U.S. Army Private First Class Bradley Manning enters the courtroom for day four of his court martial at Fort Meade, Maryland June 10, 2013.
Bradley Manning, who orchestrated?the largest leak of classified information in U.S. history, has been acquitted of the most serious charge of aiding the enemy, which carried a possible sentence of life imprisonment.
Military judge Col. Denise Lind convicted Manning of 19 other charges, including seven counts of violating the espionage act.?
In all, Manning faces a maximum sentence of?136 years?in prison.?
Journalist Alexa O'Brien, who detailed each count, is listing the 22 specific counts and the verdicts*.
Manning previously pleaded guilty to 10 of the lesser offenses and faced up to 20 years.
Sentencing will commence tomorrow?at 9:30 a.m., according to The Washington Post.
"The government is saying, keep your reservations and morals to yourself or end up like Bradley," Robert Caruso, a former assistant command security manager in the Navy and consultant, told Business Insider. "The government is coming down hard on leakers."
Manning, who served as a junior intelligence analyst in Iraq in 2009 and 2010, gave 700,000 military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks to "spark a domestic debate on the role of our military and foreign policy in general."
The documents included?videos of airstrikes that killed civilians, a trove of front-line incident reports from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, dossiers on Guant?namo Bay detainees, and about 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables.
The disclosures led to some troubling?revelations about U.S. actions, and journalists subsequently?wrote stories based on the information.
*Here's a breakdown of the charges:
'Aiding the enemy'
Prosecutors painted Manning as an anarchist traitor who recklessly leaked classified information with "a general evil intent," arguing that Manning knew the classified material would be seen by the terrorist group al-Qaida via the Internet.
The government previously stated that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden obtained copies of some documents published by WikiLeaks before he was killed by U.S. special forces in 2011.
Defense attorney David Coombs argued that all modern cases regarding aiding the enemy involved military members who gave the enemy information directly.
Some experts, including Harvard Law Professor Yochai Benkler, argued that the aiding the enemy charge in Manning's case "will cast a long shadow on national security journalists and their sources."
That's because the prosecution said that it would have made the same case if Manning had leaked the documents to The New York Times, Washington Post, or Wall Street Journal.
Here's how Benkler broke it down:
The source gives materials to the journalist; the journalist publishes; the enemy reads the publication and, presto, the source is guilty of the offense of "aiding the enemy".
Manning's experience
The native of Crescent, Oklahoma has been held in military prison for 1,160 days after being arrested in Kuwait on May 26, 2010.
Last month Coombs described Manning as a ??young, naive, but good-intentioned?? soldier whose struggle to fit in as a gay man in the military made him feel he ??needed to do something to make a difference in this world.??
From July 2010 to April 2011 he was held as a maximum custody detainee?at Quantico marine base in Virginia, where he sat in a fluorescent-lit 6-by-8-foot cell with no window or natural light for 23 hours per day ? guards checked on him every five minutes ? and was stripped naked at night because authorities deemed the elastic on his underwear could be used to harm himself.
In response to Manning's pre-trial confinement, more than 250 of the most eminent U.S. legal scholars sent a letter to President Obama in protest of Manning's treatment; UN special rapporteur on torture Juan Ernesto Mendez called it "cruel, inhuman and degrading"; and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's chief spokesman, P.J. Crowley, resigned after he publicly denounced the treatment as "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid."
In January?Lind ruled?that any sentence should be reduced by 112 days because of his mistreatment in confinement.
Editor's note: Coincidentally, the U.S. Constitutional Congress enacted the?very first whistleblower protection law on July 30, 1778.
Eat, drink and enjoy the flavors of Mexico with a new culinary program at Esperanza Resort.
Esperanza, a Cabo San Lucas hotel and spa, has kicked off a hands-on Food of Place program reflecting the flavors and culture of Baja. Guests will learn cooking and cocktail-making skills in a variety of classes that will include wine and tequila tastings and special dinners hosted by guest chefs.
The lineup includes:
A margarita-making class, taught by Esperanza?s head bartender. The free class is available daily.
A ceviche preparation class, taught by Gonzalo Cerda, the resort?s executive chef, which teaches guests about ocean life found in the Sea of Cortez while they learn to prepare an indigenous ?chocolata? clam ceviche. ($115 per person; available Thursdays).
A seafood paella cooking class offered by Cerda will feature an assortment of local seafood. (Complimentary; available daily).
Mexican-style clambakes take place on the resort?s private beach, featuring Pacific clams, chocolata clams, black mussels and scallops accented with chorizo. ($135 per person; reservation required.)
Tequila takes center stage twice weekly when Esperanza?s master tequilero leads a class delving into the origins of tequila. ($65 per person; available Tuesdays and Saturdays).
Special dinners will be offered Oct. 25 and 26 at Cocina del Mar oceanfront restaurant featuring Chef Margarita Carrillo, who specializes in local Mexican food culture. (Complimentary).
Champagne will be the beverage of choice Nov. 15 and 16 during a special weekend featuring small plates, bubbly and cocktails at the Lounge followed by dinner at Cocina del Mar, which will showcase Louis Roederer?s Champagne portfolio. (Complimentary).
Esperanza, a 57-room resort and spa, is set on bluffs overlooking two coves at Punta Ballena near Cabo San Lucas. Rates start at $695, double occupancy.
TAVARES, Fla. (AP) ? Tavares Fire Chief Richard Keith says officials don't suspect sabotage caused a series of explosions that rocked a propane gas plant in central Florida.
The explosions started around 10:30 p.m. Monday at the Blue Rhinopropane plant.
