technology in schools: May 2013

Friday, May 31, 2013

Kremlin 'outraged' by electoral fraud... in Eurovision song contest

Allegations of voter fraud in Russia are nothing new. But this time it's the Kremlin making them.

By Fred Weir,?Correspondent / May 22, 2013

Winner of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest Emmelie de Forest of Denmark who won with her song 'Only Teardrops,' holds the winners trophy as she poses for photographers following the final of the Eurovision Song Contest at the Malmo Arena in Malmo, Sweden, last Saturday. The Kremlin today said that they found a case of alleged voting fraud in Eurovision song contest.

Alastair Grant/AP

Enlarge

Russian authorities have finally found a case of alleged voting fraud that they can get really incensed about.

Skip to next paragraph Fred Weir

Correspondent

Fred Weir has been the Monitor's Moscow correspondent, covering Russia and the former Soviet Union, since 1998.?

Contestant: Why the fuss?

The mammothly popular annual singing contest, held last Saturday in Malmo, Sweden, featured contestants from 39 countries from the Atlantic to the shores of the Caspian Sea. An estimated 125 million TV viewers,?each cheering for their country's contestants as avidly as any football team,?tuned in to the Eurovision finals, plus countless more around the world via Internet streaming.

Competition for the honor of hosting Eurovision is almost as serious as for the Olympics, and?Russia went wild when Moscow won the right to stage the event back in 2009.

The winner of each year's multinational contest is determined by a complicated system ??which is supposed to be foolproof ? in which each country votes for all entries except their own.

Votes cast by TV viewers in each country by cellphone (or through social media such as?Facebook) makes up half the decision, while a national panel of judges makes the other half. At the end of the process, each country submits a ranking for all contestants ? except its own ? by giving 12 points to the winner, 10 points to the runner-up, and so on. The results, totaled for all of Europe, determine the overall winner.

This year Denmark's Emmelie de Forest won by a landslide, with 281 points, followed by Azerbaijan's Farid Mammadov with 234 points (full table?here). Russia's Garipova came fifth with 174 points.

The missing 10 points from Azerbaijan didn't affect Garipova's standing, and she graciously told the Russian media today that?it would be better to drop the rising demand for an international investigation into the alleged vote-rigging scandal.

"To be honest, I don?t know why an investigation is needed," Garipova said. "I am satisfied with the result of the contest."

Inferiority complex

Eurovision's organizers?said in a statement?that they will take swift action to preserve the event's apolitical nature and prevent any future abuses.?But the scandal is far from dying down in Russia.?

Some Russian conservatives claim it's just another example of Western "double standards," in which those who never miss an opportunity to lecture Russia about human rights and democracy turn out to be dirty themselves.

Former Kremlin adviser Sergei Markov told the Ekho Moskvi radio station?today?that the Eurovision result was "direct forgery and fraud."

Perhaps tongue-in-cheek, Mr. Markov went on: "In general it's better when we non-Europeans are accusing them of falsifying elections than when they are accusing us?. And here [with Eurovision] we have such a fraud, and the whole world has seen it with their own eyes."

Viktor Shenderovich, once a top political satirist?who was exiled from the mainstream media?after Vladimir Putin came to power, says the Russian response, and particularly Lavrov's official outrage over a singing contest, is an unseemly display that reveals a persecution complex at the heart of Kremlin behavior.

"This comes from the inferiority complex than haunts our state, which is really funny when you recall that we're a country the size of a continent that has a vast nuclear arsenal," Mr. Shenderovich says.

"When a mature adult from the Foreign Ministry starts taking such things seriously, well, it can only mean that we have lost any sense of self-irony. On the surface it looks silly, but when you examine the roots of this affair you can't help feeling sad?. Whenever Russia feels it's been shortchanged in anything, be it a song contest or a sporting event, our people immediately begin claiming that there's a plot against us. But, as the old Russian saying goes, 'a bad dancer's boots are always too tight,'" he adds.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/go3P9d9TwRk/Kremlin-outraged-by-electoral-fraud-in-Eurovision-song-contest

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Youthful and Healthy Skin Is Possible With the Help of These ...

