Argentina challenges U.S. court with bond plan

By Nate Raymond and Hugh Bronstein

NEW YORK/BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina challenged a U.S. court over the weekend by proposing that "holdout" bond investors be repaid only about one sixth the money federal judges hearing the case say they are owed, setting the stage for a legal showdown in New York.

The terms offered by Argentina are the same as those accepted by bondholders who chose to participate in the country's 2010 sovereign bond restructuring. The holdouts rejected that restructuring and are holding out for full repayment.

Aside from the implications the case has for Argentina's finances, it could also have wide ramifications for the way future sovereign restructurings are carried around the world.

Argentina defaulted on $100 billion in sovereign debt in 2002 at the height of a financial crisis in Latin America's third largest economy. The bonds now under dispute were issued in New York, which is why the case is being heard in U.S. court.

Elliott Management affiliate NML Capital Ltd, one of the lead plaintiffs, has said that it will not accept 2010 terms They and other holdouts are sure to argue that Argentina's proposal does not respond to the court's request.

"The court said 'You owe the holdouts $1.3 billion. Tell us how you are going to pay that to them,'" said Josh Rosner, managing director at research firm Graham Fisher & Co in New York.

"Instead of answering how they will pay the full amount, Argentina responded with a plan for paying a much smaller amount," he said. "Argentina is flirting with technical default, which would take a serious toll its economy."

The specter of technical defaults comes from the fact that a U.S. District Court in New York has said that until the holdouts start getting paid, Argentina cannot make payments to holders of the restructured bonds.

Elliott stands currently to receive $720 million from Argentina following a New York judge's order in November, according to Argentina.

But the bonds NML could take had a market value of just $186.8 million before a major decision in the case last October favoring the holdouts, or $120.6 million as of March 1, the filing said. Argentina estimates NML paid about $48.7 million in 2008 for its stake in the bonds.

"The Republic is prepared to fulfill the terms of this proposal promptly upon Order by the Court by submitting a bill to Congress that ensures its timely implementation," Jonathan Blackman, Argentina's U.S. lawyer, wrote.

Around 92 percent of Argentina's defaulted bonds were restructured in 2005 and 2010, with bondholders receiving 25 cents to 29 cents on the dollar.

But holdouts led by NML Capital and Aurelius Capital Management have fought for years for full payment. Argentina calls these funds "vultures."

In October, the 2nd Circuit upheld a trial judge's ruling by finding Argentina had violated a so-called pari passu clause in its bond documents requiring it to treat creditors equally.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Griesa in Manhattan subsequently ordered Argentina in November to pay the $1.33 billion owed to the bondholders into an escrow account by the time of its next interest payment to holders of the exchanged debt.

The 2nd Circuit heard an appeal of that order on February 27. Two days later, it directed Argentina to provide details of "the precise terms of any alternative payment formula and schedule to which it is prepared to commit."

BOND OPTIONS

In its 22-page submission late on Friday, Argentina said that under a so-called par bond option, the bondholders would receive new bonds due in 2038 with the same nominal face value of their current bonds. They would pay 2.5 percent to 5.25 percent a year, Argentina said.

Bondholders would also receive an immediate cash payment similar to what it provided under the 2010 debt swap, Argentina said. And they would receive derivative instruments that provide payments when the country's gross domestic product exceeds 3 percent a year.

The par option is restricted to small investors, unlike the discount option, the more applicable fit for big investors like NML and Aurelius.

Under the discount proposal, holdouts could receive new discount bonds due in 2033 that pay 8.28 percent annually. Argentina said the holdouts would also receive past due interest since 2003 in the form of bonds due in 2017 paying 8.75 percent a year, and GDP-linked derivative units.

Blackman, Argentina's lawyer, wrote that the proposal, unlike what he called the "100 cents on the dollar immediately" formula Griesa adopted, "is consistent with the pari passu clause, longstanding principles of equity, and the Republic's capacity to pay."

It was unclear on Saturday how the court might view Argentina's proposals. The same three-judge panel had said in October, though, that the holdouts "were completely within their rights" to reject prior debt swap offers.

Euginio Bruno, a lawyer and bond restructuring expert with the law firm Estudio Garrido Abogados in Buenos Aires, said the government's Friday proposal "was within expectations, considering the legal constraints on offering anything better than the terms of the 2010 restructuring."

Argentina has a "lock law" that keeps new governments from improving the terms of previous restructurings.

Earlier in the week, the holdouts scored a victory over Argentina when the 2nd Circuit denied a full court review of its October ruling on the equal treatment provision.

The United States had backed Argentina in seeking the review, contending the 2nd Circuit's decision ran "counter to longstanding U.S. efforts to promote orderly restructuring of sovereign debt.

Argentina and holders of its restructured bonds say granting the holdouts 100 cents on the dollar could complicate future sovereign restructurings around the world.

Argentine Vice President Amado Boudou repeated on Saturday that Argentina would continue repaying investors who participated in the restructuring no matter how the U.S. court case is resolved.

"One way or another, Argentina will pay," he said.

The case is NML Capital Ltd et al v. Republic of Argentina, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 12-105.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond; Additional reporting by Helen Popper, Alejandro Lifschitz and Guido Nejamkis in Buenos Aires; Editing by Todd Eastham, Will Dunham and Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/argentina-challenges-u-court-bond-plan-011959470--sector.html

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Cheap Accommodation In Central London

London is one of the most visited cities in the world and based on statistic, most tourists spend a bulk on their budget while in the city. For tourists, finding an affordable accommodation in Central London hotel is a high priority, as not all travellers can afford an expensive hotel.

Majority of travellers look for bed and breakfast hotels where they can spend less but stay comfortably. Given a choice, these travellers will opt for an accommodation that can provide them easy access to various tourist attractions within the city.

For such, Central London is considered as the best location. Staying at the heart of the city can provide access to various locations, such as the Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Tate Gallery and the Cathedral. All these attractions are just walking distance away from the best bed and breakfast hotels in Central London. Apart from that, visitors can also find restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues to ensure extreme enjoyment during the vacation. There are banks, supermarkets and post offices around the area as well.

From Central London, public transportations are accessible as well, thus allowing you to visit various locations. From here, you can easily reach Gatwick Airport within 30 minutes through the Gatwick Express Train. Riding a bus can take you to the airport in as short as 15 to 20 minutes but if you prefer to go by taxi, you can also ask the reception desk for assistance and they can get your preferred transportation for you. This is just another reason why bed and breakfast hotels within Central London are most preferred by majority of travellers.

These hotels can also provide basic amenities to ensure that you will have a comfortable stay while in the city. Rooms come with an en-suite bathroom and complimentary breakfast, as well as wireless internet service, en-suite toiletries, and complimentary tickets for theatres and local attractions. As a traveller, you would want to have a comfortable place to stay and this is ensured by the owners themselves. Hotel staffs and owners are very accommodating and pleasant to all visitors.

