Last we saw Anthony Weiner he was retreating with his ?manhood? tucked away in embarrassment as his Twitter sexting scandal led to his early exit from Congress and a long trip to wife Huma Abedin?s doghouse. Politicker reports he?s attempting to get back into politics:
He?s in. After weeks of speculation, disgraced Rep. Anthony Weiner has officially thrown his hat into the mayor?s race, announcing he?s running with a new video posted on his revamped campaign website.
?Look, I made some big mistakes. And I know I let a lot of people down. But I?ve also learned some tough lessons,? he says in the video, which opens with a family scene of the former Councilman and his wife, Huma Abedin, having breakfast in their kitchen with their son.
?I?m running for mayor ?cause I?ve been fighting for the middle class and those struggling to make it my entire life. And I hope I get a second chance to work for you,? he says.
?The announcement comes nearly two years to the day after Mr. Weiner destroyed his Congressional career by tweeting out a photo of his underwear-clad crotch that had been intended as a private message?and then repeatedly lying about it in interviews and at press conferences, claiming his account had been hacked. He eventually admitted to having inappropriate relationships with half a dozen women online, sending them lewd text messages and images.
Between Weiner and front-runner Christine Quinn?s bullying, bulimia, and alcoholism it should be an interesting race?
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Posted by Doug Johnson on May 22, 2013. Filed under Politicians. Tagged with: Anthony Weiner. Doug Johnson is a news junkie and long time blog reader, turned author.
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AMMAN (Reuters) - Washington threatened on Wednesday to increase support for Syria's rebels if President Bashar al-Assad refuses to discuss a political end to a civil war that is spreading across borders.
Rebels called for reinforcements to combat an "invasion" by Hezbollah and its Iranian backers, days after Assad's forces launched an offensive against a strategic town that could prove to be a turning point in the war.
The battle for the town of Qusair has brought the worst fighting in months in a war that has already killed more than 80,000 people, and by drawing in Hezbollah has spread sectarian violence across frontiers at the heart of the Middle East.
Washington and Moscow are scrambling to revive diplomacy, compelled to step up peace efforts by new reports of atrocities on both sides, suspicions that chemical weapons have been used and the rise of al Qaeda-linked fighters among Assad's foes.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said several thousand Hezbollah fighters were taking part in the conflict, with Iranian support on the ground.
Forces loyal to Assad had made gains in recent days, but those were "very temporary," Kerry told a news conference in Amman before a meeting of the "Friends of Syria" group, made up of Western and regional countries lined up against Assad.
"Just last week, obviously, Hezbollah intervened very, very significantly," Kerry said. "There are several thousands of Hezbollah militia forces on the ground in Syria who are contributing to this violence and we condemn that."
At the meeting in Jordan, Kerry sought to rally support from European and Arab states for the latest peace initiative - a call he issued jointly with Russia for a conference, expected to take place in Geneva in the coming weeks.
The United States and European Union have so far shied away from directly arming the rebels, but have given them "non-lethal" support, while Arab backers like Qatar and Saudi Arabia send them weapons. As Russia and Iran supply Assad, Western countries have been balancing their opposition to the president with a worry that arms for rebels may reach al Qaeda-allied Islamists.
The U.S.-Russian proposal for a peace conference has raised suspicion among Arab countries that Washington is watering down support for Assad's opponents, who had long refused to negotiate unless Assad is excluded from any future settlement.
But the "Friends of Syria" made clear they would give more support to the opposition now to strengthen its hand at the negotiating table, while Kerry suggested still more assistance could come if Assad does not accept a political solution.
"The ministers also emphasized that until such time as the Geneva meeting produces a transitional government, they will further increase their support for the opposition and take all other steps as necessary," the group said in a final communiqu?, without providing details on the kind of aid they may give.
Speaking before the meeting, Kerry told reporters, "In the event that the Assad regime is unwilling to negotiate ... in good faith, we will also talk about our continued support and growing support for the opposition in order to permit them to continue to be able to fight for the freedom of their country."
Russia says talks must include Assad's government and Iran. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praised the Syrian government's response to the U.S.-Russian proposal, while saying the opposition was too divided to agree on its participation.
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said Assad's government would decide soon whether to attend the talks. The opposition is expected to discuss its stance at a meeting in Istanbul on Thursday.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the new Geneva conference "must not include countries which are against the success," a sign that Paris remains opposed to Iran attending.
'INVASION'
Rebels fighting for control of Qusair, now the main battle front, called for reinforcements to repel forces loyal to Assad and what they described as an "invasion" by Hezbollah and Iran.
"Everyone who has weapons or ammunition should send them to Qusair and Homs to strengthen its resistance. Every bullet sent to Qusair and Homs will block the invasion that is trying to drag Syria back to the era of fear," George Sabra, acting head of the opposition National Coalition, said in a statement.
Opposition fighters said air strikes and shelling rocked the small town near the Syrian-Lebanese border.
Assad's forces are intent on seizing Qusair to cement their hold on a belt of territory that connects the capital, Damascus, to Assad's stronghold on the Mediterranean coast, heartland of his minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.
Seizing Qusair would also allow Assad to sever links between rebel-held areas in the north and south of Syria and cut a key supply route for the rebels from Sunni areas of Lebanon.
Some opposition sources said privately they believed that Assad's forces, led by Hezbollah ground units, had taken about 60 percent of the town. But they said rebels were fighting back hard in a battle that could determine the fate of the uprising.
"If we lose Qusair, we lose Homs, and if we lose Homs, we lose the heart of the country," said Ahmed, a rebel speaking from the nearby provincial capital of Homs, as explosions and gunfire crackled in the background.
After months of warnings from regional and international experts, violence is now spilling over Syria's borders, with clashes between pro- and anti-Assad factions in the Lebanese city of Tripoli and exchanges of fire between Syrian and Israeli forces in the Golan Heights.
After a night of violence in Tripoli, the death toll in five days of Sunni-Alawite fighting stood at 13, security sources said.
Israeli forces have bombed Syria to destroy what Israeli officials say are Hezbollah supply routes for Iranian weapons. Israel's air force chief said on Wednesday that Israel was prepared to attack Syria to keep weapons out of the hands both of Hezbollah and of Sunni militants if Assad were to fall.
"If Syria collapses tomorrow, we will need to take action to prevent a strategic looting of advanced weaponry," Major-General Amir Eshel said.
Security fears following bombings that killed 51 people in the Turkish town of Reyhanli this month prompted Turkey on Wednesday to close a nearby border crossing with Syria. Turkey has accused Syria of involvement in the attacks. Damascus has denied any role.
In a boost to the rebels, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted on Tuesday for legislation that would send arms to moderate members of the Syrian opposition, the first time U.S. lawmakers had approved such action. There is less enthusiasm for arming the rebels in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, so it is not clear whether a Senate bill would get through Congress.
Sunni rebel leaders have warned of sectarian revenge attacks against Shi'ites and Alawites on either side of the Syrian-Lebanese border if rebels lose Qusair.
Hezbollah's involvement risks turning Syria's civil war - which already pits mainly Sunni Muslim rebels against an Alawite-led army - into a regional sectarian conflict.
(Additional reporting by Erika Solomon in Beirut and by Khaled Oweiss in Amman; Writing by Giles Elgood; Editing by Peter Graff, Alastair Macdonald and Peter Cooney)
What's the largest engine in the world? Well, it depends from how you look at it. Thankfully, we have dedicated Jalopnik readers to help us finding the right answers.
