Chef Spotlight: Luis Bollo on the spirit of Spanish cuisine - NBC Latino

Vitals: Born and raised in San Sebasti?n, a city in the north of Spain?s Basque country, Chef Luis Bollo is the executive chef at Salinas in New York City. Bollo ? who counts his Basque roots as one of his primary culinary inspirations ? trained in Spain and worked at several Michelin starred restaurants in Europe before moving to Mexico and eventually relocating to New York City. Bollo has been praised as an innovative Spanish talent by The New York Times, New York Post, Food & Wine and many other publications. Although he?s a man with simple tastes (you?ll find out one of his guilty pleasures below), he considers roast suckling pig one of his trademarks, a succulent dish that has been named ?Best Suckling Pig? from New York Magazine?s Best of Food and Drink 2012 awards.

Experience: A graduate of the San Sebasti?n Culinary School in Spain, Bollos has opened several Spanish restaurants both in New York City and Connecticut within the last fifteen years. As a creative chef who transforms traditional recipes by use of modern gastronomic technique, Bollo has been named ?Chef of the Year? by Esquire magazine. Salinas, which Bollo opened in 2011, has been awarded two stars from The New York Times and has been named one of New York City?s best restaurants by multiple food critics.

On his earliest food memory: ?I remember going with my grandfather to farmer?s markets when I was quite young, no more than six years old. He would take his time selecting the freshest ingredients available and that something like that stays with you always. Food is all about sharing among people and those hours with my grandfather among beautiful produce and ingredients taught me that.?

Why Spain prides itself on the simplicity of its cuisine: ?Spain is a country where ingredients form the base of our cuisine. It?s not our spices or techniques; instead, the proteins, grains and vegetables drive our culinary tradition. You see it in the fish dishes of the coast; the paellas that were perfected by peasants. And that?s why you see even the most innovative of Spanish chefs staying true to their heritage by putting ingredients first ? it?s in our blood.?

On driving Spanish food forward: ?What I want to do with my menu is present different cultures under the umbrella of Spanish cuisine, but in a way that represents me. I really believe in doing an urban expression of Spanish cuisine; it?s key to moving it gastronomically forward. I am Spanish ? I know its flavors, techniques and ingredients. I know how a dish [works] and can appreciate it, but I use my knowledge of tradition through which to create excitement through food. In that way, I give both myself and my diners [the chance] to try a new way of Spanish food and move it forward. No gimmicks ? just traditional recipes, done my way with a twist.?

The secret to the roast pig that?s earned him multiple awards: ?It starts with the best, freshest suckling pig I can find. That means the meat should be without bruises, absolutely pristine. I use a cut that?s about 14-15 pounds and cook it for 12 hours overnight in a bath of oil, chicken broth and herbs at 180 degrees ? almost like a confit. The end result of a very soft roast meat with a gorgeous, immaculate skin. Then I oven roast the meat to order in a 450 degree oven for about 30 minutes, which crisps up the skin without drying out the juicy meat. The sauces and garnishes I use to dress the pork may vary, but the technique remains the same ? absolutely delicious.?

On his best asset as a chef: ?People that understand your philosophy ? not just for a check but as a way of living ? help me and the restaurant become better every day. It was an incredible challenge to put together a great team at Salinas, but after two years I feel confident in saying that we could not have become who we are without the people who push us to improve every day. From financial partners to servers and front of house staff, we are all one team and I couldn?t do my job without them all.?

On his guilty pleasure: ?For some reason, the best food is always the stuff that?s worse for your health ? and in my case, I love donuts. I don?t eat many of them but when I see a soft, fresh donut I just can?t resist them. The problem is you can never eat just one!?

Chef Luis Bollo shares his recipe for?Rossejat Rapida?below ? one of the most popular dishes at Salinas, it?s similar to traditional paella in flavor but easy to make at home with a saut? pan (no paella pans needed here!) and the use of fideos (vermicelli noodles) instead of bomba rice.

Rossejat Rapida (Photo/Courtesy Salinas Restaurant)

Rossejat Rapida

6 oz. Fideo pasta (Vermicelli can be substituted)

1 tbsp sofrito (recipe follows)

1 tbsp saffron aioli (recipe follows)

12 oz. chicken broth

4 oz. chicken breast, cut into a small dice

3 oz. dried sweet chorizo, cut into a small dice

2 oz. fava beans, blanched and peeled

juice from one lemon

1 dash smoked paprika

1 tsp. garlic, minced

8 ea. cockles

1 tsp. parsley, chopped fine

Sofrito:

1. In a saut? pan, heat ? cup olive oil and caramelize 1 onion and 3 garlic cloves on low heat

2. Once browned, add 1 8oz. can of peeled plum tomatoes

3. Cook for an additional 30 minutes and blend in a food processor until smooth

Saffron Aioli:

1. Place 2 garlic cloves, a pinch of saffron, and 3 tbsp water in a blender and puree

2. In a bowl, mix ? cup of mayonnaise and the garlic saffron puree

For the Rossejat Rapida:

1. Take 8oz. of Fideo (or Vermicelli) pasta and break into 1 inch pieces

2. In a saut? pan, add ? cup of the canola oil. Heat oil to 250F and toast pasta until light brown

3. In a saut? pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and cook the minced garlic and diced chicken

4. Once garlic is browned, deglaze with white wine

6. Cook until nearly all broth has been absorbed. Add cockles and return to oven until they open.

7. Remove from oven and add chorizo, fava beans, parsley, and saffron aioli. Mix well.

8. Place into large bowl and garnish with teaspoon of saffron aioli and watercress.

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Source: http://nbclatino.com/2013/05/30/chef-spotlight-luis-bollo-on-the-spirit-of-spanish-cuisine/

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Engadget UK Giveaway: win an HTC One courtesy of Mobile Madhouse

HTC's latest flagship is one of the hottest Android phones available right now. What better way to kick off your summer in the UK, then, than with one of these in your pocket? That's entirely possible, too, thanks to accessory experts Mobile Madhouse which is giving one away. All you have to do to stand a chance of snagging the prize is check the rules after the break, and enter via the widget. Good luck!

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Grumpy Cat Movie: Actually in the Works!

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Administration: 'Obamacare' to offer more choices

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Insurance companies are showing interest in providing coverage under the new health care law, a development likely to increase market competition and give uninsured people more choices than they now have, the White House said Thursday. Many of the 14 million people who currently buy their own insurance plans could also benefit.

