Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/193638764?client_source=feed&format=rss
draya michele draya michele ozzie guillen ozzie guillen washington monument demarcus ware terra nova
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Oscars tops iOS Apps of the Week (Appolicious)
This week?s top apps are quite media-centric. There are apps to make your Oscars viewing more enjoyable and apps to make your general TV watching more rewarding, too. There are even apps to keep up on digital media news and online videos. It?s the middle of winter, so you might as well pop down on the couch and enjoy these apps. It looks awfully windy outside, anyway.
The best award show of the year is less than a month away, and you can start planning your Oscars party now with the official app. Even though the actual show isn?t until February 26, the app has plenty going on before then. Right now users can view a full list of the nominees as well as check out movie trailers and other assorted videos. On the night of the show, the app will transform into a complement to the live broadcast, offering additional live camera angles for super Oscars fans to enjoy while they check out the broadcast on TV.
Shoebox is an app designed to help bring your old photos into the digital age. If you?ve got a bunch of old Polaroids lying around and don?t have a proper scanner to get them digitized, this app uses your iPhone to help you out by automatically detecting the photo?s edges and auto-flattening the image to adjust for the camera?s tilt. Once the photos are scanned in, they?re uploaded to the Shoebox website, where you can share them with their friend and family quickly and easily. Those who prefer their privacy can also opt to keep their uploaded photos private so that other users on Shoebox can?t view them.
paidContent Mobile News is the app version of paidContent.org, a website that keeps readers informed on the latest in the business of digital media. The app version boasts live updates for all of the paidContent web stories, with automatic refreshing throughout the day without users having to refresh the app themselves. Readers can also share stories through Twitter and Facebook. While paidContent Mobile News isn?t a glamorous app, it?s very useful if you enjoy following the business side of media.
Frequency lets you keep up on all your favorite online videos. You create personalized channels tailored to your specific interests, from sports to technology to music. You can then see highlights from all of your channels in the app?s ?My Feed,? section which acts like a best-of tab. If you?re tired of jumping from website to website to keep up with all of the web clips you want to watch, Frequency streamlines the process by creating a one-stop shop for web video.
Viggle is something like Foursquare for your TV viewing habits. The app lets you ?check-in? to your favorite TV shows as you watch them. Each time you check-in, you receive points from Viggle, which can later be redeemed for coupons and other rewards from retailers like Best Buy, Burger King and Fandango. If you already spend a lot of time hanging out watching TV, you might as well get rewarded for your efforts.
Create a list of your favorite iPhone apps
jason segel turducken power rangers jungle fury power rangers jungle fury ufc 139 fight card houston nutt houston nutt
Monday, January 30, 2012
Leora Novick: Small Town Life In The Peruvian Andes
The van rounded each bend with a sharp turn, and I felt my stomach drop at the combination of nearing the cliff's edge, and the breathless mountain scenery. With each pass the air grew thinner, yet the views grew more magnificent. Rising mountain peaks, cotton ball clumps of fluffy, white sheep, and the occasional Quechua native, dotting the landscape with a burst of color.
While traveling through the Sacred Valley region of Peru, I had been given the change to visit the tiny town of Rumira, high up in the Andes mountains. Accompanied by Threads of Peru, an NGO dedicated to the preservation of the traditional Quechua weaving traditions, I had the rare opportunity to meet and speak with the women of Rumira, talking about their daily routines, the process of weaving, and raising children while working such a laborious life.
As the van rumbled to a stop on a precariously large mound of wayside rubble, I tried to keep an open mind. I looked around at the handful of handmade huts comprising the village, the dogs running around, and the children covered in the dust of the nearby construction zone.
This was definitely not in my Lonely Planet guidebook.
I was shocked to see many of the women working in the construction zone, alongside the men, while still in their traditional outfits consisting of long skirts, wool sweaters and bowl-shaped hats. As my guide Urbano gathered all the women together to speak to me, I started noticing little details about the scene in front of me. One woman, who could not have been older than 20 was breast-feeding an infant while sitting on a pile of dusty rubble??, a gang of four little boys were swinging around a metal pole, clearly the favored toy of the day, and two little girls, no older than eight, were staring and giggling shyly at me.
Clearly, my hiking boots and muted Uniqlo fleece did not fit in with the local love for bright colors, and traditional garb.
While the women were obliging in abandoning their work for a few hours, it was clear that they were eager to get through this interview and back to work. With the help of Urbano, a native Quechua speaker, I was able to learn about the current project in Rumira. The community was working together to build pipes, so that they would have running water for a communal bathroom. When I realized that each hour I detained them was an hour without a toilet, I tried to speak as succinctly as possible. The women explained that their first priority is assisting the men with the farming. Men in this region tend to work in one of two occupations: agriculture, or as a porter on the Inca Trail. The women are expected to help out with the farming, as long as help is needed, and then with the local community construction.
Weaving is actually more of a luxury, than a job, with many of the women citing this as their favorite pastime. Each woman was adorned in a brightly colored, traditional outfit, personalized with unique details and beading. Young girls observe their mothers at this practice, and tend to start fully learning to weave at around the age of 10. Each garment has a particular style, specific to the region. In Rumira, Urbano explained that the women would buy wool from the markets, usually pre-dyed to a bright fuchsia or neon green, and then sew on the geometric patterns. Each woman's sweater and shirt were also typically purchased at a local market, but the hats were designed by hand. In Rumira, the traditional hats were a rounded basin shape on the crown, secured with a thick, white strap around the chin. Each woman would bead patterns along the band, creating beautiful patterns of birds, Inca kings, and local fruits.
While the women are off farming, cooking, building, or weaving, the children are left mostly to their own devices, creating toys and amusement from items around the house. Cereal boxes, empty bowls, and water bottles can create hours of entertainment. With such a busy life in Rumira, the children tend to grow up quite fast, helping out with the rest of the community by age ten.
Despite my knee jerk western reaction to judge the lifestyle of Rumira, i found myself noticing the peace in the air. The women all seemed very content with their life, and were eager to continue working on a project that would greatly improve their quality of life. They seemed to enjoy the slow pace, and as the day wore on, so did I. The noticeable lack of traffic sounds, and mindless chatter was replaced by the splashing of the nearby river and the calls of the surrounding wildlife.