Learn how to make your own beauty products at home using only natural ingredients. After reading this book, you will be able to create your own creams, lotions, cleansers, toners, masks, hair treatments, sun protection and baby care products.

Discover which vegetable oils, herbs, floral waters, essential oils, plant-based emulsifiers, and natural preservatives to use, how to pack and label your own beauty products, and how to store them safely. Facial cleansers, moisturizers, anti aging serums, sun protection creams, hair treatments, and even perfumes and deodorants can be prepared easily at home using only natural, easily available ingredients.

This book contains more than 200 recipes and step-by-step techniques used by the author, holistic nutritionist Julie Gabriel (THE GREEN BEAUTY GUIDE) to create her own organic skincare line, Petite Marie Organics (petitemarieorganics.com)

Practical, straightforward, and fun, these recipes are equally suitable for green beauty enthusiasts as well as professional beauty practitioners.

You can pamper yourself head to toe with luxurious hair masks, deep cleansing home facials, aromatic massage oils, nourishing body lotions, and age-rewinding moisturizers in the most natural, luxuriously green way!

Here is what our reviewers say:

"Green Beauty Recipes" is a timely book since many of us are "going green." We no longer want to use harmful chemicals or accept using animals for testing products. Using products that can be found in our own home, with the addition of essential oils or natural preservatives, will not only nourish our body, but help keep our planet clean. I commend Julie Gabriel on making this book available to us and I encourage everyone to consider having "Green Beauty."

--Irene Watson, Reader Views

Green Beauty Recipes is the second book by author Julie Gabriel. An extension of her first book, The Green Beauty Guide, Green Beauty Recipes is an indispensable collection of not only recipes, but also instructions, explanations and helpful hints for creating your own collection of skin care, hair care and body care products. Julie gives everyone the confidence to get in the kitchen and create their own beauty! Perfect as a gift for just about any woman.

We love this book and read every word cover to cover. How we wish it had images of some of the finished recipes, however. It's fun to create products and get that feeling of accomplishment that goes along with it. It's a book that won't hide on our bookshelf because we'll be too busy finding recipes that work best with our skin. It has a top spot on our holiday gift list this year.

--Jen Adkins, About.com: Skincare

Current edition is an updated and slightly revised version of the 2010 book.

Source: http://www.jackiesbazaar.com/womensinterests/beauty-products/youthful-and-healthy-skin-is-possible-with-the-help-of-these-natural-skin-care-secrets

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Lebanese TV: Syria has received Russian missiles

BEIRUT (AP) ? The Syrian president has told Lebanon's Hezbollah-owned TV station that Damascus received the first shipment of Russian air defense missiles, according to remarks released Thursday.

Bashar Assad's comment on the arrival of the long-range S-300 air defense missiles in Syria will further ratchet up tensions in the region and undermine efforts to hold U.N.-sponsored talks with Syria's warring sides.

Israel's defense chief, Moshe Yaalon, said earlier this week that Russia's plan to supply Syria with the weapons is a threat and that Israel was prepared to use force to stop the delivery.

The Al-Manar TV, owned by the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, released Assad's comment on the Russian missiles through its breaking news service to clients on Thursday morning. An official at the station confirmed to The Associated Press that the remark was from the interview. The TV is to air the exclusive interview later Thursday.

On Monday, the European Union lifted an arms embargo on Syria, paving way for individual countries of the 27-member bloc to send weapons to rebels fighting to topple Assad's regime. The move raised fears of an arms race in the Middle East.

Israel has carried out several airstrikes in Syria in recent months that are believed to have destroyed weapons shipments bound for Hezbollah. It is not clear whether Israeli warplanes entered Syrian airspace in these attacks.

But with the Russian missiles in Syria's possession, the Israeli air force's ability to act could be limited.

Israel has lobbied Moscow over the planned sale of S-300 air-defense missiles to Syria but on Tuesday, Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said his government remained committed to the deal.

