KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? A man in an Afghan army uniform turned his weapon on American trainers working with him in the country's east on Saturday, killing three of them, while an attacker with a grenade killed an Italian soldier in the west, officials said.
The shooting in Paktika province was the latest in a string of so-called "insider attacks" in which Afghan forces open fire on their own comrades or international troops. The incidents threaten to shake the confidence and trust of the two sides as the 2014 withdrawal of most of the international forces approaches.
An argument between the Afghan soldier and his trainers appeared to have led to Saturday's shooting on an Afghan National Army base in Paktika's Kher Qot district, according to a statement from the provincial governor's office. The international military coalition in Afghanistan said two American service members and one U.S. civilian died. It had initially identified them as three U.S. military personnel.
The angry Afghan soldier opened fire during the argument, killing the three foreign trainers and wounding three others, according to the governor's statement. The foreigners returned fire and killed the Afghan soldier, who had no known connection to the insurgency.
So far this year, there have been five insider attacks on foreign forces, with a total of eight troops and one U.S. contractor killed. However, the number of such attacks has eased after soaring last year ? in 2012, there were at least 29 insider attacks, killing 62 international troops.
Afghan security forces also are targets of such attacks. Last month, two recently rehired Afghan police opened fire on their commander at a checkpoint in a remote district in the country's south, killing him and six of his men.
The Taliban insurgents claim most of the insider attacks, saying they have infiltrated Afghan security forces or persuaded soldiers and police to join their side. However, the international coalition has said many of them are sparked by personal disputes.
In the western province of Farah, meanwhile, an Italian soldier was killed and three others wounded in a grenade attack on their armored vehicle in western Afghanistan.
The Italian Defense Ministry said the attack in Farah province came as the Italian soldiers were returning to their base from training Afghan security forces.
The Italian convoy of three armored vehicle apparently had been slowed by traffic near an intersection when an attacker ran up and threw an explosive device into the lead vehicle, the ministry said. It added that the three wounded soldiers' injuries were not life-threatening.
The Taliban quickly took responsibility for the attack, with spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi claiming that the attacker was an 11-year-old boy.
But Farah province provincial government spokesman Abdul Rahman Zhawandai says an adult man was seen throwing a grenade, then escaping by blending into the crowd at a nearby vegetable market.
Saturday's deaths brought to 16 the number of international troops killed in Afghanistan this month. On Thursday, seven Georgian soldiers died in a truck bombing at their base in the south.
Taliban insurgents have launched intense attacks across the country as Afghan forces take over most security responsibility ahead of most foreign troops' withdrawal next year, more than a decade after the American-led invasion to oust the Taliban regime for sheltering al-Qaida's leadership after the Islamic extremist group launched the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S.
Countries in the NATO alliance met in Brussels this week to lay out a new plan for shifting into a training and assistance role, but they did not agree on how many noncombat troops it will maintain in Afghanistan after 2014.
There are now about 100,000 international troops in Afghanistan, including 66,000 from the United States. Most of the pullout is set for this winter.
The remaining smaller force is expected to be mostly American advisers. However, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Saturday during a surprise visit to Kabul that the German government is thinking about leaving behind 600-800 troops after 2014.
"The departure of our troops from Afghanistan will happen as planned but at the same time we will not forget about Afghanistan in the years after 2014," Westerwelle said, adding, "We will engage with them in a different way."
___
Rahim Faiez in Kabul and Frances D'Emilio in Rome contributed to this report
DALLAS (AP) ? A pregnant Texas actress who told FBI agents her husband had sent ricin-tainted letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been arrested for orchestrating the scheme herself, a law enforcement official said Friday.
It was not immediately clear what charges would be filed against Shannon Guess Richardson of New Boston, Texas, a mother of five who has played bit roles in television shows. She was arrested around noon Friday, said Davilyn Walston, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in the eastern district of Texas.
Walston declined further comment, saying she wasn't in position to provide details. The FBI in Dallas declined immediate comment.
FBI agents wearing hazardous material suits were seen going in and out of her house Wednesday in New Boston, about 150 miles northeast of Dallas near the Oklahoma and Arkansas borders. Officials have said the search was initiated after Richardson contacted the FBI and implicated her husband, Nathaniel Richardson.
An attorney for Shannon Richardson, 36, couldn't immediately be found.
John Delk, who represents Nathaniel Richardson, told the AP on Thursday that his client had filed for divorce and may have been set up by his wife. He said his client was cooperating with authorities investigating the letters, which were sent last month to Bloomberg, his Washington gun-control group and the White House threatening violence against gun-control advocates.
"There are a lot of factors I'm aware of that indicate (Nathaniel Richardson) was set up in this deal by her," Delk said.
Delk said his client, a 33-year-old Army veteran, came to him to discuss a potential divorce a year ago and finally hired him on May 6, weeks before the ricin incident came to light. Delk didn't immediately return messages Friday following the arrest.
Bloomberg issued a statement Friday thanking local and federal law enforcement agencies "for their outstanding work in apprehending a suspect," saying they worked collaboratively from the outset "and will continue to do so as the investigation continues."
Shannon Richardson's resume on the Internet movie database IMDb said she has had small television roles in "The Vampire Diaries" and "The Walking Dead." She had a minor role in the movie "The Blind Side" and appeared in an Avis commercial, according to the resume.
Delk said the Richardsons were expecting their first child in October. Shannon Richardson also has five children ranging in age from 4 to 19 from other relationships, four of whom had been living with the couple in the New Boston home, the attorney said.
The FBI is investigating at least three cases over the past two months in which ricin was mailed to Obama and other public figures. Ricin has been sent to officials sporadically over the years, but experts say that there seems to be a recent uptick and that copycat attacks ? made possible by the relative ease of extracting the poison ? may be the reason.
If inhaled, ricin can cause respiratory failure, among other symptoms. If swallowed, it can shut down the liver and other organs, resulting in death. The amount of ricin that can fit on the head of a pin is said to be enough to kill an adult if properly prepared. No antidote is available, though researchers are trying to develop one.
