Phoenix, Las Vegas bake in scorching heat

Mike Bouse of Henderson, Nev., shades himself with an umbrella as he floats in the waters along Boulder Beach at Lake Mead, Saturday, June 29, 2013 near Boulder City, Nev. Bouse and his wife planned to spend most of the day in and out of the water to escape the heat in the Las Vegas area where Saturday's daytime high was expected to reach 117 degrees, the city's all-time high. It was 108 at noon Saturday in Sin City. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Mike Bouse of Henderson, Nev., shades himself with an umbrella as he floats in the waters along Boulder Beach at Lake Mead, Saturday, June 29, 2013 near Boulder City, Nev. Bouse and his wife planned to spend most of the day in and out of the water to escape the heat in the Las Vegas area where Saturday's daytime high was expected to reach 117 degrees, the city's all-time high. It was 108 at noon Saturday in Sin City. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Tubers float down the Salt River on Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Phoenix. Excessive heat warnings will continue for much of the Desert Southwest as building high pressure triggers major warming in eastern California, Nevada, and Arizona. Temperature's are expected to get as high as 118 degrees. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Families line the Salt River on Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Phoenix. Excessive heat warnings will continue for much of the Desert Southwest as building high pressure triggers major warming in eastern California, Nevada, and Arizona. Temperature's are expected to get as high as 118 degrees. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

From left, Subrina Madrid, Jennifer, Shackelford and Sarah Hudak, , all of North Las Vegas, Nev., sit in the shallow waters along Boulder Beach at Lake Mead, Saturday, June 29, 2013 near Boulder City, Nev. The three planned to spend the day at the lake to escape the heat in Las Vegas where Saturday's daytime high was expected to reach 117 degrees, which is the city's all-time high. It was 108 at noon Saturday in Sin City. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Graphic shows forecast heat wave temperatures for June 29 and compares to previous record highs.;

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (AP) ? Scorching heat blistered the Southwest on Saturday, where highs between 115 and 120 degrees were expected for parts of Arizona, Nevada and California through the weekend.

Forecasters said temperatures in sunbaked Las Vegas could match the record of 117 degrees Saturday. Phoenix hit 119 degrees by mid-afternoon, breaking the record for June 29 that was set in 1994. And large swaths of California sweltered under extreme heat warnings, which are expected to last into Tuesday night ? and maybe even longer.

Dan Kail was vacationing in Las Vegas when he heard that the temperature at California's Death Valley could approach 130 degrees this weekend. He didn't hesitate to make a trip to the desert location that is typically the hottest place on the planet.

"Coming to Death Valley in the summertime has always been on the top of my bucket list," the 67-year-old Pittsburgh man said. "When I found out it might set a record I rented a car and drove straight over. If it goes above 130 I will have something to brag about."

The forecast called for Death Valley to reach 128 degrees Saturday as part of a heat wave that has caused large parts of the western U.S. to suffer. Death Valley's record high of 134 degrees, set a century ago, stands as the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.

A couple hours south in Baker, the temperature was expected to peak at 120 degrees in the road tripper's oasis in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 15. The strip of gas stations and restaurants between Los Angeles and Las Vegas is known by travelers for the giant thermometer that often notes temperatures in the triple digits.

At the Mad Greek restaurant there, a waitress called out orders for "Chocolate shake! Strawberry shake!" while the temperature hovered at 112 degrees during the lunch rush.

Downtown Los Angeles was expected to hit 91 degrees, 7 degrees shy of its record.

To make matters worse in California, National Weather Service meteorologists John Dumas said cooling ocean breezes haven't been traveling far enough inland overnight to fan Southern California's overheated valleys and deserts.

Burbank set a record overnight low with temperatures dipping to 74 degrees overnight, much warmer than the previous record of 68 degrees for Saturday's early hours.

In Northern California, temperatures Saturday were expected to reach the 80s in San Francisco, upper 90s in San Jose and into the triple digits inland, about 20 degrees above typical highs in the Bay area.

Farther north, triple-digit temps were expected in Sacramento on Saturday and Sunday.

Health officials warned people to be extremely careful when venturing outdoors. The risks include not only dehydration and heat stroke but burns from the concrete and asphalt. Dogs can suffer burns and blisters on their paws by walking on hot pavement.

Cooling stations were set up to shelter the homeless and elderly people who can't afford to run their air conditioners. In Phoenix, Joe Arpaio, the famously hard-nosed sheriff who runs a tent jail, planned to distribute ice cream and cold towels to inmates this weekend.

Officials said personnel were added to the Border Patrol's search-and-rescue unit because of the danger to people trying to slip across the Mexican border. At least seven people have been found dead in the last week in Arizona after falling victim to the brutal desert heat.

Temperatures are also expected to soar across Utah and into Wyoming and Idaho, with triple-digit heat forecast for the Boise area. Cities in Washington state that are better known for cool, rainy weather should break the 90s next week.

The heat was so punishing that rangers took up positions at trailheads at Lake Mead in Nevada to persuade people not to hike. Zookeepers in Phoenix hosed down the elephants and fed tigers frozen fish snacks. Dogs were at risk of burning their paws on scorched pavement, and airlines kept close watch on the heat for fear that it could cause flights to be delayed.

___

Skoloff reported from Phoenix. Also contributing were Robert Jablon and Shaya Tayefe Mohajer in Los Angeles, Julie Jacobson and Michelle Rindels in Las Vegas, Michelle Price in Salt Lake City, Cristina Silva and Bob Christie in Phoenix, and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, N.M.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-06-29-US-West-Heat-Wave/id-18a94095a45241a18d29219c3e351f1e

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From Egypt petition drive, a new grassroot wave

CAIRO (AP) ? Teenager Gehad Mustafa wears an ultraconservative veil over her face and was raised in a family of staunch Muslim Brotherhood supporters. Yet for the past weeks, she has been walking though chaotic street markets and crowded subway stations, collecting signatures on a petition demanding Islamist President Mohammed Morsi step down.

