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Source: http://www.facebook.com/beijingnews/posts/636085533075068
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Addressing a packed auditorium at Austin?s South by Southwest festival last March, Bre Pettis, keynote speaker and co-founder of MakerBot, one of the leaders in desktop 3-D printers, described the increased interest and affordability of his company?s product as heralding the ?the next Industrial Revolution.?
"Revolution" is often used even when the result doesn't match the definition ? a complete change from the way things were before. Add "Industrial," and the comparison implies not just a change in manufacturing, but society as well, from improved living standards to changes in social class structure. Whether ? and how ? desktop 3-D printing can bring such changes is much debated, and remains to be seen.
Thanks to companies such as MakerBot, the bulk, expense and technical inefficiency that kept the 30-year-old technology known as Additive Manufacturing ? or 3-D printing ? confined to major laboratories and factories, is a thing of the past. Now, for less than $3,000, anyone with basic computer skills and an interest in learning more can download and personalize or create a computer-assisted design (CAD) that a printer will fabricate, layer by layer of filament.
Pettis is not the first to make the ?next Industrial Revolution? comparison. For some within the maker community ? subculture of tech-based do-it-yourself-ers ? the increased accessibility of 3-D printer technology means "the end of consumerism.? Conversely, tech analysis firms Gartner predicts that 3-D printing could create opportunities for new product lines created in-house by local retailers. And Daniel Suarez, who spent a decade developing logistics and production planning software for major multinational corporations (and is also a best-selling novelist who writes about near-future technologies) predicts that "3-D printing will be a disruptive economic force in the next two decades ? but I also think this disruption will benefit average Americans by causing a resurgence in local manufacturing."
Fervor over 3-D printing?s potential has only increased since SXSW, when Pettis introduced a prototype for the MakerBot Digitizer, which will scan small objects with the end goal of 3-D fabrication. He illustrated the Digitizer?s potential with a projection of a garden gnome, scanned to create ? another garden gnome.
For those who don?t so much see an endless supply of home-printed garden gnomes as ?revolution,? so much as a shot at getting on A&E?s ?Hoarders,? there?s Cody Wilson, the notorious public face of Defense Distributed. Wilson is a University of Texas law student recently licensed to manufacture guns by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In March, Defense Distributed, much to the consternation of gun control advocates, printed the plastic lower receiver for an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle ? the portion of a firearm that carries the serial number ? which that can fire more than 600 rounds.
Scary, legal and ? as Wilson points out ? a 3-D printed result that actually does something.
Wilson latched on to Pettis?s garden gnome to express his frustration with the maker community to make something more than geegaws during his riveting yet sparsely attended SXSW presentation about Defense Distributed and DefCAD, an open-source CAD design website he launched after MakerBot?s Thingiverse CAD site dumped all the gun designs from the site following the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.
A cursory scan on Thingiverse finds a sea of files to create iPhone cases, and myriad holders and stands, but other than clock components, parts to complete a cigar box ukulele, and a theoretical design for a working camera, there isn?t a lot on the open source data base that does stuff.
Wilson is using the platform of 3-D printing to make a political statement about? and push the boundaries of ? liberty and the freedom to share information. ?I think this isn't a project about firearms, it?s a project about political equality,? Wilson recently told NBC?s Nightly News.
The potential Wilson sees for for 3-D printers isn't just about guns, but prosthetics and other medical devices, even drugs, putting the means of production in the hands of the people.
Pettis and Wilson are often portrayed as polar opposites in the 3-D printer movement, but they both face the inevitable roadblock of all new digital technology ? intellectual copyright law.
"When it comes to 3-D printers, groups producing tools, weapons, and reproducing patented or copyrighted objects will be where all the debate and legal fireworks will occur," Suarez told NBC News.
"Sure, a copyright holder might get upset when individuals reproduce their trademarked cartoon character as little plastic tchotchkes, but I suspect this will follow the same path as digital music and torrented video ? namely, there will be several high profile legal cases against perceived infringers until big companies realize technological advances have made this an unstoppable tide."
And so begins the revolution.
Helen A.S. Popkin goes blah blah blah about the Internet. Tell her she doesn't know what she's talking about on Twitter and/or Facebook.
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A recent survey conducted by a Pentagon Inspector General has resulted in the fact that the smartphones and tablet present in the US Army are not configured to remotely wipe and protect sensitive data. An individual is responsible for his/her phone data, but recent checks have revealed that the data security on these devices is poor and inconsistent.
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At West Point Military Academy, New York, a total of 15 out of the 48 inspected mobile phones did not even have passwords to protect the phone. One would expect them to have passwords on their phones, but the lack of security has proven a bit of a shock. Additionally, Assistant Inspector General Alice Carey warned that if mobile devices remain insecure, there could be a possibility of malicious activities that could result in the disruption of Army networks and sensitive defense data may get compromised.
The spot checks have also resulted in another finding: that the Army?s Chief Information Officer (CIO) has not yet setup the necessary tracking of the non-Blackberry devices that the soldiers use. It was found that over 14,000 devices (cellphones and tablets included) were being used without obtaining appropriate authorization from the CIO.
It was not that long ago that the military caught soldier Bradley Manning, a data destruction expert, who used his mobile device as a removable storage media to transfer innumerable military and government files and give them away to Wikileaks.
The recent spot checks revealed some soldiers were using their devices as removable media, and this has concerned the authorities a bit. This recent survey by the Inspector General is proof of the fact that even though mobile technologies are changing daily, the security in the US Army isn?t.
The US army has been the most active in terms of embracing newer mobile technologies. The US military as a whole, has also been trying to make a major push in the mobile market. Not only does the Army have an app store in beta, it reconfigured its next-gen dismounted communications system around smartphones. Now, however, the Army is learning that relatively early device adoption is no substitute for protecting the information it?s increasingly keeping on phones and tablets.
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Source: http://feeds09.technorati.com/~r/trarticles/~3/H__Z2iaTIbI/
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By Rob Walker
Sometime in the past few days, the longstanding rumors around the arrival of a Facebook Phone seemed to deflate. It wouldn?t so much be a piece of original hardware, reminiscent of how Amazon charged into the gadget category with the Kindle, but just an Android phone, manufactured by HTC, that happened to start users off with the Facebook app instead of the more familiar array of app icons.
This scenario was basically confirmed by today?s official announcement from Mark Zuckerberg and his lieutenants. Called Facebook Home, it?s a launch option that?s a modified and snazzier iteration of the existing Facebook app, one that the social network hopes to make available across as many devices as it can.