Many investors must be wondering how high the market can go, is it to late to buy, and should I sit and wait for a lower point of entry. There is a great battle going on, between the economic reality felt on Main Street, and the bullishness espoused by those on Wall Street. In some regard, this fear of missing the rally may be forcing money into the market at a topping point in the short term. On the other hand, the economic realities facing those on Main Street could shortly find their way to Wall Street, bringing with it a sharp market correction. An investing strategy that I find useful in a market like the one seen today, is to be fully invested for the market to continue to rally if you have that sense of bullishness, but implement a strategy that would allow you to capitalize on a market correction if it were to materialize. One of the most smartest ways to be fully invested in a market such as the one seen today is to own dividend paying stocks that will generate income regardless of short term gyrations in the stock price. Building on that approach, you can fully invest in these dividend stocks through a two part strategy that consists of capturing the dividend yield and generating additional income through another type of trade.
I like to think of this approach as my 50/50 strategy when investing in dividend yielding stocks. Out of the total I desire to invest in a certain company, I would allocate 50% of the capital to purchasing common stock, and the remaining 50% would be allocated to selling put options. This strategy provides multiple benefits to managing risk in my portfolio. First, I am fully invested in the market with the opportunity for capital appreciation and generating dividend income, as well as income from the premium earned from selling the put options. Second, I am also hedging my investment against a downward move, with the put option portion of the trade. In this instance, it is easier to use a real world example to describe how this trade would work. Using AT&T (T) as an example, I could buy the stock outright at between $35.80 a share as of the closing price on 6/5/13. I would commit 50% of my desired investment to the common stock, and regardless of what the stock does, I would be capturing an ~5% annualized dividend yield at the current stock and dividend levels. For the other 50% of my desired investment, I would sell the January 2014 $33 put options, collecting $1.36 in premium. This equates to a yield of 4.1% on this portion of my investment over 8 months. Annualized, this would equate to roughly a 6.1% yield. By entering into the agreement to sell the put option as described above, I am effectively committing to buy additional AT&T stock at $33 a share as of January 2014. If the stock is above that price when the options expire in January 2014, I keep the $1.36 in option premium. If the stock is below that price, the 50% of my investment that I used to secure the put options would be used to purchase AT&T stock at $33 a share, regardless of how far below $33 a share the stock might be trading.
This type of approach to investing is rather simplistic in nature, providing the opportunity to commit 100% of the capital you desire to invest in a position while giving up some potential upside in order to hedge against a decline in the market. The table below shows a hypothetical investment in AT&T using the outline provided above, and showing the results after 8 months of a 0% share price decline, a 10% share price increase, and a 10% share decline:
(click to enlarge)
Note that $99,500 was used as the investment amount, allowing for a round number of options to be sold under the 50/50 strategy. Also, the results shown above are using an 8 month time horizon as that is the amount of time prior to the option expiration. This is also why the dividend payment is only 3/4 of an annual AT&T dividend.
You will see that, in a scenario where the share price does not increase or decrease, the outcome from both scenarios is roughly equal, with the 50/50 scenario just slightly yielding a higher return. In the scenario where the share price increases 10%, being fully invested in the common stock as expected yields a higher return. In the scenario where the share price decreases 10%, the loss experienced under the 50/50 scenario is significantly less than if 100% of the capital had been allocated to purchase common stock. I realize that taxes, commissions, and dividend reinvestment opportunities are not accounted for in the analysis above. However from a directional standpoint, the overall outcome of each scenario would see an immaterial impact when accounting for those items.
Does this type of investment strategy have a place in your dividend portfolio? That depends on your risk appetite to some extent. If your completely bullish on the market and your desired investment, then choosing the 50/50 strategy limits your upside. If you're focused on capital preservation, desire to be invested in the market, but have concerns about a correction, this strategy could complement your portfolio allowing for market upside while limiting losses on the downside.
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.(More...)
Researchers at Emory University have identified a protein that stimulates a pair of "orphan receptors" found in the brain, solving a long-standing biological puzzle and possibly leading to future treatments for neurological diseases.
The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Early Edition.
The human genome is littered with orphans: proteins that look like they will bind and respond to a hormone or a brain chemical, based on the similarity of their sequences to other proteins. However, scientists haven't figured out what each orphan's partner chemical is yet.
Orphans that look like GPCRs (G protein-coupled receptors) currently number about 100. GPCRs are the targets of many drugs and are involved in vision, smell and brain cells' responses to a host of hormones and neurotransmitters. One orphan GPCR, called GPR37, has attracted interest from researchers because it is connected with an inherited form of Parkinson's disease. It is abundant in the dopamine-producing neurons that degenerate in Parkinson's. But its partner chemical, or "ligand," has not been found.
"We reasoned that GPR37 had to be doing something important, besides becoming misfolded in some forms of Parkinson's," says senior author Randy Hall, PhD, professor of pharmacology at Emory University School of Medicine.
Working with Hall, graduate student Rebecca Meyer devised a way to detect when cells producing GPR37 were reacting with GPR37's ligand.
"Usually, cells remove GPCRs from their surfaces when they encounter their ligand," Meyer says. "So we set things up so that GPR37 would be labeled red on the surface of the cell, but would appear green once internalized."
They discovered that cells producing GPR37 ? and also a close relative, GPR37L1 -- respond to a protein known as prosaposin, which was discovered by John O'Brien of University of California San Diego in the 1990s.
Prosaposin is a growth factor for brain cells and protects them from stress. Scientists studying it had worked out that it stimulates cells via a GPCR ? but which one was unclear until now. In animal models, prosaposin has shown potential for treating conditions such as stroke, Parkinson's and neuropathic pain. An artificial fragment of prosaposin called prosaptide has been tested in clinical studies, but it quickly breaks down in the body.
"That's the reason why it was so important to find the receptor," Hall says. "Then we can actually do some pharmacology."
