Ferrari designer Sergio Pininfarina dies aged 85

In this April 4, 1959 photo, Sergio Pininfarina observes a Ferrari model in Turin. Pininfarina

THE Italian godfather of car design, Sergio Pininfarina, renowned for crafting sleek Ferrari cars, has died aged 85.

Born in 1926 near Turin, in Italy's industrial north, Pininfarina dedicated his long career to collaborations with top carmakers, designing the Ferrari Testarossa, Fiat 124 Spider, Fiat Dino and Maserati GranTurismo, among others.

He joined the family car design company after graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering, and quickly became involved in all aspects of the business, from designing the cars to engineering and manufacturing.

Determined to change the common perception of cars as merely functional, he rose to stardom with beautifully sculptured and blood red Ferraris, from the 410 SA to the Dino Berlinetta Speciale, Ferrari F40 and Enzo Ferrari.

He also applied his talents to less exotic models like Peugeots and Mitsubishis.

Pininfarina had a passion for forward-looking technology, becoming an early supporter of reducing car emissions and increasing fuel economy. In 1972, he opened the first wind tunnel in Italy, one of the few in the world at the time.

In 2006, he handed over management of the company to his son Andrea.

He was awarded dozens of honours throughout his illustrious career, including four honorary university degrees in fine arts and industrial design.

In 2011, the company announced it was stopping car production because it had seen its revenue plunge in a sector reeling from the financial crisis, but has continued to design and engineer, with a particular focus on electric cars.

Born Sergio Farina, he was head of Italy's business association Confindustria from 1988 to 1992 and was named senator for life in 2005.

BMW, Toyota to cooperate in fuel cell technology

By Jahanzaib Bin Liaquat

Correspondent, SAM Daily Times

FRANKFURT (AFP) —German luxury car maker BMW and Japan’s Toyota Motor have agreed to extend their recently established collaboration and work together on new technologies such as fuel cells.
At a joint news conference in BMW’s home city of Munich, the German group’s chief executive Norbert Reithofer and Toyota President Akio Toyoda announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding aimed at long-term strategic collaboration in four fields ( joint development of a fuel cell system, joint development of architecture and components for a future sports vehicle, collaboration on powertrain electrification and joint research and development on lightweight technologies).
BMW’s Reithofer said, we aim to further strengthen our competitive position in sustainable future technologies. Toyoda said that Toyota was “strong in environment-friendly hybrids and fuel cells (while) BMW’s strength is in developing sports cars.

Ai Miyazato rallies to win in NW Arkansas golf

By Jahanzaib Bin Liaquat

Correspondent, SAM Daily Times

Japan’s Ai Miyazato wins the NW Arkansas Championship for her second victory of the year and ninth LPGA Tour career title.Miyazato overcame a five-shot deficit as she made a five-foot birdie putt on No. 18 at the Pinnacle Country Club course to finish at 12 under for the tournament.

She outduelled Mika Miyazato, who missed a 15-foot birdie attempt on the final hole.Ai Miyazato had seven birdies and one bogey in the final round to finish one shot ahead of Mika Miyazato and Azahara Munoz.

Ai Miyazato became the third player to win multiple tournaments this season as she also won the LOTTE Championship in April.

Mika Miyazato closed with a 67 and Munoz shot 65. Venezuelan rookie Veronica Felibert fired a 72 to tie for fourth at 10 under. She began the round with a four-shot lead.

Russia to build the world's biggest icebreaker

The world's biggest atomic icebreaker will cost Russia an estimated $1.1 billion, with construction to start in 2013. The mega-ton ship will be capable of breaking 4 meters thick ice to help explore the Arctic shelf.
Atomflot – a sister company of Rosatom – will build the ice breaking ship, and hopes to have it ready to sail in 2015.

“This icebreaker will clear the way for other vessels in Russia’s Arctic as well as tag them along the Yenisei and Ob rivers”, Atomflot told Izvestya newspaper.

Russia is the only country in the world that is currently building atomic icebreakers and specialists say it needs them to keep control over the Arctic basin.

“Icebreakers are used to transport huge tankers to the oil and gas shelf in the Arctic region. The new type of icebreakers, capable of breaking 3 meter thick ice, could be used commercially all year round” said Kravchenko.

The new Icebreaker-9 (170 meters long, 34 meters wide) will supersede “50 year Victory”, the current biggest icebreaker – it’s 159 meters long and 30 meters  wide.

Specialists say that the new type of Icebreakers will be universal because they can be used both in the Arctic area and on rivers. And that is what’s unique about them.

Russia currently has 5 icebreakers cruising the Arctic. They were built between 1985 and 2007.
By 2016 it plans to replace the older types with the new Icebreaker -9.

Lobsters liberated from restaurant

A German couple on holiday on the Italian island of Sardinia has bought live lobsters off the menu at a posh restaurant for 500 euros ($613) and put them back in the sea.

"When the woman came into the restaurant, she saw the lobsters straight away," Giuseppe Demuro, a chef at Mama Latina on Sardinia's luxurious Emerald Coast, was quoted as saying by the L'Unione Sarda newspaper.

"She came and asked if they were still alive and if she could buy them."

Another customer at the romantic restaurant told the Germans that the crustaceans might not survive back in the sea and risked being fished again. A waiter then negotiated a 500 euro price to free the lucky crustaceans.

"We put them in a special box to carry them. I've been here 10 years and I've never seen anything like it," said Mama Latina's owner Roberto Paci.

21-year-old man arrested for robbing convenience store with hammer

By Jahanzaib Bin Liaquat

Correspondent, SAM Daily Times

TOKYO — Police arrested a 21-year-old man named as Sho Ichikawa, for allegedly robbing a convenience store in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward. The suspect, entered the convenience store at around 4 a.m. and threatened the clerk with a hammer before stealing about 100,000 yen in cash, TBS reported. He then left the hammer on the counter and fled the scene.