There was life happening all around me, surviving over 12,000 feet in the sky. Life here in Rumira was simple: The locals did not ask for much and they did not take much in return. Seeing people, animals, and nature coexisting in harmony was truly a breathless experience, one finally not induced by the high altitude.
?
Follow Leora Novick on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@leoranovick
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leora-novick/small-town-life-in-the-pe_b_1237499.html
kuroda pineda gene hackman john edwards heart condition mena suvari pretty in pink joyful noise
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Senegal opposition leads cortege to police station (AP)
DAKAR, Senegal ? The leaders of Senegal's opposition led a long cortege of cars to the capital's central police commissariat to protest the detention of a human rights activist.
Alioune Tine, the organizer of the anti-government protest Friday which turned violent after the country's top legal body validated President Abdoulaye Wade's bid for a third term, was detained Saturday.
The constitution was revised after the 85-year-old Wade took office in 2000 to limit the number of terms to two. Wade argues the law is not retroactive and so cannot be applied to him since he took office before it took effect.
Late on Sunday, the constitutional council was meeting to consider the appeals submitted by opposition leaders who are calling into question the legality of Wade's candidacy. They are also considering an appeal submitted by music icon Youssou Ndour, whose application was disqualified because he allegedly did not turn in enough legal signatures on his petition to run for president.
The procession of cars descended along the capital's coastal highway, and surrounded the police station, located in a narrow side street in the downtown Plateau district near the presidential palace. On Saturday, the 52-year-old Ndour had tried to enter the building where Tine was being held, and a scuffle ensued when the police refused to let him in.
"We need to go get Alioune Tine," said El Hadj Diouf, an opposition leader who is a member of parliament. "If we don't react, those in power will prevent us from being at the forefront of our revolutionary battle."
danielle chiesi walter payton oneiric oneiric eartha kitt psych david ortiz
GOP insiders rise up to cut Gingrich down to size
Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks after receiving an endorsement from national Hispanic leaders at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks after receiving an endorsement from national Hispanic leaders at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney campaigns at The Hispanic Leadership Network's Lunch at Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami, Fla., Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during Hispanic Leadership Network conference at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, accompanied by his wife Callista, speaks during Hispanic Leadership Network conference at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, accompanied by his wife Callista, arrives before receiving an endorsement from national Hispanic leaders, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) ? Republican insiders are rising up to cut Newt Gingrich down to size, testament to the GOP establishment's fear that the mercurial candidate could lead the party to disaster this fall.
The gathering criticisms are bitingly sharp, as if edged by a touch of panic, a remarkable development considering the target once was speaker of the House and will go down in history as leader of the Republicans' 1994 return to power in Congress. The intended beneficiary is Mitt Romney, a once-moderate Massachusetts governor whom many rank-and-file Republicans view with suspicion.
"The Republican establishment might not be wild about Mitt Romney, but they're terrified by Newt Gingrich," said Dan Schnur, a former GOP campaign strategist who teaches politics at the University of Southern California.
The anti-Gingrich statements have come from conservative columnists, talk show hosts including Ann Coulter, former Reagan administration officials and others. One of the harshest was written by former Sen. Bob Dole, the party's 1996 presidential nominee.
"I have not been critical of Newt Gingrich but it is now time to take a stand before it is too late," Dole wrote in the conservative magazine National Review. "If Gingrich is the nominee it will have an adverse impact on Republican candidates running for county, state, and federal offices."
As speaker from 1995 through 1998, Gingrich "had a new idea every minute and most of them were off the wall," Dole wrote. He said he struggled against Democrats' TV attacks in his 1996 campaign, "and in every one of them, Newt was in the ad."
Gingrich has reacted unevenly to the accusations, sometimes denouncing them, other times wearing them like a badge of honor.
"The Republican establishment is just as much as an establishment as the Democratic establishment, and they are just as determined to stop us," he told a tea party rally Thursday in central Florida.
The crowd cheered. But lingering near the back was an example of how the Romney campaign is taking advantage of the whacks at Gingrich: GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah. Chaffetz is beloved by many conservatives, and he goes from one Gingrich event to another to tell reporters why he thinks Romney would be a stronger challenger against President Barack Obama in the fall.
Gingrich aide R.C. Hammond confronted Chaffetz on Friday at an event in Delray, Fla., noting that some Republican officials criticize such shadowing tactics. Chaffetz defended his presence, saying Gingrich has vowed to show up everywhere Obama campaigns this fall, if several hours later.
Romney has drawn other high-ranking surrogates, with mixed results. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley annoyed some of her tea party supporters when she campaigned throughout her state for Romney, who lost to Gingrich by 12 percentage points.
It's unclear whether the anti-Gingrich push is driving a new wedge between establishment Republicans and anti-establishment insurgents such as the tea partyers.
"We don't like the Republican establishment anyway," said Mark Meckler, a Californian and co-founder of Tea Party Patriots. He said tea partyers are heavily focused on state and local races, and are wary of getting drawn into the presidential quarrels.
After all, Meckler said, "it's not as though Newt Gingrich hasn't been part of the Republican establishment."
Many other conservative activists also noted Gingrich's long history as a Washington insider, including 20 years in Congress and 13 as a well-paid consultant, writer and Fox News commentator. His history complicates his efforts to rally angry, working-class Republicans who feel that an "elite" cadre of officials, journalists and others look down on them.
"He's in one sense attacking the establishment he says he helped lead," said John Feehery, a former top House GOP aide who contends the tea party's influence is often overstated. The chief complaints about Gingrich focus more on his personality than his politics, which are hard to nail down, Feehery said.
The most damaging criticisms have come from former friends and colleagues who worked closely with him in Congress. It's Gingrich's egotistic behavior, more than ideology, that is driving the attacks, Feehery said.
Among those defending Gingrich are Sarah Palin, the 2008 vice presidential nominee who is admired by many tea partyers.
