Wednesday, July 10, 2013

What Is Your Favorite Android Launcher?

What Is Your Favorite Android Launcher?

The most hardcorest of Android users will root their phones and start from scratch with new ROMs. But, uh, that's more complicated than what the average user wants to go through just to squeeze slightly better performance out of their phone. Luckily, there is an easier way!

An application launcher is an easier way to customize the look and feel of your Android phone without doing any fancy footwork. We're looking for recommendations. What launchers do you all like? Why do you like them?

We'll round up the best responses in a later post. Reveal your knowledge to me!

Source: http://gizmodo.com/what-is-your-favorite-android-launcher-723673148

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Dropbox's Quest To Make Every App Work Offline

Work offline DBX*Screeeeech* That's your favorite app slamming on the brakes the second it loses its data connection. It seems ridiculous that apps can't function offline, until you realize that cloud data sync isn't some simple technology any developer can afford to build. That's where Dropbox comes in. "Users shouldn't even need to know if they're connected or not" CEO Drew Houston tells me.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/gLP3T8jhrfs/

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With new search, Facebook users should check privacy settings

Published: Tuesday, July 9, 2013, 5:39 p.m.

For the past six months, a select group of Facebook users have had a chance to try out the site's hyped "Graph Search" function. For those unfamiliar with it, Facebook's Graph Search function is kind of like a regular search function, only more complicated. But the bottom line is that it indexes everyone's public posts, likes, photos, interests, etc. to make them as easy as possible for everyone else, from friends to exes to cops to advertisers to your boss, to find.

Facebook opened Graph Search to a limited audience earlier this year, but it's rolling it out to everyone over the next couple of weeks, starting this week. So if you were waiting for the right time to go through your privacy settings and hide the embarrassing stuff before the whole world sees it, you can stop waiting. The right time is now.

Some have called Graph Search a privacy nightmare, because it takes information that was hard to find and makes it easy to find. For instance, if you for some reason hit "like" on the page of radical Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki three years ago, your name and face might now pop up when someone at the FBI gets the bright idea on a slow day to search Facebook for "people who like Anwar al-Awlaki."

If Graph Search is a privacy nightmare, it's sort of like the kind in which you find yourself out in public with no clothes on. The bad news is that what's seen can't be unseen. But the good news is that it won't happen if you're already dressed. That is, Graph Search won't take any information that you had set to private (or "friends-only") and turn it public. So if you don't want strangers to see your profile's naughty parts, you can go to your Facebook privacy settings right now and cover them up.

There's an easy way and a hard way to do this. The (relatively) easy way is to click "limit past posts," which will turn all of your old posts to "friends only" in a single swoop. But if you want some things to stay public, or to be visible to friends of friends, you'll need to do it the hard way, which is to click "Use Activity Log" and go through all of your old posts one by one. Oh, and you'll also want to double-check the privacy settings on your "About" page, which controls who can see the basic information on your profile.

Again, the basics are:

Go to your privacy settings and check who can see your future posts and past posts.

To hide individual posts or likes, click "Use Activity Log" and scroll down through your history, editing the privacy settings for each one as you go.

To check who can see your profile information, go to the About page on your profile and click the "edit" button next to each category.

---

Oremus is the lead blogger for Future Tense, reporting on emerging technologies, tech policy and digital culture.

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Source: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20130709/BIZ/707099893

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Wanda Podgurski Captured: Fugitive Arrested After Taunting Police On Twitter (VIDEO)

SAN DIEGO -- "Catch me if you can."

San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said Wanda Podgurski sent that taunting tweet after skipping trial in January while facing charges of insurance of fraud.

But then authorities did catch her.

Podgurski, 60, was captured on the Fourth of July in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, a popular retirement spot for American expatriates only 15 miles south of San Diego. She pleaded not guilty Monday to failure to appear while free on bail.

Podgurski was sentenced in absentia last month to more than 20 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $1 million in fines and restitution.

Three weeks after her initial tweet on June 5, Podgurski's feed read, "'Help find me before I con anyone else." Two other posts were links to stories about her vanishing act.

Podgurski's Twitter profile reads, "On the run possibly in Iran."

Her account follows 32 people and agencies, many of them FBI branches and other law enforcement authorities. Dumanis' office said the district attorney was the only one Podgurski followed while on the run.

The district attorney's office declined to say how authorities tracked down Podgurski, saying only that information from the Twitter account was turned over to its Computer and Technology Crime High-Tech Response Team, known by the acronym Catch.

Podgurski's attorney, Philip Kent Cohen, declined to comment.

The district attorney's office said Podgurski received $664,555 in disability payments when she was charged. While earning $44,000 a year as a clerk for Amtrak, she allegedly held six insurance policies with premiums that topped $60,000.

She made claims with all six insurance companies after reporting that she fell at her home in August 2006, prosecutors said. Private investigators working for the insurers reported seeing her walk stairs without assistance and drive to the store.

Related on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/wanda-podgurski-captured_n_3564649.html

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Sunday, July 7, 2013

UK deports radical cleric Abu Qatada to Jordan

AFP/Getty Images

A file picture taken on Nov. 13, 2012 shows terror suspect Abu Qatada arriving at his home in northwest London, after he was released from prison.

By The Associated Press

Britain has deported radical Muslim preacher Abu Qatada to Jordan, ending a more than decade-long battle to remove a man prosecutors have described as a key al Qaeda operative in Europe.?

Abu Qatada ? whose real name is Omar Mahmour Mohammed Othman ? is wanted in Jordan for retrial in several terror cases in which he was sentenced in absentia. Successive British governments have tried since 2001 to deport Abu Qatada, but courts have blocked extradition over concerns that evidence obtained under torture could be used against him.?

Last month, Jordan and Britain ratified and endorsed a treaty aimed at ensuring that does not happen.?

