Sunday, June 30, 2013

Social Lemurs Have More 'Street Smarts,' Study Finds

Lemurs that come from big tribes and live in large groups exhibit more "social smarts" than those that live with only a few companions, finds a new study that suggests the size of a primate's social network could influence its social intelligence.

Researchers designed a series of experiments to test lemurs' social cognition. Essentially, the scientists were curious how lemurs process a situation ? specifically, how they decide whether or not a human can see them ? and then how they use that information in manipulative ways ? in this case, to steal a piece of food if they think they are not being watched, said lead study author Evan MacLean, a senior researcher in the department of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

"There's an idea that animals that live in big groups develop important psychological abilities, because they have to figure out how to get their way in an environment where they can't always get their way," MacLean told LiveScience. [Images: Duke University's Lemur Center]

The researchers first taught the lemurs that humans are competitors by introducing them to food that human subjects eventually took away.

Then, in one of the tests, a human subject sat facing a plate of food as a lemur entered the room, while another human sat with his back turned. In another scenario, two human testers sat either facing toward or away from the food, with only their profiles visible to a lemur as it entered the room. In the third test, the human testers faced the food and the lemur, while either wearing a blindfold over their eyes, or a black band over their mouths.

The researchers tested 60 lemurs from six different species at the Duke Lemur Center, and found that species that live in larger groups of 15 to 20 individuals, such as the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta), were more responsive to social cues, meaning they were better at judging when humans could not see them, and therefore when they could successfully steal food.

"Lemurs who live in big social groups in nature were much better at using those cues to figure out what somebody could or couldn't see," MacLean said.

Lemurs that typically live in small groups with only two to three companions, such as the mongoose lemur (Eulemur mongoz), were less perceptive in their social abilities, he added. Lemurs from all species, however, had trouble in the third scenario, when humans had their eyes or mouths covered. For instance, lemurs did not readily understand that a person facing food with his eyes covered could not actually see.

"Some species of monkeys have been shown to understand those subtle conditions, but it was something that the lemurs didn't seem to get," MacLean said.

The findings appear to draw a link between social group size and cognition, but MacLean and his colleagues want to investigate the specific ways that being socially savvy improves intelligence, and an animal's ability to make social judgments.

"One of the main things that's interesting for us is to see if social groups set the context for where we really need to use intelligence," MacLean said. "If the social environment leads to evolutionary changes in intelligence, does it make you smarter across the board, or does it make you smarter in very specific ways?"

The findings of the study were published June 27 in the journal PLOS ONE.

Follow Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow. Follow LiveScience @livescience, Facebook?& Google+. Original article on?LiveScience.com.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/social-lemurs-more-street-smarts-study-finds-125554914.html

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Obama meets Mandela family, police disperse protesters

By Jeff Mason and Mark Felsenthal

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama met the family of South Africa's ailing anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela on Saturday, offering words of comfort and praising the critically ill retired statesman as one of history's greatest figures.

The faltering health of Mandela, 94, a figure admired globally as a symbol of struggle against injustice and racism, is dominating Obama's two-day visit to South Africa.

But Obama also faced protests by South Africans against U.S. foreign policy, especially American drone strikes.

Police fired stun grenades to disperse several hundred protesters who had gathered outside the Soweto campus of the University of Johannesburg, where Obama addressed an afternoon town hall meeting with students.

The brief confrontation some distance away did not disrupt the event in the heavily protected campus, where Obama gave a speech praising what he called a new "more prosperous, more confident" Africa. He also took questions from students.

On the second leg of a three-nation Africa tour, Obama met Mandela's relatives to deliver a message of support instead of directly visiting the frail former president at the hospital where he has spent the last three weeks.

The half-hour meeting took place at the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory in Johannesburg.

Obama said afterwards in a statement he had also spoken by telephone with Mandela's wife Graca Machel, who remained by her husband's side in the hospital in Pretoria.

"I expressed my hope that Madiba draws peace and comfort from the time that he is spending with loved ones, and also expressed my heartfelt support for the entire family as they work through this difficult time," he said, using the clan name Madiba by which Mandela is affectionately known.