All the workers at the plant were accounted for early Tuesday after officials initially couldn't account for more than a dozen employees.
John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff's Office says eight people were injured in the explosions. At least three of the victims are in critical condition. Some victims were taken to an Orlando hospital and another was taken to a burn unit in Gainesville.
Workers at the plant fill propane tanks for barbeques and other uses. There were about 53,000 tanks at the plant Monday night.
NEW YORK (AP) ? Facebook's stock came within pennies of its $38 IPO price for the first time since its rocky initial public offering more than a year ago.
Shares of Facebook Inc. rose $2.18, or 6.2 percent, to close at $37.61 on Tuesday. The stock hit $37.96 in afternoon trading.
The world's biggest online social network has been on a roll since it reported stronger-than-expected earnings on July 24. Investors are especially upbeat about its fast-growing mobile advertising revenue.
Facebook's ability to grow mobile revenue was one of the biggest concerns in the weeks leading up to its IPO last year. Investors were worried that its ad business was not moving to mobile gadgets as quickly as its user base.
Facebook now derives 41 percent of its ad revenue from mobile advertising.
Source: www.towleroad.com --- Wednesday, July 31, 2013 Many LGBT rights advocates considered the Pope's recent message of tolerance towards gay priests and Christians to be quite revolutionary, despite what some have argued to the contrary. However, according to historian John Boswell and his seminal book Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe , the Christian Church has already performed same-sex unions. Granted, it was some centuries ago during the Dark Ages. Nevertheless, io9 reports that : "There were dozens of records of Church ceremonies where two men were joined in unions that used the same rituals as heterosexual marriages. (He found almost no records of lesbian unions, which is probably an artifact of a culture which kept more records about the lives of men generally.)" The Catholic historian's book was published in 1994, shortly before his death from AIDS. As io9 noted, "given the Church's present-day views on gay marriage, these detractors argued, Boswell's history seemed like wishful thinking." Now, the book is being re-released as an e-book, and finding itself in the spotlight once again. It chronicles much of Boswell's research the he conducted throughout the 1970's and 80's, sifting through legal and Church records from throughout the late Roman Empire and Early Christian Church. So why doesn't the Church recognize same-sex unions anymore? Any why are the documents chronicling these same-sex unions just now surfacing centuries later? "One easy answer is that ? as Boswell a ...
DANIEL ?BOOBIE? GIBSON DEFENDS WIFE, FACES SECOND-DEGREE BATTERY CHARGES.By Mass Appeal News
NEW ORLEANS ? A loud-mouth heckler learned first hand that if you mess with Boobie?s wife, you?ll get your ass kicked. NBA point guard Daniel ?Boobie? Gibson turned himself in to New Orleans police on Monday after he got involved in an altercation during the Essence Music Festival earlier this month. He was released on $20,000 bond. Gibson, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, reportedly broke a man?s jaw with a punch following an argument at a nightclub on July 8. He?s currently without a team. Gibson told reporters from TMZ he was merely defending his wife Keyshia Cole?s honor after a heckling fan disrespected her in a ?profane way.? He said their ?safety was threatened? so he ?needed to take action.? Keyshia performed at the festival on July 6.
?It was toward the end of the night,? Gibson said. ?We encountered a couple of people and I don?t know what their motives or intentions were but they came off the wrong way. This guy got real aggressive toward my wife and myself and I did what I felt was necessary to handle the situation.?
Gibson claims he did nothing wrong before adding, ?I have nothing to be ashamed of or hide.? He faces charges of second degree battery. Stay tuned to Mass Appeal for more on this story.
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We?re a pretty tech savvy family.
My husband relies on technology to get work done from home after dinner and bedtimes (rather than staying late at the office),and I?m a blogger with various social media accounts.
We own two iPads, iPhones, Kindles, several laptops, and a desktop.
All of that being said, we only recently started letting Henry play games/apps online. ?In fact, I had to first give him a lesson in how to use a computer mouse because at almost 6 years old, he genuinely had no idea how to work the thing.
I?ve been holding off on online games and video games as best I can. ?We allow the occasional app on the iPad, but even that?s pretty rare. ?Like, maybe once a week or so.
I?m not anti-video games.
I grew up in the 80?s. ?I logged a ridiculous number of hours on my boxy Nintendo racing Princess Toadstool around imaginary worlds, jumping on DuckTurtle things, and trying to catch flashing stars of invincibility.
So I get it. ?I do.
Every summer, at Clearlake, we hold Super Mario Bros. 3 tournaments, and Henry was allowed to play for the first time ever. ?It was fun getting to share something from our childhood with our own kids.
But as a mom, here?s why I?m still holding gaming at arm?s length:
It?s just another thing to manage.
?Ten more minutes!? ??Not until you get your chores done!? ??Put it away, that?s been long enough.? ??No, not now. ?You?ve already played today.?
I feel like a bulk of my day is spent saying no, negotiating, and managing. ?Sweets, snacks, TV time. ?I just really can?t stomach the idea of yet another thing to keep track of. ?Another thing to be the bad guy about. ?Another thing to argue and whine and?ugh. ?Because even when gaming is finally allowed, you better believe it won?t be a free-for-all hours on end. ?And then there?s the games?having to keep track of what is appropriate for our home?it?s just a lot.
But Henry?s getting older. ?Friends at school are playing games, and while I am happy to not follow the crowd, I do believe it?s important to have some cultural relevancy. ?(Some of you disagree, and that?s okay.)
Plus, we are finding that Jill may benefit from educational games/apps. ?Holding a pencil may be hard for her?sounding out words difficult?but pointing on a screen is within her abilities and might prove a Godsend for some of her special needs and even her ability to effectively communicate with us.
