Thursday, February 28, 2013

9 actors you didn't know were wrestlers

Believe it or not, The Rock isn?t the only competitor to make a successful transition from the ring to Hollywood.

For many Superstars, the canvas is their bread and butter. But for some, competing in the squared circle is a lesser-known second job, or even a brief hobby, taken up on their way to a career on the silver screen.

(PHOTOS | VIDEO PLAYLIST)

WWEClassics.com dug deep into the history books to uncover the forgotten wrestling stints of nine actors you?ve seen in some classic flicks. From mob movie heavies to Batman villains, who knew these dudes were once wrestlers?

Who are you most surprised to learn was a wrestler? Vote now!

Source: http://www.wwe.com/classics/classic-lists/9-actors-you-didnt-know-were-wrestlers

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Australian Muslim activists lose free speech case

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) ? Australia's highest court on Wednesday narrowly rejected the case of two Muslim activists who argued they had a constitutional free-speech right to send offensive letters to families of Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

Iranian-born Man Horan Monis, a Sydney cleric also known as Sheik Haron, was charged with 12 counts of using a postal service in an offensive way and one count of using a postal service in a harassing way over three years until 2009. Amirah Droudis was charged with aiding and abetting the offences. They face potential maximum prison sentences of 26 years and 16 years respectively if convicted.

The six judges of the High Court split on whether the charges were compatible with Australians' right to free speech. When the nation's highest court is tied, an appeal is dismissed and the lower court decision stands.

That sends the charges to a lower court where they will be heard on a date to be set.

Monis allegedly wrote letters critical of Australia's military involvement in Afghanistan and condemning the dead soldiers. He also allegedly wrote to the mother of an Australian official killed in a terrorist bomb blast in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2009 and blamed Australian government foreign policy for the tragedy.

His lawyer, David Bennett, argued in the High Court last year that the letters were "purely political." He argued the charges were invalid because they infringed on Australians' right to freedom of political communication.

The Australian Constitution doesn't include an equivalent of the U.S. First Amendment. But the High Court has held for decades that the constitution contains an implied right to free speech because such political communication is essential to democracy. This right is not as extensive as that guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

The pair had appealed in the High Court the unanimous ruling of three judges of the New South Wales state Court of Appeal in December 2011.

"Whilst at one level the letters are critical of the involvement of the Australian military in Afghanistan, they also refer to the deceased soldiers in a denigrating and derogatory fashion," their judgment said.

Prof. Anne Twomey, a Sydney University constitutional lawyer, said the High Court's tied decision offered little legal precedent on the extent that offensive speech can be prohibited in Australia.

She said the issues could be tried again in a different case. Two of the seven judges on the High Court will have changed before the next such case is heard.

"It's rather unpredictable" how the court would rule on a similar case, Twomey said. "The area of offensive speech has always been difficult."

Only six judges heard the case because the seventh, Justice William Gummow, intended to retire in October last year before the trial was likely to be completely heard.

One of the judges who would have upheld the appeal on free speech grounds, Justice John Dyson Haydon, retires in March.

It is a crime under Australian federal law to use a postal service to communicate a message that "reasonable persons would regard as being, in all the circumstances, menacing, harassing or offensive."

Twomey said Monis and Droudis might not have been charged if the letters had been hand delivered.

Federal authorities have limited criminal jurisdiction in Australia and relied in this prosecution on their powers over national postal and electronic communications.

Australia has 1,550 troops in Afghanistan which is the biggest military contribution to the war of any country outside NATO. Australia has suffered 39 casualties over the past decade in Afghanistan and another 249 Australian soldiers have been wounded.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/australian-muslim-activists-lose-free-speech-case-062857877.html

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Ghana Business News ? Good nutrition increases productivity ? WFP

You Are Here: Home ? General News ? Good nutrition increases productivity ? WFP

Page last updated at Thursday, February 28, 2013 8:08 AM //

foodMr Ismail Omer, Country Director for World Food Programme, has called for the need to improve the nutritional status of people as it had a direct impact on economic performance of many countries.

He said investing in the nutritional needs and achieving food security was one of the prerequisite to attaining all the Millennium Development Goals adding that investments in nutrition makes political, economic and social sense.

Mr Omer, who was speaking during the launch of the Cost of Hunger Study in Africa (COHA) project in Accra on Wednesday, urged governments, development partners and the general public to understand the consequences associated with failing to eradicate under-nutrition.

?If we understand, we would all make better choices at both the national and international levels, to ensure that young children do not suffer from hunger in Ghana or in Africa?, he stated.

COHA was developed by the African Union Commission and supported by the Economic Commission for Africa and the World Food programme to estimate the economic impact of child under-nutrition on health and education, and losses in productivity.

The aim is to generate evidence to inform key decision makers and the general public about the price Africa would have to pay for not addressing the problem of malnutrition.

The COHA study will increase the understanding of the consequences of child under -nutrition by estimating its social and economic costs on health services, educational achievement and national productivity.

Mr Omer expressed optimism that the COHA would spur national action to break the cycle of child under-nutrition and also serve as an advocacy tool for creating policy frameworks to address hunger-induced human capital and economic losses to the continent.

He Omer expressed concern about the consequences of malnutrition in children as they were profound, far-reaching and irreversible.

?When children are deprived of the essential nutrients required especially during the first 1000 days of their lives, they suffer permanent and irreversible physical and mental damage which causes them to perform more poorly than their well nourished counterparts in school?, he said.

He urged members of the National Implementation Committee (NIT) who have been tasked to implement the COHA project in Ghana to work hard to complete the study within the time frame in order to inform all of the social and economic consequences of hunger and malnutrition in the country.

In all participating countries, the study is being implemented at country level by National Implementation Teams (NITs), made up of members from the Ministries of Health, Education, Social Development, Planning, and Finance, as well as National Statistics Institutions.

Mr Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, Deputy Minister of Health, who launched the programme, lauded Ghana for being one of the first countries in Africa to reduce the number of hungry people significantly, over the past two decades.

He said malnutrition in the form of stunted growth affects 28 percent of children under five years, thereby making one out of every three Ghanaian children under five stunted.

Mr Mettle-Nunoo said stunting and hunger were very destructive and costly to national economies as they impacted negatively on the development of brains and impairs learning among children.

?Under-nutrition as we know also contributes to low productivity in adults and presents reproductive challenges in women as well?, he said.

He said COHA would determine the total cost burden of hunger and work with policy makers to determine strategies to reduce its impact.

?It is important we are able to determine the cost of impaired educational outcomes that scientific research has linked to children not getting appropriate nutritious food to eat, and the bill for mental and physical illnesses that are linked to inadequate nutrition and? juxtapose these cost against cost of ending hunger and preventable diseases?, he said.

