With his upcoming flick "A Perfect Man" slated to hit theaters November 1st, Liev Schreiber scored the cover spot of Cigar Aficionado magazine's November/December 2013 issue.
During his Q&A session, the "Defiance" actor chatted about his relationship with Naomi Watts and his career.
Check out a few highlights from Mr. Schreiber's interview below. For more, be sure to visit Cigar Aficionado!
On Naomi:
"To me, we're married, though I guess that, legally, we're a domestic partnership. I'm just happy we're a great couple."
On not being considered as a "movie star":
"I'm flattered but that seems like a bit of a stretch. When I hear that term, I think about people like Johnny Depp or Angelina Jolie. Actually, I think of people like Gary Cooper, Bette David, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant. I mean, I act, I'm a parent, I'm an entrepreneur. I don't know if you have anyone anymore who is exclusively a movie star."
On going into TV acting:
"I was not interested in television. And I was less interested in a TV show that was shot in L.A., because I'm a New Yorker. It was a really good script; there was no way around that."
Allie Brosh is the creator of Hyperbole and a Half. This is her first book.
Sarah Henderson
The drawings are MS Paint-style doodles, and the stories are about everyday things like cake, poor spelling and dopey dogs. And yet each month, millions of people visit Hyperbole and a Half, the hybrid Web comic and blog created by 28-year-old Allie Brosh, who says she "tries very hard to be funny." Hyperbole has just come out in book form with a mix of old and new material featuring Brosh's absurdist take on the world and her author avatar, a stick figure with a pink dress and what might be a blond ponytail — or might not. "It's totally fine to think of it as a shark fin or a party hat," Brosh tells NPR's Renee Montagne.
Interview Highlights
On depicting herself in the comics
This character sort of evolved and doesn't look like me, but in a way it's an impression of me. It's this absurd, crude little thing, and that's really what I am inside, and it's a more accurate way to represent myself.
On cleaning ALL THE THINGS
I would spontaneously decide that I really needed to start taking adulthood seriously. Adults clean their houses, so I need to clean my entire house, everything, all the things in the house. And I would do that, in addition to grocery shopping and going to the bank and doing all sorts of other adult things, all at once, and that would wear me out, so much that I would no longer be able to maintain this newfound adulthood ritual.
On depression and connecting with her readers
One thing I wrote that resonated with a lot of my readers was a couple of posts about my struggle with depression. I was actually very surprised about the reaction to those ones — depression can be such an isolating experience, and it's deceptive, you know, you think, 'Surely I'm the only one that's ever gone through this, or felt this depth of misery.'
I spent a lot of time, just because it was so difficult to get the balance between looking at the subject with a little bit of levity and also treating it with enough respect. But I really felt that it was important to talk about it. It was cathartic for me, and cathartic — I hope — for other people.
On eating an entire cake as a small child
I think it was mostly to spite my mom, who had been trying to keep me from the cake. And once I came into contact with the cake, all of my desire to eat it just sort of burst forth, and I ate the entire thing and spent the rest of the night throwing up marshmallows all over the carpet.
Prior to UFC on FOX 8 there was widespread discussion regarding what might come next for Rory MacDonald, if he beat fellow welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger on July 27th. The reason being that if MacDonald scored a huge win, he could fight for the championship sometime soon, which is currently held by his teammate and buddy Georges St. Pierre. Since the two have said they don’t want to fight, some tough decisions would have to be made.
Well, although MacDonald emerged with a unanimous decision win, there wasn’t any talk of a title shot coming, due to the fact the sluggish fight was blasted by fans and UFC boss man Dana White. Instead, MacDonald was booked to fight the relentless finisher Robbie Lawler at UFC 167, the same night that GSP will fight Johny Hendricks.
While speaking to MMA Junkie.com recently, MacDonald made it clear he’s received the message:
“If I continue to have exciting fights and dominant fights and winning, I think I’m very close [to a title shot],” said MacDonald, who has won five straight bouts. “It really depends on how the fights go.”
“There was a lot of criticism about [my most recent fight],” MacDonald said. “I’ve taken some advice to be a little more exciting, a little more aggressive and also balancing it with being a technical fighter, so there was a lot to learn from that fight.”
It’s an extremely important fight for both men, and if MacDonald takes out Lawler in impressive fashion and GSP keeps the belt, could “Ares” be headed to 185?
Stay tuned to MMA Frenzy.com for all your UFC news and coverage.
Front-Page Photo Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
News that is better or worse than expected influences health decisions
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
29-Oct-2013
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Contact: Bettye Miller bettye.miller@ucr.edu 951-827-7847 University of California - Riverside
UCR psychologist finds that unrealistic pessimists less likely to take preventive action after receiving good news
RIVERSIDE, Calif. Patients who are unrealistically optimistic about their personal health risks are more likely to take preventive action when confronted with news that is worse than expected, while unrealistic pessimists are less likely to change their behavior after receiving feedback that is better than expected, according to researchers at the University of California, Riverside and Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich.
