The Art of the Tattoo | Outer Banks News North Beach Sun

Posted by north beach sun on Mar 31, 2013 in Community | 0 comments

By Melissa Cox -?

Getting inked at Vertigo Tatoo. Photo by CHELLEshots, Michelle Conner,

The history of tattoos is ancient, dating as far back as the bronze age.

The Outer Banks, however, was a little late to the party, with the first professional tattoo studio opening in 1999 in a beautifully restored 100-year-old house in Manns Harbor.

Owner Brian Mervine says he decided to open Vertigo because of the need for a safe and sanitary tattoo shop on the Outer Banks. A lot of locals were interested in tattoos, but there was no professional shop nearby.

Mervine believed a tattoo shop would do well on the Outer Banks and he was right; Vertigo has been thriving for thirteen years.

According to Mervine, the bad reputation lingering on tattoos today is a remnant of the 1920s when tattoos were popular among prisoners and motorcycle gangs. Such stereotypes prevented Vertigo from opening on the beach in 1999 due to Outer Banks? desire to remain family-oriented.

Now an integral part of the Outer Banks community, the shop has become more than a place to get a tattoo or body piercing.

Vertigo hosted their twelfth annual Toy Run in November. The family-friendly event was? open to the entire community and included a barbecue dinner, live music, raffles and prizes in exchange for the donation of a toy and a ten dollar donation. The proceeds benefited Dare County children at Christmas time.

The sense of being a part of a community is one of the most gratifying parts of working at Vertigo. Tattoo artist, Mark Wiseman, recalls a New York family who visits the Outer Banks annually?each of their eight daughters visiting Wiseman at Vertigo on her eighteenth birthday.

The tattoo artists who work with Mervine are artists in the truest sense, often drawing on a wide-ranging creative background.

Jeremy Hunter began drawing with a passion at a very young age and continues today at Vertigo, where he has worked for nine years receiving rave reviews from his customers.

?I wanted to be a comic book artist,? Hunter says. ?Then, I turned eighteen and got my first tattoo. That?s when I decided to become an apprentice.?

As the owner, Mervine encourages all of the artists at Vertigo to explore every art form possible.

?They are all talented with fine lines, bold lines, black and white [images], portraits, photographs,? he says. ?We all want to be as prepared as possible for anything that comes through our door.?

Vacationers from almost every state have come to the studio, often coming from large cities where they could choose from an abundance of well-known tattoo parlors. Many, however, maintain a loyalty to Vertigo because of the relaxing atmosphere, a top priority for Vertigo, second only to cleanliness.

Today?s tattoo artist is often stereotyped as someone who ?has a rock star attitude and is very intimidating,? says Mervine. That is not the case at Vertigo.

Local resident, Andrew Dalton, who had all ten of his large, colorful tattoos done at Vertigo, describes the artists as ?a bunch of down-to-earth people who cater to your needs and work with you.?

?We are 100 percent accepting of every single customer we get. Their appearance, lifestyle, none of that matters at all when they come here. Everyone leaves with the awesome tattoo that they came here to get,? says Mervine.

When Vertigo opened, their clientele consisted primarily of men. Today, Mervine believes that women make up the majority, a surprising feat considering the first American women with tattoos were circus performers, and later, a woman would need to present her marriage license and her husband in order to be tattooed.

Mervine recalls tattooing a woman who had waited eighty years to get the tattoo she had wanted her entire life.

?People get tattooed for a lot of reasons,? Hunter says. ?Sometimes, they just love the picture, sometimes it?s a family tattoo. We do a lot of memorial tattoos [for lost loved ones]. Pet portraits have become popular recently, too.?

Dalton shares his own means of tattoo choice: ?I don?t choose images from the walls in the shop, and I don?t bring in pictures for the artists to imitate. I tell them my idea then let them take over and use their own creativity.?

?

Source: http://www.northbeachsun.com/the-art-of-the-tattoo/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-art-of-the-tattoo

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Women's new place in combat: A Yahoo! chat

By Martyn Herman LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Whether by design, necessity, self-interest or because of all three, nurturing youngsters has become fashionable for England's elite with no expense spared in the hunt for the new Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard. The length and breadth of the country, scouts from top clubs are hoovering up promising footballers barely old enough to tie their bootlaces in a bid to unearth the 30 million pounds ($45.40 million) treasures of the future. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/what%E2%80%99s-new-and-what%E2%80%99s-not-for-women-in-war--a-yahoo--news-chat-171220929.html

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NeNe Leakes-Kim Zolciak Feud: It's Over!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/nene-leakes-kim-zolciak-feud-its-over/

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Experience Success With these Simple Self Improvement Tips

Best Self Improvement Tips

Self improvement is about finding out who you might be and placing the true you accountable for your lifetime. Make learning a lifelong endeavor whilst functioning on self improvement and also you won't ever quit expanding being an individual.

Working out should be component of everyone's existence, not only those who wish to drop weight. There are lots of bodily and mental benefits to a normal physical exercise program. Whenever you exercise, one's body is stimulated to provide hormones and chemical substances that work collectively to help keep you relaxed and satisfied.

Hearing someone is simply as vital as speaking with them. This really is accurate with self improvement. Listening helps you to improve the terms you are saying and the sentences which you are setting up. Pay attention to yourself as a way to be a much better particular person.

Hang around with individuals that are comparable to who you want to become. Not only will this reinforce you and strengthen positive attitudes in your self, however it may also offer you a break from people who are poisonous that badmouth your goals and dreams at each and every turn.

When you truly feel anger begin to boil above, cease just before you react and rely to 10. Get a protracted, sluggish breath while considering tranquil issues. Maintaining what you say centered on the topic at hand can cease words getting mentioned out of pure anger.

Compose a pep talk on your own. On the postcard, write down all your greatest characteristics. Usually preserve it on you, and browse it anytime you'll need a increase. You may also record a list of your optimistic characteristics and view them on movie. How will this help with your self improvement?

Recognize The need For Self Improvement

1 method of self improvement would be to view oneself as 1 who has not yet discovered all there is certainly to learn. Acknowledging your place within the large plan of issues is freeing. You will begin to know there are many techniques to boost. By instilling these tips inside your brain, you will be much more open up to bettering oneself and learning new details.