So here we go, with everything from heavy oil burning monsters to steam turbines and some renewable energy thrown in for good measure.
10.) The Largest Production Motorcycle Engine
How big: 2.3liters How powerful: 140 horsepower
You would expect this trophy to land at an American company like Harley Davidson, and yes, Boss Hoss Cycles indeed makes choppers powered by GM small- and big block crate engines. If you don't think a Chevy big block crammed into a bike counts, the largest "proper" motorcycle engine is the British Triumph Rocket III's water-cooled three-cylinder producing 150 lb?ft of torque.
Congratulations Chrysler! Nobody else is crazy enough to put a 8.4-liter V10 into a production vehicle, but you've done it again. Naturally, General Motors comes to the rescue if you need even more, with the Chevrolet "572" 9.2 V8 crate engine.
How big: 127 liters How powerful: 5,000 horsepower
Say hi to the Lycoming XR-7755! Gamecat235 knows what happened to this baby:
It was meant for the B-36, but after they produced two, it was dropped in favor for a different design. I almost included it in my B-36 write up, but decided against it as it was just one more esoteric fact.
How big: 505 feet in diameter How powerful: 8,046 horsepower
Siemens makes almost everything in connection with electricity, but the SWT-6.0-154 must be one of their largest products yet. It also keeps pandas alive, sort of. Read all about it here!
6.) The Largest (By Length) Steam Locomotive Engine
How big: 85 feet 3.4 inches long How powerful: tractive effort was 135,375 lbf (11,281 ft-lb)
Union Pacific Railroad's 4000-class 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotives, commonly known as the 'Big Boys' were built between 1941 and 1945. 25 went into service, with the last ride ending in 1959. By that time, diesel power replaced steam, bu.
How big: 83 feet 6.5 inches long How powerful: 4,500-8,500 horsepower (3rd. generation)
I can't explain the "Big Blow" better than Union Pacific themselves:
It was very inefficient and used highly sensitive fuel oil and there are stories of them melting bridges when parked running on top of them. The last ride was in 1969.
How big: You will need a nuclear power station to hold it How powerful: 2,346,788 horsepower
This is the 1750 MWe ARABELLE turbine generator, which converts wet steam from a French nuclear generator into electricity. The blades alone weigh 176 pounds. That's a lot of rotors from the French.
Yes, there are some cars with larger airplane engines out there, but this Fiat is the real deal. According to Team DAN, this is what you need to know:
Built in the winter of 1910/11 by Fiat to take on the Blitzen Benz, it featured a four cylinde 28.3 litre engine (190x250mm). Two of these cars were built. Number 1 was purchased by the Russian Prince Boris Soukhanov late 1911, but after the Russian revolution it went to Australia where it was fitted with a Stutz engine until it was crashed in 1924. Number 2 was retained by Fiat, but was scrapped in 1920, only the engine being kept.
How big: 89 feet long and 44 feet wide, 1,820 liters per cylinder, 10,920 to 25,480 liters total How powerful: 107,389 horsepower
The Finnish W?rtsil?-Sulzer RTA96-C powers the largest vessels in the world. It's a two-stroke turbo running on heavy fuel oil and it can be configured with six to fourteen cylinders. Brian, The Life of had this to add:
Consuming more than 39 barrels of oil per hour, it costs $34/minute to run. Wow!
Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase & Co's outspoken chairman and chief executive, won a vote of confidence on Tuesday as shareholders decided to let him keep his chairman title by an even greater margin than last year.
Dimon could not claim total victory at the bank's annual meeting. Three JPMorgan directors were re-elected by a slim majority, an unusual outcome. The three directors were on the board's risk management committee, which is widely seen as having fallen down after the bank lost $6.2 billion from risky derivatives trades last year.
Leon Kamhi, executive director of Hermes Equity Ownership Services, one of the sponsors of the motion to split the CEO and chairmanship, said the vote sent "a clear message to the board about weaknesses surrounding the risk committee."
A bitter, months-long shareholder campaign demanding more oversight of Dimon ended when JPMorgan announced at its annual meeting in Tampa that only 32.2 percent of the votes were cast in favor of the resolution to create an independent chairman. The proposal garnered 40.1 percent support a year earlier.
Even though the proposal was non-binding, a "yes" vote would have amounted to a rebuke to Dimon, one of the most outspoken figures on Wall Street. He had suggested that he might leave the bank if the proposal carried the day.
Kamhi said splitting the roles of chairman and CEO got fewer votes than last year because "people were worried (Dimon) was going to walk. And there was significant lobbying by the JPMorgan board."
Even though it was rejected again, supporters said that splitting the roles made sense because it would give Dimon more oversight. But the debate is far from settled.
Kamahi said all of the attention to board independence showed that "the board absolutely needs to pay heed."
Shares of JPMorgan rose 2 percent to $53.35, their highest since February 2001.
(Additional reporting by Lauren Tara LaCapra; Writing by Frank McGurty; Editing by Dan Wilchins, Edwina Gibbs and Jeffrey Benkoe)
An interesting article in Korea Times,?Korean young writers trying to make it to global scene?which is putatively talking about Korean young writers success overseas, primarily in non-English-speaking countries, but then inevitably returning and returning to the question of success in the US market.
It begins by referring to a recent overseas residence in France for Korean writers (supported by LTI Korea, who just don?t stop trying^^):
When Korean young novelist Han Yu-joo strolled around small, beautiful villages in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, she found a slew of small bookstores that help sustain its rich culture. She also discovered French people who love reading, are open to other cultures in this region, and who are curious about Korean literature.
This victory, though, is immediately (and I have to say I completely agree with the point being made) contrasted to the US:
Judging from her previous experiences in the United States in which the majority of people who attended Korean literature-related events were Korean Americans or Korean students, French readers were favorable to Korean literature even if they have no connection with Korea.
LOL.. can?t we take one success at a time and then concentrate on the problem in the US?
Anyway, the article goes on to do a good job of explaining some of the difficulties in penetrating the US market, particularly for translations. Hopefully, the article notes:
The LTI has been operating differentiated strategies reflecting regional characteristics. France is rather flexible in accepting foreign literature than that of the U.S. or Britain. For example, participating writers in the IWP are supposed to focus on exchanges between the writers, while the authors dispatched to France are required to collaborate with local translators to make their works adapted into French.
That writing is a bit? er.. ?non-English,? but it?s good that LTI is adopting this differential strategy. Now, they need to hire some chiseled young go-getter (blush! Me???) to work the US crowd. ?Because, as author Han notes:
Korea is a rare country which has such a large amount of literary works, with some 50 million of the population. The thing is what literary work is worth reading is not selling overseas. Writers should go back to basics, focusing on good writing. We don?t have to be hasty for the immediate results of Korean literature in the overseas market.
And if you believe that is true, then the problem is either in translation or marketing, and a market-based approach to each of those problems is the only way to make Korean literature work in most English-language countries.
I won?t go into it too deeply, but if you want to understand the marketing problems that Korean literature is currently having in English, take a look at Qi-Ranger?s sensible take on how the marketing of Korean food (which is awesome) was utterly misguided and failed. Exchange the world ?literature? for the word ?food? (or any synonym) and the problem may become clearer.
Hat Tip to My So Called Research for pointing me to this article.
