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Sunday, March 31, 2013
Nine Inch Nails: The Day The World Went Away
'I love you, too': Cardinal Dolan says Catholic Church must embrace gays and lesbians
Gabriel Bouys / AFP - Getty Images file
U.S. Cardinal Timothy Dolan attends a mass at the St Peter's basilica before the papal conclave in this March 2013 file photo.
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By Daniel Arkin, Staff Writer, NBC News
Prominent U.S. Cardinal Timothy Dolan acknowledged Easter Sunday that the Catholic Church needs to forge a better relationship with the gay and lesbian community.
?We gotta do better to see that our defense of marriage is not reduced to an attack on gay people,? Dolan said. ?And I admit, we haven?t been too good about that. We try our darndest to make sure we?re not anti-anybody.?
Dolan, the charismatic Archbishop of New York, made his comments on ABC?s ?This Week? nearly one week after the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments for and against Proposition 8, California?s gay marriage ban, and the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law that blocks federal recognition of gay marriages.
Dolan called for a more conciliatory approach to gay and lesbian Catholics who may feel alienated by Church doctrine, which is traditionally opposed to homosexuality.
?The first thing I?d say to them is, ?I love you, too, and God loves you, and we want your happiness,?? he said.
But Dolan added that he wasn?t sure how Catholic leaders should conduct better outreach to homosexuals.
?I don?t know. We?re still trying. We?re trying our best to do it. We got to listen to people,? Dolan said. ?Jesus died on the cross for them as much as he did for me.?
Despite the appeal for inclusiveness, Dolan said the Church is unlikely to reverse their position on same-sex marriage.
?Sexual love ? is intended only for a man and woman in marriage, where children can come about naturally,? he said.
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Calvin Track and Field Teams Perform Well at Grand Rapids Open ...
Calvin Track and Field Teams Perform Well at Grand Rapids Open
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Results
One of those events was the 300 meter dash. On the women?s side, junior Julie Busscher (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) took first place in a time of 41.98. Busscher was one of several winners for the Calvin women?s team.
Other winners for the Calvin women included junior Olivia Butler (Grant/Grant HS) in the 1,000 meter run (3:04.22), freshman McKenzie Diemer (Caledonia/South Christian HS) in the 3,000 meter run (10:30.22), sophomore Christina Geating (Abington, PA/Abington HS) in the high jump (5-1), junior Lauren Madden (Orland Park, IL/Chicago Christian HS) in the javelin (120-5) and junior Hilary Banning (Whitinsville, MA/Whitinsville Christian HS) in the triple jump (35-7 1/4).
On the men?s side, Calvin received first place performances from senior Greg Whittle (Galesburg, IL/Galesbug HS) in the 1,000 meters (2:31.37), sophomore Calvin Kuyers (Lansing/Lansing Christian HS) in the 300 meter hurdles (39.06) and senior Aaron Meckes (Bay City/Saginaw Valley Lutheran HS) in the shot put (50-6 1/4). Junior Ben deWaal Malefyt (Midland Park, NJ/Eastern Christian HS) also had a notable performance in the discus, tossing a career-best mark of 160-3 with Meckes close behind at 154-3.
Both Calvin teams will now prepare to compete at the Spartan Invitational next Saturday on the campus of Michigan State University.
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Saturday, March 30, 2013
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Curry sends Duke past Michigan State 71-61
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Seth Curry shot Duke right into the regional finals ? and put Mike Krzyzewski on the verge of another milestone.
Curry scored 29 points and the Blue Devils beat Michigan State 71-61 on Friday night to advance to the Midwest Regional final in the NCAA tournament.
"Seth was just at a different level than anyone else on the court offensively tonight," Krzyzewski said. "To get 29 points in a game like this against a good team is just incredible."
If No. 2 seed Duke (30-5) beats top-seeded Louisville (32-5) in Sunday's regional final, Krzyzewski would tie John Wooden's record with 12 Final Four trips.
Third-seeded Michigan State (27-9) just couldn't keep up with Curry and Duke's shooters. Keith Appling had 16 points for the Spartans, and Adreian Payne finished with 14.
Curry's sixth 3-pointer of the game broke a 38-38 tie early in the second half, sending Duke on a 9-0 run. It also matched the school record for most 3s in an NCAA tourney game, most recently accomplished by Jason Williams on March 22, 2001, against UCLA.
The Blue Devils never trailed again.
Rasheed Sulaimon had 16 points and Mason Plumlee finished with 14 for Duke.
The win comes 16 months after Duke beat Michigan State to give Krzyzewski the NCAA record for wins. Now, one year after falling to Lehigh in the second round of the tournament, Krzyzewski is on the verge of breaking a second-place tie with North Carolina's Dean Smith and matching Wooden's mark.
Louisville coach Rick Pitino has made six appearances in the Final Four. Another win would tie him for fourth with Roy Williams in a game that likely will be played in front of another highly partisan Cardinals crowd.
But this night belonged to Curry, who averaged 21.5 points in the Blue Devils' first two tourney games. He scored 14 in the first half and when he hit his third 3 of the second half with 17:10 left, Duke took off.
"I was just trying to set up my cuts a little better," Curry said of the opening part of the second half. "The guys were setting screens a little better, so I credit my teammates to get me open and get me into a rhythm."
The Blue Devils finally broke open the back-and-forth game by scoring five straight points midway through the second half, extending the lead to 56-46. It never trailed again in an entertaining contest between two of college basketball's most successful coaches.
Unfortunately for the Spartans, coach Tom Izzo's son's prediction of a Duke victory proved to be correct, preventing a third Big Ten team from reaching the regional finals.
"They're a good team, they played well, Curry hurt us, no question about it," Izzo said. "We didn't quit, we hung in there. I thought we played poorly for us, but the better team won tonight."
The first half was played to a near draw with four ties and eight lead changes.
Michigan State grabbed an 18-17 lead on Derrick Nix's tip-in with 9:52 left in the first half, but Curry then scored nine points in an 11-2 run for the Blue Devils. He was fouled by Travis Trice while attempting a 3-pointer and made all three free throws to make it 28-20 with 4:59 remaining.