The months-long petition campaign by the group "Tamarod," Arabic for "rebel," is now culminating in nationwide protests Sunday in which the opposition hopes to bring out millions to force Morsi out of office, a year after his inauguration.

But Tamarod's organizers say they are not stopping there. No matter what happens on Sunday, they say they have created through their petition drive a real grassroots network, an opposition version in the spirit of the Islamists' expert street organizing, and have brought forth a sort of second generation of street activists, like Mustafa, after the first that led the revolt against autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

They want to use that network going ahead, to keep the public involved and to pressure the secular and liberal opposition parties, who the activists say have wasted opportunities through infighting and fragmentation, to get their act together.

On a recent day, Tamarod's main office, steps away from Cairo's Tahrir Square, was bustling with several dozen volunteers as young as 13 and as old as their 50s and 60s. University professors, government employees, students and housewives sipped tea, smoked and chatted while going through the organization's prize possession: the sheaves of signed petitions still coming in from around the country, filling the office.

The pages of signatures, they say, are proof of how deeply the country of 90 million has turned against the Muslim Brotherhood. They plan to announce their full count ahead of Sunday's protests but have claimed to have as many as 20 million signatures, which they collate, confirm and record in a database in a precise operation, knowing their count will be questioned.

Among the volunteers was 17-year-old Mustafa. She said she turned against Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood after the first protesters were killed under his administration in late 2012. "I saw the reality," she said. "You told us that the blood of the martyrs will not go in vain. But there were more ... falling under your rule."

She joined Tamarod, which launched in late April, and volunteered to canvas the street for signatures. At one point, while passing out petitions in the subway, a man wearing the beard of a Muslim conservative attacked her, pulling the veil off her face. But other commuters then wrestled the man away in support of her.

"This strengthened me. I felt what I am doing is right," she said.

Organizers say Tamarod mushroomed across the country. Founded by five activists, its leadership is a central group of about 25, connected to a network of coordinators in Egypt's 27 provinces, each with a team of volunteers in towns and villages.

The signatures are effectively a database of the dissatisfied: Each signatory puts his or her name, province of residence and national ID number.

Collecting signatures in itself is a breakthrough, overcoming Egyptians' engrained resistance to signing onto any paper presented by a stranger, especially political, from the Mubarak days when doing so could get you a visit from state security or even arrested. Volunteers carrying the petitions brought politics into every corner ? weddings, slum alleys, buses and subways. Volunteers included strangers to political campaigning, from men selling cigarettes in kiosks to impoverished women selling in vegetable markets.

Ahmed el-Masry, one of the founders of Tamarod, calls the success "astonishing."

"I can't tell how many members out there. I can think that millions of Egyptians are members," he said.

"At one point, people gave up (on Morsi) ... it reached a point where a new class of Brothers are gaining higher status in society that to join them, you have to let your beard grow. We reached a point where no one is heard but the president and his tribe."

Brotherhood officials cast doubt on the signatures, claiming forgeries and multiple names. While Morsi says peaceful demonstrations are a legitimate form of expression, he and his allies also say Mubarak loyalists are behind the campaign and protests, trying to use the streets to topple an elected leader.

A spokesman for the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party said he sympathizes with some activists in Tamarod ? "the young revolutionaries who had great expectations out of the revolution. Due to their inexperience and age, they wanted to see change too fast and too soon and that is what I call frustration."

But Abdel-Mawgoud el-Dardery said "opportunist politicians" are exploiting them for their political agenda and that former regime elements are exploiting both the politicians and the activists.

"There is unholy alliance among these groups. They have insisted on having one enemy and that is President Morsi," he said.

Tamarod activists say it is they who are leading the politicians of the mainly liberal and secular opposition parties and factions, trying to drag them into a better connection with the public. The campaign's plan calls for Morsi to leave, the chief justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court to become a largely symbolic interim president while a technocrat Cabinet governs, a panel would write a new constitution and presidential elections would be held in six months.

Ahmed Abdu, one of the first Tamarod street campaigners, said the group will pressure the opposition to coalesce behind a candidate.

If they can't get organized "we will pick one away from all the top leaders of opposition and we will be able to rally support to him."

He blamed liberal parties for running multiple candidates in last year's presidential election, which resulted in a runoff between Morsi and a former Mubarak prime minister, forcing people to choose between an Islamist and a loyalist of the regime just ousted.

"I hope they don't let us down again," Abdu said.

Tamarod's nationwide network and pavement-pounding methods contrast with many of the political parties, which have struggled to establish a nationwide presence. That is in large part what opened the way for the Muslim Brotherhood, an 83-year-old organization that has highly disciplined cadres nationwide, and harder-line Islamist with their own organizations to dominate parliament elections in late 2011-early 2012, to ensure the constitution passed a December referendum, and to boost Morsi to victory.

Tamarod's volunteers ? some former Morsi supporters, others who disliked him from the start ? had varying stories of what brought them to the campaign. Most said they were dismayed by what they call the Brotherhood's opportunism and determination to control the system rather than reform state institutions and police. That is a frequent refrain from critics of Morsi. His allies insist they are not trying to monopolize, that opponents have refused to work with them and that old regime loyalists have sabotaged their attempts at reform.

At the Tamarod office, Doaa Mohammed, a young Justice Ministry employee, said the day after Morsi's election, a man on the street spit at her face and yelled, "Tomorrow, Morsi will get rid of you all."