For those who have substantial self advancement targets, think about enlisting the assistance of the therapist. Publications that train self help are helpful, but don't have the one-on-one personal contact you may get from the therapist. There are numerous instances just speaking with another person a few nerve-racking circumstance is the most efficient route to leisure. Studying even the most effective self-help e-book cannot start a back-and-forth dialog, the best way a remedy session can.

The initial stage in self improvement is creating a choice to change. Unless of course you comprehend and acknowledge the fact that it'll need change, individual growth will likely be almost impossible for you personally to realize.

Irrespective of your surroundings, you should be ready to file ideas once they come to mind. Get notebook or journal with you, and even make notes in your cellular phone pad. Record the ideas that pop into your head and use them to assist you in self improvement.

Psychological State In the course of Self Improvement

The situation by which you keep one's body can substantially effect your psychological state. Workout over a normal basis, and eat a healthy diet stuffed with healthy meals. Usually preserve in your mind that a sound mental condition and a vigorous bodily condition ought to work in tandem.

After reading through the tips offered above, you should be much more well prepared to develop a strategy to further your personal improvement. Search for opportunities within your everyday life that provide you the prospect to further your self improvement.

Source: http://personal-development-forum.blogspot.com/2013/03/experience-success-with-these-simple.html

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Obama, moms to mark 100 days since Newton shooting with White House event (Washington Bureau)

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Brutal group number may doom one of 'Idol' men

By Craig Berman

?American Idol? had two hours of airtime to fill on Wednesday and just eight singers. That meant that in addition to everyone?s solo, each singer also had a group number to worry about.

Frank Micelotta / FOX

Lazaro Arbos will probably be safe.

That was bad news for the guys on the annual Salute to Detroit episode, appropriate for a season that has been a debacle for their gender. Guys have been voted off in each of the last two week, and tomorrow?s results show might make it a trifecta. Their group number was brutal and then they proceeded to shift the blame around to make it even more obvious that the ?Idol? guys are the J.V. talent understudying for the all-star women on the varsity.

?It?s a beautiful day in Hollywood today,? Nicki Minaj said after watching Lazaro Arbos, Burnell Taylor and Devin Velez butcher ?I Can?t Help Myself.? But that wasn?t the compliment it might sound like. ?That?s what I thought, because I thought I was back in Hollywood week! Get off the stage! Go!? she added.

They did, but not fast enough to avoid tarnishing what had been a decent week.

Lazaro Arbos badly needed a strong performance, and he got what he needed in ?For Once in My Life.? The old swagger was back, and he again looked like a pop star, which is a big step forward from the hot mess of the previous two weeks.

?I don?t know if you completely redeemed yourself, but it was much better than last week,? Randy Jackson said. But Nicki was more effusive, crediting herself for her insistence that Lazaro stop listening to Jimmy Iovine?s criticism. Forget Nicki-Mariah ? it?s Nicki-Jimmy that?s the most entertaining ?Idol? feud in years.

Burnell Taylor impressed the judges with his own solo, and continues to be the beneficiary of Randy Jackson?s worship of All Things Louisiana. Meanwhile, much-maligned Devin Velez got a huge endorsement from Nicki, who raved, ?That was an amazing job tonight. I love every single choice that you made tonight.?

Michael Becker / FOX

Burnell Taylor has a fan in judge Randy Jackson.

So, individually, the guys did fine. ?Together ? ugh.

If any of the women crack the bottom three ? and at least one likely will, given Lazaro?s demonstrated fan support, there are a couple of possibilities.

The obvious choice is Amber Holcomb, a surprise member of the unpopular trio a week ago. ?Her ?Lately? by Stevie Wonder got a standing ovation from all four judges, but it?s also the type of performance that has always tended to impress judges more than viewers.

If she?s in trouble again this week, Nicki has some fashion advice. ?If you wear the pink lipstick, you?ll get more votes,? she said.

It could also be Angie Miller, who got something less than raves for the second week in a row. She was dinged last week for being too theatrical. As if to emphasize that point,? Jimmy told her she didn?t need to enunciate like she was in the musical ?My Fair Lady? -- which caused Angie to point out that she had acted in that play in high school. Accentuating a perceived flaw is rarely a good idea.

Randy called it the first time ever he?d heard her give a pitchy performance, but Keith Urban remained optimistic. ?Your talent is undeniable, and we?ll be seeing you next week,? he said.

The other three women all shone, particularly Janelle Arthur. The judges all told her that Kree Harrison ate her lunch in their duet of ?Like a Prayer, ? but she came up huge with her slowed-down cover of ?You Keep Me Hanging On.? ?

?Janelle at her finest!? ?Mariah yelled.

?I absolutely loved it. I thought it was incredible,? Randy says.

So basically, they liked it.

Candice Glover and Kree Harrison bookended the show, either a smart decision or some lucky randomness.? Both are locks to last until May, and aren?t going anywhere. As for the boys ? well, all bets are off.

Who would you send home? Vote in our poll, and tell us on Facebook.

Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/03/27/17493335-brutal-group-number-may-doom-one-of-idol-men?lite

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Microsoft showcases Windows Phone middleware partnerships at GDC, we go hands-on (video)

Building on yesterday's announcement that Temple Run and several other games are coming to Windows Phone, Microsoft's been actively courting developers at GDC 2013. To that end, the company's booth showcases several games that highlight cross-platform development and middleware. Now that WP8 and Windows 8 share the same NT kernel, DirectX APIs and tools, it's easier than ever to write games that use the same code base for both platforms. Microsoft is sweetening the deal with a few significant middleware partnerships -- Unity, Marmalade and Havok, to be specific. We talked with Larry Lieberman, Senior Product Manager for Windows Phone development, who was kind enough to explain what these partnerships mean for developers and to give us a tour of the games. Hit the break for our hands-on video.

Gallery: Windows Phone middleware demo at GDC 2013

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Gaming, Laptops, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Microsoft

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/28/microsoft-showcases-windows-phone-middleware-partnerships-at-gdc/

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It s Electric: Biologists Seek to Crack Cell s Bioelectric Code

Researchers have found that cells? bioelectrical communication steers growth and development. It is hoped that if the code can be learned, manipulating cellular signaling could be used to stave off cancer or even regenerate limbs

By Daisy Yuhas

Image: Douglas Blackiston

When Tufts University developmental biologist Michael Levin proposed tweaking cells? electrical signals to create new patterns of growth, he encountered some resistance. "People thought it was nuts," Levin says.

