Want To Change Jobs After The Recession? 12 Proactive Tips

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Want to change jobs? Prepare for your transition the best way possible.

A little while back, I had lunch?with a senior HR Manager who was contemplating leaving her job after more than 20 years with a large corporation. ?I?m having trouble living with the disconnect between what the company claims are its core values, and how it is handling staff relations during this recession.? She went on to describe a litany of incidents, from a service agent who was terminated after revealing she had cancer, to an entire team that was being laid off so that the division director could meet his cost-cutting targets for his performance bonus.

Employees have seen a drastic attitude change from their managers. This attitude of ?Well, be happy you have a job? is wearing thin. There is going to be a tsunami of job searching once the economy picks up, and some of the most active job hoppers are likely to be HR personnel who are disgusted with how companies have chosen to treat their staff.

More than a few people, from both HR and non-HR backgrounds, contacted me directly to applaud my answer and reiterate my observations. In one contact?s words, ?a huge changeover in staff is coming, and I don?t think management understands exactly how deep into the organization this discontent has spread.?

If you are considering making a career change once the economy picks up, be proactive.?Don?t wait for a ?tipping point? incident. Take control now by mapping out your career plans for the next six months to two years and equipping your job search arsenal. Here are some tips:

1. Take some time to think about your personal and professional values. I can?t emphasize the importance of this enough. It is much easier to figure out whether a new company or position is going to be a good fit for you if you are really clear about what is important to you.
2. Go through your files and start collecting the material for your resume: projects, positive feedback, performance reviews, KPI reports, anything that you can use to support your success stories.
3. Define your value proposition ? what are the key strengths, expertise and experience that you have to offer.
4. Investigate companies that you would like to work for. Go beyond the financials. Listen to what current employees are saying. A good source for getting the inside scoop on how employees feel about their company is the anonymous reviews in the www.glassdoor.com.
5. Look at who is hiring in your target job market, and what qualifications they are looking for. Determine whether you need training or credential upgrades in order to be more marketable.
6. Create at least two versions of your resume. I recommend having a detailed resume that can be easily customized to apply for specific job openings, as well as a one-page high-impact synopsis that is better suited for networking.
7. Get a non-business e-mail account, if you don?t already have one.
8. Bring your LinkedIn profile up to date, and claim your web identity on Naymz and ZoomInfo.
9. Identify and join the LinkedIn groups and industry associations that will best support you in your career transition. Start following the discussions. Stay current on the key issues, news, and trends in the industry. Find out who the ?people to know? are.
10. Make networking a priority. Find time in your calendar to make at least one new contact per week. Focus not on what they can do for you, but what you can do for them.
11. Reconnect with colleagues from the past. It is much easier to network and reconnect when you don?t have the pressure of ?need a job right now? hanging over you like an invisible sign.
12. Not comfortable with networking? Learn how. Consider seminars such as Breaking Down Silos, where you can get some practical tools and strategies for successful networking without feeling like a snake oil salesman.

Taking control of your career plans has two positive benefits. One, it can help to minimize the sense of powerlessness that comes with being stuck in an unfulfilling job. Two, it will ensure that, when the right opportunity comes along, you have the tools in your arsenal to land your next great job.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

About Karen Siwak

Karen Siwak is an award-winning Certified R?sum? Strategist, Karen has crafted top calibre career transition packages for thousands of clients. Her specialty is helping people identify and articulate their unique brands and value propositions.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/careerealism/~3/AIXUHe_uKkQ/

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Bees, SOFT partner to support troops

Facebook Commenting Guidelines on The Hawk Eye:

1. Comments from users that have private profiles are blocked by Facebook.
2. Comments containing words in Facebook's blacklist will be held for moderation.
3. Threaded comments on a comment held for moderation will not appear online.

Source: http://www.thehawkeye.com/story/care-packages-062913

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Will Indigo Books and Music expand outside Canada?

During the annual meeting of the bookstore company, CEO Heather Reisman said 'the new Indigo will be a global company.'

By Molly Driscoll,?Staff Writer / June 27, 2013

Indigo Books and Music was founded in Canada in 1996.

Shaun Best/Reuters

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Is Canada?s Indigo bookstore chain crossing the border?

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Indigo CEO and founder Heather Reisman stated that ?our intention is that the new Indigo will be a global company? during the annual meeting of the company, according to the Globe and Mail. She declined to elaborate on where new stores might open.

She predicted that the expansion wouldn?t be happening for two years or so.

Indigo Books and Music (also known as? ?!ndigo?), is often described as the country?s leading bookseller and has gone through other changes recently, with stores selling items such as toys and home goods in an effort to appeal to more consumers. Their lines include Indigo Home, Indigo Tech, and Indigo Kids. The company will also increase sales of Apple products such as the iPad in its stores next year. (Currently only the company's Toronto store has an Apple section.) Reisman called the revamping of the stores ?a fundamental transformation.?

?The new physical format store will feel like you can meander through a series of shops, each one anchored by books,? Reisman said of the stores? multiple product lines.?

However, the CEO said books will remain Indigo?s priority.

?Books will remain at the heart and soul of this company, and as long as there are people on the planet who want to buy physical books, we are deeply committed to physical books, both in store and online,? Reisman said.

She stated that sales of merchandise that isn?t books increased during 2013 from 12 percent of the company?s sales to 22 percent.

Indigo had a loss of $8.2 million for the past quarter. For the same period, American bookstore chain Barnes & Noble reported a $118.6 loss.

Indigo was founded in 1996 and acquired the bookstore chain Chapters in 2001. Kobo Inc., the company which creates e-readers that are sold by many indie bookstores, was a division of Indigo Books until the subsidiary was sold to the Japanese company Rakuten in 2011.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/books/~3/5Yj0CKS9ihE/Will-Indigo-Books-and-Music-expand-outside-Canada

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Poland's confused energy strategy turns back to coal

Tim Gosling in Prague


June 28, 2013

Poland is set to boost the role of coal in its energy mix, the prime minister said on June 27, as he officially pushed the country's top utility back into a flagship project to add coal-fired capacity. The move raises further questions over Warsaw's confused energy strategy, its relations with Brussels, and the share prices of state-controlled companies.

Shares in PGE slumped as the energy utility signed off on the PLN11.6bn project to expand the capacity of Opole. Although it was joined in the project by coal miner Kompania Weglowa and state fund Polskie Inwestycje Rozwojowe, concern remains that the plan to add 1.8 gigawatts (GW) will be loss-making due to the current slump in power prices.

On top of that, the worry is that Poland's state-controlled companies are now at the mercy of a government struggling with an unrealistic energy strategy. PGE's share price rose as it pulled out of the plan to expand Opole in April. However, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk having long identified it as a flagship project, the company was bounced back into it earlier this month, accompanied with vague promises of help with financing.

The agreement that PGE has signed with its state-controlled peers will limit the risk of the project being unprofitable, Treasury Minister Wlodzimierz Karpinski said, according to Bloomberg. Prime Minister Donald Tusk added that the project is now set to start this summer.

