Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=cebaf845f6dd26b0ad86921022a61bca
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Basics: These Mammals Pack a Toxic Punch
[unable to retrieve full-text content]For protection, mammals generally rely on teeth, claws, muscles, keen senses or quick wits. Every so often, however, a mammalian lineage discovers the wonders of chemistry.
But seriously: Super Bowl ads that didn't kid around
Chrysler took a gamble on their sober "Imported From Detroit" ad. But the longest spot in big game history was a hit.
By Peter Hartlaub, msnbc.com contributor
They appear out of nowhere, as out-of-place as organic cheese on your nachos at the stadium concession stand. ?
Serious Super Bowl ads play on emotions instead of humor or sex appeal. They are generally few and far between, and if they bomb, they have the potential to bomb in a very big way.
?Obviously, it can be effective to pull everyone?s heartstrings. But you don?t want to miss,? said Tod Puckett, an executive producer at San Francisco-based advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners. ?In 30 seconds, it can be much easier to make a connection with humor.?
And yet when you look on any all-time best Super Bowl commercial list, the chances are good that at least few somber or emotional ads are included among the beer-loving frogs and office linebackers.
Puckett, who worked on the heralded E*Trade dancing monkey Super Bowl ad of 2000, credits the makers of Budweiser?s post-Sept. 11 ?Respect? with taking the type of heavy risk that many advertisers aren?t willing to consider.
Puckett hasn?t seen a flood of serious ads yet for next week?s Super Bowl XLVI, but he?s hopeful there will be some memorable ones.
?I?ve been very disappointed in the past few years with Super Bowl commercials,? he said. ?(Animals) and throwing bottles at people?s heads. I think we can do better.?
Below, in descending order, are our favorite serious advertisements of all time. We defined ?serious? as any advertisement that is not driven by humor, sex, action or visual effects.?
Volkswagen ?Big Day? (2001)
The commercial: Scenes of a woman preparing for her wedding are interspersed with a well-dressed man, becoming increasingly frustrated as he winds through traffic and other obstacles in a Jetta VR6. He arrives in a church where the woman is about to marry another man. The priest says ?Speak, or forever hold your peace,? they lock eyes and the screens fades to black.?
Tagline: ?Fasten your seatbelts?
Legacy: The commercial was a viewer favorite, and started a strong Super Bowl ad run for Volkswagen ? which had a winner last year featuring a little kid trying to use The Force in a Darth Vader costume.??
Master Lock ?Tough Under Fire? (1973)
The commercial: The commercial features a man on a rifle range, followed by slow motion video of a bullet piercing the center of a Master Lock. The couldn?t-be-more-serious narrator explains: ?The Master Lock model No. 15 sustained considerable damage, but did not open.??
Tagline: ?Whatever your protection needs, there?s a Master Lock ready for the job.?
Legacy: Arguably the first landmark Super Bowl advertisement, new generations are discovering it nearly 40 years later. Master Lock posted a grainy version of the commercial on YouTube, and it has received almost 400,000 views.?
Google ?Parisian Love? (2010)
The commercial: In a story told entirely within the Google search field (with a few well-placed audio effects), a student studies abroad, meets a woman, courts her, marries and has a baby ? using Google searches to book flights, translate French, locate a church and finally assemble a crib.
Tagline: ?Search on.?
Legacy: Google?s first Super Bowl ad was a huge hit ? both during the game and after, when millions watched the video. (Presumably after searching Google for it.) The inevitable parodies started appearing within hours, which was probably part of the tech giant?s plan.
Budweiser ?Applause? (2005)
The commercial: Travelers go about their business in a busy airport. People of all ages and all walks of life burst into a building applause, before the subjects of their tribute ? a group of military personnel returning from overseas ? walk wearily but purposefully into view.
Tagline: ?Thank you.?
Legacy: The commercial received a lot of buzz and positive attention for the beer-maker. Budweiser aired ?Applause? only twice in 2005 ? during the Super Bowl and the Daytona 500, before using it again in 2008 to support the United Service Organizations.
Chrysler ?Imported From Detroit? (2011)
The commercial: Images of Detroit flash by, as a narrator talks about the Chrysler?s comeback. The pep talk hits a crescendo as the instrumental to Eminem?s ?Lose Yourself" builds, a choir appears, the rapper points at the camera and says, ?This is the Motor City. And this is what we do.?
Tagline: ?Imported from Detroit?
Legacy: The two-minute version of the commercial received 14 million YouTube hits in less than a year. A few were critical of such a large ad buy so soon after a government bailout for the company. But the longest ad in Super Bowl history was hailed by fans and ad insiders.
Apple ?1984? (1984)
The commercial: Workers in drab grey uniforms march in lockstep, as an Orwellian leader dispenses propaganda on a giant video screen. Police with batons chase a woman in a white tank top and orange running shorts, who spins and hurls a sledgehammer at the screen.
Tagline: ?On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you?ll see why 1984 won?t be like ?1984.??
Legacy: The Ridley Scott-directed commercial was a huge hit for Apple, and is considered a watershed moment for Super Bowl advertising. Apple followed the next year with the shockingly depressing ?Lemmings? ad, arguably one of the worst in Super Bowl history.
Budweiser ?Respect? (2002)
The commercial: A team of the brewer's iconic Clydesdales takes a long, somber journey along a snowy landscape from Vermont to New York. When they reach New York City, the horses kneel solemnly with the space that used to be the World Trade Center in the distance.
Tagline: None.
Legacy: What had to be a huge risk for Budweiser was almost universally hailed. It routinely shows up at the top of all-time-best lists. Budweiser created a 10-year anniversary edition late last year, which was hard to distinguish from the original.
Coca-Cola ?Mean Joe Greene (1980)
The commercial: A limping Mean Joe Greene walks down a tunnel toward the locker room after a tough game. A boy stops Greene, asks if he needs help and offers him a Coke. The surly defensive end takes the drink, stops the boy (?Hey kid ? catch?) and throws him a jersey.
Tagline: ?Have a Coke and a smile.?
Legacy: While the commercial actually debuted during the football season in 1979, it became a sensation after it aired during Super Bowl XIV. A spin-off movie (?The Steeler and the Pittsburgh Kid?) aired, a duplicate version starring Diego Maradona was filmed, and the ad continues to resonate in popular culture.
Peter Hartlaub is the pop culture critic for the San Francisco Chronicle.
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Monday, January 30, 2012
Iran vows to stop "some" oil sales as inspectors visit (Reuters)
TEHRAN (Reuters) ? Iran sent conflicting signals in a dispute with the West over its nuclear ambitions, vowing to stop oil exports soon to "some" countries but postponing a parliamentary debate on a proposed halt to crude sales to the European Union.