Will Oliver / AFP - Getty Images

A private jet containing terror suspect Abu Qatada prepares to leave RAF Northalt in London on July 7, 2013.

British Home Secretary Theresa May said early Sunday "a dangerous man has now been removed" from U.K. shores, confirming Abu Qatada had been sent to Jordan.

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Friday, July 5, 2013

Photo Gallery: USA Football Jamboree

Photo Gallery: USA Football Jamboree - Canton, OH - CantonRep.com Photo Gallery: USA Football Jamboree

Jul 05, 2013 @ 03:09 PM


Source: http://www.cantonrep.com/newsnow/x997478103/Photo-Gallery-USA-Football-Jamboree?rssfeed=true

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Development and evaluation of an immunomagnetic separation?ELISA for the detection of Alicyclobacillus spp. in apple juice

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Source: www.sciencedirect.com --- Friday, July 05, 2013
Publication date: 16 August 2013 Source: International Journal of Food Microbiology, Volume 166, Issue 1 Author(s): Zhouli Wang , Tianli Yue , Yahong Yuan , Rui Cai , Chen Niu , Caixia Guo The immunomagnetic separation (IMS) technique was used in combination with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) procedure to shorten the total analysis time and improve the sensitivity for the detection of Alicyclobacillus spp. in Apple juice samples. The specificity of IMS?ELISA for twenty strains of Alicyclobacillus spp. and eighteen strains of non- Alicyclobacillus spp. was determined and there was little cross-reaction with non- Alicyclobacillus strains. Artificially contaminated Apple juice with different concentrations of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris was detected by IMS?ELISA, and the detection limit of the assay in Apple juice was 10 3 CFU/mL. Furthermore, the sample inoculated with 1 CFU/mL of A. acidoterrestris could be detected as positive after incubation for 24 h. The IMS?ELISA described, allows for the identification of suspect positive samples within 3 h of testing versus 3?5 days required by standard culture methods while significantly reducing the materials and labor required for the detection of Alicyclobacillus spp. in Apple juice samples. As compared with the standard culture method performed concurrently on the same set of samples, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of IMS?ELISA for 102 naturally contamina ...

Source: http://rss.sciencedirect.com/action/redirectFile?&zone=main&currentActivity=feed&usageType=outward&url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=GatewayURL&_origin=IRSSSEARCH&_method=citationSearch&_piikey=S0168160513003061&_

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Thursday, July 4, 2013

Tyrannosaurus rex heading to Washington, D.C.

The Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History will finally have a Tyrannosaurus rex to call its own, thanks to the Army Corps of Engineers.?

By Eoin O'Carroll,?Staff / July 1, 2013

A bronze cast of the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton known as the Wankel T.rex, stands in front of the Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University in Bozeman, Mont., in 2001. The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History is acquiring its first full Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton for display in a new dinosaur hall.

Museum of the Rockies/AP

Enlarge

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., easily ranks among the most celebrated collections of interesting stuff.?The world's most-visited museum of its kind, it is home to more than 126 million specimens of plants, animals, rocks, and human cultural artifacts.

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But amid all the museum's curios ? the meteorites, the butterflies, the mummies, the tarantulas, and that huge whale suspended from the ceiling ? there is one glaring omission: No Tyrannosaurus rex.

This is about to change. In October, a 66 million-year-old, 38-foot-long, 7-ton, 85-percent-complete skeleton of the Cretaceous period's apex predator is set to arrive at the nation's capital.?

Unearthed in 1988 in a wildlife refuge by Montana rancher Kathy Wankel, the so-called "Wankel T. Rex," was at the time of its discovery the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex?skeleton ever found.

The Wankel T. Rex was discovered on federal land, so it is property of the Army Corps of Engineers. Since 1990, it has been on display at the Museum of the Rockies, which now has a second T. rex skeleton that is set to go on display next year. The Corps of Engineers is lending the Wankel T. Rex to the Smithsonian for 50 years.

The Wankel T. Rex is scheduled to go on temporary display?on October 16 ? National Fossil Day. After that, the museum's dinosaur hall will close for a major renovation. When it reopens in 2019, the skeleton will be the hall's centerpiece.

?If you've ever stood next to a real T. rex skull, you'll realize what a breathtaking thing it is: four feet long, with teeth the size of bananas,? Kirk Johnson, the museum's director and a paleontologist told Smithsonian Magazine. ?It is the most terrifying carnivore that's ever lived on the planet. And it really makes you ponder what life would have been like with these things prowling the North American landscape.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/tk1JtMmuMuE/Tyrannosaurus-rex-heading-to-Washington-D.C

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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Sam Rockwell Is Into Some Sick, Sick Stuff

Call us na?ve, but we felt like we knew a thing or two about Sam Rockwell, the star of movies like "The Way, Way Back." He likes to pick interesting roles and find ways to dance in whatever movie he happens to be starring in at the moment. But his recent run-in with MTV News' [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/07/02/sam-rockwell-gimp-after-hours/

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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

New materials, progress toward an HIV vaccine, and more at meeting of crystallographers

New materials, progress toward an HIV vaccine, and more at meeting of crystallographers [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 1-Jul-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Catherine Meyers
cmeyers@aip.org
301-209-3088
American Institute of Physics

WASHINGTON D.C., July 1, 2013 New materials and potential new drug targets are just some of the discoveries featured this month at a major scientific meeting on the structure of molecules. More information on the conference program and press releases will be disseminated in mid-July.

The Annual Meeting of the American Crystallographic Association (ACA) will be held July 20 24, 2013, at the Sheraton Waikiki Beach Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii. Crystallography is the science devoted to exploring the arrangement of atoms in regular crystalline solids and in complicated molecules. Scientists will present research spanning medicine, genomics, material science, structural biology, and other diverse disciplines.

Preliminary meeting highlights appear below. For more information, reporters can contact Catherine Meyers (cmeyers@aip.org, 301-209-3088).

