consonance curd

Sunday, March 3, 2013

8 of the best tech products from Mobile World Congress

Staff , LAPTOP ? ? ? 13 hrs.

Mobile World Congress remains the world?s biggest dedicated mobile technology event, and this year?s show saw more than 70,000 people converge in Barcelona to find out what?s next in smartphones, tablets and more. From upstart operating systems and the world?s thinnest slate to a whole new way to make your own apps, these are the eight best mobile products from Mobile World Congress 2013:

Best smartphone: LG Optimus G Pro

These days, high-end features like a quad-core processor and 1080p screen are just table stakes in the Android superphone game. That?s why with the Optimus G Pro, LG focused on delivering uniquely compelling software that makes work more efficient and play more fun.

With LG?s updated QSlide technology, users can run important apps in small windows on the 5.5-inch full HD screen, allowing them to multitask in a way never before available on a phone. Dual Recording, which allows you to capture video using both the front HD camera and back 13-MP shooter at the same time, takes family video to a whole new level. Then there's QTranslate, which provides real-time offline translation of words viewed through the camera lens. Add in a whopping 3,140mAh battery and you have an Android phone ready to take on the world.

More:LG Optimus G Pro Pairs 1080p Screen with Powerful Multitasking Features (VIDEO)

Best budget smartphone: Nokia Lumia 520

With the Lumia 520, Nokia has proved its dedication to bringing high-end features to lower price points, making the Windows Phone 8 experience available to an entirely new set of users worldwide. The 520 sports a 5-MP camera that supports Nokia's fun lens apps and offers super-sensitive touch technology for controlling the display even when you're wearing gloves. The phone cuts a few corners compared to the powerful Lumia 920, with a screen resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and no LTE support, but these compromises bring the price down to just 139 EUR, or around $180 USD unsubsidized. Overall, the Lumia 520 looks like a fantastic deal.

More:Nokia Debuts Lumia 520 Entry-Level Smartphone and Three Other Budget Options (VIDEO)

Best large tablet: Sony Xperia Tablet Z

At just 0.3 inches thick, Sony?s Xperia Tablet Z may be the ?world?s thinnest tablet,? but that isn?t the only reason it takes home the prize for Best Large Tablet of Mobile World Congress 2013. This 10-incher packs a gorgeous 1920 x 1080-pixel display with a 20 percent greater color gamut than Apple?s iPad, thanks to Sony?s Bravia Engine technology. And with a powerful quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, the Xperia Z has enough muscle to take on the toughest tasks.

Oh, and did we mention the whole thing goes underwater? That?s right, the Xperia Z can take a dip in up to 6 inches of water for 30 minutes. Rounding out this tablet?s top-tier features are an integrated IR blaster and Sony?s SideView app, which allows you to see what?s on TV and change the channel.

More:Sony Xperia Tablet Z is World?s Thinnest Tablet, Goes Underwater (VIDEO)

Best small tablet: Samsung Galaxy Note 8

If Goldilocks were shopping for a tablet, she?d say the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is just right. Samsung?s powerful new quad-core tablet was modeled after a notepad, making it ideal for taking notes in meetings using the built-in S Pen. The Galaxy Note 8 also packs a host of compelling software features, from Samsung?s Dual View multi-window feature to Idea Sketch, which provides clip art images based on words you scribble on screen. Other highlights include Smart Remote for controlling your TV and a Reading Mode that automatically adjusts the display for enjoying e-books.

More:Samsung Galaxy Note 8: The Pen Tablet You?ve Been Waiting For (VIDEO)

Best car tech: AT&T and GM 4G LTE

AT&T and General Motors want your next car to provide a truly connected experience. The two companies announced a new partnership at Mobile World Congress 2013 that will see GM?s 2015 model year vehicles equipped with AT&T's 4G LTE modems. With all that bandwidth, you can stream video to your car?s rear seat displays and keep the kids from asking "are we there yet?" every five minutes.

GM is also considering installing cameras at all four exterior corners of select vehicles, which users will then be able to access via the Web in order to get a live look at their cars from a mobile app. The system can also determine when your car has been hit and send you an alert.

