* Lewandowski scored four goals against Real Madrid * Poland international refuses contract extension (adds details, background) BERLIN, April 26 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski have not signed a deal, the newly-crowned champions said on Friday, shooting down widespread speculation of another imminent surprise transfer. "Bayern, as opposed to some reports, has no contract with Robert Lewandowski," the Bavarian Champions League semi-finalists said in a brief statement. ...
Rodney Allen Rippy poses for a photo outside Compton City Hall in March during his campaign for mayor. He finished 10th among 12 candidates.
By John Rogers, The Associated Press
COMPTON, Calif. -- Before he suddenly surfaced in the race for mayor of this hardscrabble Los Angeles suburb, Rodney Allen Rippy's name was likely to evoke that question inspired by that class of former child stars who didn't die young, end up in jail or a celebrity rehab series: "Whatever happened to that guy?"
Rippy was just 3 in 1972, when he became the toast of a generation as the pint-sized TV pitchman for the Jack In The Box fast-food chain. When he picked up a hamburger that looked as a big as a hubcap and tried to cram it into his mouth, America was entranced. When he finally said, "Too bigga eat!" a national catchphrase was born.
Soon the cute, chubby-cheeked youngster with the Afro as big as his head was hanging out in Hollywood with Michael Jackson. He made movie cameos and recorded a hit album called "Take Life a Little Easier."
Then the 1970s ended, and so did Rippy's career.
More than 30 years later, he resurfaced as a candidate for mayor in a city known variously over the years as the birthplace of gangsta rap, the murder capital of the country and the home of the drive-by shooting.
Although he got only 75 votes, finishing 10th among 12 candidates, his earnest but futile campaign raised the inevitable question of where he had been.
Rippy never strayed far from Hollywood, it turns out. He simply stepped away from the cameras.
When his Jack In The Box career ended about the time he was finishing high school, he went to college and earned a marketing degree.
"I wanted to continue to act, but at the time acting was a thing that unless you were really burning hot, you better have something on the back burner," he said recently over lunch at a Compton restaurant down the street from City Hall.
Seeing how the adults around him had turned a cute little kid from Long Beach into a national star, he decided marketing was the way to go.
He formed Ripped Marketing Group in 2000 and has promoted everything from smokeless cigarettes to leisure wear to country music. It gave him the idea, he says, that he could promote Compton too. He wanted to change the image of a city that, although financially troubled, has seen crime and gang violence drop precipitously in recent years.
He wasn't the first child star to remerge from anonymity to run for office. His contemporary, the late Gary Coleman, did the same when he launched his quixotic campaign for governor of California in 2003.
Unlike Coleman and many other former child stars, Rippy never got into a fistfight with an autograph seeker. He hasn't been caught in a crack house or drunkenly crashed his car.
"Don't get me wrong, I know the good, the bad, the ugly, but I have sense enough to stay away from it," he said. "My mom always said, 'Rodney, you need to understand this: It's very easy to get into trouble. It's very difficult to get out."
The Afro and the chubby cheeks are gone, but Rippy's appearance often has people scratching their heads, wondering where they've seen him before. Their reaction when they find out is sometimes like that of Saudia Pearsall's.
"THE RODNEY ALLEN RIPPY?" the waitress shouted with glee after she spotted him at a back table.
"Ahhhhh! I might vote for you just because I like you," she added, laughing. "That little Afro. 'This burger's too bigga eat!'"
A day later, she was having second thoughts, realizing she didn't know much about his campaign.
Her reaction ? delight at meeting a celebrity but wondering what the heck he's doing here ? is something Rippy says he sees often.
Rippy lost out on a marketing job once, when the person he was to work for started to believe he was being punked for a reality show: "He thought it was some kind of game, like I had some sort of hat-cam on."?
? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A piece of landing gear believed to be from one of the commercial airplanes that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, has been discovered, wedged between two lower Manhattan buildings, police said on Friday.
The piece of landing gear found in a narrow alleyway behind 51 Park Place and 50 Murray Street in Manhattan's financial district includes a "clearly visible" Boeing identification number, New York City Police spokesman Paul Browne said.
Browne said the discovery was made on Wednesday by a construction crew inspecting the rear of the Park Place building. The location is the site of an Islamic prayer space and community center that opened amid controversy in the fall of 2011, two blocks from Ground Zero.
The piece of landing gear, wedged one story above ground, is about 5 feet high and 3 feet wide (0.9 meter).
Police have secured the area between the buildings and are treating it as a potential crime scene, said Browne.
Nearly 12 years after two commercial airliners smashed into the two Manhattan skyscrapers, destroying them and killing nearly 3,000 people, city officials continue to turn up debris from the attack and identify human remains.
It will be up to the New York City medical examiner's office to determine whether to sift the soil around the site where the landing gear was found for more evidence.
This month the medical examiner's office said 39 possible human remains were discovered in 9/11 debris hauled years ago to the New York City borough of Staten Island, according to CBS News.
Since 2006, the painstaking work has led to 34 new positive identifications of victims.
(Reporting by Chris Francescani; Editing by Paul Thomasch, James Dalgleish and Kenneth Barry)
* Lewandowski scored four goals against Real Madrid * Poland international refuses contract extension (adds details, background) BERLIN, April 26 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski have not signed a deal, the newly-crowned champions said on Friday, shooting down widespread speculation of another imminent surprise transfer. "Bayern, as opposed to some reports, has no contract with Robert Lewandowski," the Bavarian Champions League semi-finalists said in a brief statement. ...