Police say Ichikawa was not wearing gloves at the time of the robbery, so investigators were able to lift DNA evidence as well as fingerprints from the hammer which was used to identify him. Ichikawa has confessed to the robbery.

New York judge orders Twitter to hand over OWS messages

Micro-blogging platform Twitter has been ordered by a court to release tweets relating to an Occupy Brooklyn Bridge march last year, which resulted in more than 700 arrests.

New York's district attorney ruled that Twitter should hand over three months’ worth of Occupy activists’ messages connected with an OWS protester arrested last year.

The latest decision by Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Matthew Sciarrino Jr. is the second ruling that gives law-enforcers the right to subpoena messages posted through social media.

Earlier in March, a judge ordered a company to hand over information about the Occupy Boston movement.
"If you post a tweet, just like if you scream it out the window, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy," Judge Sciarrino explained in his latest decision, reports Reuters.

The judge rejected Twitter's argument that its users have an expectation of privacy under the Fourth Amendment.
In response to the case, Twitter has said: "We continue to have a steadfast commitment to our users and their rights."

But the prosecutors "look forward to Twitter's complying and to moving forward with the trial," Daniel Alonso, Manhattan's chief assistant district attorney told the Chicago Tribune.

According to Twitter’s first biannual Transparency Report, the American government has appealed for information 679 times.
That is more than the rest of the world combined.  The social networking company obliged 75 % of the requests.  Japan came in distant second with 98 requests and a 20% success rate.

Israeli firm grows "highless" marijuana

(Reuters) - They grow in a secret location in northern Israel. A tall fence, security cameras and an armed guard protect them from criminals. A hint of their sweet-scented blossom carries in the air: rows and rows of cannabis plants, as far as the eye can see.

It is here, at a medical marijuana plantation atop the hills of the Galilee, where researchers say they have developed marijuana that can be used to ease the symptoms of some ailments without getting patients high.

"Sometimes the high is not always what they need. Sometimes it is an unwanted side effect. For some of the people it's not even pleasant," said Zack Klein, head of development at Tikun Olam, the company that developed the plant.

Cannabis has more than 60 constituents called cannabinoids. THC is perhaps the best known of those, less so for its medical benefits and more for its psychoactive properties that give people a "high" feeling.

But cannabis also contains Cannabidiol, or CBD, a substance that some researchers say has anti-inflammatory benefits. Unlike THC, it hardly binds to the brain's receptors and can therefore work without getting patients stoned.

"CBD plants are available in different forms all over the world," said Klein, adding that the company's plant is free of THC and very high in CBD.

Tikun Olam began its research on CBD enhanced cannabis in 2009 and about six months ago they came up with Avidekel, Klein said, a cannabis strain that contains 15.8 percent CBD and only traces of THC, less than one percent.

CANNABIS AS MEDICINE

Marijuana is an illegal drug in Israel. Medicinal use of it was first permitted in 1993, according to the health ministry.

Today cannabis is used in Israel to treat 9,000 people suffering from illnesses such as cancer, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease and post traumatic stress disorder, according to Israel's health ministry.

Drug companies have also been interested in cannabis as a medicine. Britain's GW Pharmaceuticals, with Bayer and Almirall, sells an under-the-tongue spray called Sativex that is designed to minimize highs by manipulating ratios of active ingredients.

Raphael Mechoulam, a professor of medicinal chemistry at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said Avidekel is thought to be the first CBD-enriched cannabis plant with no THC to have been developed in Israel.

"It is possible that (Avidekel's) CBD to THC ratio is the highest among medical marijuana companies in the world, but the industry is not very organized, so one cannot keep exact track of what each company is doing," he explained.

Although there have been no clinical trials in humans, Mechoulam, who is a leading researcher of cannabinoids, said that Avidekel showed promise as a potent anti-inflammatory.

Ruth Gallily of the Hebrew University who works for the company and has been studying CBD for more than 12 years, said she has found that the substance has impressive anti-inflammatory qualities. She has been testing the effects of Tikun Olam's CBD-enhanced cannabis on mice and expects clinical trials to begin in a few months.

Avidekel is a new strain of a plant that is already permitted for medical use so there is nothing stopping patients who are already being treated with marijuana from trying Avidekel. About 10 patients began using it in the past six months, Klein said.

"The cannabis plant, enriched with CBD, can be used for treating diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, liver inflammation, heart disease and diabetes," she said, adding there are no side effects.

"It's a huge advantage," said one 35-year-old patient who asked not to be identified, "I can smoke during the day, function with a lot less pain and still be focused, work and drive. It is a great gift."

The woman began suffering chronic pains after a tumor was removed from her spine. She began treatment with regular THC-containing marijuana eight months ago. Two months ago she started smoking Avidekel.

"The difference is huge. Before, I would only smoke at the end of the day and stay in pain." Now, she said, with the highless marijuana "my life is so much better."

Despite Avidekel's highless benefit, Klein does not see regular marijuana disappearing any time soon. THC has its own unique effects that alleviate illness symptoms.

"Don't worry, I think that cannabis with THC will still be (around)," he said.

Marriage impossible - Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes split after five years

By Jahanzaib Bin Liaquat

Correspondent, SAM Daily Times

LOS ANGELES —Fairytale Hollywood couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes announced Friday they were calling it quits after five years of marriage, ending an unexpected love story dogged by tabloid rumors. Kate has filed for divorce and Tom is deeply saddened and is concentrating on his three children, Amanda Lundberg, Cruise’s representative. 

Cruise, who turns 50 on Tuesday, wed Holmes, 33, in a storybook Italian castle in November 2006. It was Holmes’s first marriage and Cruise’s third. They have a six-year-old daughter, Suri. Holmes has admitted to having a teenage crush on Cruise, even saying she had put up a poster of the “Top Gun” star in her bedroom.
Glitterati from the worlds of cinema, Holmes offered her hand to the “Mission Impossible” star, which has three Oscar nominations.