More:AT&T 4G LTE Brings Live TV, Apps, and More to GM Vehicles

Best mobile software: AppMachine

These days everyone wants a mobile application, but software development can be a lengthy and complicated process. AppMachine is an online software platform that takes the pain and high learning curve out of creating applications for Android and iOS. Users can enter a website, social media page or RSS feed and populate an app in seconds. You can customize your app?s appearance using one of the included themes or more advanced settings. The company will even submit your application to the Apple App Store or Google Play, usually a long and tedious process, allowing you to create and sell your app in hours rather than weeks or months.

More: AppMachine Helps Anyone Create Native iPhone and Android Apps (VIDEO)

Best innovation: Firefox OS

We?ve had high hopes for Mozilla?s HTML 5-powered Firefox OS for quite awhile, and when it finally made its big debut here at Mobile World Congress 2013, it didn?t disappoint. Mozilla designed the attractive operating open system to break down the barriers between apps and Web pages and between developers and users. Unlike other platforms that rely exclusively on walled garden app stores to distribute software, Firefox OS will allow software publishers to sell their wares directly to consumers while also providing a vibrant market for app discovery.

To Mozilla, local apps and remote Web pages deserve equal treatment. So Firefox OS? most unique feature is a dynamic search function that scours websites and HTML 5 apps at the same time. If you want information on your favorite musician, the search engine will show a screen with background wallpaper of that artist and icons representing both Web pages and apps with ticket info, biographies and songs. So far, we?ve only seen the Firefox OS running on entry-level smartphones, but it should be coming to mid-range and high-end handsets soon.

More:Firefox OS Breaks Barrier Between Web and Apps (VIDEO)

Best accessory: Samsung HomeSync

We?ve seen network-attached storage drives and we?ve seen set-top boxes, but we?ve never seen anything quite like the Samsung HomeSync, a home media center that runs a full version of Android 4.1 Jellybean while providing 1TB of storage for sharing media across all of your devices.

Using a Bluetooth input device or a Samsung smartphone as your keyboard/mouse, you can play demanding games, watch movies or run any app from Google Play on the device?s 1.7-GHz, dual-core processor. Fire up the AllShare app on your phone or tablet and use it to browse photos, videos or songs from the HomeSync?s massive hard drive.

More: Samsung HomeSync 1TB Media Center Doubles as Android Station (VIDEO]

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/8-best-tech-products-mobile-world-congress-1C8645570

Alexis Wright Zumba binder full of women Microsoft Surface Candy Crowley binders of women Alexis Wright presidential debates

Republicans stick to their position on cuts, keep blaming Obama (Washington Bureau)

Share With Friends:

| Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/288571422?client_source=feed&format=rss

abc news Pope Resigns Christopher Dorner Manifesto mardi gras north korea Christopher Dorner whitney houston

Accused Scottish cardinal admits sexual failings

LONDON (AP) ? The cardinal who until recently served as Britain's highest-ranking Catholic leader on Sunday acknowledged having engaged in unspecified sexual misbehavior and promised to play "no further part" in the public life of the church, a statement that comes at an awkward time for the Vatican.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien resigned Monday from his position as archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh after a newspaper published unnamed priests' accounts of unspecified inappropriate behavior.

O'Brien initially rejected the claims, saying he was resigning because he did not want to distract from the upcoming conclave of cardinals that is due to pick a successor to Benedict XVI, who resigned the papacy Thursday. O'Brien also said he would not attend the conclave.

But on Sunday, the Catholic church in Scotland issued a statement quoting O'Brien as saying that there had been times "that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal."

"To those I have offended, I apologize and ask forgiveness," the statement continued. "To the Catholic church and people of Scotland, I also apologize. I will now spend the rest of my life in retirement. I will play no further part in the public life of the Catholic church in Scotland."

O'Brien gave no clue as to what exactly his sexual misbehavior consisted of, but his statement is nonetheless another reminder of the church's struggle shake off a litany of sex scandals, including those involving pedophile priests.

The claims against O'Brien were first reported by The Observer newspaper.

In its Feb. 24 edition, the British newspaper reported that O'Brien was alleged to have made what it described as "an inappropriate approach" to a seminarian after night prayers.

The paper also said another priest had reported "inappropriate contact" with O'Brien following a visit to his parish, a second priest had reported "unwanted behavior" by the archbishop following a late-night drinking session, and that a third had reported being taken advantage of when he went to the archbishop for counseling.

