Surgiram hoje na Internet as primeiras fotos do ve?culo que causou o cancelamento do Falcon australiano, um dos carros mais interessantes do lineup do Oval Azul: ? o ?que vai se chamar por l? de Everest ou Endeavour, ocupando sua linha de rodu??o. Sua ?origem est? muito clara nos limpadores invertidos. Ter? os mesmos motores da Ranger Brasileira: um 2,5 litros L4 de 16 v?lvulas Flex de 166 CV e o Diesel de cinco cilindros e 20 v?lvulas com 200 CV,o Duratorq. Pela foto d? pra perceber a bola do diferencial r?gido na traseira. Deve ser lan?ada em 2014 quando acontecer a expans?o da produ??o da Ranger, que est? pela tampa.?
My neighbor's vacant home is in foreclosure and a family of squatters moved in in 09/2012 and the owner of the home didn't find out until about a week after they had moved in. The police told her that since they had lived there for 5 days already she would have to legally evict them even though they broke into the house and changed the locks. She went through the legal process and just last week they were evicted. They left significant damage to the home, i.e. flooded the basement took 3 ceiling fans with them, left mold all over the house, and just tore the house up. They have a history of doing this however have not yet been arrested. What can she do? This is in the Metro Atlanta area.
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Loving the Llama (And Everything Else About Taos, New Mexico!)
You can really have some fun with your friends when they find out that you're just back from your visit to Taos, New Mexico. Before you regale them with details of your adventure, tell them that while you were in Taos you had lunch with a llama. You'll no doubt get some funny looks and hear a couple of wisecracks but in fact llama trekking, an activity that encompasses a picnic lunch, is one of the most fun and most popular things to do in the Taos area.
Taos is not a place that you pass through on your way to somewhere else; unless you're headed to smaller towns within New Mexico or taking back roads into nearby Colorado, you will not just stumble upon the city. Nestled at the base of the towering Sangre de Cristo Mountains, scenic Taos is an easy day trip from Albuquerque or Santa Fe. And although Taos is rather compact and very easy to navigate, there's so much to do and see that even a long weekend will leave you a little short on time. Plan to kick back here as long as you can; you'll be glad you did!
The city of Taos is named after the Taos Pueblo, the still-occupied Native American settlement that is considered the oldest continuously-inhabited community in the country. To really see where Taos sprang from, take a self or guided tour of the pueblo and marvel at the adobe kivas (sacred religious shrines), hornos (outdoor ovens), picturesque cemetery, the San Geronimo Church (a National Historic Landmark) and lots more. Special events are held at the Pueblo throughout the year; in late September is the San Geronimo Feast and on Christmas the Deer and Corn dances or the Matachina (elaborate costuming) dance will be performed (the tribe will not determine which dance will be performed until December.) There's also an opportunity to shop for a large variety of craft items and meet the people who make them.?
I know you're anxious to meet your new furry friend and keep your lunch date, but let's do a few other things first. Downtown Taos is small and very easy to explore on foot but there's a lot to see and do. If you choose to stay at the Historic Taos Inn during your visit you'll be centrally located at a place that's an attraction in and of itself; each room, done up in a southwest motif, has its own design and some of the rooms are (gasp!) said to be haunted. The place has a great restaurant in Doc Martin's where amongst the goodies on the menu is rabbit-and-rattlesnake sausage (yup, it's delicious) and there's also a watering hole that features live music every night. Just down the street is Michael's Kitchen, one of Taos' favorite eateries partially because of its large selection of fresh breads and pastries.?
Kit Carson Park, where Carson is buried and where special events often take place, is on the block too. Walk across the street from the Taos Inn and you're in the shopping district, crammed full of more restaurants and shops selling all the things that represent the fusion of Mexican, Native American and Old West cultures that Taos is noted for. Taos also has bragging rights as an "artist's colony" and there are dozens of galleries offering fine art of every medium right in the downtown area and you can often meet the artists themselves in these places; photographer and longtime Taos resident Bill Davis has a large display of his work featured at the David Anthony Fine Art gallery and Kimberly Webber is usually on hand at Old World Fine Art to show you her trippy multidimensional fantasy scene paintings.?
Taos has a little secret too and you can find out what it is at folk art shop Red Cat Melissiana. Taos has a network of underground tunnels running through the downtown area and over the years there's been a lot of wild speculation about what they were for (aliens made them!) but the truth is they were constructed in the 1800's to serve as a place of refuge from raiding Comanches. The tunnels have long been closed off, but in the basement of Red Cat you can open the doorway to the tunnels and peer into the mysterious darkness.