Coaches Adam Levine, Shakira, Usher and Blake Shelton on "The Voice."
Has ?The Voice? lost its bite? Not at all, say the show?s artists.
Fans have commented that this season?s coaching panel -- Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Shakira and Usher -- has been giving out more compliments than constructive criticism.
Even host Carson Daly noticed a shift in tone on the NBC competition. ?I think that?s a fair assessment. Not that (criticism) didn't come from this season, but I understand when people say that," he told TODAY.com. "I think through the different cycles of the show, you're going to have panels that are a little more vocal that way, and some that are a little less.?
But for the most part, the season's hopefuls are pleased with what they?ve been hearing.
?I think all the coaches are definitely doing their fair share of constructive criticism,? Team Usher?s Michelle Chamuel told TODAY.com, calling the R&B star ?a tough coach, but a great coach.?
?Adam and Usher have been giving me some great advice in the past weeks," Holly Tucker said. "I appreciate all their feedback and they're really great for that.?
?When it?s time for (Blake) to get mean, he does,? said Zach Swon of The Swon Brothers. ?He will definitely tell us if something needs to be changed.?
But one artist does want more feedback from the superstar coaches.
?They're careful with what they say. I get some constructive criticism from them, but most of the comments that I've been getting are sort of a general statement about, 'Oh, it was great,? ? Team Adam?s Judith Hill told us. She said that she?d like to have the panel ?really kind of dig into my performance more instead of just being like, 'Oh, that was great.? ?
But some of the hopefuls are already seeing changes thanks to the pointers they?ve received.
?Just having (the coaches') feedback that I really need to step up and have the confidence to take it all the way, that's been the most valuable thing for me so far,? Holly added. ?I feel like I have more confidence, more strength and that's really what I need. That's what I needed all along.?
PHOENIX (Reuters) - Convicted killer Jodi Arias urged jurors on Tuesday to spare her the death penalty and sentence her to life in prison for brutally killing her ex-boyfriend in Arizona five years ago, saying she could lead a productive life behind bars.
Arias, 32, was found guilty earlier this month in the premeditated murder of Travis Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home in June 2008. He was stabbed multiple times, had his throat slashed and was shot in the face.
In a final act in a marathon court drama that began in January, Arias urged the jury to spare her life for the sake of her family and said she had lacked perspective when she made public comments that she preferred death to life in prison.
"I made many public statements that I would prefer the death penalty to life in prison. Each time I said that, though I meant it, I lost perspective. Until very recently I could not have imagined standing before you all and asking you to give me life ... I thought I would rather die," she said.
"But as I stand here now, I can't in good conscience ask you to sentence me to death because of them," she said, pointing to her family, including her father, in court.
Following closing arguments, the case will go to the jury to decide the fate of the former waitress from California, who told jurors she was sorry for the violence she inflicted and said she could still lead a productive life.
"To this day, I can hardly believe I was capable of such violence, but I know that I was, and for that I'm going to be sorry for the rest of my life? I was horrified by what I had done, and I am horrified still," she said.
In her trial, she admitted killing Alexander but said it was in self defense after a relationship characterized by physical and emotional abuse.
During Tuesday's court appearance, she added that there were many things she could do in prison to "effect positive change" and contribute to society, and mentioned that she had already donated her long hair to a charity while in prison.
UNTHINKABLE CRIME
Her testimony came a day after Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens denied requests by the defense for a penalty phase mistrial and to withdraw from the case. She also denied a motion for a stay to give the defense time to appeal her decisions to the Arizona Supreme Court.
The murder trial featured graphic testimony, photographs and a sex tape and became a sensation on cable television news with the tale of an attractive young woman charged with an unthinkable crime.
Prosecutor Juan Martinez said Arias had repeatedly stabbed Alexander for two minutes as he tried to escape from the bathroom. She then followed the bleeding victim down a hallway and slashed his throat when he was too weak to get away.
Alexander, a 30-year-old businessman and motivational speaker with whom Arias said she was having an on-again, off-again affair, knew he was going to die and was unable to resist his attacker at that point, Martinez said.
Arias has said she shot Alexander with his own pistol when he attacked her in a rage because she dropped his camera while taking snapshots of him in the shower. She said she did not remember stabbing him.
Hearing testimony last week on the impact of the slaying, Alexander's younger brother Steven told jurors that the killing had invaded his dreams and that he had been hospitalized several times for ulcers since the murder.
Alexander's younger sister Samantha, meanwhile, said thoughts of "the pain, agony, the screams and the fear" of her brother's last moments remained stuck in her mind.
Last week, defense attorney Kirk Nurmi walked jurors through eight mitigating factors they are being asked to consider as they mull Arias' punishment. Among the factors is whether Arias, who was 27 at the time of the murder and had no criminal history, had suffered abuse.
(Reporting by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Alden Bentley and Cynthia Osterman)
Welcome to the Programmable World Connected Sensors Watch the Earth’s Murmurs and Translate Into Data The Boat That Could Sink America’s Cup 1/ For drip brewing, your grounds should be the size of coarse sea salt. A burr grinder like ...
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Years from now, doctoral candidates are likely to write entire extended theses on Alan Garner, the character so memorably and brilliantly played by Zach Galifianakis in the "Hangover" series.
This bearded baby-man - he's a walking Chia Pet - is pure id, one of the most transgressive characters to ever pop up in a mainstream movie. He's annoying, peculiar, perverse, prideful, cuddly and outrageously funny, all rolled into a single squat, hirsute package.
Fortunately for "The Hangover Part III," much of it is all about Alan. Returning fans will enjoy this raucous outing, though the fun peters out noticeably in the second half as the movie's overly complicated plot drags on.
This latest chapter - supposedly the final one - in the blockbuster comedy series reunites the Wolf Pack. For those new to the series, that would be the quartet of mismatched male friends who find themselves, movie after movie, involved in wild and crazy adventures that often border on the illegal.
These BFFs are Phil (Bradley Cooper), the coolest and best-looking of the bunch; Stu (Ed Helms), a buttoned-down dentist who always has his worst fears realized in "Hangover" movies; Doug (Justin Bartha), a generic nice guy who has no discernable personality and is usually jettisoned early on in the proceedings; and Alan.
This third "Hangover," set four years after the first 2009 film and two years after its 2011 sequel, begins with the 42-year-old Alan off his meds and still living at home, where he is the bane of his wealthy parents' existence. When his father (Jeffrey Tambor) kicks the bucket after a heart attack precipitated by yet another squabble with a recalcitrant Alan, it's clear that the misbehaving non-prodigal son must change.
Doug, who is married to Alan's sister, gathers the Wolf Pack and other family members to stage an intervention with Alan. This results in a road trip, with Phil, Stu and Doug escorting Alan to a medical facility, though their trip is interrupted when men in pig masks force their car off the road and take them prisoner.
This sets the movie's plot in motion in a big way. Their capture was engineered by Marshall (John Goodman), a criminal big wig on the hunt for Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong, again one of the movie's highlights), the crazed, drug-taking, gun-wielding gangster the Wolf Pack first encountered in the original "Hangover."
Chow and Alan have remained friendly and, now that Chow has escaped from a Bangkok prison, Marshall wants to recover a $40-million plus fortune in gold ingots that Chow stole from him earlier. Marshall takes Doug hostage, telling the other Wolf Pack members that he will free their pal once they capture Chow and the gold for him.