Mohammed wears a stylish scarf covering her hair, less strict than the more cloaking coverings and veils that hard-liners believe women should wear.

She said managers in her ministry were replaced by Brotherhood sympathizers.

"From day one, I have been treated like a second-class citizen. The Sister enjoys higher status than me just because she belongs to the group," she said, referring to the Muslim Sisters, the women's branch of the Brotherhood.

The heart of Tamarod is its petitions. Through Facebook and Twitter, volunteers could download the form, copy it and distribute them among friends and family members or hit the streets for signatures, then get back in touch with coordinators to return the papers.

At the Tamarod office, a psychology university lecturer-turned-volunteer explained how the papers are sorted by province, counted, scanned and entered into a database to ensure there are no doubled ID numbers and that the numbers ? which have prefixes by province ? match where they're said to come from. Much of the work takes place in a room labeled "Control Room. No Entry."

Secrecy is tight. The university lecturer spoke on condition of anonymity ? he goes by the nickname "Maestro" ? so he could not be singled out for pressure by anyone trying to get to the petitions. He said only two of the founders know the whereabouts of the originals of the signed forms and are responsible for moving them every few days to new locations.

"We are working in the daylight but they don't want us to work in the daylight," he said and added, "we are holding a pen and a paper. This is our weapon. And this is how we tell them, Enough"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-petition-drive-grassroot-wave-225403775.html

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Fed's Williams: 'still too early' to reduce QE3

By Ann Saphir

ROHNERT PARK, California (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve should not yet cut back on its massive bond-buying stimulus program, a top Fed official said on Friday, despite a stronger-than expected U.S. recovery and indications that the job market will continue to improve.

"Is it time to act? My answer is that it's still too early," San Francisco Federal Reserve President John Williams said in remarks prepared for delivery to the Sonoma County Economic Development Board.

The remarks were a turnaround for the centrist policymaker, who in May said that if the recovery continued to improve as expected, the Fed could start trimming its $85 billion-a-month bond-buying program by summer, and end it before the year is out. The purchases are designed to drive down long-term borrowing costs and encourage growth and hiring.

"For one thing, we need to be sure that the economy can maintain its momentum in the face of ongoing fiscal contraction," Williams said, citing the drag from Europe as a second risk to the U.S. recovery. "And it is also prudent to wait a bit and make sure that inflation doesn't keep coming in below expectations, possibly signaling a more persistent decline in inflation."

On Friday, Williams largely reiterated his forecast from May, saying he expects unemployment to fall to about 7.25 percent by the end of this year and to 6.75 percent by the end of next year, helped by inflation-adjusted growth in GDP of 2.25 percent this year and 3.25 percent next year.

Inflation, he predicted, will gradually rise from well below the Fed's 2-percent target now to about 1.75 percent in 2015.

"Looking ahead, if this forecast holds true, then at some point it will be appropriate to scale back our purchase program and eventually end it," Williams said.

By omitting a time frame for a dial-down of the Fed's asset purchases, Williams is no longer publicly at odds with the view set out last week by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, who said the U.S. central bank could start reducing the bond buys later this year and end them by mid-2014.

That relatively near-term timeline for the end of the Fed's third round of quantitative easing, or QE3, sent bond yields rising as investors began pricing in an earlier end to low interest rates.

Williams used his speech to fend off that notion, saying that any end to bond-buying stimulus would not change the Fed's promise to keep rates low until unemployment falls to at least 6.5 percent, as long as inflation stays contained.

He also reiterated the Fed's view that reducing bond purchases does not mean the Fed is tightening policy, and its vow to change its plans to reduce the program if economic data falls short of expectations.

"The good news is that the economy is on the mend," he said. When the time comes for the Fed to stop adding stimulus by buying long-term bonds, "I am confident that we can make this change without jeopardizing the recovery, while working toward our goals of maximum employment and price stability."

(Reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/feds-williams-still-too-early-reduce-qe3-193144980.html

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Adobe Dreamweaver CC

Adobe could have rested on its laurels when updating Dreamweaver to its latest incarnation in the subscription-based Creative Cloud service as Dreamweaver CC. In its previous incarnation as Dreamweaver CS6, part of Adobe's Creative Suite 6, Adobe's advanced website editor already had little or no serious competition as a tool for creating and maintaining today's multiplatform websites. Dreamweaver CS6, for example, introduced ready-to-use "fluid grid" Web layouts that use CSS to reshape webpages automatically according to the screen size, making it easy to build a single site use with phones, tablets, and desktops without the complex CSS hand-coding previously required.

The new Dreamweaver CC enhances the fluid-grid feature by supporting HTML5 structural elements such as Sections and Articles. It also adds an equally effort-saving tool, a new CSS Designer that uses an interactive graphic interface for modifying CSS properties like shadows and curved corners, so you only need to click and drag to modify complex CSS code while seeing the results in real-time. Full support for Web-based fonts?downloaded from Adobe's servers while the browser loads a page?makes it easy to create eye-catching designs. Also, like the rest of the Creative Cloud suite, Dreamweaver also gets a simplified and more easily customizable interface, and works identically under both Windows and OS X.

Pro and Semi-Pro
Dreamweaver is a professional-level tool that's worth having?if you can afford it?even if you're a non-professional. First-time Dreamweaver users may be intimidated by the multitude of menus and property panels in the default layout, but it soon becomes clear how to use these to get quick access to advanced controls over CSS elements, or to switch quickly between displays that show how a webpage will look when printed or when displayed on different size screens. Advanced Web designers can click on a menu of JavaScript-based UI widgets into their code to create pop-up dialogs, date-pickers, accordion-style menus, and everything else in the current repertory of UI effects. But even less-advanced users can create flexible HTML5-compliant sites that look good on any platform.