Holmes—who converted to Scientology—would receive $3 million for every year of the marriage plus ownership of a California mansion if they split.

Cruise said, my family, my wife, they understand. It’s who I am, you just have to keep going and remember that. The other stuff, I hear it, I read it, and I get it. But life is not a matter of trying to prove anything to anybody. I always wanted to be a father, a husband.

Cruise, still one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars as shown by recent box office smash “Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol,” was married to Australian actress Nicole Kidman from 1990 to 2001. The couple had two adopted children, 19-year-old Isabella and 17-year-old Connor.

He was also married to American actress Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990 and had a three-year relationship with Spanish star Penelope Cruz after splitting up with Kidman.

Holmes, who was born and raised in Ohio, appeared in “Batman Begins” (2005) and starred alongside Adam Sandler in the critically panned 2011 romantic comedy “Jack and Jill.”

News of the divorce set off an avalanche of messages on Twitter, many sarcastic in nature.
Mimi Rogers 1956; Nicole Kidman 1967; Katie Holmes 1978 - my supercomputer analysis says Tom Cruise’s next wife was born in 1989.

Headline July 4th, 2012 / "One Of A Kind. One For A Century!"

One Of A Kind. 

One For A Century!

The beating he inflicted on Floyd Patterson for calling him 'Cassius Clay' was cruel, even barbaric. Still, the general reluctance to believe in him endured until he fought Liston. No matter how lougly Ali challenged him once he went down --''Get up and fight, sucker!''-- Liston stayed that way. 

And the ultimate indignity for Foreman was the way Ali flummoxed him once they finally climbed into the ring. ''The Rope-a-Dope,'' Ali called the flash of inspiration that struck him when he realized he didnt have the legs to dance for fifteen rounds. 

But this was a singular thinker at work, and by the sixth, what had seemed madness was being hailed as a genius. However, the fights that best defined Ali, were the three with Frazier. When they did battle, and what transpired between them in the ring deserves no less a noble a phrase, it was never about money or a championship or any of the other things for which men beat one another senseless. 

Something far more personal was at work. It was as though, someone once said, Ali and Frazier were fighting for ''the championship of each other.'' Frazier hated Ali, and not without reason. Ali called him ''ignorant.'' Ali called him ''gorilla'' and ''Uncle Tom.'' Ali called him the white man's hope. 

The entire nation, even the world was swept up by the anticipation of what would happen between them. After 15 rounds Frazier had beaten Ali's handsome face lopsided and won. But Ali salvaged something from the wreckage: respect. The way Ali fought the last few rounds, every question about his courage was answered. 

Ali evened the next fight, thus setting the stage for the legendary ''Thrilla in Manila'' Frazier gave Ali a beating of biblical proportions but somehow he survived and summoned three of the most magnificent rounds of his
career. Asked afterwards how he felt. Ali said,''Next to death.''

Profile left, he was a three time champ with a place in history outside the ring and a blackman who, even at his most amusing, never let himself be hamstrung by a whiteman's world. From the rightside, he was the movie star handsome scamp who billed himself as ''Dark Gable'' and the deadpan joker who, when a pair of his gloves were enshrined in the Simthsonian, asked, ''you gonna put a rug in here?"

Taken straight on, he was the dreamer who wanted to open the soup kitchens for the poor around the country and the soft touch who had a dollar 1,000 a day habit when it came to handouts. Everytime the spot light was always on him moved, it seemed to reveal something new about Ali, something worth study at the least, admiration at best.

And in one glorious and touching moment, he answers his legacy: "I want people to say, 'he fought for his rights. Fought for my people. Most famous black man in the world. Strong believer in God.'''

He does not say, ''I was the Greatest!'' He never says anything like this! But we all say it. The whole world chants: Ali! Ali! Ali! 

Good Night and God bless!

SAM Daily Times - The Voice Of The Voiceless

“Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview” Available For Rent In iTunes

Six  months after its teaser trailer showed up online, Robert X. Cringley’s “lost” interview with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has now available for rent in iTunes where it’s available for $3.99. In 1995, Cringely interviewed Jobs, then running Next, and two years out from what would later be his triumphant return to Apple, for a PBS documentary called “Triumph of the Nerds.” However, much of their discussion ended up on the cutting room floor – 70 minutes worth, in fact.

In the unaired portions, Jobs talked about his approach to product design, team building and product evolution, among other things. At the time, those insights may not have had the impact they do now, as the iPod, iTunes, iPhone and iPad had yet to be invented.

The footage was presumed lost until shortly after Steve Jobs’ passing, when it was discovered by the documentary’s director, Paul Sen, who found it in his garage.

Interestingly enough, Cringely says that Apple has deemed the film “too controversial” and won’t promote it in iTunes because of its “sensitive” nature. But if you search for it, it’s there. (Perhaps Apple didn’t want to promote it because of Jobs’ cocky responses -such as when he riffs on Microsoft,saying they have bad vision and poor taste? Oh, this is going to be good.)

In iTunes, the description reads:

Candid, controversial and funny… the original and unedited interview with Steve Jobs, conducted by tech journalist and former Apple Inc. employee Robert X. Cringely, from 1995 when Steve Jobs was still CEO of NeXT Computer and Pixar.

The rental is only available in the U.S. at present.

Original source here.

YOUR FACEBOOK POST CAN GET YOU ROBBED

Wasil Dhingra doesn't set his Facebook settings to 'private' or 'friends only.' So, it's not hard to find his phone number.

A quick search also revealed his address. But the phone number is the prize, because now it is a simple matter to set up a premium service or a texting service scam. That could get expensive for Dhingra.

Discovery News reached out to Dhingra, a postgraduate student at the Nottingham business school in the U.K., as well as a number of other people, whose profiles and habits appeared on the site called weknowwhatyouredoing.com. Dhingra, like many others out there, was not aware his profile was so public. He added that he's been on Facebook long enough that he can't even remember when he set the page up or looked at his settings. He was planning on setting his page to private.

