What was supposed to be a nice, heartwarming picture of four Chinese government officials visiting an elderly woman in a sign of respect and caring for the people and giving back and all that ended up being another Photoshop nightmare for China where three giant men plus a floating disappearing half man creepily hover over a miniature-sized old woman. Man, someone needs to teach China how to use Photoshop.
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Asia’s preeminent MMA promotion, ONE FC, will return to action on November 15 at the Stadium Putra in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for ONE FC 12. The fight card will be headlined by an inaugural welterweight title fight between Adam Kayoom and Nobutatsu Suzuki. The lineup will also feature the Malaysian featherweight final between A.J. Lias Mansor and Melvin Yeoh.
CEO of ONE FC Victor Cui stated, “MMA fans in Malaysia are about to be blown away by this fight card! It is stacked with the most exciting fighters from start to finish. I can’t tell you how excited I am that Malaysia has produced such elite talent and now they get to showcase their skills on the world stage on 15 November.”
ONE FC 12 will air live via online pay-per-view in the United States for $9.99 with the first two undercard bouts airing for free.
ONE FC 12 Fight Card:
From the horse's mouth, we're hearing some unfortunate news: Google has taken to its Spanish support pages to announce that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is not on the list of devices to receive Android 4.4 KitKat. This seems a bit odd, given the new update's focus on "the next billion" and offering ...In this Friday, Sept. 7, 2012, photo, Shanieka Walford holds her sleeping daughter, Azanah Blount, and stands next to her son, Aminah Blount, as she faxes job applications from the WorkForce One office in Hollywood, Fla. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
In this Friday, Sept. 7, 2012, photo, Shanieka Walford holds her sleeping daughter, Azanah Blount, and stands next to her son, Aminah Blount, as she faxes job applications from the WorkForce One office in Hollywood, Fla. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
In this Friday, Sept. 7, 2012, photo, WorkForce One staffer Rose Capote-Marcus works with a client, Pen Osuji as he works on job applications at an unemployment office in the Hollywood, Fla. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell 10,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 340,000, a sign that employers are laying off very few workers.
The Labor Department said Thursday that the four-week average rose 8,000 to 356,250, the highest since April. The 16-day partial government shutdown and backlogs in California due to computer upgrades inflated the average.
Still, a government spokesman said those unusual factors did not affect last week's first-time applications, which appeared to be free of distortions for the first time in two months.
Applications are a proxy for layoffs. They have fallen for three straight weeks and are just above the pre-recession levels reached in August.
Fewer applications are typically followed by more job gains. But hiring has slowed in recent months, rather than accelerated.
The economy added an average 143,000 jobs a month from July through September. That's down from an average of 182,000 in April through June, and 207,000 during the first three months of the year.
"A larger concern remains over firms not willing to accelerate hiring as the lean workforce does not leave much room left for firing," said Yelena Shulyatyeva, an economist at BNP Paribas.
Nearly 3.9 million people received unemployment benefits in the week ended Oct. 12, the latest data available. That's about 40,000 more than the previous week. But a year ago, more than 5 million people were receiving unemployment aid.
Hiring likely weakened even further in October because of the shutdown, which ended on Oct. 16. In addition to government contractors, other companies also likely cut jobs, such as restaurants and hotels located near national parks, which were closed. Some economists are forecasting that job gains in October could be 100,000 or less.
Payroll provider ADP said Wednesday that businesses added just 130,000 jobs in October. That's down from ADP's estimate of 145,000 private-sector jobs added in September.
The government will release its October employment report on Nov. 8. The report was delayed a week because of the shutdown.
The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that the economy is growing at a moderate pace but still needs its support. Fed policymakers decided to continue purchasing $85 billion a month in bonds. The bond purchases are intended to lower long-term interest rates and encourage more borrowing and spending.
In a statement, the Fed struck a slightly more optimistic tone about the economy. That suggests the Fed might pull back on its stimulus as early as December, economists said.
Most economists expect growth at an annual rate of between 1.5 percent and 2 percent in the July-September quarter, and about the same in the final three months of the year.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-10-31-US-Unemployment-Benefits/id-30a6bd06397d4f5c8dea8c9cdbf05d20Purchase Experience Greatly Impacts Overall Tablet Customer Satisfaction
Samsung Ranks Highest in Owner Satisfaction with Tablet Devices
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 31 October 2013 --Whether a tablet is purchased online or from a retail store, price, device information, brand and model selection greatly influence overall customer satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power 2013 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction StudySM--Volume 2 released today.
KEY FINDINGS
- More than one-half (59%) of tablet owners purchase their device in a store, while 41 percent purchase online. Tablet owners who purchase their device online rate their purchase experience 8.5 (on a 10-point scale), compared with 8.3 among those who purchase at a store, and also provide a slightly higher satisfaction rating for the price of the tablet (7.8 vs. 7.5, respectively).
- Overall customer satisfaction with tablet devices is 821 (on a 1,000-point scale). Customer satisfaction among tablet owners who rate their purchase experience high (9 or 10) is 114 points higher (879) than those who rate their purchase experience lower (8 or below).
- Prior to purchasing their tablet, 50 percent of consumers rely on recommendations from friends, family members or colleagues, while 49 percent gather information from the manufacturer's website. These sources are followed by brand reputation (42%) and past experience with the brand (32%).