When looking for a bed and breakfast hotel in Central London, you can simply check the internet. You can find a good list of hotels where you can stay and compare the rates and amenities available. All the information you need can be easily found over the internet, as most hotels in London have their own websites. You can also place an advance booking to ensure that you will have a place to stay once you arrive in the city. This should be done, especially during holidays, as most hotels are packed with visitors.

Finding a cheap accommodation in Central London hotel can surely provide you with good value for your savings. There are some people who think that staying in a cheap hotel can be troublesome due to lack of basic facilities. However, bear in mind that this is not true, as most bed and breakfast hotels in London are now equipped with all the necessary facilities that will provide travellers with a comfortable and affordable place to stay. When looking for an accommodation in central London hotel, you can also check out reviews provided by previous visitors to make sure that you are choosing the best hotel for your vacation.

About the Author:
The author of this article is associated with Hallam Hotel, providing bed and breakfast accommodation in central London. To know more, log on to Hallamhotel.com.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Cheap-Accommodation-In-Central-London/4512380

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B&N Sweetens The Deal For Windows 8 Users With Free Nook Books And Magazines

Barnes & Noble content and tablet subsidiary Nook Media, part-owned by Microsoft specifically to help boost content for its new Windows 8 platform, today put some of that strategy into action: it has announced that people who download the Nook app for Windows 8 will get five books and five magazines free of charge.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/2sYU97AGjC4/

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New type of solar structure cools buildings in full sunlight

Mar. 27, 2013 ? A Stanford team has designed an entirely new form of cooling panel that works even when the sun is shining. Such a panel could vastly improve the daylight cooling of buildings, cars and other structures by radiating sunlight back into the chilly vacuum of space.

Homes and buildings chilled without air conditioners. Car interiors that don't heat up in the summer sun. Tapping the frigid expanses of outer space to cool the planet. Science fiction, you say? Well, maybe not any more.

A team of researchers at Stanford has designed an entirely new form of cooling structure that cools even when the sun is shining. Such a structure could vastly improve the daylight cooling of buildings, cars and other structures by reflecting sunlight back into the chilly vacuum of space. Their paper describing the device was published March 5 in Nano Letters.

"People usually see space as a source of heat from the sun, but away from the sun outer space is really a cold, cold place," explained Shanhui Fan, professor of electrical engineering and the paper's senior author. "We've developed a new type of structure that reflects the vast majority of sunlight, while at the same time it sends heat into that coldness, which cools humanmade structures even in the day time."

The trick, from an engineering standpoint, is two-fold. First, the reflector has to reflect as much of the sunlight as possible. Poor reflectors absorb too much sunlight, heating up in the process and defeating the purpose of cooling.

The second challenge is that the structure must efficiently radiate heat back into space. Thus, the structure must emit thermal radiation very efficiently within a specific wavelength range in which the atmosphere is nearly transparent. Outside this range, Earth's atmosphere simply reflects the light back down. Most people are familiar with this phenomenon. It's better known as the greenhouse effect -- the cause of global climate change.

Two goals in one

The new structure accomplishes both goals. It is an effective a broadband mirror for solar light -- it reflects most of the sunlight. It also emits thermal radiation very efficiently within the crucial wavelength range needed to escape Earth's atmosphere.

Radiative cooling at nighttime has been studied extensively as a mitigation strategy for climate change, yet peak demand for cooling occurs in the daytime.

"No one had yet been able to surmount the challenges of daytime radiative cooling -- of cooling when the sun is shining," said Eden Rephaeli, a doctoral candidate in Fan's lab and a co-first-author of the paper. "It's a big hurdle."

The Stanford team has succeeded where others have come up short by turning to nanostructured photonic materials. These materials can be engineered to enhance or suppress light reflection in certain wavelengths.

"We've taken a very different approach compared to previous efforts in this field," said Aaswath Raman, a doctoral candidate in Fan's lab and a co-first-author of the paper. "We combine the thermal emitter and solar reflector into one device, making it both higher performance and much more robust and practically relevant. In particular, we're very excited because this design makes viable both industrial-scale and off-grid applications."

Using engineered nanophotonic materials the team was able to strongly suppress how much heat-inducing sunlight the panel absorbs, while it radiates heat very efficiently in the key frequency range necessary to escape Earth's atmosphere. The material is made of quartz and silicon carbide, both very weak absorbers of sunlight.

Net cooling power

The new device is capable of achieving a net cooling power in excess of 100 watts per square meter. By comparison, today's standard 10-percent-efficient solar panels generate the about the same amount of power. That means Fan's radiative cooling panels could theoretically be substituted on rooftops where existing solar panels feed electricity to air conditioning systems needed to cool the building.

To put it a different way, a typical one-story, single-family house with just 10 percent of its roof covered by radiative cooling panels could offset 35 percent its entire air conditioning needs during the hottest hours of the summer.

Radiative cooling has another profound advantage over all other cooling strategy such as air-conditioner. It is a passive technology. It requires no energy. It has no moving parts. It is easy to maintain. You put it on the roof or the sides of buildings and it starts working immediately.

A changing vision of cooling

Beyond the commercial implications, Fan and his collaborators foresee a broad potential social impact. Much of the human population on Earth lives in sun-drenched regions huddled around the equator. Electrical demand to drive air conditioners is skyrocketing in these places, presenting an economic and an environmental challenge. These areas tend to be poor and the power necessary to drive cooling usually means fossil-fuel power plants that compound the greenhouse gas problem.

"In addition to these regions, we can foresee applications for radiative cooling in off-the-grid areas of the developing world where air conditioning is not even possible at this time. There are large numbers of people who could benefit from such systems," Fan said.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Stanford School of Engineering. The original article was written by Andrew Myers.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Eden Rephaeli, Aaswath Raman, Shanhui Fan. Ultrabroadband Photonic Structures To Achieve High-Performance Daytime Radiative Cooling. Nano Letters, 2013; : 130311121615001 DOI: 10.1021/nl4004283

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/STQ2QlQf-MY/130327132544.htm

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Bar Refaeli Controversy: Model Criticized For Role in Pro-Israel Campaign

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/bar-refaeli-controversy-model-criticized-for-role-in-pro-israel/

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The Collapse of the Value of a College Education - Economic Policy ...

College education has become expensive and nearly useless. Got that? Price up, quality down. No surprise, when government gets involved. Even WSJ seems to get this (partially). In a recent article, they write:

By some measures, nearly half of employed college graduates are in jobs that don't traditionally require a college degree.

Unfortunately, WSJ seems to blame this on robots:

Ia paper released Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a team of Canadian economists argues that the U.S. faces a longer-term problem.?

They found that unlike the 1990s, when companies needed hundreds of thousands of skilled workers to develop, build and install high-tech systems?everything from corporate intranets to manufacturing robots?demand for such skills has fallen in recent years, even as young people continued to flock to programs that taught them.