The idea depressed investors, who are wary of the pressure on Polish state-controlled companies to implement a confused strategy to increase energy security. PGE has already told Warsaw that its hopes of building the country's first nuclear power plants, and developing a significant shale gas industry are unrealistic. "We have to build a model for Opole that will make the project profitable or at least safe for PGE," Tusk said at the signing. "It's not about business for the company but the national interest of all Poles."

On top of that, the government has been pushing for higher dividends to help with its fiscal consolidation efforts in recent years. However, the struggle of the state-controlled companies to keep up with investment demands has seen that drive fading this year. The state treasury added to the pressure by approving a payout well below expectations, which saw PGE shares drop as much as 7% to a session low of PLN14.87, reports Reuters.

The revival of Opole encapsulates the mess that Poland's energy strategy now finds itself. In the face of the difficulties - nuclear power is extremely expensive; shale gas test results have been disappointing thus far - the PM surprised by saying the project will lead a push to increase the role of coal in Poland's energy mix. "Coal will again find its place in the Polish energy mix," Tusk said.

However, thanks to its abundant domestic supplies, Poland already relies on coal for over 90% of its power, but it's rapidly running out of alternatives. Grid operator PSE said recently that the country faces a potential crisis as early as 2016 due to its ageing power plants. The analysis said the country needs to retire up to 6.6GW, or 40%, of its capacity by 2020.

Yet with power prices through the floor - low demand has seen them drop over 30% in the last 12 months - companies are understandably unwilling to invest. A host of projects have been pulled this year. At the same time, much of the blame can be laid at the government's door. It's failure to lay out clear and attractive regulation and tax regimes for both shale gas and renewables such as wind have held back investment.

All of which has Warsaw in hot water with the EU's environmental policymakers. Brussels views Poland as the black sheep when it comes to renewable energy targets: its high use of black coal ? let alone expanding it - is already considered an obstacle in global climate talks, and Warsaw runs a constant battle against supra-national environmental legislation.

Source: http://www.bne.eu/story5131

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New cancer treatment beats chemotherapy without the toxic side ...

If a locked door must be opened, explosives can be used, but normally it is better to use a key. The conventional treatments for cancer, surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, have a range of terrible side effects that resemble the use of explosives. Now a key has been found to treat various forms of leukemia and lymphoma with only very minor side effects. The drug ibrutinib has proven sufficiently safe and effective in early clinical tests by physicians at Ohio State University that it has been given breakthrough drug status by the FDA.

Both chemotherapy and radiation treatment protocols for cancer have one primary goal ? design a treatment that is slightly more lethal to the cancer than to the patient. Chemotherapy began nearly 100 years ago, when mustard gas derivatives were studied following World War I. From this early start, serious research on chemotherapy agents for cancers began around 1950. While chemotherapy is still one of the key weapons to use in fighting cancer, a good deal of pharmaceutical and medical research is presently going toward more targeted agents to minimize the enormous stress of cancer therapy on the patient.

Leukemia and lymphoma are cancers of the blood. Leukemia is the proliferation of immature white cells in the blood, which leads to impairment of the immune system, blood clotting issues, and red cell anemia. Lymphoma is a similar proliferation of lymphocytes, which has similar symptoms, but can also involve solid tumors of the lymph nodes. In both cancers, complete cure is unlikely, but the disease can be managed in most cases by triggering partial or complete periods of remission through chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment. As these treatments are still painful and debilitating, and sometimes ineffective, new forms of treatment are an active area of research.

Ibrutinib is a member of a new class of drugs for use against B-cell blood cancers. B-cells are a type of white blood cell that is active in the body's immune system. They have B-cell receptor (BCR) proteins on the cell surfaces, which binds to specific bodily invaders, thereby allowing the immune system to attack the invaders. B-cells also act as part of the memory function of the immune system, keeping a chemical record of past targets of the immune reaction. Malfunctioning B-cells can cause autoimmune diseases as well as becoming cancerous themselves.

In B-cells, an enzyme called Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) is an important stage in the B-cell maturation and activation of the BCR proteins. Among other functions, this BCR signaling is thought to drive the growth and well-being of many types of B-cell cancers. In short, B-cell cancers have a very difficult time surviving in the absence of BTK.

Ibrutinib is a strong covalent inhibitor of BTK, and in inhibiting BTK triggers B-cells to undergo aptopsis, or cell death, effectively blocking cancer growth and metastasis. Ibrutinib also shows activity in treatment of autoimmune disease, by throttling back the action of the immune system.

A new clinical trial carried out by medical researchers at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center in cooperation with MD Anderson Cancer Center, investigated the effect of ibrutinib in two groups of patients, one having confirmed recurring or resistant cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and the other having confirmed recurring or resistant cases of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Neither study involved a control group or healthy patients, as the object was to determine the toxicity and efficacy of the ibrutinib treatments.

The CLL trial involved 85 ambulatory patients, 51 of whom received ibrutinib at 420 mg/day, and 34 who received 840 mg/day. Ibrutinib can be absorbed by mouth, so the doses were given orally. The lower dose group included a third group, originally excluded from the study because of high-risk genetic factors, who showed no response to chemoimmunotherapy. The early results of the clinical study proved sufficiently positive that exclusion of the third group was judged to be inappropriate.

Treatment with ibrutinib proved to be very safe, with most participants only encountering annoying side effects that did not require stopping the treatment. Only six patients were forced to halt treatment, primarily due to diarrhea and the associated dehydration, and upper respiratory tract infections.

The treatment was also very effective at stopping progression of CLL, and in most cases (71 percent) causing at least a partial remission. The results were independent of the doses used, which argues toward using smaller doses. The response was somewhat better (85 percent) in patients lacking high-risk genetic mutations. Overall, the 26-month survival rate was 83 percent, with little dependence of age or stage of the cancer at the start of participation in the study.

The MCL trial included 111 ambulatory patients, all of whom received 560 mg/day of ibrutinib. Nearly all of the patients had previously received multiple rounds of chemotherapy, and 86 percent had intermediate or high-risk lymphoma.

The ibrutinib treatment proved quite effective, with 21 percent of the patients experiencing a complete remission of MCL, and another 47 percent having a partial remission. The estimated total rate of survival at 18 months was 58 percent. Again, a remarkable feature of the trial is that ibrutinib helped nearly all patients to one extent or another.

?This is remarkable because the last agent approved by the Food and Drug Administration for MCL had a 30 percent response rate,? says senior author Kristie Blum, MD, associate professor of medicine, and head of the OSUCCC ? James lymphoma program. ?This trial suggests that ibrutinib could significantly improve the landscape of therapy options for MCL.?

The level of response found to ibrutinib could only be approached through conventional chemotherapy by intensive, multiagent regimes of treatment associated with very high toxicity. Ibrutinib is clearly on the fast track to approval for treating a range of B-cell cancers. Hopefully it becomes a standard therapy option before any reader needs such treatment.

Source: Ohio State University

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/lymphoma-treatment-cancer-ibrutinib/28085/

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2 new leads are tapped for Broadway's 'Annie'

NEW YORK (AP) ? Two 11-year-old actresses who have played orphans and been understudies in the Broadway revival of "Annie" have been picked to permanently take over from Lilla Crawford in the title role, a step up that has left them beaming.