- Samsung ranks highest with a score of 835 and is the only manufacturer to improve across all five factors since the previous reporting period in April 2013. Samsung showed particularly strong improvement in the cost factor (25-point increase). Apple ranks second scoring 833 and performs particularly well in performance and ease of operation.
"Whether consumers prefer the online channel for competitive pricing compared with the tactile retail store experience, effectively matching owner needs with the appropriate tablet model during the purchase process goes a long way in positively influencing overall satisfaction," said Kirk Parsons, senior director of telecommunications services at J.D. Power.
The 2013 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction Study--Volume 2 is based on experiences evaluated by 3,375 tablet owners who have owned their current device for less than one year. The study was fielded between March and August 2013. The study measures satisfaction across five key factors (in order of importance): performance (26%); ease of operation (22%); styling and design (19%); features (17%); and cost (16%).
Right on cue, the iPad Air has gone on sale in Australia, China and Hong Kong via each nations respective Apple stores. So far shipping is looking good for Australia and China, with shipping within 24 hours currently available across all models. In Hong Kong, shipping is 1-2 weeks at the moment.
So, iPad day has begun for some of us, so if you're somewhere where the iPad Air has now gone on sale and you bought one, drop us a line in the comments and tell us what you got, or jump into the iMore Forums and carry on the discussion! Better still, if you're about to head out somewhere to get in line, then do it with iMore!
iPad Air
Apple's full-sized iPad gets slimmed down. Features include:
Released
November, 2013
Alternatives
Retina iPad mini, iPad 2
Replacements
iPad Air 2 (iPad 6)
Fall, 2014
Resources
Buyers guide
Help forum
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Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose (1) goes to the basket between Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) and Ray Allen (34) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. Rose missed the shot. The Heat won 107-95. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose (1) goes to the basket between Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) and Ray Allen (34) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. Rose missed the shot. The Heat won 107-95. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose (1) slides past Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) for two points during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
After blocking a shot by Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose (1), Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) falls to the court during the second half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. The Heat won 107-95. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) blocks a shot by Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. The Heat won 107-95. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
CHICAGO (AP) — Derrick Rose is in the starting lineup for the Chicago Bulls' home opener against the New York Knicks after missing Thursday's shootaround due to a sore neck.
Rose warmed up with black tape on either side of his neck, but opted not to talk to reporters. He was in his usual spot at point guard when the starting lineups were released.
It will be Rose's first meaningful home game since he injured his left knee in the 2012 playoffs.
Coach Tom Thibodeau said earlier that Rose has a sore neck and is a game-time decision. He also said the 2011 NBA MVP isn't sure how he got hurt.
Rose tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in the 2012 playoff opener and missed all of last season. He had 12 points in Chicago's season-opening 107-95 loss at Miami on Tuesday night.
Rose missed an exhibition game in Brazil due to soreness in his left knee. But that was his only significant setback while preparing for this season.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-10-31-Bulls-Rose/id-9afd4d56eab342139a1bee78b40117e3CHICAGO (AP) — Derrick Rose is in the starting lineup for the Chicago Bulls' home opener against the New York Knicks after missing Thursday's shootaround due to a sore neck.
Rose warmed up with black tape on either side of his neck, but opted not to talk to reporters. He was in his usual spot at point guard when the starting lineups were released.
It will be Rose's first meaningful home game since he injured his left knee in the 2012 playoffs.
Coach Tom Thibodeau said earlier that Rose has a sore neck and is a game-time decision. He also said the 2011 NBA MVP isn't sure how he got hurt.
Rose tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in the 2012 playoff opener and missed all of last season. He had 12 points in Chicago's season-opening 107-95 loss at Miami on Tuesday night.
Rose missed an exhibition game in Brazil due to soreness in his left knee. But that was his only significant setback while preparing for this season.
Remember last May, when we learned that the president didn’t know the IRS was harassing Republicans, even after his chief of staff had been given a heads-up on the issue — presumably so that he would tell the president what was occurring? I wrote then that the president must have thanked his staff for keeping him in the dark and encouraged them to continue to do so.
A U.S. Senate committee has voted to approve a bill that would leave in place the U.S. National Security Agency’s bulk telephone-records collection program, with some limits.
The Senate Intelligence Committee, meeting in closed session on Thursday, approved the FISA Improvements Act, a bill sponsored by Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-California). The bill would allow the NSA to continue collecting millions of U.S. telephone records, despite an outcry that the program violates the U.S. Constitution.
The bill, which now advances to the Senate floor, prohibits the NSA from collecting the content of U.S. telephone calls, a practice the NSA says it is not doing now. The bill would also establish a penalty of 10 years in prison for intentional unauthorized access to data acquired under the program.
The bill would also require an annual public report of the total number of queries of the NSA’s telephone metadata database and the number of times the program led to an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It would require the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to limit the number of people at the NSA who may authorize or query the call-records database.
The bill would also allow the FISA Court to designate outside experts to provide independent perspectives and assist the court in reviewing surveillance requests that require the court to significantly reinterpret the law.
“The NSA call-records program is legal and subject to extensive congressional and judicial oversight, and I believe it contributes to our national security,” Feinstein said in a statement. “But more can and should be done to increase transparency and build public support for privacy protections in place.”
The bill’s future in the Senate is uncertain. U.S. lawmakers have introduced more than 20 bills to rein in NSA surveillance and data collection programs, including a bill introduced this week that is sponsored by more than 85 lawmakers.