Start Weaving Dreams
Starting from either a blank page or sample layout, you click on items in an Insert panel to add elements like templates (with editable and uneditable regions), multimedia (HTML5 or Flash), and standard HTML features. The default screen is split into a code pane and a WYSIWYG design pane, but you can choose one or the other, or make the design pane "Live" to view media content like video, or content that will be served up from a database when the page appears in a browser. One thing I admire about Dreamweaver is that it doesn't favor Adobe's proprietary technologies like Flash over open standards like HTML5 video, but gives equal support for both?and even provides a better-looking and more usable HTML5 video player than its built-in Flash player.

When you build a page with Dreamweaver's fluid grid feature, the app first creates a page that contains a grid of vertical columns that are visible in Dreamweaver but not when the page appears in a browser. By default, a page designed for phones fits into four of these invisible columns. When the same page is displayed on a tablet, it fills eight columns, and twelve columns when displayed on a desktop machine.

When you switch between screen sizes in Dreamweaver's editing window, the content of your site rearranges itself to fit the width that you specified for the specific type of screen, and you can use the CSS Designer panel to adjust the shape, size, and other properties of individual elements to suit the different screen sizes.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/4bSyIbqqINQ/0,2817,2421105,00.asp

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Nets-Celtics trade? Rumors swirl of a Pierce-Garnett deal.

Nets-Celtics trade: The Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics might be closing in on a trade that would bring All-Stars?Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn.

By Brian Mahoney,?AP Basketball Writer / June 27, 2013

Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett (5) congratulates forward Paul Pierce (34) during a playoffs game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden last month. The two Celtics All-Stars could soon be traded to the Brooklyn Nets, a person with knowledge of the talks said Thursday.

Kathy Willens/AP

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The Nets and Celtics?are discussing a trade that would bring Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn, a person with knowledge of the talks said Thursday.

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On the day they hosted the NBA draft, the Nets were making much bigger noise with a potential transaction that would send the two perennial All-Stars to a new Atlantic Division home.

Yahoo Sports, which first reported the talks, said the Nets would also get veteran Jason Terry from the?Celtics, while sending Gerald Wallace, Tornike Shengelia, the expiring contract of Kris Humphries, and three future first-round picks to Boston.

The person confirmed the talks to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the details were to remain private.

The deal would complete the breakup of the core that led Boston to an NBA championship and within a victory of another. The?Celtics?already let Doc Rivers leave after acquiring a draft pick from the Los Angeles Clippers.

Garnett would have to waive a no-trade clause, which he has been reluctant to do previously. But the Nets hope he would consider this time with Pierce joining him and the?Celtics' best days seemingly behind them.

The?Celtics?tumbled down the Eastern Conference standings this season, falling all the way to the No. 7 seed and getting eliminated by the New York Knicks in the first round. They have been considering moving one or both of the veterans, and this would trigger the start of a true rebuilding process.

And it would provide a huge boost to the Nets at two of their weakest positions. They struggled to settle on a starting power forward all last season, and Pierce would be immune to the lengthy offensive slumps that plagued Wallace, the starting small forward.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/mZKu7yO-Lf0/Nets-Celtics-trade-Rumors-swirl-of-a-Pierce-Garnett-deal

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South Africa: Mandela improved overnight

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Nelson Mandela's health improved overnight and his condition remains critical but is now stable, the South African government said Thursday in a statement that brought a measure of relief to the country. One of the former president's daughters said he was still opening his eyes and reacting to the touch of his family even though his situation was precarious.

The report that the health of the 94-year-old anti-apartheid figure had taken a slight turn for the better came amid an increasingly somber mood in South Africa, where religious and traditional leaders have talked openly about the possibility of his death. For some, it dovetailed with the resilience of spirit and physique that Mandela had shown throughout his life, as a boxer, a prisoner, a peacemaker, a president and a humanitarian who inspired the world.

"We know that Madiba is a fighter, he's been a fighter all his life and he's tough," said presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj, using Mandela's clan name. He said the latest medical report had brought "a little bit of relief."

The hint of good news, whether fleeting or not, delighted some South Africans, including those who have delivered flowers and messages of support to the Pretoria hospital where Mandela is being treated. Some felt the national and global outpouring of support for Mandela had helped him, in a kind of reversal of roles with the man who helped his compatriots in the struggle for democracy.

"We are very grateful as South Africans for the promises that we are getting that he is stabilizing right now," said Andy Lembeki, a well-wisher.

President Jacob Zuma's office said he received the update from the medical team that is treating Mandela. Zuma had canceled an international trip on Thursday in a sign of heightened worry, instead visiting Mandela for the second time in two days.

"I canceled my visit to Mozambique today so that I can see him and confer with the doctors," Zuma said in the statement. "He is much better today than he was when I saw him last night."

In April, though, Zuma gave an overly upbeat assessment about Mandela's condition. State television had broadcast footage of a visit by Zuma and other political leaders to Mandela's home. Zuma said at the time that Mandela was in good shape, but the footage showed him silent and unresponsive, even when Zuma tried to hold his hand.

Mandela, who was imprisoned for 27 years during white racist rule and became president in all-race elections in 1994, was taken to a hospital on June 8 for what the government said was a recurring lung infection.

Zuma urged people to pray for Mandela, and continue with their work and daily activities even while he is hospitalized.

The president's office said it was disturbed by what it called rumors about Mandela's health and appealed for respect for the privacy and dignity of the former leader. Unconfirmed reports about Mandela have swirled on social media and other forums.

Makaziwe Mandela, one of Mandela's daughters, echoed the criticism, saying foreign media coverage of her father's illness had become intrusive, particularly at the Pretoria hospital where many journalists have gathered.