The S-300s have a range of up to 200 kilometers (125 miles) and the capability to track and strike multiple targets simultaneously. Syria already possesses Russian-made air defenses, and Israel is believed to have used long-distance bombs fired from Israeli or Lebanese airspace. The S-300s would expand Syria's capabilities, allowing it to counter airstrikes launched from foreign airspace as well.

Monday's decision by the EU paved the way for individual countries to send weapons to Assad's outgunned opponents. The EU's move may have little impact on the conflict since no single European country is expected to send lethal weapons to the rebels anytime soon.

Britain and France, the main military powers in the EU, had pushed for lifting the embargo. They have argued that Europe's threat of arming the rebels in the future would force Assad to negotiate in good faith.

Russia, an Assad ally, harshly criticized Europe's decision to allow the arming of Syrian rebels, saying it undercuts international efforts to bring the opposing sides in Syrian conflict together for a peace conference.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lebanese-tv-syria-received-russian-missiles-075334560.html

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Can backpackers solve Middle East's tourism woes?

Where others give PowerPoint presentations about wooing more souls to a storied land, he wears a faded ?staff? T-shirt with a button that says, ?In fun we trust.? He actively courts travelers who have visited countries at war with Israel, including Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and Iraq, and aims to boost tourism to the whole Middle East one backpacker at a time.

Meet Maoz Inon, Israel?s maverick tourism entrepreneur, whose latest venture was just recognized as one of the top 10 large hostels worldwide.

?I believe tourism is a great tool also to create political change, to create a very big impact,? he says. ?Backpackers are the first adopters, so we must target them.?

Mr. Inon?s foray into shoestring travel in Israel began eight years ago in the Old City of Nazareth, one of Israel?s poorest neighborhoods, which was riddled with drugs and not exactly a prime tourist destination ? even for the adventurous. But after he and his wife decided to leave their ?yuppie lives? in Tel Aviv and spent months backpacking along California?s Pacific Crest Trail and later Patagonia at the tip of South America, they had returned home with a mission.

RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about Israel? Take the quiz

?I believe the No. 1 beneficiary should be the local community,? he says, having witnessed firsthand the transformative effect of responsible tourism.

He found a gem of an old mansion in Nazareth?s warren of stone alleyways, and turned its soaring arches and tiled ceilings into the Fauzi Azar Inn, named after the Arab family that occupied it until the 1980s. By creating a free map and daily tours of the Old City, as well as co-founding the Jesus Trail that runs from Fauzi?s steps to the shores of the Galilee, he helped create such a demand that six more guesthouses have since opened up in the Old City.

With visitors from places as cosmopolitan as London and far-flung as Mongolia, he says his inn and its clientele are gradually turning perceptions of Nazareth inside out.

?It is raising the self-esteem of the community and creating a psychological change in their mind,? says Inon, who partners with local businesses ? including other guesthouses ? and organizes home-cooked dinners in a local family?s home for 80 shekels ($22) a head.

?Sustainable business is not about recycling or solar power,? he says. ?It?s about being a profitable business.

And he seems to have a knack for spotting such opportunities. The Abraham Hostel, which he opened in 2010 with several other Israeli backpackers, became a top-ranked Israeli hostel before renovations on all 72 rooms were even completed. In February, the annual Hoscars competition named it the 8th best large hostel in the world ? the only Israeli hostel to get a mention in any of the four categories.

?I believe backpackers are the foundation of sustainable tourism,? he says. ?I see them as the planktons in the ocean that we feed on.?

Ben Silbermann On How Pinterest Will Translate User Aspiration Into Making Money

Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann says that the startup isn't making any money currently. However, he said the company is looking for ways to give marketers tools to help them understand what's happening on the platform -- and maybe, just maybe, make some money from them.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/lR4hMWUS-NE/

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Stupid Celebrity Quotes: Hollywood Stars Say The Darndest Things

Mariah Carey stupid quote Most of us at some point in our lives has said something that made no sense at all. But celebrities have a public forum so their stupid quotes make headlines. Let’s take a look at some of the more outrageous stupid things that Hollywood celebrities have uttered. Justin Bieber “People write to me and say, ...