Machel said she had conveyed this message to her husband and thanked the Obamas for their "touch of personal warmth".

Obama earlier held talks with South African President Jacob Zuma and the two held a joint news conference in which Zuma said Mandela remained in a "critical but stable condition".

"We hope that very soon he will be out of hospital," Zuma added, without giving further details.

Obama's visit to South Africa had stirred intense speculation that the first African-American president of the United States would look in on the first black president of South Africa in his hospital room.

But Mandela's deterioration in the last week to a critical condition forced the White House to decide against such a visit.

"BOUND BY HISTORY"

Speaking to reporters at Pretoria's Union Buildings, where Mandela was inaugurated in 1994, Obama said the prayers of millions around the world were with the Nobel Peace laureate.

He likened Mandela to the first U.S. president, George Washington, because both had decided to step down at the peak of their power and popularity.

"What an incredible lesson that is," Obama said, calling Mandela "one of the greatest people in history".

Obama said on Thursday he did not "need a photo op" with Mandela, whom he met in 2005 in Washington as a U.S. senator.

Zuma underscored the historical similarities between Mandela and Obama. "The two of you are also bound by history as the first black presidents of your respective countries," Zuma said.

"You both carry the dreams of the millions of people in Africa and the diaspora."

On Sunday, Obama flies to Cape Town, from where he will visit Robben Island, the windswept former penal colony in the frigid waters of the south Atlantic where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in apartheid jails.

Zuma said Mandela had told him before his latest hospitalization that "when I go to sleep I will be very happy because I left South Africa going forward".

Despite the protests of some against Obama, many other South Africans said they were inspired by the U.S. leader's example.

"Obama, like Nelson Mandela, is the first black president in his country ... His success in the U.S. shows that we as Africans can also make it," said Nanzwakazi Zuma, a lecturer in electrical engineering who attended the Soweto event.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Mark Felsenthal, and Dylan Martinez and Jon Herskovitz in Soweto; Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Gareth Jones)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-meets-mandela-family-police-disperse-protesters-135122531.html

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Follow Orioles-Yankees LIVE here; updates from Camden Yards @WNST on Twitter

New York Yankees
Player AB R H RBI TB BB K AVG OBP SLG
B. Gardner, CF 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .285 .344 .446
J. Nix, SS 2 1 1 0 2 1 0 .242 .308 .308
R. Cano, 2B 3 1 2 0 2 0 0 .285 .363 .493
V. Wells, DH 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 .226 .265 .368
I. Suzuki, RF 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 .275 .313 .374
Z. Almonte, LF 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 .286 .344 .464
D. Adams, 3B 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .182 .236 .273
L. Overbay, 1B 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 .241 .282 .435
A. Romine, C 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .145 .159 .194
??T. Hafner, PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .221 .320 .437
??C. Stewart, C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .252 .316 .326
Totals 23 2 6 1 7 3 1 - - -
?
?
2B:?NYY 1,?J. Nix (7).?Bal 1,?C. Dickerson (5).
HR:?Bal 2,?C. Davis (29), R. Flaherty (6).
HR Detail: Bal,?C. Davis?(Inning:?1 ,?1?Out,?2 on) off D. Phelps, Bal,?R. Flaherty?(Inning:?3 ,?1?Out,?2 on) off D. Phelps.
Scoring Position: NYY - 1?for?7.Bal - 4?for?6.?
SF: NYY?1, Z. Almonte (1).?Bal?0,
?
?
?
Errors:?Bal 1,?C. Davis (3).
Double Plays: NYY 1, (J.Nix to Cano to Overbay).?Bal 1, (Hardy to Flaherty to C.Davis).
?
Umpires: HP--Kellogg, 1B--Schrieber, 2B--Hamari, 3B--Cooper.
w4 ? 2013 by STATS LLC.
Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC is strictly prohibited.