Back came the Spartans, who clamped down on defense and closed to 32-31 at halftime.
The game remained close until Curry sparked a 9-0 spree in the second half that made it 47-38 with 13:47 remaining. Curry opened the run with a tiebreaking 3-pointer and Mason Plumlee had consecutive baskets before Curry scored again.
Michigan State closed to 65-58 with 1:32 to go, but couldn't get any closer.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/curry-sends-duke-past-michigan-state-71-61-042841850--spt.html
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Friday, March 29, 2013
5 Common Physician Relations Faux Pas - Becker's Hospital Review
March 28, 2013
Maintaining relationships with physicians is an integral component leading to a hospital's current and future financial success. "The only ones who admit patients and provide mainstream revenue to hospitals is the medical staff," says Joseph DeSilva, FACHE, partner at The Kiran Consortium Group, a healthcare advisory and professional services firm. "You want to retain?and enhance referrals, and you can only do that through positive relationships with the medical staff."
Even though the importance of developing positive relationships with area physicians is somewhat obvious, many hospital and health system leaders still make mistakes in their physician relations strategy that can cost them referrals and, ultimately, profits.
Mr. DeSilva breaks down five common faux pas healthcare leaders tend to make in their physician relations efforts and shares easy fixes.
1. Failing to listen to physician concerns. Though this is a common problem, it is easily remedied through enhanced communication. "Hospital [leaders] feel their communication processes are adequate and assume they are communicating at a level the medical staff appreciates and understands," Mr. DeSilva says. "Never assume that."
One way to remedy any real or perceived communication gaps is to hold scheduled town hall meetings where the medical staff can voice any anxieties, concerns or suggestions for improvement. It is also important to ensure that medical staff leadership is engaged and active, making the medical staff feel like they have a voice and are engaged in decision-making. Initiating written communication, such as sending emails, is another crucial element toward improved communication between physicians and the C-suite.
2. Underestimating the economic impact legislation has on the medical staff. Healthcare's landscape has changed drastically since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed three years ago, and the changes have had a major influence on how physicians are paid. Hospital and health system leaders need to understand and respect that the medical staff's financial viability could be unstable, and brainstorm ways enhance that viability. "Offer the appropriate technology to support growth and patient needs," Mr. DeSilva says. "Also ensure there is adequate marketing of the hospital and its services." Basic steps like these can help physicians feel more comfortable with their financial future under reform.
3. Under-appreciating the medical staff. Physicians and other medical staff providers often play a large role in the local community, but hospital leaders do not always recognize the importance of that role. "They really are the voice of a hospital in the community," Mr. DeSilva says. Regularly recognizing physicians can go a long way toward securing positive physician relationships.
4. Recruiting physicians too close to existing practices. According to Mr. DeSilva, many hospitals recruit new physicians into an area without engaging local physicians,? leading to unnecessary competition. "Engage current physicians in recruitment," he urges. Also, as a general rule, Mr. DeSilva recommends having a seven-mile radius between each primary care practice to limit inter-physician competition.
That simple step can help avoid the last mistake, which is?
5. Developing a competitive environment. Instead of competition among physicians, hospital leaders should encourage a collaborative environment. The hospital C-suite and physicians need to work together and collaborate to meet the needs of the community prior to aligning with other local providers or relocating physicians into the area. "Discuss what the needs are and how the medical staff and hospital can work collaboratively in recruiting an adequate number of providers," Mr. DeSilva says.
Most of these common mistakes can be avoided simply by ensuring the physicians and the rest of the medical staff are appreciated, understood and heard.
More Articles on Hospital-Physician Relations:
10 Guidelines for Setting Physician Performance Metrics
Adding Employed Practices to Your Organization? 6 Ways to Getting Buy-in From the Practice
Marketing Physicians to Grow Market Share
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Estrogen plus progestin use linked with increased breast cancer incidence and mortality
Mar. 29, 2013 ? Estrogen plus progestin use is linked with increased breast cancer incidence. In addition, prognosis is similar for both users and nonusers of combined hormone therapy, suggesting that mortality from breast cancer may be higher for hormone therapy users as well, according to a study published March 29 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
In the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) randomized trial, estrogen plus progestin was associated with an increase in both breast cancer incidence and mortality. However, most observational studies have linked estrogen plus progestin with more positive outcomes.
In order to determine the differences between the WHI trial and other observational studies, Rowan T. Chlebowski, M.D., Ph.D., Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) lead researcher and colleagues, looked at postmenopausal women with no prior hysterectomy with negative mammograms within two years who were either users or non-users of estrogen and progestin combined therapy.
The researchers found that breast cancer incidence was higher in estrogen plus progestin users than incidence in nonusers. Women who started hormone therapy closer to menopause had a higher breast cancer risk with a weakening influence as the time from menopause increased.
"Because survival after breast cancer diagnosis did not differ between estrogen plus progestin users and nonusers, the higher breast cancer incidence of those using estrogen plus progestin may lead to increased breast cancer mortality on a population basis," the authors write.
In an accompanying editorial, Catherine Schairer, Ph.D., and Louise A. Brinton, Ph.D., both of the National Cancer Institute, write that questions remain about whether the data analyzed from the WHI observational study resolves the differences in tumor prognosis and tumor characteristics when compared to the WHI randomized trial. They write that, "In general, tumors in estrogen plus progestin users in the WHI Observational Study were not significantly different from those in non-hormone users with regard to number of positive lymph nodes or tumor size, but were more likely to be well differentiated and positive for hormone receptors, findings which are similar to other observational studies." This, however, did not translate into a survival benefit. They recommend further analyses in this and other datasets of currency and duration of hormone use in relationship to tumor development to fully resolve the issue of tumor characteristics associated with estrogen plus progestin therapy.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Journal of the National Cancer Institute, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
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Journal Reference:
- Rowan T. Chlebowski, JoAnn E. Manson, Garnet L. Anderson, Jane A. Cauley, Aaron K. Aragaki, Marcia L. Stefanick, Dorothy S. Lane, Karen C. Johnson, Jean Wactawski-Wende, Chu Chen, Lihong Qi, Shagufta Yasmeen, Polly A. Newcomb, and Ross L. Prentice. Estrogen Plus Progestin and Breast Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the Women?s Health Initiative Observational Study. J Natl Cancer Inst, March 29, 2013 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djt043
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/NklAj6Nqpp0/130329161238.htm
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CA-NEWS Summary
North Korea to cut all channels with South
SEOUL (Reuters) - Reclusive North Korea is to cut the last channel of communications with the South because war could break out at "any moment", it said on Wednesday, days of after warning the United States and South Korea of nuclear attack. The move is the latest in a series of bellicose threats from North Korea in response to new U.N. sanctions imposed after its third nuclear test in February and to "hostile" military drills under way joining the United States and South Korea.