Wild Earth Llama Adventures is your llama connection in Taos and you'll need to set aside half a day to enjoy this super fun experience. The company offers various llama trekking tours but the most popular is the hike down into the Rio Grande Gorge from the Big Arsenic trailhead about 30-miles outside of town. At the trailhead is where you'll start to fall in love with the llamas as you get to give them handfuls of treats, pet them and learn their names (Rio, Zephyr and the rest are all males; the llama mamas get to stay at home.) There's a llama for every member of the hiking party and the llama train takes about 45-minutes to travel the mile down to the Rio Grande River, stopping on occasion for photo opportunities. The scenery is spectacular and some of the llamas are hams that know when their picture is being taken, or so it seems when you get an affectionate snuggle right when the photo is being snapped. The llamas are sure-footed so there's no problem in navigating the somewhat steep path (there's an approximately 800-foot change in elevation from trailhead to river) and they should always be behind you, so if your trail buddy tries to get ahead of you a gentle touch to the neck is a signal to back off a little. By the time you reach the river you and your llama will be good friends. Each llama carries a pack and they'll tote your extra gear for you (raincoats, cameras, etc.) along with jugs of drinking water for the hike back up and most importantly, lunch! All along the route your guide will point out animal habitats and native flora as well as explaining some of the area's history, and when you get to the riverbank you'll have an opportunity to taste wild mint and see bushes lush with juniper berries, the ingredient that flavors gin. While you relax at river's edge your guide will unpack a picnic lunch consisting of a healthy salad with all the toppings and the makings for turkey sandwiches: Boar's Head meat, artisanal bread and cheese and quality condiments. There's even some Blue Sky soda and cookies on hand for a burst of sugary energy to help you hike back up to the trailhead. Of course the llamas are having lunch too; they're satisfied with munching on the abundant plant life nearby. There are also some petroglyphs near the lunch spot; you can take about a 20-minute llama-less hike to see them after lunch or just hang out with the llamas before heading back to the top. Needless to say it takes a little longer going up, and if you get winded you can stop as often as you like and the guide will stay with the slowest person; lagging behind a little bit is actually a benefit because then you get to spend a few additional minutes with your new friend! The hike though is suitable for persons of any age in reasonably good shape. Back at the trailhead you can take last-minute photos and say thank you to your llama with a farewell handful of llama snacks. For fans of the outdoors and especially animal lovers llama trekking makes for a very memorable experience and there's probably no better place to do it than in the beautiful Taos area.
Okay, I know you're getting a little tired. But before you leave Taos, how about a trip to the Kit Carson Home and Museum, and a look at the San Francisco de Asis church, immortalized in Ansel Adams photographs and numerous paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe??
Or maybe you'd like to tour the Mabel Dodge Luhan house, once owned by actor Dennis Hopper, and stroll its labyrinth. There's the Harwood Museum of Art, the Blumenschein Home and Museum filled with works by Blumenschein and others who were based in Taos, and the Millicent Rogers Museum where you can see the phenomenal collection of turquoise and silver jewelry once owned by the late heiress. For a glimpse of how you might live in the future (and how you can, now) visit the Earthship Biotecture where you'll see ultra "green" and nearly self-sufficient homes with an otherworldly design. During your visit to Taos you'll find out that the locals, including the llamas, are a friendly and welcoming bunch. You may even get a benevolent boo out of one of those ghosts at the Taos Inn.
To help plan your trip to Taos visit www.taos.org?
Matt Rickards said the subject of physicality produces a grin on the faces of his players.
It's the culture the first-year coach at Kearns High School wants to instill in his players and program.
?
Kearns Cougars
ASSIGNMENT ? Region 6
LAST YEAR ? 5-6 overall, 4-1 Region 2
KEY RETURNER ? Colton Grossaint, sr., LB/TE. Coach Rickards said Grossaint is "an absolute stud. He's a tackling machine." He'll spearhead a talented defensive side for the Cougars.
PLAYER TO WATCH ? Bailey Floyd, so., QB. Rickards said there will be grown pains, but Floyd has all the intangibles to be a successful quarterback. At 6-foot-1 and growing, Floyd can make things happen with his feet and his arm.
BIGGEST HOLE ? Offensive line: Rickards said the Cougars lost "the hogs up front." In order to protect Floyd and create running room for Finau and Tapusoa, the new starters will need to step up.
NEED TO KNOW ? After his first six seasons as an assistant at Kearns, Matt Rickards said the Cougars' season will be dictated by how hard the team preps in practice and in anticipation for each game. "No one is ever standing around. We're getting reps and short periods of time to instill in these kids a sense of urgency."
"We want other teams to remember that they played us when they wake up in the morning," he said.
The Cougars will have their chance and be tested in one of the most physical regions in the state, Region 6. After competing in Class 5A, Kearns now draws the likes of East, Highland, Bountiful and other Region 6 programs in 4A known for their skill level and tenacity on the field.
And Rickards likes that.
"All we think about is winning today," he said. "Making sure we do the best we can today, making sure our practice is the best practice in the state, if not the nation."
Rickards, an assistant at Kearns for six seasons, took the reins from former coach Bill Cosper, who recently moved back to his home state of Texas.
Taking the keys to the offense this year will be sophomore quarterback Bailey Floyd, a 6-foot-1 "do-it-all" signal-caller, as Rickards described. Floyd, the younger brother of former starting quarterback Jordan Floyd, is an athlete with a good arm and quickness, but as Rickards said, the expectations must be tempered for such a young player.
Helping Floyd will be running backs Daniel Tapusoa and Amone Finau, two seniors who have experience at the position.
Defense is where the Cougars will look to lean in key games. They return seven starters from a year ago, including Colton Grossaint and Danny Kierstead, two linebackers who will anchor a talented group.
Rickards used the term discipline when asked what it will take for his Cougars to contend in Region 6 this season.