All four, the paper said, had sent letter of complaint to nuncio Antonio Mennini, the Vatican's ambassador to Britain, early last month.

The paper did not cite a source for its reporting last week, but in this Sunday's edition it quoted the still-unnamed former seminarian as saying that the church had failed to respond quickly and appropriately to his complaint.

O'Brien has at times had a rocky tenure as a cardinal.

In 2003, as a condition of assuming that rank, he was forced to issue a public pledge to defend church teaching on homosexuality, celibacy and contraception. He was pressured to make the pledge after he had called for a "full and open discussion" on such matters.

At the time, O'Brien said he had been misunderstood and wanted to clarify his position. But statements made last week, before the scandal over his behavior broke, suggested he never really changed his mind.

In an interview with the BBC, O'Brien said celibacy should be reconsidered because it's not based on doctrine but rather church tradition and "is not of divine origin."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/accused-scottish-cardinal-admits-sexual-failings-175431595.html

Christoph Waltz QuvenzhanÃ© Wallis dancing with the stars cast kristen stewart Shirley Bassey adele Oscars 2013

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Tracing pollution links to asthma, allergy

Bad air tied to disabled immune-regulating cells

By Nathan Seppa

Web edition: February 25, 2013

SAN ANTONIO ? Bad actors in air pollution may contribute to asthma and allergy by subverting protective cells in the body that tone down immune reactions, researchers report. The pollution components also seem to rev up overactive immune warriors ? already linked to allergies ? that need no such prompting.

The airborne culprits are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, the products of incomplete burning of fuel in diesel engines, furnaces, wood fires, wildfires and even barbeque grills. Air pollution has been tied to asthma and allergy in past research, but the link between PAHs and these immune problems is still unclear.

In the new report, researchers show that children exposed to high levels of PAHs had poorly functioning T-regulatory cells, or T-regs, which normally ratchet down immune-caused inflammation as needed. ?T-regs are peacekeeper cells,? says Kari Nadeau, a physician and biochemist at Stanford University, who presented the findings February 23 at a meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. ?But in asthma, T-regs are impaired.?

The team also found that kids exposed to a lot of PAHs made excess amounts of an antibody called immunoglobulin E, or IgE. The IgE antibody normally helps the body fight parasites. But in developed countries, where parasitic infections are largely a thing of the past, IgE has become better known for its role in allergy. The body often cranks out IgE as part of a misguided immune reaction against noninfectious substances in the environment. IgE also shows up in asthma, which can be triggered by allergy.

To study the effect of air pollution on these immune players, Nadeau and her colleagues obtained blood tests, lung function readings and health information from 153 children, median age 14, in Fresno, Calif. The researchers used airborne PAH sampling to estimate exposure to PAHs, and chose Fresno because of its relatively high air pollution levels. Children with high exposure to PAHs, based on air sampling in and around their homes, made high amounts of IgE and had lower T-reg function than children exposed to low levels. High PAH exposure during the most recent three months was linked to 51 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with asthma.

?I think this is a very interesting and thought-provoking study,? says Todd Rambasek, an allergist at Ohio University in Athens. He notes that other studies had linked air pollution with asthma and allergy but failed to discern between PAH and ozone or particulate matter that could contribute to the conditions.

Nadeau also reported that consistent PAH exposure coincided with changes in a gene called Foxp3. As reported in Nature in 2010, Foxp3 seems to be a master regulator of T-reg populations in the body. Unfortunately, Nadeau says, the changes observed in the Foxp3 gene seem irreversible and widespread.

The asthma rate is 22 percent among children in Fresno, Nadeau says, compared with 12 percent in the United States as a whole. Up to 70 percent of people in Fresno have an allergy, she notes, more than double the average lifetime risk of having an allergy in California. The new study adds PAHs to a known pollution problem in the area: in 2012, Fresno County had the second-highest number of days with unhealthy air particulate matter among California counties.

Citations

E. Noth et al. A spatial-temporal regression model to predict daily outdoor residential PAH concentrations in an epidemiological study in Fresno, CA. Atmospheric Environment. Vol. 45, May 2011, p. 2394. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2011.02.014. [Go to]

A. Walker et al. Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is associated with higher levels of total IgE, decreased function of T regulatory cells and an increase of asthma occurrence in children. Abstract #197. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology meeting. San Antonio, Texas, February 22-26, 2013.