Eager to counter Republican criticism of the law, the White House's upbeat assessment of the effect of the law comes four months before consumers can begin shopping for subsidized private insurance in new state markets. Widespread enrollment in those plans is crucial to the successful implementation of President Barack Obama's 2010 health care law.

On its website, the White House posted a memo that concluded that most of the consumers who seek insurance from federal- or state-run insurance markets will be able to choose from five or more different insurance companies. The finding is based on data provided by 19 states where the federal government will run the markets and from other state-run markets. Those states account for about 80 percent of the 7 million people that the Congressional Budget Office estimates will obtain insurance through the new markets in 2014.

Currently the insurance market in most states is dominated by one or two insurance carriers; in 45 states and the District of Columbia two insurers cover more than half of all enrollees.

The administration's findings about increased competition generally match up with private sector assessments of early indicators. The market research firm Avalere Health found strong insurer interest in participating in about a dozen states that have released details of their new insurance markets.

Whether the competition will result in lower premiums, however, remains an open question.

Administration officials point to a report by the Democratic staff of the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week that determined that in Oregon and Washington the competition is lowering premium rates even before income-based tax credits are taken into account. But two other states whose filings were examined by the committee, Rhode Island and Maryland, signaled premium rate increases.

An earlier report by the committee's Republican staff surveyed insurers who estimated that premiums would increase in most cases.

Indeed, concerns remain that people who already have insurance coverage, especially the young and healthy, could face an increase in premiums because of the new law's demands. The plans that will be offered next year are more comprehensive than many bare-bones policies currently available to individuals.

They have to cover a standard set of benefits, including prescription drugs, maternity care and rehabilitation services. Insurers are also limited in what they can charge older customers, and they are not allowed to turn away sick people or charge them more. The most important cost feature is that the new plans limit copayments and other out-of-pocket costs to $6,400 a year for individuals and $12,500 for families.

A new report by Center Forward, a centrist research group that has its roots with the moderate Blue Dog wing of the Democratic Party, concluded that differences in current state regulations will determine the effect on premiums. Of six states it examined, the report determined that five would see sharp premium increases of up to 50 or 60 percent. One state, New Jersey, could see a drop in premiums of up to 25 percent.

Meanwhile Congress' watchdog, the Government Accountability Office, examined the preparations in six states and the District of Columbia and concluded that despite challenges the seven governments have taken steps to create their insurance marketplaces, or exchanges, that they expect will be ready to begin enrolling customers by the Oct 1 startup date.

The GAO, in the report released Thursday, said six of the seven governments also described difficulties with the complexity of the information technology systems they need to put in place to assist consumers in making their insurance choices.

The governments were picked on the basis of their varying uninsured populations, among other criteria. In addition to the District of Columbia, the GAO looked at preparations underway in Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Iowa.

People without access to coverage through their jobs can start shopping on Oct. 1 for subsidized private insurance in new state markets. The actual benefits begin Jan. 1. But because of continuing opposition to the law from many Republican governors and state legislators, the federal government will be running the insurance markets in more than half the states.

___

Associated Press writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report.

____

Follow Jim Kuhnhenn on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jkuhnhenn

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/administration-obamacare-offer-more-choices-204909680.html

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No, Mermaids Do Not Exist

No credible evidence of the existence of mermaids has ever been found

Courtesy of Animal Planet

This week, Animal Planet aired two fake documentaries claiming to show scientific evidence of mermaids. I say ?fake documentaries? because that?s exactly what ?The Body Found? and ?The New Evidence? are. The ?scientists? interviewed in the show are actors, and there?s a brief disclaimer during the end credits. However, the Twitter conversation surrounding the show (#Mermaids) reveals that many viewers are unaware that the show isn?t real. (Sample Tweets: ?After watching the documentary #Mermaids the body found ? I believe there are mermaids!!!? and ?90% of the ocean is unexplored and you?re telling me #mermaids don?t exist??which has been retweeted more than 800 times.) It is, after all, airing on a network that claims to focus on educating viewers about the natural world. ?The Body Found? was rightfully described ?the rotting carcass of science television,? and I was shocked to see Animal Planet air a sequel.

As a marine biologist, I can tell you unequivocally that despite millennia of humans exploring the ocean, no credible evidence of the existence of mermaids has ever been found. Some claim that manatees are the source of the legend, but you?d have to be at sea an awfully long time to think that a manatee is a beautiful woman. Sure, new species are discovered all the time, but while a new species of bird or insect is fascinating, it doesn?t mean ?anything is possible,? and it is certainly not equivalent to finding a group of talking, thinking humanoids with fish tails covering half of their bodies. The confusion generated by ?The Body Found? got to be so significant that the United States government issued an official statement on the matter.

When I started angrily posting about this on Facebook and Twitter, many of my nonscientist friends asked me why it matters if people believe in mermaids. It matters because the ocean is extremely important. It provides jobs for tens of millions of people and food for billions. However, many marine resources are being overexploited and mismanaged, leaving us in serious danger of losing them forever. Policy solutions can help, but if you are so ignorant about what is really happening in the ocean that you believe that there are organisms that are half human and half fish, you're almost certainly unaware of the important problems, much less how to solve them. Even if you don?t believe in mythical creatures, you may be unaware of the severity of the crises facing our oceans. Now that we?ve established that mermaids aren?t real, here are 5 other important things about the ocean that everyone should know.

1. The oceans are not inexhaustible, we?re currently overharvesting many resources, and the consequences can be disastrous.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 32 percent of all global fisheries are ?overexploited, depleted, or recovering? and another 50 percent are fully exploited (as of 2010). Just 10 species of fish account for almost one-third of the total global catch, and nine of these species have been exploited so heavily that they?re at 10 percent or less of their historical maximum population. Overfishing is the single greatest threat to the ocean environment, but this isn?t just an environmental problem. Fish are a critically important natural resource, with more than 3 billion people getting at least 15 percent of their protein from the ocean. Although human population growth is still increasing, we won?t be able to increase the amount of fish we?re taking from the ocean.

2. Current fishing practices aren?t just problematic for the fish species we are trying to catch.

Most commercial fisheries don?t use a rod and reel, catching one fish at a time and throwing back what they don?t want (or aren?t allowed to sell). A single longline can be many miles long and have tens of thousands of baited hooks; purse seine nets can be miles across; and the largest trawl net on the market can fit several 747 airplanes in its opening. Bycatch, which occurs when fishermen catch animals swimming near their target catch, is unavoidable with fishing gear this large, but the problem can be unexpectedly severe. In some fisheries, 90 percent of the catch by weight is bycatch, which includes endangered sea turtles and sea birds as well as marine mammals. Some types of fishing, such as dynamite fishing and cyanide fishing, can heavily damage the environment. Dragging a heavy trawl net over the seafloor destroys countless fragile and ecologically important organisms, the equivalent of hunting for rabbits by bulldozing a forest and killing all the deer, birds, insects, and plants that live there. The FAO estimates that 7 million tons of bycatch are caught and discarded every year.