Taylor Richardson and Sadie Sink, both natural redheads, will share the role of the stage's most famous redhead beginning July 30. Crawford's last performance is July 28.

"It's very exciting," said Sadie, who has played Annie before but not on Broadway. "It is a big step from an orphan to the title role." That's a sentiment that her smiling co-star agrees with: "Definitely."

Taylor, an actress from Richmond, Va., and Sadie, originally from Houston, have both understudied the role of Annie, and both have gone on as the orphan Duffy. "Annie" is their Broadway debuts.

"There's a big difference between going on for one of the orphans and going on for Annie," said Taylor, who has played Annie about 80 times so far. "There's more songs, more dancing, more time being onstage that you have to be prepared for. So I guess you have to work extra-hard when you go on as Annie."

Based on the beloved comic strip that debuted in 1924, the musical is the heartwarming tale of the Depression-era orphan girl who finds happiness with a grouchy millionaire and a lovable dog.

Producers have decided that each girl will play Annie for four of the eight-shows each week. The girl not playing the title role will go on as Duffy, the biggest of the orphans who memorably stomps on Miss Hannigan's foot in Act 2.

Sadie has previously been in productions of "The Miracle Worker" and "The Secret Garden." Taylor was in a regional production of "Honk!" Both played Susan Waverly in "Irving Berlin's White Christmas" when they were 8.

Both adore musical theater and harbor dreams of one day playing either Elphaba in "Wicked" or Christine in "The Phantom of the Opera." They eat dinner together and go out for fun. When they were offered the part, they had to keep it a secret, but each would knowingly smile to each other.

Sadie has a particular tie to the part of Annie: Her grandfather was adopted by parents looking for a child with red hair. "I thought that was really cool that I had that connection once I found out," she said.

The mothers of both girls ? neither who have red hair ? are bursting with pride but shy away from taking credit for producing singing, dancing and acting prodigies.

"There are definitely some people in both sides of our family that are musically gifted and talented. I am not," said Tiffany Richardson, Taylor's mom, with a laugh. "It skipped me and went to her. I'm OK with that."

Though clearly talented, Sadie is not the first in her family to be on Broadway. One of her three older brothers, Mitchell, played a part in "Elf" this winter ? the reason Sadie came to New York. Sadie also has a younger sister with curly red hair who likes to sing.

"The red hair and the talent? I don't know," said Lori Sink, Sadie's mother.

Tiffany Richardson has already seen her daughter take center stage on Broadway as Annie, and said she and Sadie's mother will soon have a special bond. "I can't wait to share that feeling with Lori because it really is a special feeling," she said.

"Annie" first opened on Broadway in 1977 and ran for almost six years, fueled by songs including "It's the Hard-Knock Life" and "Tomorrow." A film version was released in 1982 with Aileen Quinn playing the star and a TV version came out in 1999 starring Alicia Morton.

The musical, which features music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin and book by Thomas Meehan, is directed by three-time Tony winner James Lapine and choreographed by Tony winner Andy Blankenbuehler.

Crawford, who has been in the show since its first preview in October, will have played the role close to 300 times. Other actresses who have had their start in "Annie" include Sarah Jessica Parker, Molly Ringwald and Sutton Foster.

In other "Annie" news, Anthony Warlow, who has been playing Oliver Warbucks since the show began, has extended his contract with the production through Dec. 8. Faith Prince begins playing Miss Hannigan on July 19.

___

Online:

http://www.AnnieTheMusical.com

___

Mark Kennedy can be reached at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-leads-tapped-broadways-annie-180414639.html

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Square Hires AdSense ?Godfather? Gokul Rajaram Away From Facebook

While Square has seen several top senior people leave over the last year, it’s also making up for them with some notable hires. Today Gokul Rajaram, dubbed the “Godfather of AdSense,” is joining Square from Facebook, where he was the product director of ads. At Facebook, he oversaw the company’s aggressive monetization push over the past year, including incorporating better ad units on mobile devices. The company says he’ll oversee Square Register, the point-of-sale system that the startup designed for small and medium businesses to use from tablets and smartphones. ?I?ve been fortunate to work for two mission-driven, world-changing companies, and Square?s vision and passion for helping businesses grow is inspiring,? Rajaram said in a statement. He joined Facebook through the sale of his startup Chai Labs to the social network back in August 2010. Before that, he also was a key leader in developing Google’s AdSense network. While Square has lost recent executives like COO Keith Rabois and other senior people like Jared Fliesler to the world of venture capital, Rajaram is a win for the company as it figures out its strategy going forward. The company picked up Francoise Brougher from Google as Business Lead in April. It also hired former U.S. trade representative Demetrios J. Marantis as head of international government, regulatory and policy work last month.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/jASESWf1iRU/

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Babies can read each other?s moods, study finds

June 27, 2013 ? Although it may seem difficult for adults to understand what an infant is feeling, a new study from Brigham Young University finds that it's so easy a baby could do it.

Psychology professor Ross Flom's study, published in the academic journal Infancy, shows that infants can recognize each other's emotions by five months of age. This study comes on the heels of other significant research by Flom on infants' ability to understand the moods of dogs, monkeys and classical music.

"Newborns can't verbalize to their mom or dad that they are hungry or tired, so the first way they communicate is through affect or emotion," says Flom. "Thus it is not surprising that in early development, infants learn to discriminate changes in affect."

Infants can match emotion in adults at seven months and familiar adults at six months. In order to test infant's perception of their peer's emotions, Flom and his team of researchers tested a baby's ability to match emotional infant vocalizations with a paired infant facial expression.

"We found that 5 month old infants can match their peer's positive and negative vocalizations with the appropriate facial expression," says Flom. "This is the first study to show a matching ability with an infant this young. They are exposed to affect in a peer's voice and face which is likely more familiar to them because it's how they themselves convey or communicate positive and negative emotions."

In the study, infants were seated in front of two monitors. One of the monitors displayed video of a happy, smiling baby while the other monitor displayed video of a second sad, frowning baby. When audio was played of a third happy baby, the infant participating in the study looked longer to the video of the baby with positive facial expressions. The infant also was able to match negative vocalizations with video of the sad frowning baby. The audio recordings were from a third baby and not in sync with the lip movements of the babies in either video.

"These findings add to our understanding of early infant development by reiterating the fact that babies are highly sensitive to and comprehend some level of emotion," says Flom. "Babies learn more in their first 2 1/2 years of life than they do the rest of their lifespan, making it critical to examine how and what young infants learn and how this helps them learn other things."

Flom co-authored the study of 40 infants from Utah and Florida with Professor Lorraine Bahrick from Florida International University.

Flom's next step in studying infant perception is to run the experiments with a twist: test whether babies could do this at even younger ages if instead they were watching and hearing clips of themselves.

And while the talking twin babies in this popular YouTube clip are older, it's still a lot of fun to watch them babble at each other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_JmA2ClUvUY

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/ttEOJhEX-Xk/130627102835.htm

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SKorean president in Beijing for summit with Xi

BEIJING (AP) -- The Chinese and South Korean presidents called Thursday for a swift resumption of six-nation North Korean nuclear disarmament talks after a summit that brought together Pyongyang's archrival and its biggest ally.