Y. Zheng et al. Role of conserved non-coding DNA elements in the Foxp3 gene in regulatory T cell fate. Nature. Vol. 463, February 11, 2010, p. 808. doi:10.1038/nature08750. [Go to]

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/348592/title/Tracing_pollution_links_to_asthma_allergy

BlogThis!Share to X Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest

Christoph Waltz Wins Best Supporting Actor Oscar

Austrian thesp clenches second statuette for his performance in 'Django Unchained.'
By Amy Wilkinson

Christoph Waltz at the 2013 Oscars
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702508/christoph-waltz-supporting-actor-oscar-win.jhtml

BlogThis!Share to X Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest

Monday, February 25, 2013

Irene Monroe: The Boy Scouts of America: Another Closed Door for Black GBTQ Youth

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and the Black Church are rightly lauded for molding young black men into adult leaders. BSA troops have produced distinguished African-American scouts like retired four-star general Colin Powell, six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker.

African American participation in the Boy Scout movement dates back to 1911, and its impact has not only forced the integration of young black males into the organization, but also continues to address many of the challenges these young males confront today.

With young African-American males (particularly those in urban enclaves) at much higher risks for incarceration, gang violence, unemployment, fatherlessness and substance abuse, the BSA has been a source of constant and consistent strong positive male figures for these young black boys.

Like many BSA troops, African-American troops are often strongly affiliated with community black churches. These churches not only hold homophobic views, but also hold a tight-fisted hand on their non-gender-conforming males.

The BSA's position on GBTQ scouts is unquestionably discriminatory, and its hesitancy to swiftly remove its ban dishonors the organization's goal and philosophy, "to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law."

This means that GBTQ black youths cannot catch the lifeline that the BSA provides their straight brethren due to the homophobia of the church and the BSA. It's no wonder these youths have higher incidents of homelessness.

The BSA's national office is housed in Texas, the heart of the Bible Belt, and that reflects the religiously conservative influence on the organization's policies.

Although the BSA is a civic organization that has local chapters in public schools, a large number of them are equally affiliated with religious institutions. Those religious groups have a disproportionate influence on the organization.

Most of these religious institutions interpret and impose both the Scout Oath and Scout Law from their conservative theological perspective -- and the Black Church is not alone in doing so. The Church of the Latter Day Saints, for example, has a huge influence on the BSA because the church mandates that all male youths join the Boy Scouts.

New York Times reporter Erik Eckholm writes in his recent article "As Partner, Mormons and Scouts Turn Boys into Men:"

With mutual exaltation of God and country and a shared aim of nurturing "morally straight" men with leadership skills and a service ethic, the Mormons and the Boy Scouts seem made for each other, as entwined as a square knot. And in an unusual partnership dating to 1913, the Mormon Church has embraced scouting wholesale, giving it a central role in preparing male youths for their two-year missionary stints and adulthood as lay priests.

The basis for discrimination against gay scouts and gay scout leaders pivots around two beliefs: the Judeo-Christian tenets about homosexuality and the myth that there is an inherent correlation between male homosexuality and pedophilia. Although these beliefs have been successfully refuted they are strategically upheld to maintain its ban.

The BSA's 2004 position statement on homosexuality that has not changed states, "We believe that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the requirement of the Scout oath that a Scout be morally straight and in the Scout law that a Scout be clean in word and deed, and that homosexuals do not provide a desirable role model for Scouts."

The words "morally straight" and "clean" are what have fueled the BSA's homophobic stance and consequently have given rise to both its misinterpretation and misuse of the group's own guidelines.

While "morally straight" and "clean" have everything to so with being a scout, they have nothing to do with a scout's sexual orientation. The original interpretation of both words are about virtue, readiness and open-mindedness in the context of human service, and a scout's commitment to teamwork, honesty, respect for others, and community service.

The truth that needs to be told is that the BSA's is fighting itself, and needs to come out of the closet about its founder. Perhaps that would dispel the dispute about gay scouts.

Scout founder Robert Baden-Powell (1857- 1941) was believed to be gay. A number of biographies on Baden-Powell alluded to his homosexuality. Tim Jeal, the author of "The Boy-Man: The Life of Lord Baden-Powell," wrote, "The available evidence points inexorably to the conclusion that Baden-Powell was a repressed homosexual."