If it was simply a case of robots replacing workers in certain jobs, this would mean that there would be productivity gains for the economy overall, beginning and end of story. But, it is not as though we live in paradise where goods and services are so plentiful that none of us has to work. Something else is going on

The problem is that a college education for the most part does not ?increase the value of a potential worker for an employer (aside from accounting and engineering degrees). The college system is far from a free market profit oriented system. Almost 100% of colleges take money from government or accept students who?receive government loans. This results in colleges being required to meet government guidelines which have dramatically dumb downed the system.

The Chinese government has created 60 million vacant apartments through its central planning policies, while the U.S. government through its intervention in the education system has created tens of millions of college graduates with vacant minds.

College for most is really a waste of time, unless you want that accounting or engineering degree, or you are really sharp, can get into an Ivy League school and have a strong enough mind that you won't be corrupted by the system. In this latter category, I suspect no more than 1 in 500,000 could pull it off. Tom Woods did it, but few others. I can think of many more that were swallowed up by the system and now spend their time justifying some intervention in the economy.

If you are interested in studying Austrian economics, just go to the Mises Institute web?site?and absorb that material. Studying under Professor Walter Block at Loyola University New Orleans or Richard Ebeling at Northwood University are outlier options, but that is about it. For most who want to advance, they are much better off reading James Altucher than going to college.

Source: http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/03/the-collapse-of-value-of-college.html

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How to Make and Drink Greek Coffee | Olive Tomato

We have known for a while that coffee can be good for you and particularly Greek style coffee as that recent study on elderly Greeks showed us. So how do you make it?

Well, first of all taste is subjective and when it comes to coffee the variations are limitless. The same goes for Greek coffee, obviously you won?t add milk or syrups to it, but the ratio of sugar to coffee, the amount of coffee, the length of time it is boiled, whether it has bubbles or not, all these are factors that can affect the taste and texture of the coffee.?So in this post I will show you how I make the coffee and present the numerous other ways it can be prepared.

You will need
You will need some equipment to make a proper Greek coffee.

• A gas source. In Greece most people used to have gas stove tops, nowadays these have been replaced with electric stove tops, which I am not very fond of, as I cannot see flame. Since most people no longer have gas stove tops, here they use what you call a gazaki, it is a single camping gas burner. Traditionally this type of coffee is made in what is called hovoli, which is basically heated sand.
• Get a small coffee pot called a briki.
• Greek coffee, known also as Turkish or Arab coffee (see section below)
• Sugar
• Water
• Espresso coffee cup or Greek coffee cup like the one in the photo

*Note Greek coffee does not have any spices added to it such as cardamom.

Briki on the gas burner

What Type of Coffee Should you Use?
Now many people think that if they grind their favorite coffee beans in a fine powder they will have Greek style coffee. This is not the case. I remember when I was the Food and Beverage Director for Starbucks in Greece and we were launching the first store in Greece back in 2002, we had to serve Greek coffee in the store. Apparently there is a law in Greece that requires all coffee shops to serve Greek coffee. However, Starbucks only serve their own coffee blends, so they ground?their beans in a powder and made a ?Greek? coffee. I can assure you that it looked like Greek coffee, but it did not taste like Greek coffee. ? specific combination of beans is used to make this Greek blend, with specific bean varieties, roasted at specific temperatures and used in specific ratios. If there is a place that grinds/roasts Greek/Turkish/Arab style coffee near you, then by all means get the coffee from there. If not, many ethnic super markets sell it and you can also order Greek coffee from Amazon, they carry the 2 popular Greek brands Loumidis and Bravo.

DIRECTIONS
1. Measure out a full coffee cup of water (about 2 1/2 -3 ounces or 75-90 mls) and pour into the briki. If you are making more than one coffee make sure your briki is big enough, you will need space to let the coffee bubble and foam.

2. Add 2 teaspoons of coffee and 2 teaspoons of sugar for every 1 coffee cup and stir. This ratio is considered a somewhat strong coffee.

3. Place the briki on the gas and turn on so that it is on low heat.

4. Very slowly let the coffee heat up, (keep the flame very-very low). Do not leave the coffee unattended.

5. You will slowly see the surface start to tremble (I describe it like a volcano waiting to explode). Once it starts foaming, lift it slightly from the heat until the foam/bubbles settle and then put it on the fire again and let it start foaming and puffing up. Then remove. This step is important to get a good coffee. You don?t want to let it over-boil otherwise it will not have that creamy/foam on top, but you don?t want it under-boiled because then you may taste the grounds in the coffee.

6. Serve in the coffee cup. If you are making more then one, separate the foam in each coffee cup.

7. Serve the cup on a small saucer with a glass of cold water.

Greek coffee has a lighter color then similar style coffees.

How to drink Greek coffee
While this is a small coffee, it is not to be confused with the espresso, which is basically consumed quickly standing up. This coffee is consumed sitting down slowly. To get the full flavor you should sip the coffee slowly. I remember the older generations taking loud sips of coffee; while this may be rude, I find that it increases the enjoyment of the coffee. Once you start tasting the first grounds you are done. Do not try and drink the coffee grounds at the bottom of the cup.

In Greece, traditionally coffee was consumed two times a day: In the morning and in the afternoon after their nap. Although the coffee seems thick and black it is not extremely high in caffeine, it is actually lower then regular filter coffee.

Different Preparations of Greek Coffee
As I mentioned earlier there are different ways to enjoy coffee (some say that there are 45 different ways to prepare Greek coffee), so you may always reduce the sugar or not add any at all. The way I make it is considered somewhat moderate to strong. Here are some of the ways it can be consumed:

• Plain pronounced Sketos: Only coffee and no sugar
• Strong pronounced Varis: 2-3 teaspoons of coffee with 1 teaspoon sugar
• Light pronounced Elafris: ?-1 teaspoon of coffee + 1 teaspoon sugar
• Sweet pronounced Glykos: 1 teaspoon coffee +2 teaspoons sugar
• Strong-Sweet pronounced Variglykos: 3 teaspoons coffee +3 teaspoons sugar
• Yes and No pronounced Ne ke Ohi: 1 teaspoon coffee + ? teaspoon sugar

Photos by OliveTomato

Tags: Arab coffee, Boiled coffee, Briki, Greece, Greek coffee, Health, Turkish coffee

Source: http://www.olivetomato.com/how-to-make-and-drink-greek-coffee/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-make-and-drink-greek-coffee

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FOR KIDS: Another buzz for bees

FOR KIDS: Another buzz for bees

Blooms are more memorable when their nectar contains caffeine

By Stephen Ornes

Web edition: March 25, 2013

Blooms are more memorable when their nectar contains caffeine

By Stephen Ornes

Web edition: March 25, 2013

Enlarge

The caffeine in some flower nectar gives bees a memory boost, new data show.

Credit: Image courtesy of Geraldine Wright

Coffee drinkers aren?t the only ones getting a brain boost from a little caffeine. The drug improves honeybees? long-term memory, a new study shows. Bees are more likely to remember flowers that had caffeine in their nectar.