3. Just because a fish is from ?the ocean? doesn?t mean you should release it in the nearest body of salt water.

Invasive species are non-native organisms released into a new region. In the case of invasive fish, they are often introduced by aquarium hobbyists who release a fish when it gets too big for its tank. Often, there are no predators in the new habitat capable of eating these newly introduced animals. Lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific, are believed to have been introduced to the Atlantic coast of the United States by aquarium hobbyists in the last few decades. Lionfish have no native predators in the Atlantic, and non-native predators are often deterred by their venomous spines. A single female lionfish can release millions of eggs in a year, so it?s no surprise that lionfish are now found throughout the Caribbean and as far north as New York, and they are outcompeting or eating native, economically important fishes such as snapper and grouper.

4. Sharks aren?t a threat to you, they?re important, and they?re in trouble

The average American has only a 1 in 3,800,000 chance of being killed by a shark. You?re more likely to be killed by a lawnmower or a vending machine, and more likely to be bitten by a stranger on the subway. Like all predators, sharks help keep the ocean in balance by eating the sick, the weak, and the dying.? However, sharks are suffering from overfishing more than most marine species, with 1 in 6 species of shark, skate, or ray (and 1 in 3 species of open ocean shark) considered ?Threatened with Extinction? by the IUCN Red List.

5. Although mermaids don?t exist, the ocean is still full of wonder, and it needs your help!

What you do affects the ocean even if you live far away, and there?s a lot that you can do to help. Purchase sustainable seafood. Use reusable grocery bags instead of single-use plastic bags, which can choke sea turtles or sea birds. Support politicians who support ocean conservation, or encourage your current elected officials to support the ocean. Most importantly, ask your friends and family to do the same.

If I?ve ruined your sense of wonder about the oceans, don?t fret. The absence of mermaids certainly doesn?t mean that the oceans are boring.? As deep sea ecologist Andrew David Thaler said, "Look, the ocean is a vast, unexplored frontier. The deep sea is Earth?s last great wilderness. When we do venture into the abyss, we find creatures more diverse and incredible that our relatively limited imaginations can conceive. Don?t insult that wonder with something as utterly mundane as ?human with fish tail.? ?

Several of my marine scientist colleagues and I subjected ourselves to three hours of fake mermaid documentaries, live-tweeting and correcting inaccuracies as we watched. Click here to read a Storify of this discussion.

An earlier version of this article appeared on Southern Fried Science. ?

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/05/mermaids_aren_t_real_animal_planet_s_fake_documentaries_misrepresent_ocean.html

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Oh, yeah? Well, don?t get so distressed. Did I happen to mention that I?m impressed? (Unqualified Offerings)

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Autumn Reeser: Pregnant with Baby #2!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/autumn-reeser-pregnant-with-baby-number-2/

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High-efficiency zinc-air battery developed

May 29, 2013 ? Stanford University scientists have developed an advanced zinc-air battery with higher catalytic activity and durability than similar batteries made with costly platinum and iridium catalysts. The results, published in the May 7 online edition of the journal Nature Communications, could lead to the development of a low-cost alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries widely used today.

"There have been increasing demands for high-performance, inexpensive and safe batteries for portable electronics, electric vehicles and other energy storage applications," said Hongjie Dai, a professor chemistry at Stanford and lead author of the study. "Metal-air batteries offer a possible low-cost solution."

According to Dai, most attention has focused on lithium-ion batteries, despite their limited energy density (energy stored per unit volume), high cost and safety problems. "With ample supply of oxygen from the atmosphere, metal-air batteries have drastically higher theoretical energy density than either traditional aqueous batteries or lithium-ion batteries," he said. "Among them, zinc-air is technically and economically the most viable option."

Zinc-air batteries combine atmospheric oxygen and zinc metal in a liquid alkaline electrolyte to generate electricity with a byproduct of zinc oxide. When the process is reversed during recharging, oxygen and zinc metal are regenerated.

"Zinc-air batteries are attractive because of the abundance and low cost of zinc metal, as well as the non-flammable nature of aqueous electrolytes, which make the batteries inherently safe to operate," Dai said. "Primary (non-rechargeable) zinc-air batteries have been commercialized for medical and telecommunication applications with limited power density. However, it remains a grand challenge to develop electrically rechargeable batteries, with the stumbling blocks being the lack of efficient and robust air catalysts, as well as the limited cycle life of the zinc electrodes."

Active and durable electrocatalysts on the air electrode are required to catalyze the oxygen-reduction reaction during discharge and the oxygen-evolution reaction during recharge. In zinc-air batteries, both catalytic reactions are sluggish, Dai said.

Recently, his group has developed a number of high-performance electrocatalysts made with non-precious metal oxide or nanocrystals hybridized with carbon nanotubes. These catalysts produced higher catalytic activity and durability in alkaline electrolytes than catalysts made with platinum and other precious metals.

"We found that similar catalysts greatly boosted the performance of zinc-air batteries," Dai said. both primary and rechargeable. "A combination of a cobalt-oxide hybrid air catalyst for oxygen reduction and a nickel-iron hydroxide hybrid air catalyst for oxygen evolution resulted in a record high-energy efficiency for a zinc-air battery, with a high specific energy density more than twice that of lithium-ion technology."

The novel battery also demonstrated good reversibility and stability over long charge and discharge cycles over several weeks. "This work could be an important step toward developing practical rechargeable zinc-air batteries, even though other challenges relating to the zinc electrode and electrolyte remain to be solved," Dai added.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/EDYgF5Zc5W0/130529154646.htm

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Astros?open up tight game late vs.?Rockies

By DENNIS GEORGATOS

Associated Press

Associated Press Sports

updated 12:37 a.m. ET May 30, 2013

DENVER (AP) - A combination of power and small ball helped the Houston Astros break open a tight game in the late innings.

J.D. Martinez hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning, Carlos Pena connected for a home run as part of a three-run ninth, and the Astros rallied against Colorado's bullpen to beat the Rockies 6-3 on Wednesday night.

The Astros overcame 12 strikeouts and Troy Tulowitzki's first multihomer game since 2011 in taking the opener of a two-game interleague set at Coors Field.

