The Emmy Award winning  broadcaster and the “Sports Guy” from +Social Sports and Entertainment Show #SSEshow has taken up the challenge to cook a delicious Caribbean meal with the assistance of this 7 year old twin boys – this promises to be a blast! 
The recipe Chris and  his sons will be cooking is Poached Fish in a Coconut Sauce with Caribbean Rice  Here is the recipe: http://bit.ly/Qs00lw
+Rodney Pike will be joining me for Episode 11 of +Art+Talk Hangouts on Air, along with my special guest cohost and wingman extraordinaire +Cliff Roth . (Cliff was actually the first guest ever on the Art+Talk hangouts, and you can see our chat here: Art+Talk Hangout Interview with Cliff Roth)
Rodney is a Louisiana born humorous illustrator, social media enthusiast and Photoshop fanatic. That’s all you get for now, if you want the rest of the down and dirty, watch or join us!
The very highly anticipated new album by Lupe Fiasco, Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album Part 1, is out now!
No need for introductions here, we all know who he is. This is the “sequel” to the original Food & Liquor, his debut album, and is much darker. Now, time for the review.
1. Ayesha Says (Intro)
This album traditionally starts like the first two albums: A spoken word intro from Lupe’s sister, Iesha. Here, she prepares the listeners for what’s coming on the album, summarizing all the topics that will be discussed.
2. Strange Fruition (featuring Casey Benjamin)
The album starts off very strong with one of the best songs on the entire album (and maybe his career). This is the only track produced by Soundtrakk, which may be strange to most people, since he is typically Lupe’s main producer. Either way, Soundtrakk does his thing as usual, providing Lupe with a strong beat to go with the lyrics. Casey Benjamin sings the hook here, and although it is heavily distorted, it fits with the theme of the song. The song discusses the state of America. The first verse is about how he distrusts the government, how it is corrupt, his frustration with society, and the government continuously being against blacks since the beginning, and now also. The second verse is about him going mad over society, Illuminati references, “killing them with happiness,” and how today’s youth do not care what they do, “as long as they look good when they be doing bad.”
3. ITAL (Roses)
ITAL = Vital. Song for the kids. Telling them not to join gangs, don’t spend all your money, don’t listen to the messages of most rappers, etc. The hook is the problem, it’s corny when he actually does a kiss. Also, he provided us with this: “I know you’re sayin’, ‘Lupe rappin’ ‘bout the same shit.’ Well, that’s ‘cause ain’t shit changed, bitch.”
4. Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free)
The first and highly controversial single of the album. It has a lot of political talk and is pretty fast paced. The beat is almost exactly like T.R.O.Y. by Pete Rock, who had a fit about this.
5. Audubon Ballroom
To explain the title, the Audobon Ballroom is the place where Malcolm X was assassinated. Mostly, this track talks about the racial problems throughout history and present time. Present time is mostly about how white people can’t say “nigga,” but black people can say it freely, even though they are actually demeaning themselves. When it comes to history, this song talks about the Reagan Era, Harlem Renaissance, etc.
6. Bitch Bad
The second single from the album, also controversial. The song criticizes the use of the word “bitch” in rap. The song uses a slow-ish, simplistic flow and the beat sounds like a Lupe spin on trap music. Here is my analysis of the video, if you want to go deeper into the meaning of the video.
7. Lamborghini Angels
Third single, once again, controversial. In my opinion, this is one of the best beats I’ve heard, and is possibly the best Lupe has rapped on. The verses are all split into separate stories. Verse 1 speaks of the relationship between white Christian settlers and brown/black pagan natives. The whole verse mentions that the natives should not be allowed in stores, turns virgins into whores, etc. But in the end, we find out that it’s talking about racism, wanting to “cure” his color. Verse 2 is about lobotomy and changes into women rights at the end. The one flaw of the song was in the third verse, where he randomly mixes two stories. The main story there is about molestation from Catholic priests, where it’s bad if their wives are raped, but it’s okay when they do it. In the middle of the verse though, a completely different story pops up about the army killing civilians, then taking pictures with them, then urinating on them. If you’re aware, this actually did happen some months ago.
8. Put Em Up
One of the best beats on the album. In this one, Lupe kind of brags, but he does it in his usual lyrical way. In the end, he says that only 2Pac is better than him. Also, he disses his previous album.
9. Heart Donor (featuring Pooh Bear)
Here’s when the albums weaknesses start. This is the worst song on the album, which is disappointing because Put Em Up was one of the best. It has what is probably the worse hook on a Lupe Fiasco song ever, provided by Pooh Bear (only Trey Songz can compete against how bad this hook was). It is highly generic, auto-tuned, and irritating. If anything, the hook itself isn’t bad, but the way “heart donor” is said is just terrible, the hook alone makes me want to skip it. In itself, the lyrics for the verses are uplifting and include Batman references, but it still isn’t very good. The beat itself isn’t too bad, except for some chopped up vocals in the hook. The beat sounds like something from the first Food and Liquor, but watered down. The beat and the hook (when not auto-tuned) strongly reminds me of the ending of Audition Mantra by P.O.S., which I loved.
10. How Dare You (featuring Bilal)
I remember when this was announced to be released as a single on 9/11, I thought that it was going to be Lupe going all out talking about that event. Boy was I wrong, and so was everyone else. This basically, to quote the editors of RapGenius, is Sunshine Part 2.
11. Battle Scars (with Guy Sebastian)
Well…when this first came out, I compared it to the first three singles, and I was baffled. This was completely different from the other songs and felt completely out of place. It still feels out of place. The song itself, again, isn’t bad. This is a song about love being war, thus “Battle Scars.” Basically, it’s about the emotional scars you get from your exes. Do you see why it doesn’t fit with the rest of the album? Again, it’s not bad, just too different from the rest of the album. Also, don’t play this song too loud, Guy Sebastian might break your windows with his voice.
12. Brave Heart (featuring Pooh Bear)
I don’t know what it is, but something feels a little off here. This about the comparisons of the rich and poor, along with how he feels guilty of living the rich lifestyle. Pooh Bear does a good job on the hook here, much better than Heart Donor.
13. Form Follows Function
Back to business! This is the Dumb It Down, Failure, or SLR of the album. Just completely lyrical, with a lot of religious references and some drug references. The beat sounds like SLR combined with Mean and Vicious. So you know, this is one of the best on the album.
14. Cold War (featuring Jane $$$)
This is a slower song, the beat is reminiscent of “Gold Watch” but with a slower tempo. It mostly about how his friend/brother died and how Lupe had to cope with it. The title is Cold War because he saw it as a cold world afterwards, he could not be happy after his death. This is a touching song, but the one problem is the chorus. Not that there’s really anything wrong with it, but the hook is way too loud compared to the rest of the song. It’s kind of screamed out, while the verses are slower and quieter.
15. Unforgivable Youth (featuring Jason Evigan)
The first two verses here are like a history class taught by Lupe. It recalls Spanish settlers coming here, murdering natives, taking their land, starting slave trade, and many other things that happened during the development of America. The final verse though, tells of a post apocalyptic world, where archaeologists come here to an annihilated America to find out about us. They search and make assumptions that American was an utopia, a perfect country. Obviously not true.