"Taking care of the small things," he said. "That's something we've got to get into these kids, to be more disciplined and accountable."
ckamrani@sltrib.com
Twitter: @chriskamrani
Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
TOKYO (AP) ? A strong earthquake shook northeastern Japan on Sunday in the same region devastated by a giant tsunami and temblor 2-1/2 years ago, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 struck shortly after midday, and was centered off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, and 50 kilometers (30 miles) below the seabed.
The quake shook a wide region, including Fukushima and Iwate prefectures, and there was no risk of a tsunami, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Tokyo Electric Power Co., the utility that runs Fukushima Dai-ichi, said no problems were reported there or at another one of its nuclear plants in Fukushima, and that there were no power outages and radiation monitors did not show any change.
Fukushima Dai-ichi plant went into multiple meltdowns after the March 2011 tsunami, and tons of water are being used daily to keep its reactors under control. Decommissioning is expected to take decades.
Tohoku Electric Power Co. also said no problems were detected at its Onagawa nuclear plant in Miyagi Prefecture.
Some roads were blocked off and some trains stopped running temporarily for safety checks, broadcaster NHK TV said.
The Colonels are coming off a 1-9 season but have a new head coach leading the way.
Mark McHale, a James Wood alum, returns home to coach the team this season after Mike Bolin stepped down.
Cam Butler, last year's starting quarterback, has mononucleosis and will be out indefinitely. Brady Hepner should compete for those reps while Butler is out.
TV3's full season preview with James Wood will air Tuesday, August 20 in the news at 7 and 11.
? Copyright 2013 TV3 Winchester / Gray Television Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
At some point during the third act of Chennai Express, the latest sure-to-be-a-moneyspinner from director Rohit ?Midas touch? Shetty, it becomes painfully apparent that part of the film is a tribute to Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, as re-imagined by Shetty. As you sit through the climax, which features Shah Rukh Khan getting beaten to a pulp by Parmeet Set?oops, I mean Nikitin Dheer (who plays love-interest rival Tangaballi), you?re already drawing parallels to DDLJ?s iconic final scene. Props for nostalgia value.
And then, the movie ends. The final words of Khan?s narrative voice-over are: ?Kyunki dilwale dulhaniya le jaayenge.? Groan. Captain Obvious called, he says hello. This is Shetty?s mission statement ? to make sure that if there are two people in a theatre of 300 who didn?t get the joke/reference/pun he?s been hammering in, he?s going to make damn sure those two don?t go home confused. It?s almost like he?s paraphrasing a line from Paresh Rawal?s character in Andaaz Apna Apna and telling the audience: ?Director main hoon, joke idhar hai.?
Chennai Express
Every director belonging to the mainstream Bollywood brat-pack does this, of course, but it drives me especially nuts when Shetty follows suit. Because the guy really knows his craft, from a commercial cinema point of view. He knows his set pieces. He knows how to use a sweeping helicopter shot to make a moment seem grand and then follow it with a jerky, handheld shot so that it still seems gritty (so what if he?s taken a leaf out of Michael Bay?s book). He knows how to add a touch of quirkiness to everything. He?s good at being irreverent and taking pot-shots, especially at himself.
He just doesn?t know when to stop.
Chennai Express starts off on an agreeable note, with Khan (you know he?s called Rahul) narrating the back-story of his character: a 40-year-old man-child who handles his family?s mithai business. Orphaned at a young age, he has been brought up mostly by a doting, cricket-loving grandfather (a delightful cameo by the venerable Lekh Tandon). When Dadaji suddenly passes away, Khan must go to Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu (this is important because Shetty proceeds to treat all of South India as a single geographical entity) to scatter his ashes.
Along the way, he meets Meena (Deepika Padukone), who is the South Indian every woman ? basically, an attractive, doe-eyed version of Bhavana Balsaver?s character from Zabaan Sambhal Ke. She?s the daughter of a don and running away from home to escape an arranged marriage.
To be fair, the first act is tolerable and at times even enjoyable, especially if you go in with rock-bottom expectations (as I did). It has a whimsical, John Hughes-like quality to it; reminiscent of early ?90s Hollywood comedies like Home Alone and Mrs Doubtfire ? cheesy, but tolerably so. Khan hams, but every now and then he ad-libs and deadpans successfully. I found myself laughing out loud more than a couple of times, albeit with palm planted firmly on face. Padukone is actually quite good and far more consistent than Khan as an actor in Chennai Express. The pair have great chemistry and there are a few old-school Bollywood moments that work.
But trust good ol? Bollywood excess and relentless North-Indian-centric stereotyping to ruin the party ? although, if it?s any consolation, it could have been much worse. Since the material is slight and familiar, the story essentially ends up limping from gag to gag. Predictably enough, Chennai Express starts going off the rails around the one-hour mark and, towards the end, sputters and dies like Archie Andrews?s jalopy.
Shetty, of course, takes care to pull entire sequences out of his tried-and-tested bag of tricks (it?s a telling sign when the audience applauds at the first sign of a car turning turtle in slow motion) and saves the day every now and then. But all the shock and awe in the world can?t hide the fact that he is running out of ideas.
Suprateek Chatterjee is editor of Visual Disobedience, a community for emerging indie artists, and a freelance writer. In his spare time, he likes to compose music with his electro-rock band Vega Massive and his Twitter handle is @SupraMario.