The rest of the movie tells the convoluted tale of how the men track down Chow and the gold, a journey that takes them to Mexico and, eventually, neon-bright Las Vegas, the site of all their woes back in the original 2009 film. A lot of this, as capably directed by "Hangover" auteur Todd Phillips, is entertaining, especially when Alan is at the center of the shenanigans, but one's interest in the overly busy plot wears thin by the end.
The movie's single best scene involves Alan and a surly Las Vegas pawnshop clerk played by Melissa McCarthy. It's instant attraction between these two social malefactors and their soulful locked gazes, as well as suggestive sharing of a lollipop, are a wonder to behold.
Despite McCarthy's cameo, this "Hangover" continues the series' pattern as being mostly an all-male affair. Wives pop up very briefly early on and Jade (Heather Graham), the hooker with a baby from the first film, returns for a couple scenes, but estrogen is in short supply here. (Note to self: Pitch script in which the women of "Bridesmaids" pair off with the guys from "Hangover.")
In their third outing, not surprisingly, the regulars mesh comfortably. It's not as if Cooper, Helms or Bartha are particularly stretching or challenging themselves with their "Hangover" turns. Mostly, they simply set up the jokes, play along and then stand back to admire the ever-inventive Galifianakis at work.
Start the week by managing your social networking feeds a little easier with Viralheat. It aggregates your feeds and accounts from multiple social networks into one app, allowing easier updating and analytics on how well your posts fare. Haunting Melissa is an experimental, chapter-based horror film, and is brought to you by the producer of The Ring. Finally, strategy game Frozen Synapse brings tons of turn-based intensity and lots of multiplayer offerings for iPad players.
Also on Appolicious
Celebrate Memorial Day and summer while reading from a list of great magazines, thanks to Zinio?s recent Guest Post.
What?s it about? Manage lots of social network feeds all at once with Viralheat, an app that aggregates your updates so you can post to lots of different accounts.
What?s cool? Keeping track of Facebook, Twitter and other social networks ? and your updates to all of them ? can be a pain, especially if you're updating on behalf of a brand or a business. Viralheat takes off some of the pressure by allowing you to post from one place to Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin, and also gives you the ability to schedules posts for later. You can add photos and other media just like when posting organically to your social networks, and the service provides analytics to give you insight into how much traction your updates are gaining.
Who?s it for? If you could use some help managing your social networking, check out Viralheat.
What?s it like? Both Hootsuite and Ubersocial offer handy ways to manage your social media networks.
What?s it about? Follow the horrific story of the disappearance of a girl named Melissa in experimental film making project Haunting Melissa.
What?s cool? Divided into chapters and with the first one being free, Haunting Melissa follows a horror story about a girl named Melissa, and tells the story in something of a more interactive way than other horror films. Among its creators is Neal Edelstein, producer of films such as Mulholland Dr. and The Ring, and the app releases its chapters slowly and in pieces, which is part of the overall presentation experience.
Who?s it for? Fans of horror movies, Haunting Melissa is an experiment right up your alley.
What?s it like? Try The Nightjar and Stricken for more spooky story offerings.
What?s it about? Turn-based strategy game Frozen Synapse makes the leap from PC to iPad to bring new players in to the urban combat simulation.
What?s cool? Frozen Synapse is a game in which players direct squads of soldiers around virtual worlds by carefully plotting out their orders and motions. Your goal in each level is to provide each of your characters with orders of what to do, with actions taking place in short bursts. But while it's sort of turn-based, Frozen Synapse has all characters, both yours and those belonging to your opponents, executing all their orders at the same time, so the game allows you to simulate what might happen before you commit to your actions. Making smart decisions is key to victory, and the game includes five different multiplayer modes to go with its single-player offerings.
Who?s it for? Strategy fans, Frozen Synapse is a great title to play alone or with friends.
What?s it like? Check out Crimson: Steam Pirates and Anomaly: Warzone Earth for two more great strategy games.
Best Educational Apps, Handpicked By Experts
Appolicious is pleased to introduce appoLearning.com, where parents, teachers and students find great education apps. Check out our introduction video here!
At a time when the NFL wants to get more people from other countries interested in pro football, the best strategy could be getting more people from other countries playing pro football.
As recently explained by Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com, the NFL has seen a gradual increase in the addition of foreign players, with 10 players born outside the U.S. drafted last month.? Five of them, including fifth overall pick Ziggy Ansah, were picked in the first two rounds.
Since all played college football in the U.S., it means the NFL found these players in the traditional way.? At some point, the NFL could be at the front lines of searching for players beyond our borders.
?We may be at the tip of the iceberg with this,? Falcons G.M. Thomas Dimitroff told Marvez.? ?Some very talented athletes from other countries as they learn our game and nuances will begin to excel more than others have in the past.
?I think we?ve become a lot more open-minded to the fact we will invite players outside of our country where there was once a stigma attached about not having a true understanding of football.? We now say that while they may not have a true understanding yet, the potential athleticism and phenotype suggest there?s some serious upside.?
The goal becomes finding large men who can do what NFL players need to do, and then teaching them how to do it.? ?There are big, fast, strong athletes with upside to grow into NFL players,? Dimitroff said.? ?These guys may someday be coming in waves.?
Of course, getting more people in other countries interested in football will result in more NFL body types finding the game, instead of the game having to find them.? As more foreign players make their way to America, more will become aware of the path.? Also, as more NFL football is played in places other than America, more will become aware of the game.
One major step in that direction would be the recognition of football by the International Olympic Committee.? Per Marvez, a ruling on the International Federation of American Football?s pending application is expected by June.? Eventually, a seven-on-seven version of football could become the global version of the game.
Whether it?s seven or 11 or any other number, the more exposure the game with the uniquely shaped ball gets in other countries, the more potential NFL players can be found from other places.
Of course, those who balk at the NFL taking ?our? game to other countries will surely complain about players from other countries taking NFL jobs.? But the obsession with winning will take coaches and General Managers anywhere for potential players, proving once again that a system based exclusively on merit is the best way to ensure diversity and inclusion.
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan, struggling with economic crisis and a budget deficit, plans to sell stakes in four state-owned sugar plants to attract partners, the official news agency SUNA said.
The African country has been trying to boost its sugar output to offset the loss of most oil production, the main export product, to South Sudan after partition in 2011. Oil used to be the biggest source of state income and foreign currency.
The state-owned Sudanese Sugar Co is looking for partners in its Guneid, Halfa, Sennar and Assalaya plants, its director Bakr Mahjub told SUNA on Saturday, adding that the state would not completely withdraw from the firm.
He gave no details and could not be immediately reached for comment. The sugar firm is owned by the central bank and finance ministry, according to its website.
The Guneid plant plans to increase its production to 115,000 tonnes annually from 60,000 tonnes under a 2010-2015 expansion plan, SUNA said. The Halfa factory would raise its output to 115,000 tonnes from 75,000 tonnes.
Sudan has been trying to improve the efficiency of the Sudanese Sugar Co, which is much smaller the country's main firm, the Kenana Sugar Company, which is owned by the governments of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.
Kenana plans to more double its sugar output to 1 million tonnes by 2015, it said last month.
Fair warning, this video is an illustrated version of the periodic table set to The Can-Can. There are consequences to watching. But hopefully one of them is that you learn all the chemical elements in order without even trying. Which would be a convenient, if incredibly nerdy, bar trick to bust out sometime.
