2015 thread for news

[lavender1]

www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/03/nobel-peace-prize-committee-chairman-thorbjorn-jagland-demoted

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwV2jiTHnfc

www.dailyunconstitutional.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/drone-strikes.png




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[lavender1]

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/11371203/New-York-blizzard-Winter-snow-storm-Juno-hits-US-East-Coast-in-pictures.html?frame=3179616

^ok, that was juno; now they got thor:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor
norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/the-aesir-gods-and-goddesses/thor/

www.weather.com/weather/alerts/localalerts/l/USNY0996:1:US?phenomena=WS&significance=W&areaid=NYZ072&office=KOKX&etn=0006&tid=878896

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www.nydailynews.com/news/national/wicked-winter-weather-forecast-n-m-mass-thursday-article-1.2138247

www.foxnews.com/weather/2015/03/05/states-emergency-declared-as-much-us-braces-for-winter-storm/

news.nationalpost.com/2015/03/05/plane-slides-off-runway-at-laguardia-airport-in-new-york-city/

[lavender1]

^^^ www.weather.com/news/news/winter-storm-thor-impacts-latest-southwest-midwest-northeast

[lavender1]

fox17online.com/2014/09/25/u-s-and-arab-allies-hit-oil-refineries-in-latest-airstrikes-against-isis/

www.mintpressnews.com/how-the-us-its-allies-and-syria-unwittingly-corporatized-isis/201748/

www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/islamischer-staat-is-in-syrien-anti-is-koalition-bombardiert-raffinerie-a-1022455.html


www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/syrien-beobachtungsstelle-meldet-getoetete-deutsche-a-1022453.html

[lavender1]

www.spiegel.de/international/germany/spiegel-cover-story-how-silicon-valley-shapes-our-future-a-1021557.html

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www.cato-unbound.org/2009/04/13/peter-thiel/education-libertarian

[lavender1]

www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/03/05/1421784112

www.cbsnews.com/news/dna-technique-offers-clues-to-origins-of-african-slaves/

www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mensch/erbgut-analyse-klaert-herkunft-von-sklaven-aus-afrika-a-1022623.html

[lavender1]

www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Mar-11/290386-saudi-arabia-recalls-ambassador-after-sweden-cuts-military-ties-sweden.ashx?utm_source=Magnet&utm_medium=Related%20Articles%20page&utm_campaign=Magnet%20tools

Agence France Presse

STOCKHOLM: Saudi Arabia has recalled its Stockholm ambassador, the Swedish foreign ministry said Wednesday as the rift between the two countries deepened in the wake of Sweden cutting military ties.

"Diplomatic relations are not broken. But Saudi Arabia's ambassador has been recalled," spokesman Erik Boman told AFP after Sweden scrapped military cooperation with the conservative Islamic kingdom Tuesday.

Sweden scrapped a long-standing military deal with the Saudis Tuesday after accusing the country of blocking Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstroem from speaking at an Arab League meeting.

"This is not a game. It's a serious issue that must be treated seriously," Social Democrat Prime Minister Stefan Loefven told public broadcaster Swedish Radio Wednesday.

His party had come under intense pressure to abandon the deal from coalition partners the Green Party.

The Social Democrats refused to cite human rights as a motive for the decision but Wallstroem had said her opening speech at Monday's meeting in Cairo was blocked by the Saudis for her pro-democracy stance in the region.

The deal involved exchanges of military products, logistics, technology and training. The Swedish defense minister said only cooperation in medicine and gender studies would remain on offer.

"In practical terms, there is no military cooperation," the minister, Peter Hultqvist, told public broadcaster SVT.

"What we have is an open invitation to partake in medical and gender training, but the Saudi side has not shown any interest," he added.

The deal on military cooperation - signed by a left-wing government in 2005 and renewed in 2010 - has come under domestic fire after journalists in 2011 revealed that Sweden had secretly helped the Saudis construct a weapons factory.

Sweden's decision to scrap the agreement "is actually not surprising after such a heated debate," political scientist Thord Janson at the University of Gothenburg told AFP.

"What surprised [me] more was the signing of this agreement 10 years ago, when Saudi Arabia was more or less considered a normal country," he added.

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[lavender1]

thecitypaperbogota.com/news/powerful-6-6-quakes-strikes-colombia

on Mar 10, 2015 • by The City Paper Staff

Home » Homepage Featured, News » Powerful 6.6 quake strikes Colombia

A powerful earthquake struck Colombia, Tuesday, March 10th, at 3:55 pm, causing widespread nervousness in the capital Bogotá, as buildings were evacuated in relative calm.

The 6.6 magnitude earthquake, which lasted more than a minute, according to Colombia’s geological agency, INGEOMINAS, quake had its epicenter in Mesa de los Santos, in the department of Santander; and was felt in Colombia’s second largest city, Medellin, along the Colombian coast, in the capital of Valle, Cali, and as far south a Neiva.