16. Hood Now (Outro)
The outro and goodbye for the album. Two verses, one is saying how blacks go places and make it “hood”, and the second is how blacks from the hood became celebrities, such as rappers, athletes, etc. A great closing for the album.
17. Go To Sleep (Digital Bonus Track)
I’ve said before that I don’t review bonus tracks, but this is an exception. This was released before Lasers and it was meant to be the lead single for this album. I can see why this was left off the main tracklist, but it should have been there anyway. Sure, the song is two years old, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s one of the best Lupe songs. The beat here is dark and haunting, and it fits perfectly. The lyrics are about Lupe telling the competition to “go to sleep” because they suck, basically.
Highlights: Strange Fruition, Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free), Bitch Bad, Lamborghini Angels, Put Em Up, How Dare You, Form Follows Function, Unforgivable Youth, Hood Now.
Extra: Go To Sleep
This album is great. It is not up to the level of the original Food and Liquor, but it can be compared to The Cool. It has minor flaws, but it’s all good. Buy it.
Join +George Sepich +Larry Fournillier +Richard Wooding and the rest of our scurvy Pirate Crew Tonight (Friday, 9-28-2012) @ 6pm E For The Premiere Of The Pirates Pub, A Live Hangout On Air (HOA) Featuring Drinks, Food, Folks, And Pirate Fun.
Join Us On Board  If You Dare!
‘
Pulp Fiction’ meets politics in the uproariously funny Obama ad featuring foul-mouthed thespian, Samuel L. Jackson.
Primarily targeting those fair-weather supporters of President Barack Obama who are either apathetic or disenchanted this election cycle, the ad riffs from Jackson’s hilarious rendering of adult bedtime story, ‘Go theF**k to Sleep, written by Adam Mansbach, who also wrote the script for this risque ad sure to attract laughs, criticism, and, for the Obama campaign hopefully votes.
According to Slate.com, the online ad was financed by liberal super PAC, the Jewish Council for Education & Research.
By Christine Erickson
There is nothing more cringe-worthy than the sound of Gorilla Glass smashing into tiny pieces, leaving your precious new phone completely damaged — except for when it happens before you can even get your hands on it. (First world problems.)
[More from Mashable: Mini Man’s Super Slam Dunks Will Boggle Your Mind [VIDEO]]
While Apple fans camped out patiently for an iPhone 5, the jokesters at AwesomenessTV had a little mischievous fun.
Donned in Apple employee gear, they walked past the crowds, enticing them with a cart of the new “iPhones.” The clumsy “Apply employee” drops the boxes, and you can hear the hearts breaking with the sound of broken glass.
Bigger Screen
The most noticeable change in the new iPhone is its larger, 4-inch screen. The display actually isn’t any wider than the previous one, but instead extends length-wise to a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. Its resolution is 1,136 x 640 pixels — that’s not quite high-def, but it still has the same pixel density — what Apple calls a retina display. The taller screen allows for five rows of apps (plus the permanent row on the bottom), and Apple says its colors are better, too.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A chef who told police he boiled his wife’s body for four days to hide evidence of her death was convicted Thursday of second-degree murder.
David Viens showed no reaction as the verdict was read. The sister of his victim burst out sobbing.
In a recorded interrogation presented by prosecutors during the trial, Viens, 49, can be heard saying he cooked the body of his 39-year-old wife, Dawn Viens, in late 2009 until little was left but her skull.
“He treated her like a piece of meat and got rid of her,” said Karen Patterson, the couple’s best friend who spoke to reporters outside court.
She was the key witness in Viens’ trial and the person who prodded police to investigate her friend’s disappearance.
At a news conference, she tearfully warned others to take heed of domestic violence among friends and call police. She apologized for failing to call 911 when Dawn Viens called her during an incident of abuse but begged her not to call police.
“Maybe you have to go beyond your friend’s trust and try to save lives,” she said.
Juror Tal Erickson said it was Viens’ own words in two confessions that convinced them of his guilt.
The chef spoke to authorities from a hospital bed in March 2011 after leaping off an 80-foot cliff in Rancho Palos Verdes. Authorities say he jumped after learning he was a suspect in her disappearance.
The trial relied heavily on recorded interviews with authorities in which the chef acknowledged the crime in detail.
“I just slowly cooked it and I ended up cooking her for four days,” Viens could be heard saying on the recording.
Viens, who attended his trial in a wheelchair, said in the interview that he stuffed his wife’s body in a 55-gallon drum of boiling water and kept it submerged with weights.
He said he mixed what remained after four days with other waste, dumping some of it in a grease pit at his restaurant in Lomita, and putting the rest in the trash.
He said he stashed his wife’s skull in his mother’s attic in Torrance. But a search of the house turned up nothing, nor did an excavation of the restaurant.
Erickson told reporters the gruesome evidence shocked jurors.
“A few of us had a hard time sleeping at night,” he said. “I would think about it and ask, ‘Why?’”
If there was any question about the guilt of Viens, it was wiped out by his plunge off the cliff, Erickson said.
“My opinion was if he was innocent, he wouldn’t jump off a cliff,” the juror said.
On the recording played in court, Viens was asked what happened on Oct. 18, 2009, the night his wife disappeared.
He said he had noticed money missing from his restaurant and suspected his wife. They got into an argument, he said, and he forced her onto the floor where he wrapped her up and put a piece of duct tape over her mouth before going to bed.
He awoke to find her dead, and he panicked, he said.
Viens was charged with first-degree murder, which means the killing was premeditated, but jurors had the option of convicting him of that or second-degree murder or manslaughter. The six men and six women on the panel deliberated for about five hours before reaching the verdict.
Erickson said the jury did not believe the killing was premeditated, even though Viens had threatened to kill his wife after finding the money missing.
“Anyone can say that and not follow through,” the juror said.
Viens’ lawyer, Fred McCurry, declined comment on the way out of the courtroom except to say he planned to appeal.
Viens is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 27. He could face 15 years to life in prison.
Dawn Viens’ sister, Dayna Papin, said, “There’s no happy ending. Two families have suffered tremendously. This is a man I’ve known for 20 years who was like a father to me.”
Patterson, the longtime friend, said she would like to visit Viens in prison.
“Even through all this, he is still my friend,” she said. “I struggle with the lovely person who killed another lovely person. I would remind him of how much Dawn loved him.”
She said she was satisfied with the second-degree murder verdict.
“Murder is murder,” she said.
Enlarge PhotoReuters/Reuters – Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney speaks at a campaign fund raiser in Washington, DC September 27, 2012. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
In a memo sent to surrogates today, Romney senior adviser Beth Myers sets the expectations for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney low – very low – compared to the “ample rhetorical gifts” of his opponent. The memo says President Obama has a “significant advantage” heading into the first debate.
“President Obama is a uniquely gifted speaker, and is widely regarded as one of the most talented political communicators in modern history,” Myers writes, calling Obama a “universally acclaimed public speaker.”