Stupid Celebrity Quotes: Hollywood Stars Say The Darndest Things Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/05/stupid-celebrity-quotes-hollywood-stars-say-the-darndest-things/

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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Wit, grit and a supercomputer yield chemical structure of HIV capsid

May 29, 2013 ? A team led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has described for the first time the 4-million-atom structure of the HIV's capsid, or protein shell. The findings, highlighted on the cover of the May 30 issue of Nature, could lead to new ways of fending off an often-changing virus that has been very hard to conquer.

Scientists have long struggled to decipher how the HIV capsid shell is chemically put together, said senior author Peijun Zhang, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

"The capsid is critically important for HIV replication, so knowing its structure in detail could lead us to new drugs that can treat or prevent the infection," she said. "This approach has the potential to be a powerful alternative to our current HIV therapies, which work by targeting certain enzymes, but drug resistance is an enormous challenge due to the virus' high mutation rate."

Previous research has shown that the cone-shaped shell is composed of identical capsid proteins linked together in a complex lattice of about 200 hexamers and 12 pentamers, Dr. Zhang said. But the shell is non-uniform and asymmetrical; uncertainty remained about the exact number of proteins involved and how the hexagons of six protein subunits and pentagons of five subunits are joined. Standard structural biology methods to decipher the molecular architecture were insufficient because they rely on averaged data, collected on samples of pieces of the highly variable capsid to identify how these pieces tend to go together.

Instead, the team used a hybrid approach, taking data from cryo-electron microscopy at an 8-angstrom resolution (a hydrogen atom measures 0.25 angstrom) to uncover how the hexamers are connected, and cryo-electron tomography of native HIV-1 cores, isolated from virions, to join the pieces of the puzzle. Collaborators at the University of Illinois then used their new Blue Waters supercomputer to run simulations at the petascale, involving 1 quadrillion operations per second, that positioned 1,300 proteins into a whole that reflected the capsid's known physical and structural characteristics.

The process revealed a three-helix bundle with critical molecular interactions at the seams of the capsid, areas that are necessary for the shell's assembly and stability, which represent vulnerabilities in the protective coat of the viral genome.

"The capsid is very sensitive to mutation, so if we can disrupt those interfaces, we could interfere with capsid function," Dr. Zhang said. "The capsid has to remain intact to protect the HIV genome and get it into the human cell, but once inside it has to come apart to release its content so that the virus can replicate. Developing drugs that cause capsid dysfunction by preventing its assembly or disassembly might stop the virus from reproducing."

The project was funded by National Institutes of Health grants GM082251, GM085043 and GM104601 and the National Science Foundation.

"By using a combination of experimental and computational approaches, this team of investigators has produced a clearer picture of the structure of HIV's protective covering," said the National Institutes of Health's Michael Sakalian, Ph.D., who oversees this and other grants funded through an AIDS-related structural biology program. "The new structural details may reveal vulnerabilities that could be exploited by future therapeutics."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/tMgcKXARwnE/130529133403.htm

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The US shale-gas revolution and European renewables: Divergence and cooperation in alternative energy

May 29, 2013 ? That the United States and Europe have been following different energy policies over the past few decades won't come as a surprise. However, according to one researcher, their divergence -- with the US leading 'the shale gas revolution' and Europe investing heavily in modern renewables -- is a good thing for the development of both alternative-energy sources.

Writing in the Journal of Transatlantic Studies, Marianne Haug of the University of Hohenheim argues that although the transatlantic energy partners continue to be committed to common goals -- namely energy security, environmental sustainability and economic competitiveness -- the relative priority given to each has changed substantially since the early 1990s. Domestic issues, geopolitical concerns, differing resource bases, changing energy markets, government policy, public opinion, the accession of new countries to the EU and the choices of investors have all altered the landscape. To address these new challenges, both the US and Europe have jointly and separately reached out to new markets, partners and collaboration arrangements.