Now, Hall's laboratory is planning to look for other compounds that can activate GPR37 as well. These could be more stable in the body than the previously studied protein fragment and thus better potential drugs.
Doctors have reported a few cases of genetic deficiency in prosaposin, leading to severe neurodegeneration. Mice engineered to lack GPR37 have more subtle brain perturbations, so Hall also plans to test the hypothesis that prosaposin acts by both GPR37 and GPR37L1, by "knocking out" both in mice, potentially duplicating the same severe effects seen in the human cases of prosaposin deficiency.
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Emory Health Sciences: http://whsc.emory.edu/home/news/index.html
Thanks to Emory Health Sciences for this article.
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TfL uses agile to build new HMTL5 website with Google Maps API Transport for London (TfL) is overhauling its website estate and building a HTML5 site that can be used on any mobile device, which will be integrated with Google Maps and built on top of a single API to aid external development. The project has been ? Read more on ComputerworldUK
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NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Seth MacFarlane will not return to host the 2014 Oscars, the filmmaker and hit TV writer/producer announced on Monday. MacFarlane said that his schedule did not permit him to return.
"Traumatized critics exhale: I'm unable to do the Oscars again. Tried to make it work schedule-wise, but I need sleep," MacFarlane tweeted.
MacFarlane's turn as emcee of the 2013 Oscars divided the community. Some found him funny and eager to experiment while many found him crass and unoriginal, citing a long gag about breasts.
MacFarlane, one of the most successful writers and showrunners in television, finds his schedule even busier because of his now-bustling film career. He is writing, directing and starring in "A Million Ways to Die in the West" and, eventually, should make a sequel to "Ted."
Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Maron first brought on MacFarlane because he would appeal to a younger audience and because he loves musical theater. The producers will return in 2014 and had hoped MacFarlane would join them.
While the "Family Guy" and "American Dad!" creator will not be able to host, he has an idea of who should.
"I highly recommend the job, as Zadan and Meron are two of the most talented producers in the business," he tweeted. "My suggestion for host is Joaquin Phoenix."
BEIJING (AP) ? A Chinese boat and 16 fishermen seized for ransom by armed North Koreans two weeks ago were released Tuesday, easing the latest irritant in relations between the neighboring allies.
Owner Yu Xuejun, who wasn't aboard the boat when it was seized May 5, wrote on his verified microblog that his captain called him at 3:50 a.m. to say the crew and boat were set free and that they were on their way home. He told the state-run Global Times newspaper all of the crewmembers were OK.
Yu, who had reported the seizure to Chinese authorities earlier, began publicizing the incident over the weekend as a deadline for a 600,000 yuan ($100,000) ransom drew near. Chinese state media then began reporting on the incident, saying China was demanding that North Korea release the men.
Yu said on his microblog Tuesday that he had been unable to pay any ransom, and he thanked China's Foreign Ministry for negotiating on behalf of his boat and crew.
Yu's pleas for help and fears that his crew had been mistreated were forwarded thousands of times by netizens and a high-ranking Chinese military officer, Maj. Gen. Luo Yuan, wrote on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo of his fury at the detention.
"North Korea has gone too far! Even if you are short of money, you can't grab people across the border and blackmail," wrote Luo, who has more than 300,000 followers.
The seizure had added to China's frustration with North Korea over its recent tests of nuclear and rocket technologies in defiance of international efforts to curb the country's nuclear ambitions. At the same time, the Chinese government has been under intense pressure to protect Chinese who venture abroad and out to sea for their livelihoods.
A similar abduction a year ago of Chinese fishermen by armed North Koreans caused an uproar in China when they were released ? some of them stripped of everything but their underwear ? saying they had been starved and beaten.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei had declined to answer a question Monday about who exactly China believed was behind the boat seizure, but he made clear that Beijing was looking for the North Korean government to deal with it.
An expert on North Korea at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences in northeast China said he doubted the North Korean government had any knowledge of the incident when it happened.
"This incident is purely about a lawless act by the North Korean border police to blackmail our fishermen," said Lu Chao, adding that such things frequently happen to Chinese fishermen working near the border waters.
"Sometimes, if the amount they are asking for isn't too high, the boat owner would just pay it," he said. This time, it might be related to spring food shortages, "so they are asking for a huge ransom."
The owner had previously been reported as saying he received a phone call from North Korea telling him his boat had been in North Korean waters, but that he was certain it had been floating in Chinese waters.
On Monday, the Broncos will practice for the first time as a team since capping a stellar regular season with an epic postseason collapse, thanks to a 70-yard touchdown pass that allowed the Ravens to force overtime.
The throw from Joe Flacco landed in the hands of Jacoby Jones because Denver safety Rahim Moore jumped too soon and flailed clumsily at the ball.? After, of course, Moore allowed Jones to run right past the safety.
But the Broncos are still sticking with Moore.? From coaches to players, Moore has been absolved of responsibility.
?I think he?s over it; I think we?re all over it, you know,? Denver defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio told the Associated Press.? ?I think we all look back and see things that we could have done better.?
Linebacker Von Miller take responsibility for not getting to Flacco before he could launch the desperation pass.
?Rahim made a few key tackles that day. He was all over the place. It was just a football folly,? Miller said. ?I don?t blame Rahim.? I blame me and Elvis [Dumervil]: 70 yards to go, we know they?re going to pass the ball.? That?s why they bring me and Elvis to close the game out and neither of us got to the quarterback.? I took it hard.?
Coach John Fox and executive V.P. of football operations John Elway both believe that Moore?s better days are in front of him.
?Rahim?s focus is on getting better from a year ago,? Fox said. ?And there wasn?t one play.? It was a whole season.? He made great, great progress a year ago from his rookie year and we anticipate him to do that again.? He?s a very talented young man.?
?[H]e made tremendous strides from Year One to Year Two,? executive V.P. of football operations John Elway said.? ?And I think hopefully he makes those same strides.? He really had a good year last year and we want to watch him to continue to grow.? Safety-wise, we feel pretty good.?