The attorney for Johnny Manziel says even if the NCAA investigation of the Heisman Trophy winner isn't completed by the start of the season the quarterback should be able to play in Texas A&M's first game.
Jim Darnell, Manziel's El Paso, Texas-based attorney, says he has met with Manziel and his family, but provided few details about the status or nature of the investigation.
He did say he believed that Manziel would play Aug. 31 when the Aggies open the season against Rice, but could not put a timetable on the case.
"I don't know if it will be done before the season," Darnell told the AP on Friday night. "I believe the process should be far enough along that he'll be able to play.
"We have no control over how long the process will last."
ESPN has reported the NCAA is investigating Manziel for receiving payment for signing autographs, a violation of amateurism rules that could put his eligibility in question for the coming season.
Darnell would not confirm that Manziel is being investigated for profiting from autographs. He declined to say if Manziel has already met with the NCAA or if the 20-year old quarterback has plans to speak with investigators.
He did say Manziel intended to cooperate with the NCAA.
Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman last season, and he has remained in the spotlight throughout the offseason.
He caused a stir in July when he left the Manning Passing Academy in Louisiana a couple days early after, he says, he overslept and missed meetings and activities.
Texas A&M is coming off an 11-2 season and is expected to be ranked in the top 10 when this season starts. The Aggies face Sam Houston State in their second game of the season before hosting national champion Alabama on Sept. 14.
UI researcher finds human activity muddies causes of Texas floodsPublic release date: 8-Aug-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Gary Galluzzo gary-galluzzo@uiowa.edu 319-384-0009 University of Iowa
Texas is one of the most flood-prone states in the nation
Periodic flooding in Texasone the most flood-prone states in the nationcannot be firmly linked to climate change due to numerous dams and other manmade structures introduced over the years, according to a University of Iowa study.
The researchers also found that tropical cyclones are less responsible for major floods in the region than in the eastern United States.
The study, which looked at 70 years of records, appears in the August 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Water Resources Association.
Lead author Gabriele Villarini, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and assistant research engineer at IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering, indicates that although the problem is severe, the causes of Texas flooding are less clear.
"In this study, we examined the time series of the largest flood peaks every year from 62 stations in Texas with a record of at least 70 years," he says. "We were interested in examining whether flood magnitudes changed during the study period and, if so, what was the cause of these changes.
"We found that most of the changes we detected were related to human modification of the catchments and more specifically to river regulation."
He points out that there are more than 7,100 permitted dams in Texas, with some 2,000 of them designed for flood control.
"We also examined the link between flooding and tropical cyclones. Tropical cyclones are an important flood agent with regionally varying effects. However, they are not associated with the largest flood events to the same degree we found for the eastern United States," he says.
Historically, Texas experiences frequent flooding, resulting in numerous fatalities and extensive property damage. In fact, Villarini says, studies show that Texas led the nation in flood-related injuries and fatalities during the period from 1959 through 2005 and that Texas is the only state with fatalities occurring every year from 1960 through 2002.
But surprisingly, there are relatively few studies of Texas flooding focused on the long-term changes in hazardous flooding.
"Despite the large economic and societal impacts of flooding, there are few studies focusing on changes in annual maximum flood peak distribution in Texas. This is particularly important because of the possible acceleration of the hydrological cycle associated with human-induced climate change, which could potentially result in an increase of floods," he says.
Villarini says that two of his future studies will also focus on flooding and tropical cyclones and their economic impact on the continental United States.
His colleague in the study, James A. Smith, is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University.
###
The paper is formally titled "Flooding in Texas: Examination of Temporal Changes and Impacts of Tropical Cyclones." The DOI number of the paper is: "10.1111/jawr.12042".
The paper was supported by the Willis Research Network and by a subcontract from Rutgers University, Department of Environmental Sciences, under Agreement Number G11AP20215 from the U.S. Geological Survey.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
UI researcher finds human activity muddies causes of Texas floodsPublic release date: 8-Aug-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Gary Galluzzo gary-galluzzo@uiowa.edu 319-384-0009 University of Iowa
Texas is one of the most flood-prone states in the nation
Periodic flooding in Texasone the most flood-prone states in the nationcannot be firmly linked to climate change due to numerous dams and other manmade structures introduced over the years, according to a University of Iowa study.
The researchers also found that tropical cyclones are less responsible for major floods in the region than in the eastern United States.
The study, which looked at 70 years of records, appears in the August 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Water Resources Association.
Lead author Gabriele Villarini, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and assistant research engineer at IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering, indicates that although the problem is severe, the causes of Texas flooding are less clear.
"In this study, we examined the time series of the largest flood peaks every year from 62 stations in Texas with a record of at least 70 years," he says. "We were interested in examining whether flood magnitudes changed during the study period and, if so, what was the cause of these changes.
"We found that most of the changes we detected were related to human modification of the catchments and more specifically to river regulation."
He points out that there are more than 7,100 permitted dams in Texas, with some 2,000 of them designed for flood control.
"We also examined the link between flooding and tropical cyclones. Tropical cyclones are an important flood agent with regionally varying effects. However, they are not associated with the largest flood events to the same degree we found for the eastern United States," he says.