Italy politics still stuck as Bersani to face president
ROME (Reuters) - Italian center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani was left on Wednesday with only slim hope of forming a government after talks with rival party leaders ended with rejection from Beppe Grillo's 5-Star Movement. Bersani said he would report back to President Giorgio Napolitano on Thursday and called on all parties to "accept their responsibilities" and allow a government to be formed.
Nations close to deal on U.N. arms trade treaty: envoys
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations members on Wednesday were close to a deal on the first international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global conventional arms trade, though delegates and rights groups said India, Iran or others could still block agreement. Arms control campaigners and human rights advocates say one person dies every minute worldwide as a result of armed violence and a treaty is needed to halt the uncontrolled flow of weapons and ammunition that they argue helps fuel wars, atrocities and rights abuses.
Egypt could hold delayed election in October: Mursi
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi said on Wednesday parliamentary elections could be delayed until October, a postponement which could give his cash-strapped administration breathing space to negotiate an IMF deal. Mursi's original plan was for a four-stage election that would start in late April and put a parliament in place by July.
Britain opens inquest into Berezovsky's unexplained death
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain opens a judicial inquiry into the death of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky on Thursday to establish how he died in the locked bathroom of his vast mansion near London. Berezovsky, who survived years of intrigue, power struggles and assassination attempts in Russia, was found dead on Saturday in his home in Ascot, a town close to Queen Elizabeth's Windsor Castle.
Sanctions noose makes it harder for Japan's Koreans to help their own
TOKYO (Reuters) - When the now elderly man left Japan on a Soviet ship in 1960 for North Korea, he thought he was headed to the promised land. In reality, he survived 47 years there thanks only to $1 million in support from his half-brother in Japan. The man's Korean-born parents decided to migrate to North Korea when he was a teenager, lured by the promise of free education and healthcare in a country that at the time was richer than South Korea in the wake of the 1950-53 Korean War.
Pockets of resistance still in Central African Republic
BANGUI (Reuters) - Rebel forces and international peacekeepers mopped up pockets of resistance on Wednesday in Central African Republic after a weekend coup but life in the capital was mostly returning to normal after three days of looting. Up to 5,000 rebels swept into the riverside town on Sunday, killing at least 13 South African soldiers in intense fighting and forcing President Francois Bozize to flee in the latest conflict to destabilize the landlocked former French colony.
Brazilian doctor charged with 7 murders, may have killed 300: investigator
BRASILIA (Reuters) - A Brazilian doctor who was charged with killing seven patients to free up beds at a hospital intensive care unit may have been responsible for as many as 300 deaths, according to a Health Ministry investigator. Prosecutors said Dr. Virginia Soares de Souza and her medical team administered muscle relaxing drugs to patients, then reduced their oxygen supply, causing them to die of asphyxia at the Evangelical Hospital in the southern city of Curitiba.
Czech court throws out treason charges against ex-president Klaus
PRAGUE (Reuters) - A Czech court threw out treason charges against former President Vaclav Klaus on Wednesday, clearing the euroskeptic politician of accusations that marred his final days in office and underlined the deep divisions he left in society. Klaus was impeached by the upper house of parliament, the Senate, on March 4, in a dramatic but mostly symbolic vote. It accused him of violating the constitution by refusing to sign European treaties and by granting an amnesty that freed thousands of prisoners and halted dozens of fraud prosecutions.
Syrian opposition opens first embassy, says world lets it down
DOHA (Reuters) - A Syrian opposition bloc recognized by the Arab League as the sole representative for Syria opened its first embassy in Qatar on Wednesday in a diplomatic blow to President Bashar al-Assad. But opposition leader Moaz Alkhatib, who took Syria's seat at an Arab summit in Doha on Tuesday, used the ribbon-cutting ceremony to voice his frustration with world powers for failing to do more to help in the two-year-old struggle to topple Assad.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-003210935.html
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Zippy Shell Mobile Self-Storage Rapid Expansion ... - Franchising.com
March 27, 2013 // Franchising.com // Zippy Shell USA, LLC announced today the sale of a franchise in San Diego California, marking its expansion into Southern California. Zippy Shell Mobile Self Storage will open in the Golden State by June of this year. The franchise, owned by Rob Gibney will serve northern San Diego County.
According to Gibney, "I chose the Zippy Shell system because it offers better storage solutions and alternatives to what is currently available to the people looking for this service in San Diego. I've always liked the storage business model. The Zippy Shell model allowed me to get into his business with a reasonable amount of capital and an outstanding franchise management team to work with me."
The Zippy Shell franchise recently recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's 2013 Top 50 New Franchises Issue coming in at #37 and was also named as one of Entrepreneur Magazine's top 500 franchises for 2013. The service model has been rapidly embraced by storage customers across the United States and company is significantly expanding the national franchise network of mobile self storage and moving services regions.
Rick Del Sontro, President of Zippy Shell USA, said "We are really excited about the opening our initial franchise location in Southern California. San Diego is one of the best storage markets in the country and we have the right operator in Rob to helps us grow there. Rob is full of energy and drive and I have no doubt he will provide Zippy Shell with a significant brand presence in San Diego County".
For Gibney it's not just about the self-storage market. He sees the opportunity through Zippy Shell's newly launched Zip Move to change the way people think about moving. "I want to bring a better moving experience to the people of San Diego. Moving can bring a number of challenges and a lot of stress to a person or family. If I can make that easier, remove even some of their anxiety, and help them find solutions, I'll think of this business as a success", added Gibney.