But not good enough to resist kicking the tires of Charles Woodson.
While there?s no reason for the Broncos to bail on a second-round pick in the 2011 draft, Moore?s ability to forget after having months to stew will be critical to whether he can continue to play at a high level ? and to keep getting better.
If he does, last year?s gaffe will become a distant memory.? A very bad, awful memory, but distant nonetheless.
The iPhone 5 launched to record sales figures; 5 million units sold to customers in the first three days. Samsung's Galaxy S4 has also launched to strong figures; 10 million units shipped in the first 4 weeks. One of these was a 'disappointment,' yet the other is hailed as a triumph. Seems crazy? Well, maybe it is.
For Samsung, 10 million units shipped makes it their fastest selling smartphone release ever, so for the folks from Korea at least, it is indeed a triumph. But, Apple sold -- not shipped -- 5 million units of the iPhone 5 in the first 3 days. Yet compare these two headlines from Businessinsider:
One story portrays doom and gloom, and the other a more jubilant atmosphere. Analysts called 6 million units for the iPhone 5 the "worst case scenario" for Apple's opening weekend. And yet, they hit half Samsung's first month sales within three days.
We're not going to knock Samsung's figures, 10 million is a lot of phones. But, it does again ask the question; just how much is 'enough' for Apple?
Otterbox is here in Vegas at CTIA 2013 with its Defender and Commuter series cases for the Samsung Galaxy S4
CTIA is always a hotbed for the latest and greatest accessories and this year's show is no different -- Otterbox was onsite tonight at the Showstoppers kickoff event in Las Vegas' Venetian Hotel with both its Defender and Commuter cases for the Samsung Galaxy S 4. Otterboxes probably aren't the most attractive cases you can buy for your shiny new S4, and they certainly aren't the sleekest, but they provide the ultra-protection you've come to expect from the company. Both the Commuter and Defender series come in a slew of color options and they're both available now for $34.95 and $49.95 respectively. A quick video, and some more shots can be found in the gallery after the break.
NEW YORK ? James Levine rolled onto the Carnegie Hall stage in his black motorized wheelchair and into a 6-by-6-foot mechanical podium constructed by the Metropolitan Opera.
Belted into the wheelchair, Levine and two aides waited while the podium hoisted him about 3 feet in the air and its interior rotated 180 degrees to leave him facing the audience. Given a 1-minute standing ovation, he blew a kiss to the crowd in the sold-out 2,804-seat auditorium, raised his fists in triumph and tapped his heart.
And then it was to business. After an absence of more than two years caused by a fall that left him partially paralyzed, the Met's music director had returned.
Looking a bit like a starship captain in the commander's chair, Levine conducted the prelude to Wagner's "Lohengrin," Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with Evgeny Kissin and Schubert's Symphony No. 9 (Great) on Sunday afternoon, the first step toward his return the Met next fall. He received a 71/2-minute standing ovation at the end.
Levine, who turns 70 on June 23, has transformed the Met since his debut in 1971 and joined Leonard Bernstein as the most acclaimed American conductors. He has been the leading force at the Met for four decades as chief conductor (1973-76), music director (1976-86 and 2004-present) and artistic director (1986-2004).
But Levine's health began to deteriorate. He was afflicted with aggravated Parkinsonism ? a relatively benign form of Parkinson's disease ? starting in 1994. He tore a rotator cuff in March 2006 when he tripped and fell on the stage of Boston's Symphony Hall during ovations, and his right kidney was removed in July 2008 because of a malignant tumor. Then he had surgery in 2009 to repair a herniated disk in his back and a second back operation in 2010.
By then he was conducting from a chair and by 2011 he took his bows from the podium in the Met's orchestra pit rather than walk on stage. He resigned as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a position he had held since 2004, and canceled his appearances on a Met tour of Japan that was to celebrate his 40th anniversary with the company.
Two more back surgeries followed in May and July 2011 and the next month he fell and damaged a vertebrae, leaving him with no feeling in his legs. He canceled his entire 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons at the Met, leaving the company to scramble for fill-in conductors for his many assignments.
With intensive therapy, he regained feeling in his legs and in recent months has started to walk. He said doctors are hopeful for a complete recovery at some point. But for now, he conducts from the wheelchair.
Wearing a black shirt ? the outfit he switched to several years ago ? rather than white-tie-and-tails, he seemed to have freer movement than he did before the 2011 surgeries. His upper body was strong, and the gestures he made with his left hand to increase and decrease the orchestra's level and shape its sound were the same as the Levine of old.
His return program opened with a rendition of the "Lohengrin" prelude notable for the shimmering spaciousness of the strings in A-major. Before Sunday, his last performance had been a televised "Die Walkuere" on May 14, 2014, and his illness created a hole in the company's Ring Cycles last spring and this that Fabio Luisi never quite filled.
Levine's Wagner has texture and force, an ebb and flow that creates great import, yet a lightness that lets all the colors shine. In all of nine minutes, he showed what the Met had been missing.
He followed with frothy Beethoven accompanying Kissim, an energetic rendering of the G Major that never sounded rushed. The andante con moto was ominous and the closing rondo galloping. Kissim added a fun encore of Beethoven's "Rage Over a Lost Penny, Vented in a Caprice."
Levine's Schubert, which followed intermission, was grand and lavish with an arch that intensified toward the conclusion. By the final ovations, Levine looked overjoyed.
He is scheduled for three productions at the Met next season: revivals of Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte" starting Sept. 24 and Berg's "Wozzeck" beginning March 6, and a new-to-the-Met staging of Verdi's "Falstaff" opening Dec. 6. He also will conduct the Met Orchestra's three Carnegie concerts.
Levine says if all goes well, he will increase his schedule in 2014-15. Many a conductor's best work took place after age 70. After Sunday's performance, Levine can start looking forward to his renaissance years.
Zachary Quinto as Spock and Chris Pine as Kirk in "Star Trek Into Darkness."