Leading 3-2, Houston got a boost when Pena started the ninth with his fourth homer, driving a full-count offering from Rob Scahill over the right-field wall.

Trevor Crowe followed by beating out an infield single and one out later, pinch-hitter Jimmy Parades singled to left, advancing Crowe to third. Marwin Gonzalez followed with a safety squeeze, laying down a sacrifice bunt as Crowe broke for the plate and scored.

"It was absolutely perfect," Crowe said. "I felt like the last 15 steps, I walked home because the bunt could not have been better. On a safety squeeze, you want to roll it down the first-base line and Marwin was able to do that."

Brandon Barnes singled to drive in the inning's final run for the Astros.

"That was good baseball there," Astros manager Bo Porter said. "The three runs in the ninth were huge in this ballpark. Guys did a great job. Getting the sacrifice bunt down, Trevor going first to third and Gonzo, great job with the safety squeeze and the two-out RBI was huge. A four-run lead here is really a two-run lead."

Paul Clemens (3-2) pitched 1 2-3 innings of scoreless relief.

Gonzalez led off the eighth with a single off reliever Edgmer Escalona (1-2). Jose Altuve was intentionally walked and Rex Brothers relieved Escalona. Brothers struck out Jason Castro but Martinez hit a two-out single up the middle, scoring Gonzalez to put the Astros in front by a run.

"This guy's a run producer," Porter said of Martinez. "He's one of those guys, when there are RBIs out there, he smells them. He's put together some of his best at-bats with runners in scoring position."

Colorado had runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but first baseman Pena made a diving catch of Jordan Pacheco's liner to end the threat.

"Of course it's frustrating, but that's how baseball goes," Pacheco said. "We've just got to keep swinging, keep getting guys on."

Tulowitzki homered in the ninth off reliever Jose Veras and off starter Erik Bedard in the fourth for his seventh career multihomer game. The last was Aug. 27, 2011, against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Rockies couldn't take advantage of a solid start from Tyler Chatwood, who struck out 10 batters in six innings.

"Tyler did a great job," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "We didn't get the big hit to get the big inning. But Tyler certainly did his part."

The strikeout total was the most in a game by a Rockies starter this season and a career high for Chatwood, who allowed two runs on four hits.

"I think I was getting ahead and I was able to put some guys away with my slider," Chatwood said. "Me and Jimmy (Wright, Rockies pitching coach) worked on it in our last side session. It's been kind of inconsistent, but I found it tonight."

Bedard also pitched well and did not get a decision. He went six innings and allowed two runs on seven hits. It was the third consecutive outing in which he has allowed only two runs.

Houston struck first, getting a run in the second inning on Matt Dominguez's sacrifice fly.

Tulowitzki answered leading off the fourth, when he drove the first offering from Bedard the opposite way into the right-field seats. It was his 11th home run of the season and also produced the 500th run scored of his career.

Tulowitzki's two-out double in the fifth drove in Pacheco. But the Astros tied it up at 2-all in the sixth when Barnes scored on a sacrifice fly by Castro.

Chatwood escaped further damage in the inning when he fanned Martinez and Pena for his ninth and 10th strikeouts of the game. His previous high for strikeouts was six.

NOTES: The Rockies recalled Scahill from Triple A Colorado Springs and made room for him by optioning OF Charlie Blackmon. ... Colorado stranded 12 baserunners. ... The Rockies are six games into a stretch in which they play 17 games in 17 days. ... The Astros, whose Triple-A affiliate is in Oklahoma City, raised $21,000 this week through the Astros Foundation to aid Oklahoma's tornado relief efforts. The money is being forwarded to the Red Cross. ... The Rockies acquired Chatwood two years ago from the Angels in exchange for catcher Chris Iannetta. ... Martinez has had back-to-back games with multiple hits.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Challenged by fed-up manager Terry Collins, slumping infielders Ike Davis and Ruben Tejada sparked a five-run first inning that kept the Mets sailing along in this surprising Subway Series with a 9-4 victory over the Yankees on Wednesday night.

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'The Voice' Recap: Adam Levine Left With One Contestant After Eliminations

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Crest urges changing Clearwire minority vote threshold

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Crest Financial, an investor in Clearwire Corp, said on Tuesday that the voting threshold for approval of Sprint Nextel Corp's purchase of Clearwire should exclude strategic investors such as Comcast Corp and Intel.

Sprint, Clearwire's majority owner, needs approval from more than 50 percent of Clearwire's minority shareholders in order to go ahead with its proposed $3.40-per-share purchase of the rest of Clearwire.

Strategic investors Intel, Comcast and Bright House Networks have already committed to vote their collective 26 percent of the minority shares in favor of the deal at a special meeting of shareholders scheduled for Friday, May 31.

Crest, which is leading a proxy battle against the deal, argued that the strategic shares are "pledged to support Sprint regardless of the alternatives available" and that Sprint is obliged to purchase these shares even if it loses the Clearwire vote.

Crest, which owns roughly 8 percent of Clearwire's public shares, said that "for all intents and purposes these are Sprint shares, and their votes should not be counted as minority approval."

Crest also urged Clearwire shareholders to vote against the deal.

Clearwire declined comment on the Crest statement. It issued a letter urging shareholders to approve the Sprint deal.

Sprint was forced to raise its offer from $2.97 per share on May 21 after many of Clearwire's minority shareholders complained that the original bid was too low.

But the new offer had failed to impress several big investors, including Crest and a group of four hedge funds claiming ownership of 18.2 percent of the minority vote.

The deal is contingent on the completion of SoftBank Corp's proposed purchase of 70 percent of Sprint for $20.1 billion.

(Reporting By Sinead Carew; editing by John Wallace)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/crest-urges-changing-clearwire-minority-vote-threshold-133557595.html

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Scientists find mechanism that causes noise-induced tinnitus and drug that can prevent it

May 27, 2013 ? An epilepsy drug shows promise in an animal model at preventing tinnitus from developing after exposure to loud noise, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, reported this week in the early online version of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal for the first time the reason the chronic and sometimes debilitating condition occurs.

An estimated 5 to 15 percent of Americans hear whistling, clicking, roaring and other phantom sounds of tinnitus, which typically is induced by exposure to very loud noise, said senior investigator Thanos Tzounopoulos, Ph.D., associate professor and member of the auditory research group in the Department of Otolaryngology, Pitt School of Medicine.