The site weknowwhatyouredoing.com is not unlike others such as pleaserobme.com, which track Facebook users using information that is publicly available. weknowwhatyouredoing.com does a simple text search in the Facebook postings which can also filter out people and look for specific keywords such as hung over" or "new phone number."

Some people also, of course, post their phone numbers. And that is where scammers could step in and rob you of your own money by setting you up with premium services since all that is needed to set up an account for many of those services and text message scams is your number.

While it's important to manage one's privacy settings, part of the problem is the way Facebook is designed. The default setting for an account is to have everything be public.

Read More:http://news.discovery.com/tech/facebook-scam-privacy-120702.html

HUMAN-POWERD SUB SETS SPEED RECORD

The Olympics may be in London, but in Gosport, some 80 miles away on the south coast of England, another international competition unfolded for the fastest human-powered submarine.

The inaugural European International Submarine Races (eISR) were held on June 25-39 at Qinetiq, the former Royal Navy's testing facility in Gosport. Teams of students from around the world showed off their designs for a submarine powered entirely by human muscle. No energy storage was allowed -- no batteries, flywheels or motor assists.

The winner was the Omer 8 (above), from the Ecole de Technologie Superieure of Montreal, Quebec. It hit a speed of 7.03 knots (8.08 mph) over a 13-meter section of the course. In second place was the Talon 1, from Florida Atlantic University, and the University of Bath's Minerva was in third.

A Summer Storm’s Disruption Is Felt in the Technology Cloud

The cutting edge of the Web just bled a little.

On Friday night, lightning in Virginia took out part of Amazon’s cloud computing service, called Amazon Web Services, which hundreds of companies use for data storage and computation. Well-known sites like Netflix, Pinterest and Instagram were not accessible for hours. There was little information for customers about what had happened, or even whether user data was safe.

The interruption underlined how businesses and consumers are increasingly exposed to unforeseen risks and wrenching disruptions as they increasingly embrace life in the cloud. It was also a big blow to what is probably the fastest-growing part of the media business, start-ups on the social Web that attract millions of users seemingly overnight.

Besides Internet-connected computers, tablets and smartphones, which people rely on daily, consumers and businesses are connected to the Web through everything from cars and appliances to utility monitors and surveillance cameras. How well the systems behind these are built, and how they handle unforeseen disruptions, will increasingly affect the larger economy.

Amazon has built a thriving business in cloud computing, with a range of customers including Intercontinental Hotels, Fox Entertainment, Unilever, Spotify, as well as 187 government agencies and hundreds of small start-ups looking for the cheapest possible computing.

None of these big customers reported any service disruptions. While it was not clear if they were using the Amazon center that was crippled, analysts said the disruption would cause renewed scrutiny of their dependence on cloud computing.

“The way companies view it is in terms of reliability generally,” said Michael Chui, a senior fellow at McKinsey & Company. Big customers of Amazon, he said, “have the opportunity to shape the marketplace and make demands that make products better. They will push for improvements.”

They will also have another option. On Thursday, Google said it would offer computing over the Internet at half the price of Amazon.

Read More:http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/02/technology/amazons-cloud-service-is-disrupted-by-a-summer-storm.html?_r=1&ref=technology

SMOKING VACCINE EXTINGUISHES CRAVINGS

Gum, patches, inhalers and those pseudo electronic cigarettes...a smoker certainly isn't without options if he or she needs help quitting. But ask anyone trying to shake his habit and you're likely to hear this: Nothing satisfies the cravings more than the real thing.

Bearing that in mind, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College developed a vaccine that addresses the craving. The vaccine could prevent those who've yet to try cigarettes from ever lighting up.

The vaccine makes the recipient's kidney pump out antibodies that sweep the bloodstream of nicotine, thus cutting off the addictive rush before it ever reaches the brain.

The research team used the genetic sequence of an engineered nicotine antibody and piggy-backed it onto an adeno-associated virus (AAV), a virus designed to be harmless. Also included was genetic information for the vaccine to go to liver cells called hepatocytes. Once inside the nucleus of the hepatocytes, the antibody's genetic sequence caused the cells to emit more antibodies that neutralized nicotine in the bloodstream.

So far the vaccine has only been tested on mice, but the results were promising. Studies showed that the vaccine continuously produced high levels of the antibody.

Ronald G. Crystal, the study's lead investigator, compared the vaccine to one of the most famous video games of all time.

"As far as we can see, the best way to treat chronic nicotine addiction from smoking is to have these Pacman-like antibodies on patrol, clearing the blood as needed before nicotine can have any biological effect," he said in a Weill Cornell press release. "Our vaccine allows the body to make its own monoclonal antibodies against nicotine, and in that way, develop a workable immunity."

Crystal and his team plan to test the vaccine on rats and then primates before testing it on humans.

Dell to Buy Quest Software for $2.4 Billion

Dell announced on Monday that it would buy Quest Software for $2.4 billion, as it looked to expand beyond its main business of selling personal computers.

Under the terms of the deal, Dell will pay $28 a share for Quest, emerging as the winner in a bidding war for the software company.

“The addition of Quest will enable Dell to deliver more competitive server, storage, networking and end user computing solutions and services to customers,” John Swainson, president of Dell’s software group, said in a statement. “Quest’s suite of industry-leading software products, highly talented team members and unique intellectual property will position us well in the largest and fastest-growing areas of the software industry.”

Rob D. Owens, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities, said: “At $28, it’s a pretty cheap valuation for Quest. There are growth areas in this market.”


Read More:http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/07/02/dell-to-buy-quest-software-for-2-4-billion/?ref=technology

Givenchy's Religious Ecstasy

No other designer in fashion today manages to inject as many of his personal obsessions into his fashion as Riccardo Tisci, whose runway display for the house of Givenchy on Friday, June 29, in Paris was the most memorable moment of the Continental season so far.