Historically, Texas experiences frequent flooding, resulting in numerous fatalities and extensive property damage. In fact, Villarini says, studies show that Texas led the nation in flood-related injuries and fatalities during the period from 1959 through 2005 and that Texas is the only state with fatalities occurring every year from 1960 through 2002.
But surprisingly, there are relatively few studies of Texas flooding focused on the long-term changes in hazardous flooding.
"Despite the large economic and societal impacts of flooding, there are few studies focusing on changes in annual maximum flood peak distribution in Texas. This is particularly important because of the possible acceleration of the hydrological cycle associated with human-induced climate change, which could potentially result in an increase of floods," he says.
Villarini says that two of his future studies will also focus on flooding and tropical cyclones and their economic impact on the continental United States.
His colleague in the study, James A. Smith, is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University.
###
The paper is formally titled "Flooding in Texas: Examination of Temporal Changes and Impacts of Tropical Cyclones." The DOI number of the paper is: "10.1111/jawr.12042".
The paper was supported by the Willis Research Network and by a subcontract from Rutgers University, Department of Environmental Sciences, under Agreement Number G11AP20215 from the U.S. Geological Survey.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Goal: Thank Demi Lovato for creating a scholarship that would cover the costs of getting treatment for mental illness and addiction
American superstar singer Demi Lovato has dedicated a lot of her time and effort in recent years to help people battle their mental disorders and inspire them to get help. Most recently she has founded The Lovato Treatment Scholarship, which is a scholarship created to provide financial help for people who need to get treated for mental health and addiction issues. She created this scholarship to honor her dad, who passed away from a combination of these same problems. The scholarship is another cause-related achievement for Demi, who still fights for anti-bullying, has helped kids get school supplies and has supported organizations that improve the quality of education among many other causes.
In 2012 Demi herself checked into a rehabilitation center to get help for her eating disorder and self-harming. She knows first-hand how difficult it is to deal with mental illness, having been diagnosed bipolar, and suffering from addiction issues. Demi recognizes the importance of getting professional help, because of the danger these issues may impose on one?s health and that they can also be life-threatening. She actively raising awareness to educate people on how common these illnesses are and how they affect teens, young adults and adults in many different ways.
Sign this petition to commend Demi Lovato for her continuous effort to support these important causes and caring to make this world a better place. Thank her for founding The Lovato Treatment Scholarship to help cover the costs of medical treatment that might potentially save the lives of many people who otherwise would not be able to afford it. The scholarship fund would cover medical expenses for treatment, including the costs for a transitional home. Demi is giving people a life-saving opportunity to be in control of their lives and well-being and therefore her efforts should be recognized as such.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Demi Lovato,
Thank you for your contributions to help people deal with mental illnesses and addiction issues. Your most recent achievement, The Lovato Treatment Scholarship, is a wonderful opportunity for people to take care of themselves and take charge of their lives that otherwise might not be possible without the financial assistance of the scholarship.
I would like to recognize your growing list of causes you have been involved with in recent years and commend you for raising awareness to all these important issues ? self-harm, depression, addiction, education, sex trafficking and many others. Your efforts have been greatly appreciated by many people and you?re helping many more stand on their feet and make this world a better place.
Mountain bikers from all over will come to iconic Squaw Valley for the return of the Tahoe Fat Tire Festival. One of the largest mountain bike events on the west coast, the festival is being brought back by the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association in an effort to promote recreational trails in the Tahoe area and to fundraise for trail projects.
Presented by Michael Hohl Subaru in Carson City, New Belgium Brewing, and the North Lake Tahoe Convention and Visitors Bureau, the festival will include cross country and downhill mountain bike racing, skill clinics, a just for fun poker ride, kids races, and a BMX jump show. Squaw Valley will be opening its bike park and trail network for the three days of the festival.
The festival kicks off Friday evening, Sept.13, with a mountain bike film festival.? Saturday morning is the Cross Country race, which is the final race of the 2013 Sierra Cup Series. Saturday afternoon includes the kid?s race, BMX aerial show, live music as well as a bunnyhop contest. The Tahoe Sierra Century road ride on Saturday is also based out of the Village at Squaw Valley. Sunday morning kicks off with the poker ride hosted by the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship followed by the Nor-Cal State Downhill Championships on what is arguably the toughest downhill course in Northern California.? The downhill race is also part of the Shine Riders Co. ?Queen of the Mountain? series for female gravity riders.
All proceeds from the festival will go to TAMBA and the Truckee Bike Park Project to improve local mountain biking opportunities and trail networks.
A new database pools health registry data from seven countries, dramatically boosting potential sample sizes for epidemiological studies of autism
By Alla Katsnelson and SFARI.org
Free the data: Combining data from different countries poses enormous legal, logistical and technical challenges.Image: Flickr/Mitch
Reprinted with permission from SFARI.org, an editorially independent division of The Simons Foundation. (Find original story here.)
A new database pools health registry data from seven countries, dramatically boosting sample sizes for epidemiological studies of autism. The virtual tool, built by an international consortium of researchers, allows them to effectively compare data across populations.
?This is a first for autism,? says Diana Schendel, professor of psychiatric epidemiology at Aarhus University in Denmark, who spearheaded the project. Dubbed the International Collaboration for Autism Registry Epidemiology (iCARE), the project yokes together data from population-based health registries in Denmark, Finland, Israel, Norway, Sweden and Western Australia, as well as data from California.