The Zippy Shell system is a smart and easy self-storage solution for residential and business customers. It offers a tremendous value solution to the marketplace by providing the convenience of portable storage with the cost effectiveness typically associated with traditional storage. Mobile storage is one of the fastest growing service business segments in the United States.
About Zippy Shell USA, LLC
Zippy Shell USA, LLC is a domestic franchisor of a patent pending and unique mobile self storage system. The Zippy Shell system currently has 23 independent owned operators of the Zippy Shell Brand in 46 markets. Zippy Shell USA, LLC is headquartered in Washington DC. Entrepreneurs interested in learning more about Zippy Shell franchise opportunities should visit http://www.zippyshell.com.
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Solar plane to set out to cross U.S. in early May
By Braden Reddall
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (Reuters) - The first crossing of the United States by a solar-powered plane is expected to start in just over a month, its creators said on Thursday, as they make final preparations for an attempt two years from now at the first round-the-world flight without any fuel.
Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard and project co-founder and pilot Andre Borschberg, whose Solar Impulse made its first intercontinental flight from Spain to Morocco last June, aim for their plane to take off from near San Francisco in early May and land at New York's John F. Kennedy airport about two months later.
With the wingspan of a jumbo jet and weighing the same as a small car, the Solar Impulse is just a test model for the team as they build a new aircraft they hope will circumnavigate the globe in 2015.
The project began in 2003 with a 10-year budget of 90 million euros ($112 million) and has involved engineers from Swiss lift maker Schindler and research aid from Belgian chemicals group Solvay -- backers who want to test new materials and technologies while also gaining brand recognition.
Unveiling the current plane at a news conference at Moffett Field on San Francisco Bay, Borschberg highlighted the cramped conditions of the cockpit in the Solar Impulse.
"That's a bad economy seat - you would not fly on this airline," he joked. "The next one should be good business class."
While the current plane was set up for 24-hour flights, the next one would have to allow for up to five days and five nights of flying by one pilot - a feat never yet accomplished.
Meditation and hypnosis were part of the training for the pilots as they prepare to fly on very little sleep, Borschberg said, adding that some sort of autopilot system would have to be built on the next plane to allow for some rest.
The plane runs on about the same power as a motor scooter, he explained, powered by 12,000 solar cells built into the wing that simultaneously recharge the batteries - with storage equivalent to that of a Tesla electric car.
The plane has already flown a 26-hour flight, back in 2010, to prove continuous flight was possible with charging taking place in the day and battery power working at night.
Piccard, asked about the downside of solar-powered flight, agreed that there is a price paid for the small carrying capacity and massive wings.
"In that sense, it is not the easiest way to fly," he said. "But it is the most fabulous way to fly, because the more you fly, the more energy you have on board."
The first stop for the Solar Impulse as it crosses the United States will be Phoenix, followed by Dallas and then one of three cities: Atlanta, Nashville or St. Louis. It will then stop outside Washington D.C. before heading on to New York.
"It carries one pilot and zero passengers, but it carries a lot of messages," Piccard said. "We want to inspire as many people as possible to have that same spirit: to dare, to innovate, to invent."
Piccard has a pioneering legacy to maintain. His grandfather helped his father, Jacques, build a revolutionary submarine that Jacques co-piloted on the deepest-ever dive. Bertrand said he believes the basic idea behind this spirit is to find out what you deeply believe, and then try the opposite.
"Innovation is not about new ideas, it's about getting rid of old ideas."
(Reporting by Braden Reddall in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/solar-plane-set-cross-u-early-may-213153466--finance.html
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Thursday, March 28, 2013
Spanning And Mozy Team Up, A Storage Marriage With Investment Questions Galore
Last week, ?Spanning, a Google Apps backup service, announced a $6 million investment from an unnamed strategic investor.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/QUAsYAZqyp0/
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Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Aye-ayes: Endangered lemurs' complete genomes are sequenced and analyzed for conservation efforts
Mar. 25, 2013 ? For the first time, the complete genomes of three separate populations of aye-ayes -- a type of lemur -- have been sequenced and analyzed in an effort to help guide conservation efforts. The results of the genome-sequence analyses will be published in an early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences online during the week of March 25.
The team of scientists is led by George H. Perry, assistant professor of anthropology and biology at Penn State University; Webb Miller, professor of biology and of computer science and engineering at Penn State; and Edward Louis, director of conservation genetics at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and director of the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership, NGO.
The aye-aye -- a lemur that is found only on the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean -- recently was re-classified as "endangered" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. "The aye-aye is one of the world's most unusual and fascinating animals," said Perry. "Aye-ayes use continuously growing incisors to gnaw through the bark of dead trees and then a long, thin, and flexible middle finger to extract insect larvae, filling the ecological niche of a woodpecker. Aye-ayes are nocturnal, solitary and have very low population densities, making them difficult to study and sample in the wild."
Perry added that he and other scientists are concerned about the long-term viability of aye-ayes as a species, given the loss and fragmentation of natural forest habitats in Madagascar. "Aye-aye population densities are very low, and individual aye-ayes have huge home-range requirements," said Perry. "As forest patches become smaller, there is a particular risk that there won't be sufficient numbers of individual aye-ayes in a given area to maintain a population over multiple generations. We were looking to make use of new genomic-sequencing technologies to characterize patterns of genetic diversity among some of the surviving aye-aye populations, with an eye towards the prioritization of conservation efforts."
Louis, with his team at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership, worked to locate aye-ayes and collect DNA samples from three separate regions of Madagascar: the northern, eastern, and western regions. To discover the extent of the genetic diversity in present-day aye-ayes, the researchers generated the complete genome sequences of 12 individual aye-ayes. They then analyzed and compared the genomes of the three populations. They found that, while eastern and western aye-ayes are somewhat genetically distinct, aye-ayes in the northern part of the island and those in the east show a much more significant amount of genetic distance, suggesting an extensive period of time during which interbreeding has not occurred between the populations in these regions.