"There is no cure for it, and current therapies such as hearing aids don't provide relief for many patients," he said. "We hope that by identifying the underlying cause, we can develop effective interventions."

The team focused on an area of the brain that is home to an important auditory center called the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN). From previous research in a mouse model, they knew that tinnitus is associated with hyperactivity of DCN cells -- they fire impulses even when there is no actual sound to perceive. For the new experiments, they took a close look at the biophysical properties of tiny channels, called KCNQ channels, through which potassium ions travel in and out of the cell.

"We found that mice with tinnitus have hyperactive DCN cells because of a reduction in KCNQ potassium channel activity," Dr. Tzounopoulos said. "These KCNQ channels act as effective "brakes" that reduce excitability or activity of neuronal cells."

In the model, sedated mice are exposed in one ear to a 116-decibel sound, about the loudness of an ambulance siren, for 45 minutes, which was shown in previous work to lead to the development of tinnitus in 50 percent of exposed mice. Dr. Tzounopoulos and his team tested whether an FDA-approved epilepsy drug called retigabine, which specifically enhances KCNQ channel activity, could prevent the development of tinnitus. Thirty minutes into the noise exposure and twice daily for the next five days, half of the exposed group was given injections of retigabine.

Seven days after noise exposure, the team determined whether the mice had developed tinnitus by conducting startle experiments, in which a continuous, 70 dB tone is played for a period, then stopped briefly and then resumed before being interrupted with a much louder pulse. Mice with normal hearing perceive the gap in sounds and are aware something had changed, so they are less startled by the loud pulse than mice with tinnitus, which hear phantom noise that masks the moment of silence in between the background tones.

The researchers found that mice that were treated with retigabine immediately after noise exposure did not develop tinnitus. Consistent with previous studies, 50 percent of noise-exposed mice that were not treated with the drug exhibited behavioral signs of the condition.

"This is an important finding that links the biophysical properties of a potassium channel with the perception of a phantom sound," Dr. Tzounopoulos said. "Tinnitus is a channelopathy, and these KCNQ channels represent a novel target for developing drugs that block the induction of tinnitus in humans."

The KCNQ family is composed of five different subunits, four of which are sensitive to retigabine. He and his collaborators aim to develop a drug that is specific for the two KCNQ subunits involved in tinnitus to minimize the potential for side effects.

"Such a medication could be a very helpful preventive strategy for soldiers and other people who work in situations where exposure to very loud noise is likely," Dr. Tzounopoulos said. "It might also be useful for other conditions of phantom perceptions, such as pain in a limb that has been amputated."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/dop4VTycjlo/130527153701.htm

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Marines accused of anti-Obama Facebook

(USATODAY) ? Federal law enforcement officials are investigating a former Marine and several active-duty Marines after they allegedly posted threatening and lewd messages on social media sites that targeted President Obama and a California congresswoman, according to a government official informed of the investigations.

The former Marine was interviewed last week by the Secret Service for the threatening post against President Obama, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigations are ongoing.

The Secret Service does not discuss its protective actions, said spokesman George Ogilvie.

Investigators from the U.S. Capitol Police have been investigating several threatening posts against Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., the Capitol Hill source said. Capitol Police do not comment on their investigations.

Source: http://www.wnd.com/2013/05/marines-accused-of-anti-obama-facebook/

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Paul Graham: 37 Y Combinator Companies Have Valuations Of Or Sold For At Least $40M

Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham just tweeted an interesting data point about the valuations of YC startups. As of now, Graham says that 37 Y Combinator companies, out of 511 startups, have valuations of or sold for at least $40 million.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/9FGYb37ANks/

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Finance Company Loans | A Ezbukz Blog For Financial Help

A company loan is a specific amount of money that a business man borrows to start or maintain his business. It is rather more like a personal loan, but this time its sole purpose is to finance an enterprize. This kind of loan is basically given by private banks or financial establishments to small enterprise entrepreneurs. There are 2 kinds of corporate loans, namely unsecured and secured business loans. Unsecured business loans are granted based primarily on your credit rating without any kind of collateral. Some banks only approve unsecured advances when the candidates ' credit report is superb, while others might compromise this standard. This indicates that even when you have a bad credit, there's still a chance of acquiring a business loan. Most importantly, you've got to have a stable job.

From an alternative perspective, secured corporate loan needs collateral. Banks are ready to make funds available for you in times of financial distress if you've got something that is actually worth the amount you wish to borrow. You can use your home or car as security. If you presently own a business, then you need to use your business as collateral. This is risky because if you don't meet the deadline, the bank will take your vehicle, house or business from you. Unsecured loans attract a high interest fee and it is hard to get approved. The opposite is the case with secured loans.

Advantages of business loans

- Fast respite from financial distress

Getting a loan from a bank can bring your relief in many ways. It can often help you start an exciting new business or maintain your already existing business. If you should happen to feel you need more staff and don't have cash at hand to pay them during their first or second month, then a corporate loan can help you. With the mandatory money to hand you can grow your business without money stress. Additionally, if you should happen to feel that your company has accumulated too many debts, you can wisely utilize a corporate loan to get rid of them.

- Claimable

The interest on a business loan is deductible against tax.

- Favorable Repayment agreement

You can select to repay the loan plus interest in the form of monthly installment. In order words, you may be needed to pay the interest regularly and the principal amount at the due date. If the rate of return is extremely high, some lenders may permit you to pay down the principal plus interest in total at the end of the loan period.

Business Loan qualifications

It is good to know how business financing works before you apply. If you have a excellent credit score, you must be careful with the form of loan you get so your credit report won't be influenced. Also , before you apply, check your credit report. It is going to be simpler to get an unsecured loan when you have a good credit report. This is because many lenders base their approval on your private credit score. Folk with blemished credit can also do their best to find lenders who can offer loans in spite of the state of their credit history. Therefore whether you have a sound credit history or not, company loans are available online.

Find a legitimized Bank

Today, banks are everywhere. As much as they come, there is every must be wary. Find a good bank that offers the best company loan online. Use comparison sites, read reviews, check what interest rate they offer and read their factors. Taking these steps will help you find a deal that's acceptable for you and your business.

Acquiring a corporate loan is superb concept. It is best way to keep your business running during bad economic times and still keep its current ownership.

Source: http://ezbukz.com/consumer-finance-help/finance-company-loans-2/

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Epic: A Movie the Whole Family Will Enjoy

From star power and humor the whole family can enjoy to a heartfelt message, Epic is enjoyable for kids young and old.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/O0ELJg03NFY/

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Looking freelancer from Japan - for schedule the Meeting on skype ...