That's because although all cells have electric potentials (defined as the amount of energy required to move a given electrical unit against an electrical field), and these potentials clearly relate to cellular properties?the assumption in most cases was that the electric potential related primarily to cellular maintenance or ?housekeeping.? Disrupting a cell?s electrical potential, the conventional wisdom went, would kill it.

Yet for more than a decade Levin's work has countered this idea. He has manipulated the electrical potentials of cells in various ways to produce a menagerie of strange beasts: tadpoles with eyes on their tails or within their guts and frogs sprouting toes at the site of an amputated leg.

In fact, Levin believes he has found a new role for the bioelectricity of cells. He posits that the pattern of cellular voltages creates a system of electric signals that direct how the body grows. He calls these signals the bioelectric code and believes they are fundamentally as important in understanding growth and development as the genes in the body or the various chemical switches that turn them on and off. Indeed, he thinks that changes in electric potentials across cells can also serve as a so-called epigenetic switch to regulate how genes function.

Although Levin may have coined the phrase ?bioelectric code,? the belief that electric signals relate to patterns of growth is not a new concept. "The idea goes back a long way," says regenerative biologist David Stocum of Indiana University?Purdue University Indianapolis. "[Levin]'s taken it to a much higher art,? Stocum says, by actually looking at cellular potentials with specialized dyes.

Some of the earliest investigations go back nearly one hundred years. In the early 20th century Yale University biologist Harold Burr placed various organisms in a voltmeter to study their electric potentials and suggested there was a link between shape and electrical properties. Then in the 1970s Lionel Jaffe, a biologist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., used a probe to study electrical currents in and around cells. He noted differences in the electrical properties of creatures that could regenerate, such as salamanders, and those that could not, such as adult frogs. But much of this bioelectric research would be forgotten in subsequent decades in the rush toward molecular biology and genetics.

In recent years, researchers at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland have been examining how electric fields guide the growth of tissues during healing. But Levin's approach is the first to look at electric potentials on the level of individual cells and how they can be incorporated into our knowledge of molecular biology.

All cells have an electric potential that comes from the difference between charged atoms and molecules, or ions, on either side of the cell's membrane. Highly malleable cells, such as stem cells, which have the ability to grow into other cell types as well as tumor cells (which are characterized by abnormal and uncontrolled growth) have low electric potentials whereas mature and stable cells have high potentials.

Levin reasoned that if you could alter a cell's potential you can change how it would grow. And by changing the electric potential of many cells, he hypothesized that he could trigger the growth of a specific structure. Levin sees these patterns of electrical activity as a form of cellular communication, signaling when and how to grow.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=251d8914d71d9336620acc0ed13b3942

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Microscale medical sensors inserted under skin powered wirelessly by external handheld receiver

Mar. 27, 2013 ? Implantable electronic devices potentially offer a rapid and accurate way for doctors to monitor patients with particular medical conditions. Yet powering such devices remains a fundamental challenge: batteries are bulky and eventually need recharging or replacing. Jia Hao Cheong at the A*STAR Institute for Microelectronics, Singapore, and his co-workers are developing an alternative approach that eliminates the need for a battery. Their miniature devices are based on wireless power-transfer technology.

The research team has developed a microscale electronic sensor to monitor blood flow through artificial blood vessels. Surgeons use these prosthetic grafts to bypass diseased or clogged blood vessels in patients experiencing restricted blood supply, for example. Over time, however, the graft can also become blocked. To avoid complete failure, blood flow through the graft must be monitored regularly, but existing techniques are slow and costly.

These limitations prompted the researchers to develop a bench-top prototype of a device that could be incorporated inside a graft to monitor blood flow. The implant is powered by a handheld external reader, which uses inductive coupling to wirelessly transfer energy, a technology similar to that found in the latest wireless-charging mobile phones. The team developed an application-specific, integrated circuit for the implant designed for low power use (see image).

The incoming energy powers circuits in the device that control sensors based on silicon nanowires. This material is piezoresistive: as blood flows over the sensor the associated mechanical stresses induce a measurable increase in electrical resistance, proportional to the flow pressure.

Key to the success of the device is its ability to work with a very limited power supply. Most of the incoming energy is absorbed by skin and tissue before it can reach the implant, which may be inserted up to 50 millimeters deep.

"Our flow sensor system achieves an ultra-low power consumption of 12.6 microwatts," Cheong says. For example, the sensor transmits its data to the handheld reader passively, by backscattering some of the incoming energy. "We have tested our system with 50-millimeter-thick tissue between the external coil and implantable coil, and it successfully extracted the pressure data from the implantable device," he adds.

Cheong and his co-workers' tests showed that the prototype sensor was also highly pressure sensitive, providing pressure readings with a resolution of 0.17 pounds per square inch (1,172 pascals). "The next step of the project is to integrate the system and embed it inside a graft for [an experimental] animal," Cheong says.

The A*STAR-affiliated researchers contributing to this research are from the Institute of Microelectronics

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Jia Hao Cheong, Simon Sheung Yan Ng, Xin Liu, Rui-Feng Xue, Huey Jen Lim, Pradeep Basappa Khannur, Kok Lim Chan, Andreas Astuti Lee, Kai Kang, Li Shiah Lim, Cairan He, Pushpapraj Singh, Woo-Tae Park, Minkyu Je. An Inductively Powered Implantable Blood Flow Sensor Microsystem for Vascular Grafts. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2012; 59 (9): 2466 DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2012.2203131

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/oPdGd-Vm3EA/130327162425.htm

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Fisker hires law firm to prepare possible bankruptcy filing: WSJ

DETROIT/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fisker Automotive, the green-car company that has not built a car since July, hired restructuring lawyers from Kirkland & Ellis to prepare for a possible bankruptcy filing, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The cash-strapped automaker, which furloughed its more than 200 U.S. workers this week to conserve cash, has been exploring bankruptcy as an option, while it continues to look for a strategic partner, two people briefed on the matter said.

A Fisker spokesman declined to comment on the possibility of a bankruptcy restructuring.

On April 22, Fisker must make a payment on a U.S. Department of Energy loan.

In 2009, Fisker won a $529 million federal loan as part of an Obama administration program to spur advanced vehicle development. Fisker drew down $193 million before the Department of Energy barred the company from accessing further funds, citing delays in the launch of its flagship car, the Karma plug-in hybrid.