News reports coming in claim that the earthquake was also felt with intensity in Caracas, Venezuela.

There are reports of structural damage to buildings in Bogotá’s western neighbourhoods of Suba and Engativa.

After the initial scare, the Colombian capital has returned to an uneasy calm. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is holding an emergency cabinet meeting to analyse the situation across the nation, especially the conditions in the city of Bucaramanga, the largest urban center near the epicenter. According to residents of Bucaramanga, there is damage to the facade of one of the city’s main churches, the Sagrado Corazon de Jesus. There are reports of collapsed walls and damage to homes in the colonial towns of Aratoca, Betulia and Barichara in Santander.

Cellphone service was cut in Bogotá for several minutes after the quake, but has now returned, with disrupted service in many parts of the capital. National Police helicopters are conducting air patrols of the capital.

Office buildings in Medellín were also evacuated. According to eye witnesses, there was panic on the streets of Barranquilla, after buildings were quickly evacuated, including the Fiscalia and Mayoralty.

In Bogotá, firefighters are assessing the damage to several commercial shopping centers. In Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport, several roof tiles fell to the ground, and areas of the airport have been cordoned-off.

According to the Bogotá Fire Department, there is structural damage to the stairs of the city’s tallest building, Colpatria.

No fatalities have yet to be reported by the National Police, the Civil Defense and Bogotá Fire Department. According to the capital’s hospital network, there are no injuries from the Tuesday quake.

Colombians remain nervous as to possible aftershocks.

The Colombian Red Cross (CRC) – Cundinamarca and Bogotá Chapters – have activated two rescue response units after the quake which rattled Colombia, Tuesday. The CRC released recommendations on how to act before, during and after an earthquake:

What to do before an earthquake?

Anticipate the danger, identifying high-risk areas of your home, school or workplace.

Be careful of heavy objects that can fall from walls and cause injury.

Get together with your family to define an emergency plan in case of an earthquake, as well as routes for an evacuation or possible shelter in your building.

Make sure you know the location of your water, gas and electricity outlets, and how to shut them off.

Always keep an emergency kit with a First Aid kit, radio and spare batteries, flashlight and whistle, extra food and water, checking frequently their expiry dates.

What to do during an earthquake?

Stay calm. Do not run. Avoid panic as this can be as dangerous as the earthquake.

Enable your family emergency plan. Follow your previously established evacuation routes.

If you are inside a building and cannot get out, find a safe place to protect you.

If objects are collapsing, take cover under a sturdy table or desk.

Stay away from windows, bookcases, mirrors, hanging plants and other heavy objects that could fall.

Use the radio to follow recommendations from relief agencies.

What to do after an earthquake?

Check the status of your house or workplace before re-entering.

If you see cracks, sloping walls or hear cracking noises do not enter until your residence has been reviewed by experts.

If you find yourself stuck, alert with cries, noises, or a whistle. If you can, use a cell phone. Keep mobile devices charged for an eventual aftershock.

colombiareports.co/santos-suspends-air-strikes-against-farc-for-1-month/

[lavender1]

www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2931

[lavender1]

"accelerating, but not colliding ..."

arstechnica.com/science/2015/03/slac-particle-accelerator-facility-finds-new-ways-to-be-cutting-edge/

www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/technik/teilchenbeschleuniger-lhc-am-cern-startet-wieder-a-1021822.html

[lavender1]

www.techtimes.com/articles/39129/20150312/neanderthals-used-eagle-talons-to-make-worlds-oldest-jewelry.htm

www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/halskette-aus-adlerkrallen-neandertaler-trugen-schmuck-1.2388137



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[lavender1]

rt.com/news/240221-iceland-drop-eu-member/

www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/island-regierung-zieht-eu-beitrittsantrag-offiziell-zurueck-a-1023288.html

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[lavender1]

parallels ....


hongkong.coconuts.co/2015/03/09/special-report-ground-hong-kongs-4th-anti-parallel-trade-protest-month

www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/01/arrests-hong-kong-protests-protesters-clash-police-parallel-traders

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_trading_in_Hong_Kong

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[lavender1]

www.bbc.com/news/health-31876219

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[lavender1]

genomebiology.com/2015/16/1/50

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www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/42420/title/Horizontal-Gene-Transfer-a-Hallmark-of-Animal-Genomes-/

Horizontal Gene Transfer a Hallmark of Animal Genomes?

Foreign genes in animal genomes may be of bacterial or fungal origin, according to a new analysis.

By Jyoti Madhusoodanan | March 12, 2015

NHGRI Many animal genomes include bacterial and fungal genes acquired by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) during evolution, according to a study published today (March 12) in Genome Biology. Scanning the genomes of fruit flies, nematodes, primates, and humans, among other animals, researchers found evidence to suggest that some of these horizontally acquired genes may even be functional.