We?ve dipped our toes into the gaming world by buying Henry an old Leapster 2 from a friend. ?He has no idea it?s like 10 years old, and the technology is obsolete, so don?t tell him, okay? ?Now that he isn?t napping, but the rest of the kids do, it gives him a special activity to do during Quiet Time.
While I don?t automatically give something the green light simply because the packaging screams ?Educational!? , I thought that if I was going to let him play games, he might as well be getting something out of it while he?s blowing up Storm Troopers or whatever it is.
Plus, all of the games offered are pretty much appropriate. ?There are no bloody zombies wandering around teaching ABCs, no realistic war games reinforcing addition and subtraction. ?It?s all pretty cartoony and kid friendly. ?I like that it keeps me from having to micro manage too deeply.
So now we?re starting to think about something like this for Jill. ?She wouldn?t be able to control the characters with a handheld system like this, but a tablet would work perfectly, and we all know how much girl loves her Tag Reader.
That being said, the idea of buying a $500+ tablet for a four year old is probably not within my comfort level. ?For a ?lot of reasons.
When I heard about the LeapPad Ultra, I was intrigued. ?It?s kid friendly, cost effective, and keeps me from having to worry too much about inappropriate content. ?Plus, it?s a lot less delicate for the inevitable dropping that will happen.
Another cool feature is that you can set it up for several kids?so Jill could have her own screen/apps of easier games and Lucy and Henry could have harder/more advanced games without there being confusion and frustration of choosing a game outside of each child?s abilities. ?And it also has wi-fi that will only connect to kid-safe websites?I?m not sure how that works exactly, but for Henry, that?s a pretty cool feature for homeschool days when we want to look into more detailed stuff and when I want to keep him occupied, yet still doing something ?schoolish? while I?m showering or loading the dishwasher or whatever.
Funny thing is, while researching the device for this sponsored post, I pretty much sold myself. ?It really does seem like a good tool primarily for Jill, but also for the others when she?s not using it. ?Although LeapFrog is compensating me for this post, I am not provided with a LeapPad Ultra, so I am genuinely considering it?maybe a joint/multi family member Christmas gift?
If you are interested in the LeapPad Ultra, they are offering pre-orders through Wednesday?and have actually SOLD OUT on the Leap Frog site?but you can go there to find more participating retailers.
How do you manage the topic of gaming and computer time in your home? ?What age did you allow games? ?Any tips on how to make it easier to manage? ?Do your kids own their own tablet? ?Do you ahve a child with special needs that benefits from a tablet device? ?Help!
?
? I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
I'm a mom to four. A wife to one. I believe in story. I love telling you about mine and would love to hear yours. There's really no sense in wasting our suffering and not sharing in each other's joy. We're all in this together...even if it doesn't always feel like it.
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Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you've come to the right place. Our sister site gdgt tracks price drops on thousands of products every day, and twice a week they feature some of the best deals they've found right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won't last long.
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Richard Sherman and the Seahawks limited opponents to a league-best 15.3 ppg last season.
Elaine Thompson/AP
Defense/special teams is the one position in fantasy football where scoring rules vary greatly from league to league. A point per reception might alter your strategy at receiver and running back by a round or two. A league that rewards points for shutouts and has bonuses or penalties for points and yards against can make a defense the difference between winning and losing each week.
FANTASY FOOTBALL 2013 DRAFT PREVIEW: Quarterbacks | Wide receivers | Running backs | Tight Ends | Kickers
Studying the nuances of your league's scoring system can be a great way to gain an edge on your competition -- particularly as it impacts your defense/special teams position.
We break down the position to depths you might have never imagined before:
D/ST strategies
1. Get a set-it-and-forget-it unit. There aren't many defenses that are immune to matchups, but if your league rewards big points to D/STs (some leagues penalize for points and yards against), you'll want to be one of the first owners to draft a defense. You don't want to burn two roster spots on defenses and you definitely don't want to subject an elite fantasy defense to waivers in weeks it faces an elite quarterback such as Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees or Peyton Manning. This means you will want to draft a defense late in Round 7 or early in Round 8. That should net a defense good enough to set and forget in all weeks excluding the bye.
2. Go with a defensive-minded team. A handful of teams in the NFL approach this pass-happy era a bit differently, believing games are still won on defense. These teams might not be elite fantasy defenses -- because defensive scoring is often tied to freak circumstances like defensive touchdowns -- but they won't post a terrible week, either, because they tend to keep scores low on defense and call plays conservatively on offense. If you don't like going early with the Seahawks or 49ers, you can find a sleeper from the likes of the Steelers, Ravens or Jets.
3. Go with a contender. If you like to wait on picking a defensive unit until a few have already been drafted, you'll need to be more clever in how you select one. The defensive stalwarts, sack machines and turnover machines are going to be gone. In that case, ignore the quality of the defense and take a contending team's unit. No matter the talent on the unit, contending teams win games and their defenses tend to benefit. Teams that win a lot get big leads, and when they do, their defenses can get after the quarterback. That leads to turnovers, scores and blowouts. The Patriots were one of those units a year ago. Despite ranking 25th in the NFL in total defense (29th against the pass), they scored points in fantasy. Other teams that fit this strategy include the Texans, Packers, Broncos and Falcons. None of these options are great defenses on their own, but those teams can score fantasy points even when they're locked into shootouts with a top quarterback.