The Islamic Republic declared itself optimistic about a visit by U.N. nuclear experts that began Sunday but also warned the inspectors to be "professional" or see Tehran reducing cooperation with the world body on atomic matters.
Lawmakers have raised the possibility of turning the tables on the EU which will implement its own embargo on Iranian oil by July as it tightens sanctions on Tehran over the nuclear program.
But India, the world's fourth-largest oil consumer, said it would not take steps to cut petroleum imports from Iran despite U.S. and European sanctions against Tehran.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection delegation will try to advance efforts to resolve a row about the nuclear work which Iran says is purely civilian but the West suspects is aimed at seeking a nuclear weapon.
Tension with the West rose this month when Washington and the EU imposed the toughest sanctions yet in a drive to force Tehran to provide more information on its nuclear program. The measures take direct aim at the ability of OPEC's second biggest Oil exporter to sell its crude.
In a remark suggesting Iran would fight sanctions with sanctions, Iran's oil minister said the Islamic state would soon stop exporting crude to "some" countries.
Rostam Qasemi did not identify the countries but was speaking less than a week after the EU's 27 member states agreed to stop importing crude from Iran from July 1.
"Soon we will cut exporting oil to some countries," the state news agency IRNA quoted Qasemi as saying.
India, a major customer for Iranian crude, made clear it would not join the wider international efforts to put pressure on Tehran by cutting oil purchases.
"It is not possible for India to take any decision to reduce the imports from Iran drastically, because among the countries which can provide the requirement of the emerging economies, Iran is an important country amongst them," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters on a visit to the Unites States.
The United States wants buyers in Asia, Iran's biggest oil market, to cut imports to put further pressure on Tehran.
DISCUSSION POSTPONED
Iranian lawmakers had been due to debate a bill Sunday that could have cut off oil supplies to the EU in days, in a move calculated to hit ailing European economies before the EU-wide ban on took effect.
But Iranian MPs postponed discussing the measure.
"No such draft bill has yet been drawn up and nothing has been submitted to the parliament. What exists is a notion by the deputies which is being seriously pursued to bring it to a conclusive end," Emad Hosseini, spokesman for parliament's Energy Committee, told Mehr news agency.
Iranian officials say sanctions have had no impact on the country. "Iranian oil has its own market, even if we cut our exports to Europe," Oil Minister Qasemi said.
Another lawmaker said the bill would oblige the government to cut Iran's oil supplies to the EU for five to 15 years, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
By turning the sanctions back on the EU, lawmakers hope to deny the bloc a six-month window it had planned to give those of its members most dependent on Iranian oil - including some of the most economically fragile in southern Europe - to adapt.
NUCLEAR WATCHDOG
Before departing from Vienna, IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts said he hoped Iran would tackle the watchdog's concerns "regarding the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program."
Mehr quoted Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi as saying during a trip to Ethiopia: "We are very optimistic about the outcome of the IAEA delegation's visit to Iran ... Their questions will be answered during this visit."
"We have nothing to hide and Iran has no clandestine (nuclear) activities."
Striking a sterner tone, Iran's parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, warned the IAEA team to carry out a "logical, professional and technical" job or suffer the consequences.
"This visit is a test for the IAEA. The route for further cooperation will be open if the team carries out its duties professionally," said Larijani, state media reported.
"Otherwise, if the IAEA turns into a tool (for major powers to pressure Iran), then Iran will have no choice but to consider a new framework in its ties with the agency."
Iran's parliament has approved bills in the past to oblige the government to review its level of cooperation with the IAEA. However, Iran's top officials have always underlined the importance of preserving ties with the watchdog body.
The head of the state-run National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) said late Saturday that the export embargo would hit European refiners, such as Italy's Eni, that are owed oil from Iran as part of long-standing buy-back contracts under which they take payment for past oilfield projects in crude.
The EU accounted for 25 percent of Iranian crude oil sales in the third quarter of 2011. However, analysts say the global oil market will not be overly disrupted if parliament votes for the bill that would turn off the oil tap for Europe.
Potentially more disruptive to the world oil market and global security is the risk of Iran's standoff with the West escalating into military conflict.
Iran has repeatedly said it could close the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane if sanctions succeed in preventing it from exporting crude, a move Washington said it would not tolerate.
(Additional reporting by Hashem Kalantari, Robin Pomeroy and Hossein Jaseb in Tehran, Svetlana Kovalyova in Milan and Fredrik Dahl in Vienna; Writing by Parisa Hafezi and Robin Pomeroy; Editing by William Maclean and David Stamp)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/wl_nm/us_iran
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Legal Theory Blog: Legal Theory Lexicon: Positive and Normative ...
Introduction
One of the most fundamental distinctions in legal theory is that between "positive legal theory" and "normative legal theory." This post provides a very brief introduction to the distinction, aimed at law students (especially first years) with an interest in legal theory.
The core idea of the distinction between positive and normative legal theory is simple:
- Positive?legal theory seeks to explain?what?the law is and?why?it is that way, and?how?laws affect the world, whereas?
- Pormative?legal theories tell us what the law?ought?to be.
Thus, a positive theory of tort law might seek to explain what causal forces have produced the existing principles of tort law, whereas a normative theory of tort law would tell us what rules of tort liability would be best, right, or justifiable. Or more simply:?positive?legal theories are aboutfacts?and?normative?legal theories are about?values. ?(This simple formulations assumes that facts and values are mutually exclusive, but that may not be correct.)
Positive Legal Theory
Sometimes, the notion of?positive legal theory?is presented in an oversimplified way--as if there were a single, well-defined type of theory that counted as positive. In fact, the phrase "positive legal theory" is used in a variety of ways. The one thing that positive legal theories have in common is that they are?not?normative. Nonetheless, there are three characteristic type of positive legal theory that can be identified:
Positive Legal Theory Type 1: Doctrinal Theories--The first kind of legal theory that is called "positive" is quite simply a theory of what the content of a particular field of legal doctrine?is. Thus, a theory of the freedom of speech might simply seek to explain the shape of existing first amendment doctrine. Or a theory of hearsay rule might seek to provide an account of the rule and exceptions that explains and accurately predicts particular applications of the rule. Doctrinal legal theories are responsive to questions like, "What are the principles that shape this area of the law?" or "Can these cases be explained by some underlying theory?" ?What I am calling a "doctrinal theory" is also sometimes called a "descriptive theory."
Positive Legal Theory Type 2: Explanatory Theories--The second kind of legal theory to which the label "positive" is applied are explanatory theories--theories about why the law is the way it is. For example, a very simple Marxist theory might state that the content of the law can best be explained by the interests of the ruling class. Some legal economists have tried to argue that common-law rules are efficient, because there is "evolutionary pressure" on inefficient legal rules. ?What I am calling an "explanatory theory" is also sometimes called a "causal theory."