Even if Asap SCIENCE doesn't succeed in committing the whole table to your memory, you can at least be reminded of some classic favorites from high school chemistry. And the visuals are a helpful mnemonic aid. But if you really hate The Can-Can you might want to steer clear of this. If you forgot how the periodic table works a long time ago and it hasn't been an issue so far you're probably in the clear. [Asap SCIENCE]
Soak your hands in salad oil after completing an oil painting job. The oil will help release the paint from where it has splattered on your hands. Salad oil smells better and is a lot safer than the typical cleanup choices of mineral spirits or kerosene.
Renting tools for a home improvement project is a far better idea than buying them if you don?t see yourself using them again in the next 12 months. A hammer could be a good investment, but a circular saw may go unused in your basement. Renting will save you hundreds of dollars in the long run.
To increase the capacity of your standard bathtub, purchase an overflow drain cover. This device uses suction cups to adhere to the tub, surrounding your bathtub?s overflow drain which allows you to add a few extra inches of water to the tub for a deep, relaxing soak. You can easily remove the cover when it?s not in use.
An easy and cost effective way to spruce up your home is by painting the interior. To estimate the amount of paint you need, you have to calculate the square footage of the walls. Simply multiply the length of the wall by its height. One gallon of paint will cover approximately 350 square feet. Bear in mind that you may need two coats of paint, depending on what color you are painting over.
When you buy new appliances to improve your home, don?t just set the old ones out by the curb to take up space in the land fill. Take some time to find a local recycler if they are broken. If they still work, donate them to your favorite charity or sell them for a few dollars to someone who needs them.
Think carefully before taking out a home improvement loan. If you use your home as collateral, then be absolutely sure that you can afford to pay the money back. Have you worked on a budget that takes a ?worst-case-scenario? into account? While the idea of a new kitchen or bathroom is tempting, sometimes you will end up spending way more than you expected, as most home improvement projects go over budget. Sometimes it?s better to work with the money that you have to make small improvements.
Always make sure your air conditioner filters are clean and are replaced regularly. When the filters for your AC are dirty, the airflow is restricted. This causes your AC unit to use more energy, driving up the cost of your energy bill. Therefore, keeping filters clean ensures you enjoy a reduction in your monthly energy expense.
How sustaining is your house?s insulation? Maybe your attic has never been insulated. Insulation has everything to do with energy cost and efficiency. Fully insulating your home significantly adds to the value of your home as well as reducing the operating costs. Have an insulation check done, and improve the areas that are not fully insulated.
Always keep your work area clean when doing home improvements. Many accidents occur when an area is cluttered with debris and you cannot move and work properly. Take some time from your project and clean the debris from the area. This will help keep you safe from trips, falls, and tangled cords.
If you are using a tank style hot water heater and do not have the money to replace it take a trip to your hardware store. You can buy an energy saving blanket to wrap around your tank to keep heat in and save you money on your energy or gas bill.
So, home improvement has the potential to be a fun and exciting project! However, the process can be very difficult and stressful if you do not have the right advice and information. Use the tips found in this article to improve your home with ease!
I own a little online shop http://www.helicoilkit.org. Come and visit it if you need helicoil tools.
This Gillmor Gang was recorded live at betaday, the betaworks annual gathering in New York. The Gillmor Gang included John Borthwick, Robert Scoble, Douglas Rushkoff, Paul Davison, and Steve Gillmor. Enjoy.
Who has time to watch a whole movie anymore? It's summer! So in the spirit of phoning in everything once the temperature rises above 70-ish, here's Ridley Scott's James Cameron's Aliens in 60 seconds of adorable animation. Brought to you, of course, by the fine folks who did Star Wars Episode IV, Back to the Future, and The Matrix. Not bad for a human. [YouTube]
Edit: Aliens was, obviously, made by James Cameron, not Ridley Scott, and I am, obviously, an idiot. Sorry for any confusion, about Mr. Cameron's work or about my idiocy.
Opinion: Anyone hoping for an extended ?American Idol? tribute to Randy Jackson on Thursday?s finale had to wait an awfully long time for a minimal payoff.
The man?s been a judge on the show for 12 years. He?s brought catchphrases such as ?In it to win it!? into our national database of clich?s. He?s dealt with cranky personalities and divas, and sat through every single terrible group performance during Hollywood weeks. Plus he wears loud clothing for every episode without complaints. Surely the least he deserved was a show-stopping send-off!
And he gave "Idol" every chance to make that happen. Like a man hinting that he wants his own surprise party, Randy announced his retirement from the show last week, giving producers ample time to throw something together.
?Idol? could have sent off their lone remaining original judge in style, much like the Simon Cowell appreciation tour that occurred when the acerbic judge departed after season nine. Plus, Mariah Carey was right there already. How hard would it have been to get a giant cake for her to burst out of?
No dice.
Instead, it wasn?t until almost 90 minutes into a two-hour show that Ryan Seacrest walked behind the judges? podium to say, ?Tonight is the end of an era. This evening we say thank you very much and goodbye to Randy Jackson.?
?The new age begins,? Mariah said helpfully.
The lights dropped. The tape rolled. And what did viewers get?
First, a brief bit involving dogs discussing the news in a board room. Get it? Because Randy calls everyone ?dawg?! Hilarious! But it's great to see that dogs can gather indoors for something other than a poker game.
Then a taped interview saw Randy note, ?If ?Idol? were around and was an opportunity for me growing up, I would have auditioned and won it five times.? It illustrated that after a dozen years, he still doesn?t have a firm grasp on the rules of the competition, or his own singing voice. (Randy, buddy, you?re a bass guitarist, not a front man.)
The wayback machine took the audience to Kelly Clarkson?s audition, and to footage of Randy, Simon and Paula Abdul when they were all much more natural looking and didn?t seem to be a creation of wardrobe and makeup. Long-term viewers sighed and remembered the good old days when the concept was fresh.
?Not in a trillion, billion years would this man ever make it to Hollywood,? Simon said.
(How great would it have been had that been followed by Randy saying, "Not in a trillion billion years can you make a different reality singing competition successful without me being a party of it as well?")
Also, did the show really have to use Daniel Powter?s ?Bad Day? as the musical accompaniment? For years, that was the song that ?Idol? losers heard upon their departure each week. If nothing else, didn?t Randy at least rate someone performing it live?
All too soon -- less than three minutes after it began -- the clip show ended, and the pink-jacketed Randy was taking his final bows.
?By the way, Randy, I think I speak on behalf on a lot of people in America and our producers when I say the door is always open, my brother,? Ryan said. And the show moved on.
That?s it? That?s all the man gets after a dozen years?
Hope Ryan is taking notice. He?ll clearly have to plan his own wrap party when the time comes.
Did Randy deserve a better send-off? Share your thoughts by clicking the "Talk about it" button below!
With the majority of possible combinations of Powerball numbers in play, someone is almost sure to win the game's highest jackpot during Saturday night's drawing, a windfall of hundreds of millions of dollars ? and that's after taxes.
The problem, of course, is those same odds just about guarantee the lucky person won't be you.
The chances of winning the estimated $600 million prize remain astronomically low: 1 in 175.2 million. That's how many different ways you can combine the numbers when you play. But lottery officials estimate about 80 percent of those possible combinations have been purchased, so now's the time to buy.
"This would be the roll to get in on," said Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich. "Of course there's no guarantee, and that's the randomness of it, and the fun of it."