The starting-point interface is supervisual, drawing on photos from your Facebook News Feed. Also, the principle functionality selling point involves an unfortunately named ?Chat Heads? feature that makes it possible to communicate with friends without leaving Home (as it were). But the upshot is a kind of Facebook layer built over the Android operating system: When you turn your phone on, the first thing you see is content drawn from your Facebook News Feed. You can maneuver away from this, but it?s clearly designed to keep you within Facebook-land as long as possible.
The HTC phone that?s preloaded with Facebook Home will sell for $99.99. A version that works with a number of other Android phones will be available for download on April 12. (There will be no iPhone version for now.)
All of this sounds like much ado about circumventing the single screen-touch that it currently takes to access Facebook?s existing app. But the idea at the core of the non-Facebook-Phone Facebook phone is to exploit the awesome power of ?default.?
?Default? isn?t a particularly sexy concept in an era supposedly defined by infinite digital choice and customization. Nevertheless, for many people, the (default) Web browser already installed on a new laptop and the (default) home page it goes to every time it?s opened proved just fine. For such users, it?s sort of the equivalent of going to the nearest grocery store: good enough. If certain physical world businesses depend on location, location, location, a powerful strategy in the digital world is often default, default, default.
A phone that defaults to the latest from Facebook?s News Feed ?out of the box,? as they say, wouldn?t appeal to me personally, because I?m not a particularly heavy Facebook user. But it wouldn?t surprise me if a substantial number of people would have no problem with that scenario at all. One study reportedly concluded that Facebook users who access the social network through mobile devices check in there about 14 times a day. If that?s anywhere close to true, then there are plenty of people who already think of that object they?re toting around as their ?Facebook phone??which they can also use to play games or get directions from time to time.
And what?s good enough for them is potentially great for Facebook in its quest to soak up as much user time and data as possible. So the rumored Facebook Phone may not be an actual Facebook Phone, but for the social network?s business purposes, what?s not to like?
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/liking-facebook-home%E2%80%94by-default-201750344.html
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A billboard for the Women' sWall of Honour project features three men (womenswallofhonour.ca)A Canadian university has launched a campaign to honor women. But there?s one small problem: A billboard advertising the Women?s Wall of Honour project features only men.
The project will be a physical structure built on the Mount Saint Vincent University campus in Halifax. Its organizers call it ?the only one of its kind in Canada" and say its "home will be Canada?s leading university primarily focused on the advancement of women.?
Additionally, a description of the project on the Mount Saint Vincent University website explains that financial donors will have the opportunity to honor a woman of their choice by having their names included on a panel used in construction of the project?s site.
So, why is its first major advertisement showcasing men? The Chronicle Herald, which broke the news of the billboard?a photo of it taken by Herald photographer Ryan Taplin has been making the rounds on social media sites like Twitter?explained that it "features Paul Kent, the president and chief executive officer of the Greater Halifax Partnership, former provincial Liberal leader Danny Graham and Rob Batherson, the senior vice-president of public affairs at Colour, an advertising and communications company. Each of the men has donated to the university.?
Mount Saint Vincent University spokesman Ben Boudreau told the paper, ?I don?t know that we were really shooting for juxtaposition there, to be honest with you. It was just about reaching a different audience."
The disconnect doesn't appear just on the billboard. The project?s website also prominently features Kent, Graham and Batherson on the top left corner of the page, while a corresponding photo of three women is featured lower and to the right of the page.
However, a page for the project on the Mount Saint Vincent University website is more focused on actual women, as is the group?s Facebook page.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/billboard-celebrating-women-only-features-men-151936174.html
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FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2013 file photo, members of the 374th Airlift Wing of U.S. Air Force work on a C-130 aircraft during the Cope North military exercises at Andersen U.S. Air Force Base in Guam. There soon will be another military element to life on the U.S. territory _ a defense system will be installed to shoot down incoming missiles and warheads. Its deployment comes amid intensifying threats from North Korea, which recently listed Guam among its targets for a nuclear attack on the United States. (AP Photo/Koji Ueda, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2013 file photo, members of the 374th Airlift Wing of U.S. Air Force work on a C-130 aircraft during the Cope North military exercises at Andersen U.S. Air Force Base in Guam. There soon will be another military element to life on the U.S. territory _ a defense system will be installed to shoot down incoming missiles and warheads. Its deployment comes amid intensifying threats from North Korea, which recently listed Guam among its targets for a nuclear attack on the United States. (AP Photo/Koji Ueda, File)
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) ? C.J. Urquico has lived on Guam for 19 years so he's used to a military backdrop to everyday life. Navy ships visit, Air Force jets fly overhead and war games are played off the Pacific island's shores.
There soon will be another military element in this U.S. territory ? a defense system will be installed to shoot down incoming missiles and warheads. Its deployment comes amid intensifying threats from North Korea, which recently listed Guam among its targets for a nuclear attack on the United States.
That Guam is a named player in a nuclear showdown is striking for an island known for its slow pace and laid-back attitudes.
"The worst thing that can happen is we allow it to terrorize us," said Urquico, a 36-year-old creative director for a telecommunications company. And while "there's no real sinister feeling in the air," he added: "People are definitely paying attention. I mean, how many times do we ever trend on Twitter?"
The remote tropical island is no stranger to international conflict: the island's waters are a graveyard for rusting tanks from World War II and the oldest residents remember living under Japanese occupation. But residents say North Korea's threat isn't even attracting as much concern as a seasonal typhoon.
"Our sales have been pretty steady," said Michael Benito, general manager at Payless Supermarket in Tamuning on the west side of the island, explaining that there hasn't been a rush to buy canned goods like Spam and corned beef. "There hasn't been any bump in sales."
Benito says most people on Guam are generally prepared for disasters given the region's frequent storms, and are well-equipped with flashlights and other necessities.
"Fortunately everybody has concrete homes here so we're sort of a bunker already," joked Leonard Calvo, vice president of Calvo Enterprises, a firm that invests in insurance, real estate, media and retail as well as other businesses in Guam and other islands.
The businessman from Maite says North Korea's threats have been the topic of conversations at recent family barbecues, but most people are still skeptical of what North Korea can do.
"I think this guy from North Korea is just puffing out his chest," Calvo said. "A lot of people are numb to it."