Source: http://sports.wnst.net/mlb/boxscore.asp?gamecode=330629101

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Popularity rating of Brazil president plummets

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff meets with governors and mayors representing Brazil's 26 states and its federal district, to discuss the wave of protests, at the Presidential Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, June 24, 2013. The recent protests have become the largest public demonstrations Latin America's biggest nation has seen in two decades. They began as opposition to transportation fare hikes, then became a laundry list of causes including anger at high taxes, poor services and World Cup spending, before coalescing around the issue of rampant government corruption. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff meets with governors and mayors representing Brazil's 26 states and its federal district, to discuss the wave of protests, at the Presidential Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, June 24, 2013. The recent protests have become the largest public demonstrations Latin America's biggest nation has seen in two decades. They began as opposition to transportation fare hikes, then became a laundry list of causes including anger at high taxes, poor services and World Cup spending, before coalescing around the issue of rampant government corruption. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

A protester shouts slogans as he helps carry a Brazilian flag in the Capao Redondo neighborhood of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Tuesday, June 25, 2013. Protesters on Tuesday returned to the streets in low-income suburbs of Brazil's biggest city to demand better education, transport and health services, one day after President Dilma Rousseff proposed a wide range of actions to reform Brazil's political system and services. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)

(AP) ? Public approval of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's government has suffered a steep drop in the weeks since massive protests broke out across this country, according to Brazil's first nationwide poll released since the unrest began.

Published Saturday by Folha de S. Paulo, the country's biggest newspaper, the Datafolha survey found 30 percent of respondents rated Rousseff's government as "great/good," a sharp fall from the 57 percent who gave it that rating three weeks ago before the demonstrations began.

The government's popularity was down throughout the country, including in the northeast where the ruling Workers Party is strong. Her rating dropped there from 64 to 40 percent.

Datafolha interviewed 4,717 people on June 27 and 28, and the poll has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

The government's approval rating had hit 65 percent in March, according to Datafolha, but in June suffered its biggest drop since Rousseff took office 2 ? years ago. Many Brazilians have been upset about rising inflation and shrinking purchasing power.

The firm said the government's approval had suffered the biggest drop for any president since a 1990 fall for then-leader Fernando Collor de Mello who tried to control spiraling inflation by freezing all savings accounts. He was forced from office because of a corruption scandal two years later.

Beginning mid-June, the recent protests had first targeted transportation fare hikes but quickly expanded to a variety of causes including government corruption, high taxes, poor public services and the billions of dollars spent for next year's World Cup soccer tournament and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The Datafolha poll showed that 81 percent of respondents supported the protests.

Political watchers said Rousseff's popularity drop was to be expected in the face of the biggest protests this 197 million-person nation has seen in two decades. But it still wasn't clear whether opposition politicians could take advantage of Rousseff's problems, as she gears up for re-election next year.

"The protest movement that began two weeks ago isn't necessarily a movement against the (ruling) Workers Party nor Dilma personally, it's a protest against the entire ruling class," said Pedro Arruda, a political science professor at the Catholic University of Sao Paulo. "If polled, the unpopularity would be of all politicians. The people are protesting all the parties."

For Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes the demonstrations have underscored the "institutional crises" affecting the country's political parties.

"Which party has a good image?" he asked in an interview in Saturday's edition of Folha de S.Paulo. "Only the one not yet been born. We cannot sit back and think there is nothing more to be done because we have become a democracy, pulled 40 million people out of poverty and enjoy high employment rates.

Throughout the protests, the country has been hosting the Confederations Cup soccer tournament, which are seen as a warm-up to next year's World Cup. But the unrest has grown to such a level that Rousseff and other political leaders have reportedly decided not to attend Sunday's final match, which would be seen as a major embarrassment after they had showcased the country's hosting of such mega-events as proof that Brazil had finally arrived on the global stage. Demonstrators are expected to turn out around the iconic Maracana stadium where the Brazilian and Spanish teams will meet.

Meanwhile, social networks were abuzz with rumors of a general strike Monday, with posts saying it would hit every state. However, representatives for Brazil's two biggest unions, the Central Workers Union and Union Force, said they knew nothing about such a strike but were planning a national work slowdown for July 11, when workers will only perform strictly what's required of them on the job.

Rousseff is expected to deliver a formal proposal to Congress early next week on a political reform plebiscite she wants held in the coming months. She hasn't yet released any details on what political reforms she will suggest nor how or exactly when a plebiscite would occur.