National health registries are a boon for epidemiological research ? both in autism and other fields. But there have been few attempts to combine data from different countries, in part because of strict regulations that prohibit the information from being transported outside the countries of origin.
?In principle, this kind of data collaboration should have been done a long time ago, but no one has been ambitious enough tackle the logistical and technical challenges,? says Brian Lee, assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Lee has conducted autism studies using the Swedish or Danish national registries individually, but has not combined the data. He is not a member of iCARE.
The resource was launched in May 2009 with the help of a four-year, $1.2 million grant from the research and advocacy organization Autism Speaks. It pools data from more than 80,000 individuals with autism, from a total of about 10.8 million births between 1967 and 2009, including factors such as birth weight, birth order and age of diagnosis.
Most analyses are likely to focus on a smaller range of birth years in which the data of interest are represented across all the sites.
?iCARE can be analyzed on an iPad at Starbucks anywhere around the globe, and it?s safe and secure,? says Abraham Reichenberg, professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and a member of the consortium. The group is open to considering applications from researchers who have ideas for using the resource, he adds.
Virtual pool: Researchers often share large datasets by physically transferring them to a central location, but this was not possible for the national and state health registries iCARE intended to combine. The group?s first task was to devise a simple way for everyone to access the data that would still allow researchers complete control of the database within their home country.
?When we started out, it was very much, ?Let?s see if we can do this,?? says Kim?Carter, associate professor of bioinformatics at the?Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth, Australia, one of the researchers who led the development of the data analysis system. ?
Most fitness and health apps only record a single type of data. I use a dozen or so different services to track my exercise regime, diet and sleep pattern as a result. Moves for iOS is my virtual pedometer, while Nike+?tracks the odd run I do throughout the week. MyFitnessPal takes care of my food intake, but requires that I input any and all exercise ? including calories burned, which I don?t know most of the time ? manually.
The issue with all of these apps is that they live in their own little bubble. Nike+ Running is a tremendous app for recording the intricacies of each session, such as the total distance covered and the average number of minutes taken to complete each mile. I know exactly what I?ve done in the past and what constitutes progress. Run a little faster or go a little further than last time. That?s all there is to it.
When I perform badly though, I don?t know why. Last week I had a simply terrible run ? I felt lethargic, too hot and short of breath after the first couple of miles. Within 10 or 15 minutes I had given up and was walking home feeling rather disgruntled. Could Nike+ Running tell me where I went wrong? Nope.
Any number of factors could have affected that run. Perhaps I ate too much takeout that week. Possibly I wasn?t getting enough sleep. Maybe I just needed to give myself a day to rest up and recover. Or ?I was stressed. In all likelihood, it was a strange mixture of all the above.
We already have the answer
The kicker is that all of this information is locked away in other apps that I use. MyFitnessPal is storing all of my dietary information and no doubt holds some of the answers. Moves is tracking the total number of steps I take each day ? if I suddenly put on weight that?s probably a good place to start. If I?m feeling lethargic at work, my sleep pattern and caffeine intake?could shed some light.
Now, I understand why many of these apps don?t cover absolutely everything in the health and fitness space. Especially for startups, it?s just too big a task. It would be like trying to develop six businesses at once ? better to do one, and do it well to begin with.
But there?s a huge space in the market to start analyzing this mountain of data. In the end, we all use these apps to improve our health or fitness levels. What I want is recommendations. Actions that I can take, based on the information that I?ve already logged, to improve my wellbeing.
The end-goal is this. If Sleep Cycle shows that I?m sleeping poorly, or struggling to get to sleep, my device should be able to tell me the reasons why. If an app can look at all of my data at once, there?s an opportunity to analyze where I?m going wrong. Tasks can then be assigned: Stop watching The Walking Dead ? you freak out over nothing. Stop drinking coffee after 7pm.
Or say I?m struggling to concentrate at work. By reviewing my diet, it might recommend: You?re eating too many sugary foods and not enough protein. Change your diet accordingly, or go to sleep a little earlier. Heck, it could even look at my Starbucks app and tell me to stop drinking frappucinos in order to lose a few extra pounds.
Smart recommendations are helpful for everyone. From those just trying to be a little perkier at work, all the way up to professional athletes looking to shave some minutes off their best time in the London Marathon. Not all of us can afford personal trainers, but the genius is that our smartphones have the potential to be that personal trainer.
Who?s going to make it happen?
I don?t know the solution. Perhaps all of these apps need to create open APIs and just start using each other?s data a little more. Possibly one super company needs to come along and create an app that does absolutely everything. Or maybe there needs to be a single app that simply pulls all of this information together from other apps and works out the best course of action.
Wearables are being touted as the next frontier for consumer technology. Fitness devices such as the Nike FuelBand,?Fitbit?and Withings Pulse?have all taken steps to streamline the act of recording how we exercise. But unless these devices can process this information, it?s not all that helpful.
A couple of apps such as ARGUS are showing promise in this area. They pull all of the data together, but still struggle to provide any meaningful context from it. Admittedly, this is a tough nut to crack. But whoever does it first will be onto something rather special.