Several major influences play key roles in Tisci - extended Mediterranean culture high tech sportswear, street style and religion. In this spring 2013 collection, the spiritual stimuli ruled. One could sense that literally walking into the show - vapor machines wafted out a synthetic odor that uncannily mimicked a medieval cathedral. The pre-show music was by a church pipe organ.

Almost half the looks featured printed sacred images - Christ on the cross, devout saints and haloed churchmen. Though being Tisci, he took the devotional idea somewhere suggestively new.

Using a mammoth catwalk of 120 yards added to the sense of religious ceremony in a procession that alternated between the graphic prints and hyper sharp tailoring. Here again, the priestly collars, breastplates, and holy vestments were subtly distorted, so the devout references became edgily charged. Instead of restrained men of the church we got sexy sacristans, naughty clerics.

Tisci showed both men and women in a very large casting of some 60 models, and though the women were largely covered up too, there was a sexual frisson throughout.

"Bauhaus, Holy Communion, back to my roots," Tisci said backstage.

His Givenchy studio team had researched Old Masters oil paintings, revamping and remixing the originals into a college of fashion able cardinals. The Italian-born designer even used the same sort of brocade priests use in religious ceremonies, though printed with saintly faces.

Tisci showed in groups of four or five, so, for instance, the same orthodox icon might first be printed on a surgeon's tunic, stamped on a chiffon veil top, redone in black and white on a T-Shirt and emblazoned onto black dinner shirts - the whole ensemble like a visual liturgy.

Duchesse satin trench coats with venerable faces peeping from the print and layered outfits - satin bomber jackets, extended shirt and leggings, all anchored by gold chain trimmed athletic water running shoes, added to the sense of edgy modernity. This season, Givenchy is Europe's most accomplished show.

Savages (2012)

Savages is a 2012 action crime–thriller film directed by Oliver Stone. It is based on the novel of the same name by Don Winslow. The screenplay was written by Shane Salerno & Don Winslow & Oliver Stone. The film is set for release July 6, 2012, and features an ensemble cast including Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Blake Lively, Salma Hayek, Benicio del Toro and John Travolta.

Synopsis: Beach entrepreneurs Ben (Aaron Johnson), a peaceful and charitable Buddhist, and his closest friend Chon (Taylor Kitsch), a former Navy SEAL and ex-mercenary, run alucrative, homegrown industry—raising some of the best marijuana ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with the extraordinary beauty Ophelia (Blake Lively). Life is idyllic in their Southern California town…until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them. When the merciless head of the BC, Elena (Salma Hayek), and her brutal enforcer, Lado (Benicio Del Toro), underestimate the unbreakable bond among these three friends, Ben and Chon—with the reluctant, slippery assistance of a dirty DEA agent (John Travolta)—wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel. And so begins a series of increasingly vicious ploys and maneuvers in a high stakes, savage battle of wills.

Strauss-Kahn and wife have separated

PARIS (Reuters) - Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who is facing a probe into his alleged involvement with a prostitution ring in France, and his wife have separated, a source said.

Anne Sinclair, a wealthy heiress who recently relaunched her media career as a news editor at the Huffington Post's French edition, and Strauss-Kahn separated about a month ago and they are living in separate residences in Paris, said the source, who is close to Strauss-Kahn.

The weekly magazine Closer earlier reported in its online edition that Sinclair threw Strauss-Kahn out of their home in central Paris.

Lawyers for the couple said they intended to sue the magazine for invasion of privacy over the report, which also appeared on the front page of the print edition and in an article inside.

"Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Anne Sinclair have decided to sue this publication for invasion of privacy," lawyers Frederique Baulieu, Richard Malka and Henri Leclerc said in a statement.

Strauss-Kahn is under investigation in France to establish whether he knew he was dealing with prostitutes and pimps when he attended sex parties in northern France, Paris and Washington in 2010 and 2011 allegedly organized by business acquaintances.

Public prosecutors last month widened the inquiry to include a possible gang rape charge after a prostitute told them Strauss-Kahn and friends had forced her to have sex in a group when she came to Washington to meet him in December 2010. The woman has not filed a formal complaint.

Strauss-Kahn denies knowing that the women at the parties were prostitutes or that there was any violence.

His career at the head of the Washington-based IMF was cut short when he was arrested in New York in May 2011 on charges, which he denied and that have since been dropped, of attempting to rape a hotel maid. After criminal charges were abandoned over concerns about her credibility, the maid, Nafissatou Diallo, pressed ahead with a civil case.

Strauss-Kahn, a former French finance minister, and Sinclair have been married for 20 years. She stuck close by him when he faced the rape accusations in New York.

The scandal destroyed his hopes of running for French president in the April-May 2012 election for the Socialist Party, which instead won power under Francois Hollande.

News of the separation comes after weeks of media speculation that the relationship was under pressure, in part as Strauss-Kahn grew depressed at his lack of career options.

"He's in a bad way. It's very sad," a person who knows Strauss-Kahn and recently saw him socially told Reuters this month. "He's mostly just at home on his own while Anne is out and about with her new job. He's shunned by everybody."

Chinese Tourists are Treated Like Royalty at US Hotels

Over the past few years, the Chinese has been branded as the world’s most sought after traveler. As a result, major hotel brands are bending over backward to make sure that the Chinese tourist’s needs are met. From congee for breakfast to Mandarin speaking employees, major US Hotels have adjusted to make sure Chinese tourists are satisfied.

Chinese tourists are expected to arrive in American shores in extraordinary numbers. Thanks to the more efficient visa process along side the rising number of middle class Chinese. Hotels have adjusted to make sure that any Chines tourist would feel at home upon checking in. The rooms have hot tea prepared, there is congee for breakfast and employees are trained to speak Mandarin as well.