Visualizing the HIV vs. Immune System Arms Race

"Highly effective neutralizing antibodies have been isolated from about two dozen HIV-1 infected individuals.... We followed the development of a CD4-binding site antibody, CH103, in a donor from time of infection...."

Abstract 01.02.20: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100109

Materials that Expand Under Pressure

"Negative linear compressibility (NCL) is a rare but desirable property whereby a material's crystal structure actually expands in one direction against increasing hydrostatic pressure.... In zinc(II) dicyanoaurate (I) so-called "giant" NLC is observed for the first time with the crystal structure expanding more than 10 percent over 1.8 GPa...."

Abstract 13.06.8: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100136

Bacteria in the Gut Targeted to Eliminate Some Negative Drug Reactions

"Our goal is to improve both patient tolerance and overall drug efficacy by using structural and chemical biology to potently target an intestinal microbial enzyme."

Abstract 13.01.3: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100131

Facebook for Minerals

"CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in Jan 2013 announced to employ graph-search where the entire Facebook is expressed as a graph of infinitely extensible collection of documents.... We have been developing rule-based approaches to create such indexes for a warehouse of chemical structures and biomedical data."

Abstract 03.01.11: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100111?page=1

Photosynthetic Proteins Caught in Action

"We believe that we have visualized the protein-quake that occurs as a large amount of energy is absorbed by a light-driven protein and this energy is rapidly dissipated into the surrounding solvent before the protein unfolds."

Abstract 11.03.10: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100127

Anti-Plague Drugs

"Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic plague and a potential bioweapons agent, requires a highly active protein tyrosine phosphatase, YopH, for pathogenicity. We have identified a potent and non-promiscuous inhibitor with good selectivity against a panel of phosphatases that exhibits significant inhibition of intracellular Y. pestis replication."

Abstract 12.02.13: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100130

New Ways to Fight Superbugs

"Gram negative bacteria (GNB) are becoming increasingly resistant to our current arsenal of antibiotics with new strains of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria arising with greater frequency. A genomic screen for new antibiotics targets in the MDR GNB Acinetobacter baumannii was performed and yielded several unrecognized or underexploited targets."

Abstract 13.01.37: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100131?page=2

Pressure Makes New Materials

"Two different approaches, in particular, have been successful in the creation of new compounds: direct synthesis under elevated pressure and temperature, and chemical transformation of a compound through the use of pressure."

Abstract 13.15.3: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100160

Green Chemistry

"Our research group is using solid-state reactions to develop general methodologies for solvent-free and low-energy synthesis."

Abstract 13.15.6: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100160

###

This news release was prepared for the American Crystallographic Association (ACA) by the American Institute of Physics (AIP).

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2013 ACA MEETING

The ACA is the largest professional society for crystallography in the United States, and this is its main meeting. The exhibit show and all scientific sessions and posters will be housed at the Sheraton Waikiki Beach Hotel.

USEFUL LINKS:

Main meeting website: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/2013-hawaii-homepage

Meeting program: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/2013-scientific-program

Meeting abstracts: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/sessions

ABOUT ACA

The American Crystallographic Association (ACA) was founded in 1949 through a merger of the American Society for X-Ray and Electron Diffraction (ASXRED) and the Crystallographic Society of America (CSA). The objective of the ACA is to promote interactions among scientists who study the structure of matter at atomic (or near atomic) resolution. These interactions will advance experimental and computational aspects of crystallography and diffraction. They will also promote the study of the arrangements of atoms and molecules in matter and the nature of the forces that both control and result from them.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


New materials, progress toward an HIV vaccine, and more at meeting of crystallographers [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 1-Jul-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Catherine Meyers
cmeyers@aip.org
301-209-3088
American Institute of Physics

WASHINGTON D.C., July 1, 2013 New materials and potential new drug targets are just some of the discoveries featured this month at a major scientific meeting on the structure of molecules. More information on the conference program and press releases will be disseminated in mid-July.

The Annual Meeting of the American Crystallographic Association (ACA) will be held July 20 24, 2013, at the Sheraton Waikiki Beach Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii. Crystallography is the science devoted to exploring the arrangement of atoms in regular crystalline solids and in complicated molecules. Scientists will present research spanning medicine, genomics, material science, structural biology, and other diverse disciplines.

Preliminary meeting highlights appear below. For more information, reporters can contact Catherine Meyers (cmeyers@aip.org, 301-209-3088).

Visualizing the HIV vs. Immune System Arms Race

"Highly effective neutralizing antibodies have been isolated from about two dozen HIV-1 infected individuals.... We followed the development of a CD4-binding site antibody, CH103, in a donor from time of infection...."

Abstract 01.02.20: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100109

Materials that Expand Under Pressure

"Negative linear compressibility (NCL) is a rare but desirable property whereby a material's crystal structure actually expands in one direction against increasing hydrostatic pressure.... In zinc(II) dicyanoaurate (I) so-called "giant" NLC is observed for the first time with the crystal structure expanding more than 10 percent over 1.8 GPa...."

Abstract 13.06.8: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100136

Bacteria in the Gut Targeted to Eliminate Some Negative Drug Reactions

"Our goal is to improve both patient tolerance and overall drug efficacy by using structural and chemical biology to potently target an intestinal microbial enzyme."

Abstract 13.01.3: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100131

Facebook for Minerals

"CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in Jan 2013 announced to employ graph-search where the entire Facebook is expressed as a graph of infinitely extensible collection of documents.... We have been developing rule-based approaches to create such indexes for a warehouse of chemical structures and biomedical data."

Abstract 03.01.11: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100111?page=1

Photosynthetic Proteins Caught in Action

"We believe that we have visualized the protein-quake that occurs as a large amount of energy is absorbed by a light-driven protein and this energy is rapidly dissipated into the surrounding solvent before the protein unfolds."