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Source: http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Internet-Marketing-Telemarketing/Looking-freelancer-from-Japan-for.html

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How cockroaches are evolving to avoid sweets

Evolution could now favor cockroaches with an aversion to glucose, the sugary flavoring that disguises the taste of the poison in roach bait.

By Eoin O'Carroll,?Staff / May 23, 2013

This image made from video provided by Ayako Wada-Katsumata shows glucose-averse German cockroaches avoiding a dab of jelly, which contains glucose, and favoring the peanut butter.

Ayako Wada-Katsumata/AP

Enlarge

Thanks to natural selection, some cockroaches have rapidly evolved the ability to check out of Roach Motels.

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Since the 1970s, bait traps that use glucose to disguise the taste of a deadly toxin have been a popular way to rid the bugs from homes. But beginning in the 1990s, the traps began losing their effectiveness. Scientists found that some roaches had evolved an aversion to the glucose. The pest-control industry moved on to new types of bait, but exactly how the insects lost their sweet tooth has remained a mystery.

Now a team of biologists at North Carolina State University say that they have uncovered the neural mechanism behind the cockroaches' adaptation. A study published in the current issue of Science reports that for some roaches, glucose activates taste receptors normally associated with bitter compounds, such as caffeine, that the insects don't care for.

The scientists performed experiments on groups of normal and glucose-averse German cockroaches, a species that makes its home in apartments, hotels, and restaurants worldwide.

Like many other insects, cockroaches taste with tiny hairs around their mouths and other parts of their bodies that can distinguish between sweet and bitter flavors by firing specialized taste neurons. In normal German cockroaches, glucose activates the sweet neurons. But the scientists discovered that, in the glucose-averse roaches, the bitter neurons were also firing.?

It's well known that populations of pests can often develop resistance to insecticides. But in this case, poison is triggering a behavioral change.?

?Most times, genetic changes, or mutations, cause the loss of function,? said NC State entomologist and study co-author Coby Schal, in a press release. ?In this case, the mutation resulted in the gain of a new function ? triggering bitter receptors when glucose is introduced. This gives the cockroach a new behavior which is incredibly adaptive. These roaches just got ahead of us in the arms race.?

This adaptation comes at a cost, however: The glucose-averse roaches tend to grow and reproduce more slowly than their less-picky counterparts.?

As you can see in this video below, the normal cockroaches seem to enjoy both jelly that contains glucose and peanut butter that doesn't. But the glucose-averse roaches ignore the jelly and flock to the peanut butter. ??

If looking at all these roaches crawling on a plate gives you the willies, just remind yourself that your aversion to the roaches ? just like their aversion to glucose ?is in part an adaptive trait that helped your ancestors flourish.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/S5iwTjwvBE4/How-cockroaches-are-evolving-to-avoid-sweets

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Polanski laments leveling of sexes as 'idiotic'

CANNES, France (AP) ? Roman Polanski says the birth control pill has had a "masculinizing" effect on women and that the leveling of the sexes is "idiotic"

The director made the comments Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival, where he came to premiere "Venus in Fur," a film adapted from the David Ives play which stars Polanski's wife and toys with the subject of gender.

Polanski said the pill has "changed the place of women in our times" while talking to reporters. He further lamented that "offering flowers to a lady" has become "indecent."

The 79-year-old Polanski was famously convicted of having sex with a minor in a 1977 case. He was initially indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy, but pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse.

Polanski, whose past films include "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby," fled the United States after a Los Angeles judge threatened further sanctions.

He's restricted by an Interpol warrant in effect in 188 countries, but he moves freely between Switzerland and France. He was freed from Swiss house arrest in 2010 after the government refused to deport him to the United States.

Polanski's new film stars his wife, Emmanuelle Seigner, and Mathieu Amalric as an actress and theater director rehearsing an adaptation of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's 1870 novella, "Venus in Furs." The film features Seigner as a strong, feminine actress who comes to dominate her director.

"Venus in Fur" is in competition for the Palme d'Or, Cannes' top honor, which is to be announced Sunday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/polanski-laments-leveling-sexes-idiotic-193630576.html

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Trans fighter Fallon Fox wins unimpressively (Video)

Considering Fallon Fox won her first two fights in the first round, it was expected for the first openly trans fighter to walk through her next opponent, Allanna Jones at Championship Fighting Alliance on Friday. In her first nationally televised bout, Fox won with a submission in the third round, but it was not the overwhelming win that oddsmakers were expecting.

You can watch the full fight in the video above. Fox and Jones both made mistakes like keeping their hands too low and holding their chin out too far throughout the bout. They looked like two inexperienced fighters because that's what they are.

Much of the controversy that surrounded Fox was the perception that since she was born a man, she would have clear advantage over her opponents. As Sherdog's Jordan Breen pointed out, "So, did anyone watch that and think, 'Wow, what an insurmountable advantage Fallon Fox has, no one could ever beat her!'?" She beat a 2-1 fighter, but not soundly. When she goes up in level of competition, as she will do in the next round of the CFA tournament, she will have a hard time.

Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
? Antonio Silva eager to prove he's a cut above in UFC 160 rematch with Cain Velasquez
? Yahoo! writers, readers make their UFC 160 picks
? Four questions that will be answered by UFC 160

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/trans-fighter-fallon-fox-wins-unimpressively-video-142855590.html

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China, EU to discuss trade disputes on Monday

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will hold informal talks with the European Commission on Monday to try to defuse a trade row over solar panels and wireless equipment.

The European Union accuses China of pricing its solar panels and mobile telecom devices too cheaply and "dumping" them in Europe to corner the market. It plans to impose duties on Chinese panel makers.

China denies the allegations and Premier Li Keqiang, who is touring Europe this week said the EU plans would "harm others without benefiting oneself."

China's Vice Commerce minister Zhong Shan will meet EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht in Brussels on Monday, China's Ministry of Commerce said on Sunday. An EU spokesman confirmed the talks, but stressed they were informal.

Trade disputes between China and Europe have multiplied as commercial ties have deepened. Eighteen of 31 trade investigations conducted by the European Union involves China.

The fall-out over solar panels, which came to a head this month when the European Commission announced plans to impose import duties averaging 47 percent on Chinese panel makers, is the largest to date.

The duties are expected to become EU law in early June. Formal discussions between China and the European Union towards reaching a negotiated settlement can only begin after that, the Commission spokesman said.