"There's sort of a racist element with many of the foreign media, where they just cross boundaries," she said in the SABC interview. "It's like truly vultures waiting when a lion has devoured a buffalo, waiting there for the last carcasses. That's the image that we have, as a family."

She said: "We don't mind the interest. But I just think it has gone overboard."

In comments posted on the SABC website, Makaziwe Mandela said "anything is imminent" because her father, referred to affectionately by many South Africans as "Tata," or "Father," is in a very critical state.

"I want to emphasize again that it's only God who knows when the time to go is," she said. "So we will wait with Tata. He's still giving us hope by opening his eyes, he's still reactive to touch, we will live with that hope until the final end comes."

Beginning a trip to Africa, President Obama said in Senegal on Thursday that his thoughts and prayers were with South Africans and in particular the Mandela family. He said he was inspired, as a law school student in the early 1990s, to see Mandela step forward after decades of imprisonment to help deliver democracy in a spirit of reconciliation with his former captors.

"It gave me a sense of what is possible in the world when righteous people, when people of good will, work together on behalf of a larger cause," said Obama, who described Mandela as a personal hero.

"And if and when he passes from this place, one thing I think we'll all know is that his legacy is one that will linger on throughout the ages," Obama said.

In Jerusalem, the visiting archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said Mandela has been in his thoughts and prayers.

"We're praying constantly for President Mandela, especially for his family, for the people of South Africa and for peace in their hearts and minds of what must be a very traumatic time for them," he said at an interfaith meeting.

Mandela's 95th birthday is on July 18, an occasion ahead of which South African organizers and others around the world are planning humanitarian acts to honor the legacy of the former president. Samson Divhula, a statistician in Pretoria, said he hoped Mandela would live at least until his day.

"If God takes him before he reaches his 95th birthday, so be it," he said. "We'll accept it and wish Mandela well and still celebrate his 95th birthday."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-africa-mandela-improved-overnight-125015077.html

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Biochemists identify protease substrates important for bacterial growth and development

Public release date: 27-Jun-2013
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Contact: Janet Lathrop
jlathrop@admin.umass.edu
413-545-0444
University of Massachusetts at Amherst

A combination of biochemistry and mass spectrometry 'traps' scores of new candidate substrates of the protease ClpXP to reveal how protein degradation is critical to cell cycle progression and bacterial development

AMHERST, Mass. Reporting this month in Molecular Microbiology, Peter Chien and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst describe using a combination of biochemistry and mass spectrometry to "trap" scores of new candidate substrates of the protease ClpXP to reveal how protein degradation is critical to cell cycle progression and bacterial development. The new understanding could lead to identifying new antibiotic targets.

As Chien (pronounced Chen) explains, to carry out fundamental life processes such as growing and dividing, cells must orchestrate, in time and location, the production and degradation of hundreds of protein substrates. Even in simple bacteria, protein degradation is critical for making sure these organisms can grow and respond to their environment properly.

Scientists have known that a group of protein machines called energy-dependent proteases are responsible for the majority of this degradation, but what targets these machines recognize and how they do it has been unknown in many cases.

With the new series of experiments in the model bacteria Caulobacter crescentus in the Chien biochemistry and molecular biology laboratory, much more is now understood, he says. "We first generated a protease mutant that could recognize but not destroy its targets, acting as a 'trap' for protease substrates. After purifying this trap from living cells, we used mass spectrometry to identify proteins that were caught, finding over a hundred new candidate substrates. These targets covered all aspects of bacterial growth, including DNA replication, transcription and cytoskeletal changes."

Next, they focused on one of these new targets in detail, a protein called TacA. Caulobacter grow by making two different cell types every time they divide. TacA is responsible for making sure that one of these cell types forms properly.

"We used biochemistry and highly purified proteins to identify what parts of TacA were important for degradation by the ClpXP protease," Chien says. "We then made mutants of TacA that could not be degraded and found that when we expressed them in bacteria, these cells failed to properly develop into the correct cell types. Because developmental changes are essential for pathogenic bacteria to invade their host, these insights could potentially identify new antibiotic targets."

###

The work was funded by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at the National Institutes of Health and by UMass Amherst.

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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.

Public release date: 27-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Janet Lathrop
jlathrop@admin.umass.edu
413-545-0444
University of Massachusetts at Amherst

A combination of biochemistry and mass spectrometry 'traps' scores of new candidate substrates of the protease ClpXP to reveal how protein degradation is critical to cell cycle progression and bacterial development

AMHERST, Mass. Reporting this month in Molecular Microbiology, Peter Chien and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst describe using a combination of biochemistry and mass spectrometry to "trap" scores of new candidate substrates of the protease ClpXP to reveal how protein degradation is critical to cell cycle progression and bacterial development. The new understanding could lead to identifying new antibiotic targets.

As Chien (pronounced Chen) explains, to carry out fundamental life processes such as growing and dividing, cells must orchestrate, in time and location, the production and degradation of hundreds of protein substrates. Even in simple bacteria, protein degradation is critical for making sure these organisms can grow and respond to their environment properly.

Scientists have known that a group of protein machines called energy-dependent proteases are responsible for the majority of this degradation, but what targets these machines recognize and how they do it has been unknown in many cases.

With the new series of experiments in the model bacteria Caulobacter crescentus in the Chien biochemistry and molecular biology laboratory, much more is now understood, he says. "We first generated a protease mutant that could recognize but not destroy its targets, acting as a 'trap' for protease substrates. After purifying this trap from living cells, we used mass spectrometry to identify proteins that were caught, finding over a hundred new candidate substrates. These targets covered all aspects of bacterial growth, including DNA replication, transcription and cytoskeletal changes."