Myers’ memo is the latest in pre-debate jockeying by both campaigns to set their candidate’s expectations low, while raising expectations for their opponent.
Beyond his “natural gifts” for oratory, Meyers argues that Obama has “substantial debate experience under his belt.”
“This will be the eighth one-on-one presidential debate of his political career. For Mitt Romney, it will be his first,” she says. Obama, in her words, has had “extensive seasoning under the bright lights of the debate stage.”
Myers predicts that President Obama will use these advantages to go negative and attack Romney on the debate stage.
“Since he won’t – and can’t – talk about his record, he’ll talk about Mitt Romney. We fully expect a 90-minute attack ad aimed at tearing down his opponent.”
Myers concludes that the election will not be decided by the debates.
The first of three presidential debates is Oct. 3, next Thursday, at the University of Denver.
The full memo from Beth Myers to surrogates is below:
From: Beth Myers, Senior Adviser To: Interested Parties Date: September 27, 2012 Re: 2012 Presidential Debates
In a matter of days, Governor Romney and President Obama will meet on the presidential debate stage. President Obama is a universally-acclaimed public speaker and has substantial debate experience under his belt. However, the record he’s compiled over the last four years – higher unemployment, lower incomes, rising energy costs, and a national debt spiraling out of control – means this will be a close election right up to November 6th.
Between now and then, President Obama and Governor Romney will debate three times. While Governor Romney has the issues and the facts on his side, President Obama enters these contests with a significant advantage on a number of fronts.
Voters already believe – by a 25-point margin – that President Obama is likely to do a better job in these debates. Given President Obama’s natural gifts and extensive seasoning under the bright lights of the debate stage, this is unsurprising. President Obama is a uniquely gifted speaker, and is widely regarded as one of the most talented political communicators in modern history. This will be the eighth one-on-one presidential debate of his political career. For Mitt Romney, it will be his first.
Four years ago, Barack Obama faced John McCain on the debate stage. According to Gallup, voters judged him the winner of each debate by double-digit margins, and their polling showed he won one debate by an astounding 33-point margin. In the 2008 primary, he faced Hillary Clinton, another formidable opponent – debating her one-on-one numerous times and coming out ahead. The takeaway? Not only has President Obama gained valuable experience in these debates, he also won them comfortably.
But what must President Obama overcome? His record. Based on the campaign he’s run so far, it’s clear that President Obama will use his ample rhetorical gifts and debating experience to one end: attacking Mitt Romney. Since he won’t – and can’t – talk about his record, he’ll talk about Mitt Romney. We fully expect a 90-minute attack ad aimed at tearing down his opponent. If President Obama is as negative as we expect, he will have missed an opportunity to let the American people know his vision for the next four years and the policies he’d pursue. That’s not an opportunity Mitt Romney will pass up. He will talk about the big choice in this election – the choice between President Obama’s government-centric vision and Mitt Romney’s vision for an opportunity society with more jobs, higher take-home pay, a better-educated workforce, and millions of Americans lifted out of poverty into the middle class.
This election will not be decided by the debates, however. It will be decided by the American people. Regardless of who comes out on top in these debates, they know we can’t afford another four years like the last four years. And they will ultimately choose a better future by electing Mitt Romney to be our next president.
By Sunlen Miller | ABC OTUS News
Japanese Chef +Ogawa Fumio has his second installment of his fabulous new cooking show live from his Japanese kitchen.
See Chef +Ogawa Fumio masterfully prepare authentic Japanese dishes for his family. Listen to Japanese to English translator, +Bettina Grießbach skillfully translate the Chef’s every word and and actions into mouth-water experience.
Are you poisoning your family at breakfast?
(NaturalNews) By now, nearly everyone interested in healthy living is aware of the recent research linking Monsanto’s GMO corn to cancer tumors and an increase risk of premature death in both men and women. News of the research is spreading like wildfire across the ‘net, and support for Proposition 37 — which seeks to label GMOs in foods — is growing by the day.
But the media has not yet reported on the everyday foods being sold in grocery stores right now and made with Monsanto’s genetically modified corn (GM corn). Which foods are most likely to contain Monsanto GM corn? To answer this question, I visited a local grocery store in Austin, Texas and purchased 10 breakfast cereals made with high levels of non-organic corn.
The following list presents the top 10 popular breakfast cereals most likely to contain Monsanto’s genetically modified corn. To learn more and see the list click here.
Android Authority On Air Hosts: Scott Anderson & Derek Ross
This week we’re back with your favorite Kickstarter Android Launcher, Chameleon. As you may recall, this wasn’t our first go with the HTML5 based widget launcher, we had an exclusive interview with Chameleon when it all began back in early August. This week they dropped version 1.0 to the Play Store and we went live with them again to bring you all the goodies such as widget API’s, upcoming widgets and performance increases. Besides Chameleon, other popular apps had some hefty updates and overhauls this week. Google Maps added a few features, Facebook began copying Google+ features again, and Twitter had some impressive updates.
Android as a whole hit some nice milestones this past week such as capturing 68% of the 2012 Q3 market share. We also saw the Google Play Store add over 600 titles. These include Family Guy, Modern Family, Prometheus and more. Matias Duarte, the man behind the ICS and JB gorgeous UI let the world know he’s only about a third of the way done with Android’s UI.
Don’t you just love the fall? It’s gadget heaven. We had tons of device rumors, news, and announcements this week. From the LG Optimus G, Oppo Finder 5, to the Padfone 2 and even some Nexus rumors. Some old devices received much needed OTA updates this week and the HTC One X might be getting Jelly Bean sometime in October.
For rootin’ and ramen noodles (watch the show) the Android Open Kang Project dropped build #2 on the world and man loves them some customization. CyanogenMod 10 keeps on truckin’ adding support for more devices this week. There’s also a new universal root tool making the rounds and so far it roots a hefty amount of devices. Lastly, if you decided to pick up a Kindle Fire HD, the bootloader is still locked but thanks to an unpatched bug (thanks Amazon!) you can easily root your new Fire.
Get the best Android news and future show updates at http://www.androidauthority.com/
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HTC One X Jelly Bean update coming in October, new report says
Microsoft wins patent injunction against Google in German court
Asus to launch the Padfone 2 on October 16
Alibaba spins off Aliyun OS. Could recent Google troubles haved caused this?