Positive Legal Theory Type 3: Effects Theories--The third kind of legal theories that are referred to as "positive" are theories about the consequences that will be produced by a given regime of legal rules. This is the sense of "positive theory" that is most frequently invoked by legal economists. The question --"What effects will a strict liability regime (as opposed to a negligence) regime have on the manufacturers of consumer products?"--can be answered by a legal theory that is positive in the sense that it predicts behavior but does not explicitly evaluate the desirability of the rule. ?What I am calling an "effects theory" is also sometimes called a "predictive theory."
Normative Legal Theory
Normative legal theories, on the other hand, are by their nature?evaluative. Thus, a normative theory of products liability law would take a stand on the question whether negligence or strict liability is the?better rule. Normative legal theories tend to be entwined with more general normative theories, e.g. moral or political theories, although this is not necessarily the case. TheLegal Theory Lexicon?already includes entries on?deontology,?utilitarianism, and?virtue ethics--three of the most important general normative theories that have had an influence on the law. There are three other distinctions that are important to understanding the general idea of a normative legal theory:
Ideal versus Nonideal Theory?Some normative legal theories are "ideal"--that is, they are theories about what the best legal rule would be in the world in which everything was politically possible, the law could be adequately enforced, and other legal rules that interact with the subject of the theory could be adjusted to produce the best overall system. Other normative legal theories are "nonideal"--that is, they are theories that assume a variety of constraints on the choice of legal rules. For example, a nonideal theory might take into account political feasibility or it might take into account the possibility that the system would not provide an optimal level of enforcement for the rule that would otherwise be best. TheLegal Theory Lexicon?entry on?second best?explores these ideas in greater detail.
Justificatory Theories and Critical Theories?Normative legal theories also vary in their "attitude" towards the status quo. You are likely to encounter normative legal theories that start with the question, "What is the best justification that be given for such and such a legal rule?" These justificatory theories have a limited purpose. ?Dworkin's theory--"law as integrity"--is an example of a justificatory theory: Dworkin offers theories that "fit and justify" existing law. ?Such justificatory theories do not address the ultimate question, "What is the best legal rule?" On the other hand, many legal theories have the opposite purpose--the critique of existing legal doctrine. Thus, a critical theory might enumerate all of the criticisms that could be made of an existing legal rule--even though some of the criticisms may rest on inconsistent premises.
Normative Legal Theories, Political Philosophy, and Comprehensive Moral Theories?Another important issue concerns the relationship of normative legal theory to other normative theories, especially political philosophy, ethics, and comprehensive moral theories.? Normative political philosphy asks questions about the normative justification for the state and the normative principles that establish the ends of and limits on the content of the law.? The term ethics can be defined in various ways--but for our purposes on this , ethics might be seen as concerned with the morality of individual action outside the political sphere.? A comprehensive moral theory might encompass both ethics and normative political philosophy.? Normative legal theories have as their domain the normative evaluation of legal substance and procedure.? Normative theories about the law as a whole might be called "general normative jurisprudence."? There can also be normative theories of particular legal domains--"normative constitutional theory," "normative tort theory," and so forth.
One picture of this relationship normative legal theory, on the one hand, and moral and political philosophy, on the other, might be called "top-down."? That is, we might start with a comprehensive moral doctrine (such as utilitarianism or Kant's version of deontology).? Using the method of deduction, we might try to deduce the principles of political philosophy and ethics from a comprehensive moral theory, and the principles of normative legal theory might in turn be deduced from those of political philosophy and ethics.? The top-down approach is exemplified by some consequentialists, who argue for a comprehensive moral doctrine such as welfarism or utilitarianism and then derive normative justifications or criticisms from the comprehensive doctrine and facts about which legal rules will result in what consequences.
Another possibility is that normative legal theory is relatively independent of ethics and political philosophy.? It is at least conceivable that one might believe that the realm of interpersonal ethics is governed by a different set of principles and theories than is the law.? For example, one might espouse deontological ethics, but believe that the laws should (for the most part) be aimed at maximizing utility.
The Intersection of Positive and Normative Theory
So far, we have been assuming a fairly sharp distinction between positive and normative legal theory. And for many purposes, assuming that there is a bright line that separates normative and descriptive legal theory is a good working hypothesis. Even assuming there is such a bright line, however, there are relationships between positive and normative legal theories.
Positive Theory in the Service of Normative Theory--One relationship is clear and straightforward. Many normative theories underdetermine what the legal rules should be in the absence of substantial information about the effects of the rules. This is most obvious in the case of utilitarian theories, where information about consequences does all the real work of determining which legal rule is best. For normative theories like utilitarianism, positive theory performs an essential service. Without a positive account of the effects of a given rule choice, utilitarianism has nothing to say about what rule is best.
Positive Theory as a Constraint on Normative Theory--Another relatively noncontroversial relationship between positive and normative legal theories arises when a positive theory that explains?why?the law has the shape that it does, is taken as imposing a constraint on normative theory. For example, public choice theory makes certain predictions about how legislatures will act in response to various incentives. Some legal rules that might be justified by ideal normative legal theory may be considered "unrealistic" in light of positive theory. In cases like this, positive legal theory provides constraints that limit the options available to normative theory.
Interpretivism and "Law as Integrity"--There is another, more controversial, way that positive and normative legal theory can interact. Ronald Dworkin's theory of law, "law as integrity," attempts to combine the aims of positive doctrinal theory and normative theory. The idea is that a legal theory should both?fit?and?justify?the existing legal landscape. Thus, a Dworkinian theory of the freedom of speech would need to both?fit?the contours of the Supreme Court's decisions and?justify?those decisions. Of those interpretations of free speech doctrine that?fit?the legal topography, Dworkin maintains that judges should select that interpretation that makes the existing law, "the best that it can be." Dworkin's view of legal theory blurs the line between positive and normative legal theory--essentially combining the enterprises that I have called positive doctrinal theory and justificatory normative theory. As you might imagine, this is hugely controversial--although that is a topic for another post.
Conclusion
The distinction between positive and normative legal theories is fundamental, but once you have the terminology down, it is usually easy to apply. The tricky part comes when you are confronted with theories like Dworkin's that blur the lines between the positive and the normative. When you do, my advice is that you stay on your toes. A common mistake is to try to force interpretivist theories into either the positive or the normative. Although there may be deep reasons of legal theory that would justify such a forcing move, it will rarely be productive to start there. A better strategy is to try to understand such hybrid theories from the inside first. When you are constructing your own theories, it is always important to be sure you know whether your theory is positive, normative, or has elements of both. One of the oft-repeated questions that law professors ask of entry-level candidates giving job talks (or ambitious students writing papers) is whether their theory is positive or normative. Be sure you know the answer before the question is asked!