The USA Freedom Act, co-sponsored by 16 senators and more than 70 representatives, would end the bulk data collection by requiring the NSA to show the records it seeks to collect are related to a foreign power, a suspected agent of a foreign power or a person in contact with a suspected agent.
Digital rights groups Demand Progress and the Center for Democracy and Technology voiced opposition to the Feinstein bill.
“The FISA Improvements Act authorizes bulk collection of phone records and gives the imprimatur of Congress to the bulk collection of Internet metadata as well,” Greg Nojeim, director of CDT’s Project on Freedom, Security and Technology, said in an email. “The modest improvements it makes are far outweighed by the damage it does to civil liberties.”
Grant Gross covers technology and telecom policy in the U.S. government for The IDG News Service.
More by Grant Gross, IDG News Service
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday blocked a judge's ruling that found the New York Police Department's stop-and-frisk policy discriminated against minorities, and it took the unusual step of removing her from the case, saying interviews she gave during the trial called her impartiality into question.
The city applauded the appeals court's decision. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who was shouted down over the tactic by students during a speech at Brown University this week, said he was pleased by it.
"This is indeed an important decision for all New Yorkers and for the men and women of the New York City police department who work very hard day in and day out to keep this city safe," he said.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the ruling by U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin will be on hold pending the outcome of an appeal by the city. But it may be a nonissue after next week's mayoral election: Democrat Bill de Blasio, who's leading in polls, has said he would drop objections to the ruling, which calls for major changes to the police tactic.
The judge decided in August the city violated the civil rights of tens of thousands of blacks and Hispanics by disproportionally stopping, questioning and sometimes frisking them. She assigned a monitor to help the police department change its policy and training programs on the tactic.
The three-judge panel heard arguments Tuesday on whether to put the ruling on temporary hold while the city appeals the judge's decision. It did not change the deadline for the appeal and said it expected arguments in March, well after the new mayor takes office.
The panel said Scheindlin needed to be removed because she ran afoul of the code of conduct for U.S. judges by misapplying a ruling that allowed her to take the case and by giving media interviews during the trial.
Scheindlin said in a statement later Thursday she consented to the interviews under the condition she wouldn't comment on the ongoing case.
"And I did not," she said.
She said some reporters used quotes from written opinions that gave the appearance she had commented on the case but "a careful reading of each interview will reveal that no such comments were made."
She defended her decision to direct the plaintiffs to bring the case to her, saying she took the most recent case because it was related to a previous case she heard.
The 2nd Circuit said a new judge would be assigned randomly and will deal with any further rulings. It's possible the new judge could order a fresh set of reforms or review the trial testimony and decide the city didn't violate people's civil rights, but it would be highly unusual.
Stop-and-frisk has been around for decades, but recorded stops increased dramatically under Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration to an all-time high in 2011 of 684,330, mostly of black and Hispanic men. A lawsuit was filed in 2004 by four minority men, who said they were targeted because of their races, and it became a class action case.
To make a stop, police must have reasonable suspicion that a crime is about to occur or has occurred, a standard lower than the probable cause needed to justify an arrest. Only about 10 percent of the stops result in arrests or summonses, and weapons are found about 2 percent of the time.
Scheindlin heard a bench trial that ended in the spring and coincided with a groundswell of backlash against the stop-and-frisk tactic, which became a mayoral race flashpoint. She noted in her ruling this summer that she wasn't putting an end to the practice, which is constitutional, but was reforming the way the NYPD implemented its stops.
The Center for Constitutional Rights, which represented the four men who sued, said it was dismayed that the appeals court delayed "the long-overdue process to remedy" the NYPD's stop-and-frisk practices and was shocked that it "cast aspersions" on the judge's professional conduct and reassigned the case.
De Blasio, the city's public advocate, said he was "extremely disappointed" in Thursday's decision.
"We have to end the overuse of stop and frisk — and any delay only means a continued and unnecessary rift between our police and the people they protect," he said in a statement.
His Republican challenger, Joe Lhota, a deputy under former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, praised it.
"The next mayor absolutely must continue this appeal," he said.
___
Associated Press writer Jake Pearson contributed to this report.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-10-31-US-Stop-and-Frisk/id-9011e1f78430438cb52e999e32aa2b3eFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta announces that government safety rules are changing to let airline passengers use most electronic devices from gate-to-gate during a news conference, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013, at Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport. The change will let passengers read, work, play games, watch movies and listen to music _ but not make cellphone calls. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta announces that government safety rules are changing to let airline passengers use most electronic devices from gate-to-gate during a news conference, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013, at Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport. The change will let passengers read, work, play games, watch movies and listen to music _ but not make cellphone calls. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
In this Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013 photo, volunteers and officials dig graves to inter the bodies of migrants who died of thirst after their the truck they were traveling in, seen rear, broke down while attempting to cross the Sahara Desert north of Arlit, Niger. Nearly 100 African migrants hoping to escape crushing poverty met a grisly end in the desert, officials said Thursday, dying of thirst under the baking sun after their truck broke down in Niger not far from the Algerian border. It took weeks for authorities to learn of the tragedy and for recovery teams to reach the distant site, where they found a gruesome scene including the remains of 52 children and 33 women.(AP Photo/Almoustapha Alhacen)
Mayor Rob Ford walks past Halloween decorations on his way to talk to media at City Hall in Toronto on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013. Ford says he has no reason to step down despite police confirmation that they have seized a video that appears to show him smoking a crack pipe. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Friday:
1. GOOD NEWS FOR TRAVELERS WHO DISLIKE BEING DISCONNECTED
The FAA is easing restrictions on the use of electronic gadgets on airplanes — though chatting on cellphones will still be prohibited.
