MIAMI (Reuters) - An FBI agent shot and killed a Florida man with suspected links to the Boston Marathon bombings early on Wednesday, NBC News reported.
NBC said the suspect was being questioned and was originally cooperative, but was fatally shot after attacking the agent.
The Orlando Sentinel said a friend had identified the dead man as 27-year-old Ibragim Todashev of Orlando. The newspaper quoted the friend, Khusn Taramiv, as saying Todashev was being investigated as part of the Boston bombings and knew bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev because both were mixed martial-arts fighters.
FBI spokesman Dave Couvertier could not confirm the dead man's identity nor the potential link to the Boston bombings.
"We are currently responding to a shooting incident involving an FBI special agent," he told Reuters by email. "The incident occurred in Orlando, Florida. The agent encountered the suspect while conducting official duties. The suspect is deceased. We do not have any further details at this time."
Tsarnaev, 26, died in a gunfight with police. His brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was found hiding in a boat in Watertown, Massachusetts, four days after the April 15 blasts, which killed three people and injured 264 others at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was shot in the throat before his capture and is being held in a prison hospital west of Boston. He faces charges that could carry the death penalty if he is convicted.
(Reporting by Jane Sutton; editing by Jackie Frank)
This weekend, Virginia Republicans found their candidate for lieutenant governor in E.W. Jackson, a Chesapeake, Va. pastor who has compared Planned Parenthood to the Ku Klux Klan and also suggested that black Americans are being enslaved by the Democratic Party.
"It is time to end the slavish devotion to the Democrat[ic] Party," Jackson, who is African American, said in a 2012 YouTube video. "Planned Parenthood has been far more lethal to black lives than the KKK ever was. And the Democrat[ic] Party and their black civil rights allies are partners in this genocide."
"The Democrat[ic] Party has created an unholy alliance between certain, so-called civil rights leaders and Planned Parenthood, which has killed unborn black babies by the tens of millions," he added.
The statements have been catnip for Democrats eager to jump on the opportunity to label Jackson as "extreme" and link him to Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who is the Republican nominee for the closely watched gubernatorial race.
"This choice highlights just how out-of-touch the Republican Party of Virginia has become," wrote Aneesh Chopra, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, in a prepared statement. "Jackson's extreme views are far to the right of Virginia voters. In fact, Jackson is far more extreme than Ken Cuccinelli - which is quite a feat."
The emergence of Jackson's video isn't the result of opposition research. It was put on the Internet by Jackson's own campaign long before this weekend's Republican Party of Virginia Convention.
In fact, the video has been around long enough that it was reported on in 2012, when Jackson's race for a U.S. Senate seat received almost no notice.
Then, Jackson, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and graduate of Harvard Law School, lost 95 percent of the Republican vote in his bid for the Senate nomination and the video became a casualty of post-election amnesia.
The video, and Jackson, have since re-emerged, mostly because being nominated as the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor is far easier than winning a statewide primary.
Because of the quirkiness of Virginia's electoral system, which allows lieutenant governors to be elected separately from governors, and the Virginia Republican nomination process, which produces a nominee who wins a majority of only 13,000 possible delegate votes, Jackson could end up as Virginia's lieutenant governor whether Cuccinelli wins or loses.
Meanwhile, Jackson's comments leave little to the imagination, and there is no indication that his campaign is attempting to hide it.
The evidence is strewn, and well-documented by liberal groups, all over the Internet.
Jackson has compared Planned Parenthood's support for abortion to genocide, railed against homosexuality, suggested that gay activists harbor an anti-black agenda and said that the Democratic Party is anti-Israel.
The question is whether efforts to link Jackson to Cuccinelli will be successful.
Democrats point out that Cuccinelli - in notably vague terms - endorsed Jackson as a "powerful fighter and communicator for first principles."
But asked for comment on Monday, Cuccinelli's camp did not immediately respond.
The Republican Governors Association declined to comment on Jackson's controversial statements.
"Ken Cuccinelli is running a focused campaign on job growth and pocketbook issues that are important to voters in the Commonwealth," said Jon Thompson, the RGA's spokesperson. "We are confident that come Election Day, voters will elect Cuccinelli as governor based on his ideas and his proven record of fighting for all Virginians."
If your aim is to lose weight in the long term, then it is essential to include exercise in your weight loss plan.
Combine exercise with healthy eating
Just adopting a healthy eating plan and not exercising at all, will not be beneficial to long-term weight loss and the general health of your body.
Shonee Muller, manager of the Discovery Wellness and Fitness Centre at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, says: 'If you are not a gym-goer, but still need to burn those extra kilojoules, walking around the block, going for a run with your dog, and doing body-weight exercises at home - running up and down steps, doing lunges, squats, push-ups and sit-ups - are all forms of training, which also improve cardiovascular conditioning and strength.'
Examples of calorie burning
She provides us with the following examples of calorie burning:
* If a 60-year-old cycles at a pace of 9 kilometres per hour, he will burn 16 kilojoules per minute.
* If a 50-year-old runs at 5.5 minutes per kilometre, she will burn 40 kilojoules per minute.