Related Entries
Bibliography
(This entry was last revised on January 29, 2012.)
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
National Puzzle Day Celebration and Contest Comes To Redwood City
Redwood City, CA Patch:
Contestants are traveling from Vermont, Colorado, and yes, Redwood City, to participate in the 4th National Puzzle Day Celebration and Contest hosted by Jigsaw Java.
On Saturday at 10 a.m., Oddfellows Hall on Main Street will be filled with frenzied teams of puzzle lovers racing to complete a 1000-piece puzzle for a $500 cash prize
Read the whole story: Redwood City, CA Patch
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St. Louis hosting 1st big parade on Iraq War's end
Stephanie King holds a picture of her uncle, Col. Stephen Scott who was killed in Iraq in 2008, as she prepares to participate in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Stephanie King holds a picture of her uncle, Col. Stephen Scott who was killed in Iraq in 2008, as she prepares to participate in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Participants in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans make their way along a downtown street Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Spectators cheer and wave as they watch a parade to honor Iraq War veterans pass Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Maj. Rich Radford, who became a symbol of the parade to honor Iraq War veterans thanks to a photo of his young daughter taking his hand while welcoming him home from his second tour in Iraq in 2010, smiles before the start of the parade Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Army Sgt. 1st Class Randy Jemerson, a veteran of two tours in Iraq, takes a picture of a staging at the start of a parade to honor Iraq War veterans Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis. Thousands turned out to watch the first big welcome home parade in the U.S. since the last troops left Iraq in December. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
ST. LOUIS (AP) ? Looking around at the tens of thousands of people waving American flags and cheering, Army Maj. Rich Radford was moved that so many braved a cold January wind Saturday in St. Louis to honor people like him: Iraq War veterans.
The parade, borne out of a simple conversation between two St. Louis friends a month ago, was the nation's first big welcome-home for veterans of the war since the last troops were withdrawn from Iraq in December.
"It's not necessarily overdue, it's just the right thing," said Radford, a 23-year Army veteran who walked in the parade alongside his 8-year-old daughter, Aimee, and 12-year-old son, Warren.
Radford was among about 600 veterans, many dressed in camouflage, who walked along downtown streets lined with rows of people clapping and holding signs with messages including "Welcome Home" and "Thanks to our Service Men and Women." Some of the war-tested troops wiped away tears as they acknowledged the support from a crowd that organizers estimated reached 100,000 people.
Fire trucks with aerial ladders hoisted huge American flags in three different places along the route, with politicians, marching bands ? even the Budweiser Clydesdales ? joining in. But the large crowd was clearly there to salute men and women in the military, and people cheered wildly as groups of veterans walked by.
That was the hope of organizers Craig Schneider and Tom Appelbaum. Neither man has served in the military but came up with the idea after noticing there had been little fanfare for returning Iraq War veterans aside from gatherings at airports and military bases. No ticker-tape parades or large public celebrations.
Appelbaum, an attorney, and Schneider, a school district technical coordinator, decided something needed to be done. So they sought donations, launched a Facebook page, met with the mayor and mapped a route. The grassroots effort resulted in a huge turnout despite raising only about $35,000 and limited marketing.
That marketing included using a photo of Radford being welcomed home from his second tour in Iraq by his then-6-year-old daughter. The girl had reached up, grabbed his hand and said, "I missed you, daddy." Radford's sister caught the moment with her cellphone camera, and the image graced T-shirts and posters for the parade.
Veterans came from around the country, and more than 100 entries ? including marching bands, motorcycle groups and military units ? signed up ahead of the event, Appelbaum said.
Schneider said he was amazed how everyone, from city officials to military organizations to the media, embraced the parade.
"It was an idea that nobody said no to," he said. "America was ready for this."
All that effort by her hometown was especially touching for Gayla Gibson, a 38-year-old Air Force master sergeant who said she spent four months in Iraq ? seeing "amputations, broken bones, severe burns from IEDs" ? as a medical technician in 2003.
"I think it's great when people come out to support those who gave their lives and put their lives on the line for this country," Gibson said.
With 91,000 troops still fighting in Afghanistan, many Iraq veterans could be redeployed ? suggesting to some that it's premature to celebrate their homecoming. In New York, for example, Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently said there would be no city parade for Iraq War veterans in the foreseeable future because of objections voiced by military officials.
But in St. Louis, there was clearly a mood to thank the troops with something big, even among those opposed to the war.
"Most of us were not in favor of the war in Iraq, but the soldiers who fought did the right thing and we support them," said 72-year-old Susan Cunningham, who attended the parade with the Missouri Progressive Action Group. "I'm glad the war is over and I'm glad they're home."
Don Lange, 60, of nearby Sullivan, held his granddaughter along the parade route. His daughter was a military interrogator in Iraq.
"This is something everyplace should do," Lange said as he watched the parade.
Several veterans of the Vietnam War turned out to show support for the younger troops. Among them was Don Jackson, 63, of Edwardsville, Ill., who said he was thrilled to see the parade honoring Iraq War veterans like his son, Kevin, who joined him at the parade. The 33-year-old Air Force staff sergeant said he'd lost track of how many times he had been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as a flying mechanic.
"I hope this snowballs," he said of the parade. "I hope it goes all across the country. I only wish my friends who I served with were here to see this."
Looking at all the people around him in camouflage, 29-year-old veteran Matt Wood said he felt honored. He served a year in Iraq with the Illinois National Guard.
"It's extremely humbling, it's amazing, to be part of something like this with all of these people who served their country with such honor," he said.
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Insurance Quiz | Real Science
1. If twice as many people living along the?coast?are paying twice as high insurance premiums, ?and insurance losses double ? who is making out like a bandit?
2. What organization of Sicilian fame is believed to have wide influence in the Chicago insurance business?
http://www.tdu.org/node/56
I went to college with David Dorfman. He was a nice guy. His dad was straight out of The Godfather.
Source: http://www.real-science.com/insurance-quiz
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Greg Kelly Rape Investigation Creates 'Ethical Minefield' For New York District Attorney
NEW YORK -- Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus J. Vance may face pressure to tap an outside prosecutor to investigate rape allegations against the son of New York City's police commissioner as a result of his office's deep ties to the police department, legal experts said Thursday.
The probe began after a young woman filed a rape complaint against Greg Kelly, 43, at a police station in Manhattan late Tuesday or early Wednesday, according to the New York Times, which broke the news of the investigation Wednesday night.
The alleged sexual assault occurred in October, the woman told police, after she and Kelly had drinks together.
Kelly, a local television news anchor and son of Ray Kelly, the NYPD commissioner, maintains his innocence, according to his attorney, Andrew M. Lankler. "Mr. Kelly strenuously denies any wrongdoing of any kind," Lankler said in an email.