Visit the new?Science News for Kids?website?and read the full story:?Another buzz for bees

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Citations

R. Ehrenberg. Caffeine?s buzz attracts bees to flowers. Science News Online. March 7, 2013. [Go to]

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/349196/title/FOR_KIDS_Another_buzz_for_bees

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Top China college in focus with ties to army's cyber-spying unit

US-CHINA-CYBERSECURITY-UNIVERSITY:Top China college in focus with ties to army's cyber-spying unit

By Melanie Lee

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Faculty members at a top Chinese university have collaborated for years on technical research papers with a People's Liberation Army (PLA) unit accused of being at the heart of China's alleged cyber-war against Western commercial targets.

Several papers on computer network security and intrusion detection, easily accessed on the Internet, were co-authored by researchers at PLA Unit 61398, allegedly an operational unit actively engaged in cyber-espionage, and faculty at Shanghai Jiaotong University, a centre of academic excellence with ties to some of the world's top universities and attended by the country's political and business elite.

The apparent working relationship between the PLA unit and Shanghai Jiaotong is in contrast to common practice in most developed nations, where university professors in recent decades have been reluctant to cooperate with operational intelligence gathering units.

The issue of cyber-security is testing ties between the world's two biggest economies, prompting U.S. President Barack Obama to raise concerns over computer hacking in a phone call with new Chinese President Xi Jinping. China denies it engages in state-sponsored hacking, saying it is a victim of cyber-attacks from the United States.

There is no evidence to suggest any Shanghai Jiaotong academics who co-authored papers with Unit 61398 worked with anyone directly engaged in cyber-espionage operations, as opposed to research.

"The issue is operational activity - whether these research institutions have been involved in actual intelligence operations," said James Lewis, director of the Technology and Public Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "That's something the U.S. does not do."

"(In the U.S.) there's a clear line between an academic researcher and people engaged in operational (intelligence gathering) activities."

Shanghai Jiaotong declined to comment.

CO-AUTHORS

In reviewing the links between the PLA and Shanghai Jiaotong - whose alumni include former President Jiang Zemin, the head of China's top automaker and the former CEO of its most popular Internal portal - Reuters found at least three papers on cyber- warfare on a document-sharing web site that were co-authored by university faculty members and PLA researchers.

The papers, on network security and attack detection, state on their title pages they were written by Unit 61398 researchers and professors at Shanghai Jiaotong's School of Information Security Engineering (SISE).

In one 2007 paper on how to improve security by designing a collaborative network monitoring system, PLA researcher Chen Yi-qun worked with Xue Zhi, the vice-president of SISE and the school's Communist Party branch secretary. According to his biography on the school's website, Xue is credited with developing China's leading infiltrative cyber-attack platform.

Calls and emails to Xue were not answered. Reuters was unable to find contact details for Chen.

Fan Lei, an associate professor at Shanghai Jiaotong whose main research areas are network security management and cryptography, also co-authored a paper with Chen. Fan told Reuters he has no links with Unit 61398 and his work with Chen in 2010 was because Chen was a SISE graduate student. Fan said he was unaware Chen was with the PLA when they collaborated. Both of the papers Chen co-wrote with SISE professors stated he was with the PLA unit.

Cyber-security experts say the publicly available papers and China's National Information Security Engineering Centre are ostensibly about securing computer networks.

"The research seems to be defensive, but cyber-security research in general can be dual purpose," said Adam Meyers, director of intelligence at CrowdStrike, a security technology company based in Irvine, California. Figuring out how best to defend networks, by definition, means thinking about the most effective means of attack, he noted.

Efforts to reach the PLA for comment on its collaboration with Shanghai Jiaotong were unsuccessful.

TECH PARK NEIGHBORS

Set amid manicured lawns, Shanghai Jiaotong University is one of China's top four colleges, turning out brilliant technical engineers much in demand by both domestic companies and foreign multinationals. Its reputation has led to tie-ups with elite universities abroad.

Last month, Mandiant Corp, a private U.S.-based security firm, accused China's military of cyber-espionage on U.S. and other English-speaking companies, identifying Unit 61398 and its location at a building on the outskirts of Shanghai. China said the report was baseless and lacked "technical proof".

"SISE at Shanghai Jiaotong has provided support" to PLA Unit 61398 - known more formally as General Staff Department (GSD), Third Department, Second Bureau - said Russell Hsiao, author of papers on China's cyber-warfare capabilities for Project 2049 Institute, a Virginia-based think-tank, who drew his research from the technical papers and government reports.

He said another Shanghai Jiaotong department, the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, also did research work with another PLA unit. A Project 2049 report last year found the GSD's Third Department had oversight of "information security engineering bases" in Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin.

The GSD Third Department's Shanghai base is in an industrial park housing mainly government research institutes and high-tech firms. The SISE building is in the same development, 40 kms from the university's main Minhang campus. Across the street from SISE is the National Information Security Engineering Center, a building commissioned in 2003 by PLA Unit 61398. Also part of the base is the Ministry of Public Security's Third Research Institute, which researches digital forensics and network security.

AUTO RESEARCH

Shanghai Jiaotong is not officially linked to China's military. SISE says on its website its goal is to speed up the development of China's information security sector and address the national shortage of information security professionals.

Shanghai Jiaotong set up a joint institute in China's second city in 2006 with the University of Michigan - seeking, it says on its web site, to "develop innovative and highly reputable education and research programs in various engineering fields." A spokesman for the U.S. college said it has no relationship with SISE. Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh also had a partnership with Shanghai Jiaotong's School of Electronic, Information and Electrical Engineering, and Singapore Management University said it ended a tie-up with SISE last June.

Among the industries in the United States allegedly targeted by Unit 61398, as recently as last year according to Mandiant, is transportation, including the auto sector.

The University of Michigan collaborates closely with Detroit-based automakers on research projects, and is one of three colleges that comprise the University Research Corridor, which spent $300 million on R&D projects over the last five years. Nearly a third of that was funded by private industry, according to local consultant the Anderson Economic Group.

"There was no indication in 2010 that the joint institute was involved in any way and that also is the case today. We do, of course, watch the news reports on these issues carefully," said Rick Fitzgerald, a University of Michigan spokesman, referring to a New York Times report in 2010 citing investigators' claims to have tracked cyber-attacks against Google Inc to Shanghai Jiaotong and an eastern Chinese vocational school.