Paramount and Skydance Productions' "Star Trek Into Darkness" topped the box office chart with a solid four-day opening of $84.1 million -- even if it didn't engage warp speed and hit $100 million.
Overseas, the J.J. Abrams-directed tentpole took in another $40 million over the weekend for an early global total of $164.6 million, including $80.5 million internationally. The 3-D pic, playing in 40 markets, tied with "Iron Man 3," which took in $40.2 million in its fourth weekend.
But it was Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" -- benefiting from being the only female-skewing event pic -- that topped the foreign chart, grossing a solid $42.1 million as it opened in 49 markets following its international premiere at the Cannes Film Festival May 15.
There was plenty of action overseas all the way around. Universal's "Fast & Furious 6" tore out of the gate as it debuted in the U.K. and Ireland, grossing $13.8 million to score the biggest opening ever for a Universal title in those countries and boding well for the film's domestic bow over Memorial Day weekend and its continued expansion offshore.
Heading into the weekend, many box office observers believed "Into Darkness" had a shot at hitting $100 million in North America, easily outpacing the $79.2 million opening of Abrams' 2009 "Star Trek," which reinvigorated the sci-fi film franchise. Paramount had hoped for $100 million, but hedged its bets by estimating an $80 million to $100 million debut.
VIDEO: "Star Trek Into Darkness" Trailer: The Enterprise Is "Dead"
Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore said he was "extremely pleased" with the sequel's performance, both domestically and internationally, where the studio waged a massive marketing campaign to improve the franchise's standing ("Star Trek" has never been as popular overseas).
"'Into Darkness' did 6 percent better than the 2009 'Star Trek' and received an 'A' CinemaScore, so we know people love the movie," Moore said. "And overseas, it is pacing 82 percent ahead of Abrams' first film."
In Russia -- where sci-fi often suffers, but 3-D is enormously popular -- "Into Darkness" debuted to $8 million, four times the opening of the 2009 reboot, which topped out at only $4 million.
Moore says "Into Darkness" could ultimately double the $127 million earned by "Star Trek" in its entire run internationally.
"Into Darkness" returns Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto in the roles of Captain James T. Kirk and Spock. Other returning castmembers include Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, John Cho and Karl Urban. This time out, a scheming villain played by Benedict Cumberbatch resorts to terrorism to threaten Earth.
Paramount and Skydance co-financed the $190 million tentpole, and produced alongside Abrams' Bad Robot. The script was written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof.
In the U.S., "Into Darkness" skewed male (64 percent) while 73 percent of the audience was over the age of 25.
IMAX theaters turned in big numbers thanks to Trekkies who wanted to see the film in a large-format, with 336 theaters taking in $13.5 million.
There is no doubt but that "Into Darkness" faced tough competition from "The Great Gatsby" and "Iron Man 3." In its third weekend, Disney and Marvel Studios' "Iron Man 3" came in No. 2 domestically with $35.2 million. The billion-dollar baby has now taken in $337.1 million in North America and $736.2 million internationally for a total $1.07 billion, the No. 9 film of all time.
"The Great Gatsby," from Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures, placed No. 3 domestically, falling 53 percent in its second weekend for a handy cume of $90.2 million.
13 photos to get you in the mood for "Star Trek Into Darkness"
Warners' belief that "Gatsby" would serve as counterprogramming to action fare is paying off and already marks Luhrmann's biggest success to date in North America, not accounting for inflation (his previous best was the $57.4 million grossed by "Moulin Rouge!")
"Gatsby" also marks Luhrmann's best opening overseas, coming in 38 percent ahead of Australia ($30.4 million) and "Moulin Rouge!" ($13.8 million). The 3-D film did nice business in numerous markets, including earning $6.2 million in Russia and $6.1 million in the U.K., despite "Fast and Furious." It placed No. 1 in France with $4.7 million, buoyed by its premiere in Cannes.
At the U.S. specialty box office, Noah Baumbach scored with the debut of his black-and-white independent film "Frances Ha,"which grossed $134,000 from four theaters in New York and Los Angeles for a location average of $33,500.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced on Monday that three more states would join the ranks of those given permission to ignore parts of the federal No Child Left Behind law in favor of their own school improvement plans.
The addition of Alaska, Hawaii and West Virginia brings to 37 the number of states operating outside the Bush-era law, along with the District of Columbia. Eight additional states, the Bureau of Indian Education, Puerto Rico and a coalition of California districts are waiting to hear about their requests, which would further dismantle the federal education overhaul from coast to coast.
"Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia can't wait any longer for education reform," Duncan said in a statement.
No Child Left Behind, also known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, came up for renewal in 2007 and its requirements were not updated. Duncan has pushed lawmakers to revisit the law and make changes to accommodate challenges officials did not anticipate when they first passed the measure on a bipartisan basis in 2001.
"A strong, bipartisan reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act remains the best path forward in education reform, but as these states have demonstrated, our kids can't wait any longer for Congress to act," Duncan said.
In exchange for the waivers, states have had to show the Education Department they had their own plans to prepare students and improve teaching. States have sought the additional flexibility to implement their own efforts instead of following the sometimes rigid requirements included in No Child Left Behind.
The waivers also allow states to come up short on requirements that all students perform at grade level in math and reading by 2014.
If Congress were to update No Child Left Behind, the states would be forced to shift to the new national standards ? potentially a headache for states that already have set forth on their own individualized plans.
Since President Barack Obama announced his administration would consider waivers from the law in September 2011, 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Bureau of Indian Education have sought permission to implement their own reform plan.
Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming are still waiting to hear about their applications.
Additionally, a coalition of California districts has requested a waiver from the Education Department. The coalition of 10 school districts, known as California Office to Reform Education, or CORE, includes Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento districts and represents 1.2 million of the state's 6 million students.
Duncan has said that he does not want his department to get into district-by-district decisions. Such a shift would potentially add a tremendous amount of work for his department and perhaps consume thousands of hours of local districts' time to assemble the detailed plans to improve schools on their own terms.