Jeal further states that in Baden-Powell's diaries and correspondences, Baden-Powell wrote frequently about his "enjoyment at watching young men swim naked; enjoy nude men; (and) expressed disdain for female nudity." Also, Baden-Powell had an "extremely close, decades-long friendship" with Kenneth McLaren, "with whom he served in the British military and always made sure he bunked."

The Black Church's silent stance of BSA's continued ban on gays help strengthen the church's belief that strong black male leadership is exclusively heterosexual.

However, if both the Black Church and BSA goals are to continue to nurture the talents and gifts of all its young males, then they must ask themselves to what degree does their stance on homophobia hinders their goal?

Sources:
Distinguished African American Scouts

African Americans in the Boy Scout movement | African American Registry

Mormons and Scouts Act as Parthttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/us/mormons-and-scouts-act-as-partners-in-molding-boys.html?pagewanted=all ners in Molding Boys - NYTimes.com

Boy Scouts of America membership controversies

The Boy-Man: The Life of Lord Baden-Powell

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/irene-monroe/boy-scouts-lgbt_b_2733337.html

asante samuel salton sea arizona immigration law aubrey huff the killers julianne hough brandy

Sunday, February 24, 2013

College Hoops: No. 5 Duke Women Beat No. 19 Florida St.

Published: Friday, February 22, 2013 at 11:59 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 22, 2013 at 11:59 p.m.

DURHAM, N.C. | Elizabeth Williams had 20 points and 13 rebounds to help No. 5 Duke beat No. 19 Florida State 61-50 on Friday night.

Chloe Wells added 15 points for the Blue Devils (25-1, 15-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their 37th consecutive home game against ACC competition.

Duke trailed 24-20 early in the second half but seized control with a 26-4 run over the next 9 minutes.

Wells hit a jumper from the free throw line to give the Blue Devils a 28-26 lead with 15:36 remaining, and they never trailed again.

Alexa Deluzio scored 16 points to lead Florida State (20-6, 10-5), which lost its sixth straight matchup with Duke. Natasha Howard added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Seminoles.

#6 California 77, Oregon 55

BERKELEY, Calif. | Layshia Clarendon scored 14 points and No. 6 California won its school-record 12th straight game with a victory over Oregon on Friday night.

Afure Jemerigbe added 13 points for the Bears (24-2, 14-1 Pac-12), who early on looked somewhat ragged offensively with starting point guard Brittany Boyd sitting out because of a strained groin.

Webber International 61, St. Thomas 61, OT

MIAMI GARDENS | Webber International upset 11th-ranked St. Thomas in the first semifinal of the 2013 Sun Conference Championship.

The upset victory by Webber International (14-13) snapped a 15-game win streak for St. Thomas (27-3). Webber's Jasmine Singleton hit a three-pointer with seven seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score 56-56 and send the game into overtime.

In the overtime period, a jumper by Kristin Throckmorton, followed by a free throw by Alishia Kahan, put the Warriors ahead by four points with 40 seconds to play.

A put-back jumper by STU's Danielle Ciccarone off a missed three-pointer by Shanika Brooks cut the lead to two points with 17 seconds left.

With four seconds to go, WIU's Erin Henry made the first of two free throws, then grabbed her own rebound off a missed free throw on her second attempt to secure the final score.

St. Louis 65, #15 Butler 61

INDIANAPOLIS | Saint Louis coach Jim Crews and Butler's Brad Stevens nearly echoed each other when assessing the key to Friday night's game.

"I think the start to the second half was key," Crews said after Saint Louis took control of the Atlantic 10 race with a 65-61 comeback win over the No. 15 Bulldogs.

Mike McCall had 18 points and Kwamain Mitchell scored 10 of his 12 in the second half to help Saint Louis rally.

Dwayne Evans added 17 points for the Billikens, who won for the fourth time this season against a Top 25 opponent ? a school record ? and earned their ninth victory in a row in Atlantic 10 play. The previous eight had all been by 10 points or more.

Saint Louis (21-5, 10-2) remains firmly in control in the conference, holding a one-game lead over No. 24 Virginia Commonwealth.

Source: http://www.theledger.com/article/20130222/news/130229764

Nexus 4 Girl Meets World Jason Babin Nolan Daniels angus t. jones monday night football monday night football