safe dyes, such as turmeric or berries. Be just as careful with these around other surfaces and materials, as they also stain easily. Do some natural dyes work better than others? Does it depend on the type of fabric used?
In the following article BDO Limerick Taxation Partner, Paul Nestor, examines some of the key points contained in the 2013 Finance Bill, which was published by the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan earlier this month.
Finance Bill 2013 Summary
The following sets out some of the key measures introduced in the Finance Bill 2013.
Personal Tax
The reduced rate of 4% for USC purposes has been removed in respect of individuals where their income is in excess of ?60,000 per annum. This 4% rate previously applied to individuals who held a medical card or individuals who had reached the age of 70 years.
From 1 July 2013, maternity benefit will be treated as a taxable source of income.
The tax treatment of maintenance payments made between separated civil partners is now brought in line with that of married couples. Maintenance payments for the support of children made from one separated civil partner to the other will not be treated as income in the recipient?s hands where that partner has custody of the child.
Changes in respect of the remittance basis of taxation have been introduced. Where income or gains, which are subject to the remittance basis of taxation, are transferred to a spouse or civil partner, then a charge to income tax will arise where this income is remitted into the Ireland.
From 1 January 2013, the rates in relation to the calculation of benefit ?in ?kinds arising in respect of loans from an individual?s employer have changed. The specified rate in respect of benefit-in-kind?s on home loans is now at a rate of 4%. This is reduced from 5%. The rate in respect of other loans has been increased to 13.5% from 12.5%.
Top Slicing Relief in respect of ex-gratia payments is no longer available to individuals where the payment exceeds ?200,000 on or after 1 January 2013. Additionally, Finance Act 2013 has abolished Foreign Service Relief. This relief was available to employees in respect of their foreign service when calculating the amount of an ex-gratia payment which would be liable to tax.
From 1 January 2013, no tax relief will be available to individuals in relation to donations made to approved bodies. Instead, the charity will make a claim to Revenue, similar to procedure that had been in place for donations from PAYE workers.
The threshold for tax relief on 3rd level fees is being increased to ?2,500 for 2013, ?2,750 for 2014 and ?3,000 for 2015.
A number of changes were introduced in Finance Act 2013 relating to the Personal Insolvency Act.
If provides that no claw back of capital allowances will arise where property is transferred under a Debt Settlement Arrangement or Personal Insolvency Arrangement to a person where the property is held in trust for the benefit of creditors (i.e. personal insolvency practitioner).
Additionally, where rental income is generated from this property while held in trust, the debtor will remain liable to income tax in respect of the rental income.
The transfer of the property/assets to the personal insolvency practitioner will not be liable to CGT in respect of such a transfer.
The payment of all tax liabilities due during the administration of any Debt Settlement Arrangement or Personal Insolvency Arrangement must be provided for in the arrangement. These liabilities must be paid in priority to other liabilities and failure of such a payment will result in a breach of the arrangement.?
Business Tax
Group relief for losses is now only available to subsidiaries where the parent company is tax resident in a DTA country or is an EU Member State.
The Foreign Earnings Deduction which was introduced in Finance Act 2012 has been extended to include Algeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania.
For accounting periods ending after 1 January 2013, the first ?200,000 (up from ?100,000) of R&D spend in a year will qualify, without reference to the 2003 base year.
An R&D tax credit can be used to reward ?key employees?. Previously, in order for an employee to be considered a ?key employee?, the individual had to spend at least 75% of their working time on R&D activities. This threshold is reduced to 50%.
The clawback period in respect of intangible is reduced from 10 years to 5 years from the date the asset was acquired.
For accounting periods ending after 1 January 2013, the deminimis amount of undistributable investment income that may be retained by a close company without giving rise to a close company surcharge has been increased from ?635 to ?2,000.
Finance Act 2013 introduces new rules in relation to debt forgiveness and the use of trading losses in relation to those engaged in land dealing/development. Where a debt is released, the amount released will be treated as taxable income in the year of release and any losses carried forward can be used against this receipt of income. However, the debt must have arisen as a result of financing the purchase or development of land. Furthermore, write downs of land (where not a realised loss from the sale of land) or interest costs not paid will not be available as a deduction.
Finance Act 2013 introduces a Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) regime. This regime is to facilitate the attraction of foreign investment capital to the property market in Ireland. A REIT company will be exempt from corporation tax on income and gains related to rental investment properties subject to certain conditions being met.
Capital Gains Tax
The budget measure increasing the rate of CGT from 30% to 33% with effect from 6 December 2012 is confirmed.
Value Added Tax
The annual turnover threshold for eligibility for the cash receipt basis of accounting for VAT will be increased from ?1 million to ?1.25 million with effect from 1 May 2013.
The farmer?s flat-rate addition will be reduced from 5.2% to 4.8% with effect from 1 January 2013. The flat-rate addition is reviewed annually in accordance with the EU VAT Directive. The new 4.8% rate continues to achieve full compensation for farmers.
Capital Acquisition Tax
The rate of tax has been increased from 30% to 33%. The new rate of tax applies to gifts and inheritances taken after 5 December 2012.
?The Capital Acquisitions Tax tax-free thresholds have been reduced as follows:
Group A from ?250,000 to ?225,000
Group B from ?33,500 to ?30,150
Group C from ?16,750 to ?15,075
The reduced tax-free thresholds apply to gifts and inheritances taken after 5 December 2012.
Local Property Tax (LPT)
From 1 July 2013, residential property owners will be liable for an LPT based on the self-assessed market value of their property on 1 May 2013.
Property values are grouped into value bands. A rate of 0.18% will apply to the midpoint of the value band up to ?1m. For properties valued at over ?1m the LPT liability will be calculated as follows: 0.18% on the first ?1m and 0.25% on the portion above ?1m.
LPT will be taxed on the following basis:
?Local Property Tax Valuation Bands
Where an individual is selling a property, that individual will have an obligation to disclose to the purchaser the value declared to Revenue for the purposes of the LPT
The buyer will also have an obligation to inform Revenue if the previous owners had put the property in a valuation band lower that the actually selling price of the property.
Individuals who do not comply with these new rules will be subject to a fine in the amount of ?500.
Tagged as: finance bill 2013, household charge, local property tax, Michael Noonan, Personal Tax, valuation bands household charge
TEST NOTES: Low-grip tires don't do much on the skidpad, and keeping the undefeatable stability control at bay requires attention. Still, the C-Max is stable and provides fear-free understeer.