That hasn't deterred people across Powerball-playing states ? 43 plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands ? from lining up at gas stations and convenience stores Saturday for their chance at striking it filthy rich.
At a mini market in the heart of Los Angeles' Chinatown, employees broke the steady stream of customers into two lines: One for Powerball ticket buyers and one for everybody else. Some people appeared to be looking for a little karma.
"We've had two winners over $10 million here over the years, so people in the neighborhood think this is the lucky store," employee Gordon Chan said as he replenished a stack of lottery tickets on a counter.
Workers at one suburban Columbia, S.C., convenience store were so busy with ticket buyers that they hadn't updated their sign with the current jackpot figure, which was released Friday. Customer Armous Peterson was reluctant to share his system for playing the Powerball. The 56-year-old was well aware of the long odds, but he also knows the mantra of just about every person buying tickets.
"Somebody is going to win," he said. "Lots of people are going to lose, too. But if you buy a ticket, that winner might be you."
The latest jackpot is the world's second largest overall, just behind a $656 million Mega Millions jackpot in March 2012. The $600 million jackpot, which could grow before the numbers are drawn at 10:59 EDT Saturday, currently includes a $376.9 million cash option.
Charles Hill of Dallas says he buys lottery tickets every day. And he knows exactly what he'd do if he wins.
"What would I do with my money? I'd run and hide," he said. "I wouldn't want none of my kinfolks to find me."
Clyde Barrow, a public policy professor at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, specializes in the gaming industry. He said one of the key factors behind the ticket-buying frenzy is the size of the jackpot ? people are interested in the easy investment.
"Even though the odds are very low, the investment is very small," he said. "Two dollars gets you a chance."
That may be why Ed McCuen has a Powerball habit that's as regular as clockwork. The 57-year-old electrical contractor from Savannah, Ga., buys one ticket a week, regardless of the possible loot. It's a habit he didn't alter Saturday.
"You've got one shot in a gazillion or whatever," McCuen said, tucking his ticket in his pocket as he left a local convenience store. "You can't win unless you buy a ticket. But whether you buy one or 10 or 20, it's insignificant."
Seema Sharma doesn't seem to think so. The newsstand employee in Manhattan's Penn Station has purchased $80 worth of tickets for herself. She also was selling tickets all morning at a steady pace, instructing buyers where to stand if they wanted machine-picked tickets or to choose their own numbers.
"I work very hard ? too hard ? and I want to get the money so I can finally relax," she said. "You never know."
Officials will conduct the drawing live Saturday night from Tallahassee, Fla.
___
Associated Press writers Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, S.C., Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Texas, Russ Bynum in Savannah, Ga., John Rogers in Los Angeles and Verena Dobnick in New York contributed to this report.
___
Follow Barbara Rodriguez at http://twitter.com/bcrodriguez .
Jockey Joel Rosario gallops orb back to the paddock after the 138th Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, Saturday, May 18, 2013, in Baltimore. Oxbow won the race. Orb, the Kentucky Derby winner, finished fourth. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Jockey Joel Rosario gallops orb back to the paddock after the 138th Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, Saturday, May 18, 2013, in Baltimore. Oxbow won the race. Orb, the Kentucky Derby winner, finished fourth. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Orb, with jockey Joel Rosario aboard, gallops back to the paddock after the 138th Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, Saturday, May 18, 2013, in Baltimore. Oxbow won the race, Orb, the Kentucky Derby winner, finished fourth. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
BALTIMORE (AP) ? Orb came up short in the Preakness, frustrating everyone who made the Kentucky Derby winner a 3-5 favorite ? no one more than trainer Shug McGaughey.
"I'm disappointed," McGaughey said after Orb finished fourth and Oxbow pulled off the upset Saturday.
"I'll be more disappointed tomorrow than I am right now. I know the game. It is highs and lows. Probably more lows than highs."
McGaughey and Orb were certainly on a high in the two weeks since the Derby. The colt had trained sensationally ahead of the Preakness, fanning hopes that a horse was finally going to end the Triple Crown drought that dates back to Affirmed in 1978.
Orb needed a Preakness win to set the stage for a Triple try three weeks later in the Belmont Stakes. He couldn't deliver, despite the outpouring of support at Pimlico as fans cheered loudly when he led the post parade.
He never settled into a groove. Orb broke from the rail and didn't seem comfortable being surrounded by horses.
In the Derby, Orb unleashed a breathtaking rally around the final turn, circling the field on a sloppy track to win by 2? lengths.
But there was no explosive move in the Preakness, only a mild kick in the late stages to make a dull effort appear a little better than it was.
"The pace was slower than I anticipated," McGaughey said. "I thought maybe they would speed it up, but they didn't. I still thought he would close into it, but it just wasn't his day."
McGaughey, as gracious as he's been throughout the Orb run, saluted fellow Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas on the victory.
"We had a great run two weeks ago," McGaughey said. "My hats off to Wayne, winning his sixth Preakness. That's a pretty remarkable record."
McGaughey will take Orb back to his home base at Belmont Park and figure out the next move. He is left with the feeling that something special slipped away.
"I would be disappointed anytime you had this kind of opportunity, and didn't get it done," he said.
The loss ended Orb's five-race winning streak that included victories in the Fountain Of Youth Stakes and Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. He was the 5-1 favorite in the Kentucky Derby, and that impressive win dropped his Preakness odds.
Orb was only McGaughey's third Preakness starter, and first since 1989 when Easy Goer, also a 3-5 favorite, lost by a nose to Sunday Silence.
The simple form and function of a Zippo lighter has made it an incredibly iconic design. But it could soon be supplanted by Alessi if the Italian houseware manufacturer prices its new Sushi lighter to compete with the Zippo. That, or convince a Hollywood producer to have an action hero prominently use it in an upcoming blockbuster.
Designed by Rodrigo Torres, the pocketable Sushi comes in a small selection of colors reminiscent of how KitchenAid tints its appliances, and it's no coincidence. Alessi and Torres wanted to emphasize the lighter was designed for domestic use around the home, not as a tough-as-nails outdoor accessory. And in the process it looks like they turned a mundane candle accessory into an object that's more mesmerizing to look at than a flickering flame.
Moshi makes some great accessories for the iPhone and the iPad, and their latest is no exception. Lightning cables are always a handy commodity to have around, but Moshi has done something a little different with theirs. They've encased them in aluminum.
Moshi claims that their new USB to Lightning cables are "almost indestructible," so definitely worth a look if you're the sort of person who keeps breaking plastic things. Better yet, Moshi's cables cost only $20, just $1 more than the Apple Lightning cables, making them extremely good value for money. The cables are available in black as well as a white and silver option, and are available to order from Moshi now.
Are you one of those people who would love a rough and tough Lightning cable? Will you be picking one of these up?
AGA presents cutting-edge research and new learning opportunities at DDW 2013Public release date: 17-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Rachel Steigerwald newsroom@gastro.org 301-272-1603 American Gastroenterological Association
Orlando, FL (May 17, 2013) Clinicians, researchers and scientists from around the world will gather for Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2013, the largest and most prestigious gastroenterology meeting, from May 18 to 21, 2013, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. DDW is jointly sponsored by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT).
AGA researchers will present exciting, cutting-edge data during the meeting that will help change the way physicians diagnose and treat gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. All data presented during DDW is embargoed until the beginning of the presentation or an official DDW press conference, whichever occurs first. A list of press activities is available at http://www.ddw.org/press. Newsroom staff can facilitate interviews with researchers presenting at the sessions highlighted below.