4. Take a shot on a great returner. This is a bit of an overrated strategy because special teams touchdowns are generally rare and cannot be relied upon year to year. If a team has an elite return man, smart opponents won't kick to him. They will surrender the field position and take their chances on defense instead of trying to contain an explosive return threat (see: Devin Hester, Chicago Bears). But some scoring systems rely heavily on return yardage in addition to scores, which places a premium on the league's elite special teams, such as the Cardinals (Patrick Peterson), Ravens (Jacoby Jones), Packers (Randall Cobb), Browns (Travis Benjamin), Bills (Leodis McKelvin) and Raiders (Josh Cribbs). The latter three teams are dangerous in most leagues, but important in return-yardage ones -- or as bye-week replacements.
5. Pick one late and play matchups. If you don't get a defense from the first couple of tiers, the best strategy might be to punt the position until the very late rounds, perhaps not picking one until right before a kicker. At that point, whatever defense you decide on probably won't be starting on a regular basis anyway. And since you shouldn't burn roster spots on multiple defensive options for matchups, you should use your waiver wire as your bench at this position. This will require starting Week 1 with matchup plays, fringe defenses have the most favorable first matchups: Patriots (at Buffalo), Steelers (versus Tennessee), Colts (vs. Oakland), Rams (versus Arizona), Chiefs (at Jacksonville) and Dolphins (at Cleveland). Meanwhile, popular defensive units like the Niners (vs. Green Bay), Atlanta (at New Orleans), Ravens (at Denver) and Broncos (vs. Baltimore) have tough Week 1 matchups.
6. Pick one with a late bye week. In formats that award points only for sacks, turnovers and touchdowns -- no bonuses for shutouts or penalties for points or yards allowed -- you won't want to select a defense until very late. You also might not want to burn waiver priority or pickups (some leagues limit them) on playing the matchups with your defense. In that event, get a unit with a late bye week like the Seahawks (Week 12), Bengals (Week 12), Patriots (Week 10), Rams (Week 11), Jets (Week 10), Cowboys (Week 11), Browns (Week 10) or the Chiefs (Week 10). By that time, a lot of fantasy teams will be settled on their defensive unit, so subjecting these defenses to the waiver wire could be less costly. Again, you don't want to burn precious fantasy roster spots on the limited potential of a defense.
D/ST notables
Most drafts are unique, but we take a shot at predicting some of the likely trends at the position:
Reach: Denver Broncos. The Broncos were the No. 1 fantasy unit a year ago in some scoring systems (if it wasn't the Bears), but there are myriad reasons to expect a decline. Champ Bailey is old (35), pass rusher Elvis Dumervil is in Baltimore and Von Miller is facing a four-game suspension, pending appeal. Also, you cannot expect a defense to register six touchdowns (plus two special teams return scores). The Chiefs and Chargers should be improved this year, too, making the Broncos' first-place schedule tougher within the division. Pick the Broncos among the top five, but don't consider them in the class of the elite two.
Steal: Pittsburgh Steelers. If you follow the premise that defensive scores are more fortunate accidents than truly earned, consider the aging Steelers defense one of the elite options. They didn't score among the best last year because they only managed one touchdown, 20 turnovers and 37 sacks. But they were still the No. 1 defense in terms of yardage against (No. 1 against the pass and No. 2 against the run). The bet here is the Steelers get after the quarterback more effectively and "luck" into more turnovers -- especially if Troy Polamalu proves healthier than he has been in years. This should still be considered a top-notch starting fantasy defense.
Injury-risk: New York Giants. The Giants have dealt with myriad defensive injuries in the Tom Coughlin era. They allowed oft-injured pass-rush specialist Osi Umenyiora to go to the Falcons. His replacement, Mathias Kiwanuka, has spent years playing linebacker and those same years dealing with injury. Justin Tuck has a chronic neck issue. And Jason Pierre-Paul is coming off back surgery that will impact the start of his season. That is just the front four in the 4-3. Terrell Thomas is coming off multiple knee reconstructions, too. The Giants have talent and can be better than they were a year ago, but picking their D/ST requires taking on a lot of injury risk.
Top rookie: New York Jets. Hate this disastrous franchise all you want, but the Jets can still put together a pretty good defense. And they will do it without Darrelle Revis. The Jets picked replacement cornerback Dee Milliner at ninth overall and then came back with defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson at 14th. We give the Jets the edge in rookies over the Vikings (DT Sharrif Floyd and CB Xavier Rhodes) and the Rams (LB Alec Ogletree and FS T.J. McDonald). There are many teams that added potentially outstanding individuals in the draft, but those units improved the most as a whole -- with the Jets leading the pack on the fantasy front.
Explaining our D/ST tiers
1. Immovable objects. Only two units in standard leagues cab be trusted regardless of the matchup this year. Use the Saints and Packers as the litmus test. Would you start this defense against Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers on the road? There are the only two you should say yes to in that situation.
2. Consolation prizes. This next quartet won't be great plays in all weeks, but they will prove consistent in most weeks. If you don't want to worry each week about your defensive unit, you will want to get one of the top six.
3. Starter-worthy. Debate the order and composition of these next six, which means you probably shouldn't be picking one of them until the latter rounds. But know that there is not much to choose between the unit after those top six.
4. Draftable backups.Generally you don't want to have to suck up more than one roster spot with defensive units, but if one of these talented four are on the board in the last couple of rounds they would make a more functional flier than a backup tight end or a sixth running back or receiver.
5. Waiver fodder. There won't be many great weeks with these sometimes-suspect units, but they will have weeks where they project to perform better than your starting unit. Don't draft them in standard leagues necessarily, but watch their schedules for favorable matchups -- especially during the bye week.
6. Everyone else.These final 12 units might have a decent week here or there, but they will be as likely to implode on you after you pick them up. You will be better off taking a chance on one of the more elite units above even if the matchups suggest otherwise.