Fisker had been in strategic talks with two Chinese automakers, Dongfeng Motor Group and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group , but those talks fell apart. Fisker's chief executive, Tony Posawatz, visited China this week to try to rekindle those deals, sources previously said.

(Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman in Detroit and Paul Lienert in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fisker-hires-law-firm-prepare-possible-bankruptcy-filing-184322515--finance.html

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'X Factor' Trio Emblem3 Make 'Pop Reggae' Music ... And Pizza

SoCal boys visit New York City for the first time as a band and create their own signature pizza with MTV News.
By Christina Garibaldi

Emblem3 and MTV News' Christina Garibaldi make pizza
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704564/x-factor-emblem3-music-pizza.jhtml

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Gotcha! A NYC art show for George W. Bush is a hoax

Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/art-show-george-w-bush-not-exactly-171521393--politics.html

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How does innovation take hold in a community? Math modeling can provide clues

Mar. 27, 2013 ? Mathematical models can be used to study the spread of technological innovations among individuals connected to each other by a network of peer-to-peer influences, such as in a physical community or neighborhood. One such model was introduced in a paper published yesterday in the SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems.

Authors N. J. McCullen, A. M. Rucklidge, C. S. E. Bale, T. J. Foxon, and W. F. Gale focus on one main application: The adoption of energy-efficient technologies in a population, and consequently, a means to control energy consumption. By using a network model for adoption of energy technologies and behaviors, the model helps evaluate the potential for using networks in a physical community to shape energy policy.

The decision or motivation to adopt an energy-efficient technology is based on several factors, such as individual preferences, adoption by the individual's social circle, and current societal trends. Since innovation is often not directly visible to peers in a network, social interaction -- which communicates the benefits of an innovation -- plays an important role. Even though the properties of interpersonal networks are not accurately known and tend to change, mathematical models can provide insights into how certain triggers can affect a population's likelihood of embracing new technologies. The influence of social networks on behavior is well recognized in the literature outside of the energy policy domain: network intervention can be seen to accelerate behavior change.

"Our model builds on previous threshold diffusion models by incorporating sociologically realistic factors, yet remains simple enough for mathematical insights to be developed," says author Alastair Rucklidge. "For some classes of networks, we are able to quantify what strength of social network influence is necessary for a technology to be adopted across the network."

The model consists of a system of individuals (or households) who are represented as nodes in a network. The interactions that link these individuals -- represented by the edges of the network -- can determine probability or strength of social connections. In the paper, all influences are taken to be symmetric and of equal weight. Each node is assigned a current state, indicating whether or not the individual has adopted the innovation. The model equations describe the evolution of these states over time.

Households or individuals are modeled as decision makers connected by the network, for whom the uptake of technologies is influenced by two factors: the perceived usefulness (or utility) of the innovation to the individual, including subjective judgments, as well as barriers to adoption, such as cost. The total perceived utility is derived from a combination of personal and social benefits. Personal benefit is the perceived intrinsic benefit for the individual from the product. Social benefit depends on both the influence from an individual's peer group and influence from society, which could be triggered by the need to fit in. The individual adopts the innovation when the total perceived utility outweighs the barriers to adoption.

When the effect of each individual node is analyzed along with its influence over the entire network, the expected level of adoption is seen to depend on the number of initial adopters and the structure and properties of the network. Two factors in particular emerge as important to successful spread of the innovation: The number of connections of nodes with their neighbors, and the presence of a high degree of common connections in the network.

This study makes it possible to assess the variables that can increase the chances for success of an innovation in the real world. From a marketing standpoint, strategies could be designed to enhance the perceived utility of a product or item to consumers by modifying one or more of these factors. By varying different parameters, a government could help figure out the effect of different intervention strategies to expedite uptake of energy-efficient products, thus helping shape energy policy.

"We can use this model to explore interventions that a local authority could take to increase adoption of energy-efficiency technologies in the domestic sector, for example by running recommend-a-friend schemes, or giving money-off vouchers," author Catherine Bale explains. "The model enables us to assess the likely success of various schemes that harness both the householders' trust in local authorities and peer influence in the adoption process. At a time when local authorities are extremely resource-constrained, tools to identify the interventions that will provide the biggest impact in terms of reducing household energy bills and carbon emissions could be of immense value to cities, councils and communities."

One of the motivations behind the study -- modeling the effect of social networks in the adoption of energy technologies -- was to help reduce energy consumption by cities, which utilize over two-thirds of the world's energy, releasing more than 70% of global CO₂ emissions. Local authorities can indirectly influence the provision and use of energy in urban areas, and hence help residents and businesses reduce energy demand through the services they deliver. "Decision-making tools are needed to support local authorities in achieving their potential contribution to national and international energy and climate change targets," says author William Gale.

Higher quantities of social data can help in making more accurate observations through such models. As author Nick McCullen notes,"To further refine these types of models, and make the results reliable enough to be used to guide the decisions of policy-makers, we need high quality data. Particularly, data on the social interactions between individuals communicating about energy innovations is needed, as well as the balance of factors affecting their decision to adopt."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. N. J. McCullen, A. M. Rucklidge, C. S. E. Bale, T. J. Foxon, W. F. Gale. Multiparameter Models of Innovation Diffusion on Complex Networks. SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems, 2013; 12 (1): 515 DOI: 10.1137/120885371

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/hugYw5OyB2M/130327163559.htm

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Steptoe & Johnson Launches International Law Blog

Blog will focus on emerging energy policies, news and international challenges.

(PRWEB) March 28, 2013

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC is pleased to announce the launch of the firm?s International Law Energy Blog. The ?Energy Essentials ? International Energy Blog? will focus exclusively on International Energy Law, emerging energy policies, news and international challenges and opportunities for energy producers around the world.

The blog?s primary author is Steptoe & Johnson?s Philip D. Vasquez. Mr. Vasquez is leader of the firm's International Energy Practice.

The blog contains posts of interest to those doing business in Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, India, Iraq and the United States.

To access the Energy Essentials ? International Energy blog, click here, or visit http://www.steptoe-johnson.com/blog/international-energy.