2. ISRAELIS TARGET WEAPONS SHIPMENT IN SYRIA
Warplanes attack a store of Russian missiles in the port city of Latakia, an official says. It's an apparent continuation of Israel's campaign to keep arms from proliferating in the Mideast.
3. STOP-AND-FRISK GETS A REPRIEVE
A federal appeals court blocks a judge's ruling that the NYPD's controversial tactic discriminates against minorities.
4. DEATH IN THE DESERT
Nearly 100 African migrants hoping to travel to Algeria die of thirst after their two trucks break down in the middle of the Sahara.
5. FOUR DAYS, FOUR MASS KILLINGS
Experts say violence that left 14 adults and seven children dead is nothing more than random chance, not a sign of growing violence in America.
6. HOW WALL STREET AVOIDED OCTOBER JINX
Rather than being rattled by the U.S. government shutdown, investors kept their focus on what probably matters more: the Federal Reserve.
7. DRIVER TICKETED WHILE WEARING GOOGLE GLASS
The California woman plans to challenge what may be a first-of-its-kind citation, saying the Internet-connected eyewear makes navigation easier.
8. WHAT MAY PROVE DAMAGING TO TORONTO MAYOR
Police say they have a video that appears to show Mayor Rob Ford smoking a crack pipe.
9. IN GEOPOLITICS, IT'S SPY VS. SPY
Even close allies keep things from one another — and work every angle to find out what's being held back.
10. WHO'S CONDUCTING A WORLDWIDE POLL
The Vatican wants to know how Catholic parishes around the globe handle sensitive issues like contraception, divorce and gay couples.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-10-31-10%20Things%20to%20Know-Friday/id-c99f2c7193c54be99bdcac83fd5a0ed5Halloween candy is offered for sale at a Walgreens store on September 19, 2013 in Wheeling, Illinois.
Halloween candy is offered for sale at a Walgreens store on September 19, 2013 in Wheeling, Illinois.
Halloween candy sales have been flat over the last few years. And candy makers point to several reasons, including one I hadn't thought of: bad weather.
"The past two years have been plagued with major weather disruptions in key celebration regions," Jenn Ellek of the National Confectioners Association tells us in an email.
In 2011, there was unexpected snowfall in the Northwest, which kept candy sales at $2.36 billion for the Halloween season. Sales remained basically flat in 2012, when Hurricane Sandy coincided with the holiday, she says.
So, why is the trade industry forecasting a very conservative growth of 1 percent in candy sales this year? This time, they say it's the day of the week.
According to the NCA, fewer people throw parties and there's less time for holiday preparations when Halloween falls on a weekday compared to when it falls during the weekend.
If this reasoning holds up, the industry could be looking at two good years in the near future, with Halloween falling on a Friday in 2014 and a Saturday in 2015.
But how about all those messages we hear to cut back on sugar and empty calories? Will this end up eating away at confectioners' future growth?
It's not clear, but with all the chatter about tackling obesity, the candy industry has joined the message of moderation.
In fact, the NCA, as part of its Treat Right messaging, has published a Guide to Moderate Candy Consumption.
The portion sizes they recommend are a lot smaller than you might think. If you limit calories from candy to 50 to 100 calories per day, that equates just 15 to 25 small jelly beans.
Or, if you're craving chocolate, make it one fun-sized candy bar (that's the small one).
Perhaps to keep sales up, candy-makers will have to sell more packages — with less in them. As we've reported, the move to downsize candy bars is well underway.
Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose (1) goes to the basket between Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) and Ray Allen (34) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. Rose missed the shot. The Heat won 107-95. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose (1) goes to the basket between Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) and Ray Allen (34) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. Rose missed the shot. The Heat won 107-95. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose (1) slides past Miami Heat's Chris Bosh (1) for two points during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
After blocking a shot by Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose (1), Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) falls to the court during the second half of a NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. The Heat won 107-95. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade (3) blocks a shot by Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. The Heat won 107-95. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
CHICAGO (AP) — Derrick Rose is in the starting lineup for the Chicago Bulls' home opener against the New York Knicks after missing Thursday's shootaround due to a sore neck.
Rose warmed up with black tape on either side of his neck, but opted not to talk to reporters. He was in his usual spot at point guard when the starting lineups were released.
It will be Rose's first meaningful home game since he injured his left knee in the 2012 playoffs.
Coach Tom Thibodeau said earlier that Rose has a sore neck and is a game-time decision. He also said the 2011 NBA MVP isn't sure how he got hurt.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-10-31-BKN-Bulls-Rose/id-919ad95e742c4451ade56dd2f3cd8f23Obamacare may be the nightmare before Christmas for those trying to sign up online, but it turns out that the White House does have a functioning web operation. And it was on full display Thursday night as President Barack Obama celebrated Halloween with some 5,000 area schoolchildren and kids of military families.
The web in question housed a giant inflatable black widow spider above the entrance of the famed South Portico, with about a dozen more of the eight-legged creepy-crawlies swarming down the columns, escorted by bats and crows. Two large autumn wreaths hung nearby.