Weight loss cannot be predicited
She also adds that you should note that it is impossible to predict weight loss. You may experience periods where your weight doesn't change but your body composition and fitness levels change.
Seek assistance from a physical trainer, if you need to find a suitable workout routine tailored to your needs. Also chat to your doctor first, if you suffer from any medical conditions.
Source: Discovery magazine, Summer 2011
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Study looks at risk factors for rupture or bleeding of arachnoid cysts in childrenPublic release date: 21-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Connie Hughes connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com 646-674-6348 Wolters Kluwer Health
Larger arachnoid cysts and head trauma are main risks, reports study in Neurosurgery
Philadelphia, Pa. (May 21, 2013) Arachnoid cysts are a common type of brain lesion that is usually harmless, but with a risk of rupture or bleeding. A new study identifies risk factors for rupture or bleeding in children with "incidentally" detected arachnoid cysts, reports the May issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
Risk is higher for children with larger cysts and a recent history of even mild head trauma, according to the report by Dr. Jay Riva-Cambrin of University of Utah, Salt Lake City.
What Factors Increase the Risk of Ruptured Arachnoid Cysts?
Arachnoid cysts are benign (not cancerous) fluid-filled sacs that develop between the brain and the arachnoid membrane covering it. Most arachnoid cysts are "primary," that is, present from birth. They are relatively common, estimated to be present in about 1 out of 40 children.
With modern brain imaging studies, arachnoid cysts are often detected "incidentally"during imaging tests performed for another reason. Although the cysts usually cause no harm, if they rupture (break open) or bleed, they can cause potentially serious problems requiring emergency treatment.
In their study, Dr. Riva-Cambrin and colleagues sought to identify risk factors for rupture and bleeding in children with arachnoid cysts. Fourteen children with ruptured cysts treated at the authors' hospital from 2005 to 2010 were matched to 28 children with known cysts but not rupture or bleeding.
The 14 ruptured/bleeding cysts accounted for six percent of all arachnoid cysts detected at the authors' hospital. The patients were ten boys and four girls, average age six years. Most children with ruptured/bleeding cysts had headache and other symptoms related to increased pressure within the skull (intracranial pressure).
One important risk factor was larger cyst diameter. Rupture and/or bleeding occurred in 69 percent of cysts measuring five centimeters or larger, compared to 17 percent of smaller cysts. Risk was estimated to be 16 times greater for cysts of five centimeters or larger.
Eighty-six percent of children with ruptured/bleeding cysts had a history of recent head trauma, compared to 14 percent with unruptured cysts. In nearly every case, the head trauma was minor and "seemingly trivial"such as a fall from a low height. Yet risk of cyst rupture/bleeding was 25 times higher for these children.
Findings May Aid in Patient Counseling
Some previous reports suggested a higher risk of arachnoid cyst rupture or aneurysm at higher altitudes. However, the rupture rate at the authors' Salt Lake City hospital appeared no higher than at hospitals at lower elevations.
Ten of the children with ruptured/bleeding cysts required surgery; two children needed shunt placement to manage continued problems with fluid in the skull (hydrocephalus). None of the children died or had major disability.
As more children with arachnoid cysts are identified, neurosurgeons need the best possible information on risk factors for rupture or bleeding. The risk that an arachnoid cyst will rupture or bleed has been estimated somewhere between two and five percent. Because most cysts are still unidentified, the true risk is almost certainly even lower.
The new results suggest that larger cysts and recent head trauma are key risk factors for arachnoid cyst rupture or bleeding. The researchers hope their findings will be useful in discussing the risks and follow-up for the growing number of children discovered to have arachnoid cysts.
Dr. Riva-Cambrin and colleagues acknowledge that the increased risk of cyst rupture/bleeding after mild head trauma is "potentially alarming." But they note that such injuries are extremely common in children's daily lives. While parents should be aware of this risk, the authors believe there's no reason to restrict sports or other activities for most children with arachnoid cysts.
###
About Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery, the Official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, is your most complete window to the contemporary field of neurosurgery. Members of the Congress and non-member subscribers receive 3,000 pages per year packed with the very latest science, technology, and medicine, not to mention full-text online access to the world's most complete, up-to-the-minute neurosurgery resource. For professionals aware of the rapid pace of developments in the field, Neurosurgery is nothing short of indispensable.
About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes.
LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2012 annual revenues of 3.6 billion ($4.6 billion).
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Study looks at risk factors for rupture or bleeding of arachnoid cysts in childrenPublic release date: 21-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Connie Hughes connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com 646-674-6348 Wolters Kluwer Health
Larger arachnoid cysts and head trauma are main risks, reports study in Neurosurgery
Philadelphia, Pa. (May 21, 2013) Arachnoid cysts are a common type of brain lesion that is usually harmless, but with a risk of rupture or bleeding. A new study identifies risk factors for rupture or bleeding in children with "incidentally" detected arachnoid cysts, reports the May issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
Risk is higher for children with larger cysts and a recent history of even mild head trauma, according to the report by Dr. Jay Riva-Cambrin of University of Utah, Salt Lake City.
What Factors Increase the Risk of Ruptured Arachnoid Cysts?