About Steptoe & Johnson

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC is a US energy firm with core strengths in energy, labor & employment, litigation and transactional law. In 2013, Steptoe & Johnson celebrates 100 years of helping clients reach their goals. Visit http://www.steptoe-johnson.com

For more information, contact Betsy Spellman, Chief Marketing Officer, at (304) 933-8000 or by email: betsy.spellman(at)steptoe-johnson(dot)com.

###

Scott Snider
Steptoe & Johnson PLLC
(304) 624-8000
Email Information

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/steptoe-johnson-launches-international-law-blog-142638272.html

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?DOMA is in trouble? (quick read of Supreme Court arguments today) (Americablog)

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Tyga Resurrects Tupac Vocals On 'Hit 'Em Up'

T-Raw tells MTV News his version of 'Hit 'Em Up' isn't a dis track, but he's 'lettin' it be known' who he doesn't 'rock with.'
By Rob Markman

Tyga
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704457/tyga-tupac-vocals-hit-em-up.jhtml

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Astronomers discover new kind of supernova

Mar. 26, 2013 ? Supernovae were always thought to occur in two main varieties. But a team of astronomers including Carnegie's Wendy Freedman, Mark Phillips and Eric Persson is reporting the discovery of a new type of supernova called Type Iax.

This research has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.

Previously, supernovae were divided into either core-collapse or Type Ia categories. Core-collapse supernovae are the explosion of a star about 10 to 100 times as massive as our sun. Type Ia supernovae are the complete disruption of a tiny white dwarf.

This new type, Iax, is fainter and less energetic than Type Ia. Although both types come from exploding white dwarfs, Type Iax supernovas may not completely destroy the white dwarf. "A Type Iax supernova is essentially a mini supernova," says lead author Ryan Foley, Clay Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). "It's the runt of the supernova litter."

The research team--which also included Max Stritzinger, formerly of Carnegie--identified 25 examples of the new type of supernova. None of them appeared in elliptical galaxies, which are filled with old stars. This suggests that Type Iax supernovas come from young star systems.

Based on a variety of observational data, the team concluded that a Type Iax supernova comes from a binary star system containing a white dwarf and a companion star that has lost its outer hydrogen, leaving it helium dominated. The white dwarf collects helium from the normal star.

Researchers aren't sure what triggers a Type Iax. It's possible that the outer helium layer ignites first, sending a shock wave into the white dwarf. Alternatively, the white dwarf might ignite first due to the influence of the overlying helium shell.

Either way, it appears that in many cases the white dwarf survives the explosion, unlike in a Type Ia supernova where the white dwarf is completely destroyed.

The team calculates that Type Iax supernovae are about a third as common as Type Ia supernovae. The reason so few have been detected is that the faintest are only one-hundredth as bright as a Type Ia supernova.

"The closer we look, the more ways we find for stars to explode," Phillips said.

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope could discover thousands of Type Iax supernovas over its lifetime.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Carnegie Institution.

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Journal Reference:

1. Ryan J. Foley, P. J. Challis, R. Chornock, M. Ganeshalingam, W. Li, G. H. Marion, N. I. Morrell, G. Pignata, M. D. Stritzinger, J. M. Silverman, X. Wang, J. P. Anderson, A. V. Filippenko, W. L. Freedman, M. Hamuy, S. W. Jha, R. P. Kirshner, C. McCully, S. E. Persson, M. M. Phillips, D. E. Reichart, A. M. Soderberg. Type Iax Supernovae: A New Class of Stellar Explosion. The Astrophysical Journal, 2013; 767 (1): 57 DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/767/1/57

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/astronomy/~3/zVYa_cE92VM/130326133337.htm

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Facebook Expands FBX Retargeted Ads, Based On Your Online Browsing, From Sidebar To News Feed

Last year Facebook tested out and then launched Facebook Exchange ads in its right-hand column, a way for advertisers to market themselves to users based on those users' online browsing habits, using a cookie-based real-time bidding platform. Those ads have proven to be some of Facebook's strongest performing ad units, so now it's taking them a step further, with an alpha test to extend FBX ads into the desktop News Feed, the place where users spend most of their time on the social network.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/YRQpn-YrOKM/

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Measuring the magnetism of antimatter: Antiprotons measured more accurately than ever before

Mar. 25, 2013 ? In a breakthrough that could one day yield important clues about the nature of matter itself, a team of Harvard scientists have succeeding in measuring the magnetic charge of single particles of matter and antimatter more accurately than ever before.

As described in a March 25 paper in Physical Review Letters, the ATRAP team, led by Gerald Gabrielse, the George Vasmer Leverett Professor of Physics, and including post-doctoral fellows Stephan Ettenauer and Eric Tardiff and graduate students Jack DiSciacca, Mason Marshall, Kathryn Marable and Rita Kalra was able to capture individual protons and antiprotons in a "trap" created by electric and magnetic fields. By precisely measuring the oscillations of each particle, the team was able to measure the magnetism of a proton more than 1,000 times more accurately than an antiproton had been measured before. Similar tests with antiprotons produced a 680-fold increase in accuracy in the size of the magnet in an antiproton.

"That is a spectacular jump in precision for any fundamental quality," Gabrielse said, of the antiproton measurements. "That's a leap that we don't often see in physics, at least not in a single step."

Such measurements, Gabrielse said, could one day help scientists answer a question that seems more suited for the philosophy classroom than the physics lab -- why are we here?

"One of the great mysteries in physics is why our universe is made of matter," he said. "According to our theories, the same amount of matter and antimatter was produced during the Big Bang. When matter and antimatter meet, they are annihilated. As the universe cools down, the big mystery is: Why didn't all the matter find the antimatter and annihilate all of both? There's a lot of matter and no antimatter left, and we don't know why."

Making precise measurements of protons and antiprotons, Gabrielse explained, could begin to answer those questions by potentially shedding new light on whether the CPT (Charge conjugation, Parity transformation, Time reversal) theorem is correct. An outgrowth of the standard model of particle physics, CPT states that the protons and antiprotons should be virtually identical -- with the same magnitude of charge and mass -- yet should have opposite charges.

Though earlier experiments, which measured the charge-to-mass ratio of protons and antiprotons, verified the predictions of CPT, Gabrielse said further investigation is needed because the standard model does not account for all forces, such as gravity, in the universe.