There's a lot of quirkiness to Google Glass and a lot of stuff that Google still has to figure out. One of those things, according to ol' Google CEO Eric Schmidt, is talking out loud to control Google Glass. In a talk at Harvard today, Schmitty literally called it "the weirdest thing". More »
BARCELONA, April 26 (Reuters) - Tito Vilanova is keen to stay on as Barcelona coach next season despite the effects of his treatment for throat cancer and also believes the Catalans can still knock Bayern Munich out of the Champions League.
"I am full of enthusiasm about carrying on and at no time did I think about packing it in," Vilanova said on Friday in his first news conference since his return a month ago following chemotherapy and radiotherapy in New York.
"The doctors said the best thing I could do was work and I am delighted," added the 44-year-old. I will definitely carry on - I am feeling very good."
Barca were thrashed 4-0 in Tuesday's semi-final first leg in Munich but Vilanova is sure his players can bounce back in Wednesday's return at the Nou Camp.
"We are Barcelona and we are playing at home," he said. "We must respond to our fans and show them we can fight Bayern Munich and show them we can win.
"I don't know how they will react and how we will react but what I cannot say is that we are not capable of doing it."
Vilanova said he was always sure he wanted to continue coaching in spite of his health scare.
"Every day I am more enthusiastic and I want to be with the team and in the press room," he explained. "When we have two days' holiday and I am at home I don't know what to do, it's my life, what I have fun doing."
Vilanova was promoted from assistant coach at the end of last season to replace close friend Pep Guardiola who will take charge of Bayern next term.
Leaders Barca could get a big La Liga boost before the Bayern game. If they win at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday and second-placed Real Madrid lose at city rivals Atletico, the Catalans would secure the title.
Vilanova will be without midfielder Sergio Busquets in Bilbao. The Spain international has a minor groin injury and is being rested as a precaution. (Additional reporting by Elena Gyldenkerne in Barcelona, writing by Iain Rogers in Madrid, editing by Tony Jimenez)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran's state radio says candidates can begin to register for municipal council elections scheduled for June.
The councils have little power. But unlike in parliamentary and presidential contests, the candidates are not vetted by a clerically dominated constitutional watchdog group and are considered an indicator of political trends.
Iranian elections pit the dominant conservatives against reformers and the populist following of outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who broke with the conservatives after he was perceived to challenge clerical authority last year.
Registration opened Monday for the June 14 vote, which will be held alongside the presidential elections to choose Ahmadinejad's successor.
Ahmadinejad has little chance of seeing one of his allies becoming president, but still has backers on the local level who could be the foundation of a future political movement.
ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday said clergy and Christians must not betray the word of God with their actions or they undermine the credibility of the Catholic Church.
Francis, elected a month ago, inherited a Church struggling to restore credibility after a series of scandals, including the sexual abuse of children by priests.
The pope spoke at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls, where he celebrated Mass. He also greeted pilgrims and local Church members earlier in St. Peter's square.
"Inconsistency on the part of pastors and the faithful between what they say and what they do, between word and manner of life, is undermining the Church's credibility," the pontiff said in his homily.
"Those who listen to us and observe us must be able to see in our actions what they hear from our lips, and so give glory to God!"
In his first major decision on Saturday, Francis set up an advisory board of cardinals to help him govern the Church and reform its troubled central administration, which was riddled by infighting and alleged corruption under Pope Benedict.
Benedict left a secret report for Francis on the problems in the administration, known as the Curia, which came to light when sensitive documents were stolen from the pope's desk and leaked by his butler in what became known as the "Vatileaks" scandal.
Since his election as the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years, Francis has been laying out a clear moral path for the 1.2-billion-member Church. He has favored humility and simplicity over pomp and grandeur.
Francis has preferred to live in simple quarters in the Vatican instead of moving into the regal papal apartments, and he has said he wants "a poor Church, and for the poor".
In the Sunday afternoon service at St. Paul's, Francis said that each Christian can be a saint, which he defined as "middle class holiness".
"There are the saints of every day, the 'hidden' saints, a sort of 'middle class of holiness'... to which we can all belong."
The pope celebrated Mass together with the Benedictine monks to whom the basilica and the adjoining monastery are entrusted. St. Paul's is one of Rome's four major basilicas and the second largest after St. Peter's.
(Additional reporting by Gillian Hazell in Rome; Editing by Jon Hemming)
I?m really not sure when Sally Butcher found the time to write this follow up to Persia in Peckham ? between three blogs, an active twitter and facebook presence and running a shop, she has also somehow found the time to write two cookbooks. It makes one feel positively exhausted and/or completely inadequate.
Veggiestan is a big book ? 263 pages ? with ten chapters of vegetarian recipes: bread and pastry; herbs and salads; dairy and eggs; soup; legumes and pulses; vegetables; cooking with fruit; saucing, pickling and preserving; and desserts, and when flicking through pretty much everything looks like an interesting dish worth trying. For example, Palestinian upside-down rice, the swooning imam, smoky aubergine dip, baked stuffed quinces, to name four, but really pulling out ones that look particularly interesting is supremely difficult. Basically, they all look good!
Recipes aren?t confined to one part of the Middle East: as Sally says in her introduction, Veggiestan isn?t a real place, and the food is an amalgam from across the region.While there are plenty of photos, not every dish is accompanied by a picture. And the traumas of deciding which recipes to leave in and which to leave out have been alleviated by the Veggiestan blog, which has plenty of further recipes to try.
This is a really enticing book: beautifully written, and the flavour combinations and dishes look both delicious and out of the norm for us. It?s found a rare place on our bookshelf: I?m sure it will be a book that we reference frequently.
Fuss Free Rating
Veggiestan by Sally Butcher: ****
Veggiestan is published by Pavilion, cover price ?25
?