(Additional reporting by Jim Finkle and Joseph Menn in SAN FRANCISCO; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Cen-ConsumerElectronicsNet-technologyNews/~3/LxjccJEL290/viewarticle.jsp

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10 Things to Know for Monday

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center, shakes hands with a member of the U.S. Air Force 816 Expeditionary Airlift Squadron aboard a C-17 aircraft en route to Baghdad from Amman, Sunday, March 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center, shakes hands with a member of the U.S. Air Force 816 Expeditionary Airlift Squadron aboard a C-17 aircraft en route to Baghdad from Amman, Sunday, March 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)

A man waits for help after becoming stuck in snow along West 6th Street in Lawrence, Kan., Sunday, March 24, 2013. Few signs of spring are being found in parts of the Midwest as a snowstorm brings heavy snow and high winds. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Indiana guard Jordan Hulls, left, and Temple guard T.J. DiLeo (11) become entangled while chasing a loose ball in the second half of a third-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament on Sunday, March 24, 2013, in Dayton, Ohio. Indiana won 58-52. (AP Photo/Skip Peterson)

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday:

1. CYPRUS SECURES BAILOUT

European finance ministers signed off on a deal that requires holders of bank deposits of more than 100,000 euros to take losses.

2. KERRY'S 'SPIRITED DISCUSSION' IN IRAQ

He confronted Prime Minister al-Maliki on letting Iran use its airspace for flights to Syria.

3. ON THE HIGH COURT DOCKET: GAY MARRIAGE

"For the past four years, we've lived our lives in this hurry-up-and-wait, pins-and-needles way," says plaintiff Kris Perry, who challenged Proposition 8 with her partner.

4. WHO SIGNALS SAME SEX SUPPORT

GOP strategist Karl Rove suggests the next Republican presidential candidate could endorse gay marriage.

5. WHY THE PRESIDENT OF SYRIA'S OPPOSITION RESIGNED

Mouaz al-Khatib cited frustration over what he called lack of international support and constraints imposed by the body itself.

6. A STUBBORN CHALLENGE FOR THE DISABLED

The employment rate for working-age Americans with a disability is about 18 percent, down from 20 percent four years ago.

7. ROUNDING UP OPPOSING POSSES IN GUN DEBATE

NYC Mayor Bloomberg, rival NRA VP LaPierre spur their supporters to pressure lawmakers on gun control measures.

8. WHERE WINTER ISN'T LOOSENING ITS GRIP

While it's spring on the calendar, a snowstorm is bearing down on the Northeast after dumping from 7 to 15 inches of snow from Colorado to the Midwest.

9. WAITING ON A $338M WINNER

The N.J. Lottery will give details Monday on a winning ticket for the 4th-largest Powerball jackpot, which was sold somewhere in the state.

10. HOOSIERS ON THE BRINK

Top-seeded Indiana holds off Temple 58-52 to advance to round of 16 in the NCAA basketball tourney.

Associated Press

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NKorea suspected in cyberattack despite China link

A South Korean computer researcher looks at a computer monitor as he checks the shutdown computer servers of Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) at Evidence Acquisition Lab of Cyber Terror Response Center at National Police Agency in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 21, 2013. A Chinese Internet address was the source of a cyberattack on one company hit in a massive network shutdown that affected 32,000 computers at six banks and media companies in South Korea, initial findings indicated Thursday. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A South Korean computer researcher looks at a computer monitor as he checks the shutdown computer servers of Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) at Evidence Acquisition Lab of Cyber Terror Response Center at National Police Agency in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 21, 2013. A Chinese Internet address was the source of a cyberattack on one company hit in a massive network shutdown that affected 32,000 computers at six banks and media companies in South Korea, initial findings indicated Thursday. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A man walks past next to a sign of Cyber Terror Response Center at National Police Agency in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 21, 2013. A Chinese Internet address was the source of a cyberattack on one company hit in a massive network shutdown that affected 32,000 computers at six banks and media companies in South Korea, initial findings indicated Thursday. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Two South Korean computer researchers look at the computer monitors as they check the shutdown computer servers of Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) at Cyber Terror Response Center at National Police Agency in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 21, 2013. A Chinese Internet address was the source of a cyberattack on one company hit in a massive network shutdown that affected 32,000 computers at six banks and media companies in South Korea, initial findings indicated Thursday. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Customers use the automated teller machine at a branch of Shinhan Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 21, 2013. Investigators have traced a coordinated cyberattack that paralyzed tens of thousands of computers at six South Korean banks and media companies to a Chinese Internet Protocol address, authorities in Seoul said Thursday. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Customers use the automated teller machine at a branch of Nonghyup Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 21, 2013. Investigators have traced a coordinated cyberattack that paralyzed tens of thousands of computers at six South Korean banks and media companies to a Chinese Internet Protocol address, authorities in Seoul said Thursday. Nonghyup Bank was one of the six targets. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Investigators have traced a coordinated cyberattack that paralyzed tens of thousands of computers at six South Korean banks and media companies to a Chinese Internet Protocol address, but it was not yet clear who orchestrated the attack, authorities in Seoul said Thursday.

The discovery did not erase suspicions that North Korea was to blame. IP addresses are unique to each computer connected to the Internet, but they can easily be manipulated by hackers operating anywhere in the world. The investigation into Wednesday's attack could take weeks.

By Thursday, only one of the six targets, Shinhan Bank, was back online and operating regularly. It could be next week before the other companies have fully recovered.

North Korea has threatened Seoul and Washington in recent days over U.N. sanctions imposed for its Feb. 12 nuclear test, and over ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills. It also threatened revenge after blaming Seoul and Washington for an Internet shutdown that disrupted its own network last week.

North Korea "will never remain a passive onlooker to the enemies' cyberattacks," state media said last week in a commentary. "The U.S. and its allies should be held wholly accountable for the ensuing consequences."

Wednesday's cyberattack did not affect South Korea's government, military or infrastructure, and there were no initial reports that customers' bank records were compromised. But it disabled scores of cash machines across the country, disrupting commerce in this tech-savvy, Internet-dependent country, and renewed questions about South Korea's Internet security and vulnerability to hackers.

The attack disabled some 32,000 computers at broadcasters YTN, MBC and KBS, as well as three banks. Many of the computers were still down Thursday, but the broadcasters said their programming was never affected, and all ATMs were back online except for those at 16 branches belonging to Nonghyup Bank.

The attack may also have extended to the United States. The website of the U.S.-based Committee for Human Rights in North Korea also was hacked, with reports on satellite imagery of North Korean prison camps and policy recommendations to the U.S. government deleted from the site, according to executive director Greg Scarlatoiu.

The initial findings from South Korean investigators were based on results from an investigation into one target, Nonghyup Bank. The investigation is continuing into the shutdown at the five other firms.

A malicious code that spread through the Nonghyup server was traced to an IP address in China, said Cho Kyeong-sik, a spokesman for the state-run Korea Communications Commission. Regulators said all six attacks appeared to come from "a single organization."

The Chinese IP address identified by the South Korean communications regulator belongs to an Internet services company, Beijing Teletron Telecom Engineering Co., according to the website tracking and verification service Whois. A woman who answered the telephone number listed on Beijing Teletron's website denied the company was involved in Wednesday's cyber-hack. She refused to identify herself or provide further information.

Beijing Teletron operates fiber-optic networks and provides Internet services. It is the seventh-largest host of IP addresses in China. A subsidiary of the Shanghai-listed Dr. Peng Telecom and Media Group, Beijing Teletron's clients include government agencies and state media: the Foreign Ministry, the State Council Information Office and People's Daily, the Communist Party's flagship newspaper.