Abstract 11.03.10: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100127

Anti-Plague Drugs

"Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic plague and a potential bioweapons agent, requires a highly active protein tyrosine phosphatase, YopH, for pathogenicity. We have identified a potent and non-promiscuous inhibitor with good selectivity against a panel of phosphatases that exhibits significant inhibition of intracellular Y. pestis replication."

Abstract 12.02.13: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100130

New Ways to Fight Superbugs

"Gram negative bacteria (GNB) are becoming increasingly resistant to our current arsenal of antibiotics with new strains of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria arising with greater frequency. A genomic screen for new antibiotics targets in the MDR GNB Acinetobacter baumannii was performed and yielded several unrecognized or underexploited targets."

Abstract 13.01.37: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100131?page=2

Pressure Makes New Materials

"Two different approaches, in particular, have been successful in the creation of new compounds: direct synthesis under elevated pressure and temperature, and chemical transformation of a compound through the use of pressure."

Abstract 13.15.3: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100160

Green Chemistry

"Our research group is using solid-state reactions to develop general methodologies for solvent-free and low-energy synthesis."

Abstract 13.15.6: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/session/100160

###

This news release was prepared for the American Crystallographic Association (ACA) by the American Institute of Physics (AIP).

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2013 ACA MEETING

The ACA is the largest professional society for crystallography in the United States, and this is its main meeting. The exhibit show and all scientific sessions and posters will be housed at the Sheraton Waikiki Beach Hotel.

USEFUL LINKS:

Main meeting website: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/2013-hawaii-homepage

Meeting program: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/2013-scientific-program

Meeting abstracts: http://www.amercrystalassn.org/app/sessions

ABOUT ACA

The American Crystallographic Association (ACA) was founded in 1949 through a merger of the American Society for X-Ray and Electron Diffraction (ASXRED) and the Crystallographic Society of America (CSA). The objective of the ACA is to promote interactions among scientists who study the structure of matter at atomic (or near atomic) resolution. These interactions will advance experimental and computational aspects of crystallography and diffraction. They will also promote the study of the arrangements of atoms and molecules in matter and the nature of the forces that both control and result from them.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/aiop-nmp070113.php

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Yoga poses no risk to church-state separation, says judge

By Sophia Rosenbaum, NBC News

A San Diego judge ruled Monday that yoga poses like downward dog and ?criss-cross applesauce? are not religious, allowing a yoga program to continue in a Southern California school district.

Parents of two children in the Encinitas Union School district in San Diego County sued the district because they claim the Ashtanga yoga classes being offered in place of more traditional physical education instruction indoctrinate the children. But on Monday afternoon, Judge John S. Meyer ruled in favor of the school district.

The couple?s lawyer, Attorney Dean Broyles, told NBC News 7 in San Diego that the practice is inherently religious and is a violation of church and state.

All nine schools in the district participate in the yoga program, which launched last fall, during gym class. The program is funded completely by a $500,000 grant from the K.P. Jois Foundation.

The foundation?s website says it is looking to promote wellness, health and achievement for youth, especially those in under-served communities.

?We want them to feel that they don?t need sugar and video games to fill some kind of vacancy that they might feel,? said Russell Case, who helped recruit yoga instructors for the program and works for the Jois Foundation. ?We want them to feel that they can get that from exercise.?

As a 501(c)3 non-profit company, Case said the foundation cannot promote any sort of religious affiliation.

?The plantiffs don?t want religion in schools and neither do we,? Case said.

The school?s defense, led by attorney Jack Sleeth, followed the foundation?s sentiment, and said the program was put in place to promote a healthy lifestyle that helps students reduce stress and align their bodies.

Encinitas Union School District Superintendent Timothy Baird testified in court May 20 that he met with the yoga instructors and changed some of the names of the poses prior to the program starting.

?Initially, we made a conscious decision to remove some cultural context,? Baird said.

Yoga instructor Jennifer Nicole Brown, who demonstrated some of the yoga positions in court, said when parents complained about their children chanting, she removed it from the lesson. Brown was the first yoga instructor hired by the district, which now has 10 yoga teachers.

According to Case, the school district has received more than 5,000 emails and letters from parents asking it to continue the yoga progam. He said the foundation aims to start similar programs in other communities, citing?the program's success in Encinitas.

?

This story was originally published on

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663306/s/2e0e2ad6/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A70C0A10C192350A330Eyoga0Eposes0Eno0Erisk0Eto0Echurch0Estate0Eseparation0Esays0Ejudge0Dlite/story01.htm

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Amb. Marc Ginsberg: The Muslim Brotherhood's Suicide Leap

This was not the return to Tahrir Square that Egyptians desired. For the millions converging on this cradle of revolution demanding the ouster of their president Tahrir symbolizes all that has gone wrong so quickly for so many.

Today, Egypt is a country paralyzed by a modern day version of the Ten Plagues. The Muslim Brothers rank amateur mismanagement of a revolution that democratically rewarded them their first chance to run the show since their founding eighty years ago has been squandered -- and they seem to be the last to acknowledge it. No matter the mile-deep political divisions within Egypt's society the Brothers have no one to blame but themselves for the state Egypt is in. The ever so secretly autocratic Brotherhood leadership and their miscast front man Mohammed Morsi have surely disturbed the Almighty. They have proven they cannot govern and it is time for them to go.

In a cataclysmic year of crisis begetting crisis, Egyptians have no reason to take the long view of a revolution gone awry. There are multi-mile long lines for gasoline, food, power. The state coffers are almost empty. Egypt's chronic poverty rate has swollen tenfold in less than a year. Lawlessness reigns in many of its cities as the streets become fertile territory for crime, extortion and vigilantism. Exhausted, demoralized, and betrayed, vast swaths of Egyptians gathering 22 million strong in Tahrir Square have shouted to the rafters they cannot take it any more.