SoundCloud adds editing features to its Android app
War must go on – Samsung to attack iPhone 5 with infringement claims on eight patents
Sprint CEO: 1 million LTE devices sold, wishes Windows Phone luck
ZTE Warp Sequent is available at Boost Mobile with ICS and low-end specs for $200
LG’s quad-core Optimus G to start selling in Canada in November
Android 4.0.4 ICS update heading to AT&T’s Sony Xperia Ion
Google releases update to Maps just as Apple rolls out iOS 6
Official: LG Optimus G to be released in Q4 in the US, carrier names still unknown
U.S. Galaxy Note 2 launch confirmed with five carriers: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile & U.S. Cellular
Samsung rolls out ICS update for AT&T’s Galaxy Exhilarate
AT&T turns on its 4G LTE service in Seattle, Portland and more
Chameleon launcher finally gets V1.0 release, more dashboards for some
Verizon locks down another Samsung phones’ bootloader
Matias Duarte: Android is “about a third of the way to where I want to beâ€
Google’s Chrome browser doesn’t work on the new Motorola RAZR i
IDC: Android has four times more global market share than iOS
PSA: $25 Google Play Credit With Nexus 7 Purchase Promo Ending September 30th
Complaint filed by Motorola to ITC puts Apple under the looking glass
Acer announces the Iconia Tab A110 (again!), coming soon with Jelly Bean on board
New Amazon Kindle Fire HD gets rooted with an old expoit
Twitter App gets update – “My Profile†now has background image ability, and ‘Photo Stream’
Judge Koh: Sales ban for Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to remain in place
Motorola RAZR i launches in London, features 2.0GHz Intel processor
G-nex, Nex7 and others have AOKP JB Build 2 now available to them
Asus Padfone 2 inching closer to its release, packs quad-core S4 CPU in leaked benchmark
Most ICS/JB devices now accepting XDA universal root method
Alibaba maintains Aliyun’s legitimacy, but agrees with app piracy accusations
HTC phablet becomes known as the HTC One X 5
Oppo Find 5 gets more specs revealed, including 2 GB of RAM, 12 MP cam and 2,500 mAh battery
Galaxy Nexus 2 (GT-I9260) apparently in the works, could be called the Galaxy Premier
Deliciously Nutritious and Easy to Make
This is an unexpected twist on cole slaw. No, it is not one of those creamy slaws. This is a muture combination of heat and sweet with a crunchy touch of savory to balance the flavors. This recipe was originally published in my book The Pennywize Vegetarian and it is still one of the most reproduced recipes from the book. People love this recipe, and there are never left-overs when I bring this dish to gatherings- which is a shame, because it tastes even better the next day.Zesty Cranberry Slaw Recipe #veganrecipe #vegan #vegetarianrecipe #rawfoodrecipe #hearthealthy
Thinking of moving in with Mom and Dad while you get your working feet on the ground?
It’s not something to hang your head about — a lot of your peers are considering it, too, or maybe already back living with the ‘rents.
This infographic from College@Home shows just how common the so-called “boomerang effect†really is — Have a look!
Author:Â Brazen Life
A drug first developed for cancer has shown promise as a treatment for progeria, a rare and fatal rapid-aging disease in children, and it may have implications in treating cardiovascular problems associated with normal aging.
In a paper published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists reported results after a 2½-year trial of 28 children who took Merck & Co.’s lonafarnib. The drug appeared to slow, and in some cases reverse, damage caused by the disease, including arterial stiffness, which also is linked to heart problems in the normal aging population.
Although the number of participants in the study is small, the disease is so rare that the children represented 75% of the known cases of progeria in the world at the time they enrolled in the trial at Boston Children’s Hospital in 2007. Since the trial began, more children with progeria have been identified, said Leslie Gordon, medical director of the Progeria Research Foundation.
Children with progeria, also known as Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, die of heart attacks or strokes at an average age of 13 because of the accumulation of a protein called progerin.
Researchers have long wondered whether progeria might offer clues into the normal aging process. Over the past few years, papers have been published demonstrating that progerin, a mutant form of the Lamin A protein, which is critical in organizing the genome inside the body’s cells, accumulates in everyone as they age. The thinking is that a drug that mitigates cardiovascular problems in children with progeria might also affect cardiovascular problems more broadly.
“More data suggests that this mechanism at least in some cases may be related to things that happen in normal aging, and the study is of interest in that regard,” said Brian Kennedy, president and chief executive of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, Calif. Dr. Kennedy has tested other drugs for progeria and normal aging and wasn’t involved in the lonafarnib study. “I also think for progeria this is an encouraging start.”
None of the researchers involved in the trial think lonafarnib alone will arrest the disease, and the results raised questions that need to be addressed. For example, although all the children benefited from the drug, they didn’t all benefit the same way, and researchers aren’t sure why.
Nine children showed greater than a 50% increase in annual rate of weight gain, a statistically significant result, but six children lost weight, perhaps because of disease progression or side effects of the medicine. Children also showed improvement in hearing, skeletal rigidity or cardiovascular changes such as decreased arterial stiffness and improved vessel-wall density. But researchers can’t predict or explain yet why someone benefits in one area but not another.
“The drug prevents the abnormal protein collecting in places where it seems to do the most damage, but it doesn’t stop the abnormal protein from being made,” said Mark Kieran, principal investigator in the trial and director of pediatric medical neuro-oncology at the Dana-Farber/Children’s Hospital Cancer Center in Boston.
Dr. Kieran said another trial, involving a cocktail of lonafarnib and two additional drugs, is under way at Boston Children’s Hospital to try to achieve even greater benefits and that a fourth drug is being tested in mice and may be tried in the children in another trial.
Dr. Gordon, of the Progeria Research Foundation, which raised $2 million to fund the lonafarnib trial, said the foundation plans to ask the Food and Drug Administration to approve the drug for use in progeria because of the results released Monday. Dr. Gordon is an author of the paper published Monday and the mother of a child with progeria.
A spokeswoman for Merck said the company is supporting the filing and has agreed to supply the drug “for the foreseeable future,” but the company isn’t pursuing development of the drug more broadly. Merck developed the drug for cancer, but it failed to show efficacy in a trial with patients with advanced head-and-neck cancer.
Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health and one of the discoverers of the gene that causes progeria, said the drug’s usefulness for vascular stiffness in normal aging is an important question to study. But the drug “hits a lot of targets, and one concern is to make sure you are not inducing an untoward effect in people who are not as severe as kids with progeria,” Dr. Collins said. He said his lab is testing a form of the drug rapamycin in mice with progeria that could eventually be tried as part of a drug-treatment cocktail.
The Buck Institute’s Dr. Kennedy led a team earlier this year that found that another form of rapamycin was effective in increasing the life spans and improving symptoms in mice with two different diseases caused by other mutations in the progeria-connected Lamin A gene. Rapamycin also is being studied for its impact on the normal aging process.
Jamie Madley of Hamilton, Ontario, said her 16-year-old son, Devin Scullion, a high-school junior, was part of the lonafarnib trial and is part of the continuing triple-drug-cocktail trial. Devin has had arthritis since the age of 2 and suffered two major strokes when he was 6. He uses a walker to get around. Ms. Madley said Devin has shown improvement in the trials. He weighed 23 pounds at the start of the lonafarnib trial and is now up to 31 pounds. She said his eating habits, energy level and sleep also have improved.
When Devin was born, said Ms. Madley, she was told there were no treatments for progeria. “Now at least there is hope,” she said. “We got our foot in the door.”
The phrase “comfort food” has traditionally been more marketing than anything else, used to describe foods or menus that take us back to childhood or make us feel warm and cozy on a cold day. Mac ‘n’ cheese and fried chicken tend to be involved. But scientists looking at the effects of different foods and food flavors on mood have recently found evidence that certain flavors are truly comforting.