D/ST rankings, projections
Fantasy football D/ST rankings and projections for 2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
5 Things, including the latest weather forecast for Concord and more.
Another
nice day. Weather forecasters are predicting another sunny day with highs in
the low 80s. Overnight lows drop down to the mid-50s.
Thoughts
about the Market Days Festival. Tell us! How can Concord?s Market Days Festival
be improved? Leave a note in the comment section and make sure you fill out the
Intown Concord survey too.
Golf
specials. Get on over to the Beaver Meadow Golf Course for some fun specials
today. Two seniors, 55-plus, can play for just $60, including a cart. After 1
p.m., two golfers can play for $70.
Tuneful
Tuesday. RB Productions? ?Fame Jr.? is presented at the Capitol Center for the
Arts at 2 p.m. Poor Howard play Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Traditional Irish music
will be performed at The Barley House.
The
big bands. The Freese Brothers play a free show at President Oaks at 6:30 p.m. while
The Nevers Band plays Merrill Park at 7 p.m.
There
are more events listed in our Events section.
Would
you like your event or information included in the 5 Things, Get Out!, or The
Week Ahead previews? Post it in the Boards and Events sections of Concord NH Patch and we?ll try and
give it an extra plug!?
Philadelphia explosion was caused by a gas leak, officials said Monday. The Philadelphia explosion injured eight people and toppled an unoccupied row house.
By Joann Loviglio and Keith Collins,?Associated Press / July 29, 2013
A row house collapsed following the Philadelphia explosion on Monday. A row house collapsed in South Philadelphia Monday severely damaged neighboring houses and hurting at least eight people, including a baby and a critically injured contractor.
Michael Giordano/AP
Enlarge
Investigators say a?gas?leak is to blame for a?Philadelphia?house explosion that left eight people hurt, one critically.
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City officials made the determination Monday afternoon, several hours after the unoccupied home collapsed and adjoining homes were badly damaged. The house was being remodeled in the middle of a southPhiladelphia?street lined with connected two-story brick homes.
Police say a contractor was working on a water heater in the basement of the destroyed home. He is hospitalized with critical injuries while the other seven people, including a baby, have injuries that aren't life threatening.
Bricks showered onto the small street and nearly covered a car parked out front. The houses on either side of the destroyed home were left partly standing, with large sections of their masonry walls gone.
DETROIT (AP) ? The Detroit Tigers added some help for their shaky bullpen Monday, acquiring reliever Jose Veras from the Houston Astros for minor league outfielder Danry Vasquez and a player to be named.
Veras is 0-4 with a 2.93 ERA and 19 saves this season, and the 32-year-old right-hander has struck out 44 in 43 innings with only 14 walks.
"We are pleased to add an experienced arm to our bullpen," Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "Jose can pitch in a variety of roles, provides depth in the bullpen, and complements the roles of Joaquin Benoit and Drew Smyly."
Detroit entered the season with a lot of uncertainty at the closer spot, and although Benoit has pitched well in that role of late, the AL Central-leading Tigers still needed bullpen depth. Aside from Benoit and Smyly, none of their other relievers have been all that effective on a consistent basis.
Veras has been a steady contributor while bouncing from team to team in recent years. He posted a 3.75 ERA with Florida in 2010, a 3.80 ERA with Pittsburgh in 2011 and a 3.63 ERA with Milwaukee last season.
Houston signed him to a one-year deal last offseason, and the last-place Astros could certainly afford to trade their closer if the opportunity to acquire a solid prospect presented itself. Vasquez is only 19, but he was ranked by Baseball America as the sixth-best prospect in Detroit's system before this season.
Vasquez hit .281 with five home runs and 39 RBIs in 96 games for Class A West Michigan this year.
"We are excited to get an outfield prospect of Danry's caliber. He adds to an already formidable group of prospects at the A ball level," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said. "Jose will be missed as a team leader both on and off the field."
Benoit has converted all 10 of his save chances for the Tigers this season, and the left-handed Smyly is 4-0 with a 1.77 ERA in 61 innings. In Veras, Detroit now adds a right-hander who can pitch in the late innings.
Before this trade, the Tigers' top right-handed options in the late innings ? aside from Benoit ? were probably Al Alburquerque and Bruce Rondon. Alburquerque has struggled with his control, and although the hard-throwing Rondon has looked better lately, he's still fairly unproven.
Detroit's deadline deals have worked out well the last couple years. The Tigers acquired starter Doug Fister from Seattle in 2011 and added starter Anibal Sanchez and second baseman Omar Infante in a deal with the Marlins in 2012. Not only did those three players provide help when they arrived, but they're also all still with the team.
This trade probably won't generate as much buzz as those deals, but it helps fill a need for a Detroit team that's hoping to return to the World Series after being swept by San Francisco a year ago.
__
AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken contributed to this report from Houston.
I need a guide suggestion on learning for developing Android app and game.
First of all, I have no background in programming and I am never good in math. What I do have is artistic skill and two ideas for mobile devices, one calendar app and one time management game.
What I found on the web is that Java seems to be the language to learn if developing an app while C++ is good for developing a game. I can definitely handle graphic art and animation but I have no idea where to start on the programming part. I downloaded SDK (Java) and discovered Cocos2d-X (C++) and I don't know what to do next, haha.
Unfortunately, I am kind of old now so I can't really go back to school and picking up two languages at the same time especially with the time efficiency. Really wish I had all these courses back in my university....
Anyone have suggestion for me. Which should I learn first? Or there are other ways, engine, language, developing strategy...etc. that would suit me better?