To steal an often applied Middle East expression, Morsi never lost an opportunity to lose an opportunity. Instead of fulfilling his pledge to heal divisions upon taking office Morsi insincerely exacerbated them by abusing his mandate to rule like a modern day pharaoh determined to rid Egypt's government of secular opponents. Instead of seeking consensus to reboot Egypt's economic morass, Morsi acting like an Iranian ayatollah demanding fealty to an uncompromising highly theocratic Islamist ideological agenda that sabotaged any hope to reverse Egypt's economic decline.

At almost every turn Morsi took the wrong turn.

And who can blame his opponents for demanding Morsi's departure. Wherever one falls on its political spectrum very tier of Egyptian society confronts a period of devastating uncertainty that has the potential to push Egypt further into the abyss. Something has got to change to prevent the country itself from collapsing into absolute anarchy.

Across Egypt tonight the question on virtually everyone's lips is whether the Egyptian military will rescue the country by decapitating the Brother's hold on the presidential palace and impose their own solution to the crisis. The problem is that the military has no sure-footed path forward either.

Nevertheless, to signal that a point of no return has been reached, earlier today, Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sissi issued an ominous ultimatum declaring the military's intention to intervene within 48 hours unless the county's warring factions negotiate their way out of their jam and prevent Egypt from sliding into chaos. No one really knows what this "intervention" entails. Whatever the stakes, it is highly unlikely that any political accommodation will be reached given the zero-sum confrontation playing out across Egypt unless it it at the point of a gun..

Even if the military replicates its role when it ousted Hosni Mubarak, Egyptians face a very bleak future - the only hope being that that the military's threat forces everyone to come to their senses. There is a very real threat that by staging a military coup against Morsi, the military could make matters worse by unleashing an Islamist backlash by Morsi's supporters against the military and Morsi's opponents. There is simply no roadmap to guide anyone out of this deeply dug ditch, just as there was no roadmap after Mubarak was tossed overboard. Moreover, Egypt's military is not a panacea for what ails Egypt. Its own prestige was badly tarnished as a result of its post Mubarak adventures into the political fray which helped create this mess in the first place.

The all important question in the U.S. is whether it matters if Morsi stays or is forced out of office. The answer is not so simple. For all of Morsi's domestic misfortunes he has been surprisingly accommodating to Washington on critical regional issues, including reigning in Hamas, opposing Iran's regional terrorism, and facilitating Libya's transition. Moreover, whether we like it or not, Morsi's secular opponents have so soured on the Obama Administration that they relish serving up conspiracy theories extolling Washington's love affair with Morsi so the United States is caught up in this web of intrigue, as well. No matter. Egypt's disintegration can only benefit the Salafist elements of Egypt's society and even a chastised Morsi is no panacea for the ills that have befallen Egypt. Some new form of grand coalition that brings Morsi's secular opponents into a power-sharing arrangement is vital to stabilize Egypt, and this is what Washington must work toward.

For Morsi's apologists who contend no one has the right to upend his bare democratic election, all I can somewhat uneasily declare that they can join Morsi as he sinks the Egyptian ship of state to the bottom of the Nile. A total collapse of the Egyptian state is too high a price for Egyptians to pay to stand on principle. If this is what Islamist "democracy" is all about, the ruling Muslim Brothers must make a hasty retreat to their redoubt to figure out what went so very wrong.

Locusts anyone?

?

Follow Amb. Marc Ginsberg on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@ambmcg

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amb-marc-ginsberg/the-muslim-brotherhoods-s_b_3531673.html

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Gay, evangelical and seeking acceptance in church

Evangelicals are being challenged to change their views of gays and lesbians, and the pressure isn't coming from the gay rights movement or watershed court rulings: Once silent for fear of being shunned, more gay and lesbian evangelicals are speaking out about how they've struggled to reconcile their beliefs and sexual orientation.

Students and alumni from Christian colleges have been forming gay and lesbian support groups ? a development that even younger alumni say they couldn't have imagined in their own school years. Gay evangelicals have published memoirs that prod traditional Christians to re-examine how they think about gays and lesbians. Among the most recent is Jeff Chu's "Does Jesus Really Love Me? A Gay Christian's Pilgrimage in Search of God in America." Paul Southwick, a gay evangelical attorney in Oregon, has started an "It Gets Better" style video project, "On God's Campus: Voices from the Queer Underground," with testimonials from gays and lesbians at the Christian schools.

The goals of these activists and writers vary. Some argue monogamous same-sex marriages are consistent with traditional Bible views and hope to remain in conservative churches. Others agree with traditional teaching on marriage and have committed to staying celibate for life, but are speaking out because they feel demonized within their communities.

Whatever their aims, they are already having an impact.

"There are a growing number of us who grew up hearing a certain origin story about our same-sex attraction that didn't resonate with us," said Wesley Hill, 32, who teaches at a conservative Anglican seminary, Trinity School for Ministry in Pennsylvania, and wrote the book "Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality." ''We are wanting to have conversations that older generations of evangelicals haven't had or haven't wanted to have."

A February survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found seven in 10 white evangelicals overall were against gay marriage. However, younger respondents backed same-sex marriage by 51 percent. Younger Christians grew up with openly gay friends and relatives, and often found their elder's fight for traditional marriage damaging to the church, according to studies by the Barna Group's David Kinnamon, among other surveys.

Still, it is only in the last few years that gay and lesbian evangelicals have discussed their same-sex attraction so openly. It has been far more common for gays and lesbians from traditional faith groups to join liberal houses of worship or leave organized religion altogether. In a recent survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans by the Pew Research Center, 48 percent said they had no religious affiliation, compared with 20 percent of the general public. Of the LGBT adults with religious ties, one-third said there is a conflict between their religious beliefs and their sexual orientation.