The Vegetarian Pantry by Chloe Coker and Jane Montgomery
A second vegetarian book recently received is The Vegetarian Pantry, by Chloe Coker and Jane Montgomery,an ideal book for those who are looking to expand their repetori of vegetable dishes. I particularly like the look of potato and celeriac rosti with spinach and mushrooms and a poached egg, french toast stuffed with bananas, breadcrumbed halloumi goujons, winter salad of pearl barley, mushrooms and walnuts, carrot and leek tarte tatin, homemade baked beans, and rhubarb, orange and vanilla fool with shortbread cookies.
Like most books from the Ryland Peter?s stable it is beautifully put together and photographed and is very visual.? However, it must be said that the recipes are good, but not ground-breakingly innovative. For many vegetarians, or those who have long championed vegetable variety in their food, this book is probably insufficiently novel. However, for those who are starting to increase their variety, or setting up their own vegetarian kitchen for the first time it?s worth picking up.
Fuss Free Rating
The Vegetarian Pantry by Chloe Coker and Jane Montgomery: ***
The Vegetarian Pantry is published by Ryland Peters & Small, cover price ?16.99
Fuss Free Flavours received a complimentary copies of both books for review. All opinions are our own, we were not required to write a positive review
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) ? Nine al-Shabab Islamic extremists, most wearing suicide vests, stormed Somalia's main court complex on Sunday while the Supreme Court was in session, firing a barrage of bullets during a running gun battle with security forces that lasted two hours, officials said.
A preliminary death toll stood at 16, including all nine attackers.
The assault was the most serious in Mogadishu since al-Shabab militants were forced out of the capital in August 2011. Al-Shabab controls far less territory today than in years past, and its influence appears to be on the decline, but Sunday's attack proved the extremists are still capable of pulling off well-planned and audacious assaults.
The attack on the Supreme Court complex began at around 12:30 p.m., sparking running battles with police and army forces. Two bomb blasts were heard and gunmen were seen on the roof of a court building firing shots, an Associated Press reporter at the scene said. Police officer Hassan Abdulahi said he saw five dead bodies lying at the entrance to the court.
The militants took an unknown number of hostages during the siege. Many other government workers and civilians in the court complex ? a confusing labyrinth of buildings and rooms ? hid while fearing for their lives.
Western officials knew militants had been planning something major. The British Foreign Office on Friday released a travel warning for Somalia that warned of a high threat of terrorism. "We continue to believe that terrorists are in the final stages of planning attacks in Mogadishu," it said.
The complex and sustained nature of the assault on the court system suggested militants hoped to inflict severe casualties. Later, a suicide car bomber rammed a vehicle carrying Turkish citizens.
On a Twitter feed believed to belong to the militants, al-Shabab appeared to take credit for the attack. A posting said five militants from the "Martyrdom Brigade" took part in the "daring" attack.
Interior Minister Abdikarim Hussein Guled said nine militants attacked the court complex, and that six of them detonated suicide vests. Three others were shot and killed during the assault, he said. Guled said he couldn't immediately provide an overall death toll that included government officials and civilians.
Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said the "pointless and pathetic act" would have no effect on the government's commitment to progress. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Somalia is moving forward but the enemy of Somalia and "of all mankind" is trying to prevent the country from prospering.
"I want the terrorist to know that our country, Somalia, is moving and will keep moving forward and will not be prevented to achieve the ultimate noble goal, a peaceful and stable Somalia, by a few desperate terrorists," Mohamud said.
Ugandan troops stationed in Mogadishu as part of the African Union force arrived at the scene and began taking up sniper positions on rooftops.
The Supreme Court was in session and the court's chief justice may have been the target of the assault, said a Western official who had been speaking to Somali officials. The official spoke on condition he wasn't identified because he wasn't authorized to release the information.
The gunmen took hostages in the complex's main courtroom and forced their way into other rooms in the complex, said another police officer, Abdinasir Nor.
The court complex is a confusing maze of buildings and rooms, allowing for plenty of places to hide but also for many places for gunmen to take hostages. The armed men forced their way inside the complex and immediately set off an explosion, said Yusuf Abdi, who was near the court when the attack happened.
About two hours after the assault began, survivors of the attack began coming out of the court complex. Some were crying and others held their heads in their hands.
"I never expected to make it out alive today," said Halima Geddi, who fled the court complex about two hours after the attack. She said she had taken cover behind an outer wall. "There is no peace. No one protects us. I came to see my boy who was supposed to be tried here."
At about 3 p.m. a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into a car carrying Turkish citizens to the airport, said Mohamed Anjeh, a police commander.
Mogadishu's main government center is heavily guarded with multiple security checks. However, the security at the court complex is not nearly as strong. The Ugandan troops who arrived on scene began pushing back on-lookers shortly after the attack began.
Most militant attacks in Mogadishu are blamed on fighters from al-Shabab, the al-Qaida-linked Islamic extremist rebel group in Somalia. Al-Shabab ruled Mogadishu from roughly 2006 until August 2011, when African Union and Somali forces pushed them out of the city. Since then the al-Shabab extremists have launched suicide bombings on the capital city every few weeks.
Despite those intermittent attacks, Mogadishu is generally considered more peaceful today than most of the previous seven years.
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelans went to the polls on Sunday to vote whether to honor Hugo Chavez's dying wish for a longtime loyalist to continue his self-proclaimed socialist revolution or hand power to a young challenger vowing business-friendly changes.
Acting President Nicolas Maduro had a double-digit lead over opposition challenger Henrique Capriles in most polls heading into election day, buoyed by Chavez's public blessing before he died from cancer last month. But the gap narrowed in recent days, with one survey putting it at 7 percentage points.