President Park Geun-hye's four-day visit marks her first formal discussions with the new Chinese administration led by President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. Talks will also focus on booming economic ties between the two countries, highlighted by the unusually large, high-powered trade delegation traveling with Park.

The meetings are seen as piling further pressure on the North to rejoin the talks, and Xi said improving conditions on the peninsula boded well for new discussions.

"We hope all sides can seize this opportunity to work to return to the six-party talks as soon as possible," Xi told reporters after his talks with Park at the Great Hall of the People, the seat of the legislature in the heart of Beijing.

Park said the sides agreed on the need to prevent North Korea having nuclear weapons "under any circumstances" and to "preserve the peace and stability of Korean Peninsula."

The two also witnessed the signing of agreements on energy cooperation, trade and other areas.

Park, a self-taught Mandarin speaker, has said she is keen to enlist China's leaders in the drive for new North Korean denuclearization discussions that would also include the U.S., Russia, and Japan.

The China-hosted talks with Pyongyang have been stalled since 2009 over the question of how to verify that North Korea is fulfilling its commitments to dismantle its nuclear facilities.

Park was scheduled to meet Li on Friday.

The calls for new talks follow China's frustration with its neighbor and longstanding communist ally for having ramped up tensions with last year's long-range missile launch and February's third nuclear weapon test.

Beijing showed its displeasure by supporting tightened U.N. sanctions and cracking down on North Korean banking activity.

While China is North Korea's biggest source of diplomatic and economic support, China's trade and other interactions with the South are far larger and more diverse. Ordinary Chinese are also big fans of South Korean pop culture and high-tech wares, and there is a growing sentiment among urban intellectuals that China should not sacrifice international credibility for the sake of coddling Pyongyang.

Despite the pressure to rejoin talks, Kim Jong Un's mercurial North Korean regime appears to remain wary.

Park has said that any resumption of talks must be preceded by signs that the North is serious about following through on its disarmament commitments, echoing the position of the U.S. Washington does not want to be drawn into talks that serve only to relieve pressure on Pyongyang, provide it a platform to seek much-needed aid, and buy it more time to further its nuclear weapons program.

Yet, after top North Korean negotiator Kim Kye Gwan visited Beijing earlier this month for talks, Chinese analysts said Pyongyang seemed more interested in improving its damaged ties with China than in swiftly moving toward new six-nation talks.

While Beijing has remained neutral over recent developments, Chinese scholars say Xi's government will seek an intermediary role to create conditions for a restoration of talks. They warn, however, that Beijing would oppose harsher sanctions or other measures that could spark a backlash from Pyongyang or further destabilize the regime of the young and inexperienced Kim, who took over following his father's death 18 months ago.

"It's very hard to say whether the meeting will produce any new proposals, but, following the third nuclear test, I think China and every other country involved realizes the seriousness of the need to get North Korea back into talks," said Zhang Liangui, a researcher with the ruling Communist Party's main research and training institute in Beijing.

Park's visit should also help smooth over strains in ties between China and South Korea over China's refusal to criticize Pyongyang following the sinking of a South Korean navy ship in early 2010 and shelling of one of its islands by a North Korean artillery unit later that year.

Park's appreciation for Chinese culture should also help foster positive relations. The Beijing stage of her trip, which includes meetings with business groups and a speech to university students, is to be followed by a stop at the ancient capital of Xi'an, a cultural hub that is a favorite destination for South Korean investors.

Park is traveling with a record 71-strong business delegation, highlighting the close economic ties that have lifted China above the U.S. as South Korea's top trading partner. Two-way trade hit $215 billion last year, with South Korea's exports of semiconductors, mobile phones, cars and industrial products giving it a trade surplus of more than $50 billion.

Business delegates include leaders of South Korean industry, including the chairmen of Hyundai Motor Group and LG Group.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/skorean-president-beijing-summit-xi-142017533.html

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HTC One launches in 'glamor red', arrives in the UK next month

Flush from launching in the US in a Google-heavy iteration, HTC is reward its UK fans, finally launching its One smartphone in a sultry 'glamour red' option. It'll arrive at retailer Phones 4U in mid-July, although there's no specifics yet on storage (16 or 32GB?), or whether there will be any price difference between the new colorful hue and existing silver and black options.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/w2639o8FyaI/

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Pearl House Restaurant | THE FOOD QUEEN ? Vancouver food ...

Pearl House Restaurant specializes in making Taiwanese food and bubble tea. They are located just off of Kingsway in South Burnaby.

I stopped by for a quick lunch to fill my insatiable need for noodles and bubble tea.

I ordered a taro slush with pearls ($5). This was my first time ever trying a taro bubble tea drink. I didn?t really know what to expect from it, but I ended up loving it. Although this isn?t a reason to order the drink, I also thought the colour was very pretty.

I?m not sure exactly how to describe taro flavour, but it was mild and sweet. This drink also had a thick texture, almost like a milkshake.

For lunch I had the beef sirloin with regular noodles in soup ($7.50). Everything about this soup was excellent.

The noodles were nice and chewy and there was a good-sized portion of them (enough to fill you up and a good noodle to broth ratio). The beef sirloin was tender and it pulled apart easily. The broth had a rich beef flavour and a hint of spice.

I had a great meal at Pearl House and everything was affordable and filling. Pearl House made one of the better Taiwanese beef noodle soups that I have had, so I would recommend trying it.

Recommendation:

Yes, for great Taiwanese beef noodles and bubble tea.

Source: http://thefoodqueen.com/2013/06/26/pearl-house-restaurant/

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Obama, off to Africa, aims to reenergize US role there. Is time ripe?

President Obama will emphasize benefits of partnering with the US on economic and social development, during his three-nation trip to sub-Saharan Africa. Rising disillusionment with other partners, such as China, may make that idea a slightly easier sell, experts say.

By Howard LaFranchi,?Staff writer / June 26, 2013

Artist Ousmane Sow Soleil (c.) helps a child make a handprint next to an image of Barack Obama, as he paints a mural to welcome the US President, in Dakar, Senegal, Tuesday. President Obama arrives in Senegal Wednesday to kick off a three-nation trip to sub-Saharan Africa.

Rebecca Blackwell/AP

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President Obama departs Wednesday on what is only the second trip of his presidency to sub-Saharan Africa, touting a development model that promises American investment in everything from food production to natural-resources extraction while also emphasizing democracy, anticorruption efforts, and strengthening the rule of law.?

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It?s what the White House calls a ?partnership model.? And, at least on paper, it stands in stark contrast to the model of China and other countries hungry for Africa?s resources and keen on taking part in its economic development, but who make few demands on Africa?s leaders for political reforms. In recent years, China has roared into Africa with billions of dollars in investments ? in mining, transportation infrastructure, energy ? while leaving issues of political and social progress largely on the sidelines.