Map shows U.S. embassies and consulates that will close; 3c x 3 inches; 146 mm x 76 mm;
Map shows U.S. embassies and consulates that will close; 3c x 3 inches; 146 mm x 76 mm;
A Yemeni soldier inspects a car at a checkpoint on a street leading to the U.S. embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013. Security forces close access roads, put up extra blast walls and beef up patrols near some of the 21 U.S. diplomatic missions in the Muslim world that Washington ordered closed for the weekend over a ``significant threat'' of an al-Qaida attack. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
A Bahraini armored personnel vehicle and personnel reinforce U.S. Embassy security just outside of a gate to the building, surrounded in barbed wire, in Manama, Bahrain, on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013. Security forces close access roads, put up extra blast walls and beef up patrols near some of the 21 U.S. diplomatic missions in the Muslim world that Washington ordered closed for the weekend over a ``significant threat'' of an al-Qaida attack. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)
A ,man walks past the U.S Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013. The threat of a terrorist attack led to the weekend closure of 21 U.S. embassies and consulates in the Muslim world and a global travel warning to Americans, the first such alert since an announcement before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 strikes. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Bangladeshi police stop a motorist for checking in front of the U.S. embassy building that remained closed due to security threat in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013. The threat of a terrorist attack led to the weekend closure of 21 U.S. embassies and consulates in the Muslim world and a global travel warning to Americans, the first such alert since an announcement before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 strikes. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The weekend closure of nearly two dozen U.S. diplomatic posts in the Muslim world resulted from the gravest terrorist threat seen in years, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss said "the chatter" intercepted by U.S. intelligence agencies led the Obama administration to shutter 22 embassies and consulates and issue a global travel warning to Americans.
"Chatter means conversation among terrorists about the planning that's going on ? very reminiscent of what we saw pre-9/11," Chambliss, R-Ga., told NBC's "Meet the Press."
"This is the most serious threat that I've seen in the last several years," he said.
Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told ABC's "This Week" that the threat intercepted from "high-level people in al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula" was about a "major attack."
Yemen is home to al-Qaida's most dangerous affiliate, blamed for several notable terrorist plots on the United States. They include the foiled Christmas Day 2009 effort to bomb an airliner over Detroit and the explosives-laden parcels intercepted the following year aboard cargo flights.
Rep. Pete King, who leads the House Homeland Security subcommittee on counterterrorism and intelligence, said the threat included dates but not locations of possible attacks.
"The threat was specific as to how enormous it was going to be and also that certain dates were given," King, R-N.Y., said on ABC.
Rep. Adam Schiff, a House Intelligence Committee member, said the "breadth" of the closures suggests U.S. authorities are concerned about a potential repeat of last year's riots and attacks at multiple embassies, including the deadly assault in Benghazi, Libya, where the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed.
In addition, Interpol, the French-based international policy agency, has issued a global security alert in connection with suspected al-Qaida involvement in several recent prison escapes including those in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan.
Those prison breaks add to the concerns about an attack, said Schiff, D-Calif., also noting the approaching end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
"So you have a lot things coming together. ... But all of that would not be enough without having some particularly specific information," he said.
The Obama administration's decision to close the embassies and the lawmakers' general discussion about the threats come at a sensitive time as the government tries to defend recently disclosed surveillance programs that have stirred deep privacy concerns and raised the potential of the first serious retrenchment in terrorism-fighting efforts since Sept. 11.
The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman has scoffed at the assertion by the head of the National Security Agency that government methods used to collect telephone and email data have helped foil 54 terror plots.
Schiff said he has seen no evidence linking the latest warnings to that agency's collection of "vast amounts of domestic data."
Other lawmakers defended the administration's response and promoted the work of the NSA in unearthing the intelligence that lead to the security warnings.
"The bottom line is ... that the NSA's job is to do foreign intelligence," Ruppersburger said. "The whole purpose is to collect information to protect us."
Added King, a frequent critic of President Barack Obama: "Whether or not there was any controversy over the NSA at all, all these actions would have been taken."
On Friday the Obama administration announced the weekend closures and the State Department announced a global travel alert.
The warning urged American travelers to take extra precautions overseas, citing potential dangers involved with public transportation systems and other prime sites for tourists. It noted that previous terrorist attacks have centered on subway and rail networks as well as airplanes and boats. It suggested travelers sign up for State Department alerts and register with U.S. consulates in the countries they visit. The alert expires on Aug. 31.
The statement said that al-Qaida or its allies might target either U.S. government or private American interests.
The intelligence intercepts also prompted Britain, Germany and France to close their embassies in Yemen on Sunday and Monday. British authorities said some embassy staff in Yemen had been withdrawn "due to security concerns."
Canada also announced it was closing its embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
___
Associated Press writer Michele Salcedo contributed to this report.
Google has eventually announced that it will be starting a service called Android Device Manager later this month which will help Android Smartphone owners to track their lost Smartphones and protect their data in case the phone could not be recovered. Google Play Store has plenty of third party applications such as Where?s My Droid, Find My Phone and Android Lost that offer similar functionality, but an official service from Google definitely makes sense as it would be more reliable and trustworthy.
Benjamin Poiesz, Project Manager of Android said in an official blog post:
Have you ever lost your phone in between the couch cushions or forgot it in a restaurant? Or maybe searching for your phone before you rush out the door is part of your morning routine? Later this month, the new Android Device Manager can help you out. It?s one of a few simple features you can use to keep your device?and the data you store inside?safe and secure.
