Getting Creative: Top Seven Sparkling Wine Cocktails to Serve at ...

What stag party would be complete without at least one round of cocktails? Teach the groom to flip like Tom Cruise, get in a mixologist for the evening to impress your friends, or just crack out a cocktail book and go for your life. However you choose to do it, there?s a certain moment in any stag party when nothing will do but that there?s a glass of something fizzy and brightly coloured in everyone?s hand.

So ??what are the most popular cocktails to make using sparkling wine? Well, that all depends on how dangerous everyone?s feeling?

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1: The Real Deal Tequila Slammer

Most people think a tequila slammer is a shot of tequila done with salt and lemon. It?s not. That?s technically known as a tequila shot.

No ??a real deal tequila slammer is a shot of agave liquor slammed in a measure of sparkling wine. The original cocktail calls for champagne but you can work just as well with a Cava or a Prosecco. In fact, given the expected results of having more than one of these (think Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster), using sparkling wine is probably just as well.

The method is simple. Using a heavy tumbler, add one measure of fizz and dump in the shot. Cover the glass with your hand, rap on the bar and drink immediately. The tequila goes into the bubbles and hits the bloodstream quickly ??so be careful?

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2: Black Velvet

It?s easy to make and a hot favourite with Guinness drinkers in particular. The Black Velvet is essentially stout (normally Guinness) and fizz in the same glass. The fizz is floated on top of the stout to give a two layered appearance.

Note ??to float one drink on top of another, the second liquid is poured slowly over the back of a teaspoon. In a Black Velvet, the stout is added first, then the fizz, in a champagne flute.

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3: The Champagne Cocktail

This is the original movie-buff?s cocktail, and a classic still. Start by swirling a small measure of Angostura bitters around a flute. Pour the bitters away. Add champagne or sparkling wine, a pinch of sugar and float a maraschino cherry in the liquid. It?s what every9one drinks at Rick?s in?Casablanca.

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4: Bellini

Peachy, that?s the word for this one. Literally. Everything about the Bellini, with the exception of the champagne of course, is derived from peaches: cr?me de peche, fresh skinned peach and (if you can find it) peach bitters). If you can?t get peach bitters normal bitters will do.

Start by blending one quarter of a fresh, skinned peach and putting the resulting slop in the bottom of a champagne flute. Add a dash of bitters and a single measure of cr?me de peche. Top to the rim with bubbles and drop a peach ball in to finish.

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5: Champagne Charlie

Easy to make, fiendishly strong and having the added attraction of being named after a legendary traveller and champagne magnate, a Champagne Charlie is basically apricot brandy and fizz in a champagne flute. Brandy first, then chilled champers, preferably served in a flute that?s been in the fridge.

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6: Kir Royale

Similar to the Champagne Charlie but made with blackcurrant liqueur instead of apricot brandy, the Kir Royale is dark and sweet. A Kir without the Royale is made using white wine instead of champagne; while a Kir Imperiale can only be made with Dom Perignon. The ratio is the same in all cases: one part blackcurrant liqueur (cr?me de cassis) to four parts wine.

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7: The French 75

Easy and classic, this is more like a sparkling martini than anything else. It uses a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Add one and a half measures of gin, the juice of half a lemon and a half teaspoon of icing sugar. Shake and strain into a flute. Top up with fizz.

Source: http://maincourse101.com/getting-creative-top-seven-sparkling-wine-cocktails-to-serve-at-the-stag-party/

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Colorado task force ponders how to tax legal pot

FILE -- This Sept. 2, 2012 photo shows marijuana growing in a grow house in Denver. Pot smokers in Colorado were the biggest winners in the vote that legalized the drug. Now state regulators are working out the details of exactly how to tax it, so the benefits are shared statewide in the form of increased revenue. A state panel meets Thursday to draft final recommendations based on the voter-approved marijuana legalization question that asked for excise taxes up to 15 percent to fund school construction.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

FILE -- This Sept. 2, 2012 photo shows marijuana growing in a grow house in Denver. Pot smokers in Colorado were the biggest winners in the vote that legalized the drug. Now state regulators are working out the details of exactly how to tax it, so the benefits are shared statewide in the form of increased revenue. A state panel meets Thursday to draft final recommendations based on the voter-approved marijuana legalization question that asked for excise taxes up to 15 percent to fund school construction.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2012 file photo a caregiver picks out a marijuana bud for a patient at a marijuana dispensary in Denver. Pot smokers in Colorado were the biggest winners in the vote that legalized the drug. Now state regulators are working out the details of exactly how to tax it, so the benefits are shared statewide in the form of increased revenue. A state panel meets Thursday to draft final recommendations based on the voter-approved marijuana legalization question that asked for excise taxes up to 15 percent to fund school construction.(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

DENVER (AP) ? Pot smokers in Colorado were the biggest winners in the vote that legalized the drug. Now state regulators are working out the details of exactly how to tax it, so the benefits are shared statewide in the form of increased revenue.