Maduro supporters mobilized voters in the rough barrios of Caracas, where Chavez is revered as a hero of the poor, sounding pre-dawn bugle calls to rouse citizens to get out to vote. Lines formed under blistering sunshine at some voting centers, but many were notably shorter than they were at last October's election, when an ailing Chavez trounced Capriles.
Political strategists said that could mean there will be a surge in voting late in the day, or a smaller turnout than last year. Then, a record 80 percent of registered voters cast ballots following an aggressive get-out-the-vote campaign by the Chavista camp.
"We're going to elect Maduro president because he's following the path set by Chavez," Morelia Roa, a 58-year-old nurse, said after casting her ballot in the same working class Caracas district where Maduro voted.
Maduro, a 50-year-old former bus driver, has promised to deepen Chavez's "21st century socialism" if he triumphs. Capriles, an athletic 40-year-old who has generated widespread enthusiasm among the opposition, wants to take Venezuela down a more centrist path.
Whoever wins will inherit control of the world's biggest oil reserves in an OPEC nation, where stark political polarization is one of Chavez's many legacies. Also at stake is the generous economic aid Chavez showered on left-leaning Latin American governments from Cuba to Bolivia.
Following opposition complaints that some people were illegally helping elderly voters cast their ballots, Capriles urged his followers to report any violations of election laws. But he also stressed he would respect the outcome of the vote, whatever it might be.
"Today, all Venezuelans are reporters. If you see something irregular, take a picture, air it on social media," Capriles said after voting. "But let there be no doubt, we will respect the will of the people."
Electoral authorities said voting was going smoothly and that there was no evidence of irregularities. Given the deep mutual mistrust on both sides, some worry that a close or contested result could spark unrest.
Some 170 international observers were on hand, many from left-leaning political parties across Latin America. Polls are due to close at 6 p.m. (6:30 p.m. ET/2230 GMT), though voting could run longer if there are still lines.
Sunday's vote is the first presidential election in two decades without Chavez on the ballot. In many ways, though, it is all about the late president, who was viewed by the poor as a messiah for giving them a political voice and for funneling billions of dollars of oil revenue into social programs.
Maduro campaigned as a loyal disciple of Chavez, repeatedly calling himself an "apostle" and "son" of the late president. Chavez gave Maduro a huge boost by publicly endorsing him in his final speech in December before heading to Cuba for his last cancer operation.
True to form, Maduro dedicated his vote on Sunday to his political mentor.
"The last 21 years of my life have revolved around the dreams of a man, of a giant," an emotional Maduro said. "I never thought I'd be here. But here I am ... And I'm going to be president of the republic for the next six years."
POST-CHAVEZ CHALLENGES
If Maduro wins, he will immediately face big challenges as he tries to stamp his authority on a disparate ruling coalition while lacking his mentor's charisma, or the healthy state finances that Chavez enjoyed in last year's race.
It is hard to predict how he might do things his own way. Like many senior officials, Maduro was passionately loyal to Chavez and never voiced a different opinion in public.
Supporters say he could use his background as a union negotiator-turned-diplomat to build bridges, perhaps even with the United States after tensions during Chavez's 14-year rule.
But there was little sign of his softer side on the campaign trail. Maduro's rhetoric veered from outraged - alleging opposition plots to kill him using mercenaries - to light-hearted, such as poking fun at his often-cited tale of how he was visited by Chavez's spirit in the form of a bird.
More often he sounded indignant, accusing the "far right" of plotting a repeat of a short-lived coup against Chavez a decade ago if the opposition loses Sunday's vote.
Capriles will have an even tougher time if he pulls off an upset. One of the biggest challenges will be to win over suspicious supporters of Chavez and Maduro. Both repeatedly derided the opposition candidate as nothing more than a pampered rich kid, a traitor, and a puppet of "U.S. imperialism."
In last year's campaign, Capriles carefully avoided disparaging Chavez, in a bid to woo the poor. He has not afforded Maduro the same respect, denouncing him and his "coterie" as phony socialists who have enriched themselves while paying only lip service to Chavez's deeply held ideology.
Capriles touts a Brazilian-style model that mixes pro-business policies with heavy state spending on the poor, a recipe that made Brazil one of the world's hottest emerging economies in the past decade.
The opposition hopes bubbling discontent over daily problems such as rampant crime, high inflation, chronic power outages and occasional shortages of food staples and medicines will tip the vote in favor of Capriles.
"Capriles is our only hope. He's the best leader the opposition has had and could be a great president," Alberto Gomez, a 55-year-old bakery owner, said after voting in an upscale district of Caracas.
"The country is a mess," he added. "It's time to forget Chavez and create a new Venezuela outside of his shadow."
(Additional reporting by Deisy Buitrago and Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Kieran Murray, Jackie Frank and David Brunnstrom)
TEDMEDLive comes to BristolPublic release date: 15-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Joanne Fryer joanne.fryer@bristol.ac.uk 44-011-733-17276 University of Bristol
Could the quantum computing revolution transform drug development, are there new approaches for improving sleep and do people benefit from being diagnosed with early-stage dementia? These are some of the questions that will be discussed at the UK's first TEDMEDLive Bristol event at the MShed on Thursday [18 April].
TEDMEDLive Bristol will bring together some of Bristol and the UK's leading thinkers, researchers and innovators and will be the official launch of Bristol Health Partners. The event aims to inspire and provoke, to share ideas and find ways to transform the understanding of, and approach to, key health problems in Bristol and beyond.