Any would be great, thanks for helping!
posted by lanhan to computers & internet (6 answers total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
As part of our tour of new digital media companies throughout L.A., we checked out Machinima, which is one of the largest multichannel networks on YouTube. Over the course of that tour, we found out how the company has evolved and what its plans are for the future.
A beach disturbance has taken place at the end of a surfing and skateboarding competition in Southern California's Huntington Beach on Sunday night, according to reports.
Authorities have described that the incident was sparked when a fight broke out at the end of a multi-day surfing and skateboarding competition. However, things quickly escalated completely out of control as dozens of people sparked a full out riot, with people running through the streets, smashing up vehicles and street signs. Fights also broke out sporadically, and various acts of criminal damage occurred.
It eventually too police, armed in riot gear, hours to gain back control of the situation and bring the disturbance to a halt. They reportedly fired pepper spray pellets into the crowd to be disperse troublemakers, and at least eight people were arrested for failing to disperse despite being ordered to do so by police officers.
An unidentified eye-witness to the event has told KTLA: "It started with like a fight, and then it just broke out. They were tipping Porta Potties. Then the cops started to move in, and they were throwing tear gas at everyone.
"Everyone was like plugging their nose and coughing and dodging into stores. Everyone was just running down Main Street."
The disturbance resulted in vehicles throughout the area being smashed up, shop windows were also targeted, and street signs were damaged.
According to CNN, the Huntington Beach police have said the crowd was dispersed by 9 p.m. PT.
Here is a video news report into the beach disturbance, including footage from the riots that caused widespread damage to the Huntington Beach area at the weekend:
This publicity image released by CBS shows Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer for CBS Corporation during the TCA Summer Press Tour 2013, on July 29, 2013 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/CBS, Monty Brinton)
This publicity image released by CBS shows Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer for CBS Corporation during the TCA Summer Press Tour 2013, on July 29, 2013 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/CBS, Monty Brinton)
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) ? The fee dispute between Time Warner Cable and CBS Corp. took an odd turn Monday night when the cable giant announced it was turning off the broadcaster in three major cities, only to halt the decision half an hour later.
The two sides negotiated through the day to avoid a programming blackout and kept extending the deadline.
Around 9 p.m., Time Warner Cable said about 3 million customers in New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas would lose the network and four CBS cable stations because of "outrageous demands for fees" by CBS.
"We offered to pay reasonable increases, but CBS's demands are out of line and unfair ? and they want Time Warner Cable to pay more than others pay for the same programming," Time Warner Cable said in a statement.
CBS countered, saying that it remained firm in getting fair compensation for its programming.
Not long after Time Warner Cable said it would drop CBS, it said it halted its plans at the broadcaster's request. CBS said both sides have agreed to continue negotiations.
The disagreement centers mainly on how much Time Warner Cable pays for the right to retransmit signals from the CBS-owned stations.
"As we've said, we feel like we should be paid for our programming," CBS chief executive Les Moonves told the Television Critics Association earlier Monday.
Dozens of blackouts have occurred nationwide in fee fights over the years, but many get resolved at the last minute.
Selling retransmission rights has become a big business for broadcasters such as CBS. Research firm SNL Kagan estimates retransmission fees will reach $3 billion industrywide this year and double to $6 billion by 2018.
Time Warner Cable has said it's resisting a fee hike demand by CBS so prices don't go up for customers. CBS said Time Warner Cable isn't agreeing to terms that its competitors have accepted.
Oregon team charts new understanding of actin filament growth in cellsPublic release date: 28-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jim Barlow jebarlow@uoregon.edu 541-346-3481 University of Oregon
Crystal structure of a key initiation protein while bound is captured in one of two newly reported studies
EUGENE, Ore. -- University of Oregon biochemists have determined how tiny synthetic molecules disrupt an important actin-related molecular machine in cells in one study and, in a second one, the crystal structure of that machine when bound to a natural inhibitor.
The accomplishments -- done in the name of fundamental understanding, or basic science -- provide new windows on the complexities of cellular structure and suggest a potential future route to therapeutic targeting, said Brad J. Nolen, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the UO, who was principal investigator on both studies.
The machinery is the actin-related protein 2/3 complex (Arp2/3), a large assembly of seven proteins that stick together. This complex is critical to cell motility -- the ability to move and perform myriad duties -- and for initializing the construction of a network of filaments known as the actin cytoskeleton that provides structural support for cells.
"In addition to cells having a lot of actin, they also have a lot of proteins that bind to actin to control its dynamics," said Nolen, who has just completed his second year as a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences. "And that's exactly what the complex does. It binds to the side of pre-existing actin filaments, where it nucleates the growth of new filaments. The Arp2/3 complex is very highly conserved, like actin. All of your cells are chock full of actin much like a yeast cell. There are very few differences between the molecule in yeast and in human cells."
The cell loses control of the actin cytoskeleton in various diseased states, including certain viral infections, such as HIV and cancer, he said.
Nolen, also a member of the UO's Institute of Molecular Biology, began studying the Arp2/3 complex's role in cytoskeletal network formation during postdoctoral research at Yale University, where he was part of a team that in 2009 identified two distinct classes of molecules that inhibited normal activity of the machinery. The discovery, reported in the journal Nature, opened the way for exploring how the complex works.
Reporting in the May 23 issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology, Nolen and a team of UO researchers, in a series of biochemical, biophysical and X-ray crystallography experiments, exposed the complex to the two tiny synthetic molecules, which turned off actin-filament initiation as anticipated. More importantly, they were able to capture exactly where the molecules docked, or bound, with the much larger macromolecular Arp2/3 complex.