The study was initiated in four pilot countries including Egypt, Ethiopia, Swaziland and Uganda and would be followed by eight additional roll-out countries including Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, and Rwanda.

The study offers participating countries the opportunity to develop national capacities in cost analysis and make country-specific adaptations and effectively illustrate the economic cost of child under-nutrition.

Source: GNA

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Source: http://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2013/02/28/good-nutrition-increases-productivity-wfp/

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Friday, February 22, 2013

US stocks bounce back after steep 2-day slide

Strong earnings results from big U.S. companies offered investors a whiff of hope Friday. Stocks rose after a two-day slump, but remained on track for their worst week this year.

Hewlett-Packard had the biggest gain in the Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500 index. It posted fiscal first-quarter earnings late Thursday that beat all forecasts, a relief after months of bad news for the computer maker. H-P rose $1.76, or 10 percent, to $18.86.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. was the S&P 500's second-best performer, jumping a day after reporting earnings that beat analysts' expectations. It rose $4.21, or 8 percent, to $58.07.

American International Group Inc. rose after its fourth-quarter operating results exceeded forecasts. The company's net loss was $4 billion, mainly because of claims related to Superstorm Sandy, in the first full quarter after it finished repaying its $182 billion government bailout. Its stock rose 88 cents, or 2 percent, to $38.16.

The Dow was up 63 points at 13,943 as of noon Eastern time. The S&P 500 rose six to 1,508. The Nasdaq composite index rose 14 to 3,145.

All three U.S. indexes remain down for the week. The S&P 500 is on track for its first weekly loss of the year.

Bill Stone, chief investment strategist with PNC Wealth Management, said he expects stocks to hold up despite this week's volatility.

"You're going to get bumps and bruises along the way, but we do believe things are actually getting better, so I think there's underlying demand" for stocks, Stone said.

Stocks plunged Wednesday afternoon after minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting spooked investors. The minutes revealed disagreement at the Fed over how long to keep buying bonds in an effort to boost the economy. The slide continued Thursday.

Many analysts believe that the Fed's bond-buying and resulting low interest rates have driven this year's stock rally, which lifted indexes to their highest levels since the 2008 financial crisis.

U.S. stocks followed European stocks higher after a survey of German business optimism rose sharply, adding to evidence that the country will avoid a recession. Germany's economic vitality is crucial for the beleaguered region, offsetting economic contraction in surrounding countries.

"Germany is really the bedrock" of the region's economy, Stone said. "If it gives way, then you have real problems."

France's CAC-40 closed up 2.2 percent, Germany's DAX 1 percent.

Among the other corporate news moving markets:

? Abercrombie & Fitch sank after a key sales metric declined in the all-important holiday quarter. Its stock fell $3.10, or 6 percent, to $45.95.

? WebMD Health Corp. soared after the health website operator reported better-than-expected revenue and an optimistic outlook for 2013. The stock rose $3.51, or 22 percent, to $19.81.

? Texas Instruments Inc. rose strongly after saying it will increase its dividend by one-third and buy back up to $5 billion more of its own stock. TI rose $1.47, or 5 percent, to $33.95.

___

Daniel Wagner can be reached at www.twitter.com/wagnerreports .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-stocks-bounce-back-steep-2-day-slide-151744894--finance.html

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Google shows us 'how it feels' to use Google Glass

The promise of what Google Glass can provide is what nerd dreams are made of, and Google is showing off some of its potential capabilities in a new "how it feels" commercial that released today. Similarly to the first Google Glass commercial from last year, the video takes on the first-person POV to show the capabilities of glass in real-world situations. Not everyone will be flying stunt planes or doing aerial trapeze tricks, but Google also shows more realistic applications -- like playing catch with your dog, swinging your child around with both hands, or riding a rollercoaster.

We also get a better idea of how we'll be able to control and see the information presented by Glass. Voice prompts are started with the command "ok, glass" -- so, for example "ok, glass take a picture", "google pictures of...", "start a hangout with..." -- and one clip shows waving in front of the screen to switch between information.

The heads-up display (for lack of a better name) is shown to be persistent in the top right corner of your vision, and shows information such as pictures you take, video times when recording, messages and transcriptions, search results, hangout views and Google Now-style cards with information like weather and navigation.

Google is opening up a competition to stir up excitement for Glass as well, which is open until February 27th, and will offer more people the opportunity to get their hands on the device at the cool price of $1500. We see huge potential for Google Glass going forward, and hope that these lofty concepts shown off in the commercials can become reality sooner than later.

More: Google



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/dTdFeAzfeqk/story01.htm

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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Meridian Explorer USB DAC Review: Make Your Digital Music Sing

The Meridian Explorer takes the digital audio from your computer's USB port, puts the code through some very fancy electronics, and spits out an analog signal to to your headphones or stereo. Yes, your computer's sound card already has a built-in digital-to-audio converter that does this, but the Explorer is made by one of the most sophisticated manufacturers in the world. So in theory, it'll make your music sound so good you'll maybe almost forget the price tag. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/jhtM3bQ4By0/meridian-explorer-usb-dac-review-make-your-digital-music-sing

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U.S. Crude Oil Stockpiles Surge to 7-Month High

Nationwide crude supplies, which are the largest since the 380.1 million barrels on hand during the week ended July 20, are ?well above the upper limit of the average range for this time of year,? the administration said in its Weekly Petroleum Status Report February 21.

Total motor gasoline inventories decreased 2.9 million barrels, or 1.2%, during the week ended February 15 to 230.4 million barrels. Distillate fuel inventories decreased 2.3 million barrels, or 1.8%, last week to 125.9 million barrels and are ?near the lower limit of the average range for this time of year.?

At U.S. refineries, crude oil inputs averaged 14.18 million barrels per day during the week, down 0.9% from the previous week and down 4.8% from a year ago. Refineries operated at 82.9% of operable capacity, down from 83.8% the previous week and 85.5% a year ago.

Finished gasoline production rose 0.4%, averaging about 8.94 million barrels per day, while distillate production fell 2.1%, averaging 4.27 million barrels per day.

Click here for the full report.
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*Disclaimer: The information in the Market Commentaries was obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but we do not guarantee its accuracy. Neither the information nor any opinion expressed therein constitutes a solicitation of the purchase or sale of any futures or options contracts.

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Copyright CME Group All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/us-crude-oil-stockpiles-surge-7-month-high-1099682

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Genetic variation controls predation: Benefits of being a mosaic

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

A genetically mosaic Eucalyptus tree is able to control which leaves are saved from predation because of alterations in its genes, finds an study published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Plant Biology. Between two leaves of the same tree there can be many genetic differences ? this study found ten SNP, including ones in genes that regulate terpene production, which influence whether or not a leaf is edible.