Mr. Obama?s job over his seven-day, three country trip ? with stops in Senegal, Tanzania, and South Africa ? will be to convince the political leaders, entrepreneurs, and young Africans he meets that, in the long run, the model the US proposes will serve more Africans and contribute more to the continent?s stability and prosperity. Five of the world?s 10 fastest growing economies are in sub-Saharan Africa.?

But first, many Africa experts say, the US president will have to convince a continent that America, which has largely sat out Africa?s recent impressive economic growth, really is ready to get back in Africa?s game.

Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush made strides in US Africa policy, but then ?President Obama came in, and there was a sense of stall,? says Jennifer Cooke, director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. ?Africa just seemed to fall away in terms of excitement, in terms of energy and momentum.?

White House officials insist that the administration is serious about reenergizing the US role in Africa beyond what Ms. Cooke calls the ?maintenance mode? of Obama?s first term. They say he will signal that new commitment not only through the 500 US business leaders who will accompany the president at some point on his trip, but also through his emphasis on the US ?model? of a mutually beneficial relationship.

?The type of leadership that the US brings to the continent uniquely advances opportunities for more Africans, and frankly, we believe represents a better?model?of engagement not just for the United States, but for democratic development on the continent,? says Ben Rhodes, Obama?s deputy national security adviser. Citing ?our democratic values ? our businesses and ? our focus on capacity-building for?African?solutions,? Mr. Rhodes says the American development model ?is ultimately going to be welcomed on the continent? because it will be seen as in the interest of the widest range of Africans.

Given?Africa?s emergence, they?ll be making determinations about their own futures and about their own partners," Rhodes says. ?And we believe that what the United States brings to the table is a?model?of partnership that serves our interest but also the interest of people in sub-Saharan?Africa.?

No one expects Obama to draw a specific comparison with China, but his emphasis on the broad advantages of partnering with the US will be clear enough, some regional experts say.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/7tt-sexXVh8/Obama-off-to-Africa-aims-to-reenergize-US-role-there.-Is-time-ripe

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'X-Men: Days of Future Past' Casts Rising Aussie Actor Josh Helman

By Jeff Sneider

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Rising star Josh Helman has joined the cast of Bryan Singer's "X-Men: Days of Future Past," which reunites the Australian actor with his "Mad Max: Fury Road" co-star Nicholas Hoult.

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" finds original "X-Men" stars Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry returning to the superhero franchise along with "First Class" actors James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence. The sequel has also added Peter Dinklage, Omar Sy, Fan Bingbing and Evan Peters as Quicksilver.

While Helman's role is being kept under wraps, it may prove significant given that the actor is expected on set for several weeks.

Like almost every Australian actor who has made the transition to American studio movies, Helman started out on the long-running Aussie series "Home and Away." He started gaining more attention after his breakout turn on HBO's "The Pacific" and the acclaimed crime drama "Animal Kingdom," which led to a supporting role opposite Tom Cruise in "Jack Reacher."

Helman will soon be seen alongside Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron in WB's "Mad Max: Fury Road," as well as the upcoming rugby movie "Blinder." He's repped by Gersh and Harrison Stokes.

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" hits theaters May 23, 2014.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/x-men-days-future-past-casts-rising-aussie-203255624.html

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Snapchat's new feature, SnapKidz, good in theory, not in practice

Snapchat ? a temporary photo sharing platform that sends 200 million messages per day ? introduced SnapKidz, a feature that attempts to prevent children from sending photos to friends. It could work, but it's easy to get around.?

By Anne Collier,?Guest Blogger / June 25, 2013

Snapchat's new feature, SnapKidz, does not allow users under the age of 13 to send photos to friends or family. While the feature's a good idea in theory, there are a few ways to get around the child lock.

Snapchat.com

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It?s an interesting experiment: The creators of Snapchat, the social app for sharing photos that disappear in seconds, have just introduced SnapKidz, a non-social photo app for kids under 13 with Apple mobile devices (it?s not yet available for Android). So, true to its name, it?s basically the snap without the chat. It?s also the ephemeral photo-sharing app without the ephemeral part. Kids? photos don?t necessarily disappear in SnapKidz; they can be saved to their iPhone?s camera roll. The way it works is, kids can ?take photos and videos, add captions and drawings,? according toSnapchat?s guide for parents, but they can?t create a Snapchat account (so they can?t provide the company with any personal information, which would be a violation of the kids? privacy law called ?COPPA?), add friends or send or receive snaps.

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So the main reason why it?s an interesting experiment is that Snapchat?s defining, game-changing characteristics ? which created a new category of digital socializing and ?safety? (from what some found to be the exhausting self-presentation and daunting permanent and uncontrollable nature of social media before it) ? aren?t part of SnapKidz. Which makes it much safer.

App safer, but what about kids?

The thing is, while this may make Snapchat much safer, it doesn?t make?kids?much safer. Kids can just move on to other apps that provide both photo effects and sharing ? on Apple or Android devices (search for ?photo editing,? ?photo effects? or ?drawing? in?Google Play). Or they can just use SnapKidz to play with photos, save them, and ? and then share them with friends with a myriad other photo-sharing tools, such as via texting, emailing, Instagram, Twitter, etc. And if not tipped off in advance (that they?ll be redirected if s/he says s/he?s under 13), it won?t take a determined kid long to figure out that he or she can just delete SnapKidz and start over ? ?delete the app, re-install it and sign up for a new account with a false birth year,? as my ConnectSafely co-director Larry Magid writes at?Forbes.com.

Kids vote with their feet

This well-intended product development is fine ? maybe it?ll catch on with kids and they won?t lie about their age to get Snapchat so they can play with their friends+spontaneity+photography rather than just photography. But it shouldn?t give anybody a false sense of security. Products and laws designed to keep kids safe never quite seem to get the fluidity of both kids and social media. If they find a product too safe (i.e. restrictive), they can simply move on. They vote with their feet (and their workarounds). Which is why it?s silly to depend on safe products and laws rather than on the power of informed, loving parent-child communication about kids? social experiences wherever they play out ? on devices and in digital spaces just as much as in all the other parts of life.

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best family and parenting bloggers out there. Our contributing and guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor, and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. Anne Collier blogs at?NetFamilyNews.org.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/jKe9SPdXM3E/Snapchat-s-new-feature-SnapKidz-good-in-theory-not-in-practice

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Carstairs Considers....: Movie Review: Herbie Rides Again

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Fun story filled with lots of laughs Cons: Some less than perfect effects, plenty of 70's cheese

The Bottom Line:?

But kid in me doesn't care Still plenty of fun

"Why Would a Shark be Following a Volkswagen?"