Professor Peter Mathieson, Director of Bristol Health Partners and Dean of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Bristol, said: "TEDMEDLive Bristol will launch Bristol Health Partners, which is a collaboration between four NHS Trusts, Bristol's two universities and Bristol City Council, and it will bring a new approach to the way that innovative health benefits will be delivered to patients."
The event will open with Professor Peter Mathieson and Deborah Evans, Chair of Bristol Health Partners, talking about the Bristol health system and Bristol Health Partners.
During the day there will be a selection of talks by patients, practitioners and academics on key health problems including the role of the patient and prevention. There will also be speakers ranging from an Executive Producer at Aardman Animations to a Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. The event will link in with worldwide coverage of the TEDMED 2013 event in Washington DC.
David Relph, Head of Strategy and Business Planning at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, said: "TEDMEDLive Bristol is about reframing the way health challenges are faced and building the relationships to tackle them. We hope that TEDMEDLive Bristol is the start of something bigger."
There will be 29 talks during the day, including:
The quantum pharmacy - Professor Jeremy O'Brien will outline some of the radical transformations in medicine that could occur as a result of the quantum computing revolution.
How vaccines really work Professor Adam Finn will explain how vital it is for people to gain a better understanding of the importance and impact of vaccines if dangerous illnesses are to be controlled.
I don't like the way I look Dr Nicky Rumsey will argue it is crucial for society to challenge the 'beauty myths' to achieve change.
Thoughts that go bump in the night Dr Matt Jones will follow the case for new, non-invasive approaches to sleep and how neuroscience might finesse the technologies that some people swear by but many psychiatrists dismiss.
Early dementia: a label too far Dr Chris Fox will discuss his roadmap proposal for dementia to guide healthcare practitioners through this difficult area.
This place is killing me- Professor Gabriel Scally will throw a gauntlet to central and local government and the private sector that they should devote more time, energy and resources to designing healthy and sustainably built environments.
TEDMEDLive Bristol will culminate with a People's Choice session for the public on the evening of 18 April. Dementia: does everyone want an early diagnosis? is the subject voted by the people of Bristol as the biggest health challenge facing the city. The debate between Professor Derek Hill and Dr Chris Fox will be chaired by Dr Peter Brindle and the event is in association with Bristol Festival of Ideas.
###
TEDMEDLive Bristol will be streamed live online at http://www.bristolhealthpartners.nhs.uk and the event can be followed on twitter #tedmedbristol
[ | 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.
TEDMEDLive comes to BristolPublic release date: 15-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Joanne Fryer joanne.fryer@bristol.ac.uk 44-011-733-17276 University of Bristol
Could the quantum computing revolution transform drug development, are there new approaches for improving sleep and do people benefit from being diagnosed with early-stage dementia? These are some of the questions that will be discussed at the UK's first TEDMEDLive Bristol event at the MShed on Thursday [18 April].
TEDMEDLive Bristol will bring together some of Bristol and the UK's leading thinkers, researchers and innovators and will be the official launch of Bristol Health Partners. The event aims to inspire and provoke, to share ideas and find ways to transform the understanding of, and approach to, key health problems in Bristol and beyond.
Professor Peter Mathieson, Director of Bristol Health Partners and Dean of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Bristol, said: "TEDMEDLive Bristol will launch Bristol Health Partners, which is a collaboration between four NHS Trusts, Bristol's two universities and Bristol City Council, and it will bring a new approach to the way that innovative health benefits will be delivered to patients."
The event will open with Professor Peter Mathieson and Deborah Evans, Chair of Bristol Health Partners, talking about the Bristol health system and Bristol Health Partners.
During the day there will be a selection of talks by patients, practitioners and academics on key health problems including the role of the patient and prevention. There will also be speakers ranging from an Executive Producer at Aardman Animations to a Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. The event will link in with worldwide coverage of the TEDMED 2013 event in Washington DC.
David Relph, Head of Strategy and Business Planning at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, said: "TEDMEDLive Bristol is about reframing the way health challenges are faced and building the relationships to tackle them. We hope that TEDMEDLive Bristol is the start of something bigger."
There will be 29 talks during the day, including:
The quantum pharmacy - Professor Jeremy O'Brien will outline some of the radical transformations in medicine that could occur as a result of the quantum computing revolution.
How vaccines really work Professor Adam Finn will explain how vital it is for people to gain a better understanding of the importance and impact of vaccines if dangerous illnesses are to be controlled.
I don't like the way I look Dr Nicky Rumsey will argue it is crucial for society to challenge the 'beauty myths' to achieve change.
Thoughts that go bump in the night Dr Matt Jones will follow the case for new, non-invasive approaches to sleep and how neuroscience might finesse the technologies that some people swear by but many psychiatrists dismiss.
Early dementia: a label too far Dr Chris Fox will discuss his roadmap proposal for dementia to guide healthcare practitioners through this difficult area.
This place is killing me- Professor Gabriel Scally will throw a gauntlet to central and local government and the private sector that they should devote more time, energy and resources to designing healthy and sustainably built environments.
TEDMEDLive Bristol will culminate with a People's Choice session for the public on the evening of 18 April. Dementia: does everyone want an early diagnosis? is the subject voted by the people of Bristol as the biggest health challenge facing the city. The debate between Professor Derek Hill and Dr Chris Fox will be chaired by Dr Peter Brindle and the event is in association with Bristol Festival of Ideas.
###
TEDMEDLive Bristol will be streamed live online at http://www.bristolhealthpartners.nhs.uk and the event can be followed on twitter #tedmedbristol
[ | 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.
Volleyball star Gabrielle Reece and pro surfer Laird Hamilton have been married for 17 years, and Reece recently revealed the controversial secret to their successful relationship: creating an "old fashioned" dynamic.