At the national meeting of the American Chemical Society last month, Karina Martinez-Mayorga, Ph.D., presented the latest findings from her ongoing study of the effect of various food flavors on mood. It turns out that molecules in chocolate, a variety of berries and foods containing omega-3 fatty acids positively affect mood. Moreover, Martinez-Mayorga and her team have found that the chemical components of these food flavors are structurally similar to valproic acid, the primary ingredient in several pharmaceutical mood stabilizers, including Depakene, Depakote and Stavzor.
To arrive at this conclusion, the researchers screened the chemical structures of over 1,700 food flavor ingredients for similarities to approved antidepressants, marketed drugs and other products with reported antidepressant activity. So far the most compelling link has been to valproic acid, but it’s entirely possible that these and other foods and food flavors have mood-boosting or antidepressant capabilities.
“The large body of evidence that chemicals in chocolate, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, teas and certain foods could well be mood-enhancers encourages the search for other mood modulators in food,†Martinez-Mayorga told me in an email.
Martinez-Mayorga’s research is supported in part by a food flavor company, France-based Robertet Flavors, Inc. The scientist says food industry companies are joining pharmaceutical companies in the quest for natural mood boosters. While pharmaceutical companies search for potent antidepressants, food companies would be happy to promote food products as having verifiable mood-stabilizing, calming, or memory-boosting effects.
“Our primary interest is in flavors for enhancing mood in normal, healthy people during ‘down times,’ not clinical depression,” Martinez-Mayorga said.
Of course, no one is suggesting that a snack of chocolate and blueberries could replace medication for, say, bipolar disorder. But Martinez-Mayorga says mood-lifting chemicals from foods, in combination with other positive environmental factors (healthy sleep patterns, for example) could deliver a quantifiable mood boost.
Eventually, Martinez-Mayorga said, we could even see dietary recommendations shift to include foods with positive psychological benefits. With the exceptions of chocolate and tea, that wouldn’t necessarily introduce any new foods to the recommendations made by most nutritionists. Unfortunately, mac ‘n’ cheese and fried chicken wouldn’t make the cut.
Even more unfortunate, more scientific evidence or formal dietary recommendations won’t necessarily make these foods—fresh berries, fish, and other omega 3-rich foods—any more accessible to the general public. The same people who struggle to get access to fresh produce and healthy proteins to meet their physical nutritional requirements would struggle to get enough mood-boosting foods as well.
Author:Â Amy Westervelt
MySpace might not be cool anymore, but the site’s upcoming redesign — as shown in a new video — looks absolutely stunning.
Specific Media bought MySpace from News Corp. in July 2010 for $35 million, a fraction of the $580 million it sold for in 2005. But the site is still kicking, and it has been working hard to reinvent itself and integrate with Facebook and Twitter. It also has Justin Timberlake helping out, trying to bring some sexy back to the site.
If you’d like to sign up for the new MySpace, you can do so here.
Check out the video above for more and let us know in the comments what you think of the new design.
This will be a special episode.  To keep  in line with my Healthy Eating Program, team member, and hostess of Learning How To Cook Peruvian* +Astrid MJ. Houchin, will be coming *LIVE from Peru.  Astrid and her brother will be preparing a delicious Peruvian Vegetarian dish just for the program.
The Fastest Way to a Better You
Finally! an easy to use guide to help you experience the benefits of juice fasting without starvation. Â People who have used this program have seen amazing benefits including:
Until recently, this plan was only available to my coaching clients, but now, in conjunction with The Hangout Networks, this book is will be available to the public. Â Look for the special offer that will be announced on October 1, 2012, on how you can not only get the book but also some never offered before special offers.
#detox #juice fasting # weight loss
+Swarez Art will be joining me for Episode 10 of +Art+Talk  Hangouts on Air, and just to mix things up a bit, the lovely and talented +Abigail Markov will be cohosting the interview with me.
Ed Swarez, is a self taught painter who began six years ago, by accident, Â with a tiny canvas and a small paintbrush. Since that day he has gradually refined his skills and developed his materials to be able to produce a unique range of modern art that’s all about big bold shapes, rich colours and intricate levels of detailing.
Finally, an easy to make delicious heart healthy vegan mayonnaise recipe. This recipe is so good that you will never want to go back to the other stuff.
http://www.andreafrayser.com/easy-heart-healthy-vegan-mayonnaise-recipe/
Miley Cyrus’ recent extreme run-in with hair bleach and scissors has fans, fashionistas and most recently, Flavor Flav utterly confused. The two bumped into each other backstage at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas Friday night. With cameras rolling, Flav greeted her with an enthused “Gwen Stefani!!”
Sharing a laugh, Cyrus brushed off the mistake–and didn’t bother to correct Flav, even after sharing a chat, a photo and a hug. She must be used to the comparison to the No Doubt singer and also P!nk, who has an even more identical haircut. It wasn’t until they parted ways that someone informed Flav to his surprise that she was not Stefani, but Miley Cyrus! But Flav immediately went back to Cyrus to apologize, and all was well in the world.
Flavor Flav later was seen talking to the real Gwen Stefani as he watched Lil Wayne from the front row of the concert–let’s hope he didn’t call her Miley Cyrus!
But let’s take a cue from Flavor Flav and take the opportunity to put out in the universe that perhaps Stefani and P!nk should invite Miley into their platinum blonde palace of awesomeness? Cyrus does sing after all, and c’mon, she’s clearly worked hard on making the requirements!
 
As the first in my family to graduate from college, I know first-hand how life changing the opportunity can be. I grew up in a gritty part of Los Angeles with my mom who only had a sixth grade education, worked as a seamstress, and lived paycheck to paycheck. She knew that if I got an education my path would be better. And it has been.
My story is not unique and many of you share it. College has prepared us for better jobs and opened doors not available to those with a high school diploma or less. It has allowed many of us to succeed beyond our parents’ own expectations. And yet today our country is on track to produce a generation of young people less educated than we are. I find that unacceptable, un-American and against a core value that our children will be better off.
Shortly after his election, President Obama set a goal that by 2020, America should once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. Currently, the U.S. ranks 10th in the world in the number of young adults with a degree, and our position continues to slip. There’s also an old saying, “As California goes, so goes the country.” California’s sheer size –it’s home to the largest system of public higher education in the country—makes it a key player in the nation’s ability to achieve its college completion goals.
As executive director of the Campaign for College Opportunity—the only independent organization in the nation solely focused on influencing budget and policy solutions so that students have a greater chance of going to college and graduating—I can tell you that while the state’s higher education system has plenty of challenges, there are also some real innovations happening here that can serve as models for the rest of the country.
First, the challenges: Our community colleges serve over 2 million students annually at 112 campuses. Unfortunately, only 3 in 10 degree seeking community college students in the state earn a certificate, transfer to a four-year university or get a degree after six years, and the numbers are worse for black and Latino students. And, like other states, California’s slow economic recovery and budget woes have meant over $2 billion in cuts to higher education last year alone and half a million otherwise qualified students turned away.