That binding activity, they found, was enough to block the ability of the machinery to align properly for activating filament production. "We found that these small molecules throw a monkey wrench in this macromolecular machine and lock it into the off state," Nolen said. "By locking it into the off state it prevents it from nucleating branched filaments."
What was seen in the Arp2/3 complex, Nolen said, will help to understand precisely how actin is controlled in cells. "Cell motility requires actin inside the cell to constantly be remodeled," he said. "A lot of studies are showing that the Arp2/3 complex is very important for cell motility. So if we can figure out the Arp2/3 complex works, we can better understand how it affects things like cellular motility and, therefore, how we might affect things like metastasis of tumors.
In the second paper, placed online July 28 in advance of regular publication in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, Nolen and Quing Luan, a research technician in the UO's Institute of Molecular Biology, report the first crystal structure of the Arp2/3 complex while bound with a natural occurring inhibitor, glial maturation factor, known as GMF.
"We have determined the three-dimensional structure of all of the atoms that make up each of the sub-units of the Arp2/3 complex, and we've created a 3-D picture of where this regulator binds to the complex by using X-ray crystallography," Nolen said. "What this tells us is the structural basis for how GMF regulates the Arp2/3 complex. It binds to the complex and blocks the initiation of Y-shaped branches that create new filaments. It also binds to the pre-existing branches and causes them to pop off, so it is involved in the disassembly of these networks."
There is a difference, he noted, in how inhibitor molecules in the two studies worked. The synthetic versions in the first study, while binding to specific locations, did not block separate filament-building activators from also binding to the complex but instead stopped activation by locking the complex into a non-productive position. GMF while bound to the complex, on the other hand, blocked activators from also locking on.
The different results, Nolen said, could guide future efforts therapeutic delivery of molecules, or drugs, to fight disease-related scenarios in damaged cells. His lab is now working with a computational chemist on the design of molecules that might drive desired alterations in the complex and related actin regulators without unintended consequences of toxicity.
"We are pursuing the potential clinical value," Nolen said. "It's basic research with a potential long-term payoff, or it may never happen. For now what we've provided is a basic-science tool."
"Researchers at the University of Oregon continue to further our understanding of the dynamic processes that inform multi-level health and well-being," said Kimberly Andrews Espy, vice president for research and innovation and dean of the UO graduate school. "By helping to elucidate the complexities of cellular structure, Dr. Nolen's research may eventually lead to more effective targeting of tumors and other diseases."
###
Co-authors with Nolen on the Chemistry & Biology paper were postdoctoral researcher Byron Hetrick and graduate students Min Suk Han and Luke Helgeson. The National Institutes of Health (RO1-GM092917 to Nolen and F32-GM097913 to Hetrick, the lead author) and American Heart Association (10SDG2610189 to Nolen) supported the research.
The NIH (RO1-GM092917) and Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences program of the Pew Charitable Trusts supported Nolen for the work in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. Experiments were done at the Argonne National Laboratory's Advanced Photon Source, a U.S. Department of Energy-funded facility operated by the University of Chicago.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
Source: Brad Nolen, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, 541-346-7412, e-mail bnolen@uoregon.edu
Feature on Nolen's Pew Scholar role: http://uoresearch.uoregon.edu/content/two-years-pew-scholar-have-been-good-fit-uo-biochemist
Institute of Molecular Biology: http://www.molbio.uoregon.edu/
Department of Chemistry: http://chemistry.uoregon.edu/
Pew Charitable Trusts: http://www.pewhealth.org/
AUDIO: Nolen on the importance of having the crystal structure (27 seconds): http://uonews.uoregon.edu/sites/uonews.wc-sites.uoregon.edu/files/uploads/Nolen-Crystal%20Structure.mp3
VIDEOS: Two short videos that illustrate the findings of each study: http://uonews.uoregon.edu/content/understanding-arp23-complex
Follow UO Science on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UniversityOfOregonScience
UO Science on Twitter: http://twitter.com/UO_Research
More UO Science/Research News: http://uoresearch.uoregon.edu
Note: The University of Oregon is equipped with an on-campus television studio with a point-of-origin Vyvx connection, which provides broadcast-quality video to networks worldwide via fiber optic network. In addition, there is video access to satellite uplink, and audio access to an ISDN codec for broadcast-quality radio interviews.
[ | 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.
Oregon team charts new understanding of actin filament growth in cellsPublic release date: 28-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jim Barlow jebarlow@uoregon.edu 541-346-3481 University of Oregon
Crystal structure of a key initiation protein while bound is captured in one of two newly reported studies
EUGENE, Ore. -- University of Oregon biochemists have determined how tiny synthetic molecules disrupt an important actin-related molecular machine in cells in one study and, in a second one, the crystal structure of that machine when bound to a natural inhibitor.
The accomplishments -- done in the name of fundamental understanding, or basic science -- provide new windows on the complexities of cellular structure and suggest a potential future route to therapeutic targeting, said Brad J. Nolen, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the UO, who was principal investigator on both studies.
The machinery is the actin-related protein 2/3 complex (Arp2/3), a large assembly of seven proteins that stick together. This complex is critical to cell motility -- the ability to move and perform myriad duties -- and for initializing the construction of a network of filaments known as the actin cytoskeleton that provides structural support for cells.
"In addition to cells having a lot of actin, they also have a lot of proteins that bind to actin to control its dynamics," said Nolen, who has just completed his second year as a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences. "And that's exactly what the complex does. It binds to the side of pre-existing actin filaments, where it nucleates the growth of new filaments. The Arp2/3 complex is very highly conserved, like actin. All of your cells are chock full of actin much like a yeast cell. There are very few differences between the molecule in yeast and in human cells."