Evangelical leaders are taking notice. After the U.S. Supreme Court last week gave federal recognition to gay marriages, several evangelicals responded not only by renewing their commitment to traditional marriage, but also by urging like-minded Christians to be more sensitive in the way they express their beliefs. For those outside conservative Christianity, this may not seem significant, but it's a notable change for Christians who believe their faith requires them to challenge same-sex relationships.

"We need to show grace and friendship to those who struggle, while holding fast to what the Scriptures teach. Without hiding our beliefs, we need to look for opportunities to have conversations, build relationships and demonstrate grace," wrote Ed Stetzer, head of the research arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, on his blog, "The Exchange."

A week earlier, the head of Exodus International, a Christian ministry that helped conflicted Christians rid themselves of unwanted same-sex attraction through counseling and prayer, apologized to the gay community for inflicting "years of undue suffering." Alan Chambers said he continues to hold "a biblical view that the original intent for sexuality was designed for heterosexual marriage." Still, he said the organization would shut down and he would instead work to promote reconciliation between people with opposing views.

In the last few years, more than 40 gay and lesbian support groups have been formed at Christian colleges, by Southwick's estimate. The 29-year-old lawyer has been reaching out to the groups as part of his video project and is also active in OneGeorgeFox, the support group founded by gay and lesbian alumni and students of his alma mater, George Fox University, a Christian school in Oregon.

He said few of the groups have been formally recognized by their schools and some meet secretly off campus. Christian colleges generally have community standards policies barring sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman. Students fear publicly identifying as gay ? celibate or not ? could jeopardize their futures at the schools.

"The goal is survival," Southwick said. "If you talk to any of the LGBT students at these campuses, they are in environments that are really hostile."

However, at least one prominent evangelical school, Wheaton College in Illinois, officially recognized its support group, called Refuge, four months ago. Wheaton is known as the Harvard of evangelical schools, graduating evangelist Billy Graham and other influential leaders. LaTonya Taylor, a Wheaton spokeswoman, said the goal of Refuge "is for students who experience same-sex attraction to be mentored by a Christian community" within traditional biblical standards, "rather than to struggle alone in silence." Other schools, including George Fox, have responded to the groups by organizing campus discussions about the Bible and homosexuality, including speakers who support same-sex relationships.

Another sign of change: Gay evangelicals have already prompting a backlash.

The influential Pentecostal magazine Charisma ran a critical three-part series starting in May, titled "Can a Christian be Gay?" in response to the recent book "Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays vs. Christians Debate" by Justin Lee, founder of the Gay Christian Network.

Lee is gay and celibate, but encourages dialogue among evangelicals with different views. He frames the discussion as "Side A" and "Side B" Christians. "Side B" believes gays should be celibate because of a consistent Christian teaching that sex is only for marriage between a man and a woman. "Side A" Christians believe God blesses same-sex relationships because the particular Bible verses cited to condemn homosexuality do not reflect advances in knowledge about same-sex attraction.

Lee started the network as an online-only community in 2001. It has since grown to become a national organization based in Raleigh, N.C., with annual conferences that organizers say draw hundreds of people.

In his Charisma articles, evangelist Larry Tomczak wrote that he wanted to clear up confusion caused by Lee's arguments.

"An entire chapter in the Old Testament lists certain activities and calls them 'detestable,' stating in no uncertain terms, "Stay away!" The New Testament uses five terms to describe both male and female homosexual conduct: 'unnatural,' 'perverted,' 'degrading,' 'shameful' and 'indecent,'" Tomczak wrote. "Not to be facetious, but is that hard to understand?"

Tomczak said being gay is a choice ? and one that dishonors God.

Inadvertently, Exodus and other ministries that have promised a gay-to-straight transformation have played a role in prompting gay and lesbian evangelicals to go public. Many gay evangelicals who unsuccessfully sought out a "cure" in the programs have emerged with profound misgivings about the way Christians approach the issue.

A 2005 graduate of George Fox University, Southwick said he was encouraged by the school to enter a two-year counseling program with a local affiliate of Exodus, which included a graduation ceremony that Southwick dismissed as "a straight diploma." He became depressed and suicidal during the program.

Lee, of the Gay Christian Network, was raised Southern Baptist believing that gays could become straight "if they trusted God and had the willingness to do so." In college, he attended Exodus conferences and sought out other similar ministries hoping to become attracted to women. It didn't work. Lee says he's always been celibate, so the ministries' focus on changing behavior wasn't helpful.

"I was focused on changing the attractions. That led me to ask a lot of tough questions about whether people's attractions were changing and I realized they were not," Lee said.

The Rev. Russell Moore, head of the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, cautioned against reading too much into the collapse of Exodus International or any talk of a more compassionate evangelical response to gays and lesbians.

' 'There is no change in the Christian sexual ethic, because there can't be. For us it's a matter of Gospel fidelity," Moore said.

Instead, he considers the Exodus shutdown the end of a misguided therapeutic approach that Moore argues promised a quick fix it couldn't deliver. "We like conversion stories, and we like them to be quickly resolved in two or three minutes with a happy ending, but that's not what the Christian life is like in Scripture," he said.

Still, Moore agrees religious conservatives are at least approaching the debate about homosexuality differently in what he calls "a more authentic, honest conversation about sexuality."

At Fuller Theological Seminary, a leading evangelical school in Pasadena, Calif., the group OneTable formed to foster open discussion about religion and homosexuality.

Last October, Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, the first bishop in world Anglicanism to live openly with a same-sex partner, spoke to the students, at a screening of a movie "Love Free or Die," about the uproar that followed his 2003 election as the New Hampshire bishop.

"Everyone thought there would be some horrendous blowup. It was a wonderful evening. The questions to me were absolutely honest and thoughtful and faithful," said Robinson, who recently retired from his diocese. "A lot of people came in certain and a lot of people left confused ? which is huge."