"Our next step was to compare aye-aye genetic diversity to present-day human genetic diversity," explained Miller. "This analysis can help us to gauge how long the aye-aye populations have been geographically separated and unable to interbreed." To make the comparison, the team gathered 12 complete human DNA sequences -- the same number as the individual aye-aye sequences generated -- from publicly available databases for three distinct human populations: African agriculturalists, individuals of European descent, and Southeast Asian individuals. Using Galaxy -- an open-source, web-based computer platform designed at Penn State for data-intensive biomedical and genetic research -- the team developed software to compare the two species' genetic distances. They found that present-day African and European human populations have a smaller amount of genetic distance than that found to exist between northern and eastern aye-aye populations, suggesting that the aye-aye populations were separated for an especially lengthy period of time by geographic barriers.
"We believe that northern aye-ayes have not been able to interbreed with other populations for some time. Although they are separated by a distance of only about 160 miles, high and extensive plateaus and major rivers may have made intermingling relatively infrequent," explained Miller. He added that the results of the team's data further suggest that the separation of the two aye-aye populations stretches back much longer than 2,300 years, which is when human settlers first arrived on the island and started burning the aye-ayes' forest habitat and hunting lemurs.
The team members hope that their findings will help to guide future conservation efforts for the species. "This work highlights an important region of aye-aye biodiversity in northern Madagascar, and this unique biodiversity is not preserved anywhere except in the wild," said Louis. "There is tremendous historical loss of habitat in northern Madagascar that is continuing at an unsustainable rate today. This study is an excellent example of how a comprehensive and coordinated effort in the field and laboratory can identify previously unknown patterns of biodiversity for an endangered species, which then can be used by conservation organizations to base their management strategies."
The authors added that, in future research, they would like to sequence the genomes of other lemur species -- more than 70 percent of which are considered endangered or critically endangered -- as well as aye-ayes from the southern reaches of the island of Madagascar.
In addition to Perry, Miller, and Louis, other scientists who contributed to this research include Stephan C. Schuster, Aakrosh Ratan, Oscar C. Bedoya-Reina, and Richard Burhans from Penn State; Runhua Lei from the Center for Conservation and Research at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium; and Steig E. Johnson from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.
Funding for aye-aye sample collection was provided by Conservation International, the Primate Action Fund, and the Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation, along with logistical support from the Ahmanson Foundation and the Theodore F. and Claire M. Hubbard Family Foundation. Additional support comes from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State University.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Penn State. The original article was written by Katrina Voss.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- George H. Perry, Edward E. Louis, Jr., Aakrosh Ratan, Oscar C. Bedoya-Reina, Richard C. Burhans, Runhua Lei, Steig E. Johnson, Stephan C. Schuster, and Webb Miller. Aye-aye population genomic analyses highlight an important center of endemism in northern Madagascar. PNAS, March 25, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1211990110
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/~3/th-V7_WkuQM/130325160507.htm
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Bloomberg: Intel nearing TV service deals with Time Warner, Viacom and NBC
It's a very poorly kept secret that Intel is looking to bust in the pay-TV business. Rumors have been circulating since at least December that the chip giant is working on its own set-top box and hopes to pair it with a "virtual cable" service that offers unbundled channels. Of course, content creators are reticent to give up the lucrative package deals they've struck, which require providers to serve up smaller outlets alongside popular ones. But the tides are starting to shift, and many are demanding that these channels be offered à la carte. According to Bloomberg, Intel is getting close to offering such a service and is reportedly closing in on deals with Time Warner, Viacom and NBC that would allow them to offer both live and on-demand content over the internet. Sources are reporting that the broad terms of the deal have been agreed to, and its only a few fine details and some financial terms that need to be finalized. Intel is also allegedly in talks with Disney, CBS and News Corp. Though, those negotiations are in the preliminary stages. If Intel can successfully land deals for CNN, Comedy Central, MTV and other properties owned by its supposed new partners then its TV experiment could stand a legitimate chance at success.
Filed under: Internet, HD, Intel
Source: Bloomberg
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/yqsWJRLUonQ/
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Building Link Popularity With Inbound Links ? Social Networking for ...
While there are pros and cons to each way of producing inbound links, you will see that using link building index submission services is very diverse from promoting link...
f you want to increase your website's ranks in the major search engines, you'll need to use inbound links, also known as backlinks, to produce link popularity. To achieve this, you need to use link building service submission services or market link building by submitting to article banks manually.
While there are pros and cons to each approach to producing back links, you will find that using link building service submission companies is quite diverse from selling link building by submitting to article directories.
Whichever way you determine to get it done, the need of making backlinks can't be ignored. Link reputation is a must for search engine ranking positions. Se bots automatically assume that the more backlinks you will find pointing to a particular website, the more common and valuable the website is. While this concept works the theory is that, it allows for the device to be easily manipulated by savvy web designers who create their very own link popularity using service submission services or by taking the more hands on way of by submitting to article directories personally.
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Directories to construct links are classified lists of links from different sites round the internet. There are many different websites out there and each of them offer different services at different prices amphibiousness plutonium triglot notariate .
There are numerous pros and cons to using these services to generate backlinks.
Professionals
Link creating directory distribution services are easy to find. They are every-where on the internet.
Most distribution companies are free or cost-free.
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Smaller distribution companies may not be very helpful.
Cons
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Pros and Cons of Promoting Link Creating by Publishing to Article Directory Sites Physically
Submitting to article submission sites is another simple solution to develop links. Article directory sites contain educational articles for Internet viewers. These directories could be a effective approach to getting quality one way links.
You will want to send articles to as a variety of article directories as possible, if you decide to use this process. Generally speaking, it is better to send another article to each listing, but you can distribute exactly the same article to multiple sites, if you've really a good part.
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Professionals
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Search-engines enjoy backlinks from content rich pages, such as for example article pages. Many article submission sites are free to submit to.
There are report submission services and software packages that may make the submissions for you personally.
Disadvantages
Link creating by submitting to article submission sites may be time consuming if you write your own personal articles and make articles physically.
Software programs can be wrong and are not good at following article directory guidelines (like, software programs can not pick appropriate categories, etc.).
Whether you choose to encourage link building by submitting to article directories or by using link building directory submission services, there's number denying the value of inbound links. If you would like your internet site to be a success in the search engines, give one of these techniques an attempt. You'll not be unhappy.