Arachnoid cysts are benign (not cancerous) fluid-filled sacs that develop between the brain and the arachnoid membrane covering it. Most arachnoid cysts are "primary," that is, present from birth. They are relatively common, estimated to be present in about 1 out of 40 children.
With modern brain imaging studies, arachnoid cysts are often detected "incidentally"during imaging tests performed for another reason. Although the cysts usually cause no harm, if they rupture (break open) or bleed, they can cause potentially serious problems requiring emergency treatment.
In their study, Dr. Riva-Cambrin and colleagues sought to identify risk factors for rupture and bleeding in children with arachnoid cysts. Fourteen children with ruptured cysts treated at the authors' hospital from 2005 to 2010 were matched to 28 children with known cysts but not rupture or bleeding.
The 14 ruptured/bleeding cysts accounted for six percent of all arachnoid cysts detected at the authors' hospital. The patients were ten boys and four girls, average age six years. Most children with ruptured/bleeding cysts had headache and other symptoms related to increased pressure within the skull (intracranial pressure).
One important risk factor was larger cyst diameter. Rupture and/or bleeding occurred in 69 percent of cysts measuring five centimeters or larger, compared to 17 percent of smaller cysts. Risk was estimated to be 16 times greater for cysts of five centimeters or larger.
Eighty-six percent of children with ruptured/bleeding cysts had a history of recent head trauma, compared to 14 percent with unruptured cysts. In nearly every case, the head trauma was minor and "seemingly trivial"such as a fall from a low height. Yet risk of cyst rupture/bleeding was 25 times higher for these children.
Findings May Aid in Patient Counseling
Some previous reports suggested a higher risk of arachnoid cyst rupture or aneurysm at higher altitudes. However, the rupture rate at the authors' Salt Lake City hospital appeared no higher than at hospitals at lower elevations.
Ten of the children with ruptured/bleeding cysts required surgery; two children needed shunt placement to manage continued problems with fluid in the skull (hydrocephalus). None of the children died or had major disability.
As more children with arachnoid cysts are identified, neurosurgeons need the best possible information on risk factors for rupture or bleeding. The risk that an arachnoid cyst will rupture or bleed has been estimated somewhere between two and five percent. Because most cysts are still unidentified, the true risk is almost certainly even lower.
The new results suggest that larger cysts and recent head trauma are key risk factors for arachnoid cyst rupture or bleeding. The researchers hope their findings will be useful in discussing the risks and follow-up for the growing number of children discovered to have arachnoid cysts.
Dr. Riva-Cambrin and colleagues acknowledge that the increased risk of cyst rupture/bleeding after mild head trauma is "potentially alarming." But they note that such injuries are extremely common in children's daily lives. While parents should be aware of this risk, the authors believe there's no reason to restrict sports or other activities for most children with arachnoid cysts.
###
About Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery, the Official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, is your most complete window to the contemporary field of neurosurgery. Members of the Congress and non-member subscribers receive 3,000 pages per year packed with the very latest science, technology, and medicine, not to mention full-text online access to the world's most complete, up-to-the-minute neurosurgery resource. For professionals aware of the rapid pace of developments in the field, Neurosurgery is nothing short of indispensable.
About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes.
LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2012 annual revenues of 3.6 billion ($4.6 billion).
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The UK astronaut Tim Peake has been given a date to fly to the International Space Station (ISS).
The date of the mission is yet to be made public but it will not be before 2015. The European Space Agency (Esa) is to release the details on Monday.
Peake, who was a major and a helicopter pilot in the British Army Air Corps, has been in training for an expedition to the ISS since 2009.
To get there, he will ride a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.
Tasks once in orbit will include helping to maintain the 27,000km/h platform and carrying out science experiments in Esa's Columbus laboratory module, which is attached to the front of the 400-tonne complex.
Forty-one-year-old Peake hails from Chichester, and is so far the only Briton ever to be accepted into the European Astronaut Corps.
His mission will make him the first UK national to live and work in space, and to fly the Union flag, on a British-government-funded programme (the UK is Esa's third largest contributor).
All previous UK-born astronauts that have gone into orbit have done so either through the US space agency (Nasa) as American citizens or on private ventures organised with the assistance of the Russian space agency.
"Major Tim" Peake has a degree in flight dynamics and is a qualified test pilot.
When he was selected for astronaut training he was working with the Anglo-Italian helicopter company AgustaWestland.
Helen Sharman was the first Briton to go into space in 1991 on Project Juno, a cooperative project between a number of UK companies and the Soviet government. She spent a week at the Mir space station.
The most experienced British-born astronaut is Nasa's Michael Foale. He has accumulated 374 days in orbit, completing long-duration missions to both the ISS and Mir.
Major Tim's assignment is made as British space activity is experiencing a big renaissance.
The space industry in the UK is growing fast, employing tens of thousands of workers and contributing some ?9bn in value to the national economy.
The government has also lifted substantially its subscription to Esa, and the agency has responded by opening its first technical base in the country.
Ecsat (European Centre for Space Applications and Telecoms) is sited on the Harwell science campus in Oxfordshire.