The Android Device Manager will allow the users to remotely locate their device in case of a theft or misplacement and will allow the owner to remotely wipe out the data to protect their privacy. The iPhone owners or the Android users that have had a chance to have a look at the similar official functionality provided by Apple called ?Find my iPhone? will instantly connect with this analogous service in Android. The device is displayed on a map in real-time, just like Find My iPhone.
The app will also allow users to find their misplaced phones by ringing it at its maximum volume so that you can spot it instantly; even it was on silent when it got misplaced. There aren?t any details available into the functionality, but all the basics are covered for the time being. The service will be available on Android 2.2+ Smartphones and will require the owners to log in with their Google account with which the device is connected in order to use it. Android app will also be available to easily find and manage devices.
It is great to see that Google has finally realized the importance of the data privacy and device tracking and has listened to the requests of the leading mobile OS Android?s users for such functionality. It will be awesome if Google integrates the same service directly in the Operating System with the Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie version. Many major Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) like Samsung and Sony have their own solutions in Samsung Dive and My Xperia remote security, respectively. But an official omnipresent mobile tracking solution for all Android devices by Google should definitely become the first priority for users.
Stay tuned for more details into the same and follow us on Google+, Twitter and Facebook for more related news on tablets, phones and gadgets.
MEXICO CITY -- Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has been released from a military hospital three days after undergoing surgery to remove a thyroid nodule.
The president issued a brief statement as he left Mexico City's Central Military Hospital on Saturday, saying he feels "very well."
The 47-year-old Pena Nieto says he will continue to rest over the weekend at the presidential residence, though he also will have some private meetings. He says he'll be back to a full schedule next week.
Doctors say they found no evidence of malignancy in the nodule removed on Wednesday.
Academics, Beyond UCF, Business, News ? By Jacob Sadowsky on August 3, 2013 at 5:03 pm Tweet
The University of Central Florida has partnered with the Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law have to offer an all new 3+3 Accelerated Law Program.
According to UCF, the new program will allow qualified UCF students to earn both a bachelor?s degree in legal studies from UCF and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Barry Law in six years. Typically, students pursuing a J.D. complete a four-year undergraduate program, followed by three years of law school.
Under the UCF-Barry Law 3+3 program, students will spend three years at UCF and three at Barry Law, completing the requirements for their UCF bachelor?s degree during their first year of law school.
?This partnership with UCF will be a game-changer for the next generation of law students in Orlando,? Barry Law Dean Leticia M. Diaz said following a signing ceremony with Michael Frumkin, dean of UCF?s College of Health and Public Affairs. ?Barry Law has had a long and rewarding relationship with UCF, and the school already is well-represented in our student body. The 3+3 program will allow UCF?s most talented students to advance the path to their professional legal careers.?
The program will be the first of its kind in the Orlando area. UCF?s Legal Studies Chair James Beckman said the partnership?s potential is enormous.
?Barry Law is a popular choice each year for numerous UCF students who desire to stay in Orlando after their undergraduate career,? he explained. ?We?re thrilled to be taking steps to solidify our relationship with Barry Law ? and our students will definitely benefit from this new partnership in years to come.?
Deans Diaz and Frumkin signed an agreement for the 3+3 program this week. Once formally approved by the universities, the program will be available to students entering UCF in the fall of 2014, UCF said.
PHOENIX -- An Arizona Cardinals cheerleader who made national headlines for her service in Iraq was recently arrested for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend and 3TV has exclusive video of the incident.
Megan Welter has been a Cardinals cheerleader for two years.
On July 20, she was arrested for alleged assault, disorderly conduct and criminal damage.
According to Scottsdale police, Welter and her boyfriend had been drinking excessively when they got into an argument that turned physical. Welter's boyfriend recorded video of the incident with his cell phone.
In the video, Welter can be heard asking "Who is she?" and repeatedly demanding her boyfriend give her his phone.
Welter reportedly told officers her boyfriend attacked her first, pushing her and even choking her. According to the police report, however, there were no marks on her -- no bumps or bruises, no signs that she had been? hit or strangled as she claimed.
When Welter called 911, she told the operator that her boyfriend was a "professional fighter" and had "smashed [her] head into tile" and had put her in what she described as a "choke hold with his legs."
Welter said she did not need paramedics.
"I just want him out of my house," she said.
It's unclear if there is a history of violence between Welter and her boyfriend, but we do know she does not have a criminal history.
Welter's boyfriend declined to talk to 3TV on camera, but he did release the following statement:
"People make mistakes, no one is perfect. I honestly want the best for her and I hope that this doesn't take away from the good things that she has done for both the NFL, as well as the service to our country. People seem to only remember the bad and it is easy to point fingers while standing on the outside. Now with that said, violence is never the answer and I honestly hope that this can be a learning experience for her and everyone else."
3TV reached out to the Cardinals organization Wednesday afternoon, but has yet to receive a response.
Welter received national attention earlier this week after sharing her story of transitioning from Iraq veteran to NFL cheerleader. An Army lieutenant and third-generation soldier, Welter entered Officer Training School after college in 2007. She served a 16-month tour in Iraq.
Viewer discretion advised: Raw video of alleged assault (contains adult language)
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Public release date: 8-Aug-2013
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