The NYPD handed over the rape complaint to Vance because it was filed against the commissioner's son, an NYPD spokesman told news outlets on Thursday. Kelly has not been charged with a crime.
As the investigation proceeds, Vance might face pressure to turn over the case to an outside prosecutor because of the close working relationship between the district attorney's office and the police department, according to former prosecutors and defense attorneys.
"There's precedent for bringing in an outside prosecutor, and I think that in this case some people will probably call for that," said Paul Callan, a former New York City prosecutor and criminal defense attorney.
Mark Geragos, a prominent Los Angeles defense attorney, said Vance's close working relationship with Ray Kelly creates an appearance of conflict of interest. "It's clearly a valid concern," he said.
A spokeswoman for the district attorney's office declined to comment.
But Callan said he expected Vance's office would resist calls to relinquish the case. "Historically prosecutors fight tooth and nail to hang on to these cases, to prove that they can be fair," he said.
Holding on to the Kelly case could prove politically perilous for Vance, experts said, and scrutiny of his performance will be extraordinarily high in the wake of last year's failed prosecution of Dominique Strauss-Kahn on sexual assault charges.
Vance's office charged Strauss-Kahn, the former International Monetary Fund chief, with attacking an immigrant maid last May, only to see the case collapse after his accuser repeatedly lied in official statements. Yet despite the damaged credibility of Strauss-Kahn's accuser, many in the city criticized the district attorney for refusing to put the case before a jury.
Others, meanwhile, questioned Vance's judgment in bringing criminal charges against such a high-profile defendant before carefully investigating his accuser's claims.
The Kelly case will only be further complicated by the intimate working relationship between Vance's office and the NYPD.
"Clearly it's an ethical minefield," said Mark Geragos, a prominent Los Angeles defense attorney. "He's going to try to play it exactly like he would treat anybody else, but that's just fraught with danger."
Details of the allegations against Greg Kelly remain sketchy, but according to police sources cited by the New York Times and other news outlets, Kelly allegedly met his accuser, a young woman in her late 20s or early 30s, on the street last October. The woman reportedly told police that she and Kelly had drinks at a waterfront restaurant, then proceeded to a law office in lower Manhattan where she worked.
A police source quoted by the New York Daily News said the woman reported that the rape occurred at the office, while she was highly intoxicated.
The woman's boyfriend learned about the alleged assault and eventually confronted Ray Kelly, the NYPD commissioner, at a public event, NYPD spokesman Paul J. Browne told the New York Daily News. The boyfriend told the commissioner that his son "ruined my girlfriend's life," Browne said.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/26/greg-kelly-rape-investigation_n_1235235.html
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
Crude prices rise on promise of low interest rates (AP)
NEW YORK ? Oil prices rose Wednesday afternoon, briefly topping $100 per barrel, after the Federal Reserve said it would keep interest rates at record lows for a year longer than previously expected.
The Fed's plan allows consumers and business to continue to borrow money cheaply in the U.S., which should help boost the economy of the world's largest oil consumer. The central bank, which has kept its benchmark interest rate near zero for three years, said it doesn't plan to raise the rate before late 2014.
"They're telling investors `Hey, there's a lot of uncertainty in this world, but the one thing you can count on is that we're going to keep interest rates low,'" PFG Best analyst Phil Flynn said. That kind of promise should spark more expansion among American businesses "and that will hopefully encourage more energy demand."
Benchmark crude on Wednesday rose by 40 cents to $99.35 per barrel in New York. At one point it was as high as $100.40. Brent crude rose 18 cents to $110.21 per barrel in London.
Major stock indices also rose in afternoon trading following the Fed statement.
Earlier in the day, the Energy Department said the nation's crude supplies increased by 3.6 million barrels last week, far more than analysts expected. Demand for oil dropped by about 4 percent. Gasoline demand was down as well, with the four-week average 6.4 percent below year-ago levels.
Supplies of gasoline and distillates, which include diesel fuel, dropped as refineries slowed operations in the face of slack demand.
Meanwhile, Iran ratcheted up tensions in the Persian Gulf with threats to halt oil sales to Europe.
Iran, the world's third-largest oil exporter, has been engaged in a lengthy dustup with Western nations over its secretive nuclear program, which may be developing a nuclear bomb. The European Union recently announced plans to embargo Iranian oil this summer. Iran now threatens to cut oil off to Europe sooner than that. EU nations account for about 18 percent of Iran's oil sales, and Iranian lawmakers think stopping oil sales to Europe would hurt those nations more than it would Iran.
Meanwhile natural gas prices continue to rebound from recent 10-year lows, rising more nearly 6 percent to $2.70 per 1,000 cubic feet on Wednesday. Prices are being pushed up by forecasts for cooler winter temperatures across much of the country, closer to average for this time of year. The mild winter thus far has slowed demand for natural gas to heat homes.
Gasoline pump prices in the U.S. were flat on Wednesday at a national average of $3.38 per gallon, according to auto club AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. That's about the same as a week ago, 15 cents higher than a month ago and 27 cents more than a year ago.
In other energy trading heating oil was virtually unchanged at $3.02 a gallon and gasoline futures rose by 3 cents to $2.84 a gallon.
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Studies: Avastin may fight early breast cancers (AP)
Surprising results from two new studies may reopen debate about the value of Avastin for breast cancer. The drug helped make tumors disappear in certain women with early-stage disease, researchers found.
Avastin recently lost approval for treating advanced breast cancer, but the new studies suggest it might help women whose disease has not spread so widely. These were the first big tests of the drug for early breast cancer, and doctors were cautiously excited that it showed potential to help.
In one study, just over one third of women given Avastin plus chemotherapy for a few months before surgery had no sign of cancer in their breasts when doctors went to operate, versus 28 percent of women given chemo alone. In the other study, more than 18 percent on Avastin plus chemo had no cancer in their breasts or lymph nodes at surgery versus 15 percent of those on chemo alone.
A big caveat, though: The true test is whether Avastin improves survival, and it's too soon to know that ? both studies are still tracking the women's health. The drug also has serious side effects.
"I don't think it's clear yet whether this is going to be a winner," Dr. Harry Bear of Virginia Commonwealth University said of Avastin. But he added, "I don't think we're done with it."
Bear led one study, in the United States. Dr. Gunter von Minckwitz of the University of Frankfurt led the other in Germany. Results are in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.
Avastin (uh-VAS'-tihn) is still on the market for some colon, lung, kidney and brain tumors. In 2008, it won conditional U.S. approval for advanced breast cancer because it seemed to slow the disease. Further research showed it didn't meaningfully extend life and could cause heart problems, bleeding and other problems. The government revoked its approval for breast cancer in November.