Haug points to the example of the Kyoto Protocol as a turning point for energy policy. Before the 1997 agreement, which the US did not ratify, energy security was considered the most important of the three goals. After Kyoto, European countries gave higher, if not equal, priority to environmental concerns. European countries entered into partnerships beyond the US to develop low-carbon technologies, such as windmills, photovoltaic units, solar thermal hot-water installations and rapeseed biofuel. The EU also developed emission-trading systems, biofuel targets, energy-efficiency guidelines and standards, which stimulated the market for renewables and the industry as a whole.

In the United States, where the European acceptance of the potential dangers of continued fossil-fuel use is not widespread, public and private investors have spent heavily on shale gas, building on existing fossil-fuel technology. The ability to extract shale gas efficiently could indeed 'change the game' for the US and other countries by contributing to energy security and bringing lower prices. However, the industry is still in its infancy in Europe, due both to stricter regulations and public opinion. This may be changing, at least in the UK: the government stated in its March 2013 budget the intention to invest in its production.

Haug concludes that this parallel development of shale gas in the US and renewables in Europe diversifies and enriches the world's energy-supply choices. They are complementary technology pathways to limit import dependence for both partners and contribute to secure, affordable and sustainable energy for all. They are the result of transatlantic diversification -- initially driven by energy-security then environmental concerns -- through public and private R&D and supportive government policies. Now further cooperation between the transatlantic partners is needed to scale up the development of both forms of alternative energy for the benefit of the global energy community. This article is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the major players' current positions on alternative-energy sources and what the future might hold for global energy supply.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/RD-kd8uNODM/130529101519.htm

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Gawker The Next Housing Bubble Is About To Pop All Over You | Jezebel Dear New Intern: Don't Be the

Gawker The Next Housing Bubble Is About To Pop All Over You | Jezebel Dear New Intern: Don't Be the Intern Your Fellow Interns Hate | Gizmodo Xbox One and Used Games: The Real Reason Everyone's So Mad | Kotaku #PS4NoDRM: The Next-Gen Twitter Campaign That's Got Sony's Attention

Source: http://lauren.kinja.com/gawker-the-next-housing-bubble-is-about-to-pop-all-over-510174421

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Kofi to undergo surgery following a Ryback attack during SmackDown taping

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2013 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2013 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/2013-05-31/kofi-injury-update

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Chile and Argentina on volcano alert

28 May 2013 Last updated at 18:07 ET

Chile and Argentina have ordered the evacuation of some 3,000 people living near the Copahue volcano in the south of their shared border.

The authorities in both countries issued a red alert - the highest possible - saying the Chilean volcano could erupt imminently.

The 2,965m (nearly 10,000ft) volcano - which sits in the Andes cordillera - has so far only spewed gas.

Thousands of minor earth tremors have been registered in the area.

The volcano, located between Chile's Bio Bio region and Argentina's Neuquen province, has seen increasing seismic activity in recent weeks but has not erupted.

"This red alert has been issued after monitoring the activity of the volcano and seeing that it has increased seismic activity," Chilean Interior Minister Andres Chadwick said in a news conference on Monday.

"There is a risk that it can start erupting."

Argentina revises alert

According to Chile's Emergency Office, the mandatory evacuation affects some 2,240 people living within a 25km (15 miles) radius of Copahue.

However some people refused to leave their homes, preferring to stay with their farm animals and personal belongings.

"No. I do not want to leave because we have chickens and it isn't easy to leave them and go to a shelter," resident Florinda Lipiman told the news agency Reuters.

In Argentina, the authorities had first declared a "yellow alert," but later revised it to the highest level.

They have now ordered the evacuation of at least 600 people from the town of Caviahue to the neighbouring city of Loncopue.

"We are going to go to the homes and we are going to remove the women, the elderly and children," police officer Javier Urrutia Vergara told Reuters.

Last December, Chile also issued a red alert after Copahue - one of the most active volcanoes in the region - began spewing ash and gas, with smoke raising nearly 1.5km in the sky.

Nearby residents were temporarily evacuated, and planes flying over the southern Andes warned to avoid the area.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled last year due to the eruption of another volcano in southern Chile.

The Puyehue eruption caused huge economic damage not only to property in the area but also to tourism in Bariloche and other resorts.

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22684322#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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