Nobody can argue that increased investment is not necessary, but our students can’t wait for better budget times. Thankfully last year, the State Legislature convened the Student Success Task Force, and their recommendations, and subsequent legislation, SB 1456- The Student Success Act of 2012, leave no one out of the accountability equation for student success. The recommendations call on students to be more deliberate in their enrollment, call on institutions to remove barriers to student success and provide better student support, and call on the state to align policy and budget priorities that favor both access and completion equally.
California’s Student Success Act, which awaits the Governor’s signature, establishes policies to ensure all students receive orientation, create an education plan, and declare a course of study to help students reach their goals. Basically, it starts them off right. With a growing number of first-time college goers, this upfront support is critical to success.
Many community colleges are also trying new strategies to make student success a reality. Faced with low rates of retention and chronically poor performance on math and English assessment tests, Los Angeles Trade Technical College developed the L.A. Trade Bridge Academy, which acts as a GPS for first-time students. The program provides support to students from day one with orientation where they create an educational plan, enroll in courses, and access financial aid and other campus resources.
Students are able to take a pre-test to determine their placement in math and English courses, with the option to enroll in refresher courses to help them prepare for the official placement test. And, after only two years of implementation, results show student enrollment in a second term is up by 10 percent and refresher courses have increased the number of students successfully completing math or English courses by 11 percent.
College completion is critical to our nation’s future. Retiring baby boomers leave large gaps in the workforce and our knowledge-based economy requires higher levels of education. Revenues generated from college graduates support critical state services and higher rates of employment for college graduates buffer economic downturns. In California, our college graduates earn $1.3 million more over their lifetimes than high school graduates. Failing to improve college completion consigns millions to an on-going cycle of poverty and spells economic disaster for our nation.
As education advocates, we must continue to work towards increasing both college access and completion for our communities, our economy, and our democracy. Most solutions are right in front of us – they are as simple as providing students with an orientation the day they set foot on campus. Budget challenges shouldn’t cripple our resolve to do better and colleges like L.A. Trade Tech are giving us examples of how it can be done.
Author:Â Michele Siqueiros
Â
As the first in my family to graduate from college, I know first-hand how life changing the opportunity can be. I grew up in a gritty part of Los Angeles with my mom who only had a sixth grade education, worked as a seamstress, and lived paycheck to paycheck. She knew that if I got an education my path would be better. And it has been.
My story is not unique and many of you share it. College has prepared us for better jobs and opened doors not available to those with a high school diploma or less. It has allowed many of us to succeed beyond our parents’ own expectations. And yet today our country is on track to produce a generation of young people less educated than we are. I find that unacceptable, un-American and against a core value that our children will be better off.
Shortly after his election, President Obama set a goal that by 2020, America should once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. Currently, the U.S. ranks 10th in the world in the number of young adults with a degree, and our position continues to slip. There’s also an old saying, “As California goes, so goes the country.” California’s sheer size –it’s home to the largest system of public higher education in the country—makes it a key player in the nation’s ability to achieve its college completion goals.
As executive director of the Campaign for College Opportunity—the only independent organization in the nation solely focused on influencing budget and policy solutions so that students have a greater chance of going to college and graduating—I can tell you that while the state’s higher education system has plenty of challenges, there are also some real innovations happening here that can serve as models for the rest of the country.
First, the challenges: Our community colleges serve over 2 million students annually at 112 campuses. Unfortunately, only 3 in 10 degree seeking community college students in the state earn a certificate, transfer to a four-year university or get a degree after six years, and the numbers are worse for black and Latino students. And, like other states, California’s slow economic recovery and budget woes have meant over $2 billion in cuts to higher education last year alone and half a million otherwise qualified students turned away.
Nobody can argue that increased investment is not necessary, but our students can’t wait for better budget times. Thankfully last year, the State Legislature convened the Student Success Task Force, and their recommendations, and subsequent legislation, SB 1456- The Student Success Act of 2012, leave no one out of the accountability equation for student success. The recommendations call on students to be more deliberate in their enrollment, call on institutions to remove barriers to student success and provide better student support, and call on the state to align policy and budget priorities that favor both access and completion equally.
California’s Student Success Act, which awaits the Governor’s signature, establishes policies to ensure all students receive orientation, create an education plan, and declare a course of study to help students reach their goals. Basically, it starts them off right. With a growing number of first-time college goers, this upfront support is critical to success.
Many community colleges are also trying new strategies to make student success a reality. Faced with low rates of retention and chronically poor performance on math and English assessment tests, Los Angeles Trade Technical College developed the L.A. Trade Bridge Academy, which acts as a GPS for first-time students. The program provides support to students from day one with orientation where they create an educational plan, enroll in courses, and access financial aid and other campus resources.
Students are able to take a pre-test to determine their placement in math and English courses, with the option to enroll in refresher courses to help them prepare for the official placement test. And, after only two years of implementation, results show student enrollment in a second term is up by 10 percent and refresher courses have increased the number of students successfully completing math or English courses by 11 percent.
College completion is critical to our nation’s future. Retiring baby boomers leave large gaps in the workforce and our knowledge-based economy requires higher levels of education. Revenues generated from college graduates support critical state services and higher rates of employment for college graduates buffer economic downturns. In California, our college graduates earn $1.3 million more over their lifetimes than high school graduates. Failing to improve college completion consigns millions to an on-going cycle of poverty and spells economic disaster for our nation.
As education advocates, we must continue to work towards increasing both college access and completion for our communities, our economy, and our democracy. Most solutions are right in front of us – they are as simple as providing students with an orientation the day they set foot on campus. Budget challenges shouldn’t cripple our resolve to do better and colleges like L.A. Trade Tech are giving us examples of how it can be done.
Author:Â Michele Siqueiros
(Reuters) – A deeply divided and unproductive Congress wrapped up its final business before November’s elections early on Saturday as the U.S. Senate passed a stopgap measure to fund federal programs and avoid an October 1 government shutdown.
The 62-30 vote on the funding bill, which now moves to President Barack Obama’s desk to be signed into law, was delayed by days of partisan bickering over votes on unrelated measures aimed at boosting both Democrats’ and Republicans’ political fortunes.
For the new fiscal year which begins on October 1, the $524 billion measure slightly raises discretionary spending – which funds government agencies and everything from defense to national parks – from current levels.
It was needed because Congress’ normal process of appropriating money for government operations broke down amid disagreements between Democrat and Republicans over spending levels and funding was due to run out after September 30.
“It is an inefficient way to fund the federal government but it is better than shutting it down next week,” said Democratic Senator Daniel Inouye, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Congress’ bitter fights over spending cuts and raising the debt limit last year led to threats of several shutdowns as temporary funding measures expired. The last time government funding actually ran out was late 1995 and early 1996, forcing then-president Bill Clinton to shut down non-essential services and furlough non-essential government workers for 28 days.