Earlier this week, the president announced $23 billion in transportation investments. On top of that, she said her government would prioritize improvements in fiscal responsibility, controlling inflation, political reform, health care, public transport and education.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-29-Brazil-President%20Poll/id-e7930a484cad452c983fa91ea5c0a55b

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2010 FORD FIESTA LX PWRSHIFT $14,990 - Mandurah

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Saturday, June 29, 2013

Google rumored to be working on an Android game console ...

Google is working on building an Android game console, the?Wall Street Journal reports. The console is reportedly one of a couple of Android-powered devices that the company is creating in addition to a wrist watch.

Google declined to comment.

The strategic implications of Google putting its muscle behind a game box would be powerful, bringing the company into competition with Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and a number of other supporters of Android games in the living room. Those cheap mobile games have disrupted console and portable games in the past few years, but a direct assault on consoles in the living room could spark a major console war.

The Journal cited unnamed sources saying that Google has been watching the Ouya [pictured], the $99 open game console that uses the Android mobile operating system. A Kickstarter blockbuster, Ouya?s console began selling earlier this week and its initial allotment on Amazon.com sold out in a day. That has since been replenished.

Google has also hired a number of game development professionals, including chief game designer Noah Falstein.

Source: http://venturebeat.com/2013/06/27/google-rumored-to-be-working-on-an-android-game-console/

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Friday, June 28, 2013

Hartford selling UK variable annuity business

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) ? Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is buying The Hartford's British variable annuity business for about $285 million.

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. announced in March that it was exiting the annuity business so that it can focus on its property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds.

Hartford CFO Christopher Swift said in a statement Thursday that the sale of Hartford Life International Ltd. to Berkshire's Columbia Insurance Co. will help reduce the size and risk related to some legacy variable annuities, .

The acquisition is expected to result in a second-quarter net loss of about $110 million, Hartford said.

The deal is targeted to close by year's end.

Berkshire's Oriental Trading Co. also announced Thursday that it is buying toy maker MindWare Holdings Inc. for an undisclosed amount.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hartford-selling-uk-variable-annuity-business-110228436.html

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A Fifteen-Year-Old Has Invented an Incredible New Kind of Flashlight

Are you ready to play everybody's not-so-favorite guilt game: what was I doing at that age? Ann Makosinski, a tenth grader from Victoria, British Columbia, has created a simple LED flashlight powered by body heat. So instead of having to recharge it or swap in a fresh pair of AAs every so often, you literally just need to hold it in your hand for it to start glowing.

Read more...

    


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ybGPxDzuICQ/a-fifteen-year-old-has-invented-an-incredible-new-kind-609647364

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Thursday, June 27, 2013

Pats player Hernandez taken from home in handcuffs

In this image taken from video, police escort Aaron Hernandez from his home in handcuffs in Attleboro, Mass., Wednesday, June 26, 2013. Hernandez was taken from his home more than a week after a Boston semi-pro football player was found dead in an industrial park a mile from Hernandez's house. (AP Photo/ESPN)

In this image taken from video, police escort Aaron Hernandez from his home in handcuffs in Attleboro, Mass., Wednesday, June 26, 2013. Hernandez was taken from his home more than a week after a Boston semi-pro football player was found dead in an industrial park a mile from Hernandez's house. (AP Photo/ESPN)

In this image taken from video, police escort Aaron Hernandez from his home in handcuffs in Attleboro, Mass., Wednesday, June 26, 2013. Hernandez was taken from his home more than a week after a Boston semi-pro football player was found dead in an industrial park a mile from Hernandez's house. (AP Photo/ESPN)

FILE - This Sept. 5, 2012 file photo shows New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez speaking to reporters in the locker room at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Hernandez has been taken from his home in handcuffs, Wednesday, June 26, 2013, after a Boston semi-pro football player was found dead in an industrial park a mile from his house. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2012 file photo, New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez (81) tries to break free of Buffalo Bills linebacker Chris Kelsay (90) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass. Hernandez has been taken from his home in handcuffs, Wednesday, June 26, 2013, after a Boston semi-pro football player was found dead in an industrial park a mile from his house. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

FILE - In this May 29, 2013, file photo, New England Patriots' Aaron Hernandez kneels on the field during NFL football practice in Foxborough, Mass. Hernandez is being sued in South Florida by a man claiming Hernandez shot him in the face after an argument at a strip club. The lawsuit comes as police in New England investigate Hernandez's possible connection to the death of a semipro player. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

(AP) ? New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was taken from his home in handcuffs Wednesday morning, more than a week after a Boston semi-pro football player was found dead in an industrial park a mile from Hernandez's house.