"Look at Newt Gingrich, what's going on with him via the establishment's attacks," Palin said this week on Fox Business Network. "They're trying to crucify this man and rewrite history and rewrite what it is that he has stood for all these years."
Palin and Rep. Michele Bachmann, who dropped out of the presidential race, are tea party favorites with minimal experience in Washington and in top GOP circles. Gingrich is trying to tap the sense of resentment among their followers. But his long and complicated Washington record and reputation for intra-party quarrels seem to leave some tea partyers unimpressed.
"It's truly a shame that this is where the Republican establishment has chosen to focus their energy," said Marianne Gasiecki, a tea party activist in Ohio. She added, however, that political activists should focus on congressional races. "If we have a conservative House and Senate," she said, "the power of the president is really insignificant."
As Gingrich's broadcast ads in Florida become more pointed, prominent Republicans are chiding him without endorsing Romney or any other candidates. Gingrich stopped running a radio ad that called Romney anti-immigrant after Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said it was unfair and damaging to the party.
So long as party insiders' complaints about Gingrich focus on his personality and quirks, the GOP can postpone a more wrenching debate about ideology, which may be in store if the once-moderate Romney is nominated. For now, conservative stalwarts seem determined to depict Gingrich as too erratic to be the party's standard bearer, let alone president.
Columnist Charles Krauthammer told Fox News: "Gingrich isn't after victory, he's after vengeance." He added: "This is Captain Ahab on the loose."
Some Republican voters are pushing back. "I want so badly to be for Gingrich, and I'm not going to be bullied out of my vote," said Barb Johnson, 52, who attended the tea party rally in Mount Dora, Fla., on Thursday. "I like his strong presence."
Florida's primary is Tuesday.
___
Associated Press writer Brian Bakst contributed to this report from Delray, Fla.
Associated Pressgio gonzalez san francisco fire patti labelle the weeknd the weeknd payroll tax payroll tax
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Apple?s Off-The-Charts iPhone And iPad Sales
Sometimes you have to see things to truly appreciate their magnitude. Apple's latest quarter was so massive that MG had to write two posts about it: $46 billion in revenues, 37 million iPhones sold, 15 million iPads. The chart above, which comes from Asymco (see a fully interactive version here), shows how unusual this quarter was for Apple.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/_BqaTKfcgyg/
favicon.ico footloose best iphone 4 case best iphone 4 case sonic youth sonic youth make your mark
Academy makes credits exception for 'Tree of Life' (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES, Jan 27 (TheWrap.com) ? The Academy has made an unusual exception for "The Tree of Life," determining that the film has four true producers and should not be limited by an AMPAS rule that limits the number of producers on a Best Picture nominee to three.
Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Dede Gardner and Grant Hill all "functioned as genuine producers" on the Terrence Malick film, according to a ruling from the Academy's Producers Branch Executive Committee. Under Academy rules that went into effect after five producers won Oscar statuettes for "Shakespeare in Love" in 1999, more than three producers can be credited only in the case of a "rare and extraordinary circumstance."
Typically, the Academy allows the Producers Guild of America to determine which producers truly deserve credit. "The Tree of Life" did not receive a PGA nomination.
Of the other eight Best Picture nominees, "The Descendants," "The Help" and "Moneyball" have three credited producers; "Hugo," "Midnight in Paris" and "War Horse" have two; and "The Artist" and "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" have one.
Last year, the Academy made an exception for "The Social Network," which earned Oscar nominations for four of its producers. The previous year they did the same for Best Picture winner "The Hurt Locker."
The producer who most likely would have been eliminated if AMPAS had enforced the three-producer limit in that case was Nicolas Chartier, who was later banned from the Oscar show for emails disparaging "Avatar."
(Editing By Zorianna Kit)
twin towers september 11 tennessee titans freedom tower freedom tower osama bin laden dead picture sept 11
Friday, January 27, 2012
Stop Getting Lost, Do Some Hybrid Mining, Scan for Deals, and Record Your Friends [Android Apps Of The Week]
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/PONI0b7fupI/
google ice cream sandwich soulja boy jason campbell android ice cream sandwich shia labeouf teleprompter ashley greene
Florida Republican Debate Highlights: Mitt Fends Off Newt, Ron Paul & Rick Santorum Shine
Thursday's Republican presidential debate, the 19th in this election cycle, saw Mitt Romney tried to fend off Newt Gingrich, while Ron Paul and Rick Santorum shined.
Romney came out swinging fast and when Gingrich attacked, he hit back. Much more aggressive than in the past, he's going all-in to win Tuesday's Florida primary.
In that respect, he likely succeeded in blunting some of Newt's momentum in Florida, as Gingrich was flatter Thursday than in some of the past debates he's owned.
He had some nice zingers and applause-garnering policy proposals, but not a proverbial "knockout punch" like he delivered en route to winning in South Carolina.
Gingrich received praise for his harsh attack on debate moderator John King last week and tried to double down on his strategy of attacking the host to build support.
It backfired a bit last night. Wolf Blitzer stood his ground when Gingrich would not answer a question about his apparent truce over the issue of Romney's tax return.
He called the question "nonsense" and suggested they talk about "issues that relate to the governing of America," but Wolf - and later Mitt - got the better of him.
Rick Santorum, meanwhile, had probably his strongest debate performance in a year, pointedly criticizing both Gingrich and Romney on a variety of issues.
The fourth candidate running, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, would probably be called the winner of the debate if the mainstream media would take him seriously.
The 76-year-old won applause for nearly every response on monetary policy and civil liberties, his signature issues, as well as delivering some of the best lines.
Asked if he would release his medical records, given that he'd be the oldest person elected president if he were to win, Paul said he would "obviously" release it.
"Because it's about one page, if even that long," the libertarian said, challenging the other candidates to a 25-mile bike ride in the Texas heat to prove his point.
Gingrich went on to praise Paul's vigor and said "he's in great shape" and would be "quite ready to serve." Paul even put Blitzer on notice for "age discrimination."
Whether Thursday night changes the trajectory of the race is unclear, but none of the four prospective Obama challengers show signs of fading away anytime soon.
national championship game bcs game lsu vs alabama college football college football ncaa football brian van gorder
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Ethiopia: Journalists, politicians get jail time (AP)
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia ? An Ethiopian judge on Thursday handed down prison sentences ranging from 14 years to life to three journalists and two politicians.
The five were arrested last year and charged last week under Ethiopia's controversial anti-terrorism laws. Ethiopian officials had said they were involved in planning attacks on infrastructure, telecommunications and power lines.
Judge Endeshaw Adane gave the verdicts Thursday.
Ethiopia's federal high court found Elias Kifle, editor-in-chief of a U.S.-based opposition website, guilty of terrorism. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. Kifle was tried in absentia.
The judge gave prison sentences of 14 years for Wubshet Taye, deputy editor-in-chief of the recently closed-down weekly Awramba Times, and Reeyot Alemu, a columnist of independent weekly Feteh.
Opposition politician Zerihun Gebre Egziabher was sentenced to 17 years in prison, and the other opposition member, Hirut Kifle, was sentenced to 19 years.
After hearing his punishment Zerihun turned to the judge and said: "I am innocent and I will prove it."
Reeyot's lawyer, Molla Zegeye, said his client will appeal. He also said he had never expected the sentence to be this severe.
"She didn't commit a terrorism crime. She is a professional journalist," he said of Reeyot.
The maximum sentence for terrorism under Ethiopia's anti terrorism laws is capital punishment.
International rights groups have been calling for the release of the journalists.
Amnesty International's Ethiopia researcher, Claire Beston, said shortly after the sentencing that the five are jailed for political reasons and must be released "immediately and unconditionally."
"There is no evidence that they are guilty of any criminal wrongdoing," she said. "They are being imprisoned on the basis of their legitimate exercise of freedom of expression and involvement with calls for peaceful protest to take place."
Leslie Lefkow, Africa researcher for the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said: "This is a tragedy for these individuals, a miscarriage of justice and a dismal reflection of the state of the Ethiopian judiciary. It appears to be impossible to get a fair trial in a political case in Ethiopia today."
Ethiopia recently found two Swedish reporters guilty of supporting terrorism and sentenced them to eleven years imprisonment.
In a separate court case, blogger Eskinder Nega, who had called for peaceful protest, faces the maximum punishment, a death penalty sentence, after a judge on Jan. 23 found him guilty on terror charges.
"I'm innocent," he yelled at reporters outside the courtroom after the hearing.
Ethiopia has arrested close to 200 people, among them journalists and opposition politicians and members, under last year's anti-terrorism proclamation.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more journalists have fled Ethiopia than any other country in the world.
ar 15 costco kmart urban meyer ohio state traffic report traffic report opensky
Star Jones making guest appearance on 'The View' (AP)
NEW YORK ? Apparently enough water has flowed under the bridge for Barbara Walters and Star Jones to reunite for a day.
"The View" announced on Wednesday that Jones will appear on the daytime talk show on Feb. 22 to promote an awareness campaign about heart disease among women.
Walters and Jones had a falling out in 2006 when Jones, one of the five original co-hosts of the daytime chat show, exited "The View." ABC decided not to renew her contract and Jones took Walters by surprise by announcing on June 27 that she would be leaving the show.
That exit came more quickly than expected. Walters wouldn't allow her back the next day.
Walters later said that Jones had compelled her co-hosts to lie for her by not revealing that Jones had undergone gastric bypass surgery while on "The View." Jones took her own shots, criticizing Walters for writing an autobiography that revealed details of an affair.
The women later had something serious in common. Both underwent open heart surgery to repair faulty heart valves within two months of each other in 2010.
Jones is coming back to the show to discuss her involvement in the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" public information campaign. Women are asked to wear red on Feb. 3 to support heart patients.
___
ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.
lana peters jennifer nettles jennifer nettles giants vs saints suh suh lindsey vonn
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
George Clooney, 'The Artist' Are Odds-On Oscar Faves
We leave the Oscar odds up to the professionals, in Bigger Than the Sound.
By James Montgomery
George Clooney in "The Descendants"
Photo: 20th Century Fox
My buddy Corey (this is him; and no, I'm not sure why he's standing like that either) doesn't watch movies because "they're a waste of time," which sort of explains why, A) he once told me his favorite film of all time was "American Beauty," and B) he owns the "Jackass" trilogy on DVD. For years, I made fun of him for all of those things, but now, well, I'm not so sure he wasn't onto something this entire time.
Because on Tuesday (January 24), when nominations for the 2012 Academy Awards were announced, I was left feeling very Corey. The two most-nominated films, "Hugo" and "The Artist," were also perhaps the most anachronistic (in that they are a love letter to a long-deceased French filmmaker/illusionist and a silent movie, respectively), a move that is sort of like the Grammys bestowing Album of the Year nods on wax cylinders and eight-tracks. Sentimental, sure, but, I mean, come on.
While I'll leave the business of snubs and surprises to the folks that know these things best, I found it rather interesting that, after talking to a bunch of my movie-loving co-workers, I quickly discovered that, among cineastes, the Oscars are sort of regarded much the same way die-hard music fans view the Grammys: They are, to say the very least, a slightly silly, thoroughly incomprehensible thing. And given this year's list of nominees, I'm inclined to agree with that assessment.
So given all that — not to mention the fact that my two favorite films of 2011, "Drive" and, uh, "Warrior" racked up a grand total of two nominations — you can understand why, when my editors told me they were looking for an Oscars odds column, I sort of panicked. Needless to say, I was not the expert they were looking for — thankfully, given my insatiable wagering addiction (DON'T CALL IT A "PROBLEM"), I know some folks who were.
So I reached out to the brain trust at Bovada.lv — yes, that's a real Web address — who gave me the inside track on this year's Oscar favorites (which was incredibly nice, considering sportsbook manager Kevin Bradley told me "we are incredibly busy with the Super Bowl coming up"), and not surprisingly, they really think "The Artist" has the best chances. So here, straight from the pros themselves, are some Oscar odds. And for the record, Corey wasn't eligible to participate, as he didn't see a single nominated film this year. But he did want it to be known that he still finds the entire Academy Awards to be "stupid-ass." Some things never change.
Best Picture
"The Artist," 2/7
"The Descendants," 7/2
"Hugo," 10/1
"War Horse," 14/1
"The Help," 20/1
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," 30/1
"Moneyball," 30/1
"Midnight in Paris," 30/1
"The Tree of Life," 50/1
Best Actor
George Clooney, "The Descendants," 1/3
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist," 2/1
Brad Pitt, "Moneyball," 10/1
Gary Oldman, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," 25/1
Demián Bichir, "A Better Life," 25/1
Best Actress
Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady," 1/2
Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn," 3/1
Viola Davis, "The Help," 3/1
Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs," 20/1
Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," 20/1
Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist," 4/7
Martin Scorsese, "Hugo," 7/4
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants," 11/2
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris," 18/1
Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life," 18/1
See the complete list of Academy Awards Nominations.
Related Videos Related PhotosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677829/oscar-noms-the-artist-george-clooney.jhtml
philadelphia phillies sand dollar sand dollar just dance 3 just dance 3 cliff lee cliff lee
Ask and Answer Questions About Keeping Your Computer Running Smoothly [Help Yourself]
Every day we're on the lookout for ways to make your work easier and your life better, but Lifehacker readers are smart, insightful folks with all kinds of expertise to share, and we want to give everyone regular access to that exceptional hive mind. Help Yourself is a daily thread where readers can ask and answer questions about tech, productivity, life hacks, and whatever else you need help with.
Maintaining a computer that runs "like-new" is an art form in and of itself. When you press the "power button" for the first time, you are fighting a steep, uphill battle to keep your computer running as well as the day you purchased it, and if you do not regularly schedule some "spring cleaning" for your machine, then you will begin to subtly see a decrease in performance. This decrease in performance may gradually begin with an increased boot-time of a second or two, but eventually it will become so bad that you will be desperate to try anything to increase your computer's performance.
Let's not get to that point, shall we? Instead, let's talk about the different methods, programs, and the like that you use to keep your computer running at peak performance. Ask and answer questions about keeping your computer running smoothly in the comments.
humpback whale barrel roll anagram 180 degrees askew cory smoot do a barrel roll
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
NY civil trial begins for billionaire Perelman (AP)
NEW YORK ? Jury selection is set to start Tuesday at a trial resulting from a $20 million civil dispute between billionaire Ronald Perelman and a one-time close friend and business partner.
The jury will be asked to decide the merits of claims Donald Drapkin brought against Perelman in 2009 after he left Perelman's company to run a hedge fund. He said he did not receive roughly $20 million in compensation that he was promised. Perelman countersued, saying Drapkin abused the health care plan he was given when he left and failed to return some documents.
The trial is unusual because it involves a relatively small amount of money given the net worth of the men involved in the dispute. Civil disputes of this sort frequently are settled prior to trial.
gmail app phentermine port of oakland grand theft auto 5 grand theft auto 5 kris jenner kris jenner
Monday, January 23, 2012
Exclusive: Office Depot tests PayPal's new point-of-sale system (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Office Depot Inc, the second-largest U.S. office supply retailer, is testing PayPal's new point-of-sale system in a few stores, a top executive told Reuters.
The news comes just days after eBay Inc's PayPal unit said it had started testing in-store payments in 51 Home Depot stores, as the online payments provider moves to expand into the physical world of brick and mortar.
PayPal has talked about its plans to offer the service at 20 major retailers by the end of the year, but not named other chains participating in the initiative.
"It's at this point in a small number of stores ... because there are still some rough spots in that experience. There are some limitations on who can use it, service carriers that support that," said Kevin Peters, president of Office Depot's North American unit. PayPal declined comment on Saturday.
PayPal's "wallet in the cloud" initiative lets shoppers who have a PayPal account pay by simply typing their mobile numbers and PINs at checkout counters. They can also pay by swiping a PayPal card and entering a PIN.
Office Depot's Peters said he was eager to experiment with anything that would help faster checkout in stores, but that the chain would take its time before rolling out the initiative to more stores.
"At this point, we are walking very, very slowly. The last thing we want to do is to roll out technology that doesn't appreciably change the customer experience," Peters said.
Home Depot is much more optimistic about the PayPal test.
"We believe PayPal's solution has the potential to improve the checkout experience as we know it today by making it fast, secure and more convenient for the customer while providing savings for Home Depot," said Dwaine Kimmet, Home Depot's treasurer and vice president of financial services.
"We intend to stay at the forefront of POS technologies like PayPal's in-store checkout using an empty hand interface," Kimmet said, adding that PayPal point-of-sale systems would help improve the checkout and customer service experience "all at a lower transaction cost than traditional payment networks."
PayPal is a dominant player in online payments, with over 100 million users. But the business is trying to expand into offline payments, a much larger market, pitting the eBay unit against payments giants, including Visa Inc, MasterCard Inc and American Express Co.
In September, PayPal pitched its new in-store payments system to about 120 retailers, including Sports Authority, at an event in Los Angeles. EBay CEO John Donahoe spoke about the initiative several times last year, but the company had not disclosed which retailers agreed to test it first.
Donahoe told analysts on Wednesday the in-store point-of-sale trial was being rolled out at 51 Home Depot stores this week, mainly in California's Bay Area.
During a conference call after eBay results, Donahoe said he bought a hammer and tape measure from a Home Depot in San Jose, California, without his wallet or cell phone. At checkout, the CEO pressed a "Pay with PayPal" option on the terminal, put in his mobile number and a PIN and "boom, I was done."
In an interview with Reuters, Donahoe compared the point-of-sale, or POS, initiative to the early days of PayPal's Merchant Services business. PayPal used to be used almost entirely on eBay's main online marketplace. But about seven years ago, the service began to expand on other websites.
That off-eBay business grew to annual payment volume of more than $70 billion in seven years, according to Donahoe.
"If we get just 2 percent share of checkout at point-of-sale locations, that's another $70 billion business," Donahoe said. "That's the opportunity."
(Reporting By Dhanya Skariachan in New York and Alistair Barr in San Francisco; Editing by Peter Cooney)
michael buble michael buble teddy roosevelt rita hayworth rita hayworth lakers rumors kellie pickler
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Cell senescence does not stop tumor growth
Friday, January 20, 2012
Since cancer cells grow indefinitely, it is commonly believed that senescence could act as a barrier against tumor growth and potentially be used as a way to treat cancer. A collaboration between a cancer biologist from the University of Milano, Italy, and two physicists, from the National Research Council of Italy and from Cornell University, has shown that cell senescence occurs spontaneously in melanoma cells, but does not stop their growth, which is sustained by a small population of cancer stem cells. The results, published in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology on January 19 explain why it is difficult to treat cancer cells by inducing senescence alone.
The work explores the relationship between melanoma and senescence, the normal process where cells decline and eventually stop duplicating after reaching maturity. The investigators followed the long-term evolution of melanoma cell populations, monitoring the number of senescent cells. After three months, growth slowed and most of the cells turned senescent, however growth did not stop and eventually resumed its initial rate until the senescent cells had almost disappeared.
The authors mathematically modeled the experimental data using the cancer stem cell hypothesis, where a sub-group of cancer cells replicate indefinitely, and are thus unaffected by senescence. These cancer stem cells give rise to a larger population of cancer cells that can duplicate only a finite number of times. The model yielded an indirect confirmation of the presence of cancer stem cells in melanoma, an issue that is still controversial in the cancer research community.
Although a large fraction of cancer cells are susceptible to senescence, the researchers conclude that inducing senescence is unlikely to provide a successful therapeutic strategy because these cells are irrelevant for tumor growth. However, the indirect evidence of cancer stem cells in melanoma may enable the development of new methods to treat specific kinds of cancer. The challenge will be in the strong resistance to drug induced senescence that would be found in the cancer stem cells. Along this line of research, treatment of tumors would focus on targeting only these cancer stem cells, rather than every single cancerous cell.
###
La Porta CAM, Zapperi S, Sethna JP (2012) Senescent Cells in Growing Tumors: Population Dynamics and Cancer Stem Cells. PLoS Comput Biol 8(1): e1002316. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002316
Public Library of Science: http://www.plos.org
Thanks to Public Library of Science for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
This press release has been viewed 31 time(s).
Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116906/Cell_senescence_does_not_stop_tumor_growth
top gun the talk its always sunny in philadelphia free agents free agents americas got talent winner americas got talent winner
Endangered turtle to be tracked in Cambodia (AP)
BANGKOK ? One of the world's most endangered turtles has been released into a Cambodian river with a satellite transmitter attached to its shell to track how it will navigate through commercial fishing grounds and other man-made hazards.
The 75-pound (34-kilogram) southern river terrapin ? one of only about 200 adults remaining in the wild ? waddled into the Sre Ambel river in southwestern Cambodia this past week to the cheers of local residents and conservationists.
The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society said the female terrapin was given to the group last year instead of being sold to traffickers who have decimated the country's population of turtles and other species to cater to demand for exotic wildlife in China.
The southern river terrapin, once considered the sole property of Cambodia's kings, only survives in the wilds of Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia, the group said in a statement. The population in the Sre Ambel river is estimated at less than 10 nesting females.
But it said the terrapins there have an excellent chance of recovery because coastal mangrove forests in the region are among the largest and most pristine in Southeast Asia, spanning some 175 square miles (45,000 hectares).
The first-ever satellite monitoring of the species hopes to determine how the turtle will fare among fisherman as well as in areas threatened by sand mining and conversion of mangrove forests into shrimp farms.
A small population of the species was found in 2000 in Sre Ambel after being considered locally extinct for many years.
Following the brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge in the mid-1970s which left the country devastated, poor rural dwellers scoured the forests for wildlife, much of which was sold to traders connected to China, where many wild animals ? from turtles to tigers ? are believed to possess medicinal and sex-enhancing properties.
The turtle project is being run by the Wildlife Conservation Society in cooperation with the Cambodian government and Wildlife Reserves Singapore, a zoological enterprise.
veteran aircraft carrier apocalypse now happy veterans day happy veterans day brian eno tomb of the unknown soldier
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Brady practices after missing Wednesday (AP)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. ? Tom Brady is back practicing. Everyone associated with the New England Patriots is acting like he never missed a snap.
Brady returned to the field Thursday after being out the previous day resting his left, non-throwing shoulder. If it's a big deal to the football world that the Patriots' star quarterback briefly was sidelined four days before the AFC championship, his teammates and coach treated it as an inconsequential blip.
So did the two-time league MVP.
"It's not the first practice I have missed over the years," Brady said with a shrug of his shoulders ? including the sore left one. "When coach feels its best that you do other things to get yourself ready, that's what you do, and you still use all that time very wisely. When your coach feels it is best to do other things to get yourself ready, that is what you do."
Coach Bill Belichick revealed little about Brady's absence on Wednesday, lumping it in with every other player in the NFL who gets nicked. Then again, Belichick doesn't give out much information or insight on anything injury-related. Ever.
New England hosts the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC championship on Sunday.
Brady missed one practice and was limited for two others during the final week of the regular season, but he played all but the final offensive series in a 49-21 win over Buffalo. Last Saturday, he played every New England offensive series in a 45-10 divisional playoff win over Denver after being on the injury list but practicing in full all week.
The quarterback stretched and ran a few drills Thursday during the 15 minutes the media were allowed access to the session. He ran with the ball in his left arm as backup quarterback Brian Hoyer half-heartedly attempted to knock it out. Brady showed no signs of being in pain.
The day before, Brady had to find ways to keep himself occupied during the missed session.
"You don't go lounging around taking naps or anything like that," he said with a chuckle. "You just try to do other things to get yourself ready to go. So catch up on your film work and get some extra treatments and so forth. It's just a matter of ultimately we're trying to be as prepared as we can for Sunday. I'm certainly going to be as prepared as I possibly can be.
"It's not the first practice that I've missed over the years. You come off a game Saturday or Sunday and you're just doing everything you can to be prepared. You're just putting in extra work and making sure you're getting prepared."
Then Brady promised to be out on the field, and a while later he was.
bobby valentine bobby valentine al franken al franken mary did you know seattle seahawks grammy nominations
Greenpois0n Absinthe untethered jailbreak tool for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 released
(http://www.imore.com/jailbreak)! They stated earlier today the jailbreak was almost complete and ready for release. It didn't take very long as the tool is already available.
 |  |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/-pqr1rSSuwY/story01.htm
mashed potato recipe mashed potato recipe cranberry sauce oregon usc la auto show powerball winning numbers powerball winning numbers
Friday, January 20, 2012
A Q&A on contested Internet anti-piracy bills (AP)
WASHINGTON ? Online piracy costs U.S. copyright owners and producers billions of dollars every year, but legislation in Congress to block foreign Internet thieves and swindlers has met strong resistance from high-tech companies, spotlighted by Wikipedia's protest blackout on Wednesday, warning of a threat to Internet freedom.
House and Senate bills that once seemed to be on a path toward approval now face a rockier future. House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday said it was "pretty clear to many of us that there is a lack of consensus at this point."
Amid the high-tech campaign against the bills, several lawmakers came out in opposition. At least four Senate Republicans who had previously cosponsored the Senate bill ? Orrin Hatch of Utah, Roy Blunt of Missouri, John Boozman of Arkansas and Charles Grassley of Iowa ? issued statements Wednesday saying they were withdrawing their support. Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland last week said that, after listening to constituent concerns, he could not vote for the Senate bill as it is currently written.
On the House side, Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., issued a statement that he had heard from many of his constituents and come to the conclusion that the House and Senate bills "create unacceptable threats to free speech and free access to the Internet."
Here are some of the some of the questions being raised about the bills being considered:
Q. Why is legislation needed?
A. There's no argument that more needs to be done to protect artists, innovators and industries from copyright thieves and shield consumers from products sold on the Internet that are fake, faulty and unsafe. Creative America, a coalition of Hollywood studios, networks and unions, says content theft costs U.S. workers $5.5 billion a year. The pharmaceutical industry loses billions to Internet sellers of drugs that are falsely advertised and may be harmful.
Q. What is Congress trying to accomplish?
A. The two main bills are the Protect Intellectual Property Act, or PIPA, in the Senate, and the similar Stop Online Privacy Act, or SOPA, in the House. There are already laws on the books to combat domestic websites trafficking in counterfeit or pirated goods, but little to counter foreign violators.
The bills would allow the Justice Department, and copyright holders, to seek court orders against foreign websites accused of perpetrating or facilitating copyright infringement. While there is little the United States can do to take down those websites, the bills would bar online advertising networks and payment facilitators such as credit card companies and PayPal from doing business with an alleged violator. It also would forbid search engines from linking to such sites.
The original bills would have let copyright holders and Internet service providers block access to pirate websites. Critics and Internet engineers complained that would allow copyright holders to interfere in the behind-the-scenes system that seamlessly directs computer users to websites. They said that causing deliberate failures in the lookup system to prevent visits to pirate websites could more easily allow hackers to trick users into inadvertently visiting websites that could infect their computers. The White House also took issue with that approach, saying "We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet."
Responding to the critics, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said he is taking the blocking measure out of his bill. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., also is reworking his bill to address those cybersecurity issues.
Q. What are other concerns with the bills?
A. Critics say they would constrain free speech, curtail innovation and discourage new digital distribution methods. NetCoalition, a group of leading Internet and technology companies, says they could be forced to pre-screen all user comments, pictures and videos ? effectively killing social media. Search engines, Internet service providers and social networks could be forced shut down websites linked to any type of pirated content.
In addition, critics contend that young, developing businesses and smaller websites could be saddled with expensive litigation costs. And, they contend existing rights holders could impede new investment in the technology sector.
The White House said it would "not support any legislation that reduces freedom of expression ... or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet."
Leahy responded that there is nothing in the legislation that would require websites, Internet service providers, search engines, ad networks, payment processors or others to monitor their networks. He said his bill protects third parties from liability that may arise from actions to comply with a court order.
Michael O'Leary, a senior vice president at the Motion Picture Association of America, a key supporter of the legislation, said his industry is built upon a vibrant First Amendment. "We would never support any legislation that would limit this fundamental American right," he said. Neither PIPA nor SOPA "implicate free expression but focus solely on illegal conduct, which is not free speech."
Q. Who else supports the bills?
A. The most visible supporters are entertainment-related groups such as the MPAA and the National Music Publishers' Association. But the bills also enjoy support from the pharmaceutical industry, which is trying to shut down illegal online drug operations, and electronic and auto industries concerned about people going online to buy counterfeit parts that may be substandard. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several law enforcement groups also back the legislation.
Q. Who are the opponents?
A. In addition to Wikipedia, many major Internet and technology companies, including Google, Yahoo!, Amazon.com and eBay, are part of the NetCoalition group opposing the bills. Disparate political groups such as the liberal Democracy for America and the conservative Heritage Action have also voiced concerns about censorship.
Q. What is the status of the bills?
A. Momentum for the bills has slowed, giving the edge to Silicon Valley over Hollywood. The Senate, as its first major business when it returns to session next Tuesday, is to vote on whether to take up the bill. Sixty votes are needed to clear that legislative hurdle. It's unclear whether supporters have the votes.
Six Republicans on the Judiciary Committee last week wrote Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., saying that while the problem of intellectual property theft must be addressed, "the process at this point is moving too quickly" and a vote on moving to the bill "may be premature."
Reid replied that the vote will occur as scheduled, saying that while the bill was not perfect and he had urged Leahy to make changes, the issue was "too important to delay."
In the House, Judiciary Committee Chairman Smith said his panel would resume deliberations on SOPA in February. Meanwhile, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and an ally of the high-tech industry, said he had received assurances from GOP leaders that anti-piracy legislation would not move to the House floor this year unless there is a consensus on it.