Source: http://www.pullusup.com/blog/125146/building-link-popularity-with-inbound-links/
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Israel restores tax transfers to Palestinian Authority
By Jeffrey Heller
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Monday it would restart regular monthly tax transfers to the Palestinian Authority, restoring vital funding days after President Barack Obama called for confidence-building steps towards peace.
The decision followed the announcement by the United States on Friday that it would deliver $500 million in annual aid to the Palestinians, almost half of which had been withheld by the Congress in response to the Palestinians' bid for statehood at the United Nations.
The American and Israeli pledges come on the heels of Obama's three-day visit to the region last week when he called for a resumption of peace talks that have been stalled since 2010 and the creation of a viable Palestinian state.
Israel began withholding the transfers - about $100 million in tax revenues it collects each month on behalf of the Authority - in November after President Mahmoud Abbas succeeded in gaining de facto U.N. recognition of Palestinian statehood.
The cut-off was a blow to Abbas who urgently needed the cash to pay public sector salaries at a time of growing financial strain. Officials had warned of possible unrest in the Israeli-occupied West Bank if wage arrears were not covered.
Under international pressure, Israel made a transfer in January and again in February, but said at the time decisions on whether to continue would be made on a month-by-month basis.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Monday said he had instructed Finance Minister Yair Lapid "to resume the transfers". A spokesman for Netanyahu said that meant regular monthly payments would be made from now on.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told Reuters: "This was Palestinian money that was being withheld from us, and now these funds can be directed toward alleviating our grave financial crisis."
On his visit, Obama said he wanted to see "steps that both Palestinians and Israelis can take to build trust and confidence upon which lasting peace will depend".
Palestinians seek a state in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank with Arab East Jerusalem as its capital - territories Israel captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
Talks have stalled over the issue of Israel's continued building of settlements for its citizens in the occupied West Bank.
Abbas's Palestinian Authority exercises limited self rule in the West Bank under interim peace deals.
(Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta and Noah Browning; Editing by Pravin Char)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-restores-tax-transfers-palestinian-authority-174528377.html
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Monday, March 25, 2013
Orbotix launches new Sphero AR tools to get the ball rolling on development
Even the appeal of piloting a remote control toy ball around your carpet tends to wear off after a while. As such, Orbotix has been pushing the augmented reality aspect of its Sphero hardware pretty hard for the past several months. Now the company is announcing the availability of a new AR SDK through Github, as well as a Unity-based plug-in that lets developers build games around existing 3D models. The latter was created for iOS, with an Android version coming shortly. The company's also announcing an "App Bounty" program, promising the gift of funds to developers who build genre apps that hit on "pre-determined requirements" from the company. Roll on past the break for more info on all of the above.
FIFA gets Costa Rica protest over WCup loss to US
United States defender Geoff Cameron (20) helps a grounds keeper shovel snow off the field during the second half of a World Cup qualifier soccer match against Costa Rica in Commerce City, Colo., Friday, March 22, 2013. The United States beat Costa Rica 1-0. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
United States defender Geoff Cameron (20) helps a grounds keeper shovel snow off the field during the second half of a World Cup qualifier soccer match against Costa Rica in Commerce City, Colo., Friday, March 22, 2013. The United States beat Costa Rica 1-0. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
ZURICH (AP) ? FIFA is studying a protest from the Costa Rica soccer federation, which wants a World Cup qualifier against the United States replayed after losing 1-0 in a snowstorm.
"FIFA will now analyze the content of the letter and next steps will be determined in due course," the governing body said Monday in a statement.
The Costa Rican federation said Sunday that the "physical integrity" of players and officials was affected, "ball movement became impossible" and field markings were not visible in Friday's match played in Commerce City, Colo.
The federation also urged FIFA to punish match officials, including referee Joel Aguilar of El Salvador, for allowing the match to proceed.
For the protest to have a chance of succeeding, it must meet specific requirements stated in the 2014 World Cup Regulations.
One clause says that when a field becomes unplayable, the protesting team's captain "shall immediately lodge a protest with the referee in the presence of the captain of the opposing team."
Costa Rica also had to file written protests with the match coordinator within two hours of the final whistle, and to FIFA's administration by registered letter within 24 hours, "otherwise they shall be disregarded," the regulations state. FIFA had yet to determine whether Costa Rica had followed those procedures.
U.S. captain Clint Dempsey scored in the 16th minute to lift his team to second place in the six-team CONCACAF region qualifying group after two matches. Costa Rica is last.
The top three teams qualify directly for the tournament in Brazil, and the fourth-place team faces New Zealand in a playoff.
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Nerve mapping technology improves surgery for compressed nerves
Mar. 22, 2013 ? Nerve mapping technology allows surgeons to determine whether surgery has been effective for relieving pressure from compressed nerves, which often function poorly and cause sciatica or pain and weakness in muscles supplied by the nerve.
In a small study involving 42 patients at Henry Ford Hospital, lead author and orthopaedic surgeon Stephen Bartol, M.D., says that mechanomyography, or MMG, is effective with measuring nerve function and determining whether nerves are compressed. MMG, which functions by detecting muscle movement and sending real-time alerts to surgeons, measures the performance of nerves during surgery, thereby reducing the risk of inadequate surgery and eliminating the need for additional surgery.
While encouraged by his findings, Dr. Bartol urged caution that more research is needed involving larger patient populations.
"Traditionally, when we operated on someone who has nerve decompression, we didn't know if we had done enough during the surgery at the time. It was basically wait and see after the patient recovered," Dr. Bartol says. "With the MMG tool we can differentiate between normal and compressed nerves, and gauge the severity of the compression."
The study is being presented Friday at the American Academy of Orthoapedic Surgeons' annual meeting in Chicago.
It is estimated that back pain will affect eight of 10 people in their lifetime, and one-quarter of U.S. adults report having back pain lasting at least one day in the past three months. With the rise in minimally invasive procedures, physicians are craving the need for an effective tool to monitor nerve function during surgery.
Conventionally, surgeons assess nerve decompression using direct visualization or a probe called a Woodson elevator, methods Dr. Bartol describes as "purely subjective" and prone to error. Another method electromyography, or EMG, which monitors the electrical response of muscle, is unreliable because electrical noise in the operating room makes it difficult to quantify nerve responses, Dr. Bartol says.