California, Montana and Nebraska have not applied for waivers. North Dakota and Vermont withdrew their applications. As a result, those five states still will be required to meet the provisions of No Child Left Behind.
___
Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Philip_Elliott
With the very idea of a united Europe under debate amid the economic crisis, it's hard to find people who know what 'Europe Day' is, let alone celebrate it.
By Sara Miller Llana,?Staff writer / May 9, 2013
A huge European Union flag is installed in front of the Romanian parliament building in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday. The flag, with a weight of 800 kg and measuring 100 by 140 meters, was placed at the parliament to mark Europe Day.
Vadim Ghirda/AP
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Today is Europe Day. It marks a pivotal declaration by French foreign minister for foreign affairs, Robert Schuman, on May 9, 1950, that led to the formation of the European Coal and Steel Community and essentially the foundation of the European Union.
Skip to next paragraph Sara Miller Llana
Europe Bureau Chief
Sara Miller Llana?moved to Paris in April 2013 to become the Monitor's Europe Bureau?Chief. Previously she was the?paper's?Latin America Bureau Chief, based in Mexico City, from 2006 to 2013.
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In theory, Europe Day should be comparable to Bastille Day in France or the Fourth of July in the US. Instead, it?s hard to find people who actually know what it is.
One history professor did, but this was his take: ?It?s nothing.? Pieter Lagrou, a contemporary European history professor at the Free University of Brussels, says he likes to tell his students the obscurity of the holiday marks "the symbolic deficit of Europe.?
The central question of "What is Europe?" is being picked apart across and beyond the continent. In the midst of debt crisis, nations are fighting to get in, questioning getting out and even splitting in two, and bickering over banking unions and political control and sovereignty.
On the ground ? the level at which citizens take time to raise a flag and celebrate, or at least ponder, their national founding ? it?s also an exceedingly hard question to answer.
Dr. Lagrou used himself as an example. He?s a Dutch-speaking Belgian, living in bilingual Brussels, with a French employer. His regional government and federal government are accountable to him. But so are his EU representatives.
If he, for example, cared deeply about a jobs-creation program, would it be his federal government or the EU that he should contact, and among the latter, who holds the control among the European Commission, the European Council, and the European Parliament?
?The political landscape is increasingly difficult,? he says.
As a journalist new to Europe, I made Brussels, the heart of the European Union, my first stop on the European circuit. Perhaps it would have been better to visit the EU capitals first and then Brussels, where it?s harder than most places to know whom you need to talk to, who holds the power, and how it all works.
I walked through the city, which is the first thing I usually do when I arrive somewhere new. I went to the European district, past the European Parliament and the Commission. I went to the daily Commission press briefing. There were only a few questions asked: about funding proposals in Spain for the unemployed, EU representation at the International Monetary Fund, and Macedonia. All answers were about the same: ?We can?t speculate, we can?t answer at this point.? None of them shed any light on how the EU works.
I told many people that I couldn?t get my head around it. Without fail, they all replied, ?Don?t worry, neither can most Europeans.?
They were joking to a certain extent (at least those who work for the EU). But Lagrou says there is a risk here. To many, the EU has become a giant bureaucracy ?without a face or identity,? he says. In the face of crisis ? as real fault lines are forming between nations, especially over austerity ? many are increasingly losing faith in the project.
Each year, around Europe Day, the EU opens its doors to the public, so citizens get an inside look at the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council of the European Union, the Commission, the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions, and the Office of the Ombudsman. These kinds of events, of any governmental institution, are often disregarded as hokey. But it might be as important a time as ever to sign up for the tour. I know I wish I had.
Greetings everyone, today I?m excited to announce a fabulous event happening this summer, in partnership with ScotchBlue? Painter?s Tape and The Home Depot! I was so happy when the brands contacted me to play host for an exciting event ? it?s a Summer Blog Hop where 30 bloggers will be getting creative with ScotchBlue Tape and I?ll be hosting links to all the projects right here ? the projects featured will help inspire this year?s painting season!
I?ve been using ScotchBlue Painter?s Tape for such a long time, it?s my go-to tape whenever I?m working on furniture or painting doors. This brand doesn?t grab like traditional masking tape but sticks just enough to paint perfect stripes or line up hardware ? even on top of freshly painted surfaces and it won?t pull up the paint, I love that.
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I?ll be featuring the blogger projects here and linking back to this page over the course of the summer whenever a participating blogger completes a new project. Follow along and don?t miss a thing by following both the ScotchBlue? Painter?s Tape?s Facebook Page and the ScotchBlue? Painter?s Tape Pinterest Page for all the latest ideas and inspiration!? Be sure to like The Home Depot?s Facebook Page for all the latest in the Summer Blog Hop.
I?ll be back tomorrow to kick off the summer event with my latest furniture makeover using ScotchBlue Tape ? you?re going to love it!
This post was brought to you in partnership with The Home Depot and ScotchBlue? Painter?s Tape.
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Tags: home depot, painter's tape, scotchblue, summer blog hop
This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 15th, 2013 at and is filed under Featuring. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
If you ever stared at a chrysalis as a kid, patiently waiting for a beautiful new butterfly to emerge, you were probably left wondering just what was going on inside there. Was the caterpillar reconfiguring itself like a Transformer? Was it morphing like a Terminator? Nobody knows?except now everyone does thanks to these fascinating micro-CT 3D x-ray scans of the process.
Two research teams used the cutting edge imaging technique to routinely scan a chrysalis during its metamorphosis and generate 3D models of its organs and other internal structures changing over time. Smaller details?like details of the brain?are unfortunately still left out with the limitations of the technology. But as they improve, so will our understanding of this unique process. Not to mention, kids won't have to wait weeks to see a butterfly finally emerge?they can just hit fast forward. [National Geographic via Boing Boing]
James Cameron to be publicly honored with Scripps Nierenberg PrizePublic release date: 15-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mario Aguilera scrippsnews@ucsd.edu 858-534-3624 University of California - San Diego
Renowned explorer and filmmaker donates lander system that played key role in record-setting expedition and will be used by Scripps researchers as part of the next age of deep-sea exploration
Ocean frontier explorer and world-renowned filmmaker James Cameron has been named by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego as the recipient of the 2013 Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest. Cameron will deliver a presentation on his record-setting DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition and exploration of the frontiers of the deep sea on Friday, May 31, on the UC San Diego campus.