Social media is abuzz with memes mimicking North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, with one joking that he is worried about "Guam bombs," a popular term for beat-up used cars on Guam.
But others aren't taking the talk lightly. Large headlines about the threats have flashed across the island's main news website for the past week and some residents are brainstorming plans in case the worst case scenario comes true.
Thomas Perez, an 18-year-old student at Guam High School, says he already has picked out a place to barricade himself in case the attack occurs.
"I could probably get there in 15 minutes," he said, adding that he's worried about the effects of nuclear fallout.
Perez isn't the only one thinking about emergency shelter; Guam Gov. Eddie Baza Calvo says the government is providing information to help residents prepare in case of an attack, including guidance for where to hide if radiation is in the air.
Calvo says an attack is unlikely and he has advised the public to go on with their daily lives. But he also says no one can be 100 percent sure of safety.
"As a governor and a father and a husband and a grandfather, I do have some concerns because of the proximity of Guam to North Korea," he said. "We are about a three hour flight away. That's about half the distance from Guam to Hawaii."
Several Guam residents say that they're confident that the missile defense system has what it takes to stop any offense North Korea may launch.
The system on its way to the island is part of a "layered" defense giving the military multiple opportunities to shoot down incoming missiles and warheads before they reach their targets. It's specifically designed to shoot down missiles during their final stage of flight, and is expected to arrive on Guam within the next few weeks.
Even if nothing more happens, for some residents the international attention is significant in itself. University of Guam President Robert Underwood says the threat is an opportunity for students and educators to discuss Guam's role in global military strategy.
Urquico says it's a geography lesson, at least.
"I've never heard anyone make a direct threat to Guam," he said. "My response was: 'Wow, they can find Guam on the map? Most Americans can't.'"
___
AP writers Anita Hofschneider, Oskar Garcia and Audrey McAvoy contributed to this report from Honolulu.
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Public release date: 4-Apr-2013
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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis School of Science
(INDIANAPOLIS) A computer science professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) has earned the prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to research ways to help computers actively adjust models and classify new data by enhancing machine learning technology.
Murat Dundar, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science, becomes the fourth faculty member in the School of Science at IUPUI actively working under an NSF CAREER Award. The award is the most prestigious honor given by the NSF in support of faculty members early in their careers who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and integration of education and research
Dundar will use the five-year, $500,000 award to continue to test theories related to machine learning, which traditionally is limited by the number of parameters or criteria a computer uses to classify data. In other words, a computer can only classify data (test results, biological samples, keyword indicators, for example) based on the training data set established at the beginning of an analysis. This oftentimes leads to misclassifications of data.
Dundar says this traditional method may not be accurate when you account for the continually evolving nature of data sets in many real-life situations.
His theory explores ways to refine how a computer actively and continually updates and adapts to the information it is collecting, thereby creating a more exhaustive set of categories by which to classify data. In essence, the computer is able to teach itself to recognize changes in the data and adjust accordingly.
"This new approach will let the data speak for itself in determining how many classes a computer can use," said Dundar, who specializes in machine learning and artificial intelligence applications in a biological or medical context.
Dundar, who earned his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, has several ongoing research projects encompassing areas such as computer-aided diagnosis and detection and bio-detection technology.
This new direction in machine learning will be applied to some of his current work, including research to determine new bacteria subclasses, mineral diversity on Mars and how to create a better method of sorting and classifying large collections of documents or records. His research has been supported by agencies such as the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The CAREER Award grant also includes an element of outreach associated with Dundar's research. He intends to organize a summer camp for K-12 students to introduce them to fundamental concepts in computer science and data mining and mentor student teams to compete in regional science fairs. He also hopes to organize a workshop on self-adjusting classification models at a premier machine learning conference.
###
Other School of Science faculty members conducting research under an NSF CAREER Award include Yogesh Joglekar, physics; Mohammad Al Hasan, computer science; and Greg Druschel, earth sciences.
About the School of Science at IUPUI
The School of Science is committed to excellence in teaching, research and service in the biological, physical, behavioral and mathematical sciences. The School is dedicated to being a leading resource for interdisciplinary research and science education in support of Indiana's effort to expand and diversify its economy. For more information, visit http://www.science.iupui.edu
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 4-Apr-2013 Share ] Contact: David Hosick
dhosick@iupiu.edu
317-274-4585
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis School of Science
(INDIANAPOLIS) A computer science professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) has earned the prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to research ways to help computers actively adjust models and classify new data by enhancing machine learning technology.
Murat Dundar, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science, becomes the fourth faculty member in the School of Science at IUPUI actively working under an NSF CAREER Award. The award is the most prestigious honor given by the NSF in support of faculty members early in their careers who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and integration of education and research
Dundar will use the five-year, $500,000 award to continue to test theories related to machine learning, which traditionally is limited by the number of parameters or criteria a computer uses to classify data. In other words, a computer can only classify data (test results, biological samples, keyword indicators, for example) based on the training data set established at the beginning of an analysis. This oftentimes leads to misclassifications of data.
Dundar says this traditional method may not be accurate when you account for the continually evolving nature of data sets in many real-life situations.
His theory explores ways to refine how a computer actively and continually updates and adapts to the information it is collecting, thereby creating a more exhaustive set of categories by which to classify data. In essence, the computer is able to teach itself to recognize changes in the data and adjust accordingly.
"This new approach will let the data speak for itself in determining how many classes a computer can use," said Dundar, who specializes in machine learning and artificial intelligence applications in a biological or medical context.
Dundar, who earned his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, has several ongoing research projects encompassing areas such as computer-aided diagnosis and detection and bio-detection technology.
This new direction in machine learning will be applied to some of his current work, including research to determine new bacteria subclasses, mineral diversity on Mars and how to create a better method of sorting and classifying large collections of documents or records. His research has been supported by agencies such as the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The CAREER Award grant also includes an element of outreach associated with Dundar's research. He intends to organize a summer camp for K-12 students to introduce them to fundamental concepts in computer science and data mining and mentor student teams to compete in regional science fairs. He also hopes to organize a workshop on self-adjusting classification models at a premier machine learning conference.
###
Other School of Science faculty members conducting research under an NSF CAREER Award include Yogesh Joglekar, physics; Mohammad Al Hasan, computer science; and Greg Druschel, earth sciences.