A state panel meets Thursday to draft final recommendations based on the voter-approved marijuana legalization question that asked for excise taxes up to 15 percent to fund school construction.

Colorado lawmakers could set a lower tax, or they could add sales taxes beyond the current statewide 2.9 percent. Legislators could even create a special new "marijuana tax" for consumers, plus a series of required licensing fees for growers and sellers. Besides schools, the taxes must fund marijuana safety enforcement and drug education measures.

Any option would have to go back to voters for final approval.

Marijuana proponents and critics agree that taxes should be hefty. But if levies are too high, legal pot could be so expensive that people continue buying it underground.

"If this doesn't work and taxes are so high the black market still dominates, then what was the point?" asked Mike Elliott of Colorado's Medical Marijuana Industry Group.

Fiscal analysts have no idea where to begin predicting how much tax pot smokers could produce. The unknowns include how many people are buying pot now and what they're paying, how many people will start smoking marijuana now that it's legal and whether prices will drop once commercial sales begin. If the federal government blocks commercial pot sales, the marijuana tax windfall would be zero.

"It's a big question mark," said Colorado state budget analyst Dan Krug, who ran through multiple tax scenarios with the marijuana task force set up to recommend legislation to regulate weed. Krug's estimates ranged from a few million dollars a year up to $72 million annually, depending on tax rates and growth of the industry.

In Washington, the only other state to legalize marijuana for recreational use, the tax picture is clearer.

Voters there set 25 percent taxes at each of three different stages ? from growers to processors to consumers. The measure also defined exact spending levels on things like education. For example, Washington will spend exactly $20,000 on Web-based education on the health and safety risks of marijuana.

Colorado's task force is likely to adopt a vague recommendation asking state lawmakers to set excise fees and add licensing fees steep enough to cover the costs of regulation. They'll leave it lawmakers to figure out those exact costs.

Task force members will also settle recommendations Thursday on regulations unrelated to taxes, including rules for growing marijuana at home.

The task force already has asked for potency labels, limited marijuana advertising, set residency requirements for marijuana workers and limited commercial sales to less than an ounce. The group decided against a residency requirement for pot customers, opening the door for marijuana tourism.

___

Kristen Wyatt is on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/APkristenwyatt

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-28-Legal%20Pot/id-792f2dbb89fe4bddb904573822fb3ac5

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Soldier: Leaks meant to enlighten on US policy

FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) ? An Army private charged in the largest leak of classified material in U.S. history said Thursday that he sent the material to WikiLeaks to enlighten the public about American foreign and military policy and that he didn't think it would harm the United States.

Pfc. Bradley Manning gave a detailed explanation of his actions in a military courtroom Thursday as he entered guilty pleas to some charges.

"I believed that if the general public, especially the American public, had access to the information ... this could spark a domestic debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy in general," Manning said. He said he was troubled by counterinsurgency strategies that seemed to ignore "the complex dynamics of the people living in the environment."

A judge is weighing whether to accept Manning's guilty plea to reduced charges on 10 counts, which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. But even if the plea is accepted, prosecutors can still pursue a court-martial on the remaining 12 charges. One of those is aiding the enemy, which carries a possible life sentence.

Manning, a 25-year-old Oklahoma native, admitted Thursday that he sent hundreds of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan battlefield reports, State Department diplomatic cables, other classified records and two battlefield video clips to WikiLeaks in 2009 and 2010 while working as an intelligence analyst in Baghdad.

The slight, bespectacled soldier read from a 35-page statement for more than an hour, speaking quickly and evenly, with little emotion, even as he described how troubled he was by the material he leaked.

The battlefield reports were the first documents that Manning decided to leak. He said he opted to send them to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks after his efforts to give them to The Washington Post and The New York Times were rebuffed.

Manning said that, in his experiences, the battlefield reports were not treated as especially sensitive, particularly after the events they documented faded into the past.

He said he was concerned about leaking hundreds of thousands of sensitive State Department cables but that he ultimately decided they would not be harmful since they were so widely distributed within the military.

"I thought these cables were a prime example of the need for a more open diplomacy," Manning said. "I believed that these cables would not damage the United States. However, I believed these cables would be embarrassing."

The Obama administration has said releasing the information threatened valuable military and diplomatic sources and strained America's relations with other governments. The administration has aggressively pursued individuals accused of leaking classified material, and Manning's is the highest-profile case.

Manning's statements before the hushed courtroom dovetailed with the position taken by his supporters around the world ? that leaking the documents was an act of conscience. Manning has been embraced by some left-leaning activists as a whistleblowing hero whose actions exposed war crimes and helped trigger the Middle Eastern pro-democracy uprisings known as the Arab Spring in 2010.