MMG, Dr. Bartol says, monitors the same physiological effects as EMG but uses smart mechanical sensors that are not susceptible to electrical interference. He says clear signals of muscle movement can be detected at low electrical current thresholds.
In the study, researchers sought to test the electrical threshold of stimulation of 64 nerves in 41 patients by direct contact prior to and after decompression, during which a small portion of bone over the nerve root is removed, enabling the nerve root to heal without hindrance. Stimulation started at 1mA electrical current and gradually increased until an MMG response was achieved.
The findings: ? Prior to decompression, 89 percent of nerves had an elevated median threshold of 4.89mA. ? After decompression, nerves had a median threshold of 2.08mA and 70 percent had normal threshold of 1mA. ? After decompression, all 64 nerves had measurable increases in MMG response. ? After decompression, 98 percent of nerves with abnormal pre-compression values had a drop in threshold greater than 1mA.
Dr. Bartol says these findings show that MMG technology "allows the surgeon to make better decisions in the operating room. Inadequate decompression means patients will continue to experience pain after surgery. Better nerve testing during surgery should translate to better outcomes."
The study was funded by Henry Ford Hospital.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Henry Ford Health System.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/MYk-pEAVUZA/130323152444.htm
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By Simon Evans DENVER, Colorado, March 23 (Reuters) - Furious Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pinto said it was an "embarassment to football" that Friday's World Cup qualifier with the United States was played in strong snow, while his federation promised to make an official protest. The U.S. won 1-0 but Pinto was riled the game was played on a snowy field with a covering that became deeper as the game wore on. "It was an embarrassment to football, disrespectful to the game," an animated Pinto told reporters. ...
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Recycle Your Old Water Bottles Into Flaming DIY Rockets
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Saturday, March 23, 2013
Amanda Bynes On Drake, Man Repeller On A Plane And More Tweets Of The Week
Our favorite tweets this week turned out to be pretty violent. Amanda Bynes asked something pretty explicit of Drake, Miley Cyrus solved a wardrobe crisis, Karen Elson experienced a case of mistaken identity and our favorite funny fashion editors prepared for battle.
Who won in Michael Carl's war with carbs? What kind of burger is named after Bette Midler? Click through to find out!
Want more? Be sure to check out HuffPost Style on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram at @HuffPostStyle.
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Do you have a style story idea or tip? Email us at stylesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com. (PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/23/tweets-of-the-week-amanda-bynes-drake_n_2935539.html
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Reid To Introduce Gun Control Legislation With Background Checks
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will move forward with Senate Democrats' gun control legislation, a move designed to set the Senate up to start working on the controversial legislation when they return from recess on April 8.
The bill will include a proposal for universal background checks, a controversial measure that faces an uphill climb in the Senate.
Democratic leadership aides say Reid is still leaving the door open to replace the language on background checks, as passed this month out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, with a compromise package, should one emerge over the next few weeks.
"I hope negotiations will continue over the upcoming break to reach a bipartisan compromise on background checks, and I am hopeful that they will succeed," Reid said in a statement Thursday. "If a compromise is reached, I am open to including it in the base bill. But I want to be clear: in order to be effective, any bill that passes the Senate must include background checks."
Also included in the bill will be straw purchasing and trafficking provisions, aides say.
The base bill will not include the controversial ban on assault weapons, as decided this week by Senate Majoirty Leader Harry Reid.
But the assault weapons ban will get its vote, Reid promises - as President Obama did, as an amendment to the bill. "Once debate begins, I will ensure that a ban on assault weapons, limits to high-capacity magazines, and mental health provisions receive votes, along with other amendments. In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for all of these provisions to receive votes, and I will ensure that they do," Reid said in a statement.
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Lil Wayne Premieres Priceless 'R.A.F.' Video: Watch Now!
2 Chainz helps out his rap pal on the cash-filled clip.
By Rob Markman
2 Chainz and Lil Wayne in the "R.A.F." video
Photo: Cash Money Records
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704146/lil-wayne-2-chainz-raf-video-premiere.jhtml
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Friday, March 22, 2013
Jihadist jokes about U.S. bounty: How much for just one leg?
March 22 (Reuters) - Austria 6 Faroe Islands 0 - World Cup qualifying Group C result. In Vienna Scorers: Philipp Hosiner 8, 20, Andreas Ivanschitz 28, Zlatko Junuzovic 77, David Alaba 78, Gyorgy Garics 82 Halftime: 3-0 Teams: Austria: 12-Heinz Lindner; 2-Gyorgy Garics, 4-Emanuel Pogatetz, 3-Aleksandar Dragovic, 5-Christian Fuchs (13-Markus Suttner 72); 6-Andreas Ivanschitz (9-Andreas Weimann 63), 10-Zlatko Junuzovic, 19-Veli Kavlak (18-Christoph Leitgeb 56), 8-David Alaba, 7-Marko Arnautovic, 20-Philipp Hosiner Faroe Islands: 1-Gunnar Nielsen, 2-Jonas Naes, 3-Pol Justinussen, 4-Odmar Faero, ...