Duties would affect 21 billion euros ($26.9 billion) worth of Chinese solar panels sold in Europe - sales that account for 60 percent of China's total solar panel exports and 7 percent of the country's total exports to the European Union.

Both sides have negotiated in the past but with no success. Beijing has condemned the proposed EU duties and urged dialogue while tacitly threatening retaliation.

This is not the first time Chinese solar panel makers have clashed with foreign regulations. The United States imposed five-year duties as high as 36 percent on China solar products in November.

China's manufacturers are also battling a glut in capacity and falling demand.

Beijing is set to decide in June whether it wishes to levy its own duties on European, U.S. and South Korean imports of solar-grade poly silicon, a raw material used in making solar panels.

(Reporting by Aileen Wang and Koh Gui Qing; Additional reporting by Barbara Lewis and Robin Emmott in Brussels; Editing by Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-eu-discuss-trade-disputes-monday-095500731.html

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Thousands of bridges at risk of freak collapse

SEATTLE (AP) ? Thousands of bridges around the U.S. may be one freak accident or mistake away from collapse, even if the spans are deemed structurally sound.

The crossings are kept standing by engineering design, not supported with brute strength or redundant protections like their more modern counterparts. Bridge regulators call the more risky spans "fracture critical," meaning that if a single, vital component of the bridge is compromised, it can crumple.

Those vulnerable crossing carry millions of drivers every day. In Boston, a six-lane highway 1A near Logan airport includes a "fracture critical" bridge over Bennington Street. In northern Chicago, an I-90 pass that goes over Ashland Avenue is in the same category. An I-880 bridge over 5th Avenue in Oakland, Calif., is also on the list.

Also in that category is the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River north of Seattle, which collapsed into the water days ago after officials say an oversized truck load clipped the steel truss.

Public officials have focused in recent years on the desperate need for money to repair thousands of bridges deemed structurally deficient, which typically means a major portion of the bridge is in poor condition or worse. But the bridge that collapsed Thursday is not in that deficient category, highlighting another major problem with the nation's infrastructure: Although it's rare, some bridges deemed to be fine structurally can still be crippled if they are struck hard enough in the wrong spot.

"It probably is a bit of a fluke in that sense," said Charles Roeder, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington.

While the I-5 truck's cargo suffered only minimal damage, it left chaos in its wake, with two vehicles catapulting off the edge of the broken bridge into the river below. Three people involved escaped with non-life threatening injuries.

The most famous failure of a fracture critical bridge was the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis during rush hour on Aug. 1, 2007, killing 13 people and injuring more than 100 others. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the cause of the collapse was an error by the bridge's designers ? a gusset plate, a key component of the bridge, was too thin. The plate was only half of the required one-inch thickness.

Because the bridge's key structures lacked redundancy, where if one piece fails, there is another piece to prevent the bridge from falling, when the gusset plate broke, much of the bridge collapsed.

Mark Rosenker, who was chairman of the NTSB during the I-35W bridge investigation, said the board looked into whether other fracture critical bridges were collapsing. They found a few cases, but not many, he said.

"Today, they're still building fracture critical bridges with the belief that they're not going break," Rosenker said.

Fracture critical bridges, like the I-5 span in Washington, are the result of Congress trying to cut corners to save money rather than a lack of engineering know-how, said Barry B. LePatner, a New York real estate attorney and author of "Too Big to Fall: America's Failing Infrastructure and the Way Forward."

About 18,000 fracture critical bridges were built from the mid-1950s through the late 1970s in an effort to complete the nation's interstate highway system, which was launched under President Dwight Eisenhower, LePatner said in an interview. The fracture critical bridge designs were cheaper than bridges designed with redundancy, he said.

Thousands of those bridges remain in use, according to an AP analysis.

"They have been left hanging with little maintenance for four decades now," he said. "There is little political will and less political leadership to commit the tens of billions of dollars needed" to fix them.

There has been little focus or urgency in specifically replacing the older "fracture critical" crossings, in part because there is a massive backlog of bridge repair work for thousands of bridges deemed to be structurally problematic. Washington state Rep. Judy Clibborn, a Democrat who leads the House transportation committee, has been trying to build support for a tax package to pay for major transportation projects in the state. But her plan wouldn't have done anything to revamp the bridge that collapsed.

National bridge records say the I-5 crossing over the Skagit River had a sufficiency rating of 57.4 out of 100 ? a score designed to gauge the ability of the bridge to remain in service. To qualify for federal replacement funds, a bridge must have a rating of 50 or below. A bridge must have a sufficiency rating of 80 or below to qualify for federal rehabilitation funding.

Hundreds of bridges in Washington state have worse ratings than the one that collapsed, and many around the country have single-digit ratings.

Clibborn said the Skagit River crossing wasn't even on the radar of lawmakers because state officials have to prioritize by focusing on bridges with serious structural problems that are at higher risk of imminent danger.

Along with being at risk of a fatal impact, the I-5 bridge was deemed to be "functionally obsolete," which essentially means it wasn't built to today's standards. Its shoulders were narrow, and it had low clearance.

There are 66,749 structurally deficient bridges and 84,748 functionally obsolete bridges in the U.S., including Puerto Rico, according to the Federal Highway Administration. That's about a quarter of the 607,000 total bridges nationally. States and cities have been whittling down that backlog, but slowly. In 2002, about 30 percent of bridges fell into one of those two categories.

Spending by states and local government on bridge construction adjusted for inflation has more than doubled since 1998, from $12.3 billion to $28.5 billion last year, according to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. That's an all-time high.

"The needs are so great that even with the growth we've had in the investment level, it's barely moving the needle in terms of moving bridges off these lists," said Alison Premo Black, the association's chief economist.

There is wide recognition at all levels of government that the failure to address aging infrastructure will likely undermine safety and hinder economic growth. But there is no consensus on how to pay for improvements. The federal Highway Trust Fund, which provides construction aid to states, is forecast to go broke next year. The fund gets its revenue primarily from federal gas and diesel taxes. But revenues aren't keeping up because people are driving less and there are more fuel-efficient cars on the road.

Neither Congress nor the White House has shown any willingness to raise federal gas taxes, which haven't been increased since 1993. Many transportation thinkers believe a shift to taxes based on miles traveled by a vehicle is inevitable, but there are privacy concerns and other difficulties that would preclude widespread use of such a system for at least a decade.

Transportation spending got a temporary boost with the economic stimulus funds approved by Congress after President Barack Obama was elected. Of the $27 billion designated for highway projects under the stimulus program, about $3 billion went to bridge projects, Black said.