Manning said he was appalled by a combat video that showed an aerial assault that killed two employees of the Reuters news organization.

"The most alarming aspect of the video to me was the seemingly delightful bloodlust the aerial weapons team happened to have," Manning said, adding that the soldiers' actions "seemed similar to a child torturing ants with a magnifying glass."

WikiLeaks did not immediately return a text message seeking comment on Manning's statement. The group has always been careful never to confirm or deny whether Manning was the source of its cache of leaked U.S. documents, and the secret-spilling site didn't deviate from that approach Thursday.

On its Twitter feed, WikiLeaks called Bradley Manning an "alleged source" and noted that he was detailing "what he says" were his interactions with the online organization.

But WikiLeaks made no secret of its admiration for what Manning said was his decision to expose the documents to the world. A message posted to Twitter by the Manning supporter Nathan Fuller and retweeted by WikiLeaks said: "Bradley Manning pleaded not guilty to aiding the enemy. Aiding the public is not aiding the enemy."

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Associated Press Writer Raphael Satter in London contributed to this report.

___

Follow Ben Nuckols on Twitter at https://twitter.com/APBenNuckols

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/soldier-leaks-meant-enlighten-us-policy-180323162.html

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Will Ferrell Is MTV's First Comedic Genius

FROM MTV NEWS Everyone knows that Will Ferrell, the man behind Ron Burgundy, Ricky Bobby, and Frank the Tank, is one funny dude, but MTV will officially declare him a Comic Genius at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards, airing live, Sunday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET, with "Pitch Perfect" actress Rebel Wilson starring as [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/02/27/will-ferrell-movie-awards-comedic-genius/

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ScienceDaily: Living Well News

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Recent research found that children whose parents did not disclose drug use, but delivered a strong antidrug message, were more likely to exhibit antidrug attitudes.Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222083127.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130222083125.htm In Jan. 2012, the United States Department of Agriculture passed a series of regulations designed to make school lunches more nutritious, which included requiring schools to increase whole grain offerings and making students select either a fruit or vegetable with their purchased lunch. However, children cannot be forced to eat these healthier lunches. 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The research shows that while criticism from team members sends individuals into downward performance spirals, external criticism can be a trigger that boosts performance as people try to prove the outsiders wrong.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220113859.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220113235.htm A new psychology study suggests the glue that cements the unique relationship between gay men and straight women is honest, unbiased relationship advice.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:32:32 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220113235.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084703.htm Days after the initial announcement by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) on the 15th January that horse and pig DNA were found in beef burgers, researchers conducted an online consumer study, as part of the EU-funded project FoodRisC. This study took place before the latest developments about the widespread presence of horsemeat in certain beef products within some European countries.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:47:47 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084703.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084701.htm New research shows that sleep-deprived people select greater portion sizes of energy-dense snacks and meals than they do after one night of normal sleep. Poor sleep habits can therefore affect people?s risk of becoming overweight in the long run.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:47:47 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084701.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084444.htm Bilingual children develop a better working memory ?- which holds, processes and updates information over short periods of time -? than monolingual children, according to new research. The working memory plays a major role in the execution of a wide range of activities, such as mental calculation (since we have to remember numbers and operate with them) or reading comprehension (given that it requires associating the successive concepts in a text).Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:44:44 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084444.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084442.htm Small but mighty Xenon flash for mobile phones - great shots in the dark soon to be a reality.Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:44:44 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130220084442.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219201523.htm Adding movement to mental rehearsal can improve performance finds a new study. For high jumpers the study shows that dynamic imagery improves the number of successful attempts and the technical performance of jumps The technique of mental rehearsal is used to consolidate performance in many disciplines including music and sport. Motor imagery and physical practice use overlapping neural networks in the brain and the two together can improve performance as well as promoting recovery from injury.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219201523.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219172159.htm Researchers believe they have discovered a biological marker of dyslexia, a disorder affecting up to one out of 10 children that makes learning to read difficult. The researchers found a systematic relationship between reading ability and the consistency with which the brain encodes sounds. The good news: Response consistency can be improved with auditory training.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219172159.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219172157.htm Researchers have identified a biological marker in the immune system that -- beginning at about age 22 -- predicts our ability to fight off the common cold. The study found that the length of telomeres -- protective cap-like protein complexes at the ends of chromosomes -- predicts resistance to upper respiratory infections in young and midlife adults.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219172157.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219161254.htm Would you prefer $120 today or $154 in one year? Your answer may depend on how powerful you feel, according to new research.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219161254.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219161246.htm Using a grown-up version of the rock-paper-scissors game, cognitive scientists offer a new theory of the group dynamics that arise in situations as varied as cycles of fashion, fluctuations of financial markets, eBay bidding wars and political campaign strategies. "People playing this kind of game subtly influence each other, converging on similar ways of reasoning over time. The natural analogy for the process is to a flock of birds veering in concert."Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219161246.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219141016.htm Some infants raised in poverty exhibit physical traits that make them more vulnerable to poor care-giving, according to new research. The combination of physiological vulnerability and poor care-giving may lead these children to show increased problem behaviors later in childhood.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:10:10 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219141016.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219140250.htm Scientists have analyzed 60 years of Academy Awards acceptance speeches as part of a research project that focused on gratitude.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:02:02 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219140250.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219121503.htm Researchers have discovered that decisions about where to live and how to get from home to work happen simultaneously. What's more, your commuting choices depend not only on cost and travel time, but also on who you are and where you live.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219121503.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219121218.htm Smartphone snapshots could be instantly converted into professional-looking photographs with just the touch of a button, thanks to a new processor chip.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219121218.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219121212.htm The most frequent turning point in father-daughter relationships is shared activity -- especially sports -- ahead of such pivotal events as when a daughter marries or leaves home, according to a new study.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219121212.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219121021.htm A new study has established a possible link between high-fat diets and such childhood brain-based conditions as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and memory-dependent learning disabilities.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:10:10 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219121021.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219102542.htm A study has gained new insight into domestic dogs' fear responses to noises. The study provides an important insight into dogs' fear of noises, and could improve our understanding of behavioral signs of fear or anxiety.Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:25:25 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130219102542.htm