All sessions will be held in the Orange County Convention Center. For more information on presentations and data being presented, visit http://www.myddw.org.
Late-Breaking Abstract Sessions
Three late breaking abstract sessions will highlight hot new data accepted for presentation at DDW:
Basic science late-breaking abstracts: May 21, 10 a.m., in Room 205B
General GI clinical science late-breaking abstracts: May 21, 10 a.m., Room 303ABC
Scientists present late-breaking abstracts during posters sessions on May 18, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Hall West A1. Researchers will be present at their posters from noon to 2 p.m.
New Data on the Gut Microbiome
As part of AGA's strategic focus on the gut microbiome, AGA offers speaker sessions and oral research abstracts at DDW 2013. Sessions will discuss the myriad of possibilities that the gut microbiome offers to GI basic and translational researchers, clinicians and patients. New research will report on the microbiome's impact on IBD, cirrhosis, celiac disease, colon cancer and more. View the complete list of invited speaker sessions and oral research abstracts on the gut microbiome http://www.gastro.org/Microbiome_presentations_DDW2013.pdf.
Plenary Sessions
New for 2013, DDW will feature a joint AGA-ASGE Presidential Plenary Session on May 18 at 10 a.m. ET in Room 415 -- Valencia.
From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., the AGA-ASGE joint plenary session will highlight innovative clinical research on IBD, pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer and gastroparesis, among other topics.
From 10 a.m. to noon, AGA Institute President, Loren A. Laine, MD, AGAF, and his ASGE counterpart have invited noted experts to present on hot topics in gastroenterology and GI endoscopy. Presentations include:
"Should Colonoscopy Be the Test of Choice for CRC Screening: Yes," Douglas K. Rex, MD, AGAF, FASGE, Indiana University School of Medicine; University Hospital in Indianapolis
"Should Colonoscopy Be the Test of Choice for CRC Screening: No," David A. Lieberman, MD, AGAF, Oregon Health Sciences University
"Applying Genetics in Clinical Practice: Screening and Management of Colorectal Cancer," John M. Carethers, MD, AGAF, University of Michigan
"Gut Microbiome: Implications for Clinical Practice," Gail A. Hecht, MD, MS, AGAF, University of Illinois College of Medicine
"Hepatitis C: What Therapy This Month?" Michael W. Fried, MD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
AGA will host a Basic Science Plenary Session on May 19 at 2 p.m. ET in Room 307ABC. Data being presented includes:
Inactivation of a Single Allele of P120catenin Dramatically Accelerates KRAS-Driven Carcinogenesis in the Pancreas (2:03 p.m. ET, Abstract #436a). Maximilian Reichert et al.
Complete Conversion of Crypt Progenitor Cells Into ATOH1-Positive Cells by Targeted Deletion of DLL1 and Dll4 in LGR5-Positive Intestinal Stem Cells (2:15 p.m. ET, Abstract #436b). Hiromichi Shimizu et al.
Tissue-Specific Knockout of the RNA-Binding Protein HuR Inhibits Intestinal Mucosal Growth by Down-Regulating Wnt Signaling (2:27 p.m. ET, Abstract #436c). Lan Liu et al.
A Novel In Vitro SPEM Culture Provides a Model for Characterization of Metaplasia in the Stomach (2:39 p.m. ET, Abstract #436d). Victoria G. Weis et al.
Crohn's Disease-Associated Adherent-Invasive Escherichia coli Suppress Autophagy Response to Replicate Intracellularly by Regulating Host MicroRNA Expression (3:21 p.m. ET, Abstract #436e). Hang T. Nguyen et al.
Human Gut Microbiota Modulates Gut Serotonergic Pathway and Motility (3:33 p.m. ET, Abstract #436f). Purna C. Kashyap et al.
Other exciting data will be presented during DDW, including 63 clinical symposia, 13 translational symposia, nine research symposia, nine state-of-the-art lectures, seven distinguished abstract plenary sessions, and other committee-sponsored and special sessions on a range of GI topics. Additionally, the AGA Institute will sponsor four curbside consultant sessions. A total of 10 focused research roundtables and focused clinical updates breakfast sessions designed to help participants choose the must-see basic science and clinical research abstracts presented during DDW will occur throughout the meeting.
Special Sessions for Fellows and Young GIs
AGA has developed special sessions to meet the unique needs of physicians who are new to the field. Participants will learn about all aspects of starting a career in clinical practice or research, have the opportunity to network with mentors and peers, and review board material. All sessions occur on Monday, May 20, and include:
Board Review Session (8 a.m., Room 208) designed around content from the new Digestive Diseases Self-Education Program 7, this session will serve as a primer for third-year fellows preparing for the board exam, as well as a review course for others wanting to test their knowledge.
Career and Professional Related Issues (12:30 p.m., Room 208) will provide advice on common career issues such as choosing a practice type and location, developing an attractive CV, interviewing, negotiating contracts, and work-life balance.
Maximizing Opportunities within Fellowship Training: Advice from Fellows and Faculty (2 p.m., Room 313) presents information on how to create a niche within GI. A designated portion of the session will also examine GI career opportunities in research, hepatology and education, as well as provide an assessment of advanced clinical training opportunities.
AGA Academy of Educators Plenary Session
AGA presents a committee-sponsored symposium, AGA Academy of Educators: Planning for Promotion: Promoting Your Professional Portfolio (May 21, 8 a.m., Room 202AB), for academic clinicians or medical educators who are interested in taking their careers to the next level. This interactive session will highlight important topics in portfolio preparation and will teach attendees how to create a CV worthy of promotion. Presentations will be followed by roundtable discussions led by faculty leaders.
AGA Institute-Rome Foundation Lectureship
During the sixth annual AGA Institute-Rome Foundation Lectureship (May 19, 8 a.m., Room 109A), experts will provide a comprehensive overview of GI permeability in gastroenterology and its clinical significance to functional GI disorders.
###
About the American Gastroenterological Association
The American Gastroenterological (AGA) Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the American Gastroenterological Association has grown to include close to 17,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programs of the organization. Learn more at http://www.gastro.org.
Follow us on Twitter @AmerGastroAssn. Become an AGA fan on Facebook.
About DDW
DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), DDW takes place May 18 21, 2013, at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL. The meeting showcases more than 5,000 abstracts and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology. For more information, visit http://www.ddw.org.
Follow us on Twitter @DDWMeeting; hashtag #DDW13. Become a DDW fan on Facebook.
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AGA presents cutting-edge research and new learning opportunities at DDW 2013Public release date: 17-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Rachel Steigerwald newsroom@gastro.org 301-272-1603 American Gastroenterological Association
Orlando, FL (May 17, 2013) Clinicians, researchers and scientists from around the world will gather for Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2013, the largest and most prestigious gastroenterology meeting, from May 18 to 21, 2013, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. DDW is jointly sponsored by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT).
AGA researchers will present exciting, cutting-edge data during the meeting that will help change the way physicians diagnose and treat gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. All data presented during DDW is embargoed until the beginning of the presentation or an official DDW press conference, whichever occurs first. A list of press activities is available at http://www.ddw.org/press. Newsroom staff can facilitate interviews with researchers presenting at the sessions highlighted below.
All sessions will be held in the Orange County Convention Center. For more information on presentations and data being presented, visit http://www.myddw.org.