When the human genome was first published, the suggestion that it contained bacterial genes was controversial. Subsequent studies questioned the possibility of HGT, offering alternate explanations for the presence of genes that resembled bacterial sequences, such as gene loss, or convergent or divergent evolution.

“There were methodological issues with both sides of the argument, and the main problem was that we just didn’t have the data back then that we do now,” said Alastair Crisp of the University of Cambridge, an author on the new study.

More recently, several researchers have reported the lateral transfer of bacterial genes into metazoans under specific circumstances. Examples include the interaction of insect hosts with the obligate intracellular parasite Wolbachia, or the transfer of subsets of bacterial genes into specific kinds of cells, such as cancer cells.

But this latest study is the first to extend across a breadth of species and types of genes. “The study makes a compelling case presenting more evidence of lateral gene transfer from bacteria into eukaryotes,” said microbiologist Julie Hotopp of the University of Maryland who was not involved with the work. “Redoing this type of analysis has been needed for quite some time. People continue to cite the papers from 2000 and 2001 as examples that there is no lateral gene transfer, particularly in humans.”

To re-evaluate the extent of bacterial gene transfer into animals, Crisp and his colleagues analyzed 40 animal genomes, including 10 primates, 12 Drosophila species, and four Caenorhabditis genomes. The researchers computed a score to quantitate how closely a gene aligned to a non-metazoan sequence compared to a metazoan, or animal, sequence. Based on this score, they considered genes that strongly resembled non-animal sequences to be horizontally transferred. Depending on the scores, between 55 percent and 88 percent of the sequences analyzed strongly resembled prokaryotic sequences, suggesting they had been introduced into animal genomes by lateral transfer.

“We had an idea that HGT was much broader than people had previously suspected,” said Crisp. “What surprised us particularly was that there seemed to be a broadly similar amount in both vertebrates and invertebrates.”

The results supported analyses from previous studies that suggested human genes—such as FTO, the fat mass and obesity-associated gene—may have been horizontally acquired. Phylogenetic comparisons also found that some genes, such as hyaluronan synthases (HAS) in the human genome, which were originally thought to be horizontally transferred from bacteria but later rejected, may in fact be of fungal origin.

A large proportion of the “foreign” genes analyzed were found on the same genomic scaffolds as native animal genes. The strong linkage suggested to Crisp and his colleagues that contamination of sequenced samples was unlikely to be the source of these non-native genes.

However, the validity of these results hinge upon the quality of the assembled genomes that were analyzed. “Some genomes, such as C. elegans, D. melanogaster, and the human genome, are very well put-together. But in others, the assemblies may not be as good, and poor assemblies will result in something that looks like gene transfer,” said Hotopp. “It just means that in some organisms they may have overestimated it.”

Crisp’s team found that several of the foreign genes in metazoan genomes encoded enzymes and likely had active biochemical functions. In three nematode and all the primate genomes analyzed, the researchers found that 95 percent of foreign genes contained introns, suggesting that these genes have been “domesticated” over time.

“Since HGT events are not incredibly common, it seems likely that the mechanisms [operating] are very similar to the ones that would insert introns into any genes,” said Crisp. “Looking at recent HGT events can tell us how introns were inserted into other eukaryotic genes, or how transcriptional regulation of new genes evolves.”

The process of lateral gene transfer appears to be both ancient and active today. In human and other primate genomes, foreign genes appear to have entered the genome only in their last common ancestors. But in some Drosophila species and nematodes, the process appears to have occurred much more recently.

The results suggest that “if we use the same yardstick to measure a variety of model organisms, it’s possible to say that mammalian genomes have also been subjected to low levels of HGT, although it happened only on very rare occasions at the early stages of evolution,” said molecular geneticist Irina Arkhipova of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts who was not involved with the study. “Some species are more susceptible than others. But it definitely can happen and has happened during evolution, and has played a role in shaping functional diversity of the gene repertoire in metazoans.”

Microbiologist Jonathan Eisen of the University of California, Davis, who also did not participate in the work noted that the study’s results don’t conclusively exclude gene loss as an alternate explanation of their data.

“This is pretty typical of claims of HGT,” Eisen told The Scientist in an e-mail. “Many researchers show evidence that is consistent with the occurence of HGT (which they did here) but few actually explicitly test alternative hypotheses such as gene loss, bad alignments, convergence, divergence, contamination, random noise, and more.”

“I suspect that [these results] won’t be universally accepted,” said Crisp. “But I think it takes a good shot at settling the controversy.”

A. Crisp et al., “Expression of multiple horizontally acquired genes is a hallmark of both vertebrate and invertebrate genomes,” doi:10.1186/s13059-015-0607-3, Genome Biology, 2015.

Clarification (March 12): This article has been updated from a previous version to note that hyaluronan synthases found in the human genome may be of fungal origin.

www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/gentransfer-mensch-uebernahm-zahlreiche-gene-von-bakterien-a-1023395.html