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/rss/living_well.xml

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Pilot badger culls to go ahead

27 February 2013 Last updated at 08:26 ET

Badger culls are set to go ahead later this year after final licence conditions were met, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has said.

The pilot culls, in Gloucestershire and West Somerset, were postponed amid fears they could not be carried out effectively last autumn.

Ministers want to hold a pilot badger cull to halt the spread of tuberculosis to cattle.

Opponents, including the RSPCA, say it is inhumane.

Mr Paterson confirmed the cull at the National Farmers Union (NFU) annual conference.

He also announced a reserve pilot will also be prepared in Dorset.

Under the plans, badgers will be shot in the open without first being trapped in cages, which is current practice.

'?1bn' cost

"I am determined that there are no further delays this year," Mr Paterson said.

"That is why we have taken the sensible step with the farming industry to elect a reserve area that can be called upon should anything happen to prevent culling in Somerset or Gloucester."

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

By Helen Briggs, BBC News

Badger culls in England were postponed at the last minute in the autumn, when it came to light that the number of badgers in the pilot areas had been vastly underestimated.

Targets have now been set - farmers are allowed to shoot up to 5,094 badgers in West Gloucestershire and West Somerset over a six-week period starting as early as the summer.

Ministers have also announced a reserve area - Dorset - in case of unforeseen problems. They have commissioned a new national survey of badger numbers - the first for more than a decade - which is due to report in July or August.

Greater certainty over the number of badgers that can be killed without the threat of removing the local population - and the issuing of full licenses to farmers - clear some of the obstacles that led to last year's delays.

However, there are still many potential conflicts. The policy of free shooting badgers has not proved popular with either the public or the majority of independent scientists.

Opponents of the badger cull have promised to continue their action, with new protests already under way.

Mr Paterson added that tackling the spread of bovine TB had cost ?500m in the past 10 years and that figure could rise to ?1bn if action was not taken.

The authorisation from Natural England states that culling can take place from 1 June and will last for six weeks. It will be repeated annually for four years.

The pilot will be independently checked to ensure it is removing enough badgers in a humane way, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

Labour's shadow environment secretary, Mary Creagh, said scientists had branded the cull an "untested and risky approach" while more than 150,000 members of the public had signed a petition opposing it.

She said: "As incompetent Defra ministers stagger from one crisis to the next, the policing costs, paid by the taxpayer, will balloon to ?4m while bovine TB will increase in the next two years as the shooting displaces badgers.

"Ministers should listen to the public and the scientists and drop this cull before any more public money is wasted."

Ian Johnston, of the NFU, said: "Last year the conditions weren't right. We need to do this properly in a very particular way and that's why the NFU asked for it to be postponed.

"When you have 30,000 cattle going to their death prematurely and farm businesses being destroyed... then doing nothing is not an option. So you've got to do it."

NFU president Peter Kendall also backed the cull and called for a full roll-out in 2014.

He described the 35,000 cattle that had to be slaughtered because of the disease as a "scandalous waste".

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21602753#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 10 browser for more users

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp released Internet Explorer 10 to millions of new users on Tuesday, hoping the latest version of its market-leading browser will win back customers who have migrated to Google Inc's Chrome and help it establish a toe-hold in the fast-growing mobile browser market.

The world's largest software maker, whose Internet Explorer browser elbowed out Netscape Navigator in the early days of the web, said IE 10 is 20 percent faster at downloading sites than its predecessor IE 9 and allows for touch-screen commands.