This poses a serious dilemma for health care professionals, said study authors Kate Sweeny, assistant professor of psychology at UC Riverside, and co-author Amanda Dillard, assistant professor of psychology at Grand Valley State University: Should they withhold accurate risk information from unrealistic pessimists to avoid undermining their perceptions of the severity of their potential consequences and ultimately their motivation for preventive behavior?
"The question reveals a tension between the goals of health-behavior promotion and informed patient decision-making that has plagued researchers in several health domains, most notably with regard to women's often overly pessimistic perceptions of their breast cancer risk," Sweeny and Dillard wrote in "The Effects of Expectation Disconfirmation on Appraisal, Affect, and Behavioral Intentions," published this month in the online edition of Risk Analysis: An International Journal. The journal is an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis, a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, scholarly, international society based in McLean, Va.
"Our findings cannot resolve this tension, but rather point to the need for further consideration of the potential consequences of risk communication," the researchers said.
Sweeny and Dillard are the first to demonstrate that how an individual reacts and responds to objective risk feedback may depend on initial expectations prior to the feedback.
The psychologists conducted a series of experiments in which participants were told they would be tested for exposure to toxins found in everyday products. The researchers found that people who received risk feedback that was worse than expected expressed stronger intentions to prevent the threat in the future than did people who received risk feedback that was better than expected. All study participants received the same health feedback; only the expectations of the participants differed.
"Our findings add critical pieces to the previously incomplete picture of the consequences of expectation disconfirmation," they wrote. "Ours is the first experimental investigation of the relationship between expectation disconfirmation and behavioral intentions in the context of personal risk perceptions, and the first study to examine the process by which intentions might rise or fall in response to unexpected risk feedback."
Contrary to findings in other recent studies, Sweeny and Dillard determined that when people are faced with objective feedback that differs from their perceptions of health risks, they may adapt their behavior to fit the new risk information.
"In our studies, participants who learned that their risk was higher than they expected formed relative strong intentions to take preventive action," they said. They also found that people who learned that their risk was lower than expected felt relatively good in the face of feedback and formed relatively weak intentions to take preventive action. All of the study participants received the same health risk feedback.
"Our findings point to an important tradeoff people face when managing their expectations as they await feedback: maintaining optimism leaves people open to disappointment, but bracing for the worst may undermine future motivation to improve," they said. " It seems that people find the emotional consequences of being caught off-guard more compelling than the potential for elation to undermine their motivation to change their behavior in response to feedback."
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News that is better or worse than expected influences health decisions
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
29-Oct-2013
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Contact: Bettye Miller bettye.miller@ucr.edu 951-827-7847 University of California - Riverside
UCR psychologist finds that unrealistic pessimists less likely to take preventive action after receiving good news
RIVERSIDE, Calif. Patients who are unrealistically optimistic about their personal health risks are more likely to take preventive action when confronted with news that is worse than expected, while unrealistic pessimists are less likely to change their behavior after receiving feedback that is better than expected, according to researchers at the University of California, Riverside and Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich.
This poses a serious dilemma for health care professionals, said study authors Kate Sweeny, assistant professor of psychology at UC Riverside, and co-author Amanda Dillard, assistant professor of psychology at Grand Valley State University: Should they withhold accurate risk information from unrealistic pessimists to avoid undermining their perceptions of the severity of their potential consequences and ultimately their motivation for preventive behavior?
"The question reveals a tension between the goals of health-behavior promotion and informed patient decision-making that has plagued researchers in several health domains, most notably with regard to women's often overly pessimistic perceptions of their breast cancer risk," Sweeny and Dillard wrote in "The Effects of Expectation Disconfirmation on Appraisal, Affect, and Behavioral Intentions," published this month in the online edition of Risk Analysis: An International Journal. The journal is an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis, a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, scholarly, international society based in McLean, Va.
"Our findings cannot resolve this tension, but rather point to the need for further consideration of the potential consequences of risk communication," the researchers said.
Sweeny and Dillard are the first to demonstrate that how an individual reacts and responds to objective risk feedback may depend on initial expectations prior to the feedback.
The psychologists conducted a series of experiments in which participants were told they would be tested for exposure to toxins found in everyday products. The researchers found that people who received risk feedback that was worse than expected expressed stronger intentions to prevent the threat in the future than did people who received risk feedback that was better than expected. All study participants received the same health feedback; only the expectations of the participants differed.
"Our findings add critical pieces to the previously incomplete picture of the consequences of expectation disconfirmation," they wrote. "Ours is the first experimental investigation of the relationship between expectation disconfirmation and behavioral intentions in the context of personal risk perceptions, and the first study to examine the process by which intentions might rise or fall in response to unexpected risk feedback."
Contrary to findings in other recent studies, Sweeny and Dillard determined that when people are faced with objective feedback that differs from their perceptions of health risks, they may adapt their behavior to fit the new risk information.
"In our studies, participants who learned that their risk was higher than they expected formed relative strong intentions to take preventive action," they said. They also found that people who learned that their risk was lower than expected felt relatively good in the face of feedback and formed relatively weak intentions to take preventive action. All of the study participants received the same health risk feedback.