Organisms collect somatic genetic mutations throughout their lives. These mutations may have no effect or they may occur in genes important to how the cell behaves. Cancer cells often have genetic mutations which permit the cell to divide more times than an unmutated cell, and in plants it is somatic mutation which allows a single tree to produce both nectarines and peaches.

Researchers from the Australian National University found that in the long-lived Eucalyptus tree (Eucalyptus melliodora ) somatic mutation is also responsible for their interesting ability to produce some branches with leaves that are readily predated, while others are pest resistant.

At a genetic level there were ten genes which contained differences between these leaves. Amanda Padovan, who led this project, explained, "The main defence against predation of Eucalyptus is a cocktail of terpene oils, including monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and FPCs, which give the tree its distinctive smell. Leaves which were resistant to predation had five fewer monoterpenes and nine fewer sesquiterpenes than the tastier leaves. However the concentration of FPCs and the remaining monoterpenes was far higher - so it seems that these mutations reduce the tight control over terpene production."

While this loss of control probably has a high evolutionary cost, it allows the tree to survive the insect-plant war. The tree investigated had one branch which was untouched by insects when the rest of the tree was completely defoliated.

###

Differences in gene expression within a striking phenotypic mosaic Eucalyptus tree that varies in susceptibility to herbivory Amanda Padovan, Andras Keszei, William J Foley and Carsten K?lheim

BMC Plant Biology (Section: Genomics and evolution) (in press)

BioMed Central: http://www.biomedcentral.com

Thanks to BioMed Central for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126930/Genetic_variation_controls_predation__Benefits_of_being_a_mosaic

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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

London in the mist: Thick fog blankets the east as Britain wakes up to frosty but beautiful morning

  • Early morning cloud hung over River Thames obscuring the city's landmarks and reducing visibility to 15m
  • Poor visibility due to fog also caused problems at Heathrow Airport where 63 flights were cancelled
  • The Met Office said today's temperatures will reach up to 8C at the tip of Cornwall

By Leon Watson

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A thick layer of fog blanketed London and the east of England today as the nation's capital appeared to be transformed into a JMW Turner landscape.

As commuters went to work, an early morning cloud hung over the River Thames obscuring the city's landmarks and reducing visibility to around 15 metres.

The shroud stretched from Yorkshire in the north to Kent in the south.

Early morning fog obscures a view of the Gherkin and the Tower of London on the River Thames. This picture was taken from Tower Bridge

Early morning fog obscures a view of the Gherkin and the Tower of London on the River Thames. This picture was taken from Tower Bridge

Dickensian: Tower Bridge this morning through heavy fog and low cloud in London

Dickensian: Tower Bridge this morning through heavy fog and low cloud in London

JMW Turner painting show coal being loaded on the River Thames

JMW Turner painting show coal being loaded on the River Thames

Poor visibility due to fog also caused problems at Heathrow Airport where 63 flights were cancelled. The 31 arrivals and 32 departures were scheduled for between 6am and 11am, a Heathrow spokeswoman said.

There were also severe disruptions at London City Airport and both airports have advised passengers to check with their airlines.

London City posted on its website: 'Due to low visibility this morning, flights to and from London City airport are experiencing disruptions.'

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The Met Office had issued a yellow fog warning covering large parts of the country yesterday which was in force until 11am today. The east coast and East Anglia saw the worst of it, while pockets of Devon were also affected.

However, forecaster Sarah Holland said: 'There has been thick fog and in some places freezing fog, but this is expected to clear by late morning. It has stretched from eastern parts up to Yorkshire, the east Midlands and London and the south east.'

She added that the focus for the rest of the week will be on cold and dry weather across the UK.

A commuter taking picture of HMS Belfast war ship through heavy fog and low cloud this morning in London

A commuter taking picture of HMS Belfast war ship through heavy fog and low cloud this morning in London

People walk to work through heavy fog near Tower Bridge

Shrouded: People walk to work through heavy fog near Tower Bridge in central London

The South Bank overlooking the Thames towards Tower Bridge, which is just visible

The South Bank overlooking the Thames towards Tower Bridge, which is just visible

Fog on the Thames: Barely visible commuters crossing the London Bridge

Fog on the Thames: Barely visible commuters crossing the London Bridge

'It has been very dry for the last few days and that is set to continue for the next few days.

'Temperatures will drop off after the mild weekend with most areas seeing daytime temperatures of 4C to 8C, through to the latter part of the week where some areas of the country will see 3C to 4C, which is average or just below for the time of the year.'

The Met Office said today's temperatures will reach up to 8C at the tip of Cornwall with around 6C in western coastal areas. Temperatures in the east will hover between 1C and 4C.

Temperatures will hover around freezing across most of the South tonight. While winds are expected to reach speeds of 25mph in South Western areas making it feel even colder.

The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge shrouded in fog early morning in central London

The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge shrouded in fog early morning in central London

The fog on the Thames at Westminster began to lift late morning

The fog on the Thames at Westminster began to lift late morning

Meg, eight, and Morgan, 12, from Devon, looking at snowdrops at the Rococo Gardens, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire

Meg, eight, and Morgan, 12, from Devon, looking at snowdrops at the Rococo Gardens, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire

Snowdrops cover the woodland floor at the Rococo Gardens, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire

Snowdrops cover the woodland floor at the Rococo Gardens, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire

People enjoy the sunny weather punting on the river in Cambridge

People enjoy the sunny weather punting on the river in Cambridge

Enjoying the sun: A punt passes under a bridge over the River Cam in Cambridge

Enjoying the sun: A punt passes under a bridge over the River Cam in Cambridge

Frost on the fields in Cambridgeshire as the sun tried to break through the early morning cloud

Frost on the fields in Cambridgeshire as the sun tried to break through the early morning cloud

Walkers walking in the early morning mist on the Old Kilpatrick Hills in West Dunbartonshire

Walkers walking in the early morning mist on the Old Kilpatrick Hills in West Dunbartonshire

A frosty, but beautiful, late winter morning in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, as the sun tries to break through the mist and low cloud

A frosty, but beautiful, late winter morning in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, as the sun tries to break through the mist and low cloud

The sky starts to turn pinky-orange as the sun begins to set and ducks and swans relex on the River Nene in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

The sky starts to turn pinky-orange as the sun begins to set and ducks and swans relex on the River Nene in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

Beautiful morning: The sun illuminates the ice on this plant in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

Beautiful morning: The sun illuminates the ice on this plant in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

The sun rises over the South Shields pier at the mouth of the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear

The sun rises over the South Shields pier at the mouth of the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear

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Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2280973/London-mist-Thick-fog-blankets-east-Britain-wakes-frosty-beautiful-morning.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

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East China Sea tensions: time to contain naval stand-offs

Home ? opinion ? East China Sea tensions: time to contain naval stand-offs


Koh Swee Lean Collin
RSIS
Singapore February 19, 2013 1:00 am

Ever since tensions emerged over the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which China calls Diaoyu and Taiwan calls Diaoyutai, maritime encounters involving Chinese, Japanese and Taiwanese government vessels have been confined to civilian law-enforcement vessels. Except for water-cannon exchanges between Japanese and Taiwanese coastguards, none of the disputants had ever resorted to use of lethal force.