There is sure to be huge interest in Major Tim's adventure.
The recently returned ISS commander, Canadian Chris Hadfield, attracted a big following for his tweets, videos and songs from the platform. His rendition of David Bowie's A Space Oddity has become a YouTube hit.
It would be hoped that Major Tim could achieve something of the same impact.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea fired a projectile into waters off its eastern coast Sunday, a day after launching three short-range missiles in the same area, officials said.
North Korea routinely test-launches short-range missiles. But the latest launches came during a period of tentative diplomacy aimed at easing recent tension, including near-daily threats by North Korea to attack South Korea and the U.S. earlier this year. North Korea protested annual joint military drills by Seoul and Washington and U.N. sanctions imposed over its February nuclear test.
The fourth launch occurred Sunday afternoon, according to officials at Seoul's Defense Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing department rules, refused to say whether it was a missile or artillery round.
On Saturday, North Korea fired two short-range missiles in the morning and another in the afternoon. The U.S. responded by saying threats or provocations would only further deepen North Korea's international isolation, while South Korea called the launches a provocation and urged the North to take responsible actions.
The North has a variety of missiles but Seoul and Washington don't believe the country has mastered the technology needed to manufacture nuclear warheads that are small and light enough to be placed on a missile capable of reaching the U.S.
U.S. officials said the North has recently withdrawn two mid-range "Musudan" missiles believed to be capable of reaching Guam after moving them to its east coast during the recent tensions.
The Korean Peninsula officially remains in a state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. South Korea's Defense Ministry said Sunday it has deployed dozens of Israeli-made precision guided missiles on front-line islands near the disputed western sea boundary as part of an arms buildup begun after a North Korean artillery strike on one of the islands in 2010 killed four South Koreans.
___
Associated Press writer Sam Kim contributed to this report.
SAN FRANCISCO/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is set to make a splash this week with the eagerly awaited unveiling of its new Xbox game console, eight years after the last version, as it seeks a larger share of the $65 billion a year global computer gaming industry.
But the small device faces some big competition from the PlayStation 4 by Sony Corp and the Wii U by Nintendo Co Ltd in a shifting market.
Gamers are gravitating to online play - suggesting the hey-day of console games are over - while Microsoft wants its sleek new toy to finally cross the bridge to the mainstream and become the family's entertainment center.
"Core gamers are very hungry for a new machine but the difference between 2005 and now is that the stakes are so much higher," said Ryan McCaffrey, executive editor at entertainment website IGN.com, harking back to Microsoft's last Xbox release. "The entire Xbox experiment from Microsoft was for it to be the center piece of your living room."
To that end, industry-watchers are expecting a raft of improvements from the new Xbox, when Microsoft unveils it at its Redmond, Washington, headquarters on Tuesday, from closer integration with the TV and link-ups with mobile devices to access to new and even exclusive content.
Console gaming still takes the lion's share of a growing gaming market - about 42 percent of the $65 billion world market, according to Microsoft. But playing games on smartphones and tablets, or as an offshoot to online social networks, is gaining ground fast.
Console sales have been in decline for the last four years, chiefly because of aging devices, but the first of the new generation of machines has not reignited the sector.
Nintendo's Wii U, launched in November, had sold only 3.45 million units through the end of March, well below the company's initial forecast of 5.5 million. Hopes for Sony's PS4, teased in March, are low key.
"The next wave crest isn't as high as the previous one," said Lewis Ward, research manager at International Data Corp, who calculates that about 250 million Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii units were sold between 2005 and 2012.
"I do think that consoles as a product category have peaked and the next gen devices won't match those totals," he said.
LOW MARGINS
The Xbox itself is not a key financial factor for the world's largest software maker. Its Entertainment & Devices unit is set to break $10 billion in sales for the first time this year, but that's half the sales of its Windows unit, and a lot less profitable, averaging less than 15 percent margin compared to 60 percent or higher for Windows or Office.
The company has more than 46 million members who subscribe to its online gaming and digital entertainment service Xbox Live, but that's still a fraction of the people who pay for its software.
However, the Xbox is still a key weapon in Microsoft's strategic battle with Google Inc, Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and others for a central place in consumers' lives.
"This (the new Xbox) is of massive importance to Microsoft. It is a piece of a larger war for the consumer that it is battling. They want to be fully integrated with the consumer whether it's in the living room or mobile," said P.J. McNealy, CEO and founder of Digital World Research. "Arguably the battle against both Apple and Google for dominating a consumer's time share more so than taking on Sony and Nintendo directly."
That means Microsoft will be aiming for many markets at the same time, from the core and casual gamer to the TV watcher and music fan.
To do that, industry watchers expect Microsoft to integrate the new Xbox much more closely to the TV and cable or satellite box, perhaps allowing users to change channel or buy movies with a wave of the hand through its motion-control Kinect sensor. They also expect to hear more about SmartGlass, Microsoft's app that lets you link an Xbox to a tablet or smartphone.
Users can already get Netflix through the Xbox, and Microsoft recently started its own studio to produce exclusive content, meaning the new device is a gateway to much more than games.