___

Follow Rachel Zoll at www.twitter.com/rzollAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-06-30-US-Gay-Evangelicals/id-1e9bb75a22014855a130dfe1258ace56

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Monday, July 1, 2013

Biomedical research revealing secrets of cell behavior

July 1, 2013 ? Knowing virtually everything about how the body's cells make transitions from one state to another -- for instance, precisely how particular cells develop into multi-cellular organisms -- would be a major jump forward in understanding the basics of what drives biological processes.

Such a leap could open doors to far-reaching advances in medical science, bioengineering and related areas.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Arizona State University, with a partner at Imperial College London, report on taking at least a step toward better comprehension of the fundamentals of "cell fate determination" in the prominent research journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Cell fate determination relates to the mechanisms by which a cell "decides" in what direction it will go in moving through transitional phases into a final state.

Using mathematical modeling and synthetic biology techniques the team is manufacturing artificial gene networks (a collection of DNA segments in a cell that interact with each other) and introducing them into cells in the laboratory.

From there, the researchers are able to closely observe through microscopic imaging what is happening with particular cells at their "tipping point," a stage of rest right before they transition into other states.

By learning what takes place at that point, "We can get closer to a fundamental insight about all biology," says biomedical engineer and synthetic biologist Xiao Wang.

Once the mechanisms determining the fate of cells are better understood, Wang says, "We could make gene networks or devices that do what we want them to do," such as create cells that produce medicinal drugs or that kill diseased cells, or create cells that act as sensors to detect environmental hazards.

Wang is an assistant professor in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, one of ASU's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. He is the senior author of the PNAS paper.

Wang's fellow authors are: biomedical engineering research scientists Min Wu and Xiaohui Li, who work in Wang's lab; electrical engineering graduate student Ri-Qi Su; Ying-Cheng Lai, a professor in ASU's School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering; and synthetic biologist Tom Ellis from Imperial College London.

Their article, "Engineering of regulated stochastic cell fate determination," is available online.

The research team is studying the molecular-level interactions within the DNA sequences of cells, through which the products of one gene affect those of other genes. This helps to trace the lineages of cell development and reveal what drives them in the direction of what kinds of cells they will be in their final states.

Within deeper knowledge of the workings of such processes lays the key to more effectively engineering cells and gene networks.

Wang's team is focused on investigating the intricate properties of gene networks with the goal of learning new ways of regulating the mechanisms behind cell fate determination.

"Our research could be built upon to look at more complicated gene networks and more complex cellular behavior," paving the way for expanding the capabilities of bioengineering to protect and maintain human health, Wang says.

Support for the team's research has come from the National Science Foundation and the American Heart Association.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/UJzKzAFGc7E/130701163851.htm

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5-time champ Williams exits Wimbledon in 4th round

LONDON (AP) ? For 34 matches over 4? months, on hard, clay or grass courts, Serena Williams was unbeaten ? and, in the minds of many, unbeatable.

So it was apt, somehow, that the longest winning streak in women's tennis since 2000 would end at this memorably unpredictable edition of Wimbledon, where up is down, where seedings and pedigree mean nothing whatsoever, where even five-time champion Williams looked lost at the start and, most surprisingly of all, the finish of her fourth-round match.

Stumbling on the Centre Court grass a couple of times while her game slumped in crunch time, the No. 1-ranked and No. 1-seeded Williams dropped the last four games to bow out 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 Monday against 23rd-seeded Sabine Lisicki of Germany.

"Didn't play the big points good enough," said Williams, who had won three of the past four Grand Slam titles, including Wimbledon a year ago and the French Open less than a month ago. "I didn't do what I do best."

Oddly passive down the stretch, Williams essentially let Lisicki to do what she does best: dictate points quickly with a big serve, powerful returns and pinpoint groundstrokes. If that sounds familiar, could be because it's the formula Williams uses to dominate her sport. Except on this breezy afternoon, Lisicki compiled a 10-7 edge in aces, a 35-25 lead in winners, and broke Williams five times.

"Come on, guys, let's get with it. She's excellent," a composed Williams said at her news conference after blowing leads of 3-0 and 4-2 in the third set. "She's not a pushover."

Especially at Wimbledon. Her game is built for grass. Lisicki is a mediocre 16-15 at the other three Grand Slam tournaments and 17-4 at the All England Club. She reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2011, and is into her fourth quarterfinal, coincidentally beating the reigning French Open champion every time: Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2009, Li Na in 2011, Maria Sharapova in 2012, and Williams in 2013.

"Good omen," Lisicki said.

"Obviously," she said, "I went into the match feeling that I could win."

Might have been the only person who felt that way. After all, Williams owns 16 major championships, and entering Monday, the 31-year-old American had won 46 of 48 matches this season, and 77 of 80 since the start of Wimbledon in 2012.

"You cannot be perfect, every match, all year," said Patrick Mouratoglou, the French coach who began working with Williams last year. "She won 34 matches in a row. It has to stop one day. It has to happen. And it happened today."

The inevitability of failure, even for the most successful player, has never been made clearer than during this tournament. This was only the first day of the fortnight's second week, yet Williams joined quite a list of those already gone: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Victoria Azarenka and Sharapova ? all major title winners, all former No. 1s, all out by the end of Day 3.

"This," summed up 17th-seeded Sloane Stephens, "has been a crazy Wimbledon."

Sure has. No U.S. men reached the third round, something that last happened 101 years ago, and Williams' departure made Stephens the lone American singles player left. The 20-year-old Stephens' first quarterfinal at the All England Club comes Tuesday against No. 15 Marion Bartoli of France, the 2007 runner-up.

The other matchup on their half of the draw is No. 8 Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, the 2011 Wimbledon champion, against No. 20 Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium. Tuesday's remaining quarterfinals are No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who lost to Williams in last year's final, against No. 6 Li of China; and Lisicki against 46th-ranked Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.