Marriot and Hilton have gone the extra mile, in fact. No Chinese tourist is allowed to step on any floor of their hotels where a number four is seen because it sounds like the word for death in Mandarin. Robert Armstrong, a reputable sales manager who handles Chinese travelers booking at Waldorf-Astoria New York, feels very relieved that finally, some major hotel groups are already adjusting to the Chinese market.

Last year, over 1 million Chinese tourists visited the US which generated almost 5.7 billion US dollars to the US economy. That marked 36% over 2010’s data. This data came from the Department of Commerce and by 2016, they are looking at 2.6 million Chinese visitors.

As much as people would say Chinese trips to the US are for business, the truth is a big fraction of Chinese tourists going to the US are there for fun and pleasure. They bring along with them a lot of money as well. Statistics has proven than an average Chinese traveler spends over $6,000 per trip. According to Roy Graff, a travel consultant who specializes in Chinese culture, hotels are winning the hearts of the Chinese by adjusting to their needs. Even the slightest details are being thought about like traditional Chinese slippers and tea kettles on all hotel rooms.

Marriot has a choice of Chinese breakfast depending on what part of China a tourist came from. Other Major hotels are being cautious of all actions and demeanor as it might offend a Chinese visitor. They are considering superstitions as well. White is avoided while red is respected because it is known to be lucky. The pecking order of Chinese is recognized by making sure no one is on a higher floor than their masters. Thus, there is indeed a race on who can capture the Chinese tourists’ loyalty. Starwood hotels moved its senior leadership to China for a month. According to Clayton Ruebensaal, Marketing VP for Ritz, it is imperative that leaders know the Chinese at a more personal level to ensure the success of their plans.

The State Department said that Chinese visitors spend over 22 million USD on several Chinese cities and processing visa applications. Last February, the US government released news that Chinese who had a visa in the last 4 years do not need to reapply in person but may do it via courier instead. Thus, a week is enough to process visas for Chinese.

However, experts say that Europe is way ahead the US when it comes to attracting Chinese tourists. Furthermore, Rich Harrill, the director of the Sloan Foundation Travel & Tourism Industry Center at the University of South Carolina, said that US is not prepared for Chinese tourists given the ill prepared industry wise.

Before I Wake (Soul Screamers, #6) by Rachel Vincent

I died on a Thursday-killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul. The good news? He didn't get it. The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school...  Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent "recovering," she's back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend. But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won't keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn't just gambling with her own life...

''KIDNAPPED AID WORKERS FROM KENYA CAMP RELEASED"

By Abel Abel Inis
Africa Correspondent, SAM Daily Times

Four aid workers seized from a refugee camp near Kenya's Somali border have been released and are safe after an operation by Kenyan and Somali forces. The Norwegian Refugee Council(NRC) said it was 'relieved' its staff were free. It also paid tribute to a Kenyan driver killed in last week's ambush. Gunmen in Dadaab attacked the convoy of foreigners from Canada, Norway, Pakistan and The Philippines on friday. Many aid groups have left the camp after a recent rise in abductions. The NRC has named the free workers as Steven Dennis, Astrid Sehl, Glenn Costes and Qurat-ul-Ain Sadazai. The foreigners had been travelling in a convoy when they were ambushed in Dadaab, which houses more than 450,000 Somalis. Somali and Kenyan forces launched a joint rescue operation after receiving intelligence about the hostages' whereabouts. Gunmen last October seized two Spaniards working for Medicins Sans Frontiers(Doctors without borders). They are still being held hostage in Somalia.

Cyberbullying: Arizona School Districts Bolster Policies, Receive Discounts On Telecommunication Bills

Beginning this week, school districts in Arizona are required to teach cyberbullying awareness and monitor online chats and social media in schools, in keeping with a bolstered Children’s Internet Protection Act, The Arizona Republic reports.

Several school boards have revised their decades-old policies regarding Internet safety, and in turn receive discounts of up to 90 percent on their telecommunication bills.

Mesa Public Schools, which at 64,000 students represents the largest district in the state, is mandating that students attend anti-bullying awareness classes, which include rules against harassing students online and at school.

Mesa Public Schools will spend $2.8 million on Internet access and telecommunications, which represents a 75-percent discount for compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act.

According to Mel Van Patten of Oklahoma-based Kellogg & Sovereign Consulting, the decreased cost could mean the difference between smaller districts having Internet access or not.

Many districts have amended their policies to comply with the new CIPA requirements, though some had already required students to learn about cyberbullying and acceptable computer usage.

"It's not a big change for us because we've been teaching a lot of these things for years," Glendale Elementary School District spokesman Jim Cummings told theRepublic.

School districts across the country have implemented or are considering policies that opens dialogue on what the school's role is in social media and what action should -- or shouldn't -- be taken against what students and teachers post online.

A bill that would allow schools to punish students for off-campus activities has advanced in the Indiana legislature, permitting schools to suspend or expel students for engaging in activities away from school and after hours that "may reasonably be considered to be an interference with school purposes or an educational function."

West Virginia recently adopted an anti-bullying policy that would punish students with detention or suspension  for "vulgar or offensive speech" online if it disrupts school, and the U.S. Supreme Court last month let stand rulings that said schools could not discipline two Pennsylvania students for MySpace parodies of their principals that the students created at home.

Jeff La Benz, the Chandler Unified School District assistant director of instructional technology, pointed out that "With the gamut of social media, children can be bullied 24/7.”

According to The National Crime Prevention Council, 43 percent of teens are subject to some form of cyberbullying. In January, 15-year-old Amanda Diane Cummings committed suicide after being bullied online, prompting New York Senator Jeffrey D. Klein to introduce a bill that would create harsher penalties for cyberbullies.

Alex Boston, a Georgia middle school student, is suing two of her classmates for libel after being bullied on Facebook. When she first reported the cyberbullying to police and school officials, she was told there was not much they could do because the harassment occurred off campus.

Attorneys and experts say that cyberbullying laws being considered or passed by states are not strong enough, and lawsuits like Boston's are bound to become more commonplace.