Sometimes you wonder what goes through people's minds when creating a sequel.? Take Herbie Rides Again.? It was released 5 years after The Love Bug.? The only returners to the franchise were the title VW bug and Robert Stevenson as director.? They take off in a completely different direction, leaving race car driving in the dust.? Then for a villain, they bring in an actor and character from a different franchise from 13 years earlier.? And yet, it works. Alonzo Hawk (Keenan Wynn) has made a fortune tearing down old buildings and putting in modern high rises and shopping centers.? His latest project is Hawk Towers, a 130 story two towered building that is dominate the San Francisco skyline.? There's just one problem.? Mrs. Steinmetz (Helen Hayes) doesn't want to sell the firehouse she's lived in since she married the late Captain Steinmetz. So Hawk sends his fresh out of law school nephew, Willoughby Whitfield (Ken Berry) in his latest attempt to talk her into moving.? Not only does he find Mrs. Steinmetz unwilling to budge, but he finds she also has the beautiful and feisty Nicole Harris (Stefanie Powers) living with her, and she's not going to budge either. Also in the mix is Herbie, the VW who thinks for himself.? He has been left in Mrs. Steinmetz's care.? He is fiercely loyal to the widow.? As Willoughby beings to see the light, will he switch sides?? Even if he helps, will this ragtag group protect the firehouse from Hawk? Okay, this is a Disney movie.? I bet you can guess the outcome right now, although a few of the detours along the way are surprising.? But predictable plotting is never an automatic killer for me. While it is surprising to see a sequel that detours so far from the original.? Most of the time, it feels that sequels are just retreads of the original, which certainly isn't the case here.? We do get some flashbacks to the race scenes from the first one early on, but otherwise this one hardly mentions racing. It's also surprising that they used Keenan Wynn as his character from the two Absent Minded Professor movies in the early 60's.? This was the first place I'd seen his character, so when he showed up in those earlier movies, I was very surprised.? There's no obvious connection between the two other than the character.? Why they didn't just rename him is a puzzle, but there you have it. Now let's be honest, this movie is cheesy and corny.? I certainly don't blame the actors because they do their best to keep things grounded and believable.? Okay, so Keenan Wynn is over the top as Hawk, but it works in the film.? But when you have a movie around a car that thinks for itself, you're gong to be left with cheese and corn.? Plus it's the 70's, and that seemed to be a big part of the Disney output from that time, at least in the live action department. And yet that is much of the charm for me.? I first saw this movie as a kid, and loved it at the time.? And as soon as I put it in again, I'm transported back to that mindset.? Yes, I can see the cheese and how outrageous the plot and the scenes are, but I love it anyway.? How can you not love a car chasing a man around his office as foam bubble fill it or a car going for a swim?? There are just so many great laughs here. The movie is full of special effects, many of them involving Herbie himself, who drives, opens doors, and other things all my himself.? Those are all great.? I did discover that there are lots of green screen shots I never remembered seeing before, and those are obviously fake. But this is a movie aimed squarely at kids.? And I think they will quickly get caught up in the antics of the car and the plot to save the farmhouse and miss those less than perfect moments or the over the top nature of the story.? I know I loved every minute of it as a kid.? Adults?? Well, if they aren't familiar with Herbie, they'll probably think it's a horrid film.? But if they loved these movies as a kid, they won't be able to resist as an adult. So if you are new to Herbie, you might not like Herbie Rides Again.? But if you grew up loving him, the movie will override your objections as an adult, and you'll be having fun again before you know it.? And your kids will find it delightful.

Source: http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/06/movie-review-herbie-rides-again.html

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Durable goods orders, business spending plans rise

By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Orders for long-lasting manufactured goods rose more than expected in May and a gauge of planned business spending increased for a third straight month, the latest signs of a pick-up in economic activity.

Durable goods orders increased 3.6 percent as demand for goods ranging from aircraft to machinery rose, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. Orders for these goods, which range from toasters to aircraft, had increased by a revised 3.6 percent in April.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected orders to rise 3.0 percent after a previously reported 3.5 percent increase the prior month.

Orders excluding transportation rose 0.7 percent after advancing 1.7 percent in April.

Non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, increased 1.1 percent. Orders for the so-called core capital goods had increased 1.2 percent in April and economists had expected a 0.3 percent gain last month.

Core capital goods shipments, used to calculate equipment and software spending in the gross domestic product report, rebounded 1.7 percent. That followed a 2.0 percent drop in April.

The increase in shipments of core capital goods pointed to moderate growth in business spending on capital equipment.

The report was the latest indication of an improvement in factory activity and broader economic conditions after the economy hit a soft patch early in the second quarter. It was supportive of the Federal Reserve's view that risks to the economy have lessened.

Manufacturing output ticked up in May and regional factory surveys released so far have shown some strength in June.

U.S. stock index futures rose slightly on the data, while prices for U.S. Treasury debt fell. The dollar rose against the euro.

Last month, demand for transportation equipment rose 10.2 percent, buoyed by a surge in orders for civilian aircraft.

Boeing received orders for 232 aircraft, up from 51 in April, according to information posted on its website. Orders for motor vehicles, however, fell 1.2 percent after rising 2.4 percent.

Outside transportation there were gains in orders for machinery, computers and electronic products, primary metals and electrical equipment, appliances and components.

Other details of the report we also supportive of manufacturing. Unfilled orders for durable goods rose 0.8 percent and were up by the same margin excluding transportation. Overall shipments of durable goods rebounded 1.2 percent after falling 0.6 percent in April.

Stocks of unsold durable goods edged up 0.1 percent, which should help the sector in the long run.

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/durable-goods-orders-beat-forecasts-business-spending-plans-123101956.html

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Supreme Court 2013: The Year in Review

Justice Alito wrote the opinion in Adoptive Couple vs. Baby Girl.

Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images

It?s impossible to write about the case of Baby Veronica, the subject of a ruling by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, without calling it heartbreaking. This is a child who was adopted at birth by a South Carolina couple, then turned over, at the age of 2, to her Cherokee birth father. He won custody based on the Indian Child Welfare Act, which Congress passed in 1978 for the entirely worthy purpose of preventing the removal of Indian children from their tribes and families. Now Veronica is 3?, and her life is up in the air again. The Supreme Court says the South Carolina courts made a mistake in taking her from her adoptive parents.

Now what? More fighting in court. More uncertainty for a little girl who can?t possibly understand all of what?s happening but can only be deeply affected by this long battle over who her family is and who will raise her. No child should go through this. And preventing that should matter more than anything else.

Before Veronica was born in September 2009, her birth mother (who is not Indian) gave her up to Matt and Melanie Capobianco, a couple who wanted to adopt her. Veronica?s biological father, Dusten Brown, also gave up his parental rights. But Brown says he never would have done so if he?d realized that Veronica?s birth mother didn?t plan to raise her. In January 2010, he tried to stop the adoption proceedings. The Cherokee Nation entered the case on his side.

That stopped the adoption in its tracks, because the Indian Child Welfare Act prevents ?involuntary termination? of an Indian parent?s rights without a showing that serious harm is likely to come to the child from ?continued custody.? Were Brown?s parental rights terminated involuntarily? No, he changed his mind. Justice Samuel Alito?s ruling for a majority of five, however, turns on that second phrase ?continued custody.? Since Brown never had custody at all, he shouldn?t have been able to invoke ICWA to block Veronica?s adoption, Alito said. The dissent, by Justice Sonia Sotomayor (joined by Kagan, Ginsburg, and Scalia) accuses Alito of misreading the law because he is concerned that it makes Indian children harder to place in adoptive homes, even though that is ICWA?s intent.