Kanepi reached her fifth Grand Slam quarterfinal, and second at Wimbledon, with a 7-6 (6), 7-5 victory over 19-year-old Laura Robson, the first British woman in the fourth round at the All England Club since 1998. Robson, like others, took note of Monday's most significant outcome.

"I thought for sure Serena was going to win the tournament," Robson said, expressing a popular sentiment.

On Wednesday, the men's quarterfinals on the draw's top half are No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia, a six-time Grand Slam titlist and the only remaining past Wimbledon winner, against No. 7 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, the 2010 runner-up; and No. 4 David Ferrer of Spain against No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, the 2009 U.S. Open champion. On the bottom half, it will be No. 2 Andy Murray of Britain, the London Olympic gold medalist and 2012 U.S. Open winner, against 54th-ranked Fernando Verdasco of Spain; and No. 24 Jerzy Janowicz against his Davis Cup teammate and pal, 130th-ranked Lukasz Kubot, in a match between the first two Polish men to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since 1980.

One will give the country its first male semifinalist at a major tournament.

"We hugged. We are happy," Janowicz said. "Magical."

Janowicz's serve reached 137 mph and his temper flared on occasion as he beat 37th-ranked Jurgen Melzer 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, while Kubot also won a five-setter, celebrating with a can-can dance routine after hitting 26 aces to eliminate 111th-ranked Adrian Mannarino 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Both Janowicz and Kubot benefited from one of the record-equaling 13 withdrawals or mid-match retirements last week, another element fueling the tournament's topsy-turvy feel.

"Everyone was a bit on edge, a little bit uptight, because of what was happening with the injuries, withdrawals, upsets and stuff," said Murray, who like Djokovic hasn't lost a set. "Obviously, Serena losing today is a major shock, as well."

Late Monday afternoon, British bookmakers were making Lisicki the favorite to win a trophy that hours earlier seemed destined for Williams. Asked whether that affects her in any way, Lisicki shot back: "No, not at all." Not even a little bit? Lisicki didn't blink and answered, "No."

It was the same steely demeanor the quick-with-a-smile Lisicki displayed at key moments on court, weathering a near-collapse in which Williams grabbed nine consecutive games to take the second set and go up 3-0 in the third.

"I just was fighting for every single point," Lisicki said, "no matter what was happening out there."

Williams hadn't lost a match anywhere since her three-set defeat against Azarenka in the final of the Qatar Open on Feb. 17. She hadn't even lost a set since the French Open quarterfinals against Svetlana Kuznetsova on June 4. But Lisicki showed things would be different Monday with an early five-game run, including when she smacked a forehand return winner to break at love and take the opening set.

Lisicki yelled, "Come on!" The crowd, eager to see something special, roared. Williams walked to the sideline slowly, stunned.

"I just was thinking, 'Let's get to a third set,'" Williams said. "That's what I always say when I lose a first set."

Going from considerable trouble to total control, as if simply by wishing to do so, Williams produced 43 masterful minutes in which Lisicki did not win a single game. Williams did not have an unforced error in the second set, and she even got some unneeded assistance early in the third, with two consecutive return winners that both clipped the net tape and bounced over.

"I felt," Williams said, "that I was on the verge of winning."

Lisicki finally ended the drought by holding to 3-1 with one of her four second-serve aces in the match, then a 115 mph service winner.

"Huge serves," Williams said. "Constantly, constantly, back-to-back-to-back."

That's how her opponents usually feel. But Lisicki managed to get better reads on returns late, and broke to get within 4-3 with a forehand passing winner as Williams lost her footing and fell to her knees. The next game was key. Lisicki fell behind love-40, meaning Williams had three break points, any of which would give her a 5-3 lead and allow her to serve for the match.

But Lisicki wouldn't fold.

"I put more pressure on her," she said. "I started to be more aggressive again."

One missed backhand by Williams, then a pair of winners by Lisicki, erased the break points, and she wound up holding with a 95 mph ace and 115 mph service winner. At 4-all, deuce, Lisicki hit a forehand passing shot after Williams tripped, making it break point. Williams then awkwardly sailed an overhead long, putting Lisicki ahead 5-4.

Suddenly serving for the biggest win of her career, Lisicki double-faulted to give Williams a break point ? and an opening. But it was Lisicki who closed strongly, hitting a 113 mph ace and a 99 mph service winner, and then ending a 17-stroke exchange with a forehand winner.

Lisicki dropped to her knees near the net, covering her face as tears flowed.

Williams was asked whether the pressure to win got to her.

"Not at all," she said. "I mean, every time I step out on the court, I'm the favorite."

That sort of thing hasn't mattered one bit at this Wimbledon.

___

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/5-time-champ-williams-exits-wimbledon-4th-round-231002975.html

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VIP wedding to celebrate gays' big day

Auckland will put on VIP treatment for one of the first gay marriages in New Zealand - officials are even donating use of The Cloud for the reception.

A public vote will decide which of five couples will celebrate their wedding and reception in spectacular style.

The ZM radio station is billing it as "the most fabulous gay wedding ever", and will name one couple each day this week.

The winners of the public vote will be announced on July 26, and they will marry at 8am on the day the Marriage Amendment Act comes into effect, August 19.

And what a wedding it will be. The ceremony is at St Matthew in the City Anglican church. Traffic engineers will then give the couple VIP treatment, ensuring every traffic light is green for them as their horse and carriage makes its way to the waterfront for a reception at The Cloud on Queens Wharf.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development is giving the winning couple a surprise "Auckland Destination" package. Chief executive Brett O'Riley said the city was supporting same-sex marriage.

If Auckland wanted to be the most liveable city in the world, he said, it was important to embrace every aspect of a modern society.

However, Anglican Church hierarchy have not yet agreed to ministers celebrating same-sex marriages, so the couple will not be allowed to sign the wedding register in the church ceremony.

- Herald on Sunday

By Zac Fleming

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10893810&ref=rss

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