At about 5:30 p.m., kids walked up the driveway and formed a line that snaked from near the main door, past the East Wing, down the driveway as far as this pooler's eye could see.
The president, first lady Michelle Obama, and her mother Marian Robinson emerged shortly thereafter.
"Hi guys! Come on down," the president called out. He was wearing an orange shirt, black sweater and khakis. The first lady donned in an orange and black top, orange pants. Mrs Robinson was in orange as well. All three carried baskets with White House treats wrapped in individual clear-plastic packages.
Nearby, bales of hay were home to four carved white pumpkins spelling out B O O ! under the vigilant eye of an inflatable black cat.
Not far, one cobweb-festooned pumpkin bore the carved message “LET’S MOVE!” (When this reporter was growing up, that and the fact that Pres. Obama proclaimed Nov. 2013 to be National Diabetes Month a few hours ago might have served as a warning to skip That House, lest you get 14 pennies in a UNICEF envelope and a near-its-past-due-date bag of baby carrots. But the Obamas gave out real treats, including boxed White House M&Ms, and orange butter cookies shaped like the White House, as well as a dried fruit mix. A junior administration official shared a piece of cookie with your pooler. Cookie = tasty).
The procession of kids began with Nakaiya, 10, who was dressed as "a goddess." She clutched a green plastic jack-o-lantern treat basket. The most popular costumes (at least during the stretch of time when this reporter was present) seemed to be Mario (of video game legend) for boys and Dorothy (with ruby slippers) for girls. But there were pirates, fairies, a few LEGO Ninjago Ninjas, a helmet-less Darth Vader, a Waldo, a couple of Captain Americas (one asked for his treat to be placed on his shield). There was a Big Bad Wolf, a superbly convincing Madeline, a dad, mom, and three kids as Smurfs. Harry Potters and Hermione Grangers outnumbered Thomas the Tank engines. Reporters swooned over a homemade Abraham Lincoln costume.
The president's comments were mostly inaudible, except when he recognized one little girl in a white flowing outfit and a hood or hat that resembled an iconic hairstyle: "Princess Leia!" he called out, grinning.
The Babka family's home-made costumes may have been this reporter’s favorites: Mom and Dad as graham crackers, kids as a Hershey bar and a marshmallow. Those S'Mores are originally from Ohio, but he is a Marine stationed in Virginia.
There were grown-up actors clad as Wizard of Oz characters – perhaps most notable was Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, in a giant inflated clear plastic bubble. Other costumes: Zebras, Snow White, a luchadora, a penguin, a flamingo, Dan Marino, a stoplight, Scooby-Doo, Indiana Jones, the Wicked Witch, the Tin Man.
The first dogs were represented. A Sunny statue, made of ribbons, was dressed as a sunflower. Bo, made of pipe cleaners, was a pirate, complete with eye patch, saber, hat with a bone decoration, and striped trousers.
On the South Lawn proper stood a ring of ghosts (they appeared to be sheets supported by posts). In front of the East Wing garden, 14 carved pumpkins spelled out HAPPY HALLOWEEN.
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 31-Oct-2013
ShareContact: Kevin Mayhood
kevin.mayhood@case.edu
216-368-4442
Case Western Reserve University
CLEVELANDResearchers at Case Western Reserve University have received two grants totaling nearly $1.7 million to build nanoparticles that seek and destroy metastases too small to be detected with current technologies.
They are targeting aggressive cancers that persist through traditional chemotherapy and can form new tumors. The stealthy travel and growth of micrometastases is the hallmark of metastatic disease, the cause of most cancer deaths worldwide.
The group, led by Efstathios Karathanasis, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and radiology, will spend the next five years perfecting molecular coatings, called ligands, that enable nanochains injected into a patient's blood to home in on micrometastases. The National Cancer Institute awarded the group $1.6 million to pursue the work.
The Ohio Cancer Research Associates awarded the group another $60,000 to increase the efficiency and rapid dispersal of chemotherapy drugs the nanochains tote inside the metastases.
The grants will build on earlier work by Karathanasis, Mark Griswold, professor of radiology and director of MRI research at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, and Ruth Keri, professor of pharmacology at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and associate director of research at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. They and colleagues invented a nanochain that explodes a barrage of chemotherapy drugs inside a tumor.
"When a patient is diagnosed with cancer, he or she undergoes surgery to remove the primary tumor, then undergoes chemotherapy to kill any residual disease, including distant micrometastases," Karathanasis said.
"Chemotherapy drugs are very potent, but because they are randomly dispersed throughout the body in traditional chemotherapy, they aren't effective with the aggressive forms of cancer," he continued. "You have to give the patient so much of the drug that it would kill the patient before killing those micrometastases."
But delivering the killer drug only to micrometastases is a challenge. They are hidden among healthy cells in such small numbers they don't make a blip on today's imaging screens.
Contrary to traditional drugs, you can control how a nanoparticle travels in the bloodstream by changing its size and shape. "You can think of nanoparticles as a pile of leaves in the back yard," Karathanasis said. "When the wind blows, each leaf has a different trajectory because each has a different weight, size and shape. As engineers, we study how nanoparticles flow inside the body."
The group built a nanochain with a tail made of magnetized iron oxide links and a balloon-like sphere filled with a chemotherapy drug. The chains are designed to tumble out of the main flow in blood vessels, travel along the walls and latch onto integrins, the glue that binds newly forming micrometastasis onto the vessel wall.