But what law is worth turning a child into a legal and political football, thrown back and forth from infancy to toddlerhood to preschool? The wisest expert I know on adoption law, Joan Heifetz Hollinger of UC?Berkeley Law School, is cited twice by Sotomayor, but Hollinger thinks that Alito got the law right. Or at least, more right, since that?s all that?s really possible in this case. The problem is that by the time the South Carolina courts held a trial to decide who should raise Veronica, she?d been living with the Capobiancos for two years. That is far too old to take a child from the parents she knows. Rule of thumb: If your gut tells you something will hurt a child, the law should stop it from happening.

Alito?s reading of ICWA respects the fundamental purpose of the Indian Child Welfare Act. This law is about protecting Indian families. ?The law shouldn?t be read as giving hyped up protections to birth parents,? Hollinger told me. ?Those protections are for parents who had a life with their child. In that sense, Alito?s decision is the correct reading of statute and it saves the core of ICWA?as it should.?

Hollinger says that if she could turn back the clock, she would want the South Carolina judge to lock the Capobiancos and Brown in a room together, when Veronica was about 5 months old and the matter of Brown?s tribal membership first surfaced, to figure out what would be best for her. ?Maybe the adoption goes through, and the court orders visitation with father or grandparents,? Hollinger said. ?Or maybe the adoption is not allowed, but the adoptive parents receive guardianship.? In other words, you push all the adults involved to put the interests of Veronica first. That is what adoption law does in just about every other circumstance: It treats the best interests of the child as paramount. That is the right standard. Not the best interests of the Cherokee as a tribe. That has to come second.

What is in Veronica?s best interest now, given that she has been in her father?s custody for almost a year and a half? I have no idea, and I?m glad I?m not the South Carolina judge who will have to make that searing decision. ?You can?t determine it based on a statutory ruling or an abstract finding? Hollinger said. ?You have a living human being here.?

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/the_breakfast_table/features/2013/supreme_court_2013/baby_veronica_indian_adoption_case_justice_alito_s_decision_was_probably.html

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Marriage, the sequel for 'Star Wars' creator Lucas

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? It's marriage, episode II for George Lucas.

A Lucasfilm spokeswoman confirms the "Star Wars" creator married longtime girlfriend Mellody Hobson in a weekend ceremony at Skywalker Ranch north of San Francisco.

It's the second wedding for the 69-year-old Lucas, who was married to film editor Marcia Lucas from 1969 to 1983.

It's the first marriage for Hobson, 44, an investment firm president and contributor to ABC's "Good Morning America." The two have dated since 2006. Former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley walked her down the aisle.

The Saturday afternoon ceremony was performed by journalist Bill Moyers, who was once a Baptist minister.

Guests included filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard, who said on Twitter that the wedding was "a joy to behold" and Moyers' service "nothing short of profound."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/marriage-sequel-star-wars-creator-lucas-000210288.html

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Gandolfini's body back in US; funeral Thursday

Celebs

Claudio Lavanga and Maria Elena Fernandez NBC News

5 hours ago

ROME -- The body of "The Sopranos" actor James Gandolfini arrived in the United States on Sunday night.

A plane carrying the Emmy Award winner arrived at New Jersey's Newark airport at 9:30 p.m. ET, according to a source. Earlier, airport authorities confirmed that he was flown out of the Rome's Fiumicino Airport aboard a private flight.

An HBO spokesperson speaking on behalf of the family told NBC New York that the funeral was scheduled for Thursday at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan.

Earlier, a family friend of the Gandolfinis had said the process of repatriation had been expedited with help from the Italian and U.S. authorities, including Secretary of State John Kerry.

"We are fully aware that this process usually takes seven days and we are extremely grateful for their efficiency in dealing with this matter," Michael Kobold said in a statement. "It has been our privilege to be guests in your beautiful country, despite the difficult circumstances."

Kobold had previously announced at a news conference Friday that an autopsy showed "The Sopranos" star died of a "heart attack of natural causes" and "nothing else was found in his system."

The 51-year-old suffered the heart attack in the bathroom of his room at the Hotel Boscolo in Rome while on vacation with his teenage son, Michael, and sister, Kobold told reporters.

"James came here on vacation with family," Kobold said. "On Wednesday he went to visit the Vatican, and had dinner at the hotel with his son while waiting for his sister ... All are devastated for his loss. He was a loving father."

"He was happy, healthy, on vacation with his son," Kobold said. "He was fine."

Medical staff attempted to resuscitate Gandofini after his son found him in the bathroom, but he was pronounced dead at about 11 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET) Wednesday at Policlinico Umberto I hospital, which is a three-minute drive from the hotel.

Famous for his role as mob boss Tony Soprano in hit HBO show "The Sopranos," Gandolfini was on a celebratory trip to Italy with his 13-year-old son, who had just graduated from junior high school and won a soccer championship.

Experts said a heart attack was a common cause of death for a man in his 50s.

Dr. John Harold, president of the American College of Cardiology and a heart specialist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said that ?in many patients who have a heart attack, the first symptom is sudden death and they don?t even make it to a hospital.?

Tributes have flooded in for the actor, who won three Emmy Awards and three Screen Actors Guild awards for playing Soprano from 1999-2007.

He also appeared in a number of big-screen roles, including the crime drama "Killing Them Softly" and "Zero Dark Thirty," a film about the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

Academy Award winner Kathryn Bigelow, who directed Gandolfini in ?Zero Dark Thirty,? said she was devastated by the news of his death.

"James was such an enormous talent, and an even greater spirit. I will be forever grateful for the privilege of working with him, and shall cherish his memories always," she said in a statement.

Nicole Kidman said Gandolfini was ?such a great actor,? describing his death as ?a big loss.?

?Sending love and prayers to James? family. He will be greatly missed,? she said in a statement to Eonline.com.

Brad Pitt described Gandolfini as ?a ferocious actor, a gentle soul and a genuinely funny man." ?I am fortunate to have sat across the table from him and am gutted by this loss.?

Gandolfini also made a good impression on the ordinary people he met.

An employee at the Hotel Boscolo told Italy's la Repubblica newspaper that during his stay the actor had signed autographs and was ?very friendly with us from hotel's staff and with other guests in the restaurant. A nice person.?

NBC News' Ian Johnston, Reuters and Mads Frese contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/james-gandolfinis-body-returning-us-help-authorities-6C10407874

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Reading DNA, backward and forward: Biologists reveal how cells control the direction in which the genome is read

June 24, 2013 ? MIT biologists have discovered a mechanism that allows cells to read their own DNA in the correct direction and prevents them from copying most of the so-called "junk DNA" that makes up long stretches of our genome.

Only about 15 percent of the human genome consists of protein-coding genes, but in recent years scientists have found that a surprising amount of the junk, or intergenic DNA, does get copied into RNA -- the molecule that carries DNA's messages to the rest of the cell.

Scientists have been trying to figure out just what this RNA might be doing, if anything. In 2008, MIT researchers led by Institute Professor Phillip Sharp discovered that much of this RNA is generated through a process called divergent expression, through which cells read their DNA in both directions moving away from a given starting point.