"What we wanted to do with these experiments was to say, 'Let's take a simple system -- a single proton and a single antiproton -- and let's compare their predicted relationships, and see if our predictions are correct," Gabrielse said. "Ultimately, whatever we learn might give us some insight into how to explain this mystery."

While researchers were able to capture and measure protons with relative ease, antiprotons are only produced by high-energy collisions that take place at the extensive tunnels of the CERN laboratory in Geneva, Gabrielse said, leaving researchers facing a difficult choice.

"Last year, we published a report showing that we could measure a proton much more accurately than ever before," Gabrielese said. "Once we had done that, however, we had to make a decision -- did we want to take the risk of moving our people and our entire apparatus -- crates and crates of electronics and a very delicate trap apparatus -- to CERN and try to do the same thing with antiprotons? Antiprotons would only be available till mid-December and then not again for a year and a half.

"We decided to give it a shot, and by George, we pulled it off," he continued. "Ultimately, we argued that we should attempt it, because even if we failed, that failure would teach us something." In what Gabrielse described as a "gutsy" choice, graduate student Jack DiSciacca agreed to use this attempt to conclude his thesis research, and new graduate students Marshall and Marable signed on to help.

Though their results still fit within the predictions made by the standard model, Gabrielse said being able to more accurately measure the characteristics of both matter and antimatter may yet help shed new light on how the universe works.

"What's also very exciting about this breakthrough is that it now prepares us to continue down this road," he said. "I'm confident that, given this start, we're going to be able to increase the accuracy of these measurements by another factor of 1,000, or even 10,000."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Harvard University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. J. DiSciacca, M. Marshall, K. Marable, G. Gabrielse, S. Ettenauer, E. Tardiff, R. Kalra, D. W. Fitzakerley, M. C. George, E. A. Hessels, C. H. Storry, M. Weel, D. Grzonka, W. Oelert, and T. Sefzick. One-particle measurement of the antiproton magnetic moment. Physical Review Letters, March 25, 2013

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/7793vig8o2c/130325094030.htm

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Monday blues: Bay Hill pushed back by thunderstorm

A toppled oak tree lays next to the second green after a severe thunderstorm passed through, causing a suspension of play, during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, March 24, 2013.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

A toppled oak tree lays next to the second green after a severe thunderstorm passed through, causing a suspension of play, during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, March 24, 2013.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Arnold Palmer, right, and his wife, Kit, ride along the second fairway, while surveying damage to the course, after a severe thunderstorm caused a suspension of play during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, March 24, 2013.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Work crews pick up debris on the eighth fairway after a severe thunderstorm passed through, causing a suspension of play, during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla., Sunday March 24, 2013.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Tiger Woods walks down first fairway after teeing off during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, March 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Rickie Fowler hits out of bunker on the first fairway during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, March 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) ? Tiger Woods rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the second hole, just like he had been making them all week, and it looked as though his march to another win at Bay Hill and the No. 1 ranking was a matter of time.

It will be Monday at the earliest.

Woods and Rickie Fowler were walking off the green Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational when they looked over a rules official, who told them it was time to stop. The horn blew. The cloudy sky thundered. Havoc arrived.

A violent thunderstorm shook Bay Hill with gusts that topped out at 62 mph and dumped nearly 1? inches of rain in just under two hours. It toppled TV towers, one of them behind the 10th green. Small ponds formed in the fairways, and there was even a fish ? yes, a fish! ? sitting in 4 inches of water on the 18th fairway.

The final round was canceled for the rest of the day to get the course dry and cleaned up. The round was to resume at 10 a.m. Monday.

That left two questions.

Will anyone be able to catch Woods? He had a three-shot lead over Fowler, Keegan Bradley, Justin Rose, Ken Duke and John Huh when play was stopped. His putting statistics have been absurd this week at Bay Hill. With that birdie putt, Woods was 11-of-12 in putts between 10 feet and 20 feet for the tournament.

And why didn't the tour start this earlier Sunday with hopes of beating the storms? They turned out to be so severe that a tornado warning was issued.

"We just got unlucky with the weather," said Mark Russell, the PGA Tour's vice president of competition. "That micro burst on the radar was about the size of a pinhead, but it hit us directly. Then, we got that little train situation, where if we had been 30 miles north or 30 miles south, we might have been OK."

Russell said the tour, tournament officials and NBC Sports were involved in the decision to start on time. One reason to roll the dice might have been that final pairing of Woods and Fowler, Red vs. Orange, with the emphasis on Woods going for his PGA Tour record-tying eighth win at Bay Hill that would have returned him to No. 1 in the world for the first time since the last week of October in 2010.

"If we played early, it was going to be a tape-delay situation. People were going to know who won before it came on television, so it defeats our television partners," he said. "They wanted to take a chance. They've been involved in several situations where we played early and it didn't rain. It was just unfortunate."

Woods already has won once this year on Monday, when Torrey Pines lost an entire day to fog.

He has won on Monday at Pebble Beach, the U.S. Open (in a playoff), The Players Championship and Memorial (rain) and the Deutsche Bank Championship, although that tournament always ends on Labor Day.

"At least we got a little activity in today, so we're not completely stagnant," Woods said before leaving. "We've dealt with this before."

There was plenty of action on a short day, none more bizarre than Sergio Garcia.

The Spaniard's tee shot on the 10th hole somehow came to rest about 15 feet up in an oak tree, sitting between two large branches. Garcia used a cart to jump into the tree, and after a few minutes, hit a one-handed, back-handed shot back to the fairway, before jumping some 8 feet back to the ground.

William McGirt was playing his shot from the fairway bunker on the other side and had no idea what Garcia was doing.

"I knew they were looking around the tree," he said. "I didn't know they were looking in the tree. I looked over and Sergio is up in the air, and I'm trying to figure out what in the hell he's going to go. He called for a club. He's hugging the tree. And the ball comes flying out.

"Are you kidding me?"

Two holes later, the horn sounded. McGirt said Garcia handed him the scorecard and said, "I'm out of here." Garcia earlier had taken a 9 on the par-5 sixth hole. He later said on his website his shoulder and Achilles tendon were bothering him.

Billy Horschel hit three tee shots in to the water on the sixth hole and made an 11.

Attribute that to the wind, which was gusting hard when the leaders teed off.

This marks the third time this year on the PGA Tour that a tournament finished one day later because of weather.