When chains congregate inside tumors, researchers place a wire coil, called a solenoid, outside the animal models. Electricity passed through the solenoid creates a radiofrequency field, which causes the magnetic tails on the chains to vibrate, breaking open the chemical-carrying spheres and launching the chemotherapeutic drug deep into a metastasis.
In testing a mouse model of breast cancer metastasis, the chains killed 3000 times the number of cancerous cells as traditional chemotherapy, extended life longer and in some cases completely eradicated the disease, while limiting damage to healthy tissue.
Due to their random dispersal, negligible amounts of a typical conventional chemo drug can reach into a metastasis. In recent testing, a remarkable 6 percent of the nanochains injected in a mouse model congregated within a micrometastatic site of only a millimeter in size. The researchers want even better.
Using the federal grant, the researchers will develop nanochains with at least two ligands, which are molecular coatings designed to draw and link the chains to micrometastases.
The different ligands will seek different locations on cancerous cells, increasing the odds of finding and attacking the target.
Using the Ohio grant, the researchers will find the optimal size of the nanochains, tail and the payload of drugs to make them as efficient and speedy killers as possible. By including fluorescent materials in the nanochains, they will be able to see the chains slip from the blood stream, congregate in micrometastases and explode the drugs inside, and make improvements from there.
Other members of the research group include Vikas Gulani, assistant professor of radiology at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and director of MRI at UH Case Medical Center, Chris Flask, director of the Imaging Core Center in the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and an assistant professor of radiology, and William Schiemann, an associate professor at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.
"Such work would not happen in other places", Karathanasis said. "This is truly interactive research with my lab, the Laboratory for Nanomedical Engineering, the Case Center for Imaging Research and the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center."
###
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 31-Oct-2013
ShareContact: Kevin Mayhood
kevin.mayhood@case.edu
216-368-4442
Case Western Reserve University
CLEVELANDResearchers at Case Western Reserve University have received two grants totaling nearly $1.7 million to build nanoparticles that seek and destroy metastases too small to be detected with current technologies.
They are targeting aggressive cancers that persist through traditional chemotherapy and can form new tumors. The stealthy travel and growth of micrometastases is the hallmark of metastatic disease, the cause of most cancer deaths worldwide.
The group, led by Efstathios Karathanasis, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and radiology, will spend the next five years perfecting molecular coatings, called ligands, that enable nanochains injected into a patient's blood to home in on micrometastases. The National Cancer Institute awarded the group $1.6 million to pursue the work.
The Ohio Cancer Research Associates awarded the group another $60,000 to increase the efficiency and rapid dispersal of chemotherapy drugs the nanochains tote inside the metastases.
The grants will build on earlier work by Karathanasis, Mark Griswold, professor of radiology and director of MRI research at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, and Ruth Keri, professor of pharmacology at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and associate director of research at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. They and colleagues invented a nanochain that explodes a barrage of chemotherapy drugs inside a tumor.
"When a patient is diagnosed with cancer, he or she undergoes surgery to remove the primary tumor, then undergoes chemotherapy to kill any residual disease, including distant micrometastases," Karathanasis said.
"Chemotherapy drugs are very potent, but because they are randomly dispersed throughout the body in traditional chemotherapy, they aren't effective with the aggressive forms of cancer," he continued. "You have to give the patient so much of the drug that it would kill the patient before killing those micrometastases."
But delivering the killer drug only to micrometastases is a challenge. They are hidden among healthy cells in such small numbers they don't make a blip on today's imaging screens.
Contrary to traditional drugs, you can control how a nanoparticle travels in the bloodstream by changing its size and shape. "You can think of nanoparticles as a pile of leaves in the back yard," Karathanasis said. "When the wind blows, each leaf has a different trajectory because each has a different weight, size and shape. As engineers, we study how nanoparticles flow inside the body."
The group built a nanochain with a tail made of magnetized iron oxide links and a balloon-like sphere filled with a chemotherapy drug. The chains are designed to tumble out of the main flow in blood vessels, travel along the walls and latch onto integrins, the glue that binds newly forming micrometastasis onto the vessel wall.
When chains congregate inside tumors, researchers place a wire coil, called a solenoid, outside the animal models. Electricity passed through the solenoid creates a radiofrequency field, which causes the magnetic tails on the chains to vibrate, breaking open the chemical-carrying spheres and launching the chemotherapeutic drug deep into a metastasis.
In testing a mouse model of breast cancer metastasis, the chains killed 3000 times the number of cancerous cells as traditional chemotherapy, extended life longer and in some cases completely eradicated the disease, while limiting damage to healthy tissue.
Due to their random dispersal, negligible amounts of a typical conventional chemo drug can reach into a metastasis. In recent testing, a remarkable 6 percent of the nanochains injected in a mouse model congregated within a micrometastatic site of only a millimeter in size. The researchers want even better.
Using the federal grant, the researchers will develop nanochains with at least two ligands, which are molecular coatings designed to draw and link the chains to micrometastases.
The different ligands will seek different locations on cancerous cells, increasing the odds of finding and attacking the target.
Using the Ohio grant, the researchers will find the optimal size of the nanochains, tail and the payload of drugs to make them as efficient and speedy killers as possible. By including fluorescent materials in the nanochains, they will be able to see the chains slip from the blood stream, congregate in micrometastases and explode the drugs inside, and make improvements from there.