Next, they focused on one of these new targets in detail, a protein called TacA. Caulobacter grow by making two different cell types every time they divide. TacA is responsible for making sure that one of these cell types forms properly.

"We used biochemistry and highly purified proteins to identify what parts of TacA were important for degradation by the ClpXP protease," Chien says. "We then made mutants of TacA that could not be degraded and found that when we expressed them in bacteria, these cells failed to properly develop into the correct cell types. Because developmental changes are essential for pathogenic bacteria to invade their host, these insights could potentially identify new antibiotic targets."

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The work was funded by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at the National Institutes of Health and by UMass Amherst.

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/uoma-bip062713.php

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Live With Your Parents In Style in This Split-Level Palace

One of the best parts of home ownership (I imagine) is having a place that's all to yourself. Unfortunately, in the beautiful Wall House you'd have to share some space, but when that space looks like this, it'd be hard to mind it.

Designed by architecture firm FARM, the Wall House is actually a two-family home, made-to-order for a retired couple living in Singapore and their adult child. The result was this spacious 12,012 square foot complex boasting common areas like a courtyard, and pool, while keeping the actual living areas separate. Basically, it's the best dorm suite ever.

The house is actually two separate structures: a one-story building holds the complex's shared spaces while a larger two-story building houses both master bedroom suites on different floors, like a tiny apartment complex. And those apartments are beautiful; the top floor even has its own rooftop garden.

It's not the most traditional layout, but if you're going to live with your parents long-term, you couldn't ask for a better, more awesome setup than this. Don't worry; having your own dinky studio apartment is very cool and adult of you! But it's probably OK to be a little jealous. [FARM via Gizmag]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/live-with-your-parents-in-style-in-this-split-level-pal-585857134

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Cavs take Bennett with No. 1 pick in NBA draft

NBA Commissioner David Stern, left, shakes hands with UNLV's Anthony Bennett, who was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

NBA Commissioner David Stern, left, shakes hands with UNLV's Anthony Bennett, who was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

NBA Commissioner David Stern, left, shakes hands with UNLV's Anthony Bennett, who was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Indiana's Victor Oladipo, left, and Cody Zeller chat before the NBA basketball draft got underway, Thursday, June 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Indiana's Victor Oladipo waits for the NBA basketball draft to begin, Thursday, June 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Alex Len, of Ukraine, gestures after being selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 27, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Anthony Bennett became the first Canadian to be the No. 1 pick and Nerlens Noel tumbled out of the top five and right into a trade Thursday night, a surprising start to an unsettled NBA draft.

Considered one of the favorites to be taken first, Noel instead fell to No. 6, where the New Orleans Pelicans took him and then dealt his rights to the Philadelphia 76ers for a package headlined by All-Star guard Jrue Holiday, according to a person familiar with the details.

The Cleveland Cavaliers started things by passing on centers Noel and Alex Len, who went to Phoenix at No. 5, in favor of the UNLV freshman forward who has starred for Canada's junior national teams and was the Mountain West Conference freshman of the year.

There was suspense right until the end, either because the Cavs were unsure who they wanted or were trying to trade the pick. Most predictions had them taking one of the big men, with Noel largely considered the favorite for the No. 1 choice even after a torn ACL that ended his lone season at Kentucky in February.

David Stern, booed heavily in his final draft as commissioner, added to the surprise of the moment by pausing slightly before announcing the Cavs' pick, their first at No. 1 since taking All-Star Kyrie Irving in 2011.

"I'm just as surprised as anyone else," Bennett said.

Orlando passed on both of the big men, too, going with Indiana swingman Victor Oladipo with the No. 2 pick. Washington took Otto Porter Jr. with the third pick, keeping the Georgetown star local.

Ten years after the Cavaliers selected LeBron James to start a draft that would include his future NBA championship teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the top five, this one lacked star power and perhaps even the promise of stardom.

Bennett, Noel and Len are all coming off injuries and couldn't even work out for teams, but the Cavs decided Bennett's shoulder surgery wasn't enough cause for concern.

Len walked up to meet Stern and collect his orange Suns hat, then sat down near the stage to put on the walking boot he needs for the stress fracture of his left ankle that was discovered after Maryland's season.

Noel finally went to New Orleans with the next pick. He didn't seem upset at his fall down the draft board, hugging his mother and shaking hands with Wildcats coach John Calipari.

It was a good start to the night for the Hoosiers, with Cody Zeller going two places after Oladipo to the Charlotte Bobcats.

Kansas guard Ben McLemore, another player who was considered a potential top-three pick, also dropped, going seventh to Sacramento.

Headed by a lackluster class, the draft promised confusion and second-guessing, with no consensus No. 1 pick and little agreement among the order of the top five.

And with lesser-known names in the draft, veterans soaked up the spotlight in the hours leading up to it.

Hosting the draft at Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets made the biggest news. A person with knowledge of the talks confirmed a Yahoo Sports report that the Nets and Celtics were working on a trade that would bring Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn.

ESPN reported earlier Thursday that Dwight Howard was unlikely to return to the Los Angeles Lakers when he becomes a free agent next month.

The guys coming into the league were glad for the attention they did finally get once their names were called.

"It's like a weight vest you took off after running five miles," Oladipo said. "It's relaxing, man. But at the same time, you know it's just getting started."

National player of the year Trey Burke of Michigan also was traded, the Minnesota Timberwolves sending his rights to Utah for the 14th and 21st picks, according to a person with knowledge of the details.

Lehigh's C.J. McCollum rounded out the top 10 by going to Portland.

Stern, retiring in February, seemed to play up the boos, which turned to cheers after every pick, fans perhaps as puzzled as some of the players at the names they were hearing.