Wednesday's cyberattack does not fit the mold of previous attacks blamed on China. Chinese hacking, either from Beijing's cyber-warfare command or freelance hackers, tends to be aimed at collecting intelligence and intellectual property ? not simply at disrupting commerce.

China is home to a sizable North Korean community, both North Koreans working in the neighboring nation and Chinese citizens of ethnic ancestry who consider North Korea their motherland.

If the attack was in fact carried out by North Korea, it may be a warning to South Korea that Pyongyang is capable of breaching its computer networks with relative ease. Seoul's National Intelligence Services believes Pyongyang was behind six cyberattacks between 2009 and 2012.

South Korean investigators say they have no proof that North Korea was behind the attack. However, the outage took place as Pyongyang warned Seoul against holding joint military drills with the U.S. that it considers rehearsals for an invasion.

North Korea also has threatened retaliation for U.N. sanctions imposed for the nuclear test and for its launch of a long-range rocket in December. Pyongyang blames Seoul and Washington for leading the push to punish the North.

On Thursday, in a vein of typical bellicose rhetoric, North Korea's military threatened to attack American naval bases in Japan and an air base in Guam, where nuclear-capable B-52 bombers took off earlier this week to join the drills in South Korea.

The Korean Peninsula has remained in a technical state of war, divided by a heavily militarized border, since the foes signed a truce in 1953. Over the past decade, the two Koreas have engaged in deadly naval skirmishes in Yellow Sea waters that both countries claim. And, increasingly, their warfare has extended into cyberspace.

In 2011, computer security software maker McAfee Inc. said North Korea or its sympathizers likely were responsible for a cyberattack against South Korean government and banking websites that year. The analysis also said North Korea appeared to be linked to a massive computer-based attack in 2009 that brought down U.S. government Internet sites. Pyongyang denied involvement.

Previous hacking attacks on commercial ventures have compromised the personal data of millions of customers. Past malware attacks also disabled access to government websites and destroyed files on personal computers.

Last year, North Korea threatened to attack several South Korean news outlets, including KBC and MBC, for reports critical of Pyongyang's activities.

In recent days, North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea ? a government agency that often targets South Koreans in its push to draw attention to reunification ? warned Seoul's "reptile media" that the North was prepared to conduct a "sophisticated strike" if its negative coverage continued.

"If it plays out that this was a state-sponsored attack, that's pretty bald-faced and definitely an escalation in the tensions between the two countries," said James Barnett, former chief of public safety and homeland security for the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

An ominous question is which other businesses, in South Korea or elsewhere, may also be in the sights of the attacker, said Barnett, who heads the cybersecurity practice at Washington law firm Venable.

"This needs to be a wake-up call," he said. "This can happen anywhere."

Timothy Junio, a cybersecurity fellow at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation, said South Korea has worked to protect itself.

"Part of why this wasn't more consequential is probably because South Korea took the first major incident seriously and deployed a bunch of organizational and technical innovations to reduce response time during future North Korea attacks," he said.

South Korea also created a National Cybersecurity Center and Cyber Command modeled after the U.S. Cyber Command. Junio said South Korea's anti-virus firms also play a large role in stopping hacking attacks.

___

Associated Press writers Youkyung Lee and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, Matthew Pennington in Washington, Charles Hutzler in Beijing and Martha Mendoza in San Jose, California, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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Venezuelan police fire teargas at election clash

By Deisy Buitrago

CARACAS (Reuters) - Police fired teargas on Thursday to control a flare-up in downtown Caracas between anti-government student protesters and supporters of the late President Hugo Chavez in an increasingly volatile atmosphere ahead of next month's election.

Several hundred students were marching to the election board's headquarters to demand a clean vote, when they were blocked by government supporters who hurled stones, bottles and eggs at them, a Reuters witness said.

"It's horrible, they're attacking us," said 19-year-old student Boris Walcheff.

Police fired three canister of gas towards the 150 or so government supporters and formed a cordon between the two sides. Some of the students also threw stones back, witnesses said.

It was the first outbreak of violence since an election was called on April 14 for the South American OPEC nation following Chavez's death from cancer two weeks ago.

Both candidates, acting President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Henrique Capriles, have been trading bitter personal accusations as they rally supporters for the vote.

Maduro, who is promising to continue Chavez's radical socialism in Venezuela, led two polls published this week by more than 14 percentage points.

Before the clash, the students had been marching to the election headquarters singing the national anthem and carrying signs including "Free and fair elections" and "Nicolas is a liar."

Government opponents say the election board and other institutions are biased. Officials deny that.

"We were holding a peaceful march," said another student, Carlos Vargas, 19, who was injured in the eye.

"Maduro sent these kids to stop us."

(Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Vicki Allen)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/venezuelan-police-fire-teargas-election-clash-181530646.html

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Stocks end lower as Cyprus spooks investors

JeeYeon Park , CNBC ? ? ? 15 hrs.

Stocks finished in negative territory Thursday, dragged by techs, amid ongoing concerns over Cyprus' ability to get a bailout.

In the latest development, the Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus put out a statement to outline a plan to save the nation's struggling banking system and wants an immediate vote on it by the country's House of Representatives. The plan includes protecting bank accounts under 100,000 euros.

(See: Scenes From the Cyprus Crisis)

Market reaction was muted, however, with major averages continuing to trade in negative territory.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished in negative territory, led by Cisco and IBM. The blue-chip index tumbled more than 120 points at session lows.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also closed in the red. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, jumped above 13.

Most key S&P sectors ended lower, led by techs and materials. Telecoms eked out a small gain.

"It looks like the rally's gotten tired?we've been up 13 in the last 16 weeks so we may be due for a pullback," said Jeff Kleintop, Chief Market Strategist for LPL Financial. "In the last few years, late March and early April's been a time when the market tends to peak and sees a 5 to 10 percent pullback. But we'll see a bounce after that, so individual investors can use this market to their advantage and look to buy on the dips."

In Europe, the ECB told Cyprus it has until next Monday to agree to a bailout plan, threatening to cut off funding to the nation's cash-strapped banks. Earlier this week, Cypriot lawmakers voted against a levy on bank deposits. Banks will remain closed until next Tuesday and Cyprus is considering some form of capital controls to prevent capital flight once they re-open. The country's stock exchange will also be closed on both Thursday and Friday.

Meanwhile, troubled Cyprus Popular Bank imposed a 260-euro-per-day limit on ATM withdrawals in an effort to deal with high demand. Anxious customers formed long lines at ATM machines to withdraw funds amid rumors that the bank was to be closed down, later denied by the central bank.

(Read More: Cyprus Shows 'Cracks in the Floor': Godfrey)

The head of the Eurogroup of finance ministers Jeroen Dijsselbloem, told CNBC that while he was confident an agreement could be found over Cyprus, Russia might not be the source of the aid.