However, the reported illumination of a Japanese destroyer by the fire control radar of a Chinese frigate on January 30 - the radar "lock-on" incident - indicates a potential escalation when close encounters at sea involve regular, customarily heavily-armed naval forces.

Modern warships are well equipped with sophisticated combat systems, unlike cheaper, simply-equipped civilian law-enforcement vessels. They are costly to acquire in large numbers, and to operate, and thus modern warships are deemed capital assets. While their technological sophistication permits a wide range of roles, these prized assets are also vulnerable to comparatively cheaper yet lethal counter-measures, as borne out by recent incidents.

In 1982, the British Royal Navy destroyer HMS Sheffield was fatally hit by a single Argentine Exocet anti-ship missile. The US Navy frigate USS Stark was struck by two Iraqi Exocet anti-ship missiles in 1987. The most recent was the Israeli corvette INS Hanit, which was put out of action by a single Hezbollah C-802 anti-ship missile off Lebanon in 2006. These episodes portend the dangers of modern naval armaments and their destabilising influence on inter-state maritime rivalries.

Modern warship fire control radars illuminate targets within engagement ranges and thereby feed data such as range and speed to the fire control computers, which then generate fire control solutions within mere seconds. This barely allows ample warning time for the targeted party to react before the attacker commits his weapons.

But because such "hostile intent" of illuminating the fire control radar could be (mis)interpreted as a prelude to impending "hostile action" (that is, the actual firing of a weapon), on-scene commanders could impulsively decide to pre-empt an assumed imminent onslaught. This tendency could be fraught with error and miscalculation. In the event of a crisis or confrontation, such tactical-level actions could lead to inadvertent higher-level conflict or even all-out war.

Modern naval combat systems could potentially amplify the consequences of stress-induced behaviour into a catastrophic tactical outcome within a few minutes or even seconds. A case in point was the US Navy guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes in 1988 when it shot down an Iranian airliner, which the commander mistook for an attacking Iranian fighter jet, amid a confrontation with Iranian gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz.

Prior to the latest Sino-Japanese maritime close encounters in the East China Sea, a similar case was reported in 2009 when an Indonesian Navy corvette reportedly illuminated its fire control radar on a Malaysian patrol craft in the disputed Ambalat waters in the Sulawesi Sea. The standoff fortuitously did not escalate because the Malaysian warship quickly exited the area.

However, it would be inappropriate to compare the situations between Ambalat and the East China Sea. Right after the standoff, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur moved swiftly to de-escalate tensions and reduced the number of warships in the disputed waters. In the case of the East China Sea, tensions have continued to fester since late last year. The disputants' civilian law-enforcement ships have also grown in numbers and have intensified their activities around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.

There have been numerous close encounters, some of which have developed into unpleasant standoffs. The most recent incident involved the interception by the Japan Coast Guard of a Taiwanese fishing boat, carrying activists and escorted by Coast Guard Administration vessels, near the disputed isles on January 24. At the time of the incident, Taiwanese military assets operated near the scene but were not committed to action. Given that regular naval forces of the three disputants are known to operate near the area as a form of "recessed deterrence" and are poised to reinforce frontline civilian law-enforcement ships, their involvement could raise the prospect of an inadvertent escalation in the event of crisis.

The current East China Sea situation might warrant the need to seriously consider the merits of naval arms control. Essentially naval arms control can be divided into structural and operational measures. Structural measures aim to limit the quantity and type of naval armaments. However, it is extremely difficult if not impossible to attain, since naval platforms serve both peaceful and war-fighting functions.

Operational measures have a greater potential, since they do not limit armaments but entail certain constraints on naval forces' deployments in contentious maritime zones. Such measures include air/sea keep-out zones, advanced mutual notification on naval movements, or emergency communication procedures for military assets traversing disputed areas.

In 2011, China and Japan did mull some form of "crisis management mechanism" to forestall unfortunate maritime incidents but this has yet to materialise. With no immediate solution in sight to the Senkaku/Diaoyu dispute, it might be prudent for all disputants to seriously examine the introduction of operational naval arms control measures.

Koh Swee Lean Collin is an associate research fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

RSIS Commentaries.

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Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/East-China-Sea-tensions-time-to-contain-naval-stan-30200255.html

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Ivy League prof strips, has ninja impale stuffed animal during physics lecture [VIDEO]

A physics professor at Columbia University began a quantum mechanics lecture for fresh-faced freshmen on Monday by stripping down to his underwear on a stage. He ate a banana. A remix of Snoop Dogg?s ?Drop It Like It?s Hot? played fairly softly.

As The College Fix reports, those antics were just the beginning of Professor Emlyn Hughes?s planned descent into bizarro world, which has been posted on YouTube by FirstLeaks1.

The Ivy League prof put on different clothes (and sunglasses). He hugged himself. Then, he got into a fetal position.

Next, two people in ninja outfits sallied on stage and placed large stuffed animals ? lambs ? on stools on the stage. The ninjas blindfolded the lambs. One of the ninjas impaled and thrashed one of the lambs with an impressively long sword.

At the same time, an image of an airplane hitting one of the World Trade Center buildings flashed on a screen in the background.

?Is this real life?? one female student asked as images of Adolph Hitler and Saddam Hussein crossed the screen. ?How does this relate to anything??

A rapid-fire series of frequently violent images followed on the screen.

The wacky, obviously well-choreographed episode lasted less than 10 minutes. Afterward, Hughes began his lecture.

?In order to learn quantum mechanics, you have to strip to your raw, erase all the garbage from your brain and start over again,? he explained. ?Everything you do in your everyday life is totally opposite of what you are going to learn in quantum mechanics.?

The Columbia Daily Spectator, the campus rag, reports that Hughes?s performance art didn?t go over all that well.

?It was very disturbing, and I don?t think anyone in the audience got what he was doing,? said one student.