The browser has been available since late October for users of Windows 8, Microsoft's new touch-friendly operating system, but now becomes available for the 700 million or so users of Windows 7.

Microsoft is hoping PC and laptop users will like the new browser enough to consider buying Windows 8 tablets rather than Apple Inc's iPad, which does not run Internet Explorer.

Various versions of Microsoft's venerable Internet Explorer franchise still dominate desktop browsing, with 55 percent of the PC browser market all together. But it has in recent years lost share to Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome, which now account for 20 percent and 17 percent respectively, according to tech research firm NetMarketShare.

IE 10 running on Windows 8 has got generally good reviews, and has been hailed as the best version of Internet Explorer yet, but it has not been considered decisively superior to Chrome or Firefox.

In the smaller but faster-growing mobile browser market, Apple's Safari is the runaway leader with 61 percent, owing to the popularity of its iPhones and iPads while Google's Android browser has 21 percent.

Tablets running Windows 8, including Microsoft's own Surface devices, have not sold strongly since they were launched last October, restricting IE 10's popularity so far. Only 2.3 percent of computer users are running Windows 8, according to NetMarketShare.

(Reporting by Bill Rigby; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/microsoft-releases-internet-explorer-10-browser-more-users-141142528--sector.html

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Global surveys show environment ranks low on public concerns ...

A newly released international study reveals that the issue of climate change is not a priority for people in the United States and around the world.

The surveys showed that when asked to rank priority worries, people were five times more likely to point to the economy over the environment. Additionally, when asked about climate change, people identified the issue as more of a national problem than a personal concern.?

Coordinated surveys, conducted by the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) in 33 countries from 1993 through 2010, ?are the first and only surveys that put long-term attitudes toward environmental issues in general and global climate change in particular in an international perspective,? said Tom W. Smith, director of the General Social Survey, a project of the independent research organization NORC at the University of Chicago, and author of a paper that summarizes the surveys.

In the surveys, respondents were asked the relative importance of eight issues: health care, education, crime, the environment, immigration, the economy, terrorism and poverty.

The economy ranked highest in concern in 15 countries, followed by health care in eight, education in six, poverty in two, and terrorism and crime in one country each. Immigration and the environment did not make the top of the list in any country over the 17-year period. In the United States, concern for the environment ranked sixth while the economy was No. 1.

In terms of national averages, the order of concern was the economy (25 percent); health care (22.2) education (15.6); poverty (11.6); crime (8.6) environment (4.7), immigration (4.1) and terrorism (2.6), the surveys showed. Terrorism?s low ranking was notable in light of the widespread attention the issue has received since 2001, though it topped the list of concerns in Turkey.

The paper, ?Public Attitudes towards Climate Change and Other Global Environmental Issues across Time and Countries, 1993-2010,? was presented recently at the ?Policy Workshop: Public Attitudes and Environmental Policy in Canada and Europe, Canada-European Transatlantic Dialogue,? at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.

NORC is issuing the survey summary on behalf of the ISSP, a consortium of survey research organizations in 49 countries. The ISSP coordinates studies on topics worldwide and uses the same scientific standards to make the findings representative of the nations? populations.

A focus on the environment

In the United States, only 3.6 percent of the people surveyed selected the environment as the nation?s most pressing issue, as opposed to 15 percent of the people in Norway, which had the highest level of environmental concern.?

The surveys also asked questions about worries concerning particular kinds of environmental problems, including global climate change. One asked which problem among nine was most important for their country as a whole as opposed to the individual.?

Air pollution ranked first in 13 countries, followed by climate change, which was the top concern in 10 countries. In another question, the surveys asked people which environmental problem they considered most personally dangerous and found that in only three countries was climate change listed as the most dangerous environmental problem, trailing nuclear power plants and industrial air pollution.

?One reason for the relatively low ranking of climate change is that people often believed it did not directly affect them. Climate change is seen more as a country-level problem than as a personal problem,? Smith said. ?While 14.6 percent cited it as the most important environmental issue for their country, only 9 percent rated it first for themselves.?

The latest surveys were completed in 2010. Similar surveys have been conducted since 1993, and little change has been noted on people?s concern for climate change. Differences exist among the countries, however, suggesting that widespread public support for current action on the issue will represent a major shift in attitude.?

The surveys indicate some expectation for greater future concern about climate change. ?The greater mentioning of climate change as a problem by those under 30 versus those 70 and older probably reflects generational effects and if so, should tend to increase levels of concern in the future,? Smith said.

Environmental issues are of greatest concern in Scandinavian nations, Switzerland and Canada. They were followed by France, Austria, Finland, the former West Germany, Taiwan, Korea and New Zealand. Toward the bottom of the list are Croatia, Latvia, Chile, Turkey, Lithuania and Argentina.?