About the School of Science at IUPUI
The School of Science is committed to excellence in teaching, research and service in the biological, physical, behavioral and mathematical sciences. The School is dedicated to being a leading resource for interdisciplinary research and science education in support of Indiana's effort to expand and diversify its economy. For more information, visit http://www.science.iupui.edu
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/iuui-nar040413.php
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CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's Islamist government is "strongly committed" to freedom of expression, a presidential spokesman insisted Wednesday, distancing the administration from legal proceedings against a popular comedian.
The London-based Amnesty International, however, warned in a statement of an "alarming new escalation of politically-motivated judicial harassment and arrests" in Egypt.
Presidential spokesman Omar Amer said, "The presidency did not submit any complaints" to the prosecutor's office.
The case of the comedian, questioned this week over accusations he insulted the president and Islam on his weekly TV show, has set off a wave of criticism from as far away as Washington.
Amer said President Mohammed Morsi's office was not involved in the investigation.
"Freedom of expression is guaranteed by the constitution, and there is a strong commitment toward it and there will be no deviation from that," he said.
Amer's comments echoed a statement issued by Morsi's office late Tuesday. It said it recognizes the "importance of freedom of expression and fully respects press freedom."
The complaints against satirist Bassem Youssef, the statement pointed out, were filed by "citizens." Youssef was released on bail after questioning.
Youssef's interrogation, as well as arrest warrants against five anti-government activists on charges of inciting unrest, have prompted Morsi's opponents to warn of a campaign to intimidate critics.
A guest comedian who appeared on Youssef's show, "El-Bernameg" Arabic for "The Program," was also questioned Wednesday about jokes he made in a recent episode where he mocked people who built mosques just to evade real estate taxes, and who shouted out their religiosity. Ali Qandil was called up in connection to Youssef's case, and he was released on bail pending investigation, said lawyer Ahmed Ezzat, who attended the interrogation.
Ezzat said in a separate case, blogger Ahmed Anwar from the Delta province of Gharbiya was sent to trial next month on charges of insulting the police. The charges against Anwar stems from a video he created and posted online showing police officers dancing, and mocking official ceremonies honoring police officers.
Anwar's satirical video is a criticism of the impunity enjoyed by the police force, whose reform was one of the main demands of the uprising that forced former leader Hosni Mubarak to step down in 2011. Activists and rights groups say police abuse continue after the uprising.
Ezzat said Anwar's trial begins in May where he could face up to three years on charges of insulting a public office, and misusing social media.
In its statement, Amnesty said the crackdown on freedom of expression have affected 33 people in the last two weeks.
The group charged that some of those facing trials have been targeted for their criticism of the Morsi government, including prominent blogger Alaa Abdel-Fattah and his sister Mona Seif, who advocate for the rights of protesters and detained activists. Both are facing trial in May for charges of burning the office of former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq.
Those who were affected by the recent charges also include politician and lawyer Hamdi el-Fakharany, who was arrested on March 26 and is facing charges of inciting violence. He was released after paying a hefty bail of more than $7,000.
Amnesty said el-Fakarany's complaints that he was beaten by pro-Morsi supporters in earlier protests were not investigated.
Some 13 people detained last week in Alexandria, including lawyers, and accused of insulting police officials, and attempting to break into a police station. They have since been released but investigations continue.
"We are seeing arrests and charges for literally nothing more than cracking a few jokes. This is a truly alarming sign of the government's increasing intolerance of any criticism whatsoever," said Ann Harrison, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa. "The government is seriously redoubling its efforts to stamp out freedom of expression."
The deputy chief prosecutor, Hassan Yassin, did not respond to a call seeking comment.
The Obama administration has expressed concern that Egypt may be backsliding in its transition to democracy. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that Washington has "real concerns about the direction Egypt appears to be moving in," adding that Egypt is at a "tipping point."
Amer denied that there was tension between Egypt and the United States.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-says-committed-freedom-expression-150548201.html
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Beekeepers and researchers nationally are reporting growing evidence that a powerful new class of pesticides may be killing off bumblebees. Now, research at the University of Pittsburgh points toward another potential cause: metal pollution from aluminum and nickel.
Published in the journal Environmental Pollution, the Pitt study finds that bumblebees are at risk of ingesting toxic amounts of metals like aluminum and nickel found in flowers growing in soil that has been contaminated by exhaust from vehicles, industrial machinery, and farming equipment. The Pitt study finds that bumblebees have the ability to taste?and later ignore?certain metals such as nickel, but can do so only after they visit a contaminated flower. Therefore, the insects are exposed to toxins before they even sense the presence of metals.
"Although many metals are required by living organisms in small amounts, they can be toxic to both plants and animals when found in moderate to high concentrations," said Tia-Lynn Ashman, principal investigator of the study and professor and associate chair in Pitt's Department of Biological Sciences in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. "Beyond leading to mortality, these metals can interfere with insect taste perception, agility, and working memory?all necessary attributes for busy bumblebee workers."
Ashman and George Meindl, coauthor of the study and a PhD candidate in Ashman's lab, studied bumblebee behavior using the Impatiens capensis, a North American flower that blooms in summer. Its flowers are large, producing a high volume of sugar-rich nectar each day?an ideal place for bumblebees to forage. The blooms were collected from the field each morning of the two-week study and were of a similar age, color, and size.
To determine whether nickel and aluminum in the flowers' nectar influenced bumblebee behavior, Ashman and Meindl used two groups of uncontaminated flowers, one group of flowers contaminated by nickel, and another contaminated by aluminum. When a bumblebee visited a flower in an array, the entire visitation was recorded as well as the time spent (in seconds) foraging on each individual flower. This included monitoring whether the bee moved from a contaminated to a noncontaminated flower, whether the bee moved to the same group it had just sampled, or whether the bee left the flower group without visiting other individual blooms. Following each observed visit, all flowers in the array were replaced with new flowers, to ensure accurate results.
"We found that the bees still visited those flowers contaminated by metal, indicating that they can't detect metal from afar," said Ashman. "However, once bumblebees arrive at flowers and sample the nectar, they are able to discriminate against certain metals."
In the study, the bees were able to taste, discriminate against, and leave flowers containing nickel. However, this was not the case for the aluminum-treated flowers, as the bees foraged on the contaminated flowers for time periods equal to those of the noncontaminated flowers.
"It's unclear why the bees didn't sense the aluminum," said Meindl. "However, past studies show that the concentrations of aluminum found throughout blooms tend to be higher than concentrations of nickel. This suggests that the bees may be more tolerant or immune to its presence."