In addition, Scripps Institution of Oceanography's capacity to probe the mysteries and promise of the deep sea has been considerably boosted with a key undersea gift of technology from Cameron, who last year became the first person to complete a solo dive to the world's deepest point. Cameron has donated an extreme-depth unmanned undersea exploration system known as a "lander" to Scripps for the institution's future deep-sea exploration endeavors.
The Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest, awarded annually by Scripps, is named for William A. Nierenberg (1919-2000), a renowned national science leader who served Scripps Oceanography as director from 1965 to 1986. In addition to the lander gift to Scripps, Cameron will donate the $25,000 Nierenberg Prize money to Scripps to kickstart operations of a new "Lander Lab" based at Scripps to oversee the lander system's operations and research applications.
Developed by long-time Scripps engineer Kevin Hardy for Cameron's historic DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition, the lander includes an instrument frame, command/control spheres, empty camera spheres, buoyancy spheres, water and biological sampling systems, and deck support gear. The Cameron lander comes equipped as a complete deep-exploration system that can be configured in a full 14-foot, 1,000-pound modethe workhorse design for Cameron's historic DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expeditionor smaller versions that can be deployed from a variety of vessels.
"James Cameron's landers worked in conjunction with his record-setting manned submarine by providing a stand-alone camera platform to film the submarine, to survey and scout locations prior to manned dives, and to test new technology before integration on the manned submarine," said Hardy. "The lander also acted as a baited lure to attract fish and other animals, concentrating them for photography and behavioral studies."
Sampling devices can be tailored to the lander to address various branches of ocean science, including biology, chemistry, geology, and physics.
"Scripps Institution of Oceanography is extremely grateful to James Cameron for his generous lander gift, which not only holds historical value, but will prove to be a key resource for many significant deep-sea expeditions in the near future," said Catherine Constable, interim director of Scripps. "The lander will help us unlock the mysteries of Earth's least explored environment, which remains a true frontier of science."
Doug Bartlett, a Scripps marine microbiologist and chief scientist of Cameron's DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition, plans to put the lander system to work soon for Scripps science.
"The lander will be used with various payloads to collect seawater, sediments, animals in baited traps, and microbes following in-situ filtration and in-situ enrichment," said Bartlett. "It may see operation in the (Pacific Ocean's) Sirena Deep this June."
On March 26, 2012, Cameron plunged 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) below the ocean surface in a one-man submarine to the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, the first solo diver to reach such depths. Scripps has been collaborating with Cameron for nearly a decade, focusing on developing new ways to explore and study the deepest parts of the oceans. The DEEPSEA CHALLENGE was a joint scientific expedition by Cameron, a National Geographic explorer-in-residence; National Geographic; and Rolex to conduct deep-ocean research and exploration.
More on the Nierenberg Prize
The Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest was created through a gift from the Nierenberg family to honor the memory of William A. Nierenberg. The prize, which includes a bronze medal and $25,000, is awarded each year for outstanding contributions to science in the public interest. Nierenberg was a leading expert in several fields of underwater research and warfare, and was known for his work in low-energy nuclear physics. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1971 and was the recipient of numerous awards and honors for professional research and public service. Past Nierenberg Prize winners are: Daniel Pauly (2012), Ira Flatow (2010), Richard Dawkins (2009), James Hansen (2008), J. Craig Venter (2007), Gordon E. Moore, Ph.D. (2006), Sir David Attenborough, OM (Order of Merit) (2005), Dame Jane Goodall (2004), Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. (2003), Walter Cronkite (2002), and E.O. Wilson, Ph.D. (2001).
More on Scripps and deep-sea discoveries
With its decades-long history of deep-sea exploration, Scripps is recognized as a world leader in investigating the science of the deep ocean, from exploring the deep's geological features, researching its exotic marine life inhabitants, to development of the requisite sensor and sampling technologies.
Scripps's history in exploring the deepest regions of the ocean dates back to the 1950s and '60s, when Scripps research geologist Robert Fisher meticulously mapped the Mariana Trench's deepest points. He employed innovative sounding techniques to firmly establish Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench as the deepest point in the world's oceans. In 1952 Fisher identified Horizon Deep in the Tonga Trench as the second-deepest point in the oceans and the deepest spot in the Southern Hemisphere.
This work set the stage for the famous dive of Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh aboard the bathyscaphe Trieste in the first manned voyage to the bottom of Challenger Deep on January 23, 1960, and later Cameron's record-breaking solo dive in 2012.
Scripps engineers also pioneered designs in free vehicles, autonomous unmanned diving platforms not connected to a ship by rope or wire, for reaching far into the ocean depths to gather data and samples. Scientists John Isaacs and Frank Snodgrass developed fundamental techniques of free vehicle operations still used today.
"Our present designs utilize new materials, processes, and technologiesall the things you expect to have evolved," said Hardy. "But we owe a lot to these first Scripps trailblazers of undersea robotic systems. We are only just beginning the exploration of the ultra-deep ocean. James Cameron's gift will profoundly accelerate our understanding of the hadal (extremely deep) zone. It's a different Earth down there."
"The generous donation (by James Cameron) will enable the lander system to be brought back into service, helping us to examine the distribution, characteristics, and adaptations of extremophilic microbes in the trenches," said Bartlett. "I am hoping that we can bring back some of the scientists from the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE Expedition for the next deployments and recoveries of this lander, and that we can start off where this expedition ended."