"Our findings point to an important tradeoff people face when managing their expectations as they await feedback: maintaining optimism leaves people open to disappointment, but bracing for the worst may undermine future motivation to improve," they said. " It seems that people find the emotional consequences of being caught off-guard more compelling than the potential for elation to undermine their motivation to change their behavior in response to feedback."
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The hostages' families, friends and activists demonstrate in Aix-en-Provence, France, in June.
Claude Paris/AP
The hostages' families, friends and activists demonstrate in Aix-en-Provence, France, in June.
Claude Paris/AP
Four French hostages captured in Niger three years ago by members of an al-Qaida affiliate have been released.
France's President Francois Hollande says the men, seized in a raid on a uranium mining operation on Sept. 16, 2010, near Arlit in northern Niger, will be returning home soon.
The four men are identified as Thierry Dol, Daniel Larribe, Pierre Legrand and Marc Feret. A source close to Hollande was quoted by AFP as saying: "We can't say that they're in great health but their health is fine."
The hostages are thought to have been held in neighboring Mali.
"Breaking from the script of the speech he was giving, he said: 'I have some good news. I just learned from Niger's president that our four hostages in the Sahel, the Arlit hostages, have been released.'
" 'I want to express all my gratitude to the President of Niger who obtained the release of our compatriots,' he added, without providing further details."
The BBC's Hugh Schofield reports that "friends, relatives and supporters of the four hostages ... knew the men were alive, but had no indication their release was imminent." He said the French government is "strenuously" denying that there was any ransom paid.
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: It's precisely why historically centrally-planned economies don't work. The Soviets had a plan for this much steel and this much concrete and it had no response to what was out there in the market and they overproduced. So, they had a lot of production numbers and they had an economy that was unworkable. Here these people are deciding if you're a single male in your 60s, you don't need the maternal care, you don't -- you've never smoked dope, you don't need the substance abuse stuff. You want a catastrophic plan which is very rational, but Jay Carney is saying, you know, 'you're too stupid to understand what you want.' Once you eliminate the market response, which is a lot of people decide I know what I want better than the bureaucrat and they're eliminating this. That's the essence of what's happening and that's why it's not going to work.
After incurring losses to Anthony Pettis and most recently Rafael dos Anjos in 2013, it looks as though lightweight vet Donald Cerrone has decided to move to featherweight, after he fights Evan Dunham at UFC 167.
“It was my idea,” said Cerrone. “(UFC’s) response was, ‘As long as you do it healthy, it’s fine.”
“Right now, my diet, I can eat what I want. I’m not really disciplined on that side. But if I tighten up what I eat and train a little harder, I’ll be fine.”
The decision might come as a bit of a surprise to some, as although Cerrone has suffered some setbacks this year, obviously both losses came against ridiculously talented fighters. Heading into 2013, Cerrone had gone 6-1 in the UFC. That said, Cerrone relayed his main goal remains winning a championship, so the move could provide a shorter route to a title shot than if he stayed at 155.
And as far as any featherweights Cerrone’s interested in fighting?
“A great fight that I’d love is B.J. Penn,” Cerrone said. “That would be so awesome. He’s a veteran of the sport. He’s fought everywhere. I don’t know how many fights B.J. has left, so it’d be cool to get in there with a legend.”
That’s definitely a fight that on paper sounds pretty good no? Speaking of entertaining fights, Cerrone’s next one with Dunham could also be a doozy, as both men certainly have aggressive, come forward approaches. Dunham, interestingly enough, is also coming off a decision loss to dos Anjos. In February, the rugged vet worked his way to split decision win over Gleison Tibau at UFC 156.
Check out yesterday’s chat with UFC lightweight Donald Cerrone to help commemorate the UFC’s 20th anniversary. Be sure to tune in on November 16 as Cerrone takes on Evan Dunham in the UFC 167 featured prelim on FOX Sports 1.
Front-Page Photo Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
ER study finds 1 in 10 older teens misuse Rx painkillers & sedatives
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
29-Oct-2013
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Contact: Kara Gavin kegavin@umich.edu 734-764-2220 University of Michigan Health System
If confirmed, findings suggest an opportunity to screen for prescription drug abuse risk -- and reduce potential for addiction or overdose
ANN ARBOR, Mich. With prescription drug abuse at epidemic levels nationwide, and overdoses killing more people than auto accidents in many states, a new University of Michigan study provides striking new data about the misuse of potent prescription painkillers and sedatives by teens and young adults.
In all, 10.4 percent of the teens and young adults treated in the emergency room for any reason admitted to misusing a prescription painkiller or sedative at least once in the last year, the study finds. That included taking the drugs to get high, taking more of the drug than was prescribed to them, or taking drugs prescribed to someone else.
What's more, most of this use was apparently illicit: The vast majority of those who admitted this use had no prescriptions for these drugs on their medical records.
The study also raises the possibility that emergency room visits, for any reason, could become important occasions for detecting and addressing prescription drug problems among young people.
The results are published in a new online-first paper in the journal Pediatrics, by a team from the U-M Medical School and U-M Injury Center. They draw their data from a large, confidential, tablet-based survey of 2,135 people between the ages of 14 and 20 years, conducted in 2010 and 2011 during visits to the U-M Health System's adult and pediatric emergency departments.