Adding to woes in Europe, business activity in Germany slowed in March. European shares finished lower.

"We're seeing the core economies of Europe like France and Germany, which had been growing for years despite the peripheral countries, all in recession now. The economic malaise in Europe is expected to continue," warned Kleintop. "Cyprus is the least of Europe's problems right now."

Among earnings, Oracle slumped nearly 10 percent, its biggest drop in 15 months, after the software company reported earnings and revenue that missed forecasts as software sales and subscriptions dropped 2 percent compared to the company's estimates for a gain of 3 to 13 percent. At least three brokerages slashed their price target on the company.

(Read More: Oracle Dip Temporary: Analysts)

Lululemon posted a profit that topped expectations, but the yogawear maker said it expects earnings to decline in the current quarter due to the see-through yoga pants recall earlier this week.

KB Home gained after the homebuilder posted a narrower-than-expected loss and a gain in new home orders.

Nike and Micron are expected to post earnings after the closing bell.

(Read More:Nike Earnings: 3 Things to Watch)

Among techs, Hewlett-Packard boosted its quarterly dividend by 10 percent to 14.52 cents a share. The news came a day after HP's board members were re-elected, but shareholders remained disappointment over the company's $11 billion purchase of British software firm Autonomy.

Cisco slumped after FBR Capital cut its rating on the networking equipment maker to "underperform" from "market perform" and lowered its price target to $17 from $22.

Meanwhile, Yahoo bucked the negative trend after Oppenheimer boosted its rating on the company to "outperform" from "perform" and lifted its price target to $27 from $22.

On the economic front, weekly jobless claims rose to a seasonally adjusted 336,000, according to the Labor Department, while a trend reading dropped to its lowest in five years, signaling an ongoing recovery in the labor market.

Meanwhile, existing home sales climbed to an annual rate of 4.98 million in February, hitting a three-year high, according to the National Association of Realtors. Still, the reading was slightly below Reuters' estimates of a rise to a 5 million-unit rate.

(Read More: Finally: Supply of Homes for Sale Begins to Rise)

"Housing is going to remain very positive for the markets," said Kleintop, adding that homebuilders should perform well over the next few months as a result.

Also on the economic front, leading indicators gained for a third month, according to the Conference Board. And factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region grew in March after contracting for two months, according to the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank.

In Washington, the U.S. House passed a bill to extend government funding through September, avoiding a shutdown at the end of the month.

?By CNBC's JeeYeon Park (Follow JeeYeon on Twitter:@JeeYeonParkCNBC)

? 2013 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved

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Learn Smart Search Engine Optimisation Services Company ...

If you?re a New Zealand business proprietor and tend to be trying to increase your presence online, search engine optimisation tools are essential to understand. Search engine optimization in Auckland NZ (New Zealand) tools can be found in a variety of types and several can be utilized without a specialist significant amounts of cash.
Auckland businesses trying to improve their search engine ranking, to inspire lots more people to visit their particular business? website, also to eventually produce a higher profit, usually stay aggressive on the web following these straightforward Search engine optimization in Auckland NZ (New Zealand) ideas.

Make use of Pay per click, a Keyword Search engine optimization in Auckland NZ (New Zealand) Device
Yahoo has developed a totally free seo tool for site owners and also entrepreneurs. The particular keyword tool permits the person to get the best keywords as well as keyword phrases for his or her website. Adwords is a great search engine optimization tool as it can certainly let you know how many times Search engines consumers look for a specific keyword and also which phrases they typically pair it with.
While the basic characteristic that this Search engine optimization in Auckland NZ (New Zealand) tool provides is very informative already, particularly for companies who?re just starting to produce an online presence, Google Adwords goes a step further. Google?s Pay per click keyword device can advise you just how competitive a key phrase is actually, its nearby Nz or Auckland search volume, and its total amount of searches. search engine optimisation new zealand

Attempt Search engine optimization in Auckland NZ (New Zealand) via Google Statistics.
Google Analytics is yet another free Search engine marketing tool offered by Google. Yahoo Statistics allows you to observe how many individuals possess frequented your internet site, how long that they remained, and what percentage are repeat visitors. A whole overview of your website?s or blog?s site visitors can be found simply by making a Yahoo accounts.
Google Analytics is also a fantastic way to additionally understand how you are able to develop your internet site making use of search engine optimisation. The particular tool demonstrates to you not just the amount of people see your web site, but how they noticed your website and also which keywords they utilized.

Apply Search engine optimization through the use of Yahoo Insights
Google Insights is yet another beneficial seo tool offered by Google. Google Insights can present you with details about trending keywords. You can look up keywords reputation over the time frame, a location, as well as through category.
Auckland companies looking to enhance their Search engine marketing can as a result lookup their particular keywords, restricting their particular research to Nz or even Auckland. This may yet again be helpful whenever deciding upon or even having your website?s key phrases.

Due to Yahoo, fundamental search engine optimisation tools are readily available in order to New Zealand webmasters. To boost your own Search engine optimization, nonetheless, the knowledge given by these power tools must be put to work appropriately, which is the place where a specialized search engine optimization organization can help.

In: 10 | | Link ????? 12 vizualizari

Source: http://culturapopulara.ro/?p=37527

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Where, oh where, has the road kill gone?

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Millions of birds die in the US each year as they collide with moving vehicles, but things have been looking up, at least in the case of cliff swallows. Today's swallows are hit less often, thanks to shorter wingspans that may help them take off more quickly and pivot away from passing cars. The findings, reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on March 18, show that urban environments can be evolutionary hotspots.

"Evolution is an ongoing process, and all this?roads, SUVs, and all?is part of nature or 'the wild'; they exert selection pressures in a way we don't usually think about," says Charles R. Brown of the University of Tulsa.

Brown and his colleagues, including Mary Bomberger Brown from the University of Nebraska?Lincoln, have been studying cliff swallows in Nebraska since 1982. The birds there build clusters of mud nests attached to vertical walls under bridges, overpasses, or railroad tracks, often in colonies of thousands.

Every year, for the last 30 years, the researchers have traveled the very same roads to collect dead birds and compare them to birds that died accidentally in other ways.

Those road kill surveys now reveal a sharp decline in mortality over the last 30 years, a drop that can't be explained by declines in the bird population or in traffic volume. The birds that continue to die on the roads are those with longer-than-average wingspans.

"Longer-winged swallows sitting on a road probably can't take off as quickly, or gain altitude as quickly, as shorter-winged birds, and thus the former are more likely to collide with an oncoming vehicle," Brown explains.

It's possible that other factors are also at play. For instance, swallows do learn from each other. Regardless of the underlying causes, the study's findings definitively show that traffic-related mortality can lessen over time even when traffic does not.

The researchers say that may be good news for other species?including turtles and snakes?which are also known to suffer significant mortality on the nation's roadways.