Other members of the research group include Vikas Gulani, assistant professor of radiology at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and director of MRI at UH Case Medical Center, Chris Flask, director of the Imaging Core Center in the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and an assistant professor of radiology, and William Schiemann, an associate professor at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.
"Such work would not happen in other places", Karathanasis said. "This is truly interactive research with my lab, the Laboratory for Nanomedical Engineering, the Case Center for Imaging Research and the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center."
###
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.
CHICAGO (AP) — Derrick Rose is in the starting lineup for the Chicago Bulls' home opener against the New York Knicks after missing Thursday's shootaround due to a sore neck.
Rose warmed up with black tape on either side of his neck, but opted not to talk to reporters. He was in his usual spot at point guard when the starting lineups were released.
It will be Rose's first meaningful home game since he injured his left knee in the 2012 playoffs.
Coach Tom Thibodeau said earlier that Rose has a sore neck and is a game-time decision. He also said the 2011 NBA MVP isn't sure how he got hurt.
Rose tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in the 2012 playoff opener and missed all of last season. He had 12 points in Chicago's season-opening 107-95 loss at Miami on Tuesday night.
Rose missed an exhibition game in Brazil due to soreness in his left knee. But that was his only significant setback while preparing for this season.
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday blocked a judge's ruling that found the New York Police Department's stop-and-frisk policy was discriminatory and took the unusual step of removing her from the case, saying interviews she gave during the trial called her impartiality into question.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said the rulings by U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin will be stayed pending the outcome of an appeal by the city.
The judge ruled in August the city violated the Constitution in how it carried out its program of stopping and questioning people. The city appealed her findings and her remedial orders, including a decision to assign a monitor to help the police department change its policy and the training program associated with it.
During arguments, lawyers in the case said the police department hasn't had to do anything except meet with a monitor since the judge's decision. But the city said police officers are afraid to stop and frisk people now and the number of stop-and-frisks has dropped dramatically.
The three-judge appeals panel, which heard arguments on the requested stay on Tuesday, noted that the case might be affected in a major way by next week's mayoral election.
Democratic candidate Bill de Blasio, who's leading in polls, has sharply criticized and promised to reform the NYPD's stop-and-frisk technique, saying it unfairly targets minorities. He said he was "extremely disappointed" in Thursday's decision.
The appeals court said the judge needed to be removed because she ran afoul of the code of conduct for U.S. judges in part by compromising the necessity for a judge to avoid the appearance of partiality. It noted she had given a series of media interviews and public statements responding to criticism of the court. In a footnote, it cited interviews with the New York Law Journal, The Associated Press and The New Yorker magazine.
The judge said Thursday that quotes from her written opinions gave the appearance she had commented on the case in interviews. But she said a careful reading of each interview will reveal no such comments were made.
The 2nd Circuit said cases challenging stop-and-frisk policies will be assigned to a different judge chosen randomly. It said the new presiding judge shall stay all proceedings pending further rulings by it.
After a 10-week civil trial that ended in the spring, Scheindlin ruled that police officers violated the civil rights of tens of thousands of people by wrongly targeting black and Hispanic men with the stop-and-frisk program. She appointed an outside monitor to oversee major changes, including reforms in policies, training and supervision, and she ordered a pilot program to test body-worn cameras.
The Center for Constitutional Rights, which represented plaintiffs in the case, said it was dismayed that the appeals court delayed "the long-overdue process to remedy the NYPD's unconstitutional stop-and-frisk practices" and was shocked that it "cast aspersions" on the judge's professional conduct and reassigned the case.
The city said it was pleased with the federal appeals court ruling. City lawyer Michael Cardozo said it allows for a fresh and independent look at the issue.
Stop-and-frisk, which has been criticized by civil rights advocates, has been around for decades, but recorded stops increased dramatically under Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration to an all-time high in 2011 of 684,330, mostly of black and Hispanic men. A lawsuit was filed in 2004 by four men, all minorities, and became a class action case.
About 5 million stops have been made in New York in the past decade, with frisks occurring about half the time. To make a stop, police must have reasonable suspicion that a crime is about to occur or has occurred, a standard lower than the probable cause needed to justify an arrest. Only about 10 percent of the stops result in arrests or summonses, and weapons are found about 2 percent of the time.
Supporters of changes to the NYPD's stop-and-frisk program say the changes will end unfair practices, will mold a more trusted police force and can affect how other police departments use the policy. Opponents say the changes will lower police morale but not crime.
The judge noted she wasn't putting an end to the stop-and-frisk practice, which is constitutional, but was reforming the way the NYPD implemented its stops.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Computer-maker Lenovo has hired tech-savvy actor Ashton Kutcher to help design and pitch its latest line of tablets, dubbing the Hollywood star a "product engineer" who can bring his ideas along with his image.
It's the latest tech foray for the "Two and a Half Men" performer who recently starred in a biopic about innovative giant Steve Jobs and has invested venture capital in more than a dozen Silicon Valley startups.
The deal was announced Tuesday at a Lenovo live-streamed event in Los Angeles. Lenovo's first video advertisements for the new Yoga Tablet feature Kutcher acting as a product tester in his boxers, a spacesuit and aboard an airplane.
The company said Kutcher will do more than just advertise.
"This partnership goes beyond traditional bounds by deeply integrating him into our organization as a product engineer as we look at developing the next wave of products," said Lenovo spokesman David Roman.