These results also have implications for environmentally friendly efforts to decontaminate soil, in particular a method called phytoremediation?a promising approach that involves growing metal-accumulating plants on polluted soil to remove such contaminates. Ashman says this approach should be considered with caution because the bees observed in the study foraged on metal-rich flowers. She states that further research is needed to identify plants that are ecologically safe and won't pose threats to local animals that pollinate.
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University of Pittsburgh: http://www.pitt.edu
Thanks to University of Pittsburgh for this article.
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If you hadn't heard, South Korea's under a lot of pressure lately as a result of a spate of internet-based attacks against the country's banks and broadcasters on March 20th, which some worry (though can't confirm) was the result of a large-scale hacking campaign. The country won't simply stand idle and brace for another hit, according to the Yonhap News Agency. An unnamed senior official says that South Korea's Ministry of Defense is complementing its Cyber Command division with a policy group, not unlike its UK equivalent. The new group would coordinate online security across different military sections, refining a defensive cyberwarfare strategy and recruiting more people to bulk up the digital front lines. Provided the claim is accurate, the policy unit would ready before the first half of the year is over -- and likely not a moment too soon.
[Image credit: John Pavelka, Flickr]
Filed under: Networking, Internet
Via: The Next Web
Source: Yonhap News Agency
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The derogatory name for the bill refers to the biotech company, Monsanto, which opponents say lucked out with the measure's passage. Critics see it as a win for peddlers of genetically-modified foods and a danger to farmers and consumers alike.
It passed as part of the continuing resolution whisked through Congress earlier this month to avoid a government shutdown slated for March 27. Obama signed that bill on Tuesday, while many in Washington were preoccupied with the debate over same-sex marriage.
The section of the CR that groups are objecting to - section 735 - dealt with how questionable crops can be regulated. In the event that a seed is approved by the USDA but that approval is challenged by a court ruling, the seed can still be used and sold until the USDA says otherwise, according to that new law.
It does not mention genetically modified crops by name, and it does not stop the USDA from taking those crops off the market in the future.
"The language doesn't require USDA to approve biotech crops. It also doesn't prevent individuals from suing the government over a biotech crop approval," said a source from the office of Sen. Roy Blunt, ranking member on the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee.
Even so, a USDA spokesperson said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asked for a review of section 735, "as it appears to preempt judicial review of a deregulatory action, which may make the provision unenforceable."
Critics of the bill include members of the Senate.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., who replaced former Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, as chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released a statement Friday distancing herself from the agriculture appropriation.
"Sen. Mikulski understands the anger over this provision. She didn't put the language in the bill and doesn't support it either," the statement from her office said. "It was originally part of the Agriculture Appropriations bill that the House Appropriations Committee reported in June 2012, and it became part of the joint House-Senate agreement completed in the fall of 2012 before Sen. Mikulski became appropriations chairwoman."
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., proposed an amendment to take the rider out of the CR, but it never came to a vote. A statement from his office slammed the House of Representatives for "slipping 'corporate giveaways' into a must-pass government funding bill."
"Montanans elected me to the Senate to do away with shady backroom deals and to make government work better," Tester said in the statement sent out in mid-March, before the passage of the CR. "These provisions are giveaways worth millions of dollars to a handful of the biggest corporations in this country and deserve no place in this bill."
Blunt told Politico he worked with Monsanto in hammering out the details of the legislation.
"From a practical level, it shows the political muscle that Monsanto and the biotech industry have," Neil Hamilton, director of the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University, told ABC News Friday. "They're the ones that have the most to gain directly, in terms of it being their technologies."
So the big questions seem to be how far the power of the court should extend over the authority of the Department of Agriculture and whether a big corporation exercised undue influence in this legislative process. But some advocacy groups are moving the discussion into different territory.
Food Democracy Now!, an organic food advocacy campaign, is asking followers to sign a petition that links the rider and labeling of genetically-modified products.
The letter told the president that the signer is "outraged that Congress allowed Section 735, the Monsanto Protection Act in a short-term spending bill and passed it and that you have now signed it into law," and asked him to pass an executive order "to require the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods."
But the act in question applied to the planting and harvesting of crops, not how they are packaged.
Left-leaning activists are not the only ones possibly slanting the message on this act.
Julie Gunlock, of the pro-free-market think tank the Independent Women's Forum, framed the bill as good for "moms like me."
"If we're in a situation where farmers are forced to lose their crops, lose their entire harvests, that will raise prices. That ultimately harms me, the consumer, the mom," Gunlock said.
In the scenario Gunlock painted, regulations would automatically stop all farmers from using a seed once a federal court ruled that the USDA should not have approved it. But according to Colin O'Neil, director of government affairs at the Center for Food Safety, that was not the case before the new bill passed.
Before the passage of the CR, O'Neil said, farmers who had previously bought seeds that were under review could still plant and harvest them. Only those who had not already legally purchased those seeds would not be allowed to.
The bottom line for O'Neil was that when the CR expires in September, it's time to make sure the rule is properly vetted and, in the view of the Center for Food Safety, thrown out.
"We have called on Chairwoman Mikulski and the Senate leadership to make sure that this rider does not extend past the life of this bill," O'Neil said. "We're extremely disappointed that this rider was put into a must-pass bill, and we're disappointed that there was no floor time given to debate and potentially strike this amendment from the bill. However, we recognize that this was kind of a hostage style negotiations over this bill and that there were a number of policy riders that were included."
O'Neil said the Center for Food Safety is confident that Mikulski will "steer this ship in the right direction."
Also ReadSource: http://news.yahoo.com/law-spurs-controversy-debate-over-124409565.html
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Apr. 2, 2013 ? A paper published this month in the medical journal The Lancet Neurology suggests that a broad spectrum of developmental and psychiatric disorders, ranging from autism and intellectual disability to schizophrenia, should be conceptualized as different manifestations of a common underlying denominator, "developmental brain dysfunction," rather than completely independent conditions with distinct causes.
In "Developmental Brain Dysfunction: Revival and Expansion of Old Concepts Based on New Genetic Evidence," the authors make two key points:
? Developmental disorders (such as autism and intellectual disability) and psychiatric disorders (such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder), while considered clinically distinct, actually share many of the same underlying genetic causes. This is an example of "variable expressivity:" the same genetic variant results in different clinical signs and symptoms in different individuals. ? When quantitative measures of neuropsychological and neurobehavioral traits are studied instead of categorical diagnoses (which are either present or absent) and individuals are compared to their unaffected family members, it is possible to more accurately demonstrate the impact of genetic variants.