It's the first time this issue has been studied in an emergency department setting even though ER doctors often prescribe opioid painkillers and sedatives for emergency use. They also care for many patients who have accidentally or intentionally overdosed on these drugs. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that 100 deaths per day, and around 700,000 emergency department (ED) visits per year, result from prescription drug overdoses.
School-based studies have found rates of misuse among young people to be around 8 percent. But such studies miss those who have dropped out of school or did not continue their education past high school.
Lauren Whiteside, M.D., who led the study during her U-M Injury Center postdoctoral research fellowship, says the findings suggest that emergency department could be an effective setting for screening teens and young adults for prescription drug misuse, and for intervening early before problems arise.
She also noted that it's important for emergency physicians to be aware of the risk that patients could be seeking drugs for misuse or diversion to others when they come to the ER.
The study reveals several risk factors that were associated with non-medical use of prescription painkillers and sedatives.
For instance, those who misused painkillers were more likely to receive an intravenous opioid painkiller during their ER visit. And across the board, those who misused prescription drugs were significantly more likely to have also abused alcohol and non-prescription drugs such as cough medicine, or to have used marijuana, in the past year. They were also more likely to have ridden with a drunken driver.
"These patients are often using the emergency department for their medical care, not primary care settings," says Whiteside. "So, in order to curb this problem and address overdose and addiction, the ED is a good place to start."
She notes that because the study was performed in one emergency setting, further study is needed to validate the findings. And more research to develop and test screening tools and interventional tactics will be needed.
Whiteside, who is now at the University of Washington, worked with U-M Injury Center director and U-M associate professor of emergency medicine Rebecca Cunningham, M.D., on the study. The two continue to work together on this topic, and the U-M Injury Center continues to seek solutions to the growing epidemic.
The ER as a setting for screening and intervention has also been raised in research on other issues including alcohol abuse, non-prescription "hard" drug abuse and violence.
But, says Whiteside, "One of the main differences between non-medical prescription opioid and sedative misuse and other drug use is that the emergency physician is providing the substance. It's a really difficult thing to tackle and requires a multipronged effort."
Cunningham notes that, "It will likely take a concerted effort at the state level, with improved information systems aiding prescribing physicians to identify youth at risk, a change in prescribing practices that take into account the epidemic and the public health crisis, and improved early screening and intervention to change the current rising trend of overdose deaths related to prescription medications."
The study asked teens and young adults about their use of the prescription opioids
fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone, buprenorphine, and suboxone, and the sedatives Valium, Serepax, Ativan, Xanax, Librium, Rohypnol, and GHB, among others.
Funding: The data come from a larger randomized controlled trial funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, funded by grant R01 AA018122.
Authors: In addition to Whiteside and Cunningham, the research team included Maureen A. Walton, MPH, Ph.D., and Erin E. Bonar, Ph.D. of the U-M Department of Psychiatry; Amy S.B. Bohnert, Ph.D., and Frederic C. Blow, Ph.D., of U-M Psychiatry and the VA Center for Clinical Management Research; and Peter Ehrlich, M.D. of the U-M Department of Surgery's Section of Pediatric Surgery. All are Injury Center members. Cunningham, Blow, Walton and Bohnert are all members of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.
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ER study finds 1 in 10 older teens misuse Rx painkillers & sedatives
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
29-Oct-2013
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Contact: Kara Gavin kegavin@umich.edu 734-764-2220 University of Michigan Health System
If confirmed, findings suggest an opportunity to screen for prescription drug abuse risk -- and reduce potential for addiction or overdose
ANN ARBOR, Mich. With prescription drug abuse at epidemic levels nationwide, and overdoses killing more people than auto accidents in many states, a new University of Michigan study provides striking new data about the misuse of potent prescription painkillers and sedatives by teens and young adults.
In all, 10.4 percent of the teens and young adults treated in the emergency room for any reason admitted to misusing a prescription painkiller or sedative at least once in the last year, the study finds. That included taking the drugs to get high, taking more of the drug than was prescribed to them, or taking drugs prescribed to someone else.
What's more, most of this use was apparently illicit: The vast majority of those who admitted this use had no prescriptions for these drugs on their medical records.
The study also raises the possibility that emergency room visits, for any reason, could become important occasions for detecting and addressing prescription drug problems among young people.
The results are published in a new online-first paper in the journal Pediatrics, by a team from the U-M Medical School and U-M Injury Center. They draw their data from a large, confidential, tablet-based survey of 2,135 people between the ages of 14 and 20 years, conducted in 2010 and 2011 during visits to the U-M Health System's adult and pediatric emergency departments.
It's the first time this issue has been studied in an emergency department setting even though ER doctors often prescribe opioid painkillers and sedatives for emergency use. They also care for many patients who have accidentally or intentionally overdosed on these drugs. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that 100 deaths per day, and around 700,000 emergency department (ED) visits per year, result from prescription drug overdoses.
School-based studies have found rates of misuse among young people to be around 8 percent. But such studies miss those who have dropped out of school or did not continue their education past high school.
Lauren Whiteside, M.D., who led the study during her U-M Injury Center postdoctoral research fellowship, says the findings suggest that emergency department could be an effective setting for screening teens and young adults for prescription drug misuse, and for intervening early before problems arise.
She also noted that it's important for emergency physicians to be aware of the risk that patients could be seeking drugs for misuse or diversion to others when they come to the ER.
The study reveals several risk factors that were associated with non-medical use of prescription painkillers and sedatives.
For instance, those who misused painkillers were more likely to receive an intravenous opioid painkiller during their ER visit. And across the board, those who misused prescription drugs were significantly more likely to have also abused alcohol and non-prescription drugs such as cough medicine, or to have used marijuana, in the past year. They were also more likely to have ridden with a drunken driver.
"These patients are often using the emergency department for their medical care, not primary care settings," says Whiteside. "So, in order to curb this problem and address overdose and addiction, the ED is a good place to start."
She notes that because the study was performed in one emergency setting, further study is needed to validate the findings. And more research to develop and test screening tools and interventional tactics will be needed.
Whiteside, who is now at the University of Washington, worked with U-M Injury Center director and U-M associate professor of emergency medicine Rebecca Cunningham, M.D., on the study. The two continue to work together on this topic, and the U-M Injury Center continues to seek solutions to the growing epidemic.
The ER as a setting for screening and intervention has also been raised in research on other issues including alcohol abuse, non-prescription "hard" drug abuse and violence.
But, says Whiteside, "One of the main differences between non-medical prescription opioid and sedative misuse and other drug use is that the emergency physician is providing the substance. It's a really difficult thing to tackle and requires a multipronged effort."
Cunningham notes that, "It will likely take a concerted effort at the state level, with improved information systems aiding prescribing physicians to identify youth at risk, a change in prescribing practices that take into account the epidemic and the public health crisis, and improved early screening and intervention to change the current rising trend of overdose deaths related to prescription medications."
The study asked teens and young adults about their use of the prescription opioids
fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone, buprenorphine, and suboxone, and the sedatives Valium, Serepax, Ativan, Xanax, Librium, Rohypnol, and GHB, among others.
Funding: The data come from a larger randomized controlled trial funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, funded by grant R01 AA018122.
Authors: In addition to Whiteside and Cunningham, the research team included Maureen A. Walton, MPH, Ph.D., and Erin E. Bonar, Ph.D. of the U-M Department of Psychiatry; Amy S.B. Bohnert, Ph.D., and Frederic C. Blow, Ph.D., of U-M Psychiatry and the VA Center for Clinical Management Research; and Peter Ehrlich, M.D. of the U-M Department of Surgery's Section of Pediatric Surgery. All are Injury Center members. Cunningham, Blow, Walton and Bohnert are all members of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.
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Today, Google held a little event about updates to Google+ which, OK maybe that's not the most exciting thing. But buried deep in there were some updates to the Hangouts app that are finally helping it follow through on its promise: an iMessage competitor you can put on anything.
As we all know, Linux, BSD, and a host of other operating systems have been "free" for years, if not for their entire existence. Sure, there are for-cost distributions backed with support, but the fact remains that you can grab an ISO off a mirror site and install a Unix-based OS on any hardware you like, physical or virtual. With Apple's announcement that OS X Mavericks will be a free upgrade, we can add the Mac OS to that list -- though you still technically need Apple hardware to run it.
Hackintoshes aside, this is an interesting move for Apple, as it leaves Microsoft Windows as the last for-cost operating system holdout in the desktop space. Microsoft's business model will make it hard for the company to follow suit, as it doesn't have the advantage of profiting directly from the hardware sales underlying its OS. But it seems to me that Microsoft will have to reduce the price of Windows substantially to counter this move by Apple. It's hard to justify $100 plus for a Windows operating system upgrade when the competition gives it away in a seamless online upgrade.
This move by Apple may also legitimize desktop Linux in the minds of many casual users. I know, I know -- we've been hearing about the Year of Desktop Linux for, well, more years than I can remember, but it's never materialized. Yet we now have three major choices for desktop operating systems, and only one will cost you.
For those who don't wish to pony up for Apple hardware, the cost of Windows may very well push them toward at least trying Linux. Many desktop-focused distributions are making it easier than ever to transition to Linux. Coupled with the widespread disdain for Windows 8's interface, it may be enough to truly open up desktop Linux to the wider mind share it's always needed to succeed.
Breaking news: GSA session to address flooding in Colorado's front range region
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
28-Oct-2013
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Contact: Kea Giles kgiles@geosociety.org Geological Society of America
The 2013 Colorado flood event -- a perfect storm hits a dynamic landscape -- causes, processes, and effects
Boulder, CO, USA In response to devastation caused by unprecedented heavy rains between 9 and 13 September 2013, and the resulting catastrophic flooding that hit Colorado's Front Range, The Geological Society of America will present a late-breaking session on Tuesday morning, 29 October, during their 125th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Denver.
Session organizers Peter Barkmann (Project Hydrogeologist, Colorado Geological Survey) and Bob Jarrett (Scientist Emeritus, U.S. Geological Survey) recognized a need for the geoscience community to respond to this historic event in a timely fashion with sound and accurate information. "The timing of such a widespread major rainfall event leading to floods and landslides right before this gathering of Earth scientists was fortuitous. It provides a great opportunity to share observations and further our understanding of how our landscape was shaped by its climate," said Barkmann.
Nolan Doesken, Colorado State Climatologist for the Colorado Climate Center, will examine conditions that led up to the flood in his talk titled, "Not Expected but Not a Surprise."
Speakers will also cover flood processes and how the flood waters behaved, as well as the impacts of the flooding on dams, highways, infrastructure, and lives. Finally, a discussion of the flood within the context of water supply and management will help to bring events into perspective for future policy and decision-making. A 30-minute question and answer period will follow the presentations.
See the complete list of speakers at https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013AM/webprogram/Session34461.html.
DETAILSLATE BREAKING SESSION:
The 2013 Colorado Flood EventA Perfect Storm Hits a Dynamic Landscape, Causes, Processes, and Effects
https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013AM/webprogram/Session34461.html
Tuesday, 29 Oct.: 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Colorado Convention Center, Mile High Ballroom 2AB/3AB
Contact: Peter E. Barkmann, peter.barkmann@state.co.us
A related late-breaking field trip to the Boulder flood zone took place earlier on Saturday, 26 October, to examine the effects of the 2013 Front Range flood on low-order streams and alluvial terraces in the area. The trip, which was filled to capacity, was arranged and led by Lon Abbott (University of Colorado), Mariela Perignon, Lisa Dierauf, and Dave Sutherland.
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ON-SITE NEWSROOM
Media are invited to attend and cover this and other sessions at the GSA Annual Meeting. Onsite registration for media is in the Newsroom, room 608, in the Colorado Convention Center. Eligibility requirements are online at http://community.geosociety.org/2013AnnualMeeting/MediaCenter/MediaRegistration.
Newsroom Hours:
Sunday, 27 October: 7:00 am 6:00 pm
Monday & Tuesday, 28-29 October: 7:30 am 6:00 pm
Wednesday, 30 October: 7:30 am 5:30 pm
Phone: 303-228-8431
The Geological Society of America, founded in 1888, is a scientific society with more than 25,000 members from academia, government, and industry in more than 100 countries. Through its meetings, publications, and programs, GSA enhances the professional growth of its members and promotes the geosciences in the service of humankind. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, USA, GSA encourages cooperative research among earth, life, planetary, and social scientists, fosters public dialogue on geoscience issues, and supports all levels of earth science education.
http://www.geosociety.org
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Breaking news: GSA session to address flooding in Colorado's front range region
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
28-Oct-2013
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Contact: Kea Giles kgiles@geosociety.org Geological Society of America
The 2013 Colorado flood event -- a perfect storm hits a dynamic landscape -- causes, processes, and effects
Boulder, CO, USA In response to devastation caused by unprecedented heavy rains between 9 and 13 September 2013, and the resulting catastrophic flooding that hit Colorado's Front Range, The Geological Society of America will present a late-breaking session on Tuesday morning, 29 October, during their 125th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Denver.
Session organizers Peter Barkmann (Project Hydrogeologist, Colorado Geological Survey) and Bob Jarrett (Scientist Emeritus, U.S. Geological Survey) recognized a need for the geoscience community to respond to this historic event in a timely fashion with sound and accurate information. "The timing of such a widespread major rainfall event leading to floods and landslides right before this gathering of Earth scientists was fortuitous. It provides a great opportunity to share observations and further our understanding of how our landscape was shaped by its climate," said Barkmann.
Nolan Doesken, Colorado State Climatologist for the Colorado Climate Center, will examine conditions that led up to the flood in his talk titled, "Not Expected but Not a Surprise."
Speakers will also cover flood processes and how the flood waters behaved, as well as the impacts of the flooding on dams, highways, infrastructure, and lives. Finally, a discussion of the flood within the context of water supply and management will help to bring events into perspective for future policy and decision-making. A 30-minute question and answer period will follow the presentations.
See the complete list of speakers at https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013AM/webprogram/Session34461.html.
DETAILSLATE BREAKING SESSION:
The 2013 Colorado Flood EventA Perfect Storm Hits a Dynamic Landscape, Causes, Processes, and Effects
https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013AM/webprogram/Session34461.html
Tuesday, 29 Oct.: 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Colorado Convention Center, Mile High Ballroom 2AB/3AB
Contact: Peter E. Barkmann, peter.barkmann@state.co.us
A related late-breaking field trip to the Boulder flood zone took place earlier on Saturday, 26 October, to examine the effects of the 2013 Front Range flood on low-order streams and alluvial terraces in the area. The trip, which was filled to capacity, was arranged and led by Lon Abbott (University of Colorado), Mariela Perignon, Lisa Dierauf, and Dave Sutherland.
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ON-SITE NEWSROOM
Media are invited to attend and cover this and other sessions at the GSA Annual Meeting. Onsite registration for media is in the Newsroom, room 608, in the Colorado Convention Center. Eligibility requirements are online at http://community.geosociety.org/2013AnnualMeeting/MediaCenter/MediaRegistration.
Newsroom Hours:
Sunday, 27 October: 7:00 am 6:00 pm
Monday & Tuesday, 28-29 October: 7:30 am 6:00 pm
Wednesday, 30 October: 7:30 am 5:30 pm
Phone: 303-228-8431
The Geological Society of America, founded in 1888, is a scientific society with more than 25,000 members from academia, government, and industry in more than 100 countries. Through its meetings, publications, and programs, GSA enhances the professional growth of its members and promotes the geosciences in the service of humankind. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, USA, GSA encourages cooperative research among earth, life, planetary, and social scientists, fosters public dialogue on geoscience issues, and supports all levels of earth science education.
http://www.geosociety.org
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Prospects for comprehensive immigration legislation this year grew murkier on the eve of an all-out push by a coalition of business, religious and law enforcement to convince the House to overhaul the decades-old system.
Proponents seized on two developments as a Senate-passed measure remains stalled in the House — President Barack Obama's meeting at the White House on Tuesday with a House Republican working on legislation and a California GOP lawmaker's willingness to back a House Democratic plan.
But in a blow to their effort, Sen. Marco Rubio signaled support for the piecemeal approach in the House despite his months of work and vote for the comprehensive Senate bill that would provide a path to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants living here illegally and tighten border security.
The Florida Republican — son of Cuban immigrants and a potential presidential candidate in 2016 — had provided crucial support for the bipartisan Senate bill.
"Sen. Rubio has always preferred solving immigration reform with piecemeal legislation. The Senate opted to pursue a comprehensive bill, and he joined that effort because he wanted to influence the policy that passed the Senate," Rubio's spokesman, Alex Conant, said Monday in explaining Rubio's backing for limited measures.
Since 68 Democrats and Republicans joined together to pass the Senate bill in June, opponents and many conservatives have stepped up their pressure against any immigration legislation, based not only on their principle opposition but their unwillingness to deliver on Obama's top, second-term domestic agenda issue.
The recent budget fight only inflamed conservative GOP feelings toward Obama.
Most House Republicans reject a comprehensive approach and many question offering citizenship to people who broke U.S. immigration laws to be in this country. The House Judiciary Committee has moved forward with individual, single-issue immigration bills.
Although House Republican leaders say they want to solve the issue, which has become a political drag for the GOP, many rank-and-file House Republicans have shown little inclination to deal with it. With just a few legislative weeks left in the House, it's unclear whether lawmakers will vote on any measure before the year is out.
Among the exceptions are Republican Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida and Darrell Issa of California, who have been working on possible legislation.
Diaz-Balart has said his bill would help those immigrants here illegally to "get right with the law," purposely avoiding the word legalization that he said is interpreted differently in the fierce debate over immigration. Diaz-Balart is slated to meet with the president on Tuesday.
The congressman mentioned the session in an interview with Florida radio station WGCU and his office confirmed the meeting.
Determined to rally support, outside groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Bibles, Badges & Business for Immigration Reform are descending on the Capitol Tuesday to lobby lawmakers to vote this year on immigration legislation.
Randy Johnson, senior vice president of the Chamber, told reporters on a conference call Monday that the effort is "about moving votes on the Hill in the right direction."
Johnson said he was hopeful that the House could pass one or two of the single-issue bills before the end of the year, and left open the possibility of action early next year — an election year.
"I don't think it's the end of world if we can't get it done by early February," Johnson said. He said if it drags on until April or May, the prospects are dim.
Separately, Rep. Jeff Denham of California became the first Republican to back the House Democratic bill. Denham represents a swing district in northern California northeast of San Jose. He won his seat in 2012 with 53 percent of the vote.
The Senate bill, strongly backed by the White House, includes billions for border security, a reworked legal immigration system to allow tens of thousands of high- and low-skilled workers into the country, and a 13-year path to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants already here illegally.
The bill from House Democrats jettisoned the border security provision and replaced it with the House Homeland panel's version. That bill, backed by conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats, would require the secretary of Homeland Security to develop a strategy to gain operational control of the border within five years and a plan to implement the strategy. It calls on the Government Accountability Office to oversee the steps being taken.
The bill doesn't call for new spending, in contrast to the Senate bill with $46 billion in new spending on drones, helicopters and other technology, a doubling of agents patrolling the border with Mexico and hundreds of miles of new fencing.
The usual scenario involves suspicious glances, inattentive clerks or rude service — not handcuffs.
Yet when a black teen said he was wrongly jailed after buying a $350 belt at a Manhattan luxury store, it struck a nerve in African-Americans accustomed to finding that their money is not necessarily as good as everyone else's. Shopping while black, they say, can be a humiliating experience.
Much attention has been paid to the issue over the years — Oprah Winfrey complained that a Swiss clerk did not think she could afford a $38,000 handbag, and even President Barack Obama has said he was once followed in stores. But according to shoppers interviewed Monday, many people don't recognize how prevalent retail discrimination is, and how the consistent stream of small insults adds up to a large problem.