"I think they're going to try to have their cake and eat it too - they will try to get casual people for entertainment while keeping the hardcore gamers interested," said McCaffrey at IGN.com. "They want their console on all the time, whether it's a mom watching Amazon video, the son playing a game and the dad watching (Major League Baseball) TV on another app - that's their goal."
(Additional reporting by Edwin Chan; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
While you are hanging out on the Internet (in your underwear, maybe?) on a Saturday, kids that are smarter than either you or I are out there getting ready to change the world. 18-year-old Eesha Khare (left), for instance, not only invented a supercapacitor that could someday be a phone battery that charges in just a couple of seconds; she also won $50,000 for it.
Steven Miller will have to answer to a Republican-run committee today about why conservative groups were targeted by the agency.
2. HOW A LOOPHOLE LET SOME TERRORISTS FLY
A government watchdog says some in the witness protection program weren't on no-fly lists.
3. WHY A WEAK YEN MAY MEAN NEW CARS IN U.S. DRIVEWAYS
Prices will drop for Japanese products such as Toyota automobiles and Sony electronics, which is good news for American and European consumers.
4. YEARS OF WORK DESTROYED BY TWISTERS IN HOURS
Habitat for Humanity had built many of the homes destroyed by 16 tornadoes that were also responsible for at least six deaths and dozens of injuries.in several small Texas communities.
5. ARMY OF SHAME
President Barack Obama says military leaders have told him they are "ashamed" of their failure to end sexual abuse in the armed services.
6. SYRIA'S PLANS FOR AFTER WAR ENDS
A six-member U.N. team led by a former Syrian planning minister has started a reconstruction initiative even as there is no end in sight for the civil unrest.
7. GOT WHEELS? COOL YOUR HEELS
American Airlines says people with just a bag ? rolling suitcases not included ? will be allowed to board flights before most other passengers.
8. WHERE POWERBALL IS GETTING ITS LATEST PUSH
With California recently joining states that offer the lottery, players there and in neighboring Nevada are hoping for a piece of an estimated $550 million jackpot.
9. WHAT BECKHAM GAVE TO US SOCCER
David Beckham retires from the sport, but left Major League Soccer with the kind of legitimacy and visibility it would have taken decades to reach on its own.
10. WHO THE LATEST 'AMERICAN IDOL' IS
Vocal powerhouse Candice Glover bested country singer Kree Harrison to win the 12th edition of the contest and a record deal.
Radio?s first quarter was flat at $3.5 Billion, aided by an uptick in Spot in MARCH after a sluggish start to the year.? Both Digital and Off-Air performed well throughout the quarter and were up 9% and 5% respectively, reports the RAB.
?
Spot spending by Communication/Cellular advertisers soared by over 1/3 (36%) for this quarter, propelling the category to #1 for the period.? Also up -- in rank order based on spending --were Financial Services (+13%), Department/Discount Stores & Shopping Centers (+58%), and Home Furnishings/Floor Coverings (+6%).? While dollar volume was virtually flat for Television/Networks/Cable Providers (-3%) and Restaurants (-2%), these were solid contributors to radio?s bottom line in the #2 and #4 spots; Automotive declined 20% and slipped to the #3 rank.
?
"Major increases in radio advertising by Communications/Cellular and Financial Services went a long way to offset a drop in Automotive spending," stated RAB Pres./CEO ERICA FARBER. "Additionally, spending is up in the Department/Discount Stores category -- reflecting increased confidence among retailers who have experienced radio?s ability to drive traffic and sales."
?
"Radio?s digital sector revenue continues to grow as radio stations invest in and promote their digital offerings to listeners, driving increased attention by the ad buying community," FARBER added.
They're light, they're cheap, they're marginally comfortable, but ironically, folding chairs are rarely easy to stack and store. They're supposed to be, but their random curves and bulges make it a task that's frankly just not worth it?especially knowing that Folditure's ultra-flat hanging Tilt chairs are about to hit the market.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) ? If you're traveling light, you can board earlier on American Airlines.
The airline said Thursday that people carrying just a personal item that fits under the seat ? no rolling suitcases ? will be allowed to board before most other passengers.
American said that the change will speed up the boarding process and allow flights to take off sooner, helping the airline improve its on-time performance.
Airlines have been seeing a buildup in boarding times since they began charging fees for checked baggage as more people fight for limited space in overhead bins.
American tested the new boarding procedure at several airports earlier this year and began applying it to all flights Thursday. Passengers carrying just a personal item ? a purse, backpack or computer bag that will fit under the seat ? will board right after Group 1 premium passengers and before boarding groups 2, 3 and 4.
The airline said that it will let passengers check a carry-on bag at the gate at no charge. That means savvy travelers will be able to move up in the boarding order and avoid checked-bag fees ? $25 for the first bag, $35 for a second on flights within the U.S. ? although they'll have to retrieve their bag at baggage claim after they land.
Kevin Doeksen, director of customer planning for American, said the change speeds up boarding, because fewer passengers stop in the aisle to hoist a bag into the overhead bins. The difference is about two minutes per flight, "which doesn't sound like much, but it adds up throughout the day," he said.