In appearances on the "Today" show and "Rock Center With Brian Williams" Friday, Reece explained that she and Hamilton considered divorcing after four years of marriage. But their relationship improved when they learned how to complement each other by adopting more traditional gender roles.
?I think the idea of living with a partner is ?How can I make their life better?'" Reece told "Today's" Natalie Morales. ?So if I?m the woman and he?s the man, then yes, that?s the dynamic. I?m willing and I choose to serve my family and my husband because it creates a dynamic where he is then in fact acting more like a man and masculine and treating me the way I want to be treated."
Reece recently wrote a memoir called "My Foot Is Too Big For The Glass Slipper," in which she claims, ?to truly be feminine means being soft, receptive, and ?- look out, here it comes ?- submissive.?
But on the "Today" show, she clarified that she doesn't think being "submissive" is a sign of weakness.
?I think because women have the ability to set the tone, that the ultimate strength and showing real power, I believe, is creating that environment," she said. "I think it?s a sign of strength.??
She told Kate Snow of "Rock Center" that ultimately, communication and attraction to your partner are the keys to any successful marriage.
Watch more of Reece's "Today" show appearance in the video above.
Check out HuffPost bloggers' advice for keeping your marriage stress-free in the slideshow below.
Let Go Of The Idea That Marriage Is Temporary
From <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lydia-netzer/marriage-secrets_b_1459770.html">"15 Ways To Stay Married For 15 Years"</a> by Lydia Netzer
It's OK If Your Partner Has Something That Gets Under Your Skin
From <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kim-siegal/want-marriage-advise-ask-_b_2518569.html">"Want Marriage Advice? Ask My Husband"</a> by Kim Siegal
Let Go Of Your Expectations
From <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sheryl-paul/marriage-is-a-workinprogr_b_2475331.html">"Marriage Is A Work In Progress"</a> by Sheryl Paul
Unplug And Reconnect
From <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danielle-tate/unplug-to-reconnect_b_2696893.html?utm_hp_ref=weddings&ir=Weddings">"Unplug To Reconnect"</a> by Danielle Tate
Always Be Open To Having Sex
From <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/18/marriage-advice_n_1435547.html">"Experts Give Their Most Unexpected Recommendations"</a> by Laura Berman
Establish A Monthly "Desire Debriefing"
From "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deanna-brann-phd/prioritizing-passion-how-_b_2079957.html" target="_hplink">Prioritizing Passion: How To Stay Stoked</a>" by Deanna Brann
Focus On What Makes You Less Stressed
From <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tammy-nelson-phd/getting-the-love-you-want_b_1588285.html">"Getting The Love You Want"</a> by Tammy Nelson
Just Let It Go
From <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hunny-amp/hunny-reiken-80-talks-with_b_2171948.html">"Hunny Reiken, 80, Talks With Her Husband, Elliot Reiken, 86,"</a> by Hunny Reiken
Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Weddings on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Sure, watching YouTube videos in HD is great when you want clarity, but maybe you've been yearning for that grainy, tape-recorded look. Marking what's apparently the 57th anniversary of cassette-based video recording, the YouTube team has snuck a VHS tape-shaped button on select videos. Clicking it will the throw a filter over the content, providing a highly distorted and nostalgic feast for the eyes. There's no official list of compatible content, but the option seems to be available on most of the videos on YouTube's native channel. We have a feeling at least one VCR enthusiast will be quite pleased.
Cutting specific pollutants would slow sea level risePublic release date: 14-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: David Hosansky
hosansky@ucar.edu
303-497-8611
Zhenya Gallon
zhenya@ucar.edu
303-497-8607
National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
BOULDER With coastal areas bracing for rising sea levels, new research indicates that cutting emissions of certain pollutants can greatly slow down sea level rise this century.
The research team found that reductions in four pollutants that cycle comparatively quickly through the atmosphere could temporarily forestall the rate of sea level rise by roughly 25 to 50 percent.
"To avoid potentially dangerous sea level rise, we could cut emissions of short-lived pollutants even if we cannot immediately cut carbon dioxide emissions," says Aixue Hu of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the first author of the study. "This new research shows that society can significantly reduce the threat to coastal cities if it moves quickly on a handful of pollutants."
The study, a collaboration of the Scripps Institution for Oceanography, NCAR, and Climate Central, is being published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change. It was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.
"It is still not too late, by stabilizing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere and reducing emissions of shorter-lived pollutants, to lower the rate of warming and reduce sea level rise," says Veerabhadran Ramanathan of Scripps, who led the study. "The large role of the shorter-lived pollutants is encouraging since technologies are available to drastically cut their emissions."
Protecting the coasts
The potential impact of rising oceans on populated areas is one of the most concerning effects of climate change. Many of the world's major cities, such as New York, Miami, Amsterdam, Mumbai, and Tokyo, are located in low-lying areas by the water.
As glaciers and ice sheets melt and warming oceans expand, sea levels have been rising by an average of about 3 millimeters annually in recent years (just more than one-tenth of an inch). If temperatures continue to warm, sea levels are projected to rise between 18 and 59 centimeters (7 to 23 inches) this century, according to a 2007 assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Some scientists, however, feel those estimates are too conservative.
Such an increase could submerge densely populated coastal communities, especially when storm surges hit.
Despite the risks, policy makers have been unable to agree on procedures for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide. With this in mind, the research team focused on emissions of four other heat-trapping pollutants: methane, tropospheric ozone, hydrofluorocarbons, and black carbon. These gases and particles last anywhere from a week to a decade in the atmosphere, and they can influence climate more quickly than carbon dioxide, which persists in the atmosphere for centuries.