States are looking for other means to raise money for highway and bridge improvements, including more road tolls, dedicating a portion of sales taxes to transportation and raising state gas taxes. Clibborn, the Washington state lawmaker, has proposed a 10-cent gas hike to help pay for projects, though the effort has been held up by a dispute over how to rebuild the Columbia River bridge connecting Vancouver, Wash., and Portland, Ore.

"We can't possibly do it all in the next 10 years," Clibborn said. "But we're going to do the first bite of the apple."

___

Lowy reported from Washington, D.C. AP Writers Manuel Valdes and Gene Johnson contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/thousands-bridges-risk-freak-collapse-145103945.html

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Rand Paul introduces bill to extend Fourth Amendment protection to ...

Madison Ruppert
End the Lie
May 25th, 2013
Reader Views: 484

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has introduced legislation that seeks to extend Fourth Amendment protection to electronic communications, which if successful would be a major move to protect online privacy.

This comes after it was revealed that both?the IRS?and?the FBI claimed?they did not need a warrant to spy on the electronic communications of Americans.

However, some might be skeptical given?Paul?s much-criticized apparent flip-flop on the drone issue.

Nonetheless, Paul has made some much needed statements about the lack of protection given to the private electronic communications of the American people.

?In today?s high-tech world, we must ensure that all forms of communication are protected,? Paul said in a?press release. ?Yet government has eroded protecting the Fourth Amendment over the past few decades, especially when applied to electronic communications and third party providers.?

The Fourth Amendment is supposed to protect the American people from unreasonable search and seizure, though?that has been undermined quite a bit.

The Fourth Amendment usually requires warrants to be issued based on probable cause, but?that too has been increasingly eroded?under the?guise of fighting terrorism.

?Congress has passed a variety of laws that decimate our Fourth Amendment protections,? Paul said. ?In effect, it means that Americans can only count on Fourth Amendment protections if they don?t use email, cellphones, the Internet, credit cards, libraries, banks or other forms of modern finance and communications.?

Paul?s legislation, the Fourth Amendment Preservation and Protection Act, or?S. 1037, would require law enforcement to obtain warrants when seeking access to personal data online including emails, chat logs, online banking records and more.

?Basic constitutional rights should not be invalidated by carrying out basic, day-to-day functions in a technologically advanced world, and this bill will provide much needed clarity and reassert Fourth Amendment protections for records held by third parties,? he said.

As WebProNews?points out, Paul?s legislation was introduced only a month after the?Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2013, introduced Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

?Unlike Leahy?s bill, however, Paul?s bill would ensure all online data held by third parties is protected by the Fourth Amendment,? according to Zach Walton of WebProNews.

This type of reform seems to be gaining steam, with Attorney General Eric Holder even supporting an update of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, as the Electronic Frontier Foundation?noted on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Paul also?introduced?the Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act of 2013, a bill that aims to ?protect an individual?s right to privacy against unwarranted governmental intrusion through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones.?

Such legislation?seems to be increasingly palatable in Washington, at least to a degree, and has?gained traction?in?state legislatures around the nation.

It will be interesting to see how these bills fare in a climate that?remains hostile to limiting government power.

Delivered by The Daily Sheeple

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Contributed by Madison Ruppert of End the Lie.

Madison Ruppert is the Editor and Owner-Operator of the alternative news and analysis database End The Lie?and has no affiliation with any NGO, political party, economic school, or other organization/cause. He is available for podcast and radio interviews. Madison also now has his own radio show on UCY.TV from 7 pm ? 10 pm Pacific, which you can find?HERE.? If you have questions, comments, or corrections feel free to contact him at?admin@EndtheLie.com

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Source: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/rand-paul-introduces-bill-to-extend-fourth-amendment-protection-to-electronic-communications_052013

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U.S. awards medals to four girls killed in 1963 civil rights bombing

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama signed a bill into law on Friday granting the United States' highest civilian honor to four black girls killed in a civil rights-era church bombing that shocked the nation in 1963.

Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to 14-year-olds Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, and 11-year-old Denise McNair, who were killed in the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

The girls' deaths at the height of conflict over the end to segregation were instrumental the passage of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

"They gave their all," said U.S. Representative John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and influential civil rights leader.

"This medal will serve as a compelling reminder of the sacrifices so many freedom fighters made to help us achieve equality and social change," Terri Sewell, an Alabama Democrat, and one of the bill's sponsors, said in a statement.

In 1963, Alabama was the center of a non-violent civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King and others that was met with violence from the Ku Klux Klan and state and local officials trying to enforce racial segregation laws.

"The civil rights victories were achieved by the principles of non-violence. Love carried the day against hate," Spencer Bachus, an Alabama Republican, who also sponsored the bill.

Scheduled to attend the White House signing ceremony were Birmingham Mayor William Bell and Doug Jones, a former prosecutor who finally brought the last two church bombers to justice in 2001 and 2002. Also attending were family members of Denise McNair and Carole Robertson.

"We feel that this honor given by Congress means that our great country recognizes the sacrifices made for freedom in our country," Lisa McNair, the 49-year-old sister of Denise McNair, told Reuters.

The families of Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley have criticized the medals as useless symbolism for families who received little compensation for an atrocious act.

"They were murdered. I am not going to go get the Congressional Medal until justice has been fulfilled. I want restitution," Sarah Collins Rudolph told Reuters.

She was the fifth girl in the church bathroom where the four were killed. She survived, but still suffers from her injuries. She has asked for $5 million in compensation as a victim of terrorism.

The medals are to be awarded at a Congressional ceremony later this year and will be displayed in the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

(Reporting by Verna Gates; editing by Jackie Frank)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-awards-medals-four-girls-killed-1963-civil-195241990.html

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Zimbabwe activist: Prisoners denied AIDS drugs

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) ? A Zimbabwean human rights activist says he wants the nation's highest court to order prison authorities to ensure suspects in jail can receive their life-prolonging HIV/AIDS medications.

Douglas Muzanenhamo said in court documents Friday he was denied anti-retroviral drugs when detained for a month in 2011 on treason charges. He was acquitted of involvement in an allegedly subversive meeting that studied upheavals in North Africa known as the Arab Spring.

Muzanenhamo said he was infected with the AIDS virus 18 years ago. He said police and prison officers stopped him receiving daily medication and his immune system rapidly deteriorated.

He said the denial of vital drugs to suspects is "cruel and inhuman" and endangers lives in breach of basic prisoner rights.

No date has been set for a court ruling.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zimbabwe-activist-prisoners-denied-aids-drugs-120119682.html

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