Many states have laws or other policies in place that prohibit cyberbullying, but very few apply to intimidation outside of school grounds.

Original source here

Exams need 'fundamental reform', MPs say

England's exams system is in need of "fundamental reform" to stop the "dumbing down" of courses, MPs say.

The education committee says there is evidence of boards competing to offer the easiest tests.

Schools are said to shop around for exams that will make them look good in local league tables.

The committee calls for exam boards to be stripped of the right to set their own syllabuses and content to prevent a decline in standards.

It recommends a technical and regulatory fix to halt what it says is a "public loss of confidence in exams such as GCSEs and A-levels".

This includes tighter regulation of what is recognised as one of these qualifications.

'Public confidence'

Launching the report, committee chairman Graham Stuart said: "The public have lost confidence... and this needs to be put right.

"We've got to stop the dumbing down of the courses young people sit and stop exam boards competing on how 'accessible' their syllabuses are."

It follows reports in the Daily Telegraph that some boards were selling their exam specifications to schools as easier to pass.

And it calls for an urgent review of the school accountability system, which it says drives behaviour.

The committee wants national syllabuses to be drafted for each subject after the input of national subject committees comprised of representatives of universities, employers and experts overseen by exams regulator Ofqual.

Exam boards could compete for the contract to draw up the syllabuses, but once finalised any exam board could draw up the qualification so long as it meets the syllabus specifications.

This would preserve competition between boards but offer an incentive to maintain and even improve standards, it concludes.

Mr Stuart says: "Importantly the content of what children would learn would be enriched, rigour would be encouraged and both standards and public confidence in them could be restored."

'Race to the bottom'

It cautions against having a single national exam board or a board for each subject, saying that would seriously undermine innovation and cost control.

But there is little tangible evidence in the report of boards competing in a "race to the bottom".

There is a sense that standards have slipped incrementally over time as exam boards compete to offer tests which are more "accessible" for a greater number of pupils.

The report notes "sharp shifts in market share" between boards " at moments of syllabus revision".

And it wants Ofqual to prioritise any efforts to look more closely at changes in market share.

One head teacher is quoted as saying schools tend to switch boards when they have "had a rotten summer" and are dissatisfied with marking or grades and the response of the exam boards.

It also gives evidence of grade inflation, citing research from education expert Professor Alan Smithers showing how the A-level pass rate has risen from 68.2% in 1982 to 97.8% in 2011.

A Department for Education spokesman said: "All the evidence - from parents, the best schools and our leading universities - is that we need fundamental reform of GCSEs and A levels so that they are rigorous and match the best in the world.

"We have already announced changes to GCSEs by tackling the re-sit culture and ending the modular structure, as well as introducing marks for spelling, grammar and punctuation for key subjects.

"And we have listened to concerns raised by academics at our leading universities on A levels, and launched a consultation."

'Public perception'

AQA board chief executive Andrew Hall said his board had never competed by lowering exam standards but that he accepted this could have been the case elsewhere in the market in the past.

"We have been pressing for stronger regulation of standards between awarding bodies for some time and have been pleased to see that the regulator has addressed many of our concerns over the last year."

Rod Bristow, president of Pearson, which owns the Edexcel exam board, said: "It is vital that we address the public perception that competition between awarding organisations leads to downward pressure on standards."

Original source here

Senior teacher barred over classroom incompetence

A deputy head teacher has been indefinitely barred from the profession to stop children being dragged down by his “incompetent” performance in the classroom.

Ieuan Jones, 51, lost exercise books, failed to set homework, missed reading lessons and neglected to plan classes, a hearing was told.

The General Teaching Council for Wales ruled his behaviour had "serious consequences for the education of pupils" and banned him from teaching to protect children’s education.

It is only the fourth time the profession’s regulatory body in Wales has barred a teacher for professional incompetence. It has heard five cases in the last decade.

In England, just 17 teachers were officially struck off for the same reason between 2001 and 2011, despite fears that many more are being allowed to slip through the net.

The disclosure has prompted claims in the past that poor teachers are being recycled between schools rather than risk drawing attention to serious lapses in performance.

In the latest case, Mr Jones was removed from the teaching register for a catalogue of failures while he was deputy head and junior school teacher at Crymlyn Primary in Jersey Marine, near Neath

The council heard that he was a "very significant" reason for Crymlyn being branded a “school causing concern” by the Welsh education watchdog Estyn in 2010.

It was claimed that his failures in the classroom included not properly preparing or delivering lesson plans, failing to provide exercise books even though they were stored in a nearby cupboard, inadequate marking, not setting homework and failing to hold regular reading sessions with youngsters. One child's record showed no reading sessions for an entire month.

Members of the council were told that problems went back to 2003 and – despite intensive help and support from the school and local authority – little improvement had been made.

Sue John, the school’s head, said: "I think he really believed that if he looked the other way it would all go away. It was really quite heartbreaking to see, because he is a nice person.

"He was unable to offer reasons why things went wrong — I don't think he knew why they were going wrong."

Gareth Jones, chairman of the competence committee, said the panel had taken into account his good character and the stress and anxiety he had suffered, especially since the death of his father.

But he added: "The serious professional incompetence did have serious consequences for the education of pupils, and it cannot be considered an isolated incident."

Allowing Mr Jones to remain teaching would represent a "continuing risk to the education of pupils", he said.

Mr Jones will not be allowed to reapply to teach again for two years.

Original source here

Judge: Churches Allowed Access To City Public School

Churches In Public Schools: Bronx Household Of Faith Wins Case Against P.S. 15, Churches May Hold Worship Events in New York Schools

New York City public schools may no longer bar churches from conducting service events on school premises, a federal judge ruled Friday.

The ruling, issued by judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan, settles a 12 year lawsuit which began after the Bronx Household of Faith, an evangelical church, sued the city so that it could continue to hold Sunday morning worship services in P.S. 15, the Associated Press reports.