Climate change was listed as the top environmental concern in Japan, West Germany, Canada, Britain and Scandinavia, where between 19 and 26 percent of the population indicated it was their top environmental issue.

Smith is co-founder of the ISSP and on the group?s standing committee. He is also past president the World Association for Public Opinion Research.

Source: http://news.uchicago.edu/article/2013/02/25/global-surveys-show-environment-ranks-low-public-concerns

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Target: Cancer

Public release date: 26-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Denise Henry
henryd@uakron.edu
330-972-6477
University of Akron

New microscopy technique shows how receptor malfunctions in cancer cell membranes

For scientists to improve cancer treatments with targeted therapeutic drugs, they need to be able to see proteins prevalent in the cancer cells. This has been impossible, until now. Thanks to a new microscopy technique, University of Akron researcher Dr. Adam Smith, assistant professor of chemistry, has observed how clusters of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) a protein abundant in lung and colon cancers, glioblastoma and others malfunctions in cancer cells.

"We can directly observe protein clusters, in a living cell membrane, that are invisible to traditional methods. This opens up the possibility to directly measure the effect of drugs on the target proteins," Smith says.

Smith's work lies at the heart of current-day cancer research, which focuses on developing targeted drugs that kill cancer cells without the collateral damage associated with traditional treatments like chemotherapy.

Specifically, Smith used a cutting-edge photon-counting technique, which enables scientists to measure the cluster size of EGFR proteins. The technique represents a significant advancement from studying the cultures with a traditional microscope, which cannot visually capture objects as small as the EGFR clusters, according to Smith, a lead author of "Conformational Coupling across the Plasma Membrane in Activation of the EGF Receptor," published in the Jan. 31 journal Cell, which highlights the technique.

"Another difficulty with studying EGFR is that it's located in the cell membrane, which can be thought of as a fence line that defines the cell boundary, but in reality it is more like an untamed hedge row," says Smith, explaining how the new laser-based microscope technique overcomes that obstacle and allows scientists to study, in real time, how EGFR works in healthy cells and also how it malfunctions in cancer cells.

Smith's subsequent work studying the interaction of drugs with the targeted EGFR "will significantly improve drug discovery, which too often relies on indirect measure of efficacy," he says.

###

Partners in Smith's research include scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia University. The National Center Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy provided funding for this research.

---

[ | 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.

Public release date: 26-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Denise Henry
henryd@uakron.edu
330-972-6477
University of Akron

New microscopy technique shows how receptor malfunctions in cancer cell membranes

For scientists to improve cancer treatments with targeted therapeutic drugs, they need to be able to see proteins prevalent in the cancer cells. This has been impossible, until now. Thanks to a new microscopy technique, University of Akron researcher Dr. Adam Smith, assistant professor of chemistry, has observed how clusters of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) a protein abundant in lung and colon cancers, glioblastoma and others malfunctions in cancer cells.

"We can directly observe protein clusters, in a living cell membrane, that are invisible to traditional methods. This opens up the possibility to directly measure the effect of drugs on the target proteins," Smith says.

Smith's work lies at the heart of current-day cancer research, which focuses on developing targeted drugs that kill cancer cells without the collateral damage associated with traditional treatments like chemotherapy.

Specifically, Smith used a cutting-edge photon-counting technique, which enables scientists to measure the cluster size of EGFR proteins. The technique represents a significant advancement from studying the cultures with a traditional microscope, which cannot visually capture objects as small as the EGFR clusters, according to Smith, a lead author of "Conformational Coupling across the Plasma Membrane in Activation of the EGF Receptor," published in the Jan. 31 journal Cell, which highlights the technique.

"Another difficulty with studying EGFR is that it's located in the cell membrane, which can be thought of as a fence line that defines the cell boundary, but in reality it is more like an untamed hedge row," says Smith, explaining how the new laser-based microscope technique overcomes that obstacle and allows scientists to study, in real time, how EGFR works in healthy cells and also how it malfunctions in cancer cells.

Smith's subsequent work studying the interaction of drugs with the targeted EGFR "will significantly improve drug discovery, which too often relies on indirect measure of efficacy," he says.

###

Partners in Smith's research include scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia University. The National Center Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy provided funding for this research.

---

[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/uoa-tc022613.php

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Intel announces dual-core Atom, multiband LTE chip and OEM partnerships

Intel is laying down a whole group of announcements today, covering the launch of dual-core Atom processors, multiband LTE chips and partnerships with OEMs for future quad-core Intel chips. First up is Intel's dual-core Atom (known as Clover Trail+), which is a 32nm (nanometer) processor coming in three SKU's -- Z2580, Z2560, Z2520 -- at 2.0GHz, 1.6GHz and 1.2GHz, respectively. The new Atom will deliver "industry-leading" performance, with Intel's hyper-threading technology, and battery life (which hasn't been Intel's strong suit) to rival current high-end devices.