"It's one thing if you don't understand. But don't ever tell me it doesn't happen to me," said Natasha Eubanks, who shops often at high-end stores in New York City. "You can't assume it doesn't happen just because it doesn't happen to you."
Sometimes, Eubanks said, it takes clerks more than five minutes to simply acknowledge her presence. Or they brush her off after a token greeting. Or they ask her question after question: "You're a black girl up in Chanel. They want to know what you're doing here, and what you do for a living."
She says she has dealt with this type of treatment at least 20 times in New York City.
"I don't look like that typical chick who walks into that type of store," said Eubanks, owner of the celebrity website theYBF.com. "It feels differently than when you go into a store and are treated properly."
Trayvon Christian's problem was not how he was treated when he went into Barneys New York — it was what happened afterward. In a lawsuit filed last week, the 19-year-old said that he bought a Ferragamo belt at the Manhattan store, and when he left he was accosted by undercover city police officers.
According to the lawsuit, police said Christian "could not afford to make such an expensive purchase." He was arrested and detained, though he showed police the receipt, the debit card he used and identification, the lawsuit said.
After Christian's lawsuit was filed, another black Barneys shopper said she was accused of fraud after purchasing a $2,500 handbag, and the black actor Robert Brown said he was paraded through Macy's in handcuffs and detained for an hour after being falsely accused of credit card fraud.
For Yvonne Chan, the reports were a painful reminder of when she worked in a liquor store in a predominantly white Massachusetts town. Every few months someone would be caught stealing, and about half the time it was a black person.
"You find yourself watching black people. (The stealing) only happens once in a while, but it changes your perception," Chan said.
Chan, a graduate student, always tried to remind herself not to act on stereotypes, but, "Like it or not, I'm going to have a preconceived notion of races from my experiences. As much as I would like to force my brain not to think like that and put everyone on an even playing field, stereotypes play a role in our society ... we skew the view of people as individuals."
Those skewed views can affect who gets arrested for retail theft, said Jerome Williams, a business professor at Rutgers University who has studied marketplace discrimination.
Many people justify racial profiling by saying that black customers are more likely to steal. But one study has shown that white women in their 40s engaged in more shoplifting than other demographic groups, Williams said.
"The reason they don't show up in crime statistics is because people aren't watching them," said Williams.
Statistics showing that black customers steal more "are not really an indication of who's shoplifting," he said. "It's a reflection of who's getting caught. That's a reflection of who's getting watched. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."
Dido Kanyandekwe knows he is being watched. "But I joke with them; I see them looking at me and I say, 'Hello, I see you!' And I wave," said the 18-year-old college student in New York City, who was in Barneys on Monday buying a $600-plus pair of Italian designer sneakers.
"Most black people don't have the money to buy stuff at Barneys," said Kanyandekwe, the son of wealthy parents, before paying for the black leather shoes with a credit card. "But that does not mean all black people are not able to buy these things."
Black people are not the only ones who can face unequal treatment in stores. Hispanics have made the same complaints. And Sher Graham, a white woman who lives in Mobile, Ala., says black servers in the fast-food restaurants she visits often wait on black customers first.
A few months ago, she said, a black cashier started talking to black women standing in line behind her about their order. "When I brought this to her attention, she just shrugged her shoulders and completely ignored me. This action happens more times than not here in the Gulf Coast region," Graham, a consultant and speaker, said in an email interview.
Yet if the number of complaints is any guide, the experience is most common for African-Americans.
Candace Witherspoon, a wardrobe stylist in Los Angeles, went to a store in Century City last April to buy a purse and shop for one of her celebrity clients. She was wearing a T-shirt and jeans. In a letter to the company, Witherspoon said the sales associate barely greeted her, then ignored her, in contrast with her treatment of white patrons.
"As the other customers left, she said 'Thanks ladies for shopping. Have a good day.' When I left she gave me a nasty look and didn't say anything," Witherspoon's letter said.
Toni Duclottni, who runs a fashion web site in Los Angeles, recently went to a Beverly Hills department store intending to spend about $4,000 on shoes. But she took her business elsewhere after being ignored.
"It's frustrating to be constantly ignored and people pretend it doesn't happen," she said.
To her, the solution is simple.
"They rush to judgment, they jump into it assuming something without speaking to a person," Duclottni said. "They'd be surprised if they just walked up and said, "Hello, can I help you find something?' They'd be surprised."
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Associated Press writer Verena Dobnik in New York contributed to this report.
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Jesse Washington covers race and ethnicity for The Associated Press. He is reachable at http://www.twitter.com/jessewashington.
Samsung is selling 1 million mobile devices every day, executive vice president David Eun announced this morning at the Samsung Developers Conference at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco. That's phones, tablets — any and all things mobile.
"We know many of these devices and screens are connected," Eun said. "This is largely due to the fact that some 40 percent of the population connects to the internet. We hope to build along with you one of the largest platforms in the world for content, services, apps and ads. We call this the connoted home, and the connected life."
Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/m4zNMkJZzRE/
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