The city is "very disappointed," according to a statement issued by a city lawyer. The lawyer has said the city plans to appeal the case.

Judge Preska gave a similiar ruling in February of this year, issuing an injunction to the city's public schools against enforcing their no-worship policy.

City lawyers contended then that the First Amendment's Establishment Clause barred the Bronx Household of Faith from holding religious services on public school property, Bloomberg News reports.

The church argued that it was being unfairly targeted by the school, which continued to allow other groups to hold after-school and weekend events on school grounds.

Judge Preska agreed with the church, ruling that "in this court's view, losing one's right to exercise freely and fully his or her religious beliefs is a greater threat to our democratic society than a misperceived violation of the Establishment Clause."



New York is not the only state with simmering tensions over the relationship between religion and school.

In Louisiana, lawmakers passed a bill last month allowing students at failing public schools to use government paid vouchers to enroll at alternate schools -- including those run by churches. The voucher initiative, called the Minimum Foundations Program, provoked criticism from Americans United for a Separation of Church and State after it was discovered that one of the church-run schools funded by the program educated its kids with Biblically-themed DVDs.

Sectarian tensions also boiled after the Islamic School of Greater New Orleans applied under the bill for 38 state-funded vouchers.

Many lawmakers did not want state funds to go to an Islamic school, even though the voucher program was slotted to fund numerous Christian schools.

"It'll be the Church of Scientology next year," Democratic state Rep. Sam Jones told AP.

Original source here

The Learning Center, Pennsylvania High School, Puts Itself Up For Sale On eBay

LANGHORNE, Pa. -- Forget magazine drives and candy sales. A cash-strapped high school near Philadelphia hopes to raise money by auctioning itself on eBay.

The starting bid of just under $600,000 for The Learning Center in Langhorne, Pa., is designed to offset steep budget cuts. A tongue-in-cheek listing describes the alternative school for at-risk teens as "pre-owned" and "slightly used."

The winner won't own the facility, which is part of the Neshaminy School District. But he or she will get a plethora of goodies, including a naming opportunity, a free large pizza, a personalized school coffee mug and the chance to deliver a speech at graduation.

Not to mention the satisfaction of "delivering an education to a group of kids who could really use it," according to the ad.

Neshaminy officials did not immediately return requests for comment Monday. The 7,000-student district has endured a pair of teacher strikes this year as the school board says it can't afford to meet the union's demands.

Learning Center Principal JoAnn Holland says she hopes the auction idea will draw the attention of a wealthy benefactor. Bidding ends Wednesday.

"I know it's crazy," Holland said in a statement. "But with the good The Learning Center does, it's crazier not to do it."

The idea came from recent graduate Casey Young, who knows a bit about unusual auctions: His dad, a writer, tried to sell their family on eBay in 2003. The ad was eventually yanked because the company prohibits selling human beings, but the stunt received a lot of publicity.

"We did it as a lark," father Steve Young told The Associated Press on Monday. "Casey seems to have turned this into something that will result in something positive."

Original source here

China to explore virgin forest home of "Bigfoot"

Located deep in the remote mountains in Hubei, Shennongjia Nature Reserve

 has long been rumored to be the home of the elusive creature known in China

 as the "Yeren," or "Wild man."

WUHAN -- Researchers will start exploring large areas of primitive forest this month in the Shennongjia region of central China's Hubei province, local authorities said Sunday.
A group of 38 experts from several universities and research institutions will begin the expedition on July 8, according to a statement from the Shennongjia Nature Reserve's management bureau.
The trip is scheduled to last through August, the statement said.
The group will focus on studying the region's animals, plants and land features and will publish its research results later, it said.
Located deep in the remote mountains of Hubei, the Shennongjia Nature Reserve has long been rumored to be the home of an elusive creature known in China as the "Yeren," or "Wild Man" in English. It is also referred to as "Bigfoot" after the legendary North American ape-man.
More than 400 people have claimed to have seen the Yeren in the Shennongjia area over the past century, but no hard evidence has been found to prove the creature's existence.
With abundant rain and water resources, Shennongjia is home to more than 3,700 species of plants and at least 1,050 kinds of animals. At least 40 of its plant species and 70 of its animal species are under state protection.
The region is also home to the rare golden monkey, which is on the verge of extinction and was first spotted in Shennongjia in the 1960s.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added Shennongjia to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 1990.

Bad day for Sharapova, Federer survive

Top seed Maria Sharapova and Kim Clijsters were knocked out of Wimbledon in straight sets in the fourth round.

Sharapova had been bidding to become the first player since Serena Williams in 2002 to win the French Open-Wimbledon double in the same year.

But the Russian world number one was beaten 6-4 6-3 by German 15th seed Sabine Lisicki on a chilly Court One.
Clijsters, due to retire after the US Open later this year, lost 6-1 6-1 to German eighth seed Angelique Kerber.

At least Federer is still standing, although for a while against erratic Belgian Xavier Malisse that seemed an effort in itself for the six-times champion.

Struggling with a bad back in chilly conditions on Centre Court, the king of cool needed two undignified injury time-outs during a 7-6 6-1 4-6 6-3 victory that continued his remarkable run of grand slam quarter-final appearances.

He remained on course for a semi-final against defending champion Novak Djokovic who thrashed fellow Serb Viktor Troicki 6-3 6-1 6-3.

While the women's quarter-final line-up is complete, five men's fourth-round matches were unfinished due to persistent rain in south west London.

Home favorite Andy Murray must try to finish off Marin Cilic on Tuesday after taking a one-set lead and fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will resume a set down against Mardy Fish.

Serena Williams and Petra Kvitova also beat the rain to set up a juicy last-eight clash in the women's singles.

Williams, seeking a fifth Wimbledon singles title to equal the total of her sister Venus, scrambled through to the quarter-finals for the 10th time with a 6-1 2-6 7-5 win over powerful Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova.