Bill Hader as Charlie Sheen on "Saturday Night Live."
Bill Hader is pulling a Kristen Wiig.
The "Saturday Night Live" mainstay announced that after eight years, he's leaving the comedy sketch show and told The New York Times that Wiig's departure played a part in his own decision to leave.
Hader's exit, like Wiig's, will be a major blow to "SNL". Not only is he credited with portraying some of the show's most hysterical and off-beat characters, but he is arguably the most gifted celebrity impressionist to ever appear on "SNL." Over the years, he's depicted everyone from Franklin Roosevelt to Phil Spector with frighteningly accuracy.
Here's a look back at some of Hader's most impressive celebrity impersonations.
Vincent Price
Hader was spot-on with his portrayl of Golden Age horror-film star Vincent Price. He nailed Vinnie's distinctive creaky voice and stare during the holiday-themed skits, which poked fun at Price's horror-themed specials and movies. Hader depicted Price in six episodes, and each time he managed to capture Price's perfect blend of camp and creep.
CharlieSheen
Charlie Sheen was a common target for "SNL" jokes during his infamous 2011 breakdown, but Hader's impeccable portrayal of the actor is one of the most memorable Sheen-related skits. In this classic cold-open, Hader, as Sheen, interviews other celebrities known for getting bad press, and does a spot-on impression of the actor's intense mannerisms and gravelly voice.
JohnMayer
Hader captured John Mayer's signature blase attitude -- and not-so-hot singing face -- when he partnered with Wiig in this 2007 skit to mock the awkward relationship of Mayer and Jessica Simpson. The sketch captures the odd couple in an "intimate moment" in which Hader, as Mayer, is trying his best to relate to his girlfriend.
ClintEastwood
Hader earned rave reviews for his spoof of Clint Eastwood's "Empty Chair" speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention. Hader, as Eastwood, and his chair go on the road to bring their "high-waisted hi-jinks" to audiences across America. Eastwood himself later revealed that he enjoyed Hader's impression of him, telling E! News, "It was good. Hader has me down pretty good."
AlanAlda
Although he didn't necessarily look like "M*A*S*H" star Alan Alda, Hader's spot-on impersonation of Alda's voice more than makes up for it. Hader portrayed Alda on several episodes of "SNL" over the years, each time being more freakishly accurate than the last. In this 2011 sketch, Hader and other members of the cast appear as various celebrities whose "lost" auditions for the movie "Top Gun" surface on a 25th anniversary edition of the film. Hader's impersonation of Alda's voice and mannerisms in this skit is eerily accurate.
AlPacino
Hader impersonated Al Pacino on his very first episode of "SNL" back in 2005, and continued to imitate the "Scarface" star throughout his eight years on the show. In this sketch from last month, Hader poked fun at Pacino's tendency to portray murderers in his movies with this fake HBO commercial.
Which is your favorite celeb impression of his? Tell us in the comments!
12-year-old Colorado Community Land Trust gets new board members.
CCLT looking to grow its portfolio of 188 homes.
New board members will help it expand.
Two leaders in affordable housing and a construction expert have joined the board of the non-profit Colorado Community Land Trust.
Joining the board are Jeff Martinez, Elizabeth Gundlach Neufeld and Dan Notartomaso
Martinez is president Brothers Redevelopment Inc., where he oversees housing counseling and maintenance programs for more than 2,000 households annually. Brothers Redevelopment also manages the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline, 1-877-601-4673.
Martinez also worked in public relations for the City of Aurora, Original Aurora Renewal and Kaiser Permanente.
Neufeld is the director of development for the Housing Authority for Aurora.
She had experience in real estate financing, development, management and asset management. At the housing authority, she has formed partnership with developers to acquire and develop more than 800 permanently affordable rental homes.
Notartomaso is the operations manager for BluSky Restoration Contractors Inc. In this role he oversees $25 million in construction projects. He also leads disaster response, most recently working on Hurricane Sandy repairs in New England.
The CCLT was created in 2001 to provide for sale, workforce housing at the Lowry neighborhood.
Today, it has 188 homes in its portfolio at Lowry and in other Denver neighborhoods. Homes are predominately townhomes as well as single family homes, with prices ranging from the low to high $100,000s.
The new board members provide additional expertise in construction management and home-buyer counseling, said Jane Harrington, executive director of CCLT.
?These skills will help guide us as we continue to expand our programs to neighborhoods throughout the metro area,? Harrington said.
Have a story idea or real estate tip? Contact John Rebchook at? JRCHOOK@gmail.com. InsideRealEstateNews.com is sponsored by Universal Lending, Land Title Guarantee and 8z Real Estate. To read more articles by John Rebchook, subscribe to the Colorado Real Estate Journal.
May 14, 2013 ? On May 13, 2013, the sun emitted an X2.8-class flare, peaking at 12:05 p.m. EDT. This is the the strongest X-class flare of 2013 so far, surpassing in strength the X1.7-class flare that occurred 14 hours earlier. It is the 16th X-class flare of the current solar cycle and the third-largest flare of that cycle. The second-strongest was an X5.4 event on March 7, 2012. The strongest was an X6.9 on Aug. 9, 2011.
The X2.8-class flare was also associated with a coronal mass ejection, or CME, another solar phenomenon that can send billions of tons of solar particles into space, which can potentially affect electronic systems in satellites and on the ground. The CME was not Earth-directed, but could pass NASA's STEREO-B, Messenger and Spitzer spacecraft. Their mission operators have been notified. Experimental NASA research models show that the CME left the sun at 1,200 miles per second beginning at 12:18 p.m. EDT. If warranted, operators can put spacecraft into safe mode to protect the instruments from solar material.
Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however -- when intense enough -- they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. This disrupts the radio signals for as long as the flare is ongoing -- the radio blackout associated with this flare has since subsided.
The Impacts of Solar Flares
Some people worry that a gigantic "killer solar flare" could hurl enough energy to destroy Earth, but this is not actually possible.
"X-class" denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength. An X2 is twice as intense as an X1, an X3 is three times as intense, etc.
This flare erupted from an active region just out of sight over the left side of the sun, a region that will soon rotate into view. This region has produced two smaller M-class flares as well.
The May 12 flare was also associated with a coronal mass ejection, another solar phenomenon that can send billions of tons of solar particles into space, which can affect electronic systems in satellites and on the ground. Experimental NASA research models show that the CME left the sun at 745 miles per second and is not Earth-directed, however its flank may pass by the STEREO-B and Spitzer spacecraft, and their mission operators have been notified. If warranted, operators can put spacecraft into safe mode to protect the instruments from solar material. There is some particle radiation associated with this event, which is what can concern operators of interplanetary spacecraft since the particles can trip computer electronics on board.
Increased numbers of flares are quite common at the moment because the sun's normal 11-year activity cycle is ramping up toward solar maximum, which is expected in 2013. Humans have tracked the solar cycle continuously since it was discovered in 1843, and it is normal for there to be many flares a day during the sun's peak activity. The first X-class flare of the current solar cycle occurred on Feb. 15, 2011, and there have been another 15 X-class flares since, including this one. The largest X-class flare in this cycle was an X6.9 on Aug. 9, 2011.
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (http://swpc.noaa.gov) is the U.S. government's official source for space weather forecasts, alerts, watches and warnings.
What is a solar flare?
For answers to these and other space weather questions, please visit the Space Weather Frequently Asked Questions page (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/spaceweather/index.html).
Study identifies possible new acute leukemia marker, treatment targetPublic release date: 13-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Darrell E. Ward Darrell.Ward@osumc.edu 614-293-3737 Ohio State University Medical Center
COLUMBUS, Ohio A study has identified microRNA-155 as a new independent prognostic marker and treatment target in patients with acute myeloid leukemia that has normal-looking chromosomes under the microscope (that is, cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia, or CN-AML).
The study was led by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC James). The researchers found that when microRNA-155 (miR-155) is present at abnormally high levels in CN-AML cells, patients are less likely to have a complete remission, and they experience a shorter disease-free period and shorter overall survival. The effect is independent of other known prognostic gene mutations present in the cells.
Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology with an accompanying editorial and an "Understanding the Pathway" article, the findings suggest that miR-155 plays a pivotal role in CN-AML development, and that it could be a valuable target for the emerging class of drugs designed to inhibit microRNAs, says first author Dr. Guido Marcucci, professor of hematology, a leukemia specialist and associate director for Translational Research at the OSUCCC James.
"MiR-155 would be relatively easy to measure at the time of diagnosis," Marcucci says. "We believe it will prove to be a good marker for stratifying patients according to recurrence risk and a good target for emerging compounds designed to inhibit microRNAs."
Principal investigator Dr. Clara D. Bloomfield, Distinguished University Professor and Ohio State University Cancer Scholar and Senior Advisor and William Greenville Pace III Endowed Chair in Cancer Research notes that, "Overall, our findings indicate that miR-155 expression is a strong and independent prognostic marker in CN-AML, and they provide clinical validation of data from preclinical models that support a crucial role of miR-155 in leukemia."
The researchers also note that because a molecule called NF-kB is believed to regulate miR-155, treatments that inhibit that molecule might also help patients with high miR-155 levels.
Cells use microRNA molecules to help regulate the kinds and amount of proteins they make. Abnormal levels of certain microRNAs are likely to play a key role in cancer development. Abnormally high expression of miR-155 is associated with lymphoma, aggressive chronic leukemias and certain solid tumors, and microRNA levels have been associated with patient survival.
For this study, Marcucci, Bloomfield and their colleagues analyzed bone-marrow or blood specimens from 363 CN-AML patients, 153 of whom were under age 60 and 210 were age 60 and over. All were treated on Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) clinical trials.
The researchers evaluated the association of abnormal miR-155 expression levels with clinical and molecular characteristics and with disease-free survival and overall survival.
The study's key technical findings include:
Overall, patients with high miR-155 expression were about 50 percent less likely to achieve complete remission, and to have a 60 percent increase in the risk of death compared to patients with low miR-155 expression.
High miR-155 expression was associated with pro-survival, proliferation and inflammatory gene activity, suggesting a pivotal role in leukemia development.
In patients under age 60, higher miR-155 expression was associated with a lower complete response rate, and shorter disease-free survival and overall survival; in older patients, higher miR-155 expression was associated only with a lower complete response rate and shorter overall survival.
The difference between older and younger patients may be related to differences in the intensity of consolidation therapy administered to younger versus older patients, as well as to biological differences.
###
Funding from the NIH/National Cancer Institute (grants CA101140, CA114725, CA31946, CA33601, CA16058, CA77658, CA129657 and CA140158), The Coleman Leukemia Research Foundation, the Deutsche Krebshilfe-Dr Mildred Scheel Cancer Foundation, the Pelotonia Fellowship Program and the Conquer Cancer Foundation supported this research.
Other researchers involved in this study were Klaus H. Metzeler, Stefano Volinia, Yue-Zhong Wu, Krzysztof Mrzek, Susan P. Whitman, Jason H. Mendler, Sebastian Schwind, Heiko Becker, Ann-Kathrin Eisfeld, Ramiro Garzon and Michael A. Caligiuri of The Ohio State University; Kati Maharry, Deedra Nicolet and Jessica Kohlschimdt of Ohio State and of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Statistics and Data Center; Andrew J. Carroll of University of Alabama at Birmingham; Bayard L. Powell of Wake Forest University; Jonathan E. Kolitz of Monter Cancer Center; and Richard M. Stone of Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute strives to create a cancer-free world by integrating scientific research with excellence in education and patient-centered care, a strategy that leads to better methods of prevention, detection and treatment. Ohio State is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and one of only seven centers funded by the NCI to conduct both phase I and phase II clinical trials. The NCI recently rated Ohio State's cancer program as "exceptional," the highest rating given by NCI survey teams. As the cancer program's 210-bed adult patient-care component, The James is a "Top Hospital" as named by the Leapfrog Group and one of the top cancer hospitals in the nation as ranked by U.S.News & World Report.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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 identifies possible new acute leukemia marker, treatment targetPublic release date: 13-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Darrell E. Ward Darrell.Ward@osumc.edu 614-293-3737 Ohio State University Medical Center
COLUMBUS, Ohio A study has identified microRNA-155 as a new independent prognostic marker and treatment target in patients with acute myeloid leukemia that has normal-looking chromosomes under the microscope (that is, cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia, or CN-AML).
The study was led by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC James). The researchers found that when microRNA-155 (miR-155) is present at abnormally high levels in CN-AML cells, patients are less likely to have a complete remission, and they experience a shorter disease-free period and shorter overall survival. The effect is independent of other known prognostic gene mutations present in the cells.
Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology with an accompanying editorial and an "Understanding the Pathway" article, the findings suggest that miR-155 plays a pivotal role in CN-AML development, and that it could be a valuable target for the emerging class of drugs designed to inhibit microRNAs, says first author Dr. Guido Marcucci, professor of hematology, a leukemia specialist and associate director for Translational Research at the OSUCCC James.
"MiR-155 would be relatively easy to measure at the time of diagnosis," Marcucci says. "We believe it will prove to be a good marker for stratifying patients according to recurrence risk and a good target for emerging compounds designed to inhibit microRNAs."
Principal investigator Dr. Clara D. Bloomfield, Distinguished University Professor and Ohio State University Cancer Scholar and Senior Advisor and William Greenville Pace III Endowed Chair in Cancer Research notes that, "Overall, our findings indicate that miR-155 expression is a strong and independent prognostic marker in CN-AML, and they provide clinical validation of data from preclinical models that support a crucial role of miR-155 in leukemia."
The researchers also note that because a molecule called NF-kB is believed to regulate miR-155, treatments that inhibit that molecule might also help patients with high miR-155 levels.
Cells use microRNA molecules to help regulate the kinds and amount of proteins they make. Abnormal levels of certain microRNAs are likely to play a key role in cancer development. Abnormally high expression of miR-155 is associated with lymphoma, aggressive chronic leukemias and certain solid tumors, and microRNA levels have been associated with patient survival.
For this study, Marcucci, Bloomfield and their colleagues analyzed bone-marrow or blood specimens from 363 CN-AML patients, 153 of whom were under age 60 and 210 were age 60 and over. All were treated on Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) clinical trials.
The researchers evaluated the association of abnormal miR-155 expression levels with clinical and molecular characteristics and with disease-free survival and overall survival.
The study's key technical findings include:
Overall, patients with high miR-155 expression were about 50 percent less likely to achieve complete remission, and to have a 60 percent increase in the risk of death compared to patients with low miR-155 expression.
High miR-155 expression was associated with pro-survival, proliferation and inflammatory gene activity, suggesting a pivotal role in leukemia development.
In patients under age 60, higher miR-155 expression was associated with a lower complete response rate, and shorter disease-free survival and overall survival; in older patients, higher miR-155 expression was associated only with a lower complete response rate and shorter overall survival.
The difference between older and younger patients may be related to differences in the intensity of consolidation therapy administered to younger versus older patients, as well as to biological differences.
###
Funding from the NIH/National Cancer Institute (grants CA101140, CA114725, CA31946, CA33601, CA16058, CA77658, CA129657 and CA140158), The Coleman Leukemia Research Foundation, the Deutsche Krebshilfe-Dr Mildred Scheel Cancer Foundation, the Pelotonia Fellowship Program and the Conquer Cancer Foundation supported this research.
Other researchers involved in this study were Klaus H. Metzeler, Stefano Volinia, Yue-Zhong Wu, Krzysztof Mrzek, Susan P. Whitman, Jason H. Mendler, Sebastian Schwind, Heiko Becker, Ann-Kathrin Eisfeld, Ramiro Garzon and Michael A. Caligiuri of The Ohio State University; Kati Maharry, Deedra Nicolet and Jessica Kohlschimdt of Ohio State and of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Statistics and Data Center; Andrew J. Carroll of University of Alabama at Birmingham; Bayard L. Powell of Wake Forest University; Jonathan E. Kolitz of Monter Cancer Center; and Richard M. Stone of Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute strives to create a cancer-free world by integrating scientific research with excellence in education and patient-centered care, a strategy that leads to better methods of prevention, detection and treatment. Ohio State is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and one of only seven centers funded by the NCI to conduct both phase I and phase II clinical trials. The NCI recently rated Ohio State's cancer program as "exceptional," the highest rating given by NCI survey teams. As the cancer program's 210-bed adult patient-care component, The James is a "Top Hospital" as named by the Leapfrog Group and one of the top cancer hospitals in the nation as ranked by U.S.News & World Report.
[ | 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.
A red lionfish (Pterois volitans) swims in the aquarium of the Schonbrunn zoo in the gardens of the Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna on October 16, 2012. The red lionfish is a venomous coral reef fish. ALEXANDER KLEIN/AFP/Getty Images
A California sea lion and a walrus kiss each other during a show at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium-amusement park complex in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
A two-day-old female white whale swims with her mother at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium-amusement park complex in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, Saturday, June 30, 2012.(AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
A seahorse swims in an aquarium in the zoo of Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012.(AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A Cownose Ray swims in a tank during a preview of the newly renovated Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium at Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, April 4, 2012.The aquarium opens to the general public on Thursday, April 5. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
King penguins stand in an enclosure at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium-amusement park complex in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012.(AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
In this photo taken Thursday Aug. 2, 2012 and released by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a male weedy sea dragon at the Monterey Bay Aquarium swims with some of his newly hatched babies on in a sea dragon display that?s part of the aquarium?s special exhibition, ?The Secret Lives of Seahorses.? in Monterey, Calif. The inch-long fish, Australian relatives of the seahorse, were carried as eggs on a brood pouch under the father sea dragon?s tail. (AP Photo/Monterey Bay Aquarium, Randy Wilder)
Activists from environment campaign group Greenpeace wearing cardboard tuna cutouts hold a protest in front of South Korea's embassy in Manila on November 29, 2012. The activists sought conservation commitments from the fishing powers in the upcoming global summit on Pacific tuna fisheries to be hosted by the Philippines next week. NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images
This Sept. 5, 2012 photo shows Serena, a dugong at the Toba Aquarium in Toba, Japan. Dugongs, a sea mammal related to the manatee, are rare in captivity. The aquarium gift shop sells stuffed dugongs and dugong cookies. (AP Photo/Linda Lombardi)
This May 9, 2012 photo provided by the New England Aquarium in Boston shows a rare calico lobster that could be a 1-in-30 million, according to experts. The lobster, discovered by Jasper White?s Summer Shack and caught off Winter Harbor, Maine, is being held at the New England Aquarium for the Biomes Marine Biology Center in Rhode Island. The lobster is dark with bright orange and yellow spots. (AP Photo/New England Aquarium, Tony LaCasse)
Pterophyllum scalare fish are displayed at the 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo in Taipei on November 9, 2012. More than one hundred fish tanks from many countries will be on display in the four day exhibition at Nangang Exhibition Hall from November 9 to 12. Mandy Cheng/AFP/Getty Images
In this Oct. 15, 2012 photo provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, Mitik, an orphaned Pacific walrus calf rescued off the coast of Alaska, emerges from his tank at the New York Aquarium in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Mitik suffered from a number of ailments when he was rescued in July but is making progress as he receives round-the-clock care at the aquarium. (AP Photo/Wildlife Conservation Society, Julie Larsen Maher)
Phenacogrammus interruptus fish are displayed at the 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo in Taipei on November 9, 2012. More than one hundred fish tanks from many countries will be on display in the four day exhibition at Nangang Exhibition Hall from November 9 to 12. Mandy Cheng/AFP/Getty Images
This photo taken July 4, 2012, at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska, shows a baby beluga calf being rehabilitated at the center. The whale was approximately two days old when it was found in Bristol Bay, Alaska, and separated from its mother. Staff from the Alaska SeaLife Center is receiving help with the whale's care from the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Shedd Aquarium in ChiCago and SeaWord in San Diego.. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
A Pacific white-sided dolphin calf swims along with its mother Piquet, Tuesday, June 12, 2012, at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. The baby male dolphin, which does not have a name, was born on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
A seahorse (Hippocampus Reidi) is displayed during a news conference before the 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo in Taipei November 5, 2012. More then one hundred tanks of fish from many countries will be on display in the four day exhibition at Nangang Exhibition Hall from November 9 to 12. Mandy Cheng/AFP/Getty Images
A still unnamed King penguin chick that hatched on April 9 is unveiled at The Aquarium at Moody Gardens, Monday, April 23, 2012, in Galveston, Texas. A blood test will be conducted to determine the gender of the bird who came into life weighing about 20 ounces. This chick is the 14th King penguin chick to have been successfully bred at the aquarium. Due to space limitations, this chick will be go to another facility once weaned from its parents. The chick currently is in the main penguin exhibit at the aquarium which also home to Gentoo, Macaroni, Rockhopper and Chinstrap penguins. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Johnny Hanson)
A Rock Beauty angelfish looks out from its tank at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium in Cleveland Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. Developed by Marinescape NZ Limited, Ohio's only free-standing aquarium opens Thursday with two preview days for annual pass holders and opens to the public Saturday, Jan. 21. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
This image provided by the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium shows a female Argonaut, or paper nautilus, a species of cephalopod that was recently scooped out of the ocean off the California coast. The baseball-sized animal is making herself at home at the aquarium, bobbing up and down in her tank furling and unfurling her sucker-covered arms. This strange octopus is rare in California, because it only lives in tropical and subtropical waters. (AP Photo/Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, Gary Florin)
In this photo released on Friday April 27,2012 by the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach showing Shelby, one of the Aquarium?s female harbor seals, who is 16 years old and gave birth to her first pup today Friday April 27,2012. The newborn female seal weighs approximately 20 pounds. Aquarium of the Pacific mammal and bird curator Dudley Wigdahl says Shelby 16 years old and gave birth to her first pup when most seals start having pups at 4 or 5.(AP Photo/Terri Haines, Aquarium of the Pacific)
Turkey fish swim in an aquarium in the zoo of Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A Magellanic penguin swims in the June Keyes Penguin Habitat exhibit at The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif., Wednesday, May 16, 2012. (AP Photo/The Orange County Register, Mark Rightmire)
A common spider tortoise is seen in its enclosure at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston, S.C., on Tuesday, May 1, 2012. The creature is part of a new exhibit, Madagascar Journey, opening at the aquarium on Saturday, May 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)
A blue caribbean tang swims over an artificial coral reef inside the Greater Cleveland Aquarium in Cleveland Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. Constructed in an old powerhouse, Ohio's only free-standing aquarium opens Thursday with two preview days for annual pass holders and opens to the public Saturday, Jan. 21. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
A new baby Fairy Penguin swims at the Sydney Aquarium in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. Three juveniles were born at the aquarium and have been separated from the main group since birth to ensure a healthy growth rate and to keep them safer while they were still young. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)
This image provided by the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium shows a female Argonaut, or paper nautilus, a species of cephalopod that was recently scooped out of the ocean off the California coast. The baseball-sized animal is making herself at home at the aquarium, bobbing up and down in her tank furling and unfurling her sucker-covered arms. This strange octopus is rare in California, because it only lives in tropical and subtropical waters. (AP Photo/Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, Gary Florin)
In this Monday, Aug. 27, 2012 photo, Mauyak, a beluga whale at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, swims with her newly born calf at the aquarium's Abbott Oceanarium. Shedd?s animal care team estimates that the calf is 4? feet long and weighs about 150 pounds. The newborn is the sixth successful birth as part of Shedd?s collaboration in the beluga whale breeding cooperative. (AP Photo/Shedd Aquarium, Brenna Hernandez)
Toola
This undated image provided by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation shows Toola, a sea otter who died at the aquarium, Saturday March 3, 2012, in Monterey, Calif. Believed to be 15 or 16, Toola succumbed to natural causes and to the infirmities of age, an aquarium spokesman said. (AP Photo/Monterey Bay Aquarium)
Freshwater exotics Greater Cleveland Aquarium in Cleveland Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. Ohio's only free-standing aquarium opens Thursday with two preview days for annual pass holders and opens to the public Saturday, Jan. 21. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Walrus, (Odobenus rosmarus), Neseyka swims in the new aquarium in the Hamburg Hagenbeck zoo, Thursday, July 5, 2012. (AP Photo/dapd/ Philipp Guelland)
In this May 24, 2012 photo provided by the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Cayucos, bottom left, an orphaned sea otter pup, swims with other otters as she makes her first public appearance at the aquarium's Abbott Oceanarium. The sea otter was found stranded on a beach in California and named after the beach where she was rescued. The staff at Shedd has nursed the 7-month-old otter back to health. She has put on 11 pounds since arriving at the aquarium in January and now weighs 26 pounds. (AP Photo/Shedd Aquarium, Brenna Hernandez)
A male walrus pokes his tongue out at his trainer during a practice at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium-amusement park complex in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
In this photo taken on May 7, 2012 and distributed by Japan Coast Guard's 3rd Regional Coast Guard Headquarters Thursday, May 17, a fugitive Humboldt penguin swims in the water in Tokyo Bay. The one-year-old penguin Number 337 which escaped from a Tokyo aquarium in March has been spotted alive in the water busy with many ships throughout the day. (AP Photo/Japan Coast Guard's 3rd Regional Coast Guard Headquarters)
In this March 2012 photo provided by the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Piquet, a Pacific white-sided dolphin, swims at the aquarium. Care experts are preparing for Piquet to give birth this spring. Veterinarians and other staff members are planning a sleepover at the aquarium when it is shutdown because of the upcoming NATO summit May 20-21, 2012. Shedd officials say they're worried about being able to get to the aquarium, which is in close proximity to the summit and protest route, quickly if needed. (AP Photo/Shedd Aquarium, Brenna Hernandez)
This undated photo provided by the Monterey Bay Aquarium shows a dwarf seahorse at the aquarium in Monterey, Calif. The government will study whether the inch-long seahorse ? the smallest of four species found in U.S. waters ?should have federal protection. The dwarf seahorse lives only in seagrass beds in the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/Monterey Bay Aquarium, Randy Wilder)
Georgia Aquarium's resident pregnant beluga whale Maris swims in the aquarium's tank in Atlanta, Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Maris, is expected to give birth by June. She the first mammal to conceive at the downtown Atlanta attraction since it opened in 2005. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2010 file photo, Asian bighead carp swim in an exhibit at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. Officials said Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, the Obama administration will spend about $50 million this year to shield the Great Lakes from greedy Asian carp, including first-time water sampling to determine whether the destructive fish have established a foothold in Lakes Michigan and Erie. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)
Details of a whale is seen as the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team performs a necropsy on the beach in Ocean View in Norfolk, Va., on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012. (AP Photo/The Virginian-Pilot, Preston Gannaway)
In this January 2012 photo provided by the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, a whale swims off the coast of Virginia. Whales by the dozen are wintering in the unseasonably warm waters off the resort city of Virginia Beach, Va., attracting a flotilla of recreational boats packed with sightseers and fishermen hoping to glimpse the big mammals gorging on tons of bait fish within sight of the oceanfront's high-rise hotels. (AP Photo/Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center)
In this photo taken Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012, a baby Grouper fish swims in an aquarium to be farmed and sold to China under new trade deals benefiting the local fish farming villages in Beimen, southern Taiwan. The fish farmers on the terraced plains above Taiwan's west coast are riding a China boom, exporting tons of sweet, flaky milkfish to the mainland, thanks to export duties Beijing lowered to win over the island's voters. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
This undated 2010 handout photo provided by AquaBounty Technologies shows two same-age salmon, a genetically modified salmon, rear, and a non-genetically modified salmon, foreground. Salmon that's genetically modified to grow twice as fast as normal could soon show up on your dinner plate ? if the company that makes the fish can stay afloat. (AP Photo/AquaBounty Technologies)
Unusual Sea Creatures
Five creepy and unusual sea creatures, among them the leafy sea dragon and deep water blobfish.
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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) ? Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey will not fall for a "dirty scenario" and be dragged into the conflict with Syria.
Erdogan was speaking Sunday, a day after two car bombings in a town near the Syrian border killed 46 people and raised fears that Turkey may be drawn into the conflict.
Erdogan says "we have to maintain our extreme cool-bloodedness in the face of efforts and provocations to drag us into the bloody quagmire in Syria."
He say that "those who attack Turkey will be held to account sooner or later."
Officials say that nine Turkish citizens believed to be link to the Syrian intelligence agency have been detained in connection with the bombings.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
Nine Turkish citizens believed to have links to the Syrian intelligence agency have been detained in connection with twin car bombings that shattered a Turkish border town, officials said Sunday, as Syria rejected allegations it was behind one of the deadliest attacks in Turkey in years.
The bombings left 46 people dead and marked the biggest incident of violence across the border since the start of Syria's bloody civil war, raising fears of Turkey being pulled deeper into the conflict.
Harsh accusations from both sides signaled a sharp escalation of already high tensions between the two former allies, with Turkey vowing a strong response and Syria branding Turkey's prime minister "a butcher."
"This incident was carried out by an organization ... which is in close contact to pro-regime groups in Syria and I say this very clearly, with the Syrian mukhabarat," said Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler. He did not name the organization.
Among the nine people detained overnight was the mastermind of the attack and more were expected, Guler said.
"We have determined that some of them were involved in the planning, in the exploration and in the hiding of the vehicles," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said Turkish authorities determined that the nine were involved through their "testimonies and confessions," but did not elaborate during a joint press conference in Hatay, near the border town of Reyhanli where the bombs struck.
Saturday's twin bombings fifteen minutes apart damaged some 850 buildings in the town, a hub for Syrian refugees and rebels just across the border from Syria's Idlib province. It also wounded dozens of people, including 50 who remained hospitalized Sunday.
Syria and Turkey became adversaries early on during the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad that erupted in March 2011. Since then, Turkey has firmly sided with the Syrian opposition, hosting its leaders along with rebel commanders and providing refuge to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.
Authorities had so far identified 35 of the dead, three of them Syrians. Families began burying their loved ones in funerals on Sunday.
Earlier in Damascus, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi rejected Turkey's charges that Assad's regime was behind the bombs.
"Syria didn't and will never undertake such acts because our values don't allow us to do this," al-Zoubi told a news conference.
He accused Turkey of destabilizing the border areas between the two countries by supporting the rebels, who the regime has labeled terrorists.
"They turned houses of civilian Turks, their farms, their property into a center and passageway for terrorist groups from all over the world," Al-Zoubi said. "They facilitated and still are the passage of weapons and explosives and money and murders to Syria."
Al-Zoubi also branded Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan a "killer and a butcher," adding that the Turkish leader "has no right to build his glory on the blood of the Turkish and Syrian people."
Tensions had earlier flared between the Syrian regime and Turkey after shells fired from Syria landed on the Turkish side, killing five Turks, and prompting Germany, the Netherlands and the U.S. to send two batteries of Patriot air defense missiles each to protect their NATO ally.
Speaking to Turkish reporters in Berlin late Saturday, Ahmet Davutoglu said his country would hold those responsible for the bombings but had no immediate plans to involve its NATO allies.
After publicly pointing the finger publicly at Damascus, Turkey will likely have to respond to such a brazen violation of its sovereignty ? again raising the risk of a regional war, just a little over a week after Israel escalated its role in the Syria conflict by striking suspected shipments of advanced Iranian weapons in Syria.
Erdogan is flying to the U.S. for talks with President Barack Obama next week. In the wake of the car bombs, both men could come under greater pressure to take action.
"It comes down to an existential struggle," said Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha center. "Those who oppose Assad really have to show that they mean it now."
The U.S. has provided humanitarian aid to the Syrian opposition, but has been reluctant to provide military aid, in part because al-Qaida-linked militants are becoming increasingly influential in the armed opposition.
Last week, Erdogan alleged that Syria has been using chemical weapons, delivering them on at least 200 missiles, though he provided no evidence. Syria has denied using chemical weapons.
Obama has portrayed the use of chemicals by the regime as a "red line" that would have harsh consequences, but has said he needs more time to investigate allegations..
In another potentially destabilizing element, Israel signaled last week that it will keep striking at shipments of advanced Iranian weapons that might be bound for Hezbollah. Syria has traditionally be a conduit for Iranian weapons to Hezbollah.
Earlier this month, Israel struck twice at what Israeli officials said were shipments of advanced Iranian missiles near Damascus. In response, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said this week that Syria is expected to deliver "game-changing" weapons to his militia. If more than empty rhetoric, this would likely provoke more Israeli strikes.
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Aji reported from Damascus. Associated Press writers Karin Laub and Zeina Karam contributed from Beirut.
Britain's Prince Harry talks with members of the British Warrior Games Team who relaxed in a gymnasium before the opening of the 2013 Warrior Games, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, in Colorado Springs, Colo., Saturday May 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, Pool)
Britain's Prince Harry talks with members of the British Warrior Games Team who relaxed in a gymnasium before the opening of the 2013 Warrior Games, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, in Colorado Springs, Colo., Saturday May 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, Pool)
Britain's Prince Harry salutes during the opening ceremony for the 2013 Warrior Games, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, in Colorado Springs, Colo., Saturday May 11, 2013. At left is Robin Lineberger, CEO of Deloitte, a sponsor of the Warrior Games. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Britain's Prince Harry, right, shakes hands with Robin Lineberger, CEO of Deloitte, during the opening ceremony for the 2013 Warrior Games, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, in Colorado Springs, Colo., Saturday May 11, 2013. Deloitte sponsors the 2013 Warrior Games. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Britain's Prince Harry sits during the opening ceremony for the 2013 Warrior Games, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, in Colorado Springs, Colo., Saturday May 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Britain's Prince Harry talks with members of the British Warrior Games Team who relaxed in a gymnasium before the opening of 2013 Warrior Games, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, in Colorado Springs, Colo., Saturday May 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, Pool)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) ? Escorted by Britain's Prince Harry and swimming superstar Missy Franklin, a U.S. Navy officer blinded by an improvised bomb in Afghanistan lit an Olympic-style cauldron Saturday to launch the Warrior Games for wounded service members.
Lt. Bradley Snyder, Harry and Franklin completed the last leg of a brief torch relay at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to formally start the games.
All three lifted the torch to the lip of the cauldron to ignite the flame.
It was a touching start to the Paralympic-style games, which run through Thursday. About 260 athletes are competing in basketball, volleyball, shooting, archery, track and field and swimming ? Snyder's sport.
Britain sent a 35-member team, and the prince met with the athletes earlier in the day. He also sat on a gymnasium floor in a circle of 12 sitting volleyball players, batting the ball around amid whoops and laughter.
Harry served as a combat helicopter in pilot in Afghanistan, and the British veterans said that makes him easy to talk to.
"He knows what it's like out there," said Army Capt. Dave Henson, a member of the volleyball team. "He's been on the ground and in the air."
Henson, 28, lost both legs when an improvised bomb exploded in Afghanistan two years ago. He said Harry took a personal interest in the athletes' recovery and the quality of their health care.
Royal Marine Matthew Hancox, 25, said the prince recognized some wounded veterans he had met before and asked them how they were recovering.
"He's very down-to-earth," said Hancox, who was shot in the chest in Afghanistan in 2011.
The prince on Saturday afternoon pulled a Union Jack jersey over his uniform and joined the British team in a raucous exhibition game of sitting volleyball against U.S. players. That delighted the audience of several hundred and prompted a string of teasing taunts from the arena announcer.
The visit to Colorado got underway Friday night when Harry charmed dozens of dignitaries, British expatriates, students and military officers at a cocktail party welcoming him to Colorado. He also joined the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to Franklin, a Coloradan who was celebrating turning 18 at a golf club south of Denver.
She won four gold medals in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
A captain in Britain's Army Air Corps, Harry has deployed to Afghanistan twice, and he wore a brown camouflage uniform and tan combat boots when he met with the British team.
His first deployment, as a forward air controller in 2007-2008, was cut short after 10 weeks when details of his whereabouts were disclosed in the media.
On his second deployment, he was a co-pilot and gunner on an Apache helicopter.
He acknowledged to reporters he had targeted Taliban fighters, and when asked if he had killed anyone, said, "Yeah, so, lots of people have."
He's attending the Colorado games because he believes the wounded deserve recognition, according to a statement from St. James' Palace in London, the official residence of the royal family.
"He seemed very interested in what stage we are all in in terms of our rehabilitation," said Erica Vey, a veteran of the British Air Force.
Vey, who competes in track and field and shooting, had a leg amputated after an injury she suffered when a cargo plane had to take sudden evasive action.
"He was quite easy to talk to," she said of the prince.
Harry caused a scandal on his last trip to the U.S. when he was photographed frolicking nude with an unidentified woman in a Las Vegas hotel suite in August.
"It was probably a classic example of me probably being too much army, and not enough prince," he said afterward.
___
Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has vetoed a bill that would have given state workers the option of enrolling in a defined contribution retirement plan similar to a 401(k).
The bill by Oklahoma City Republican Rep. Randy McDaniel that Fallin vetoed Friday would have allowed state employees hired after July 2014 to choose between a defined contribution option and the current defined benefit system. The bill was approved earlier this week by the House on a 72-20 vote.
Fallin said in a veto statement that the bill would do little to reduce the unfunded status of the state's pension plans. She added that she looks forward to working with lawmakers during the interim to "create true pension reform" that will ensure the state maintains a high bond rating.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the weekend. Here to great you and guide you into a land of bliss is an escort of Gizmodo post about such topics as 3D-printed gun plans, stunning watch photography, quantum Internet, the new FitBit and so much more. Check it all out after the jump, and try not to lose your mind.
The sheer audacity of Windows 8 was enough to set it apart. It was startling, the kind of uncompromising upheaval you almost never see from a frontrunner. Despite obvious missteps?big, idiotic, self-inflicted ones, more often than not?it always gave the sense that it was just wrong-footed, correctable stuff, never cause for a total retreat. Except, if recent reports are to be believed, that?s just what Microsoft seems to be doing. Retreating. And we really hope it doesn?t.
In just two days, blueprints for the world's first (almost) entirely 3D-printed handgun have made their way onto the hard drives of over 100,000 potential quick-draws around the world. And the idea of this many people gaining non-regulated access to lethal weapons this quickly should be sending us into a mass, hysterical moral panic, right? Slow down there, cowboy.
So your trusty laptop is starting to show its age. No one can blame you for wanting a new one, but we've got just one piece of advice: WAIT. This is a horrible, horrible time to get a new rig. If you can hold out for just a few months, you're going to do a whole lot better for yourself.
Gadget nuts have CES kids at heart get Toy Fair, video gamers have E3, but if it's watches that ring your bell, every spring you'll want to head over to Basel, Switzerland for Baselworld. It's where the world's horological masters gather to unveil their latest timekeeping works of art. And these are the most wonderful of this year's whole bunch.
Fitbit's One is arguably one of the best activity trackers available today and, yet, less than seven months since it hit the street, Fitbit has decided that a stripped down version worn on the wrist was something the market's been clamoring for. Back in '77, Bert Lance first uttered the immortal phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." There's a reason we still say it today.
No matter where in our great nation you live, there's a good chance you're getting raw deal from your cable operator. Or maybe you've just convinced yourself of as much. Today, we're gonna find out the truth?or we're going to try, anyway.
In an effort to provide abused children with a safe way to reach out for help, a Spanish organization called the Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk Foundation, or ANAR for short, created an ad that displays a different message for adults and children at the same time.
This is a post I?ve been wanting to write for a while. In fact, it stems from something I noticed way back in August of last year. After digging for answers and even a couple attempts at contacting their customer support, I?ve concluded that LinkedIn is by far the creepiest social network.
President Obama met with South Korea's President Park Geun-hye at the White House this past Tuesday, and as major world leaders are wont to do in each others' presence, handshakes abounded. This three-handed, two-roomed, Photoshop monstrosity, however, was not one of them.
This might be the biggest tech humblebrag ever. A team of scientists at Los Alamos National Labs has quietly shrugged its shoulders and admitted to the fact that, yeah, it's been using quantum internet for, like, the last two years. Whatever.
Jaguars owner Shahid Khan was fascinated by the fascination with Tim Tebow.? Khan will need to find an even more dramatic term to describe his reaction to the new fan-based push against bringing Tebow to his hometown football team.
In response to recent efforts from White House petitioners and a publicity-seeking lawyer (yes, the firm actually asked us to run a link to its website in our story about the attorney?s pro-Tebow ad), a group of Jaguars fans have launched an effort to support the team?s decision to pass on a quarterback who can?t pass very well.
More than 528,000 clicks of supposed support have been registered at EvenIfHesReleased.com, a domain name based on G.M. Dave Caldwell?s door-slamming remarks about the prospect of signing Tebow.? Those comments came at a time when ESPN had reported it was a ?virtual certainty? Tebow would play for the Jaguars in 2013.
?We are inspired to counter anything or anyone that chooses to attack or spread ignorance about our fan base,? John Caputo, president of Bold City Brigade, told Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.? ?We aim to do it in a tasteful and tactful manner, which represents our mission and members.?
At the risk of becoming a target of this attack, there?s a problem with the website.? In order to see the current number of clicks supporting the team for not wanting Tebow, the visitor has to click the ?I Support This Message? link on the front page of the site.? And the site allows multiple votes from the same computer browser, simply by refreshing the page after voting.
As a result, two of the clicks (actually, now three) have come from me.
While it?s hardly a scientific exercise, the sentiment meshes with the explanation provided by Mike Dempsey of 1010XL in Jacksonville on Wednesday?s PFT Live.? Dempsey explained that the Tebow push comes from casual fans or non-Jaguars fans who are smitten with the Tebow narrative, and that zealous Jaguars fans generally don?t want him.
?Obviously it?s frustrating to be constantly bombarded by the Tebowmania,? Caputo told Kuharsky.? ?Many die-hard Jaguars fans feel ignored.? We feel like our voices are not heard because we tend to sit back and not do anything brash and in-your-face.
?The media knows what sells. If a petition started by a random guy in New Jersey that isn?t even a Jaguars fan can get that much attention, then obviously we are fighting an uphill battle.? The website is our way of saying to the national media: ?You want something brash.? Well then, here.??
Still, the story has been a story because the Jaguars wanted Tebow last year, when he was traded by the Broncos and picked the Jets over the Jaguars.? That failed effort to get Tebow necessarily made his possible return home a story in 2013.? Now that Tebow is available barely a year after the Jaguars wanted him, it?s understandable for some fans to want him this year.
Especially when the current options at quarterback aren?t all that fascinating.
Fundamentally, that?s the problem.? The Jaguars have given the national media nothing to talk about in recent years.? So when one of the most talked-about players in football hails from Jacksonville and when the Jaguars actually wanted to acquire him a year ago and when the franchise is in the midst of a full-blown turnaround after a 2-14, the Tebow story is the only story that sells.
Indeed, the story about the flawed anti-Tebow website is a story only because it relates to Tebow.
BEIRUT (AP) ? Syria will supply "game-changing" weapons to Hezbollah, the chief of the Lebanese militia said Thursday, just days after Israeli airstrikes on Damascus targeted what Israel said were shipments of advanced Iranian weapons possibly bound for the group.
Any attempts to ship advanced Iranian missiles across Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon would likely draw a new Israeli response, and Thursday's warning by Hezbollah chief Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, if more than rhetoric, could signal a further escalation.
Israel has largely tried to stay out of Syria's 26-month-old conflict. It never acknowledged the airstrikes, but Israeli officials have signaled Israel's air force would strike against any shipments of strategic missiles that might be bound for Hezbollah.
Israeli officials said the Lebanese militia has tens of thousands of rockets, but that most of them are unguided. Israeli officials said the shipments targeted twice last week included precision-guided missiles.
Israel and Hezbollah fought repeatedly, including in a month-long war in 2006. During that war, Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets at Israel.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah and Iran have become increasingly involved in Syria's civil war, supplying troops and military advisers to help Syrian President Bashar Assad fight armed rebels trying to oust him.
Nasrallah spoke Thursday to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of Hezbollah's radio station, Al-Nour. His speech was televised to an audience in Beirut, as a security precaution. Nasrallah has rarely appeared in public since the 2006 war, for fear of being targeted by Israel.
Nasrallah said Hezbollah could expect strategic weapons from Syria in the future.
"Syria will give the resistance special weapons it never had before," Nasrallah said. "We mean game-changing."
Nasrallah said the shipments of new types of weapons would serve as the Syrian reaction to Israel's airstrikes.
'This is the Syrian strategic reaction," said Nasrallah of future weapons shipments. "This is more important than firing a rocket or carrying out an airstrike in occupied Palestine," he said. Hezbollah refers to Israel as part of "occupied Palestine."
The militia chief said the military alliance between Syria and Hezbollah would continue.
"We in the Lebanese resistance declare that we stand by the Syrian popular resistance and give our material and moral support and cooperate and coordinate in order to liberate the Syrian Golan," he said. Israel captured Syria's Golan Heights in the 1967 Mideast War and later annexed the strategic plateau.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor, asked to comment on Nasrallah, said: "We don't respond to words. We respond to action." The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to comment.
In a related development, Israeli security officials said Thursday they have asked Russia to cancel the imminent sale of an advanced air defense system to Syria.
The officials said Israel shared information with the United States in hopes of persuading Russia to halt the planned deal to provide S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. Disclosing the deal, the Israeli officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.
Earlier Thursday, the Assad regime said it welcomed efforts by the United States and Russia to try to bring the sides in the civil war to the negotiating table before the end of the month.
Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said the government is willing to consider any proposals for a political solution of the conflict, while it retains the right to fight "terrorists," the regime's term for the opposition fighters and their supporters.
Al-Zoubi did not specifically mention the U.S.-Russian initiative in his brief remarks to reporters in Damascus. The comments were carried by SANA.
The main Western-backed opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, said Wednesday it welcomes the U.S.-Russia effort to reach a political solution but that any transition must begin with the departure of Assad and officials in his regime.
The U.S.-Russian initiative is identical to a plan, set out in Geneva last year, to bring the Damascus regime and opposition representatives together for talks on an interim government. Each side would be allowed to veto candidates it finds unacceptable.
The Geneva proposal also called for an open-ended cease fire and the formation of a transitional government to run the country until new elections can be held.
Even modest international efforts to halt the fighting have failed as neither side in the Syrian civil war has embraced dialogue, underlining their resolve to prevail on the battlefield.
In fighting Thursday, Assad's forces attacked rebel positions in Aleppo and Idlib in the north, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The group said warplanes hit rebels near the Mannagh military air base outside Aleppo.
The rebels stormed the base near the border with Turkey and captured parts of it on Sunday but were later forced to retreat in the face of regime's superior air power.
In neighboring Idlib province, heavy clashes were underway Thursday outside several army bases near the government-controlled provincial capital, said the Observatory, which relies on a network of informants inside Syria.
In Damascus, the state-run SANA news agency said government troops regained control of one more village and some land near the border with Lebanon on Thursday. The agency claimed troops inflicted heavy losses on the rebels in Aleppo and Idlib.
In Lebanon, a senior security official said several rockets landed Thursday on Lebanese territory, the latest incident of the Syria conflict spilling over the country's volatile borders. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with state regulations. There were no reports of casualties in the incident in the northwestern Lebanese town of Harmel.
Turkey's state-run agency, meanwhile, said the country has stationed a team of eight experts to screen injured Syrians at the border to ensure they are not victims of any chemical attacks.
The Anadolu Agency said a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense vehicle, manned by the team, has been deployed at the main Cilvegozu border crossing with Syria.
The team would examine Syrians for signs of chemical agents before sending them to nearby hospitals for treatment, the agency reported Thursday.
Officials in Damascus deny claims the Assad regime has used chemical weapons. The rebels also deny similar allegations.
___
Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey and Aron Heller in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
May 9, 2013 ? In a study recently published in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, neurobiologists at the University of Chicago show how an organism can sense a tactile stimulus, in real time, through an artificial sensor in a prosthetic hand.
Scientists have made tremendous advances toward building lifelike prosthetic limbs that move and function like the real thing. These are amazing accomplishments, but an important element to creating a realistic replacement for a hand is the sense of touch. Without somatosensory feedback from the fingertips about how hard you're squeezing something or where it's positioned relative to the hand, grasping an object is about as accurate as using one of those skill cranes to grab a stuffed animal at an arcade. Sure, you can do it, but you have to concentrate intently while watching every movement. You're relying on your sense of vision to compensate for the lack of touch.
Sliman Bensmaia, assistant professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the University of Chicago, studies the neural basis of the sense of touch. Now, he and his colleagues are working with a robotic hand equipped with sensors that send electrical signals to electrodes implanted in the brain to recreate the same response to touch as a real hand.
Bensmaia spoke about how important the sense of touch is to creating a lifelike experience with a prosthetic limb.
"If you lose your somatosensory system it almost looks like your motor system is impaired," he said. "If you really want to create an arm that can actually be used dexterously without the enormous amount of concentration it takes without sensory feedback, you need to restore the somatosensory feedback."
The researchers performed a series of experiments with rhesus macaques that were trained to respond to stimulation of the hand. In one setting, they were gently poked on the hand with a physical probe at varying levels of pressure. In a second setting, some of the animals had electrodes implanted into the area of the brain that responds to touch. These animals were given electrical pulses to simulate the sensation of touch, and their hands were hidden so they wouldn't see that they weren't actually being touched.
Using data from the animals' responses to each type of stimulus, the researchers were able to create a function, or equation, that described the requisite electrical pulse to go with each physical poke of the hand. Then, they repeated the experiments with a prosthetic hand that was wired to the brain implants. They touched the prosthetic hand with the physical probe, which in turn sent electrical signals to the brain.
Bensmaia said that the animals performed identically whether poked on their own hand or on the prosthetic one.
"This is the first time as far as I know where an animal or organism actually perceives a tactile stimulus through an artificial transducer," Bensmaia said. "It's an engineering milestone. But from a neuroengineering standpoint, this validates this function. You can use this function to have an animal perform this very precise task, precisely identically."
The FDA is in the process of approving similar devices for human trials, and Bensmaia said he hopes such a system is implemented within the next year. Producing a lifelike sense of touch would go a long way toward improving the dexterity and performance of prosthetic hands, but he said it would also help bridge a mental divide for amputees or people who have lost the use of a limb. Until now, prosthetics and robotic arms feel more like tools than real replacements because they don't produce the expected sensations.
"If every time you see your robotic arm touching something, you get a sensation that is projected to it, I think it's very possible that in fact, you will consider this new thing as being part of your body," he said.
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Public release date: 13-May-2013
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