Along with the fog at Torrey Pines, the Tournament of Championship at Kapalua didn't start until Monday because of unusually high wind, and the 54-hole event was completed some 29 hours after the opening tee shot. Dustin Johnson won on a Tuesday.

It will be the third Monday finish in the 35-year history of this tournament.

The storm lasted about two hours, enough time to do plenty of damage. Tournament director Scott Wellington said his staff was just starting a full inspection.

"We had some TV cameras go down," Wellington said. "We had some fencing and so forth. All of the big structures to my knowledge ? I have not been out there yet ? are OK. But we want to make sure they're sound before we put people in them. We have some other structures, smaller structures, tents and so forth that did come down."

Lawn chairs were toppled along the 18th fairway, where fans had been anticipating a big finish with Woods in the lead. Two chairs had blown into a bunker on the 14th, and seedlings from oak trees were scattered across several greens. Bunkers were washed out.

An osprey snagged a fish along the 18th and couldn't hold on. A fan ran across the fairway to get the fish out of the rough, and then dove headfirst across the 4-inch deep puddle in the fairway, dropping the fish. It swam for about 3 feet before going motionless.

And so the wait continues for Woods, who is going after his third win this year. Along with trying to reclaim No. 1 from Rory McIlroy, he can tie a PGA Tour record by winning Bay Hill for the eighth time. Sam Snead won the Greater Greensboro Open eight times.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-25-GLF-Bay-Hill/id-2907535507c74831ac815b54f7b02f9c

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South Africa says 13 troops killed in Central African Republic

A split in the leadership of the Central African Republic rebel coalition emerged Monday, only two days after the insurgents seized the capital of this impoverished nation and chased out the president.

One of the rebel leaders, Michel Djotodia, declared himself president Monday, saying he considers himself to be the new head of state.

But another rebel leader told reporters his group does not recognize Michel Djotodia as president, and says they will challenge his attempt to install himself at the helm.

Djotodia was asked by a French radio station if they should address him as Mr. President? He answered in an interview broadcast by RFI radio on Monday: "I can consider myself to be, at this moment, the head of state."

'I can consider myself to be, at this moment, the head of state.'?Michel Djotodia, Central African Republic rebel leader

Asked how long he would stay in power, Djotodia suggested that he would stay as long as three years, the time remaining in the unfinished term of President Francois Boziz?, who fled the capital over the weekend.

Cameroon's Secretary-General Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh said Monday that Boziz? has fled to Cameroon and is seeking "temporary" refuge before going to another country.

Francois Bozize, president of the Central African Republic, speaks to the media in Bangui, Central African Republic. On Friday, March 22, Ben Curtis/Associated Press

Ngoh Ngoh said Cameroon wants to see a quick return to peace and stability in the Central African Republic.

"We've just barely started, and you are asking me how long I plan to stay in power? (laughs) I can't say because you know full well that we need time to bring back peace. There is insecurity ? It was said in Libreville that we should respect the three year timeline for organizing free and transparent elections. We won't stay any longer," he told RFI.

In Paris, Nelson N'Jadder, the president of the Revolution for Democracy, one of the rebel groups belonging to the Seleka rebel coalition which invaded the capital, said that his fighters do not recognize Djotodia. He claimed the members of the rebel coalition had agreed that their aim was to push to the presidential palace and then announce an 18-month-long transition before new elections are held. There was never a consensus around appointing Djotodia as their overall leader, he said.

'We do not recognize him as president'?Nelson N'Jadder, president of the Revolution for Democracy

"We do not recognize him as president," N'Jadder told The Associated Press by telephone from Paris. "We had agreed that we would push to Bangui in order to arrest Boziz? and that we would then announce an 18-month transition, a transition that would be as fast as possible ? and not one that would last three years," he said. "For your information, I have enough soldiers loyal to me to attack Djotodia. I am planning to take the Wednesday flight to Bangui."

N'Jadder said that rebels had been pillaging people's homes in Bangui, including the homes of French expatriates. He said that on Monday, he had received a phone call from France's ambassador to Bangui and had presented his apology, explaining that those doing the pillaging were mostly Djotodia's men. "We came to liberate the people, not to steal from them. This is shameful. Unacceptable," he said.

The Seleka rebel coalition is made up of several rebel groups, which last December began their rapid sweep into the Central African Republic, a nation of 4.5 million located at the heart of the continent. The rebels pushed all the way to a town just outside Damara, 75 kilometres from the capital, before entering into talks with the government. In January, they signed a peace deal in Libreville, the capital of the neighbouring nation of Gabon, agreeing to allow Boziz? to carry out the last three years of his term, in return for a number of concessions.

South African troops came under attack on Saturday in the Central African Republic. (Google)

Last week, they declared the peace deal void, saying Boziz? had failed to free their prisoners and had refused to send back the South African troops that were guarding him, two of the points of the accord. In just three days, they swept past Damara, marking the "red line" set up by a regional force to divide rebel-held territory from the area under government control, and advanced all the way to a checkpoint, PK12, just outside the capital. Boziz? fled with a coterie of loyalists, leaving by car across the border into neighbouring Congo, said N'Jadder and others. It was unclear if he remained in Congo or if he had travelled onward to another nation.

The speed of the rebel advance, and the fact that they succeeded in pushing past the South African troops stationed in Bangui suggests they are well-armed, and likely benefiting from the support of neighbouring nations. There has been speculation that either Chad, or Sudan or Gabon provided the rebels with arms and logistical support. Djotodia rejected the claim.

"If we picked up arms, it's not because we were pushed by this or that person," he told RFI. "It's poverty simply put that pushed us to pick up arms ? that's all."

Hunt for Kony expected to be affected

The coup is expected to affect the hunt for Joseph Kony, said the commander of African troops tracking the the fugitive warlord. Boziz? was a strong supporter of African efforts to dismantle Kony's Lord's Resistance Army and allowed the creation of two anti-Kony military bases in his country.

Ugandan Brig. Dick Olum, speaking from his South Sudanese military base in Nzara, said Monday he is concerned by past rebel statements that all foreign troops must leave the country. Some 3,350 African troops are currently deployed against the LRA in South Sudan and Central African Republic.