###

Cell Press: http://www.cellpress.com

Thanks to Cell Press for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127341/Where__oh_where__has_the_road_kill_gone_

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The ABCs of Health Insurance for College Students | GradGuard Blog

Choosing health insurance for college students has become more tricky over time ? with a changing economic landscape and changing legislation, the old tried and true routes of remaining under a parent?s plan or easily accessing a college plan are not as reliable as they once were. With more and more parents finding themselves either short of work or out of work altogether, and companies cutting back on costs including health coverage, the once relied upon and, often expected, group coverage for the family has become more and more of a rarity.

The Government Accountability Office puts the number at 20 percent of those who are traditional-age college students who are going to school without the security of health insurance. When you consider that college students typically fall in the late teen or early twenties age group and in the prime of their physical health, this may seem to be a small concern. But that isn?t always the case.

College is a life transition. For many students, college marks the first step on the road to independence, away from parents and toward adulthood, and this can be a precarious time. Not to mention the financial stress ? many students face loans and high tuition costs -? a time no student wants to complicate with medical bills because of unexpected illness or injury.

So, what are the options for those who are seeking health insurance for their college student?

Family Healthcare Coverage

While there?s been a decline in the amount of coverage that group healthcare plans contain, many do cover adult children for the most part. The smart thing to do is to check the policy or give your agent a call before sending you child off to school uninsured?and insecure.

College or University Student Healthcare Coverage

Most universities and colleges offer some type of Health insurance for college students ?plans that often come with fairly low premiums. This is a direct result of the age and generally healthy state of most college age kids. The big watch out when it comes to relying on this for college student health insurance coverage is that these plans often come with very low coverage amounts?often no more than a couple of thousand of dollars?not much to work with when considering current hospitalization and medical care costs. Check with your school or an agent to get the specifics of your college health plan, and be sure to weigh your risks and budget when making a decision.

Online Individual Insurance Providers

The other option that college students have for health insurance is an individual policy designed to protect them whether they are in school or out. Once again, a premium policy can be had for a fairly nominal amount with coverage that is flexible and can be built to suit the health insurance needs of the college student. Students and their families should research the options available to them and speak with an agent to learn more.

This article is brought to you by eindividualhealth.com, a full-service health insurance agency that puts the most qualified health insurance professionals at your fingertips. Our plans cover a host of scenarios, offering some of the biggest and best health insurance providers in the business so you can keep enjoying your life and getting the most out of it. For comprehensive and cost-effective quotes on College student medical insurance plans or for any other health insurance needs, give us a call, toll-free at 888-887-4325, or online at eindividualhealth.com.

Photo by Alex E. Proimos.?

Source: http://blog.gradguard.com/2013/03/the-abcs-of-health-insurance-for-college-students/

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Police say Fla. college student plotted attack

In this mug shot released by the Florida Highway Patrol shows James Seevakumaran on October 30, 2006. University of Central Florida police have identified Seevakumaran as the student that killed himself in a dorm at UCF in Orlando, Fla. ,early Monday March 18, 2013. Seevakumara was found with several fire arms and a homemade device in a backpack. The incident caused the evacuation of a dorm building. (AP Photo/Florida Highway Patrol)

In this mug shot released by the Florida Highway Patrol shows James Seevakumaran on October 30, 2006. University of Central Florida police have identified Seevakumaran as the student that killed himself in a dorm at UCF in Orlando, Fla. ,early Monday March 18, 2013. Seevakumara was found with several fire arms and a homemade device in a backpack. The incident caused the evacuation of a dorm building. (AP Photo/Florida Highway Patrol)

Various police agencies are seen during an investigation at the University of Central Florida, Monday, March 18, 2013, in Orlando, Fla., after explosive devices were found by authorities investigating the apparent suicide of a college student in the dorm. Hundreds of students were evacuated, though the school said there was no immediate threat. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

University of Central Florida police Chief Richard Beary, right, shows an example of the assault rifle, along with explosive devices, found in the dorm room of James Oliver Seevakumaran, who died of an apparent suicide in the room, Monday, March 18, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. Watching are UCF president John Hitt, left, and Grant Heston, UCF associate vice-president of communications and public affairs. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

University of Central Florida president John Hitt, left, answers questions during a news conference after the apparent suicide of UCF student James Oliver Seevakumaran in his dorm room, Monday, March 18, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. Seevakumaran's body was found with an assault rifle and explosive devices. Listening is ATF special agent Julie Torrez. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

University of Central Florida police block off a street near the Tower 1 dorm, tall building center, after explosive devices were found by authorities investigating the apparent suicide of a college student in the dorm, Monday, March 18, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. Hundreds of students were evacuated, though the school said there was no immediate threat. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) ? A college student with two guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a backpack filled with explosives pulled a dorm fire alarm Monday in an apparent attempt to force other students out into the open so that he could slaughter them, authorities said. But he instead put a bullet in his head as police closed in.

James Oliver Seevakumaran, 30, was found dead in his dorm room at the 51,000-student Orlando campus of the University of Central Florida. No one else was hurt.

"His timeline got off," university Police Chief Richard Beary said. "We think the rapid response of law enforcement may have changed his ability to think quickly on his feet."

Some 500 students were evacuated from the building in the middle of the night, unaware how narrowly they had escaped what could have been another Virginia Tech-style bloodbath.

"It could have been a very bad day here for everybody. All things considered, I think we were very blessed here," Beary said. "Anybody armed with this type of weapon and ammunition could have hurt a lot of people here, particularly in a crowded area as people were evacuating."

Police shed no light on a motive, but university spokesman Grant Heston said that before the episode, the school was in the process of removing Seevakumaran from the dormitory because he hadn't enrolled for the current semester. He had never been seen by university counselors and had no disciplinary problems with other students, Heston said.

Detectives found notes and other writings that indicated Seevakumaran had carefully planned an attack and "laid out a timeline of where he was going to be and what he was going to do," Beary said.

The episode began early Monday, just after midnight, when Seevakumaran pulled a gun on one of his roommates, who holed up in a bathroom and called police, Beary said. Around the same time, Seevakumaran pulled a fire alarm, apparently to get other students out in the open, the police chief said.

In his room, investigators found four makeshift explosive devices in a backpack, a .45-caliber handgun, a .22-caliber tactical rifle, and a couple of hundred rounds of ammunition, police said. Beary said it appears his weapon and ammunition purchases began in February.

Antonio Whitehead, 21, said he heard the fire alarm go off in the dorm and thought it was a routine event.

"All of a sudden, I felt the crowd move a little faster. And a police officer with a machine gun or something told everyone to start moving a lot faster," he said.

Seevakumaran had attended the university from 2010 through the fall semester as a business student. His roommates told detectives that he had shown antisocial behavior but had never shown any violent tendencies, Beary said.

According to Florida records, his only adult arrest in the state was in 2006 for driving with a suspended license.

Morning classes were canceled, but most campus operations resumed around noon.

___

Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in Orlando and Freida Frisaro in Miami contributed to this report.

___

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Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-18-US-Explosive-Device-College/id-29019f07c54447f09e2f3d3077fc92d9

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