Kutcher — who in recent years has appeared in ads for snack chips and cameras — said of Lenovo, "Entrepreneurship is part of their DNA, and I couldn't ask for a better fit."
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Lenovo, with headquarters in Beijing and in Research Triangle Park, N.C., acquired IBM's computer business in 2005 and became the world's top PC-maker ahead of HP in the third quarter. But, like other manufacturers, it has struggled with waning consumer demand for desktop and laptop models.
It's one of several Asian tech companies seeking to loosen Apple's grip on China's tablet market with less expensive Android models.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-10-30-Kutcher%20Sells%20Tech/id-afca0308f2644cf8be8cedc8d5d58480The following is excerpted from Blockbusters: Hit-Making, Risk-Taking, and the Big Business of Entertainment, by Anita Elberse, published by Henry Holt & Co.
Standing backstage at Boston’s sold-out TD Garden in March 2011 during Lady Gaga’s smash-hit tour, the Monster Ball, her manager, Troy Carter, paused a moment to take it all in. “It is amazing how far we have come in such a short time,” he said.
After emerging on the pop-music scene in 2008—touring as a supporting act for New Kids on the Block, a boy band beyond its glory years—Lady Gaga broke through in early 2009, when her singles “Just Dance” and “Poker Face” topped international charts. She rapidly became one of the biggest names in entertainment, sweeping up Grammys and Video Music Awards and selling tens of millions of singles. In 2011, Forbes ranked her first on its Celebrity 100 list, ahead of Oprah Winfrey.
As is the case with most “overnight successes,” Gaga’s ascent had been a long time in the making. In the early days of her career, through a relentless touring schedule—for months on end, she put on seven to eight shows a week, sometimes performing three times per night, in clubs around the U.S. and Canada—Gaga had built a fan base with a strong core. “We wanted to build her fan base from the ground up,” Carter said. “Once the audience feels they own something, they are going to run with it, and do the work for you.” She relied heavily on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to spread word of mouth and strengthen her connection with her fans—her ”little monsters,” as she called them. She turned out to be extraordinarily skilled at doing so: By 2011, Gaga was the most popular living person on Facebook and the most followed person on Twitter.
Given her extraordinary success with a grassroots approach to launching her music, one might have assumed that Gaga, Carter, and her label, Interscope, would stick with such a strategy in 2011 for her third album, Born This Way. Yet the Born This Way launch compared more to “a movie blockbuster in the summer months, like Avatar,” as Interscope’s vice chairman Steve Berman put it. “With an artist of Gaga’s caliber,” Carter said, “reaching full potential means doing things on an enormous scale.” He knew that the launch he had in mind would have to go beyond traditional music-distribution channels and would test the limits of what a record label—even one the size of Universal Music Group—could afford. Carter and his team likewise pursued a blockbuster strategy for Gaga's forthcoming record, ARTPOP, due Nov. 11.
Most leading entertainment businesses operate on such a blockbuster model: making risky bets on the development of a select few products, then increasing the stakes by investing a great deal of money in distributing and promoting those products as widely as possible, all with an eye toward opening as big as they can. Companies often set marketing budgets at high levels well before they know how those products will be received in the marketplace. But what’s the rationale? Why would the team behind Lady Gaga want to move away from a word-of-mouth-driven launch that worked so well for them in the past? With Gaga’s new album likely to sell like hot cakes, wouldn’t record label executives prefer to save on any unnecessary marketing expenditures?
Launching entertainment products—albums, movies, television shows, video games, books—using what marketers call a “limited” or “grass-roots” release strategy has undeniable advantages. The basic idea is to gradually discover what level of marketing spending is most appropriate. It is all about being as efficient as possible with the available resources. For a movie, for example, a limited-release strategy generally means that it debuts on only a few screens in major cities, and is supported with print and online advertisements in those regions. The goal is to attract not the largest but rather the right audience to the product, in the hopes that those early customers will in turn spread positive word of mouth and help draw in new audiences. Only if the product takes off—or shows some signs of being on the verge of taking off—will the producer gradually increase the distribution coverage or intensity and support the product with more advertising to further enhance growth. The principle is to spend sizable amounts of money on the marketing of only those products that are worth it—those that truly have a chance of success in the marketplace.
Lady Gaga’s first recordings were released in this fashion. When her first single, “Just Dance,” was released in April 2008, gaining traction proved difficult. “We could not get it played on pop radio,” Carter recalled. “Mainstream radio stations told us it was too much of a dance song for them.” Bobby Campbell, chief marketing officer at Carter’s management firm Atom Factory, agreed: “Dance music simply was not on the air in Top 40 radio.”
So Carter relied on an intense schedule of live performances targeted at communities that seemed especially receptive to her music. “The gay community seemed to stick to her, and that resonated with her personally, so gay clubs were a natural fit to start the work,” Campbell said. “It was about finding different groups: the gay community, the dance community, the club-going community, the fashion community, the art community, and developing those into a larger pool of Gaga fans. So when Interscope made some headway with radio later on, we had this really strong core of fans who had been following her for months, and who felt they were part of the reason why she was successful.”
Jimmy Iovine, Interscope’s chairman, talks about capitalizing on “sparks”: The idea is that if an entertainment product resonates with audiences in a given market, that market can, with the right kind of support, become a launching pad for a wider rollout.