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Man in Texas shootout ID'd as Colorado parolee
This undated photo released by the Colorado Department of Corrections shows paroled inmate Evan Spencer Ebel. Ebel, 28, is the man who led Texas authorities on a 100 mph car chase that ended in a shootout Thursday, March 21, 2013, and may be linked to the slaying of Colorado's state prison chief. (AP Photo/Colorado Department of Corrections)
This undated photo released by the Colorado Department of Corrections shows paroled inmate Evan Spencer Ebel. Ebel, 28, is the man who led Texas authorities on a 100 mph car chase that ended in a shootout Thursday, March 21, 2013, and may be linked to the slaying of Colorado's state prison chief. (AP Photo/Colorado Department of Corrections)
Emergency personnel are on the scene of a crash and shootout with police involving the driver of a black Cadillac with Colorado plates in Decatur, Texas, Thursday, March 21, 2013. The driver led police on a gunfire-filled chase through rural Montague County, crashed his car into a truck in Decatur, opened fire on authorities and was shot, officials said. Texas authorities are checking whether the Cadillac is the same car spotted near the home of Colorado prisons chief Tom Clements, who was shot and killed when he answered the door Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Wise County Messenger, Joe Duty) MANDATORY CREDIT, MAGS OUT
Emergency personnel are on the scene of a crash and shootout with police involving the driver of a black Cadillac with Colorado plates in Decatur, Texas, Thursday, March 21, 2013. The driver led police on a gunfire-filled chase through rural Montague County, crashed his car into a truck in Decatur, opened fire on authorities and was shot, officials said. Texas authorities are checking whether the Cadillac is the same car spotted near the home of Colorado prisons chief Tom Clements, who was shot and killed when he answered the door Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Wise County Messenger, Jimmy Alford) MANDATORY CREDIT, MAGS OUT
This undated image provided by the Colorado Department of Corrections shows its director, Tom Clements. Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Kramer says Clements was shot to death around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night, March 19, 2013 when he answered his front door in Monument, Colo., north of Colorado Springs. Police are searching for the shooter. (AP Photo/Colorado Department of Corrections)
Members of the news media stand Wednesday, March 20, 2013 outside the front of the Monument, Colo. home of Colorado Department of Corrections Executive Director Tom Clements. Clements was shot dead at his home Tuesday night. (AP PHOTO/THE GAZETTE/MARK REIS)
DECATUR, Texas (AP) ? A paroled Colorado inmate who may be linked to the slaying of the state's prison chief led Texas deputies on a 100 mph car chase that ended Thursday after he crashed into a semi and then opened fire before being shot down by his pursuers.
Evan Spencer Ebel, 28, was driving a Cadillac in Texas that matched the description of the vehicle seen leaving the neighborhood where prisons chief Tom Clements was shot. Ebel was hooked up to equipment for organ harvesting and authorities say he is not expected to survive.
Colorado investigators immediately headed to Texas to determine whether Ebel was linked to Clements' slaying and the killing Sunday of Nathan Leon, a Denver pizza delivery man. Police in Colorado would only say the connection to the Leon case is strong but would not elaborate or say if they believe Ebel killed Clements and Leon.
The Denver Post first reported Ebel's name, and that he was in a white supremacist prison gang called the 211s. A federal law enforcement official confirmed his identity and gang affiliation to The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the case and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The killing of Clements, 58, shocked his quiet neighborhood in Monument, a town of rolling hills north of Colorado Springs, for its brutality: He answered the door of his home Tuesday evening and was gunned down. Authorities wouldn't say if they thought the attack was related to his job, and all Clements' recent public activities and cases were scrutinized.
The Texas car chase started when a sheriff's deputy in Montague County, James Boyd, tried to pull over the Cadillac around 11 a.m. Thursday, authorities there said. They wouldn't say exactly why he was stopped, but called it routine.
The driver opened fire on Boyd, wounding him, Wise County Sheriff David Walker said at an afternoon news conference in Decatur. He then fled south before crashing into a semi as he tried to elude his pursuers.
After the crash, he got out of the vehicle, shooting at deputies and troopers who had joined the chase. He shot at Decatur Police Chief Rex Hoskins four times as the chief tried to set up a roadblock.
"He wasn't planning on being taken alive," Hoskins said.
Boyd, the deputy who was shot, was wearing a bulletproof vest and was at a Fort Worth hospital, authorities said. Officials had said he wasn't seriously injured but later said his condition was unknown.
The car is so far the main link authorities have given between the Colorado case and the Texas shootout. El Paso County sheriff's investigators have been looking for a dark, late-model car, possibly a Lincoln or a Cadillac, that a neighbor spotted near Clements' home around the time of the shooting.
"We don't know yet exactly whether this is the guy," Gov. John Hickenlooper told reporters Thursday afternoon. "There's some indication. I hope it is."
El Paso County sheriff's officials did not return repeated messages Thursday. In a statement, Lt. Jeff Kramer said investigators will inspect evidence in Texas and would need crime lab analysis before they're able to determine whether the suspect is linked to Clements' shooting.
"These efforts take time," Kramer said.
Other links between Ebel and the Colorado killings aren't clear. Legal records show he was convicted of several crimes in Colorado dating back to 2003, including assaulting a prison guard in 2008. He apparently was paroled, but Colorado Department of Corrections spokeswoman Alison Morgan said she could not release information on prisoners because of the ongoing investigation into Clements' death.
Scott Robinson, a criminal defense attorney and media legal analyst, represented Ebel in 2003 and 2004. He said Ebel had been sentenced to a halfway house for a robbery charge in 2003 before he was accused in two additional robbery cases the following year that garnered prison sentences of three and eight years.
"I thought he was a young man who was redeemable, otherwise I wouldn't have taken the case," Robinson said, saying he didn't recall the details of the case.
Robinson said he knew Ebel before he got in trouble. He said Ebel was raised by a single father and had a younger sister who died in a car accident years ago.
Vicky Bankey said Ebel was in his teens when she lived across from him in suburban Denver until his father moved a couple of years ago. She remembers seeing Ebel once jump off the roof of his house. "He was a handful. I'd see him do some pretty crazy things," she said.
"He had a hair-trigger temper as a kid. But his dad was so nice," Bankey said.
Ebel's father didn't return an after-hours phone message left at his business.
Clements came to Colorado in 2011 after working three decades in the Missouri prison system. Missouri Department of Corrections spokeswoman Mandi Steele said Thursday the department was ready to help in the probe if asked.
"Tom regularly commented that corrections is inherently a dangerous business, and that's all that I'll say," Morgan, who worked closely with Clements, said earlier.
Officials in positions like Clements' get a deluge of threats, according to people who monitor their safety. But it can be hard sorting out which ones could lead to violence. A U.S. Department of Justice study found that federal prosecutors and judges received 5,250 threats between 2003 and 2008, but there were only three attacks during that time period.
The last public official killed in Colorado in the past 10 years was Sean May, a prosecutor in suburban Denver. An assailant killed May as he arrived home from work. Investigators examined May's court cases, but the case remains unsolved.
___
Banda reported from Denver. Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi, Colleen Slevin and Ivan Moreno in Denver, and Jordan Shapiro in Jefferson City, Mo.
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