"I was just kidding my agent because he didn't bail me out," Zeller said. "He didn't tell me. I didn't know until David Stern announced it. It's a crazy process not knowing, but I'm definitely excited that I ended up with the Bobcats."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-06-27-BKN-NBA-Draft/id-e8dff5b9f6c74ee9b5baa37bd2e21047

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Mark Sanchez Exposes Naked Butt, Dances Around With Two Women In Napa (NSFW VIDEO)

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/26/mark-sanchez-naked-butt-dance-video_n_3499173.html

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US factory boss held hostage by workers in Beijing

BEIJING (AP) ? An American executive said Monday he has been held hostage for four days at his medical supply plant in Beijing by scores of workers demanding severance packages like those given to 30 co-workers in a phased-out department.

Chip Starnes, 42, a co-owner of Coral Springs, Florida-based Specialty Medical Supplies, said local officials had visited the 10-year-old plant on the capital's outskirts and coerced him into signing agreements Saturday to meet the workers' demands even though he sought to make clear that the remaining 100 workers weren't being laid off.

The workers were expecting wire transfers by Tuesday, he said, adding that about 80 of them had been blocking every exit around the clock and depriving him of sleep by shining bright lights and banging on windows of his office. He declined to clarify the amount, saying he wanted to keep it confidential.

"I feel like a trapped animal," Starnes told The Associated Press on Monday from his first-floor office window, while holding onto the window's bars. "I think it's inhumane what is going on right now. I have been in this area for 10 years and created a lot of jobs and I would never have thought in my wildest imagination something like this would happen."

Workers inside the compound, a pair of two-story buildings behind gates and hedges in the Huairou district of the northeastern Beijing suburbs, repeatedly declined requests for comment, saying they did not want to talk to foreign media.

It is not rare in China for managers to be held by workers demanding back pay or other benefits, often from their Chinese owners, though occasionally also involving foreign bosses.

The labor action reflects growing uneasiness among workers about their jobs amid China's slowing economic growth and the sense that growing labor costs make the country less attractive for some foreign-owned factories. The account about local officials coercing Starnes to meet workers' demands ? if true ? reflects how officials typically consider stifling unrest to be a priority.

Huairou district and Qiaozi township governments declined to comment.

A local police spokesman said police were at the scene to maintain order. Four uniformed police and about a dozen other men who declined to identify themselves were standing across the road from the plant.

"As far as I know, there was a labor dispute between the workers and the company management and the dispute is being solved," said spokesman Zhao Lu of the Huairou Public Security Bureau. " I am not sure about the details of the solution, but I can guarantee the personal safety of the manager."

Representatives from the U.S. Embassy stood outside the gate much of the day, and eventually were let in. U.S. Embassy spokesman Nolan Barkhouse said the two sides were on the verge of an agreement and that Starnes would have access to his attorneys. It was unclear what agreement might be reached, and subsequent attempts to contact Starnes were not immediately successful.

Starnes said the company had gradually been winding down its plastics division, planning to move it to Mumbai, India. He arrived in Beijing last Tuesday to lay off the last 30 people. Some had been working there for up to nine years, so their compensation packages were "pretty nice," he said.

Some of the workers in the other divisions got wind of this, and, coupled with rumors that the whole plant was moving to India, started demanding similar severance packages on Friday.

Christian Murck, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, said he wasn't familiar with Starnes' case, but that such hostage-taking was "not a major problem" for the foreign business community.

"It happened more often say 15 years ago than today, but it still happens from time to time," he said. "It rarely leads to personal harm to the managers involved, but there are cases when it has in years past."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-factory-boss-held-hostage-workers-beijing-074855847.html

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All-time greatest TV shows and movies are ...

Pop culture

Anna Chan and Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY

8 hours ago

Summer's here! And while many favorite and critically acclaimed shows have ended their seasons (see you next year, Don Draper!), summer blockbusters are starting to show up in theaters and many popular television programs are returning to the airwaves.

Warner Bros. / HBO / FOX / Paramount

"Casablanca," "The Sopranos," "The Simpsons" and "The Godfather Part 2" all made Entertainment Weekly's list of top movies and TV shows ever.

And as the summer entertainment season kicks into gear, Entertainment Weekly is preparing to unveil its list of All Time Greatest TV Shows and Movies Wednesday morning on TODAY.

Gangsters, outlaws, star-crossed lovers and creepy shower killers are among those viewers meet in the magazine's top five films list. And while we?re not revealing which movie is the magazine's No. 1 pick, we can tell you none of the movies that made the top five came along after America?s bicentennial. Think the suave 1940's charm of ?Casablanca,? or "Citizen Kane's" saga of old-school journalism, and the gritty and engrossing tales of mob life in ?The Godfather,? 1972 and ?The Godfather Part 2,? 1974.

In fact, there?s a flurry of bad men ? and one bad woman ? at the top of the list. ?Casablanca? has its Nazis of course, and ?The Godfather? films feature their share of murder and mayhem, horse heads in beds and characters who end up sleeping with the fishes. ?Bonnie and Clyde? came out in 1967 but tells the tale of famed outlaws from 30 years prior. And 1960?s legendary ?Psycho? is dubbed the ?granddaddy of all slasher films,? and it kept some of us out of the shower like ?Jaws? kept us out of the ocean.

On the small screen, only one of the magazine's top five picks for All Time Greatest TV Shows is still on the air. (Seriously, "Breaking Bad," "Walking Dead" and "Game of Thrones" didn't crack the summit of the list!) And that still-on-the-air comedy, Fox's very long-running "The Simpsons," is also the only animated program anywhere in the top 70.

The rest of the top five is evenly split with two truth-filled sitcoms featuring stellar comedians ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show," 1970-1977, and "Seinfeld," 1989-1998) and two crime-dramas with complex, not-always-good-guy leads who became TV legends ("The Sopranos," 1999-2007, and "The Wire," 2002-2008).