According to Andres Moreno De Luca, M.D., research scientist at the Autism and Developmental Medicine Institute at Geisinger Health System and article co-author, "Recent genetic studies conducted in thousands of individuals have shown that identical genetic mutations are shared among neurodevelopmental disorders that are thought to be clinically distinct. What we have seen over the past few years is that genetic mutations that were initially found in individuals with one disorder, such as intellectual disability or autism, are then identified in people with an apparently different condition like schizophrenia, epilepsy, or bipolar disorder."
"It turns out that the genes don't respect our diagnostic classification boundaries, but that really isn't surprising given the overlapping symptoms and frequent co-existence of neurodevelopmental disorders," said Scott M. Myers, M.D., autism specialist at Geisinger Health System and article co-author.
"We believe this study supports use of the term 'developmental brain dysfunction' or DBD, which would encompass the broad spectrum of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders," said David H. Ledbetter, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief scientific officer at Geisinger Health System, and article co-author. "Additionally, it is clear that diagnostic tools such as whole genome analysis for both children and their families are essential when diagnosing and treating these disorders in order to ensure the most personalized treatment."
An example used in the study was analysis of intelligence quotient (IQ) scores. The average IQ score in the general population is 100. Historically, the medical community has defined intellectual disability as an IQ of less than 70 (with concurrent deficits in adaptive functioning). But according to Dr. Ledbetter, there is little difference in the function of a child with an IQ of 69 versus 71, yet one may be diagnosed with a disability and the other may not.
"We know a variety of factors contribute to IQ score, including genetics, as a child's IQ is highly correlated with that of his or her parents and siblings. Therefore, an important factor to take into consideration when interpreting IQ is family background," said Dr. Ledbetter. "Imagine if we have a child with a genetic abnormality, but the child's IQ is 85. Technically, we would not diagnose this child with a disability. However, if the family of this child has IQs around 130, we could consider that this child's genetic anomaly has 'cost' him or her 45 IQ points -- a very substantial difference."
According to Dr. Myers, "One implication of this concept is that studies designed to investigate the causes and mechanisms of developmental brain dysfunction should focus on measurement of quantifiable neuropsychological and neurobehavioral traits across groups of individuals with different clinical diagnoses. Another is that whenever possible, individuals with a particular genetic variant or other risk factor should be compared to their unaffected family members, not just to population norms."
Other authors on the paper were Thomas Challman, M.D. of Geisinger; Daniel Moreno De Luca, M.D., of Yale University, New Haven, Conn.; and David Evans, Ph.D., of Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pa.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/p_nM1XEl6xs/130402182454.htm
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Louisville head coach Rick Pitino celebrates with Chane Behanan, left, and guard Russ Smith (2) after their 85-63 win over Duke in the Midwest Regional final in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 31, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Louisville head coach Rick Pitino celebrates with Chane Behanan, left, and guard Russ Smith (2) after their 85-63 win over Duke in the Midwest Regional final in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 31, 2013, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Louisville head coach Rick Pitino and trainers tend to injured guard Kevin Ware during the first half of the Midwest Regional final in the NCAA college basketball tournament against Duke, Sunday, March 31, 2013, in Indianapolis. Ware badly injured his lower right leg and had to be taken off the court on a stretcher. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Michigan celebrates after a regional final game against Florida in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 31, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. Michigan won 79-59 to advance to the Final Four. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Syracuse players and coaches celebrate for photographers after their 55-39 win over Marquette in the East Regional final in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Wichita State's Carl Hall celebrates after his team defeated Ohio State 70-66 in the West Regional final in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
ATLANTA (AP) ? After a season of uncertainty, there's a clear favorite heading to the Final Four.
The Louisville Cardinals.
While the other No. 1s have fallen by the wayside, the top overall seed romped to the Georgia Dome with four dominant wins in the NCAA tournament. And, if the Cardinals need any extra motivation, they've got it.
Sophomore guard Kevin Ware, who played his high school ball in the Atlanta suburbs, sustained a gruesome injury in Sunday's regional final against Duke. Before he headed off to surgery, he courageously urged his teammates to finish the job.
Now, they would like nothing more than to win it all for Ware.
"We talked about it every timeout, 'Get Kevin home,'" coach Rick Pitino said.
Next stop, the A-T-L, where three rather unlikely teams will be looking to knock off the mighty Cardinals.
First up, the surprising Shockers from Wichita State in the semifinals Saturday. The No. 9 seed has already pulled off two major upsets, but this would be the biggest stunner yet.
If Louisville makes it through to next Monday night's title game, the opponent would be either Michigan, sporting a new group of Fab Wolverines, or Syracuse, which comes at you with the stingiest zone defense in college basketball. The two No. 4 seeds will meet in the other semifinal game.
All are underdogs to the Cardinals, who are winning by an average of nearly 22 points a game in the tournament.
"I thought we had a chance there, and then boom," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who watched Louisville pull away for an 85-63 victory in the Midwest Regional final. "That's what they do to teams. They can boom you."
In the other game Sunday, Michigan captured the South Regional with a 79-59 rout of Florida, leading from the opening tip. A day earlier, Syracuse shut down Marquette 55-39 to win the East Regional, while Wichita State punched its Final Four ticket with a 70-66 upset of Ohio State out West.
In the final year of the Big East before it splits into two new conferences, Louisville and Syracuse provided a fitting send-off to a league that quickly became a basketball powerhouse after it was founded in 1979.
Before it goes, this version of the Big East has a shot at one more national title.
With two teams, no less.
The Cardinals ? who, like Syracuse, are moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference ? shook off the incredible shock of Ware's injury with about 6? minutes to go before halftime and blew out the second-seeded Blue Devils. The sophomore snapped his lower right leg after coming down awkwardly while defending a 3-point shot. The injury occurred right in front of the Louisville bench, where the players gasped and turned away quickly at the sight of Ware's dangling leg, which was broken in two places.
Russ Smith collapsed onto the floor, along with several players, and was crying as doctors attended to Ware. While Ware was loaded onto a stretcher, the Cardinals gathered at midcourt until Pitino called them over, saying the injured player wanted to talk to them before he left.