The cell loses control of the actin cytoskeleton in various diseased states, including certain viral infections, such as HIV and cancer, he said.
Nolen, also a member of the UO's Institute of Molecular Biology, began studying the Arp2/3 complex's role in cytoskeletal network formation during postdoctoral research at Yale University, where he was part of a team that in 2009 identified two distinct classes of molecules that inhibited normal activity of the machinery. The discovery, reported in the journal Nature, opened the way for exploring how the complex works.
Reporting in the May 23 issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology, Nolen and a team of UO researchers, in a series of biochemical, biophysical and X-ray crystallography experiments, exposed the complex to the two tiny synthetic molecules, which turned off actin-filament initiation as anticipated. More importantly, they were able to capture exactly where the molecules docked, or bound, with the much larger macromolecular Arp2/3 complex.
That binding activity, they found, was enough to block the ability of the machinery to align properly for activating filament production. "We found that these small molecules throw a monkey wrench in this macromolecular machine and lock it into the off state," Nolen said. "By locking it into the off state it prevents it from nucleating branched filaments."
What was seen in the Arp2/3 complex, Nolen said, will help to understand precisely how actin is controlled in cells. "Cell motility requires actin inside the cell to constantly be remodeled," he said. "A lot of studies are showing that the Arp2/3 complex is very important for cell motility. So if we can figure out the Arp2/3 complex works, we can better understand how it affects things like cellular motility and, therefore, how we might affect things like metastasis of tumors.
In the second paper, placed online July 28 in advance of regular publication in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, Nolen and Quing Luan, a research technician in the UO's Institute of Molecular Biology, report the first crystal structure of the Arp2/3 complex while bound with a natural occurring inhibitor, glial maturation factor, known as GMF.
"We have determined the three-dimensional structure of all of the atoms that make up each of the sub-units of the Arp2/3 complex, and we've created a 3-D picture of where this regulator binds to the complex by using X-ray crystallography," Nolen said. "What this tells us is the structural basis for how GMF regulates the Arp2/3 complex. It binds to the complex and blocks the initiation of Y-shaped branches that create new filaments. It also binds to the pre-existing branches and causes them to pop off, so it is involved in the disassembly of these networks."
There is a difference, he noted, in how inhibitor molecules in the two studies worked. The synthetic versions in the first study, while binding to specific locations, did not block separate filament-building activators from also binding to the complex but instead stopped activation by locking the complex into a non-productive position. GMF while bound to the complex, on the other hand, blocked activators from also locking on.
The different results, Nolen said, could guide future efforts therapeutic delivery of molecules, or drugs, to fight disease-related scenarios in damaged cells. His lab is now working with a computational chemist on the design of molecules that might drive desired alterations in the complex and related actin regulators without unintended consequences of toxicity.
"We are pursuing the potential clinical value," Nolen said. "It's basic research with a potential long-term payoff, or it may never happen. For now what we've provided is a basic-science tool."
"Researchers at the University of Oregon continue to further our understanding of the dynamic processes that inform multi-level health and well-being," said Kimberly Andrews Espy, vice president for research and innovation and dean of the UO graduate school. "By helping to elucidate the complexities of cellular structure, Dr. Nolen's research may eventually lead to more effective targeting of tumors and other diseases."
###
Co-authors with Nolen on the Chemistry & Biology paper were postdoctoral researcher Byron Hetrick and graduate students Min Suk Han and Luke Helgeson. The National Institutes of Health (RO1-GM092917 to Nolen and F32-GM097913 to Hetrick, the lead author) and American Heart Association (10SDG2610189 to Nolen) supported the research.
The NIH (RO1-GM092917) and Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences program of the Pew Charitable Trusts supported Nolen for the work in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. Experiments were done at the Argonne National Laboratory's Advanced Photon Source, a U.S. Department of Energy-funded facility operated by the University of Chicago.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
Source: Brad Nolen, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, 541-346-7412, e-mail bnolen@uoregon.edu
Feature on Nolen's Pew Scholar role: http://uoresearch.uoregon.edu/content/two-years-pew-scholar-have-been-good-fit-uo-biochemist
Institute of Molecular Biology: http://www.molbio.uoregon.edu/
Department of Chemistry: http://chemistry.uoregon.edu/
Pew Charitable Trusts: http://www.pewhealth.org/
AUDIO: Nolen on the importance of having the crystal structure (27 seconds): http://uonews.uoregon.edu/sites/uonews.wc-sites.uoregon.edu/files/uploads/Nolen-Crystal%20Structure.mp3
VIDEOS: Two short videos that illustrate the findings of each study: http://uonews.uoregon.edu/content/understanding-arp23-complex
Follow UO Science on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UniversityOfOregonScience
UO Science on Twitter: http://twitter.com/UO_Research
More UO Science/Research News: http://uoresearch.uoregon.edu
Note: The University of Oregon is equipped with an on-campus television studio with a point-of-origin Vyvx connection, which provides broadcast-quality video to networks worldwide via fiber optic network. In addition, there is video access to satellite uplink, and audio access to an ISDN codec for broadcast-quality radio interviews.
[ | 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.
DANIEL ?BOOBIE? GIBSON DEFENDS WIFE, FACES SECOND-DEGREE BATTERY CHARGES. By Mass Appeal News
from a friend. ?He has no idea it?s like 10 years old, and the technology is obsolete, so don?t tell him, okay? ?Now that he isn?t napping, but the rest of the kids do, it gives him a special activity to do during Quiet Time.
As part of our tour of ![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 28-Jul-2013
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