The Spectator also recalled that Hughes?s performance Monday was not his first rodeo of shocking weirdness. In a similar 2011 lecture, he displayed photographs of naked people at Woodstock.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ivy-league-prof-strips-ninja-impale-stuffed-animal-062622079.html

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Pentagon notifies Congress of likely furloughs

Outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, right, talks with Marine Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, left, and assistant Defense Department press secretary Carl Woog, second from left, before boarding a E-4B aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, before traveling to Brussels for a NATO defense ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Chip Somodevilla, Pool)

Outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, right, talks with Marine Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, left, and assistant Defense Department press secretary Carl Woog, second from left, before boarding a E-4B aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, before traveling to Brussels for a NATO defense ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Chip Somodevilla, Pool)

Secretary of State John Kerry gestures as he delivers his first foreign policy speech, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, in Old Cabel Hall at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Secretary of State John Kerry gestures as he delivers his first foreign policy speech, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, in Old Cabel Hall at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. Kerry said the greatest challenge to U.S. foreign policy is not emerging China or Middle East instability. It's Congress. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Secretary of State John Kerry gestures as he delivers his first foreign policy speech, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, in Old Cabel Hall at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

(AP) ? Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Congress on Wednesday that if automatic government spending cuts kick in on March 1 he may have to shorten the workweek for the "vast majority" of the Defense Department's 800,000 civilian workers.

They would lose one day of work per week, or 20 percent of their pay, for up to 22 weeks, probably starting in late April.

To dispel the notion that this is mainly a problem for the nation's capital, the Pentagon's budget chief, Robert Hale, told reporters that the economic impact would be felt nationwide. The biggest potential losses, in term of total civilian payroll dollars, would be in Virginia, California, Maryland, Texas and Georgia, according to figures provided by the Pentagon.

Hale said the unpaid leaves for civilian workers would begin in late April and would save $4 billion to $5 billion if extended through the end of the budget year, Sept. 30. That is only a fraction of the $46 billion the Pentagon would have to cut this budget year unless a deficit-reduction deal is reached.

Panetta also said the across-the-board spending reductions would "put us on a path toward a hollow force," meaning a military incapable of fulfilling all of its missions.

In a written message to employees, Panetta said that he notified members of Congress Wednesday that if the White House and Congress cannot strike a deficit reduction deal before March 1 to avoid the furloughs, all affected workers will get at least 30 days' advance notice.

"In the event of sequestration we will do everything we can to be able to continue to perform our core mission of providing for the security of the United States, but there is no mistaking that the rigid nature of the cuts forced upon this department, and their scale, will result in a serious erosion of readiness across the force," Panetta wrote.

Adding his voice to the budget debate, Secretary of State John Kerry said the fiscal impasse is a serious threat to American credibility around the world.

"Think about it: It is hard to tell the leadership of any number of countries that they have to resolve their economic issues if we don't resolve our own," Kerry said Wednesday at the University of Virginia.

House Speaker John Boehner put the blame on Obama and said he agrees with Panetta that automatic spending cuts would devastate the military.

Boehner released a copy of Panetta's letter formally notifying Congress that the Pentagon will have to consider furloughing a large portion of its civilian workforce if sequestration kicks in.

"The furloughs contemplated by this notice will do real harm to our national security," Panetta wrote in his congressional notification letter, adding that it would make troops less ready for combat and slow the acquisition of important weapons.

"Overall, sequestration will put us on a path toward a hollow force and inflict serious damage on our national security," Panetta wrote.

Panetta was flying Wednesday to Brussels to attend a NATO defense ministers meeting. Spokesman George Little told reporters en route that Panetta would tell his counterparts that across-the-board budget cuts will hurt not only the U.S. military but also the ability of NATO to respond to crises.

Little said the Pentagon is also discussing the possibility of not being able to send military units on planned rotations to various places around the world. In anticipation of cuts, the Pentagon has already decided not to send one aircraft carrier back to the Persian Gulf, reducing the U.S. presence there to one carrier.

The Pentagon has begun discussing details of the furloughs with defense worker union officials.

President Barack Obama has exempted military personnel from furloughs.

Obama was continuing to pressure Republican lawmakers to avert the automatic cuts by supporting a Senate Democratic plan that would replace the immediate cuts with a mix of spending reductions and tax increases. He was conducting interviews with local television in eight markets: Boston, Charleston, S.C., Baltimore, Oklahoma City, Okla., Wichita, Kan., San Antonio, Texas, San Francisco, and Honolulu.

The only civilian Pentagon workers who would be exempt from furloughs would be Senate-confirmed political appointees such as the defense secretary and deputy defense secretary, as well as a relatively small number of workers deemed essential to protect the safety of defense property and personnel.

Panetta said the administration is still working with Congress to avoid automatic budget cuts by reaching agreement on a deficit reduction plan.

___

Associated Press writers Donna Cassata, Lolita C. Baldor and Bradley Klapper contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-20-Budget%20Battle/id-1084eefbdf044ce4a14f70265daec8e3

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Fear, anger or pain: Why do babies cry?

Feb. 19, 2013 ? Spanish researchers have studied adults' accuracy in the recognition of the emotion causing babies to cry. Eye movement and the dynamic of the cry play a key role in recognition.

It is not easy to know why a newborn cries, especially amongst first-time parents. Although the main reasons are hunger, pain, anger and fear, adults cannot easily recognise which emotion is the cause of the tears.

"Crying is a baby's principal means of communicating its negative emotions and in the majority of cases the only way they have to express them," as explained by Mariano Ch?liz, researcher at the University of Valencia.

Ch?liz participates in a study along with experts from the University of Murcia and the National University of Distance Education (UNED) which describes the differences in the weeping pattern in a sample of 20 babies between 3 and 18 months caused by the three characteristic emotions: fear, anger and pain.

In addition, the team observed the accuracy of adults in recognising the emotion that causes the babies to cry, analysing the affective reaction of observers before the sobbing.

According to the results published recently in the Spanish Journal of Psychology, the main differences manifest in eye activity and the dynamics of the cry.

"When babies cry because of anger or fear, they keep their eyes open but keep them closed when crying in pain," states the researcher.

As for the dynamic of the cry, both the gestures and the intensity of the cry gradually increase if the baby is angry. On the contrary, the cry is as intense as can be in the case of pain and fear.

The adults do not properly identify which emotion is causing the cry, especially in the case of anger and fear.

Nonetheless, "although the observers cannot recognise the cause properly, when babies cry because they are in pain, this causes a more intense affective reaction than when they cry because of angry or fear," outlines Ch?liz.

For the experts, the fact that pain is the most easily recognisable emotion can have an adaptive explanation, since crying is a warning of a potentially serious threat to health or survival and thus requires the carer to respond urgently.

Anger, fear and pain

When a baby cries, facial muscle activity is characterised by lots of tension in the forehead, eyebrows or lips, opening of the mouth and raised cheeks. The researchers observed different patterns between the three negative emotions.

As Ch?liz notices, when angry the majority of babies keep their eyes half-closed, either looking in apparently no direction or in a fixed and prominent manner. Their mouth is either open or half-open and the intensity of their cry increases progressively.