In a new paper appearing in Nature on June 23, Sharp and colleagues describe how cells initiate but then halt the copying of RNA in the upstream, or non-protein-coding direction, while allowing it to continue in the direction in which genes are correctly read. The finding helps to explain the existence of many recently discovered types of short strands of RNA whose function is unknown.

"This is part of an RNA revolution where we're seeing different RNAs and new RNAs that we hadn't suspected were present in cells, and trying to understand what role they have in the health of the cell or the viability of the cell," says Sharp, who is a member of MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. "It gives us a whole new appreciation of the balance of the fundamental processes that allow cells to function."

Graduate students Albert Almada and Xuebing Wu are the lead authors of the paper. Christopher Burge, a professor of biology and biological engineering, and undergraduate Andrea Kriz are also authors.

Choosing direction

DNA, which is housed within the nucleus of cells, controls cellular activity by coding for the production of RNAs and proteins. To exert this control, the genetic information encoded by DNA must first be copied, or transcribed, into messenger RNA (mRNA).

When the DNA double helix unwinds to reveal its genetic messages, RNA transcription can proceed in either direction. To initiate this copying, an enzyme called RNA polymerase latches on to the DNA at a spot known as the promoter. The RNA polymerase then moves along the strand, building the mRNA chain as it goes.

When the RNA polymerase reaches a stop signal at the end of a gene, it halts transcription and adds to the mRNA a sequence of bases known as a poly-A tail, which consists of a long string of the genetic base adenine. This process, known as polyadenylation, helps to prepare the mRNA molecule to be exported from the cell's nucleus.

By sequencing the mRNA transcripts of mouse embryonic stem cells, the researchers discovered that polyadenylation also plays a major role in halting the transcription of upstream, noncoding DNA sequences. They found that these regions have a high density of signal sequences for polyadenylation, which prompts enzymes to chop up the RNA before it gets very long. Stretches of DNA that code for genes have a low density of these signal sequences.

The researchers also found another factor that influences whether transcription is allowed to continue. It has been recently shown that when a cellular factor known as U1 snRNP binds to RNA, polyadenylation is suppressed. The new MIT study found that genes have a higher concentration of binding sites for U1 snRNP than noncoding sequences, allowing gene transcription to continue uninterrupted.

A widespread phenomenon

The function of all of this upstream noncoding RNA is still a subject of much investigation. "That transcriptional process could produce an RNA that has some function, or it could be a product of the nature of the biochemical reaction. This will be debated for a long time," Sharp says.

His lab is now exploring the relationship between this transcription process and the observation of large numbers of so-called long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). He plans to investigate the mechanisms that control the synthesis of such RNAs and try to determine their functions.

"Once you see some data like this, it raises many more questions to be investigated, which I'm hoping will lead us to deeper insights into how our cells carry out their normal functions and how they change in malignancy," Sharp says.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/vK48xKSPdxQ/130624141412.htm

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For Sharpest Views, Scope The Sky With Quick-Change Mirrors

Link Information - Click to View

For Sharpest Views, Scope The Sky With Quick-Change Mirrors
A technology called adaptive optics is enabling astronomers to peer into space as never before. The specialized telescopes, which have mirrors that can adjust their shapes up to 1,000 times per second, compensate for the blurring that happens when light passes through Earth's atmosphere. Planet hunters are thrilled.

Source: NPR
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Rodriguez finishes Brewers' 2-0 win for 300th save

MILWAUKEE (AP) ? Two months ago, Francisco Rodriguez was out of baseball, hoping for a chance to get back to the major leagues.

Given another opportunity by the Brewers in May, Rodriguez has made it pay off. He converted his sixth straight save Saturday ? the 300th of his career ? to help Milwaukee beat Atlanta Braves 2-0 for the second straight day.

Rodriguez went 2-7 with a 4.38 ERA during the 2012 season and was released by the Brewers.

"A lot of people thought that I was done, that I had retired," he said. "People forgot that I was just 31- years-old. In my career, just last year was a really bad year. I know what I am capable of doing."

Rodriguez gave up one of the Braves' four hits in becoming the 25th closer to reach the 300-save milestone. He was aided by a barehanded pickup and throw by shortstop Jean Segura to get leadoff hitter Jordan Shafer.

Andrelton Simmons then singled, but Rodriguez got Jason Heyward to line out and Freddie Freeman struck out. After the strikeout, Rodriguez pumped his fist and pointed to the sky.

Rodriguez, who began the season out of baseball, was signed by Milwaukee May 16. He has converted all six of his save opportunities and has not been scored upon in 15 of his 16 appearances.

"It feels great," Rodriguez said. "You have no idea how happy and excited I am. I have to continue working hard and hopefully play for many years to come."

Rodriguez said Segura's play to start the ninth inning was key to his success on Saturday.

"It was huge, especially with the score just 2-0," he said. "Now I can go out there and attack them and put them away. That play definitely changed the whole inning."

Donovan Hand, making his first big league start, allowed only two hits in 4 2-3 innings for Milwaukee. He struck out three and walked one in helping extend Atlanta's scoreless streak to 24 innings.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said Hand did a great job for his first start.

"He really mixed his pitches and threw a lot of strikes," Roenicke said.

Hand, whose made eight relief appearances this year, said his goal was to pitch three or four innings.

"I felt great out there," he said. "I kept the ball out of the middle of the plate and gave my team a chance to win."

Burke Badenhop (1-3) entered after Hand walked Dan Uggla and got Chris Johnson to groundout to end the fifth.

Milwaukee has beaten Atlanta eight straight times at Miller Park, outscoring them 31-9.

Tim Hudson (4-7) lost his sixth straight decision, despite giving up just two runs and seven hits in six innings. He allowed RBI singles to Juan Francisco, in the fourth, and Aramis Ramirez, in the fifth inning.

The Braves have scored just 10 runs in Hudson's last nine starts. He has not won in those starts, his worst winless stretch of his career since an eight-start stretch in 2002.

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said the Braves are not swinging the bat well.

"We're getting on base, but when we do hit the ball hard, it's at somebody or somebody makes a good play," he said. "I feel like, at any moment, some of the at-bats that you're seeing, at any moment you're going to turn that around."

Uggla paid tribute to Rodriguez after the game.

"He's got great stuff," he said. "He throws hard, got an awesome curveball and an awesome changeup and he throws strikes. He's done it for a long time."

NOTES: The Braves last run same in the third inning of their 4-3 loss to the New York Mets on Thursday. ... Brewers RHP Marco Estrada will make a rehab start Sunday at Class A Wisconsin. Estrada has been on the disabled list since June 5 with a strained left hamstring. ... Gonzalez said RHP Brandon Beachy would throw a bullpen session next week as he continues to try to come back from Tommy John surgery in June 2012. He felt tenderness in his pitching arm during his fifth minor league start June 13. ... Brewers OF Caleb Gindl's pinch-hit single in the sixth inning was his first major league hit. ... Brewers RHP Alfredo Figaro (1-1) will start in the series finale Sunday against Atlanta (LHP) Paul Maholm (7-6).

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rodriguez-finishes-brewers-2-0-win-300th-save-233557448.html

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