Previous research by Ramanathan and Yangyang Xu of Scripps, a co-author of the new paper, has shown that a sharp reduction in emissions of these shorter-lived pollutants beginning in 2015 could offset warming temperatures by up to 50 percent by 2050.
Applying those emission reductions to sea level rise, the new research found that the cuts could dramatically slow rising sea levels. Their results showed that total sea level rise would be reduced by an estimated 22 to 42 percent by 2100, depending on the extent to which emissions were reduced.
However, the new study also found that delaying emissions cuts until 2040 would reduce the beneficial impact on year-2100 sea level rise by about a third.
If society were able to substantially reduce both emissions of carbon dioxide as well as the four other pollutants, total sea level rise would be lessened by at least 30 percent by 2100, the researchers concluded.
The researchers used mostly percentage changes for sea level rise, rather than actual estimates in centimeters, because of uncertainties over future temperature increases and their impacts on rising sea levels.
"We still have some control over the amount of sea level rise that we are facing," Hu says.
Another co-author, Claudia Tebaldi of Climate Central, adds:
"Without diminishing the importance of reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the long term, this study shows that more immediate gains from shorter-lived pollutants are substantial. Cutting emissions of those gases could give coastal communities more time to prepare for rising sea levels. As we have seen recently, storm surges in very highly populated regions of the East Coast show the importance of both making such preparations and cutting greenhouse gases."
To conduct the study, Hu and his colleagues turned to the NCAR-based Community Climate System Model, as well as a second computer model that simulates climate, carbon, and geochemistry. They also drew on estimates of future emissions of heat-trapping gases under various social and economic scenarios and on computer models of melting ice and sea level rise.
The study assumes that society could reduce emissions of the four gases and particles by 30 to 60 percent over the next several decades. That is the steepest reduction believed achievable by economists who have studied the issue at Austria's International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, one of the world's leading research centers into the impact of economic activity on climate change.
"It must be remembered that carbon dioxide is still the most important factor in sea level rise over the long term," says NCAR scientist Warren Washington, a co-author. "But we can make a real difference in the next several decades by reducing other emissions."
###
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research under sponsorship by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
About the article
Title: Mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants slows sea-level rise
Authors: Aixue Hu, Yangyang Xu, Claudia Tebaldi, Warren M. Washington, and Veerabhadran Ramanathan (corresponding author)
Publication: Nature Climate Change
On the Web
NCAR/UCAR news releases, images, and more:
http://www.ucar.edu/atmosnews
[ | 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.
Cutting specific pollutants would slow sea level risePublic release date: 14-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: David Hosansky
hosansky@ucar.edu
303-497-8611
Zhenya Gallon
zhenya@ucar.edu
303-497-8607
National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
BOULDER With coastal areas bracing for rising sea levels, new research indicates that cutting emissions of certain pollutants can greatly slow down sea level rise this century.
The research team found that reductions in four pollutants that cycle comparatively quickly through the atmosphere could temporarily forestall the rate of sea level rise by roughly 25 to 50 percent.
"To avoid potentially dangerous sea level rise, we could cut emissions of short-lived pollutants even if we cannot immediately cut carbon dioxide emissions," says Aixue Hu of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the first author of the study. "This new research shows that society can significantly reduce the threat to coastal cities if it moves quickly on a handful of pollutants."
The study, a collaboration of the Scripps Institution for Oceanography, NCAR, and Climate Central, is being published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change. It was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.
"It is still not too late, by stabilizing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere and reducing emissions of shorter-lived pollutants, to lower the rate of warming and reduce sea level rise," says Veerabhadran Ramanathan of Scripps, who led the study. "The large role of the shorter-lived pollutants is encouraging since technologies are available to drastically cut their emissions."
Protecting the coasts
The potential impact of rising oceans on populated areas is one of the most concerning effects of climate change. Many of the world's major cities, such as New York, Miami, Amsterdam, Mumbai, and Tokyo, are located in low-lying areas by the water.
As glaciers and ice sheets melt and warming oceans expand, sea levels have been rising by an average of about 3 millimeters annually in recent years (just more than one-tenth of an inch). If temperatures continue to warm, sea levels are projected to rise between 18 and 59 centimeters (7 to 23 inches) this century, according to a 2007 assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Some scientists, however, feel those estimates are too conservative.
Such an increase could submerge densely populated coastal communities, especially when storm surges hit.
Despite the risks, policy makers have been unable to agree on procedures for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide. With this in mind, the research team focused on emissions of four other heat-trapping pollutants: methane, tropospheric ozone, hydrofluorocarbons, and black carbon. These gases and particles last anywhere from a week to a decade in the atmosphere, and they can influence climate more quickly than carbon dioxide, which persists in the atmosphere for centuries.
Previous research by Ramanathan and Yangyang Xu of Scripps, a co-author of the new paper, has shown that a sharp reduction in emissions of these shorter-lived pollutants beginning in 2015 could offset warming temperatures by up to 50 percent by 2050.
Applying those emission reductions to sea level rise, the new research found that the cuts could dramatically slow rising sea levels. Their results showed that total sea level rise would be reduced by an estimated 22 to 42 percent by 2100, depending on the extent to which emissions were reduced.
However, the new study also found that delaying emissions cuts until 2040 would reduce the beneficial impact on year-2100 sea level rise by about a third.
If society were able to substantially reduce both emissions of carbon dioxide as well as the four other pollutants, total sea level rise would be lessened by at least 30 percent by 2100, the researchers concluded.
The researchers used mostly percentage changes for sea level rise, rather than actual estimates in centimeters, because of uncertainties over future temperature increases and their impacts on rising sea levels.