In the case of fear, the eyes remain open almost all the time. Furthermore, at times the infants have a penetrating look and move their head backwards. Their cry seems to be explosive after a gradual increase in tension.

Lastly, pain manifests as constantly closed eyes and when the eyes do open it is only for a few moments and a distant look is held. In addition, there is a high level of tension in the eye area and the forehead remains frowned. The cry begins at maximum intensity, starting suddenly and immediately after the stimulus.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Plataforma SINC, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Mariano Ch?liz, Enrique G. Fern?ndez-Abascal, Francisco Mart?nez-S?nchez. Infant Crying: Pattern of Weeping, Recognition of Emotion and Affective Reactions in Observers. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 2012; 15 (3) DOI: 10.5209/rev_SJOP.2012.v15.n3.39389

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/child_development/~3/oolIJsvsLMA/130219090649.htm

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Friday, February 15, 2013

Story update released today, Feb 13, 2013 ? Adobe ... - Adobe Blogs

Today, we released another update to Adobe Story. It?s been a little more than 2 months since we last updated, and we?ve been extremely busy!

The big news in this release is a completely revamped approach to tagging that offers a vastly more flexible approach to breaking down a script.

scene level tagsNow, you can tag anything you like in a scene?and your tags flow through to your schedule as well as many of our production reports. This is a huge improvement, as our previous implementation of tagging required the actual words you tagged to be explicitly present in the script. This worked fine for anything that was explicitly mentioned?for example, ?SUE DROVE UP IN HER BRAND NEW MINI COOPER??but didn?t help at all if the items you wanted to tag weren?t mentioned. For example, you could tag ?mess? in ?CHRIS? APARTMENT WAS A MESS, BUT JO FOUND A SPOT TO PERCH? but what if you wanted the props department to have stacks of sloppily stacked notebooks and papers, a sinkful of dirty dishes, and a heap of dirty laundry? Well, as of today, you can enter whatever props you want to be associated with a scene. We?ll be posting another blog entry that goes into more detail, but the bottom line is that this is a big leap forward in making Adobe Story a fantastic tool for creating breakdown reports. You can get a sense of how it works in the screenshot to right.

There are loads of other new features too. We?ve added a new Writer role that Story Plus users can assign in shared projects. What? Isn?t Story all about writing? Well, yes and no. Story offers BOTH writing and production scheduling/management tools. In working with some of our large broadcast customers, who use both parts of Story, they?ve asked for a way to keep writers focused on the key task of writing great stories, without having to delve into (or even see) schedules, reports, and the scripts written by other writers working on the project. If you?re a writer working on your own project, you?ll be the project?s owner. If you invite a collaborator to work on the writing with you, assign them the Co-Author role. And if you?re working as a freelance writer on a large production that has built a structure workflow around Adobe Story, don?t be surprised if you?re set up as a Writer.

We?ve also made loads of small improvements across Story, many of which are only relevant if you?re using Story Plus (which as you know is included in a full Creative Cloud membership). Here?s a partial list:

  • Clicking on the blue cross to add a character or set to the Character or Set lists associated with a project now opens the relevant list instead of just adding the item; if you?re adding a new set, you?re required to specify whether it?s in a studio or on location.
  • You can now manage shot numbers (wait?you didn?t know you could add camera shots to quickly create a shooting script? It?s super cool! Learn more here) with the same flexibility you have for dialogue and scene numbers.
  • Speaking of camera shots?you can now create camera cards for just a particular day, as well as for just a particular camera or just studio or location scenes. Or mix and match!
  • Thanks to our collaboration with Ireland?s RT?, we now have a TV template designed specifically for their productions (called Irish TV Screenplay). This new template format has a number of cool features, and one of the most useful can be turned on for any template: you can choose to have the first Action element of each scene be treated as the scene?s synopsis. If you choose this option, that element automatically populates the Synopsis field in the Scene Properties panel. Why is this handy? Well, then you have a synopsis include in your schedule as well as any reports that support the field?and you don?t have to do a thing.
  • We?ve added a whole bunch of new reports as well. My favorite is the Bible, which is a scene by scene summary of a script, including any scene level tags you?ve added. <<screenshot>>
  • You can now specify template defaults for whether the From and To boxes at the start and end of each scene now include info about previous and upcoming camera shots. Use the Edit > Template command and choose the option on the General tab.
  • When you enter time info for a scene, you can now have that info used for all subsequent scenes in a script.
  • We?ve added new options for sorting schedules. You can use the View > Story Order option to temporarily resort a schedule into Story order; when you use this view, options like breaks aren?t available?to use them, just switch back to the Shooting Order view.

We?ve also redesigned the landing age at story.adobe.com to make it more clear that Adobe Story is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, and we?ve added an in-app news feed so we can make sure you get the latest info about Story.

I?m sure I?ve left a few things out?but we sure hope you enjoy this new release. Let us know what you think by adding a comment below.

?

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Source: http://blogs.adobe.com/story/2013/02/13/story-update-released-today-feb-13-2013/

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Thursday, February 14, 2013

OUYA CEO sings the praises of NVIDIA, says OUYA will be 'best Tegra 3 device on the market'

OUYA and NVIDIA have a kind of love thing going on right now. The $99 Android-powered game console designed by Yves Béhar's fuseproject is powered by NVIDIA's Tegra 3 -- this much we already know. What we didn't know is that the folks at OUYA are working directly with a team of folks at NVIDIA on the project, and that NVIDIA is helping the company to max out its Tegra 3 processor for use on a console rather than a mobile (no battery dependency means the little chip can go much further than usual).

"The partner that we've worked the most with, that is incredibly supportive of developers, NVIDIA, they have multiple people on their team dedicated to our account," OUYA CEO Julie Uhrman told us in a recent interview. She was responding to a question regarding partnerships the company's forged to make OUYA a reality, such as the aforementioned involvement with Béhar's fuseproject studio. Despite the OUYA running Google's mobile OS, Uhrman said, "We haven't worked very much with Google." As for NVIDIA, however, the American chipmaker is going all in, helping the OUYA to be the, "best Tegra 3 device on the market," according to Uhrman.

That praise isn't all one-sided, of course; NVIDIA had praise to heap as well. "We have a dedicated team working with OUYA to ensure that Tegra 3's performance is being maximized. They've been amazing to work with," NVIDIA senior VP of Content and Technology Tony Tamasi told us. "The rich catalog of optimized and differentiated TegraZone games -- along with the work being done with developers -- ensures a flourishing ecosystem is in place and continues to grow." That support is unlikely to end with this year's OUYA. Uhrman said her company's console, unlike the big three console manufacturers, will launch anew annually, following the mobile model. And that model means beefier internals, such as NVIDIA's Tegra 4, announced just over a month ago at CES. In so many words, we very much expect NVIDIA and OUYA's lovefest to continue.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/nQEHYxe8iOw/

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Wall Street pauses after rally to five-year high

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks drifted in light volume on Wednesday, ending little changed, as investors remained cautious after the S&P 500 index briefly hit its highest intraday level since November 2007.