"All he kept saying ? and remember, the bone is 6 inches out of his leg ? all he's yelling is, 'Win the game! Win the game!'" Pitino said. "I've never seen that in my life. We're all distraught and all he's saying is, 'Win the game.' Kevin is a special young man."
This is a special team. Smith scored 23 points. Gorgui Dieng had 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
The Cardinals (33-5) simply refused to lose, breaking open a game that was tied at 42. They dove on the floor for loose balls. They pounded the boards ferociously. They contested every shot and swarmed around the Blue Devils like they had an extra player on the court.
In a sense, they did, as Pitino reminded them during every timeout.
"This is a gritty bunch," the coach said. "From the beginning of the year to now, they've not had a bad game. I'm really proud of these guys."
Wichita State was the most improbable team to advance. The Shockers lived up to their nickname in the West, knocking off top-seeded Gonzaga in the second round and No. 2 seed Ohio State in the regional final Saturday night.
Wichita State (30-8) built a 20-point lead on the Buckeyes, then managed to hang on through a nerve-racking final five minutes to pull off the latest upset in a tournament filled with them.
That other team from Kansas isn't content yet.
"It feels very good," said Cleanthony Early, a junior forward who, like most of his teammates, was passed over by higher-profile programs, "but we understand the fact that we've got to stay hungry and humble, because we've got two more games left to really be excited about."
Old-timers might remember Louisville and Wichita State as former conference rivals. The Cardinals were a member of the Missouri Valley Conference in the 1960s and '70s, which meant annual games against the Shockers.
Louisville holds a 19-5 edge in the series, but the teams haven't played since 1976.
Michigan (30-7) is headed back to the Final Four for the first time since the Fab Five era of the early 1990s, when the Wolverines lost in back-to-back national title games.
This team has the same youthful feel, led by sophomore Trey Burke, the Big Ten player of the year, and three freshmen starters. They were downright fabulous against third-seeded Florida, never seriously threatened after scoring the first 13 points.
"A lot of guys said we were really young and that we couldn't get here," said Burke, who scored 15 points against Florida but really came through in an improbable comeback against top-seeded Kansas in the regional semifinals. "We're here now and we still have unfinished business."
One of the freshmen, Nik Stauskas, hit all six of his 3-pointers and scored 22 points to lead the Wolverines. Another of the youngsters, 6-foot-10 Mitch McGary, chipped in with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Florida became the first team to lose three straight regional finals.
The Wolverines will have their work cut out against Syracuse (30-9), a team that has totally stuffed its NCAA opponents with a stifling zone defense. The Orange are headed to their first Final Four since winning it all in 2003 largely because they have allowed fewer than 46 points a game in the tournament.
Syracuse leads the series against Michigan 8-5. Their last meeting was Nov. 26, 2010, when the Orange prevailed 53-50 in the Legends Classic at Atlantic City, N.J.
The schools have never met in the NCAA tournament.
Syracuse has been like an octopus when it settles in around the its own lane ? shutting off passing routes, preventing anyone from penetrating, yet still managing to defend the 3-point line with quickness and long arms. Montana, California, top-seeded Indiana and Marquette combined to make just under 29 percent from the field (61 of 211) and a paltry 15.4 percent (14 of 91) outside the arc.
"We were as active these two games here in Washington as we've ever been," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said after Saturday's win over league rival Marquette, which is headed to a new version of the Big East next season. "I just really can't say enough about how good these guys played on the defensive end of the court."
___
Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963
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Civil Police via AFP / Getty Images
Mugshots released by Brazil's Civil Police showing Jonathan Froudakis de Souza, 20, left, and Wallace Aparecido Silva, 22, who allegedly raped an American tourist in a minibus in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.
By Jenny Barchfield, The Associated Press
An American woman was gang raped and beaten aboard a public transport van while her French boyfriend was shackled, hit with a crowbar and forced to watch the attacks after the pair boarded the vehicle in Rio de Janeiro's showcase Copacabana beach neighborhood, police said.
A third man, aged 21, was arrested for the attacks, which took place over six hours starting shortly after midnight on Saturday, police said in a Tuesday statement. Two men aged 20 and 22 had already been taken into custody for the attacks, police said, and a young Brazilian woman has come forward to say that she, too, was raped by the same men in the van on March 23.
"The victims described everything in great detail, mostly the sexual violence," police officer Rodrigo Brant told the Globo TV network. "Just how they described the facts was shocking ? the violence and brutality. It surprised even us, who work in security and are used to hearing such things. Their report shocked us."
The incidents raise new questions about security in Rio, which has cracked down on once-endemic drug violence in preparation for hosting next year's football World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic games. The city will also be playing host to World Youth Day, a Roman Catholic pilgrimage that will be attended by Pope Francis and is expected to draw some 2 million people in late July.
Officials from the local Olympic and World Cup organizing committees didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Police have two men under arrest and are looking for a third suspected of raping a foreign tourist on a minibus in Rio de Janeiro. NBCNew.com's Dara Brown reports.
The attack also drew comparisons with the fatal December beating and gang rape of a young woman on a New Delhi bus. Six men beset a 23-year-old university student and male friend after they boarded a private bus, touching off a wave of protests across India demanding stronger protection for women. Officials there say tourism has dropped in the country following the attacks.
In the Brazil case, a police statement said the suspects forced other passengers to get out of the van and then raped the female tourist inside the vehicle, which was one of a fleet of vans that serve bus routes and seat about a dozen people.
Such van services are often linked to organized crime in Rio, particularly the militias largely composed of former police and firemen that control large swaths of the city's slums and run clandestine services such as transportation and sell cooking fuel and illegal cable TV hookups. In general, tourists avoid the vans and opt for regular buses or taxis.
Sexual assaults on tourists are not common in Rio, with muggings and petty crime reported more frequently.
During the assault, the two foreigners were driven to the poor neighborhood of Sao Goncalo, where the two suspects were apprehended, a police statement said.
Reports said the two foreigners had been studying Portuguese in Rio for about a month and both left Brazil following the attack.
The police statement said that one victim's cellphone was found in the suspects' possession. The suspects had also used a debit card belonging to one of the victims at two gas stations, it said.
The Globo television network broadcast surveillance camera images of two men filling up the white van and showed police images of a crowbar the suspects used to beat and intimidate the victims. The victims positively identified the two suspects.
In an interview with Globo television, commanding officer Alexandre Braga, who heads the Rio police unit specializing in crimes against tourists, said the suspects had gone on a sex crime spree.