Issa, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., are pushing an alternative to SOPA and PIPA that would make the International Trade Commission, which already is in charge of patent infringements, responsible for taking steps to prevent money and advertising from going to rogue sites.
Issa formally introduced his bill Wednesday, saying the Internet blackout had "underscored the flawed approach taken by SOPA and PIPA" and his bill was "a smarter way to protect taxpayers' rights while protecting the Internet."
netanyahu apple keynote apple keynote seattle news seattle news jenna fischer ben bernanke
Fuel transfer runs smoothly in iced-in Alaska city (AP)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska ? A Russian tanker that went on an ocean odyssey of 5,000 miles to deliver fuel to the iced-in city of Nome was offloading the gasoline and diesel in what officials say is smooth sailing so far, with one possible problem avoided.
Two parallel hoses, 700 yards long each, are stretched between the tanker Renda and a pipeline that will deliver 1.3 million gallons of fuel to storage tanks near the harbor of the iced-in city. The offloading began with gasoline, and then both gasoline and diesel were being transferred separately.
Jason Evans, board chairman of Sitnasuak Native Corp., the company that arranged for the fuel delivery, said Tuesday the tanker's two hoses are pumping between 30,000 and 40,000 gallons of gasoline and diesel an hour.
One section of hose had to be switched out early Tuesday morning when a suspected bubble occurred in the line, Evans said. The change-out went smoothly and there have been no spills since the pumping operation began Monday evening.
This is the first time petroleum products have been delivered to a western Alaska community by sea in winter. The mayor said festivities were planned, including a Coast Guard helicopter landing on the beach so children can look inside. They also set a basketball game between residents and Coast Guard crew members, and the city invited the crew to a pizza dinner.
"It is our way to show our appreciation and how grateful we are and what they did for us," said Mayor Denise Michels.
The transfer could take from 36 hours to five days. It started near sundown Monday, after crews laid the hoses along a stretch of Bering Sea ice to the pipeline that begins on a rock causeway 550 yards from the tanker, Evans said.
Sitnasuak owns the local fuel company, Bonanza Fuel, and has been working closely with Vitus Marine, the supplier that arranged for the delivery of the 1.3 million gallons of fuel.
State officials said the transfer had to start during daylight, but can continue in darkness. Nome has just five hours of daylight this time of year.
The city of 3,500 didn't get its last pre-winter barge fuel delivery because of a massive November storm. Without the Renda's delivery, Nome would run out of fuel by March or April, long before the next barge delivery is possible.
Alaska has had one of the most severe winters in decades. Snow has piled up 10 feet or higher against the wood-sided buildings in Nome, a former gold rush town that is the final stop on the 1,150-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
The Renda began its journey from Russia in mid-December, picking up diesel fuel in South Korea before heading to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, where it took on unleaded gasoline. It arrived last week off Nome on Alaska's west coast, more than 500 miles from Anchorage.
A Coast Guard icebreaker cleared a path for the 370-foot tanker through hundreds of miles of a slow journey stalled by thick ice and strong ocean currents. In total, the tanker traveled an estimated 5,000 miles, said Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, commander of District Seventeen with the Coast Guard.
"It's just been an absolutely grand collaboration by all parties involved," said Stacey Smith of Vitus Marine, the fuel supplier.
Smith said the effort is a third of the way over with the arrival of the Renda near Nome. Pumping the fuel from the tanker will be the second part. The third part will be the exiting through ice by the two ships.
Personnel will walk the entire length of hosing every 30 minutes to check for leaks, Evans said. Each segment has its own containment area, and extra absorbent boom will be on hand.
The Coast Guard is monitoring the effort, working with state, federal, local and tribal representatives, Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow said. The fuel participants had to submit a plan to state environmental regulators on how they intended to get the fuel off the Renda, he said.
"We want to make sure the fuel transfer from the Renda to the onshore storage facility is conducted in as safe a manner as possible," he said.
x factor auditions 2011 redacted redacted banned books 30 rock anna faris amanda knox latest news
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Ancient popcorn discovered in Peru
ScienceDaily (Jan. 18, 2012) ? People living along the coast of Peru were eating popcorn 1,000 years earlier than previously reported and before ceramic pottery was used there, according to a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences co-authored by Dolores Piperno, curator of New World archaeology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and emeritus staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
Some of the oldest known corncobs, husks, stalks and tassels, dating from 6,700 to 3,000 years ago were found at Paredones and Huaca Prieta, two mound sites on Peru's arid northern coast. The research group, led by Tom Dillehay from Vanderbilt University and Duccio Bonavia from Peru's Academia Nacional de la Historia, also found corn microfossils: starch grains and phytoliths. Characteristics of the cobs -- the earliest ever discovered in South America -- indicate that the sites' ancient inhabitants ate corn several ways, including popcorn and flour corn. However, corn was still not an important part of their diet.
"Corn was first domesticated in Mexico nearly 9,000 years ago from a wild grass called teosinte," Piperno says. "Our results show that only a few thousand years later corn arrived in South America where its evolution into different varieties that are now common in the Andean region began. This evidence further indicates that in many areas corn arrived before pots did and that early experimentation with corn as a food was not dependent on the presence of pottery."
Understanding the subtle transformations in the characteristics of cobs and kernels that led to the hundreds of maize races known today, as well as where and when each of them developed, is a challenge. Corncobs and kernels were not well preserved in the humid tropical forests between Central and South America, including Panama -- the primary dispersal routes for the crop after it first left Mexico about 8,000 years ago.
"These new and unique races of corn may have developed quickly in South America, where there was no chance that they would continue to be pollinated by wild teosinte," Piperno says. "Because there is so little data available from other places for this time period, the wealth of morphological information about the cobs and other corn remains at this early date is very important for understanding how corn became the crop we know today."
Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:
Other bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- A. Grobman, D. Bonavia, T. D. Dillehay, D. R. Piperno, J. Iriarte, I. Holst. Preceramic maize from Paredones and Huaca Prieta, Peru. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1120270109
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/~3/ZwiGRT1d5d0/120118143624.htm
carrier iq carrier iq linda perry world aids day horse slaughter horse slaughter kristin cavallari
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)