If the change results in fewer big bags being rolled on the plane, it could reduce the number of flights on which the overhead bins fill up. When the bins are stuffed, gate agents or flight attendants must ask passengers in the last boarding group to surrender their bag for gate-checking ? an awkward situation all around.
Competition for bin space has also made travel more stressful. Passengers in the last boarding groups often creep forward and jockey for position to be the first in their group on the plane.
"They're anxious because they've got a big roll-aboard (bag with wheels) and they're worried about having no space in the bin," Doeksen said.
____
Follow David Koenig at www.twitter.com/airlinewriter.
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Alice Eve, Anton Yelchin, Karl Urban, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller.
Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Duration: 133 min.
Parental guidance: violence.
Playing at: Angrignon, Banque Scotia, Brossard, Cavendish, Colossus, C?te des Neiges, Kirkland, Lacordaire, March? Central, Sources, Sph?retech, Taschereau cinemas
MONTREAL - Less than a week after Chris Hadfield and company ended their five- month sojourn in space by touching down safely on their home planet, the members of the Starship Enterprise are setting out on another tour of duty.
Picking up where the rebooted franchise left off in 2009, Star Trek Into Darkness is an action and quip-fuelled 3D barrage that has more to do with modern blockbuster entertainment norms than the cerebral dilemmas of Capt. James T. Kirk and his crew in the original TV series.
That's clear from the spectacular, albeit ? like much of this film ? overly digitized chase sequence that opens the proceedings. Think Indiana Jones and spear-throwing natives and you're beginning to get the picture. It's not the first and won't be the last time in his career that director J.J. Abrams pays homage to hero Steven Spielberg.
After saving a faraway planet and breaking all the rules in the process, the Enterprise is grounded, young Kirk (Chris Pine) demoted, and he and Spock (Zachary Quinto) separated. This can't last, obviously ? we have a movie to watch.
A terrorist attack throws the world into chaos, and before long, Kirk and Spock are reunited in interplanetary pursuit of dastardly bad guy Commander John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch, a.k.a. Sherlock Holmes for BBC viewers).
He's holed up on the abandoned Klingon home world of Kronos. Things get tense when Harrison is taken prisoner aboard the Enterprise. And that's about all we'll say about plot. Not that plot has much to do with anything here. There is one, but it's all over the place, much like the near-constant barrage of activity interspersed with in-jokes about characters we know all too well.
The mischievous fun of Abrams's 2009 Star Trek hinged on gently mocking the self-seriousness of a stale franchise. That jocular tone has become the default setting in this hyperactive followup. Wisecracks regarding Spock's extreme logic are a dime a dozen, while Kirk's hot head, McCoy's (Karl Urban) earnestness, Chekhov's (Anton Yelchin) franticness and Scotty's (Simon Pegg) colourful Scottish vernacular are thrown in free of charge.
Pegg earns himself increased screen time with a characteristically enthusiastic performance. But the women get short shrift: Zoe Saldana returns as communications officer, and Spock's frustrated love interest, Uhura; and Alice Eve is newcomer Dr. Carol Marcus (whom in Star Trek lore bears a child with Kirk); and that's about it ? this is a guy's movie.
The real revelation is Cumberbatch, who steals the show as the film's alluring yet evil antagonist. His true identity, revealed in the homestretch, will be a treat (and provide fodder for spirited debate) to hardcore Trekkies.
Abrams wraps things up in open-ended fashion, leaving the door (and galaxy) wide open for further adventures of the Enterprise. Hopefully, the next instalment will see this new "next generation" match the director's ever-reliable entertainment value with a bit more substance.
Demonstrators are upset with efforts by Kenya's lawmakers to give themselves a pay raise.
By Fredrick Nzwili,?Correspondent / May 14, 2013
Kenyan demonstrators, some chained to each other, gather near the gate of parliament in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday. Police fired tear-gas, water cannons and swung their batons at protesters gathered outside Kenya?s parliament building to pile pressure on the country's legislators to drop demands for a salary increment.
Sayyid Azim/AP
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Kenyan police?on Tuesday?fired teargas and used water cannons to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who had camped outside Parliament protesting an attempt by lawmakers to increase their own pay.
Skip to next paragraph Fredrick Nzwili
East Africa Correspondent
Fredrick Nzwili is a Kenya-based journalist with 15 years experience in writing for newspapers, international magazines, and international news organizations from Africa. Between 2003 and 2010, he covered the religious dimension of news across the continent. He has also traveled to several African countries on assignments covering peace and conflict, humanitarian work, environment, and interfaith relations and dialogue, among other subjects.?
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The protests began with a march through Nairobi's streets, with demonstrators chanting and carrying placards critical of Members of Parliament (MPs). Protesters had planned to then go inside and "Occupy Parliament," but that proved difficult after police in riot gear surrounded the building.
The police made 15 arrests, but struggled to control the agitated crowd as well as a drove of pigs ??bearing the inscriptions "MPigs" ? which demonstrators brought to the assembly's entrance. They also covered the ground with pig blood, which the pigs mingled in.
?We want to see resources being directed to service delivery, not meeting the wage bill? of lawmakers, says Morris Odhiambo, the director of the Centre for Law Research International.