"The characteristics of both crimes, both the Brazilian case and the one with the foreigners, lead us to believe that they [the suspects] wanted to have a 'party of evil,' in quotes," Braga said. "The principal motive appears to have been the satisfaction of their lust."
He added that the robbery and other crimes appear to have been "secondary."
Multiple calls to police seeking further details on Tuesday were not immediately returned.
In Brazil, more than 5,300 cases of sexual assault were reported between January and June 2012, according to the country's Health Ministry.
Related:
Female tourists shun India after gang-rape, murder
Six arrested in India for gang-rape of Swiss tourist
This story was originally published on Mon Apr 1, 2013 5:26 PM EDT
? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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I was only 16 when I realised that I was a lesbian, when a lot of the relationships that I had with guys failed, just because I felt that something was wrong with me.
My lesbian love story started when I was in high school. I met a strange girl in 2010 and we became friends. She also supported me through a difficult period of my life. A year after, we understood that we were in love with each other so we started dating. After a year of a beautiful relationship, one of my girlfriend?s relatives found out about our ?wrong? relationship, went to my house and told all the information he knew about us to my parents, plus he added a lot of lies about me, saying that I?m a whore, that I lured my girlfriend to lesbianism and more. My parents were so upset with me because I did not tell them absolutely anything and they supported my girlfriend?s family.
As a result, it was forbidden for us to meet, or have any contact ever again, or her relatives would harm my family. That was their last threat. My girlfriend?s mother changed her school, phone number and house, just because she wanted to keep her daughter away from me. My parents did not accept me the way I was, as I never came out to them, so I lost their trust too. I was so upset that I cried almost every moment of the day. All of my friends had abandoned me as they didn?t want to be involved with me and my problems. The only person who stayed with me was our common best friend who was supporting both of us and I?m still so thankful for her!
After all this hell that we?ve passed through, I decided to start my life again without her. I started having love partners just to forget her. That was the most stupid thing that I?ve done in my life, as I started drinking and I regret about it nowadays. I did not understand that I would never forget her. My feelings for her were growing every day more and more and I could not live a minute without thinking about her.
A few months after our breakup, I went to find her when I got the chance to do so. She was shocked when she saw me and asked me the reason of my coming, as I replied to her, ?I just wanted to see that you?re alright.? Then her eyes were filled with tears, but our conversation continued to be cold and strict. From that day, we started secretly talking again and I was over the moon!
Two months later, we connected our lives again and from that day we started dating again. We promised to each other to be careful not to be discovered until we finish high school and from that day we never cared about what people said about us. My parents have accepted me for who I am and realised that I am happy with this person. As for her mother, I don?t think that she?ll ever accept our relationship, which breaks my girlfriend?s heart but we have chosen this difficult path by ourselves, so we have to face the difficulties of the society we are living in. Plans for the future and the wish to move to a European country is the only hope that we can have for a better life.
Source: http://www.imfromdriftwood.com/im-from-nicosia-cyprus/
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James Holmes sits with defense attorney Tamara Brady during his arraignment on March 12. (AP)
DENVER ? James Holmes, the man accused of shooting 70 people, killing 12, during a midnight attack at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater last summer, will likely learn Monday whether he?ll face execution if convicted.
Prosecutors from the Arapahoe County District Attorney?s office plan to announce in a 9 a.m. MT hearing if they?ll seek the death penalty, should the case go to trial. Monday?s decision follows last week?s legal theatrics in which Holmes? defense team said it would enter a guilty plea if the district attorney settled on a life-in-prison sentence.
?It is Mr. Holmes? position that this case could be resolved on April 1,? his public defenders announced last Wednesday in court filings posted online by the Denver Post. ?Mr. Holmes made an offer to the prosecution to resolve this case by pleading guilty and spending the rest of his life in prison, without any opportunity for parole.?
Not only did prosecutors decline the guilty offer?first made prior to Holmes? March 12 arraignment?but they also lambasted the defense for making it public.
In a 13-page rebuttal to the defense, the prosecution dubbed the public announcement ?grossly improper? and ?a calculated attempt to improperly inject? the plea in front of the Aurora community and the world. The prosecution also accused the Colorado public defenders office of violating the court?s order on pretrial publicity.
Because of the defense?s public plea, ?[t]he only conclusion that [people] would reach ... is that the defendant knows that he is guilty, the defense attorneys know that he is guilty, and that both of them know that he was not criminally insane,? the prosecution?s filing said.
Judge William Sylvester has scheduled the trial for four weeks starting Aug. 5. But the defense said that if the prosecution doesn?t accept the guilty plea, the trial could last months and could be delayed by multiple pretrial motions. At the March arraignment, defense attorney Daniel King said a trial without the specter of the death penalty could take as little as three weeks. But if execution is sought, King said they?d mount a vigorous defense based on an insanity strategy.
A mental health defense would be central to Holmes? case, his attorneys have implied repeatedly. Nearly all courtroom argument so far has revolved around his mental state, with the prosecution alleging that Holmes carefully crafted a ?detailed and complex? scheme to commit mass murder?with his sanity fully intact.
At the arraignment, King told Sylvester that Holmes wasn?t ready to enter a plea because the defense didn?t know whether the prosecution wanted to pursue the death penalty. The judge then entered a not-guilty plea on Holmes? behalf, as allowed by law.
Also at Monday?s hearing, Jana Winter, a Fox News reporter, is expected to testify about conversations she had with sources who gave her information for a story she wrote a few days after the July 20, 2012, theater massacre. Her article included details about an unopened package that Holmes mailed to the University of Colorado at Denver. Winter, quoting unnamed law enforcement officials, reported that Holmes sent his former school psychiatrist a notebook containing drawings that foreshadowed the attack. Because of a court gag order, those law enforcement sources were prevented from talking to the media.
Holmes? attorneys have argued that by divulging details to Winter, the two anonymous sources damaged the defendant?s right to a fair trial. Winter, through her attorney, has made multiple attempts to avoid appearing in court. The judge has denied her motions.
Holmes, 25, was a former neuroscience student at CU-Denver before the massacre at the premiere of ?The Dark Knight Rises,? the latest Batman movie. Police arrested Holmes, who was wearing body armor and had weapons close by, behind the theater shortly after the shootings. Police say he also booby-trapped his nearby Aurora apartment with explosives to injure or kill anyone who entered. He faces multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/death-penalty-decision-expected-james-holmes-case-113742034.html
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