The United States also has anti-Kony military advisers in the Central African Republic. The U.S. Africa Command didn't have any immediate comment Monday.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/03/25/central-african-republic-.html?cmp=rss

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Bloomberg vs. the NRA

LaPierre, Bloomberg (Getty Images)

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and National Rifle Association chief Wayne LaPierre squared off on Sunday's "Meet The Press" over the assault weapons ban being debated in Congress.

"I don't think there's ever been an issue where the public has spoken so clearly, where Congress hasn't eventually understood and done the right thing," Bloomberg, who has become one of the most vocal gun control advocates in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shootings, said in a taped interview with NBC's David Gregory.

"We are going to have a vote for sure on assault weapons and we're going to have a vote on background checks," Bloomberg continued. "And if we were to get background checks only, it wouldn't be as good as if we got both, but we demanded a plan and then we demanded a vote. We've got the plan, we're going to get the vote. And now it's incumbent on us to make our voices heard."

To do so, the billionaire mayor said he's spending $12 million on an advertising campaign?set to launch in 10 states on Monday?that touts tighter gun laws.

"I think I have a responsibility, and I think you and all of your viewers have responsibilities, to try to make this country safer for our families and for each other," he said. "And if I can do that by spending some money and taking the NRA from being the only voice to being one of the voices, so the public can really understand the issues, then I think my money would be well spent, and I think I have an obligation to do that."

LaPierre says Bloomberg would be better off spending his money elsewhere.

"He's going to find out this is a country of the people, by the people and for the people," LaPierre told Gregory. "And he can't spend enough of his $27 billion to try to impose his will on the American public. They don't want him in their restaurants, they don't want him in their homes. They don't want him telling them what food to eat; they sure don't want him telling them what self-defense firearms to own. And he can't buy America."

[Related: NRA's LaPierre slams critics of school gun plan]

The NRA chief criticized the gun control legislation currently on Capitol Hill, calling the proposed universal background checks a "speed bump" for law-abiding gun owners.

"The whole thing, universal checks, is a dishonest premise. There's not a bill on the Hill that provides a universal check. Criminals aren't going to be checked," LaPierre said. "The mental health records are not in the system, and they don't prosecute any of the criminals that they catch. ... It slows down the law abiding and does nothing to anybody else."

LaPierre then reiterated the NRA's post-Newtown plea for armed security officers in every American public school. "Not a mom or dad wants to drop their kid off at school and leave their kids unprotected."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/bloomberg-nra-guns-assault-weapons-ban-173107813.html

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Egypt: Arrest warrants issued for five activists

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's top prosecutor has issued arrest warrants for five rights activists on suspicion of inciting violence against members of the president's Muslim Brotherhood.

A statement posted Monday on the attorney general's official Facebook page said all five have also been banned from traveling abroad.

The warrants came one day after Islamist President Mohammed Morsi sternly warned his opponents, saying he may be close to taking unspecified measures to protect the nation.

They also followed the issuing of summons for a larger group of politicians and activists for questioning over clashes on Friday outside the Brotherhood's office, the worst between the group's members and opponents in three months.

The five activists are: Alaa Abdel-Fattah, Ahmed Douma, Karim El-Shaer, Hazem Abdel-Azim and Ahmed Ghoneimi.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-arrest-warrants-issued-five-activists-171648158.html

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Zimbabwe court orders rights lawyer to be released

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) ? Zimbabwe's High Court on Monday freed on bail a top rights lawyer who had been held for eight days on allegations of obstructing the course of justice.

A visibly tired Beatrice Mtetwa walked from the court in the company of two colleagues and her lawyer after her release papers took several hours to complete. She told reporters outside the courthouse that her arrest was a ploy to intimidate human rights defenders ahead of elections scheduled around July.

"It is a personal attack on all human rights lawyers but I was just made the first example. There will be many more arrests to follow as we near elections," Mtetwa said. "The police were all out to get me. They wanted me to feel their might and power because I call myself a human rights lawyer and I felt it."

Mtetwa was arrested on March 17 along with four officials from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party. The officials are accused of illegally compiling information on high level corruption and are schedule to appeal for bail on Monday. Mtetwa was accused of shouting at police officers who were conducting a search at Tsvangirai's staff offices when she demanded to see a search warrant.

Mtetwa and the four officials deny any wrongdoing.

High Court Judge Joseph Musakwa ruled early Monday that Mtetwa was following professional legal procedures when she demanded to see a search warrant from police at the offices of the four officials.

"She was entitled to be appraised of the legality of the search," Musakwa said.

Critics have cited the arrests as the start of a fresh wave of political intimidation against opponents of President Robert Mugabe by loyalist police and judicial officials ahead of elections.

Regional mediators forged a coalition between Mugabe and Tsvangirai after the last disputed and violent elections in 2008.

Last week police ignored an earlier High Court order to free Mtetwa and on Wednesday the lower Harare magistrate's court ordered her held in custody to reappear in that court on April 3.

Charges of obstructing justice carry a maximum of two years imprisonment.

Mtetwa said she was not well-treated while in police custody. She wasn't allowed to take a bath and was denied access to her lawyers and family.

But she said she will not give up the fight for human rights.

"I will not be cowed, there has to be mutual respect between police and lawyers because we will all be doing our job," Mtetwa said.

The judge said Mtetwa should not have been denied bail because of her "professional standing." He said the police officers conducting the search could have "easily subdued her because she is a woman" if they felt she was hindering them from doing their job.

"She is a lawyer of many years, with a forceful, combative and at times aggressive personality but she remains professional and dignified" when doing her job, the judge said.

Mtetwa is a recipient of an array of awards from international jurists' groups including the American Bar Association over a distinguished career of three decades.

She has also defended journalists and human rights activists against prosecution by police and Mugabe loyalists in Zimbabwe's judiciary.

Since her March arrest the state media controlled by Mugabe's ZANU-PF party has criticized Judge Charles Hungwe, who issued the first order for Mtetwa's release. It said his actions pointed to the need for some judges to come under closer scrutiny over their rulings, and accused him of inefficiency and negligence in hearing other cases.

Mugabe's party claimed Hungwe illegally made the first ruling not in a court but at his private home during the night after her arrest without giving police the right to state their case against freeing her.

The state's Sunday Mail newspaper criticized lawyers who thought themselves "untouchable" and said Mtetwa's "stage-managed antics in and outside the courts" earned her "dubious awards" from African and international lawyers groups.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zimbabwe-court-orders-rights-lawyer-released-100000698.html

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