Saturday’s vote allows lawmakers to return to their home states for a final re-election campaign push, but they leave a huge to-do list for their return after the November 6 election.
By keeping the government funded through March 27, Congress has somewhat lightened its post-election workload, which centers on dealing with expiring tax cuts, automatic spending cuts, a debt limit increase and other fiscal deadlines.
With relative peace over the budget, lawmakers will be able to takle more difficult questions – how to avoid $109 billion in automatic budget cuts that start on January 2, and whether to extend some or all of the tax cuts enacted under former President George W Bush, which expire December 31.
Moody’s Investors Service has threatened to downgrade the U.S. credit rating if Congress’ deliberations do not reduce budget deficits in a meaningful way. Economists warn that the United States will slide back into recession if Congress fails to take action to mute the massive impact of tax hikes and spending cuts.
IRAN RESOLUTION, HUNTING BILL
In other wrap-up business, the Senate also passed by a 90-1 vote a non-binding resolution insisting that the United States prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and ruling out any strategy aimed at dealing with a nuclear-armed Iran.
The only senator to vote against the resolution was Republican Rand Paul, a Tea Party and libertarian favorite, who argued that it was a de-facto declaration of war.
Paul had sponsored another measure that would suspend foreign aid to the governments of Pakistan, Egypt and Libya in response to recent attacks on U.S. interests in these countries, but this was soundly defeated by a vote of 81-10.
Senate Democrats also prevailed in a procedural vote that keeps alive legislation aimed at boosting the re-election chances of their colleague Senator Jon Tester, who is in a tight re-election race that threatens the narrow Democratic majority in the Senate.
Tester’s measure would increase hunting and fishing access on public lands – a move popular in his home state – and the vote allows him to claim on the campaign trail that his plan is superior to a similar measure offered by his opponent, Republican Representative Denny Rehberg. (Editing by Louise Ireland)
Author:Â David Lawder
Associated Press
Sept. 21: Libyans participate in a protest against Ansar Al-Shariah, a militia of Islamic extremists, and other Islamic militias in Benghazi, Libya
BENGHAZI, Libya –  Hundreds of protesters angry over last week’s killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya stormed the compound of the Islamic extremist militia suspected in the attack, evicting militiamen and setting fire to their building Friday.
In an unprecedented show of public anger at Libya’s rampant militias, the crowd overwhelmed the compound of the Ansar Al-Shariah Brigade in the center of the eastern city of Benghazi.
Ansar Al-Shariah fighters initially fired in the air to disperse the crowd, but eventually abandoned the site with their weapons and vehicles after it was overrun by waves of protesters shouting “No to militias.”
“I don’t want to see armed men wearing Afghani-style clothes stopping me in the street to give me orders, I only want to see people in uniform,” said Omar Mohammed, a university student who took part in the takeover of the site, which protesters said was done in support of the army and police.
No deaths were reported in the incident, which came after tens of thousands marched in Benghazi against armed militias. One vehicle was also burned at the compound.
For many Libyans, the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was the last straw in one of the biggest problems Libya has faced since the ouster and death of longtime dictator Moammar Qaddafi around a year ago — the multiple mini-armies that with their arsenals of machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades are stronger than the regular armed forces and police.
The militias, a legacy of the rag-tag popular forces that fought Qaddafi’s regime, tout themselves as protectors of Libya’s revolution, providing security where police cannot. But many say they act like gangs, detaining and intimidating rivals and carrying out killings.
Militias made up of Islamic radicals like Ansar Al-Shariah are notorious for attacks on Muslims who don’t abide by their hardline ideology. Officials and witnesses say fighters from Ansar Al-Shariah led the attack on the U.S. consulate, which killed Amb. Chris Stevens and three other Americans.
After taking over the Ansar compound, protesters then drove to attack the Benghazi headquarters of another Islamist militia, Rafallah Sahati. The militiamen opened fire on the protesters, who were largely unarmed. At least 20 were wounded, and there were unconfirmed witness reports of three protesters killed.
Earlier in the day, some 30,000 people filled a broad boulevard as they marched along a lake in central Benghazi on Friday to the gates of the headquarters of Ansar Al-Shariah.
“No, no, to militias,” the crowd chanted, filling a broad boulevard. They carried banners and signs demanding that militias disband and that the government build up police to take their place in keeping security. “Benghazi is in a trap,” signs read. “Where is the army, where is the police?”
Other signs mourned the killing of Stevens, reading, “The ambassador was Libya’s friend” and “Libya lost a friend.” Military helicopters and fighter jets flew overhead, and police mingled in the crowd, buoyed by the support of the protesters.
The march was the biggest seen in Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city and home to 1 million people, since the fall of Qaddafi in August 2011. The public backlash comes in part in frustration with the interim government, which has been unable to rein in the armed factions. Many say that officials’ attempts to co-opt fighters by paying them have only fueled the growth of militias without bringing them under state control or integrating them into the regular forces.
Residents of another main eastern city, Darna, have also begun to stand up against Ansar Al-Shariah and other militias.
The anti-militia fervor in Darna is notable because the city, in the mountains along the Mediterranean coast north of Benghazi, has long had a reputation as a stronghold for Islamic extremists. During the Qaddafi era, it was the hotbed of a deadly Islamist insurgency against his regime.
A significant number of the Libyan jihadists who travelled to Afghanistan and Iraq during recent wars came from Darna. During the revolt against him last year, Qaddafi’s regime warned that Darna would declare itself an Islamic Emirate and ally itself with Al Qaeda.
But now, the residents are lashing out against Ansar Al-Shariah, the main Islamic extremist group in the city.
“The killing of the ambassador blew up the situation. It was disastrous,” said Ayoub al-Shedwi, a young bearded Muslim preacher in Darna who says he has received multiple death threats because has spoken out against militias on a radio show he hosts. “We felt that the revolution is going in vain.”
Leaders of tribes, which are the strongest social force in eastern Libya, have come forward to demand that the militias disband.
Tribal leaders in Benghazi and Darna announced this week that members of their tribes who are militiamen will no longer have their protection in the face of anti-militia protests. That means the tribe will not avenge them if they are killed.
Activists and residents have held a sit-in for the past eight days outside Darna’s Sahaba Mosque, calling on tribes to put an end to the “state of terrorism” created by the militias.
Militiamen have been blamed for a range of violence in Darna. On the same day Stevens killed in Benghazi, a number of elderly Catholic nuns and a priest who have lived in Darna for decades providing free medical services, were attacked, reportedly beaten or stabbed. There have been 32 killings over the past few months, including the city security chief and assassinations of former officers from Qaddafi’s military.
Darna’s residents are conservative, but they largely don’t fit the city’s reputation as extremists.
Women wear headscarves, but not the more conservative black garb and veil that covers the entire body and face. In the ancient city’s narrow alleys, shops display sleeveless women dresses and the young men racing by in cars blare Western songs.
And many are impatient with Ansar Al-Shariah’s talk of imposing its strict version of Islamic law. The group’s name means “Supporters of Shariah Law.”