Tune in to TODAY Wednesday to see how Entertainment Weekly ranked these shows and movies in their All Time Greatest list!

Which movies and TV shows would put in your top 5? Click on "Talk about it" below and give us your list!

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/all-time-greatest-tv-shows-movies-are-6C10423399

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Uncertainty over the benefits of feeding birds in winter

June 24, 2013 ? Wild bird populations are generally thought to benefit from being given additional food in winter but our understanding of the effects of such food provision is incomplete.

The results of a new study, carried out by researchers at the University of Exeter and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), has found that feeding wild blue tits in winter resulted in less successful breeding during the following spring.

The research, published in Scientific Reports, revealed that woodland blue tits that were provided with fat balls as a supplementary food during the winter months went on to produce chicks that were smaller, of lower body weight and which had lower survival than the chicks of birds that did not receive any additional food.

Dr Jon Blount from Biosciences at the University of Exeter who led the research said: "Our research questions the benefits of feeding wild birds over winter. Although the precise reasons why fed populations subsequently have reduced reproductive success are unclear, it would be valuable to assess whether birds would benefit from being fed all year round rather than only in winter. More research is needed to determine exactly what level of additional food provisioning, and at what times of year, would truly benefit wild bird populations."

Dr Kate Plummer, lead author of the paper, said: "There could be a number of different explanations for our results. One possibility is that winter feeding may help birds in relatively poor condition to survive and breed. Because these individuals are only capable of raising a small number of chicks, they will reduce our estimation of breeding success within the population. But more research is needed to understand whether winter feeding is contributing to an overall change in the size of bird populations."

It is estimated that around half of UK householders feed birds in their gardens. This equates to around 50-60 thousand tonnes of bird food provisioned each year and contributes to a thriving bird food industry.

Jane Lawler, Marketing Director at Gardman, commented: "As the wider scientific evidence shows, feeding wild birds with appropriate foods delivers a range of positive benefits. A number of unanswered questions remain, however, and this is why we have been supporting this and other research, using the information gained to inform our products and the advice that we provide to our customers."

The three year study was conducted across nine woodland sites in Cornwall. During winter, populations of blue tits were left unfed, given plain fat balls or given fat balls enriched with vitamin E -- a vitamin commonly present in bird food such as nuts and seeds. Nest boxes and bird feeders were distributed around the woodland study sites and reproductive success was investigated by checking the nest boxes in the spring to determine the number of eggs laid and the growth and survival of chicks.

Studies elsewhere have shown that feeding wild birds in winter can have almost immediate benefits for survival and can enhance future breeding success, so the latest results provide important new information and inform the debate around the role that feeding wild birds may play in their population processes. Whether providing food is detrimental or beneficial to wild bird populations, it is clear that more research is needed to better understand its effects.

The study was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Royal Society, Gardman Ltd and the BTO.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/wcdq5VhRpT8/130624111011.htm

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Exclusive: Johnny Depp's 'Lone Ranger' Makeup Had Stars Asking 'Who Is This?'

In an exclusive featurette, Depp remembers when even his longtime collaborate Jerry Bruckheimer didn't recognize him in costume as Tonto.
By Todd Gilchrist

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1709385/lone-ranger-johnny-depp-transformation.jhtml

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Payday Loans - A Helpful Short-Term Solution | Payday Loans No ...

As the recession hits hard payday loans are becoming more widely available to people needing financial help. They can be a very useful quick-fix solution, as long as people take care to avoid the pitfalls.

During the recession more and more people are turning to payday loans for help with temporary financial difficulties. A payday loan is seen as an instant access, short-term loan, intended as a swift and easy solution for unexpected expenses. They have a number of advantages to people finding it hard to obtain other sources of finance, such as:

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Speed - Because payday loans are accessed via the internet, you can often be credited with the loan within less than one working day.

Convenience - If you have an unexpected bill to pay, such as car repairs, or other unforeseen costs, and your payday is not yet due, you can borrow until your payday, and the loan is paid back as soon as your salary is credited to your bank account.

Easy to Apply - You can apply for a loan via the internet, in the comfort of your own home, by filling in a straightforward online application form.

Amount - Different providers set different minimum and maximum limits, but the amounts available are typically from as little as ?50 up to ?800, dependent on your individual circumstances.

Less stringent conditions - Loans are available to people over the age of 18, and to apply for a payday loan, you need to provide details of your bank account, so that you can receive the loan and pay it back when you receive your salary. You also need to be in receipt of a regular source of income. However, you can be considered for a payday loan even if you have a bad credit record.

Avoid Bounced Cheques - Although rates of interest are high on payday loans, they still work out less expensive than a bounced cheque, as well as less embarrassing. If you bounce a cheque then, not only will you incur bank charges, but the creditor may also charge interest for late payment.

Despite the advantages associated with this type of loan, they have received a lot of bad press, mainly associated with the high level of interest. It is important to look at all the potential pitfalls when taking out a payday loan. For example, on a typical loan of ?100, you may pay interest of approximately ?25. This interest is based on the short-term, which means that if you continue to borrow each month, the charge escalates.

Another potential pitfall is that because the lender automatically takes the outstanding amount on your next payday, you have to ensure that you have budgeted for this amount; otherwise you could default on other payments made from that account.

Therefore, although there are many advantages to payday loans, especially for people who may find it hard to access other forms of credit, it is important to regard them as a short-term solution only. They can be a very useful emergency back-up when you are faced with unexpected bills.

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Source: http://peripeciasdatatah.blogspot.com/2013/06/payday-loans-helpful-short-term-solution.html

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