Now doctors can prescribe Avastin for breast cancer but insurers may not pay. Treatment can cost $10,000 a month. The drug is made by California-based Genentech, part of the Swiss company Roche. It is still approved for treating advanced breast cancer in Europe and Japan.
The new studies tested it in a relatively novel way ? before surgery. This is sometimes done to shrink tumors that seem inoperable, or to enable women to have just a lump removed instead of the whole breast.
The women in the studies had tumors that were large enough to warrant treatment besides surgery. Their cancers were not the type that can be treated by Herceptin, another widely used drug.
In the U.S. study, 1,200 women were given chemo or chemo plus infusions of Avastin. By the time of their surgery, no cancer could be found in the breasts of more than 34 percent of those given Avastin versus 28 percent of the others. (Surgeons still have to operate because they don't know the tumor is gone until they check tissue samples.)
The German study involved 1,900 women including some with larger tumors. It used a stricter definition of cancer-free at surgery: no sign of disease in the breast or lymph nodes rather than just the breast. No cancer was seen in 18 percent of women on Avastin versus 15 percent of those given only chemo. Different chemo drugs were used ? a factor that might change Avastin's effectiveness.
The U.S. study was paid for by the National Cancer Institute with some support from drug companies. The German study was sponsored by drug companies. Some researchers consult for Genentech or other makers of cancer drugs.
If even one of these studies shows a survival advantage for Avastin "that would be a game changer" although side effects remain a concern, said Dr. Gary Lyman. He is a Duke University researcher who was on the federal advisory panel that recommended revoking Avastin's approval.
However, von Minckwitz said side effects are more justifiable in early breast cancer patients because "the intention is cure" rather than in late-stage disease where cure isn't usually possible.
Of the more than 200,000 women in the U.S. diagnosed each year with breast cancer, about 30,000 are like those in the new studies, Lyman estimated.
But the studies' impact could be far greater: The participants' tissue samples are being analyzed for genes and biomarkers to predict which women are most likely to respond to Avastin. That could lead to a relook of using the drug for certain women with advanced disease, too.
Three other studies are under way testing Avastin in early breast cancer; one is expected to have results by the end of this year, said Dr. Sandra Horning, global development chief of cancer drugs for Roche and Genentech. The company does not plan to seek any change in Avastin's use until more results are available, she said.
___
Online:
Studies: http://www.nejm.org
Avastin: http://www.avastin.com
___
Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Travel photo of the day: Mist on the Delaware River
Submitted by Nicki McManus / UGC
Delaware River near Milford, Pa.
Nicki McManus hadn't planned on capturing this early morning image of geese on the Delaware River when she took it in the fall of 2010.?
McManus and her husband, who live in Wantage, N.J., were driving to photograph Hidden Lake, which is located toward the southern end of the Delaware Water Gap National Park. The couple had pulled over to make a phone call and McManus wandered around the river's edge, at the Dingmans Ferry boat launch.
"That morning was very cool, as most fall days in the middle of October, causing the mist to rise off the river," McManus told TODAY.com. "I was walking around with my camera, and as always, looking for a shot. When I turned to my right, I saw the geese gathered there on the shore just asking to be photographed."
McManus is a professional freelance photography who mostly shoots landscapes. But she also has a "passion for old barns, and anything else from days gone by." To see more of her work, visit her website.
McManus holds a special place in her camera for the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area: "It has so much to offer. There are countless hiking trails, beautiful views, and many, many photo [opportunities]."
Do you have some photos you want to share? Submit them for a chance to be featured in the weekly gallery by clicking here.
You can also join our It's a Snap Facebook community and share your photos with others by clicking here.
More photos:
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Egypt's Islamist-led parliament to hold first session (Reuters)
CAIRO (Reuters) ? Egypt's parliament sits for the first time Monday since Hosni Mubarak was deposed after a historic election that put Islamists, repressed under the former president, in the driving seat.
The Muslim Brotherhood's party was the biggest winner in the first free vote in decades. It has vowed to guide Egypt in the transition to civilian rule after generals took charge after Mubarak was pushed out of office in February.
The rise of the Islamists marks a sea change from Mubarak's era when parliament was a compliant body stuffed with members of his National Democratic Party and the Muslim Brotherhood was officially banned though semi-tolerated.
Generals will remain in charge until after a presidential election in June when they have promised to handover power, although many Egyptians suspect the army may seek to cling on to power from behind the scenes even after that.
"It will be a historical session in Egypt's transition to democracy and civilian rule," Mohamed Beltagy, a leading member of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), said before the first session, due to begin at 11 a.m. (0900 GMT).
One of the first steps in Monday's session will be electing the speaker, set to be the FJP's nominee, Mohamed el-Katatni.
Youth movements, who put national pride before religion when they galvanised Egyptians in the 18-day revolt against Mubarak, said they would demonstrate outside the assembly to ensure protesters killed in the uprising were not forgotten.
"We do not contest the popular mandate of parliament, but it better deliver on the rights of martyrs and wounded. We fear political parties may vie for political gain and ignore the youth," activist Mohamed Fahmy said.
Liberals were pushed into third place behind the FJP and ultraconservative Islamist Salafis led by al-Nour party, the surprise runners up. The FJP says it controls almost half the 498 elected seats, with a few re-runs still to be held.
REVIVAL
Although Islamists dominate, it is unclear whether they will form a single bloc in parliament, which will have a key role in drafting the new constitution. The Brotherhood has said it wants to be inclusive and ensure all voices in Egypt are heard.
Monday's session marks the revival of an assembly that in the early 20th century was a vibrant forum for the nation's aspirations and filled with deputies who vied with the monarch and Egypt's British overlords.
Parliament's independent voice was extinguished after a 1952 coup that toppled the king and swept military-backed autocrats to power. Mubarak was a former air force commander and the ruling military council is now led by Mubarak's defense minister for 20 years, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi.
"The Egyptian military seems at this point determined to carve out an exception to democratic rule for its area of power and interest," Human Rights Watch's executive director Kenneth Roth said Sunday at the launch of the group's annual report in Cairo.
Parliamentarians see the new assembly as bringing Egypt a step closer to ending military rule.
"We say that we respect and appreciate the army but the military council must be held accountable for any mistakes ... No one is above accountability," the Brotherhood's general guide, Mohamed Badie, said last week.
But the Islamist group has also previously said it does not seek a confrontation with the military.
Some analysts have suggested the army will not fully abandon politics unless the Brotherhood and other prominent political parties offer guarantees that it will not face legal retribution over the killing of protesters.
Mubarak, 83, is now on trial for his role in the deaths of 850 people during the uprising. Scores of people have been killed in sporadic eruptions of violence since then, including demonstrations against army rule in November and December.