The new chips also now support up to 1900x1200 display resolution, which will make it a suitable chip for future Android tablets. The Clover Trail+ Atoms support Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and HSPA+ 42 mobile data modems as well. Intel says it has already made partnerships with ASUS, Lenovo and ZTE to integrate Clover Trail+ processors into future tablets and phones.

Intel is also announcing today the availability of its first multimode and multiband LTE chip, the XMM 7160. One of the world's lowest power and smallest chips available, the 7160 supports up to 15 LTE bands simultaneously, and offers full LTE, DC-HSPA+ and EDGE connectivity in one chip SKU. Intel expects the radio to be ready in the first half of this year, with the radio and processor roadmaps soon converging to offer an integrated solution in the future.

Last but not least, Intel is looking forward to its upcoming "Bay Trail" quad-core Atom processors for use in tablets. The new processor will double the performance of its current tablet offerings, with potential designs as small as 8nm going forward. Intel is working with Acer, ASUS, HP, Lenovo, LG Electronics and Samsung to have both Android and Windows 8 tablets in the market by the holiday season of 2013 with Bay Trail quad-core processors.

Things weren't too great for Intel in 2012 when looking at the complete dominance of ARM-based processors in high-end devices, but the company doesn't seem to be holding back on its mobile product developments. Give it a couple more product cycles and Intel could begin to see some market share gain going forward.

Source: Intel (BusinessWire)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Ok9Re83GkXI/story01.htm

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96% Monsters, Inc. 3D

All Critics (190) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (195) | Rotten (8) | DVD (46)

This didn't need 3D to work. It long ago passed the kids-wear-out-the-DVD-rewatching-it test.

It may be harder nowadays to dazzle audiences with fancy visual effects, but Monsters, Inc. 3D proves that smart, imaginative storytelling still does the trick every time.

Most of the charm of "Monsters Inc." comes from its vocal cast.

If history is any guide, you and your family - whether young or old - will probably want to see "Monsters University" over and over.

The movie itself stands up well, even from an adult, two-dimensional perspective.

Its reassuring message is more relevant than ever.

Pixar's overlooked gem arrives in a worthwhile collector's edition bursting with features and exceptional A/V presentation.

While nippers will love the colourful creatures and their slapstick antics, grown-ups will find less humour and layers than in the likes of Toy Story, meaning less overall appeal as a result.

[I] really don't see the point of paying extra for children under eight. Their eyes are still developing, their noses are still small for slippery glasses, and... isn't a trip to the pictures enough for them in any case?

If anything, it improves with age.

Monsters displays wonderful imagination which makes it worth reliving in an extra dimension - particularly the energetic chase scene along a conveyor belt of doors.

Pixar's soaringly lovely fourth feature ...

[An] exciting, imaginative and very likable adventure.

Despite its eternal message about physical differences and the importance of love over fear of the unknown, Monsters, Inc primarily remains an ambitious concept film.

It's in the visuals that 'Monsters Inc' comes to life, from the jazzy, Norman McLaren influenced opening to the hilarious, shakycam amateur-dramatic recap over the closing credits.

Another chance to see Pixar's most dazzling premise, now spruced up with a third dimension.

Now in 3D, the filmmakers have created a wonderful reality - the reality of Monstropolis, which like the worlds of Oz and Pleasantville, whisk us far, far away on a magic carpet of fantasy

A shrewdly timed reminder of Pixar's early, heady days, when the animation powerhouse could do no wrong.

There's really little reason to check out Monsters, Inc. 3D in... well, 3D, rather than going for a good old-fashioned 2D screening instead.

It does well, but not brilliantly: an amusing trifle from a studio whose best work still lay ahead of it.

Not quite a Pixar classic, but funny, witty and visually spectacular enough to be enjoyed again on the big screen.

Monsters, Inc. continues a positive 3D trend for the company, who appear to be selecting their upgraded titles wisely, choosing features that benefit from the additional depth.

Not even the opportunistic 3D-ification can squander the pure delight of the film's meticulously detailed world of ragtag creatures.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/monsters_inc_3d/

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With Pope Benedict's retirement, the where is clearer than the how

Workers are renovating a former nunnery in the Vatican to house the retired pope. How he will interact with his future successor remains uncertain.?

By Nick Squires,?Correspondent / February 24, 2013

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during his last Angelus noon prayer, from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 24.

Domenico Stinellis/AP

Enlarge

It is about to become the world's most famous retirement home, its occupant the world's most famous retiree.?

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A former nunnery set within the stone walls of the Vatican is being extensively refurbished by workers in preparation for the arrival of Benedict XVI, who steps down as Pope and head of the world?s 1.2 billion Catholics on Thursday.