According to Mr. Odhiambo, many Kenyans were living in deplorable conditions, because their tax money has either been stolen or paid to undeserving people. Nurses and teachers, who have sought pay increases, have not received serious attention from the government, he says. ?The attempt by MPs to increase their salary emphasizes the highest level of impunity.?
Kenya recently decreased the legislators? annual earnings from $120,000 to $75,000 to rein in the burgeoning salary expenses, following the creation of new state offices by a new constitution. Some analysts were already warning government operations may become unsustainable unless the government controls salaries of state officers.
Disregarding the developments, MPs have demanded an upward adjustment of the salary from the current $6,250 back to $10,000 per month, demands that have angered the public.
?If they can?t take the pay, they should resign. We want to rein in their greed. They have not done any work and we are disappointed they are seeking a pay raise even before they work,? says Mr. Simon Muoki, a young environmental rights campaigner.
?This has been our country?s problem for the last 50 years. MPs have forced decisions ? including their pay ??in disregard of the feelings of those who elect them,? says Jedida Wanjiru, an octogenarian at the demonstrations.
For the past month, the lawmakers have arm-twisted the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), a government body that?s sets salaries of all state officers. With MPs threatening to disband it, the SRC has stuck to its guns.
On Monday?the commission said it will not increase the salary even with threats and intimidation. Sarah Serem, SRC?s chairperson said the commission?s concern was how to reduce the wage bill so that the savings can be used for development work. She said Kenya's total revenue was $11.8 billion, but the country spends $5.7 billion on salaries.
?This amount is not only huge, but it is unaffordable and unsustainable. It stands in the way of the country?s development agenda,? Ms. Serem told a news conference in Nairobi.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) ? Water with traces of a radioactive hydrogen isotope leaked at a nuclear power plant in South Carolina, but the level of tritium in the water is well below limits that would make it dangerous to drink, federal regulators said.
The leak was reported Tuesday night at the Catawba Nuclear Station in York County in a fiberglass pipe that takes water from a turbine pump to a holding pond, where it is tested before it is released back into Lake Wylie, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.
The level of tritium in the water was also less than half the federal limit for safe drinking water, NRC spokesman Roger Hannah said.
Duke Energy, which runs the plant, said the leak was contained entirely within the site and took steps to make sure the contaminated water doesn't reach groundwater. The utility tests groundwater in wells throughout the area regularly and hasn't seen any cause for alarm, spokeswoman Mary Kathryn Green said.
"We know where water runs on our site. That's part of the placement of our wells," Green said.
The leak happened a half-mile inside the nuclear plant's property, Duke Energy said.
The utility reported more than 100 gallons of water leaked, but the exact amount may not be known. It could have been less, but Duke Energy reported it out of an abundance of caution, Green said.
Crews have bypassed the pipe and are doing repairs. The nuclear plant continues to operate normally, Green said.
The NRC is monitoring Duke Energy's response to the leak and will decide after it gathers information about the problem whether additional inspections are needed, Hannah said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says drinking water that contains tritium can increase the risk of developing cancer.
GRANBURY, Texas (AP) ? At least six people were killed Wednesday as a spring tornado outbreak devastated parts of North Texas, destroying or damaging dozens of homes and injuring dozens of people.
The worst-hit city Wednesday was Granbury, where authorities say a deadly tornado tore through two neighborhoods about 8 p.m. Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds delivered the death toll at a midnight news conference.
"Some were found in houses. Some were found around houses," Deeds said. He also said the total could climb as crews pick through the rubble of shattered homes.
About 50 people were taken to a Granbury hospital, where 14 were admitted for treatment of injuries and two were transferred to a hospital in Fort Worth, about 35 miles to the northeast, Deeds said.
As many as 100 people were injured, said Matt Zavadsky, spokesman for MedStar Mobile Healthcare. His company sent three ambulances and a medical bus from its Fort Worth base to Granbury.
Deeds said officials were trying to account for 14 people, but it was not clear if they were missing or were away from the area for other reasons.
Hardest hit were two neighborhoods, Rancho Brazos Estates and DeCordova Ranch, in the southern end of the town of about 8,000 residents about 65 miles southwest of Dallas.
Ambulances from as far away as Fort Worth were being called to Granbury, said Tye Bell, Richland Hills police spokesman who was heading to Granbury on Wednesday night.
Rancho Brazos Estates resident Elizabeth Tovar said she rode out the tornado with her husband and sister as she clutched her 9-month-old daughter.
"We heard the winds whipping and glass smashing everywhere," said Tovar, 25. "I felt like a long time and when things died down I looked up and saw that the roof was gone."
Another resident of that neighborhood, Allacia Jenny, said she witnessed devastation in her neighborhood.
"The house across from mine looked like it was destroyed," said Jenny, 22.
Toppled large trees litter her yard, and "I saw power lines all over the place," she said.
At Stumpy's Lakeside Grill in Lake Granbury, the storm took diners and workers by surprise. Some people rushed inside from the patio and ducked under tables as the wind gusts and hail started, but nobody was injured, said Eric Martinez, a cook. Then they looked across the lake and saw several homeowners' boat docks "just get torn apart," he said.