Several youth groups say they will hold peaceful protests in front of parliament in central Cairo to ensure the new assembly supports those wounded or families of those killed in protests.
A Brotherhood source said its members would form a human chain around parliament to stop any protest turning violent.
(Additional reporting by Tamim Elyan; Editing by Edmund Blair and Janet Lawrence)
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Posthumous US asylum bid highlights gang debate
JERSEY CITY, N.J.?? Josue Rafael Orellana Garcia fled his impoverished neighborhood in Honduras for the United States as a teenager, to escape what began as teasing over his disabilities and escalated into what his mother said were threats to kill him if he did not join a gang.
Making his way illegally to New Jersey to be with his mother, he applied for asylum in 2008, claiming he'd be killed by gangs if forced to return to the small but violence-plagued nation. He lost his case, was deported in 2010, and last year was found dead, his body riddled with bullets. He was 20.
Now his family has taken the unusual step of trying to win him asylum posthumously. His attorney, Joshua Bardavid, said it's an effort to get the U.S. government to acknowledge the "entire system let him down" and to call attention to the plight of thousands of Central American teenagers.
But the case also highlights a growing debate among immigration experts over whether the grounds for asylum in the United States should be expanded to include more modern forms of conflict, such as gang violence.
To be granted asylum in the U.S., applicants must prove a well-founded and documented fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. They must also show that the government or ruling authority in their home country is unwilling or incapable of adequately protecting them.
U.S. Immigration Judge Frederic Leeds in Newark found Orellana's claims credible but said the young man had not sufficiently documented that he and his family had been targeted by gangs. Even if he had, there is no legal precedent for extending "the concept of family group to the concept of joining gangs," wrote the judge, while expressing appreciation for what he said were creative arguments on the young man's behalf.
Though the law does not consider the threat of gang recruitment as meeting the definition of a protected social group, some believe it should, said Dana Leigh Marks, the president of the National Association of Immigration Judges.
"There are those who would argue the asylum law is old-fashioned and needs to be modernized, while others would argue it is a limited remedy that is not supposed to resolve all problems and allow everyone to qualify," Marks said.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the international body responsible for the protection of refugees and asylum seekers worldwide, issued a memo in 2010 urging courts to expand existing asylum law interpretations to consider victims of organized gangs as warranting protection, if their cases satisfy all other legal requirements.
But those who oppose expanding the class of potential asylum seekers say it could undermine an already overburdened U.S. immigration system with a flood of new applicants.
"There's no limit to the categories you could add by our (U.S.) standards. There is a lot of oppression in the world," said Steven Camarota, director of research at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies, an organization which advocates stricter immigration rules and believes asylum and all other aspects of immigration law should be decided by the U.S. Congress, not the courts.
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"We may find the treatment of women in some countries poor, compared to our standards, but would you say if they're treated poorly, they're a member of a particular social group?" Camarota said.
Ricardo Estrada, a minister of migratory affairs with the Honduran embassy in Washington, said he was not familiar with Orellana's case but that "it's likely that his story could be true, because conditions point to it."
"Lamentably, our country is going through a crisis of violence," Estrada told The Associated Press, in an interview conducted in Spanish. "The problem is enormous, and security is an issue the government is really trying to tackle, but it's very challenging with a government that has little resources in comparison to the narco-cartels, who often have better arms than the police."
Investigators face a huge backlog of homicide investigations, but have few resources, he said.
Honduras has the highest homicide rate in the world, according to a 2011 United Nations report which cited 6,200 killings, or 82.1 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, in 2010. Earlier this month, the Peace Corps withdrew all volunteers from the country, citing safety and security concerns. The U.S. agreed this past week to send a team of experts to help the Honduras government with "citizen security issues."
In a motion filed in December with the Board of Immigration Appeals, Bardavid argued that Orellana, as a result of being shot dead after being deported, now meets the burden of proof required of asylum applicants to show they would suffer irreparable harm if sent back to their country.
"I think it's something that needs to be acknowledged: that we failed him; that he came here seeking safety, and the entire system let him down," Bardavid said.
Spokeswoman Kathryn Mattingly of The Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees the BIA, said the agency does not comment on pending cases or prior decisions.
Orellana's mother, Josefa Rafaela Garcia Mejia, lives legally in the United States under a program that allows immigrants from qualifying countries to live and work in the U.S. on a restricted visa. She said gangs killed her son, the youngest of her four children.
Orellana had been picked on from a young age after losing one eye and much of his hearing from being struck by a tree during Hurricane Mitch, which devastated much of Honduras in 1998, Garcia said. She sent money home, working as a home health aide in New Jersey, to support Orellana and his three siblings, and to buy him a glass eye.
As he got older, his mother said, Orellana told her in frequent phone calls that he was being pursued and threatened by gangs that controlled their San Pedro Sula neighborhood, trying to recruit young people. The threats got so bad, she said, her son fled, against her advice. He was alone at the age of 17 when he crossed illegally into the U.S. to join her in New Jersey.
In a court hearing in July 2009, the judge asked Orellana why, if he had been attacked several times by notorious Central American gangs, he had never gone to the police to file a report.
"Like I mentioned, we would call the police but the police were afraid to come where we lived," Orellana replied.
After Leeds' decision was upheld on appeal, the young man was deported to Honduras in March 2010. He disappeared on July 23, 2011, after telling his grandmother he was running to the store, his mother said. His body was discovered three days later in a nearby wooded area, according to a story in the Honduran newspaper La Tribuna.
"I say as a mother, as a Christian woman, my son was not involved with gangs; he never carried so much as a nail clipper," Garcia said, crying as she clutched a photograph of him. "If they had not deported my boy, he would not be dead."
___
Follow Samantha Henry at http://www.twitter.com/SamanthaHenry
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46092033/ns/us_news/
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Highway Pro Turns Cigarette Lighter Into USB Charger
Just Mobile’s Highway Pro should really come as standard in every car. It’s a small cylindrical widget which plugs in the cigarette lighter socket (are they still called cigarette lighter sockets?) and turns it into a pair of USB charging slots. Regular readers will already know that I think cars should be stripped of all [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/nPilxiWuNzs/
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Gadgets Week in Review: Picture Book
Here are some stories from the past week on TechCrunch Gadgets: What Happened To Kodak?s Moment? Improvement On Age-Old Mathematical Principle Could Yield Improved Images, Video Sea Change: Apple Guts Textbook Publishing Marketing Genius: Two Twins Giggling As They Sell You Designer 3D Glasses What Is A 3D Printer Good For? Stop-Motion Cartoons Featuring Princesses, Of Course!Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/EcetYuVFFjo/
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Sunday, January 22, 2012
Video: Brown: 'Excellence can overcome prejudice?