The 85-year-old German pontiff?s decision to live out the rest of his days just a few hundred yards from where his successor will guide the crisis-hit Church has thrown up some highly awkward questions for the Holy See.

Will the ex-Pope interfere in his replacement?s affairs? How will they greet each other when they bump into each other in the Vatican gardens or anywhere else in the tiny sovereign nation? And will Benedict become a sort of shadow Pope, his presence looming large over the new papacy?

Vatican officials insist that Benedict plans to adopt a quiet life of prayer and reflection and that he will not meddle in the affairs of the Holy See.

But at his last ever Sunday address today, Benedict assured 100,000 people crowding St Peter?s Square that he would not be ?abandoning? the Church.

He raised questions about exactly what his role will be when he told the faithful that he would?"continue to serve it [the Church] with the same dedication and the same love which I have tried to do so until now, but in a way more suitable to my age and to my strength."

A former nunnery, with a view

Whatever his role turns out to be, it will be performed in comfort. The three-story nunnery, which has an adjoining chapel, boasts a study, a library, and living quarters for the band of personal staff that Benedict will bring with him from his papal apartments.

Set on a hill within the Vatican City State, it commands wonderful views of the terracotta rooftops of Rome, the Spanish Steps, and the distant Apennine mountains, which at this time of year are coated in glistening snow.

Gardeners were busy weeding and trimming the surrounding gardens and a cement mixer churned away in the driveway which leads to the entrance of the residence.?

Mature palm trees and umbrella pines provide shade and the roof of the Sistine Chapel looms so close it almost seems to be in touching distance.

It is there that 116 cardinals will gather next month to elect Benedict?s successor in a secretive, centuries-old process known as a conclave. (Read here for how a conclave works.)

Past conclaves have lasted for weeks and occasionally ended?in fist fights between feuding cardinals. In modern times, it is rarely more than a few days before white smokes wafts from a chimney stack on the Sistine Chapel?s roof, signaling the election of a new Pope.

First, to a castle

Benedict will not move into the ex-convent immediately. On Thursday afternoon at around 5 pm local time he will be flown by helicopter to Castel Gandolfo, a magnificent castle which sits on the lip of a steep-sided extinct volcano.

It is the traditional summer residence of the papacy and has been used by successive popes for 400 years to escape the squalor, heat, and intrigue of Rome.

Benedict is expected to spend around two months living in the?castle, while renovations to the nunnery are completed.

Attached to the castle is a huge estate made up of landscaped gardens, box hedges, mature oak trees, fish ponds, and fountains ? a perfect place for Benedict to indulge in long contemplative walks and contemplate the ramifications of his historic resignation.

There is even a small model farm, consisting of a freshly-planted vineyard, greenhouses, orange and lemon trees, and a herd of 25 Friesian cows, which are prized for their milk and yogurt.

A broad, shaded terrace, built over the remains of a Roman villa constructed by the Emperor Domitian, offers views of the Mediterranean. ?There are also the remains of a Roman theater, which was excavated in the 1970s,? says?Pier Paolo Turoli, the administrator of the estate.

Benedict will live in an apartment within the castle, the oldest parts of which date back to the 13^th ?century.

?It was acquired by the Vatican in 1596 when the Savelli family, who owned it, were unable to pay a debt to the Papacy,? says Saverio Petrillo, whose official title is director of the Papal villas.

When Benedict's helicopter arrives at the estate on Thursday he will be driven to the castle, which looms imposingly over the main piazza of the tiny village of Castel Gandolfo.

He will appear at a balcony over the entrance gate and greet thousands of well-wishers crammed into the cobbled square.

Final hours as pope

Then he will pray in the private chapel as the final moments of his pontificate tick away ??at 8 pm precisely local time, he will cease to be Pope and he will no longer be Benedict XVI, the 264th successor to St. Peter.

Vatican officials say he will pray, study, and write during his retirement. He has produced several books, the last one the final part of a trilogy on the life of Christ.

Benedict has said he will live "hidden from the world," but Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi has said he could provide "spiritual guidance" to his successor.

His retirement will certainly be more opulent than that enjoyed by the tiny number of Popes who have resigned in the past.

When Celestine V resigned after a few months in 1294 and returned to his former life as a hermit, he was hounded by the Church, with his successor fearing he could be a threat and set up as an anti-Pope.?

He was captured after an attempt to flee to Dalmatia and imprisoned in a castle south of Rome, where he died a few months later.

It is widely believed that an unnamed character in Dante's Inferno refers to Celestine; Dante consigned the man to Hell for his "great refusal."

Benedict's resignation may have been an ecclesiastical bombshell, but perhaps not even his sternest critics would wish a similar fate on him.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/92prhzJPtjY/With-Pope-Benedict-s-retirement-the-where-is-clearer-than-the-how

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