The S&P 500 was buoyed by General Electric after cable company Comcast Corp said it will buy from GE the the part of NBCUniversal it didn't already own for $16.7 billion.

Comcast's stock hit the highest since 1999 before closing up 3 percent at $40.13 and GE gained 3.6 percent to $23.39.

The S&P 500 is up 6.6 percent so far this year, partly due to stronger-than-expected corporate earnings and a better economic outlook. The Dow industrials is about 1 percent away from an all-time intraday high, reached in October 2007.

Volume has been weak in recent days with the S&P moving sideways around 1,520. The index is about 3 percent away from closing at a record high.

A scarcity of sellers after a consistent string of gains is a positive sign and shows the uptrend is intact, King Lip, chief investment officer at Baker Avenue Asset Management in San Francisco, said.

"Last year we had double-digit returns in the first quarter. It's fairly possible we can move higher from here," he said.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> fell 35.79 points or 0.26 percent, to 13,982.91, the S&P 500 <.spx> gained 0.9 point or 0.06 percent, to 1,520.33 and the Nasdaq Composite <.ixic> added 10.38 points or 0.33 percent, to 3,196.88.

The S&P gained 12 percent in the first three months of 2012.

Deere & Co , the world's largest farm equipment maker, forecast a modest increase in sales this year despite the prospect of the biggest corn crop in U.S. history. The forecast fell short of analysts' expectations, sending shares of Deere down 3.5 percent to $90.68.

In extended trading, shares of technology bellwether Cisco Systems fell 2 percent after it posted results.

Dr Pepper Snapple fell 5.8 percent to $42.69 after it forecast profit for the current year below analysts' estimates.

Cliffs Natural Resources lost a fifth of its market value a day after the miner reported a quarterly loss and slashed its dividend by 76 percent. Its shares fell 20 percent to 429.29.

According to the latest Thomson Reuters data, of the 364 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported results, 70.3 percent have exceeded analysts' expectations, above a 62 percent average since 1994 and 65 percent over the past four quarters.

About 5.9 billion shares changed hands on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and NYSE MKT, below the daily average in February last year of 6.94 billion.

On the NYSE, roughly seven issues rose for every five that fell and on Nasdaq more than six rose for every five decliners.

(Editing by Kenneth Barry and Bernadette Baum)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-index-futures-point-slightly-higher-start-101356289--finance.html

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Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Video: Schieffer on what GOP will like, dislike in SOTU

Ted Nugent: Answer to reducing gun violence "so simple, it's stupid"

Rock musician Ted Nugent, a vocally pro-gun rights advocate who attended this year's State of the Union as a guest of Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, told CBS News after President Obama's address that tighter gun laws are not the answer to the nation's escalating gun violence problem; strengthening detection of mental illness is.

Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsVideoPolitics/~3/-EJ0chG16pQ/

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Friendships bubble up at NY Fashion Week

NEW YORK (AP) ? Rachel Roy was at Vera Wang's NY Fashion Week show Tuesday, in a choice seat next to John Legend. Tory Burch regularly attends the shows of Narciso Rodriguez and Proenza Schouler. Diane von Furstenberg always makes room for Oscar de la Renta, and Tommy Hilfiger took in Belstaff.

Fashion has a reputation for being cutthroat, but there are friendships and mentorships as well that don't always get their due.

"I'm a big believer in supporting others," Burch said in a backstage interview.

Models are part of the glue here, too. Jessica Stam made it to the Chelsea space where Thom Browne was showing and Coco Rocha made a quick change from von Furstenberg's front row to Zac Posen's backstage.

Karlie Kloss was on the red carpet for the Grammy Awards, hosting coverage for MTV. She took an overnight flight from Los Angeles to New York to walk in Carolina Herrera's morning show Monday.

"These are my friends. That's why I got back in time. It's a family reunion at Fashion Week," Kloss said. "It's a common misconception that we don't get along but its not really true. ... To have a long career, you have to get along."

Roy decided to take her show digital this year, which meant an earlier deadline for her looks. She found the newfound freedom had at least one unexpected perk: "I can go to more of my friends' shows!"

John Galliano, who is on a three-week guest stint at de la Renta's studio, did not make a front-of-the-house appearance at the designer's show Tuesday, Day 6 of fall previews that wrap up Feb. 14. Shows follow in London, Milan and Paris.

OSCAR DE LA RENTA

De la Renta did have company on the runway for his bow: models Karlie Kloss and Magdalena Frackowiak. He also had famous fashion designers ? friends Diane von Furstenberg and Valentino ? in the front row.

Nowhere to be seen, however, was John Galliano, who is in the middle of a three-week stint working in de la Renta's studio. The question on guests' minds was if Galliano, fired from Christian Dior two years ago after an anti-Semitic rant was caught on video, would stay at de la Renta's house longer.

They were left to continue the rumor mill, but for the 15 minutes of show, they were fully engrossed in the show.

There seemed distinct segments of the collection: the uptown lady who wears a belted shawl-collar jacket; the artsy jetsetter who wears her black-and-ivory, Toile-print quilted skirt suit with panache; and the young socialite who can rock a shocking-pink ballgown with gold embroidery.

A delicate nude gown with black-bead embroidery likely is headed straight for the red carpet on a top Hollywood star.

BADGLEY MISCHKA

Mark Badgley and James Mischka are big movie buffs, and it shows in their clothes as they always seem attracted to silver-screen femme fatales.

Their fall collection had a film-noir vibe that always does well for them on the modern Hollywood red carpet. This time, the inspiration was Alfred Hitchcock movies ? their favorite being "Vertigo."

Kim Novak as a muse makes so much sense, Badgley said. "She's confident with a little bit of a dark, sexy side."

She also wears polished silhouettes like pencil skirts, fur stoles, halter-top gowns and tops with peplums very well, which fits the Badgley Mischka aesthetic perfectly.

This customer, though, also likes her shine. For fall, she gets a black-and-oyster lame dress, a metallic tweed suit and a jet-black silk and wool gown with a beaded back, cutout bodice and mermaid hemline.

JENNY PACKHAM

All the pretty young things who wear Packham's gowns on the red carpet are about to get a lesson in old-world glamour.

Think farther back than Hollywood's golden age, farther back than Art Deco ? even farther back than the Edwardian era. Packham's fall collection was based on noble 17-century Parisians, the women who would gather in their salons to discuss literature, politics and art.

"These women were educated, wealthy and influential ? they even liked politics. They were like early feminist groups," joked Packham backstage.