Late-Breaking Abstract Sessions
Three late breaking abstract sessions will highlight hot new data accepted for presentation at DDW:
Basic science late-breaking abstracts: May 21, 10 a.m., in Room 205B
General GI clinical science late-breaking abstracts: May 21, 10 a.m., Room 303ABC
Scientists present late-breaking abstracts during posters sessions on May 18, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Hall West A1. Researchers will be present at their posters from noon to 2 p.m.
New Data on the Gut Microbiome
As part of AGA's strategic focus on the gut microbiome, AGA offers speaker sessions and oral research abstracts at DDW 2013. Sessions will discuss the myriad of possibilities that the gut microbiome offers to GI basic and translational researchers, clinicians and patients. New research will report on the microbiome's impact on IBD, cirrhosis, celiac disease, colon cancer and more. View the complete list of invited speaker sessions and oral research abstracts on the gut microbiome http://www.gastro.org/Microbiome_presentations_DDW2013.pdf.
Plenary Sessions
New for 2013, DDW will feature a joint AGA-ASGE Presidential Plenary Session on May 18 at 10 a.m. ET in Room 415 -- Valencia.
From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., the AGA-ASGE joint plenary session will highlight innovative clinical research on IBD, pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer and gastroparesis, among other topics.
From 10 a.m. to noon, AGA Institute President, Loren A. Laine, MD, AGAF, and his ASGE counterpart have invited noted experts to present on hot topics in gastroenterology and GI endoscopy. Presentations include:
"Should Colonoscopy Be the Test of Choice for CRC Screening: Yes," Douglas K. Rex, MD, AGAF, FASGE, Indiana University School of Medicine; University Hospital in Indianapolis
"Should Colonoscopy Be the Test of Choice for CRC Screening: No," David A. Lieberman, MD, AGAF, Oregon Health Sciences University
"Applying Genetics in Clinical Practice: Screening and Management of Colorectal Cancer," John M. Carethers, MD, AGAF, University of Michigan
"Gut Microbiome: Implications for Clinical Practice," Gail A. Hecht, MD, MS, AGAF, University of Illinois College of Medicine
"Hepatitis C: What Therapy This Month?" Michael W. Fried, MD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
AGA will host a Basic Science Plenary Session on May 19 at 2 p.m. ET in Room 307ABC. Data being presented includes:
Inactivation of a Single Allele of P120catenin Dramatically Accelerates KRAS-Driven Carcinogenesis in the Pancreas (2:03 p.m. ET, Abstract #436a). Maximilian Reichert et al.
Complete Conversion of Crypt Progenitor Cells Into ATOH1-Positive Cells by Targeted Deletion of DLL1 and Dll4 in LGR5-Positive Intestinal Stem Cells (2:15 p.m. ET, Abstract #436b). Hiromichi Shimizu et al.
Tissue-Specific Knockout of the RNA-Binding Protein HuR Inhibits Intestinal Mucosal Growth by Down-Regulating Wnt Signaling (2:27 p.m. ET, Abstract #436c). Lan Liu et al.
A Novel In Vitro SPEM Culture Provides a Model for Characterization of Metaplasia in the Stomach (2:39 p.m. ET, Abstract #436d). Victoria G. Weis et al.
Crohn's Disease-Associated Adherent-Invasive Escherichia coli Suppress Autophagy Response to Replicate Intracellularly by Regulating Host MicroRNA Expression (3:21 p.m. ET, Abstract #436e). Hang T. Nguyen et al.
Human Gut Microbiota Modulates Gut Serotonergic Pathway and Motility (3:33 p.m. ET, Abstract #436f). Purna C. Kashyap et al.
Other exciting data will be presented during DDW, including 63 clinical symposia, 13 translational symposia, nine research symposia, nine state-of-the-art lectures, seven distinguished abstract plenary sessions, and other committee-sponsored and special sessions on a range of GI topics. Additionally, the AGA Institute will sponsor four curbside consultant sessions. A total of 10 focused research roundtables and focused clinical updates breakfast sessions designed to help participants choose the must-see basic science and clinical research abstracts presented during DDW will occur throughout the meeting.
Special Sessions for Fellows and Young GIs
AGA has developed special sessions to meet the unique needs of physicians who are new to the field. Participants will learn about all aspects of starting a career in clinical practice or research, have the opportunity to network with mentors and peers, and review board material. All sessions occur on Monday, May 20, and include:
Board Review Session (8 a.m., Room 208) designed around content from the new Digestive Diseases Self-Education Program 7, this session will serve as a primer for third-year fellows preparing for the board exam, as well as a review course for others wanting to test their knowledge.
Career and Professional Related Issues (12:30 p.m., Room 208) will provide advice on common career issues such as choosing a practice type and location, developing an attractive CV, interviewing, negotiating contracts, and work-life balance.
Maximizing Opportunities within Fellowship Training: Advice from Fellows and Faculty (2 p.m., Room 313) presents information on how to create a niche within GI. A designated portion of the session will also examine GI career opportunities in research, hepatology and education, as well as provide an assessment of advanced clinical training opportunities.
AGA Academy of Educators Plenary Session
AGA presents a committee-sponsored symposium, AGA Academy of Educators: Planning for Promotion: Promoting Your Professional Portfolio (May 21, 8 a.m., Room 202AB), for academic clinicians or medical educators who are interested in taking their careers to the next level. This interactive session will highlight important topics in portfolio preparation and will teach attendees how to create a CV worthy of promotion. Presentations will be followed by roundtable discussions led by faculty leaders.
AGA Institute-Rome Foundation Lectureship
During the sixth annual AGA Institute-Rome Foundation Lectureship (May 19, 8 a.m., Room 109A), experts will provide a comprehensive overview of GI permeability in gastroenterology and its clinical significance to functional GI disorders.
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About the American Gastroenterological Association
The American Gastroenterological (AGA) Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the American Gastroenterological Association has grown to include close to 17,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programs of the organization. Learn more at http://www.gastro.org.
Follow us on Twitter @AmerGastroAssn. Become an AGA fan on Facebook.
About DDW
DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), DDW takes place May 18 21, 2013, at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL. The meeting showcases more than 5,000 abstracts and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology. For more information, visit http://www.ddw.org.
Follow us on Twitter @DDWMeeting; hashtag #DDW13. Become a DDW fan on Facebook.
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Posted by Doug Johnson on May 22, 2013.
What?s it about? Manage lots of social network feeds all at once with Viralheat, an app that aggregates your updates so you can post to lots of different accounts.
What?s it about? Follow the horrific story of the disappearance of a girl named Melissa in experimental film making project Haunting Melissa.
What?s cool? Frozen Synapse is a game in which players direct squads of soldiers around virtual worlds by carefully plotting out their orders and motions. Your goal in each level is to provide each of your characters with orders of what to do, with actions taking place in short bursts. But while it's sort of turn-based, Frozen Synapse has all characters, both yours and those belonging to your opponents, executing all their orders at the same time, so the game allows you to simulate what might happen before you commit to your actions. Making smart decisions is key to victory, and the game includes five different multiplayer modes to go with its single-player offerings.
This Gillmor Gang was recorded live at betaday, the betaworks annual gathering in New York. The Gillmor Gang included John Borthwick, Robert Scoble, Douglas Rushkoff, Paul Davison, and Steve Gillmor. Enjoy.
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Public release date: 17-May-2013
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