"We still have some control over the amount of sea level rise that we are facing," Hu says.
Another co-author, Claudia Tebaldi of Climate Central, adds:
"Without diminishing the importance of reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the long term, this study shows that more immediate gains from shorter-lived pollutants are substantial. Cutting emissions of those gases could give coastal communities more time to prepare for rising sea levels. As we have seen recently, storm surges in very highly populated regions of the East Coast show the importance of both making such preparations and cutting greenhouse gases."
To conduct the study, Hu and his colleagues turned to the NCAR-based Community Climate System Model, as well as a second computer model that simulates climate, carbon, and geochemistry. They also drew on estimates of future emissions of heat-trapping gases under various social and economic scenarios and on computer models of melting ice and sea level rise.
The study assumes that society could reduce emissions of the four gases and particles by 30 to 60 percent over the next several decades. That is the steepest reduction believed achievable by economists who have studied the issue at Austria's International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, one of the world's leading research centers into the impact of economic activity on climate change.
"It must be remembered that carbon dioxide is still the most important factor in sea level rise over the long term," says NCAR scientist Warren Washington, a co-author. "But we can make a real difference in the next several decades by reducing other emissions."
###
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research under sponsorship by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
About the article
Title: Mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants slows sea-level rise
Authors: Aixue Hu, Yangyang Xu, Claudia Tebaldi, Warren M. Washington, and Veerabhadran Ramanathan (corresponding author)
Publication: Nature Climate Change
On the Web
NCAR/UCAR news releases, images, and more:
http://www.ucar.edu/atmosnews
[ | 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.
Amateur Guan Tianlang, of China, walks up the ninth fairway during the third round of the Masters golf tournament Saturday, April 13, 2013, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Amateur Guan Tianlang, of China, walks up the ninth fairway during the third round of the Masters golf tournament Saturday, April 13, 2013, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Amateur Guan Tianlang, of China, chips to the second green during the third round of the Masters golf tournament Saturday, April 13, 2013, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Amateur Guan Tianlang, of China, watches his putt on the second green during the third round of the Masters golf tournament Saturday, April 13, 2013, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Amateur Guan Tianlang, of China, hits out of a bunker on the eighth hole during the third round of the Masters golf tournament Saturday, April 13, 2013, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) ? Guan Tianlang had plenty of adult supervision at the Masters.
Rules officials kept a close eye on the 14-year-old Saturday, a day after a penalty for slow play nearly kept him from playing the weekend.
The youngest player to make the cut at the Masters said he was never put on the clock, but he was told at least twice on the back nine at Augusta National to pick up his pace.
"I didn't think he played slow. I think he played pretty quick, actually," said Thorbjorn Olesen, Guan's playing partner. "He's 14, and there's a big crowd following him, so it's pretty difficult for him. I think he's handled it really, really good."
The Chinese eighth-grader was penalized for slow play on the 17th hole Friday. The one-stroke penalty left him at 4 over for the tournament, and he had to wait until the very last group finished to learn that he could stick around for the last two rounds. He wound up making the cut on the number after Jason Day missed birdie putts on the 17th and 18th holes.
"Probably 6:30 I went back home and watched TV and relaxed," he said. "I did watch the tournament finish."
Asked if he was nervous, Guan said, "A little. I am pretty excited after the round is finished and I get to play with all the top players on the weekend."
Guan is at 9 over for the tournament after shooting a 5-over 77 on Saturday.
While slow play is a frequent complaint among golfers, particularly at major events, it's rarely enforced. But rules officials are tailing Guan around Augusta National like overprotective parents.
Conditions at Augusta National are notoriously tricky, even in perfect weather, and it often takes golfers years before they're familiar with the course's quirks. Guan has relied heavily on the advice of his caddie, Brian Tam, who is a regular caddie at Augusta National. And sometimes Guan is overly cautious.
On the 14th hole, for example, he tossed some grass in the air twice to test the wind, grabbed a club and took a few practice swings before changing his mind. He grabbed another club and took a couple more practice swings before finally hitting his shot.
Afterward, a rules official told him he was 6 minutes over on that hole alone, and he needed to speed it up.
Yet Guan and Olesen finished their round in about 4 hours ? just about right. They weren't close to the group in front of them, but there also was a sizeable gap between them and the group behind them. Guan and Olesen had already teed off on 17 before the next group, Peter Hanson and John Huh, reached the 15th green.
"The weather is good today and we played in twosomes," Guan said. "So we played fast."
Guan didn't seem to be bothered that rules officials want to know his whereabouts at all times. .
"It's just a great week for me, and I really enjoy it," he said. "People here are nice, and I learned a lot from the top players. I think I played pretty good rounds these three days."
A good-sized gallery followed him from hole to hole, including little kids who ran ahead of their parents to stake out spots. Fans already feel they're on a first-name basis with him, as they are with Tiger, Rory and Phil, calling him, simply, "The Kid."
"His composure and the poise he's shown, it's amazing," said Bill Armstrong, one of the fans following Guan. "This is huge. It's a global thing right here."
Heady stuff for a kid whose mom still packs him snacks for the course.
"I didn't think of it too much" before, Guan said. "But I'm really happy, and I really appreciate that they're watching me here."
Last year, LG went on a campaign to rebuild its reputation as a smartphone maker that could play with the big boys. When we reviewed the Optimus 4X HD, we found that it deserved to be spoken in the same breath as the One X and Galaxy S III, and probably caught the attention of some folks over at Google. Many of you bought this handset, so the age-old question we'd like to ask is simple. What did you like, what did you loathe and if you were LG, what would you have changed?
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