“We are not infidels for God sake. We have no bars, no discos, we are not practicing vice in the street,” said Wassam ben Madin, a leading activist in the city who lost his right eye in clashes with security forces on the first day of the uprising against Qaddafi. “This is not the time for talk about Shariah. Have a state first then talk to me about Shariah.”
“If they are the `supporters of Shariah’ then who are we?” he said. “We don’t want the flag of Al Qaeda raised over heads,” he added, referring to Ansar Al-Shariah’s black banner.
One elder resident at the Sahaba Mosque sit-in, Ramadan Youssef, said, “We will talk to them peacefully. We will tell them you are from us and you fought for us” during the civil war against Qaddafi. But “if you say no (to integrating into the) police and army, we will storm your place. It’s over.”
Officials in the interim government and security forces say they are not strong enough to crack down on the militias. The armed factions have refused government calls for them to join the regular army and police.
So the government has created a “High Security Committee” aimed at grouping the armed factions as a first step to integration. Authorities pay fighters a salary of as much as 1,000 dinars, around $900, to join — compared to the average police monthly salary of around $200.
However, the militias that join still do not abide by government authority, and critics say the lure of salaries has only prompted more militias to form.
Officials and former rebel commanders estimate the number of rebels that actually fought in the 8-month civil war against Gadhafi at around 30,000. But those now listed on the High Security Committee payroll have reached several hundred thousand.
“All these militia and entities are fake ones but it is mushrooming,” said Khaled Hadar, a Benghazi-based lawyer. “The government is only making temporarily solutions, but you are creating a disaster.”
The iPhone 5 has been torn open, and it’s revealing some good news: It’s the most repairable Apple phone in some time.
IFixIt, which sells repair parts for Apple products, broke open the iPhone 5 and put up a guide online. The company gave the iPhone 5 a 7 out of 10 rating for repairability.
The iPhone 5, which went on sale this morning, gets such a high score because it now opens from the front rather than the back, and you actually need a suction to pull the display off. And because the phone opens this way, access to the phone’s screen is far easier than the 38 steps it took on the iPhone 4S to reach its screen. This makes it easier for cracked screens to be repaired.
PHOTOS: iPhone frenzy means lines, high-fives around world
Access to the battery has also become easier, adding to the iPhone 5′s high repairability score. IFixIt says the battery can last about eight hours if used with 3G, so you’ll need to charge this device at least once during the day.
One thing to note about the new iPhone, though, is its edges can be easily scratched and lose its color. IFixIt recommends you get a case for this iPhone model.
Apple has also switched the rotational motor of the iPhone 5 to ones Apple used before the iPhone 4S, which will make the phone a little bit louder than its predecessor.
QUIZ: Test your Apple knowledge
But fortunately, Apple has given the iPhone 5 a stronger home button that should last you a long time.
All in all, the iPhone 5 comes out with a good repairability score, which is great news for anyone picking up the device today.
Herman Cain (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Herman Cain would have a “substantial lead” over President Barack Obama if Republicans had made him their nominee, according to Herman Cain, who spoke at the University of Florida on Thursday.
From The Gainesville Sun:
Cain told members of the media after the speech that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s recent “47 percent” comment was a “non-story” being blown out of proportion by the media. But Cain said he would have been doing better if he was the nominee, saying that he’d probably have a “substantial lead” on President Barack Obama at this point.
“The reason is quite simple: I have some depth to my ideas,” he said.
Cain ran for the Republican nomination in 2011. He dropped out of the race in December and ultimately endorsed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich before Mitt Romney sealed the nomination.
By Jim Finkle and Rick Rothacker
(Reuters) – Iranian hackers have repeatedly attacked Bank of America Corp , JPMorgan Chase & Co and Citigroup Inc over the past year, as part of a broad cyber campaign targeting the United States, according to people familiar with the situation.
The attacks, which began in late 2011 and escalated this year, have primarily been “denial of service” campaigns that disrupted the banks’ websites and corporate networks by overwhelming them with incoming web traffic, said the sources.
Whether the hackers have been able to inflict more serious damage on computer networks or steal critical data is not yet known. The sources said there was evidence suggesting the hackers targeted the banks in retaliation for their enforcement of Western economic sanctions against Iran.
Iran has beefed up its cyber capabilities after its nuclear program was damaged in 2010 by the Stuxnet virus, widely believed to have been developed by the United States. Tehran has publicly advertised its intentions to build a cyber army and encouraged private citizens to hack against Western countries.
The attacks on the three largest U.S. banks originated in Iran, but it is not clear if they were launched by the state, groups working on behalf of the government, or “patriotic” citizens, according to the sources, who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
They said the attacks shed new light on the potential for Iran to lash out at Western nations’ information networks.
“Most people didn’t take Iran seriously. Now most people are taking them very seriously,” said one of the sources, referring to Iran’s cyber capabilities.
Iranian officials were not available for comment. Bank of America, JPMorgan and Citigroup declined to comment, as did officials with the Pentagon, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency and Secret Service.
A U.S. financial services industry group this week warned banks, brokerages and insurers to be on heightened alert for cyber attacks after the websites of Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase’s experienced unexplained service disruptions.
NBC reported late on Thursday that the Iranian government was behind these attacks, citing U.S. national security sources. Reuters could not verify that independently.
Tensions between the United States and Iran, which date back to the revolution in 1979 that resulted in the current Islamic republic, have escalated in recent years as Washington led the effort to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear bomb and imposed tough economic sanctions.
DISRUPTIVE CAMPAIGN
Denial-of-service campaigns are among the oldest types of cyber attacks and do not require highly skilled computer programmers or advanced expertise, compared with sophisticated and destructive weapons like Stuxnet.
But denial-of-service attacks can still be very disruptive: If a bank’s website is repeatedly shut down, the attacks can hurt its reputation, affect customer retention and cause revenue losses as customers cannot open accounts or conduct other business.
Bank of America, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase have consulted the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency on how to strengthen their networks in the face of the Iranian attacks, the sources said. It was not clear whether law enforcement agencies are formally investigating the attacks.
The Iranian attackers may have used denial-of-service to distract the victims from other, more destructive assaults that have yet to be uncovered, the sources said.
Frank Cilluffo, who served as homeland security adviser to U.S. President George W. Bush, told Reuters that he knows of “cyber reconnaissance” missions that have come from Iran but declined to give specifics.
“It is yet to be seen whether they have the wherewithal to cause significant damage,” said Cilluffo, who is now director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University.
Security experts said Iran’s cyber capabilities are not as sophisticated as those of the China, Russia, the United States or many of its Western allies. Jim Lewis, a former U.S. Foreign Service officer, said Iran has been testing its cyber technology against Israel and other Gulf states in recent years.
“It’s like the nuclear program: It isn’t particularly sophisticated but it makes progress every year,” said Lewis, who is a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies.
(Additional reporting Mark Hosenball, Andrea Shalal-Esa and Jim Wolf in Washington, Joseph Menn in San Francisco and David Henry in New York; Editing by Tiffany Wu and Steve Orlofsky)