"The boat docks just flew off, and they're actually gone," Martinez said, adding that the boards and other debris landed in some yards.
The same storm spawned another tornado that storm spotters told the National Weather Service was a mile wide. That twister tore through the southwestern quadrant of Cleburne, a courthouse city of about 30,000 about 25 miles southeast of Granbury.
There were no reports of deaths in that storm, Cleburne Mayor Scott Cain said, "but we do have the potential for some injuries." He had no estimates.
Cain had no estimate on the number of homes damaged, but he said he expected the number to soar into the dozens based on his inspection of damage ranging from roof damage to total destruction.
Another tornado hit the small town of Millsap, about 40 miles west of Fort Worth. Parker County Judge Mark Kelley said roof damage was reported to several houses and a barn was destroyed, but no injuries were reported.
Hail as large as grapefruit also pelted the area around Mineral Wells on Wednesday evening. A police dispatcher reported only minor damage.
___
Wallace reported from Dallas. Associated Press writers Angela K. Brown and Jamie Stengle in Dallas also contributed.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? More than 10,000 workers who handle disability claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs will be required to work at least 20 hours of overtime each month in an effort reduce a sizable backlog, the department announced Wednesday.
The overtime requirement will last through September and comes as many federal workers face furloughs because of mandatory budget cuts. The VA was exempt from those spending reductions.
"We need to surge our resources now to help those who have waited the longest and end the backlog," said Allison Hickey, undersecretary for benefits at the VA.
The VA has come under fire from veterans groups and members of Congress for the number of claims pending longer than 125 days. About 570,000 disability claims fall into that category, nearly two-thirds of all claims pending.
The advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America said the VA's announcement was good to see, but it also emphasized that more was needed and renewed a call for President Barack Obama to get more directly involved.
"Bringing the backlog down to zero will not be achieved piecemeal, and unfortunately there is no sign that the administration will bring together VA, DOD and other agencies to develop a sustainable plan to address the structural problems that have created the backlog," said Paul Rieckhoff, the group's CEO and founder. "Instead of chipping away around the edges, veterans need a comprehensive strategy."
Veterans receive disability compensation for injuries and illness incurred or aggravated during their active military service. The amount of the compensation is based on a rating assigned by the VA.
The VA announcement was the second in the past month designed to help veterans with longstanding disability claims. It recently announced that it would be expediting claims decisions for veterans who had been waiting more than a year. Veterans whose claims are granted would get compensation immediately. Veterans whose claims are denied will have a year to submit more information before the VA makes a final decision.
The department has made some progress in recent weeks on claiming pending longer than 125 days. The backlog for such claims is now down about 1,000 from where it was at this time last year.
If there was any question as to Sebastian Thrun and Udacity's resolve to re-imagine higher education in a more affordable, accessible virtual classroom -- or their ability to actually make any real headway among the Ivory Towers of academia -- we should probably just go ahead and put that to bed. This morning, Udacity continues to push forward with its plans to bring higher education online -- and not just in bits, pieces and homework assignments. Following 2U's lead, which set the ball rolling by pioneering the approach of partnering with graduate programs to go beyond asynchronous video learning to create custom, accredited full-service web and mobile-compatible graduate degree programs.
METAIRIE, La. (AP) ? The New Orleans Saints say Chuck Muncie, a Pro Bowl running back with both the Saints and San Diego Chargers, has died at age 60.
Muncie was the Saints first-round pick, third overall, out of California in 1976. He played four-and-a-half seasons in New Orleans before being traded in 1980 to San Diego, where he finished his nine-year NFL career. The team and a spokesman for the family confirmed the death on Tuesday.
In 1979, Muncie became the first Saint to rush for 1,000 yards, finishing with 1,198 yards and 11 touchdowns, and his 1,506 total yards from scrimmage earned him the first of his three Pro Bowl selections.
Muncie was traded by the Saints at midseason in 1980 to the San Diego Chargers, where he played 51 games and was named to Pro Bowl rosters two more times.
Can the iconic red metal toolbox ever really be improved? One would assume it was too timeless a design to mess with, but Best Made has come up with a brilliant way to make them even better. Instead of having to empty its contents to reach a tool buried at the bottom, this revamped design features a front-loading trap door providing easy access to the toolbox's contents.
So you've waited eight years to find out who the 'Mother' is. Finally, Monday night's episode of How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 8 p.m. ET) brought the big reveal. The yellow umbrella wielding, titular character is … drum roll, please…
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uMavtRrLr6XXeZAsLd3sQp06LAosdM-tloz-afbJ58Ma1_-Whp2rG9bgHFnecY7G3eTJO5LasrA0o8UH36wRJ5hlSnGNT1cyykbiYCDCs=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 21-May-2013
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If there was any question as to Sebastian Thrun and Udacity's resolve to re-imagine higher education in a more affordable, accessible virtual classroom -- or their ability to actually make any real headway among the Ivory Towers of academia -- we should probably just go ahead and put that to bed. This morning, Udacity continues to push forward with its plans to bring higher education online -- and not just in bits, pieces and homework assignments. 