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
James Cameron to be publicly honored with Scripps Nierenberg PrizePublic release date: 15-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mario Aguilera scrippsnews@ucsd.edu 858-534-3624 University of California - San Diego
Renowned explorer and filmmaker donates lander system that played key role in record-setting expedition and will be used by Scripps researchers as part of the next age of deep-sea exploration
Ocean frontier explorer and world-renowned filmmaker James Cameron has been named by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego as the recipient of the 2013 Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest. Cameron will deliver a presentation on his record-setting DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition and exploration of the frontiers of the deep sea on Friday, May 31, on the UC San Diego campus.
In addition, Scripps Institution of Oceanography's capacity to probe the mysteries and promise of the deep sea has been considerably boosted with a key undersea gift of technology from Cameron, who last year became the first person to complete a solo dive to the world's deepest point. Cameron has donated an extreme-depth unmanned undersea exploration system known as a "lander" to Scripps for the institution's future deep-sea exploration endeavors.
The Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest, awarded annually by Scripps, is named for William A. Nierenberg (1919-2000), a renowned national science leader who served Scripps Oceanography as director from 1965 to 1986. In addition to the lander gift to Scripps, Cameron will donate the $25,000 Nierenberg Prize money to Scripps to kickstart operations of a new "Lander Lab" based at Scripps to oversee the lander system's operations and research applications.
Developed by long-time Scripps engineer Kevin Hardy for Cameron's historic DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition, the lander includes an instrument frame, command/control spheres, empty camera spheres, buoyancy spheres, water and biological sampling systems, and deck support gear. The Cameron lander comes equipped as a complete deep-exploration system that can be configured in a full 14-foot, 1,000-pound modethe workhorse design for Cameron's historic DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expeditionor smaller versions that can be deployed from a variety of vessels.
"James Cameron's landers worked in conjunction with his record-setting manned submarine by providing a stand-alone camera platform to film the submarine, to survey and scout locations prior to manned dives, and to test new technology before integration on the manned submarine," said Hardy. "The lander also acted as a baited lure to attract fish and other animals, concentrating them for photography and behavioral studies."
Sampling devices can be tailored to the lander to address various branches of ocean science, including biology, chemistry, geology, and physics.
"Scripps Institution of Oceanography is extremely grateful to James Cameron for his generous lander gift, which not only holds historical value, but will prove to be a key resource for many significant deep-sea expeditions in the near future," said Catherine Constable, interim director of Scripps. "The lander will help us unlock the mysteries of Earth's least explored environment, which remains a true frontier of science."
Doug Bartlett, a Scripps marine microbiologist and chief scientist of Cameron's DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition, plans to put the lander system to work soon for Scripps science.
"The lander will be used with various payloads to collect seawater, sediments, animals in baited traps, and microbes following in-situ filtration and in-situ enrichment," said Bartlett. "It may see operation in the (Pacific Ocean's) Sirena Deep this June."
On March 26, 2012, Cameron plunged 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) below the ocean surface in a one-man submarine to the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, the first solo diver to reach such depths. Scripps has been collaborating with Cameron for nearly a decade, focusing on developing new ways to explore and study the deepest parts of the oceans. The DEEPSEA CHALLENGE was a joint scientific expedition by Cameron, a National Geographic explorer-in-residence; National Geographic; and Rolex to conduct deep-ocean research and exploration.
More on the Nierenberg Prize
The Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest was created through a gift from the Nierenberg family to honor the memory of William A. Nierenberg. The prize, which includes a bronze medal and $25,000, is awarded each year for outstanding contributions to science in the public interest. Nierenberg was a leading expert in several fields of underwater research and warfare, and was known for his work in low-energy nuclear physics. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1971 and was the recipient of numerous awards and honors for professional research and public service. Past Nierenberg Prize winners are: Daniel Pauly (2012), Ira Flatow (2010), Richard Dawkins (2009), James Hansen (2008), J. Craig Venter (2007), Gordon E. Moore, Ph.D. (2006), Sir David Attenborough, OM (Order of Merit) (2005), Dame Jane Goodall (2004), Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. (2003), Walter Cronkite (2002), and E.O. Wilson, Ph.D. (2001).
More on Scripps and deep-sea discoveries
With its decades-long history of deep-sea exploration, Scripps is recognized as a world leader in investigating the science of the deep ocean, from exploring the deep's geological features, researching its exotic marine life inhabitants, to development of the requisite sensor and sampling technologies.
Scripps's history in exploring the deepest regions of the ocean dates back to the 1950s and '60s, when Scripps research geologist Robert Fisher meticulously mapped the Mariana Trench's deepest points. He employed innovative sounding techniques to firmly establish Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench as the deepest point in the world's oceans. In 1952 Fisher identified Horizon Deep in the Tonga Trench as the second-deepest point in the oceans and the deepest spot in the Southern Hemisphere.
This work set the stage for the famous dive of Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh aboard the bathyscaphe Trieste in the first manned voyage to the bottom of Challenger Deep on January 23, 1960, and later Cameron's record-breaking solo dive in 2012.
Scripps engineers also pioneered designs in free vehicles, autonomous unmanned diving platforms not connected to a ship by rope or wire, for reaching far into the ocean depths to gather data and samples. Scientists John Isaacs and Frank Snodgrass developed fundamental techniques of free vehicle operations still used today.
"Our present designs utilize new materials, processes, and technologiesall the things you expect to have evolved," said Hardy. "But we owe a lot to these first Scripps trailblazers of undersea robotic systems. We are only just beginning the exploration of the ultra-deep ocean. James Cameron's gift will profoundly accelerate our understanding of the hadal (extremely deep) zone. It's a different Earth down there."
"The generous donation (by James Cameron) will enable the lander system to be brought back into service, helping us to examine the distribution, characteristics, and adaptations of extremophilic microbes in the trenches," said Bartlett. "I am hoping that we can bring back some of the scientists from the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE Expedition for the next deployments and recoveries of this lander, and that we can start off where this expedition ended."
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Public release date: 15-May-2013
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