It seems they got to do quite a bit of lounging, and that came through in some of Packham's dressing gowns, robe-style silhouettes and powder-colored satins. They also knew how to ramp it up without ever being inappropriate. Packham played with that by showing some body-hugging looks that had high necks and keyhole slashes.

She also put a twist on the beaded gown, covering the whole thing in an extra layer of tulle, which added dimension and a little bit of mystery.

TORY BURCH

Burch has a confession she shared on the runwy: "I love bugs ? at least from a design standpoint."

She decorated a chiffon button-down shirt with scarabs and used jeweled ones on a silk skirt. Embellished dragonflies were subtly placed on some of the shoes ? remember Burch's roots are in accessories ? making them an instant, must-have status symbol.

But Burch didn't go looking in dark corners for inspiration. She tried to envelop metallic fabrics, the textures of Gustav Klimt's portraits and a free-spirited mood all into the overarching theme of Art Nouveau.

She found inspiration in many weekend outings to The Neue Galerie. "I was an art history major. ... I just like to go to see the Klimts. I love his attention to color, detail and texture."

RODARTE

Design sisters Laura and Kate Mulleavy grew up in sunny Santa Cruz, Calif., and evoked their seaside hometown in their fall collection.

But perhaps only to them. "It's really our own version of it," Laura Mulleavy said backstage.

The beachy feel came across most strongly in prints ? especially a tie-dye motif in silk satin, which appeared in a host of flowing gowns in pink, blue, red and black.

There were even some Grateful Dead references in the mix ? with the iconic Northern California band appearing via brilliant red-rose embroidery on the fanciest dresses, along with Swarovski crystals.

In the collection's most unusual element, many of the tie-dye gowns were embellished with large, futuristic-looking collars and other attached pieces made of what the sisters call 3-D double-faced foam.

VERA WANG

John Legend and fiance model Chrissy Teigen, Jada Pinkett Smith and Christine Baranski were on the front row to see ready-to-wear collection of Vera Wang.

Wang has embraced a high level of artistry for her bridal and red-carpet customers, but it was new for her ready to wear. "It was time for us to raise the bar," she said.

"It's going to be all about the collaging of different fabrics, different scales, different textures and different embroideries," she explained.

The first look out was a refined black wool sleeveless coat with an exaggerated arm and capelike collar that was paired with a racer-neckline shift dress. Wang folded fabric like origami to create wool-silk tops, and then topped them over the chest with a silk band.

For eveningwear, if anyone could start the trend for trousers on the red carpet, it's Wang. Her finale rose-printed gray jacquard chiffon blouse and delicate evening robe worn with gray rose-printed pants would be a strong contender.

VICTORIA, VICTORIA BECKHAM

Fresh off the positive feedback for her high-end label, Beckham offered "zip-and-go" dressing for her more affordable line.

More affordable ? but to a point, as Beckham herself acknowledged. "It's still expensive," she noted, "but a little less, and maybe something more women can buy."

Beckham said she focused the collection on the concept of easy, quick dressing. "You don't have to think about it ? you just get inside and go," she said.

As an example, she cited her very first item at Tuesday's presentation: A sleeveless gray wool jumper with a low V-neck and white button-down shirt attached inside.

MARC BY MARC

The younger, trendier line of Marc Jacobs was a polished and quiet throwback to the 1960s.

He stuck mostly with pant suits, wool shift or trapeze dresses and coats in solids, accented with a sprinkling of white-and-black stripes and large leaf prints in autumnal red, orange-red, green, purple and a rich deep blue.

The female models, with fluffy curled hair and bright red lips, looked like they were ready to get on an airline flight to mix a little business with pleasure, while the men in plaid wool blazers could have been running off to a campus club meeting.

Trousers for both genders provided an updated look to the mod-style dresses and coats.

SOPHIE THEALLET

The designer was looking at a photo album not long ago and happened on a snapshot of her mother, back in France decades ago, in apres-ski attire.

It inspired her current collection. "I just wanted to recreate that easy elegance that she had in that photo, that sophistication but also practicality," Theallet said.

She began her show with a couple of elegant wool coats ? not oversized or boxy or futuristic, as many designers have shown this season, but sleek and tailored.

Theallet moved into silky skirts and dresses, including an eye-catching, one-shouldered gray frock with a colorful print peeking out from a slit in the front. Some had a print of petals or leaves, either alone or covered by a sheer layer.

Especially appealing were her sleeveless sweaters ? paired with soft, flouncy, feminine skirts ? and a series of long and flowing dresses, a few of them backless with pretty and unusual strap details.

TRINA TURK

Turk focused her presentation on "elevating the sophistication level of what we do. More layered looks, textures and rich colors."

Those rich, fall-like colors were readily visible: Plums, as in a crepe jumpsuit with a silk georgette blouse and long leather plum gloves. Wines, as in a lush lamb and rabbit coat. Purples, as in a bright toggle coat. Or saffron, as in a pair of patchwork trousers.

There was also a wildly colorful column dress in what Turk calls an "Embarcadero" print. And there were shorts, albeit in fall and winter fabrics, like houndstooth.

___

Associated Press writers Jocelyn Noveck, Amanda Kwan and John Carucci contributed to this report.

___

Follow Samantha Critchell on Twitter at http://twitter.com/AP_Fashion

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/friendships-bubble-ny-fashion-week-214855011.html

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Jenners take a Kue from sisters with Klothes line

NEW YORK (AP) ? Kendall and Kylie Jenner are taking a cue from big sisters Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardashian ? launching their own clothing line.

Kendall, 17, and Kylie, 15, teamed up with PacSun to put out clothes aimed at teen girls.

"We watched our sisters do their clothing line (Kardashian Kollection for Sears) ? when the opportunity came to us, we jumped on it. We've always been interested in fashion and all that so it was great and worked out perfectly," Kylie said in a recent interview.

The line has a California feel because the girls are from there.

Both girls model. Last week they walked in the annual Heart Truth Red Dress Fashion Show in New York with their mother, Kris. They insist they're not competitive with one another.

"No, not at all. I think we're both in two kind of separate areas," said Kendall, who is more serious about a modeling career.

Kylie, on the other hand, would like to put out a line one day on her own. She also would like to try acting.

The teens are also taking a page from their older sisters by entering the publishing world. The Kardashian sisters have already released two books, a memoir and a novel. The Jenner sisters are writing a sci-fi, young adult book that's due out later this year.

One way they're not in a rush to emulate their sisters, though, is by starring in their own spin-off show.

"We're so young. I want to keep some part of my childhood private. I've been doing this since I was 9 years old," said Kylie.

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Online:

http://www.pacsun.com/content/kendall-kylie,default,pg.html

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Alicia Rancilio covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow her online at http://www.twitter.com/aliciar

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jenners-kue-sisters-klothes-line-122905310.html

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