Roscoe Brown, one of the Tuskegee Airmen, who served as a consultant on the film ?Red Tails? spoke with NBC?s Lester Holt about being a member of the famed flyers saying, ?we wanted to be the best.?
Related Links:
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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46077462/
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'Extinct' monkey rediscovered in Borneo by new expedition
Friday, January 20, 2012
An international team of scientists has found one of the rarest and least known primates in Borneo, Miller's Grizzled Langur, a species which was believed to be extinct or on the verge of extinction. The team's findings, published in the American Journal of Primatology, confirms the continued existence of this endangered monkey and reveals that it lives in an area where it was previously not known to exist.
Miller's Grizzled Langur (Presbytis hosei canicrus) is part of the small primate genus Presbytis, found across Borneo, Sumatra, Java and the Thai-Malay Peninsula. In Borneo, P.h. canicrus is only found in a small corner of the county's north east and its habitat has suffered from fires, human encroachment and conversion of land for agriculture and mining.
The team's expedition took to them to Wehea Forest in East Kalimantan, Borneo, a large 38,000 ha area of mostly undisturbed rainforest. Wehea contains at least nine known species of non-human primate, including the Bornean orangutan and gibbon.
"Discovery of P.h canicrus was a surprise since Wehea Forest lies outside of this monkey's known range. Future research will focus on estimating the population density for P.h. canicrus in Wehea and the surrounding forest," said Brent Loken, from Simon Fraser University Canada. "Concern that the species may have gone extinct was first raised in 2004, and a search for the monkey during another expedition in 2008 supported the assertion that the situation was dire."
By conducting observations at mineral licks where animals congregate and setting up camera traps in several locations, the expedition confirmed that P. h canicrus continues to survive in areas west of its previously recorded geographic range. The resulting photos provide the first solid evidence demonstrating that its geographic range extends further than previously thought.
"It was a challenge to confirm our finding as there are so few pictures of this monkey available for study," said Loken. "The only description of Miller's Grizzled Langur came from museum specimens. Our photographs from Wehea are some of the only pictures that we have of this monkey."
"East Kalimantan can be a challenging place to conduct research, given the remoteness of many remaining forested areas, so it isn't surprising that so little is known about this primate," said Dr. Stephanie Spehar, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. "We are very grateful to our local partners. This discovery represents the hard work, dedication, and collaboration of Western and Indonesian scientists, students, NGOs, as well as local communities and government."
"While our finding confirms the monkey still exists in East Kalimantan, there is a good chance that it remains one of the world's most endangered primates," concluded Loken. "I believe it is a race against time to protect many species in Borneo. It is difficult to adopt conservation strategies to protect species when we don't even know the extent of where they live. We need more scientists in the field working on understudied species such as Miller's Grizzled Langur, clouded leopards and sun bears."
###
Wiley-Blackwell: http://www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell
Thanks to Wiley-Blackwell for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116909/_Extinct__monkey_rediscovered_in_Borneo_by_new_expedition
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Saturday, January 21, 2012
Dracula-esque monkey long thought vanished reappears
A team set up camera traps in Borneo in June, hoping to captures images of wildlife known to congregate at several mineral salt licks but the?pictures that came back caught them all by surprise: groups of?monkeys?none had ever seen.
Scientists working in the dense jungles of Indonesia have "rediscovered" a large, gray?monkey?so rare it was believed by many to be extinct.
Skip to next paragraphThey were all the more baffled to find the Miller's Grizzled Langur ? its black face framed by a fluffy, Dracula-esque white collar ? in an area well outside its previously recorded home range.
The team set up camera traps in the Wehea Forest on the eastern tip of Borneo island in June, hoping to captures images of clouded leopards, orangutans and other wildlife known to congregate at several mineral salt licks.
The pictures that came back caught them all by surprise: groups of?monkeys?none had ever seen.
With virtually no photographs of the grizzled langurs in existence, it at first was a challenge to confirm their suspicions, said Brent Loken, a Ph.D. student at Simon Fraser University in Canada, and one of the lead researchers.
The only images out there were museum sketches.
"We were all pretty ecstatic, the fact that, wow, this?monkey?still lives, and also that it's in Wehea," said Loken.
The?monkey, which has hooded eyes and a pinkish nose and lips, once roamed the northeastern part of Borneo, as well as the islands of Sumatra and Java and the Thai-Malay peninsula. But concerns were voiced several years ago that they may be extinct.
Forests where the?monkeys?once lived had been destroyed by fires, human encroachment and conversion of land for agriculture and mining and an extensive field survey in 2005 turned up empty.
"For me the discovery of this?monkey?is representative of so many species in Indonesia," Loken told The Associated Press by telephone.
"There are so many animals we know so little about and their home ranges are disappearing so quickly," he said. "It feels like a lot of these animals are going to quickly enter extinction."
The next step will be returning to the 90,000 acre (38,000 hectare) forest to try to find out how many grizzly langurs there are, according to the team of local and international scientists, who published their findings in the American Journal of Primatology on Friday.
They appear in more than 4,000 images captured over a two-month period, said Loken, but it's possible one or two families kept returning.
"We are trying to find out all we can," he said. "But it really feels like a race against time."
Experts not involved in the study were hugely encouraged.
"It's indeed a highly enigmatic species," said Erik Meijaard, a conservation scientist who spent more than eight years doing field research in the area.
In the past they were hunted to near extinction for their meat and bezoar "stones," he said, which can, on occasion, be found in their guts.
Bezoars, as Harry Potter fans know from lectures given by Prof. Snape to first year students, are believed by some to neutralize poison.
Meijaard said the animal has long been considered a subspecies of the Hose's Leaf?Monkey, which also occurs on the Malaysian side of Borneo, but it now looks like that may not be the case.
"We think it might actually be a distinct species," he said, "which would make the Wehea discovery even more important."
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Fire Guts Milford Business, Apartments Overnight ? CBS Boston
The 3-alarm fire started after midnight. (Photo by Mark Parkinson)
MILFORD (CBS) ? Firefighters shook off the cold early Thursday morning to put out a three-alarm fire on Central Street.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030?s Karen Twomey reports
It began just after midnight inside a business and eventually spread to all three floors where there were apartments and up through the roof.
Everyone inside escaped safely and nearby buildings were evacuated.
But the fire took several hours to put out and authorities were afraid the old building might collapse, so all firefighters were ordered out as a precaution.
There?s no word yet on a cause.
Milford Fire Chief John Touhey said it appears to have started in the back of the first first floor.
The severe cold was a problem for firefighters. ?It froze the water and the street in front of the building ended up covered in a sheet of ice.
They also had to deal with a hydrant that had a bad leak.
WBZ-TV?s Sera Congi reports
Source: http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/01/19/fire-guts-milford-business-apartments-overnight/
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