Less than two hours later, the Patriots announced they had released Hernandez.

Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old semi-pro football player for the Boston Bandits, was found slain June 17. Officials ruled the death a homicide but did not say how Lloyd died.

Lloyd's relatives said he was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee, that the two men were friends and that the men were out together on the last night of Lloyd's life.

It's unclear why Hernandez was taken into custody Wednesday before 9 a.m. and put into the back of a police cruiser. He was wearing a white V-neck T-shirt, with his arms inside the shirt and behind his back as he was led from his North Attleborough home. He casually spit into some bushes on his way to the car.

Hernandez was arrested on a state police warrant at about 8:45 a.m. and was being booked at the North Attleborough police station, state police said on the agency's Twitter account. State police said they won't discuss the charge against Hernandez until it's presented in Attleboro District Court later Wednesday.

The Associated Press emailed a message to his attorney, Michael Fee, who hasn't discussed the investigation beyond acknowledging media reports about it. A message also was left with the Bristol County district attorney's office.

At about 10:20 a.m., the Patriots announced they had released Hernandez and expressed sympathy to Lloyd's family and friends.

"Words cannot express the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested as a result of this investigation," the Patriots said in a statement. "We realize that law enforcement investigations into this matter are ongoing. We support their efforts and respect the process. At this time, we believe this transaction is simply the right thing to do."

Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward, declined to comment at her Boston home Wednesday morning.

"Nothing to say, please. Thank you," she said, before shutting the door.

State police have searched in and around Hernandez's sprawling home in North Attleborough several times. At least three search warrants have been issued in connection with the investigation.

Reporters have been camped for days outside the home on the Rhode Island line, not far from the stadium where the Patriots play. They reported Tuesday that Hernandez got a visit from Boston defense attorney James Sultan.

The Patriots drafted Hernandez, who is originally from Bristol, Conn., out of the University of Florida in 2010. Last summer, the team gave him a five-year contract worth $40 million.

___

Associated Press writers Bridget Murphy in Boston and Howard Ulman contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-06-26-US-Hernandez-Police/id-4cbc68a388db401b947b4d887acd17e4

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Recollections from hundreds of executions in Texas

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) ? About once every three weeks, I watch someone die.

Beginning in 1984 when I arrived in Texas for The Associated Press, I've been just a few feet away as one convicted killer after another took a final breath in the Texas death chamber in Huntsville, where the state's 500th execution in modern times took place Wednesday.

I really don't know how many I've seen. I lost count years ago and have no desire to reconstruct a tally.

While death penalty cases are not the only assignments I cover, those certainly leave the strongest impressions.

One inmate, Jonathan Nobles, sang "Silent Night" as his last words as he was receiving the lethal injection. He got to "Round yon virgin, mother and child" before gasping and losing consciousness. Christmas, for me, never has been the same.

When I walked into the death chamber to witness Bob Black's execution, he called my name, said hello and asked how I was doing. What do you say to an otherwise healthy man seconds away from death?

J.D. "Cowboy" Autry was the first lethal injection I saw, in March 1984. A female friend of his who was a witness loudly sobbed about his "pretty brown eyes." Moments later, Autry's eyelids popped open as he died, revealing for a final time his brown eyes.

Autry's case was a memorable one. Six months earlier he was on the gurney with the needles in his arms when the U.S. Supreme Court issued a last-minute reprieve. To make sure no one had to make the final walk twice again, the prison stopped taking inmates to the death chamber until all appeals were resolved.

I remember Charles Rumbaugh's mangled hand, the result of being shot by a federal marshal he attacked in a courtroom. Henry Lee Lucas, who avoided execution when it was determined he hadn't really committed the hundreds of murders he had copped to, always had orange-tinged fingertips from rolling his own cigarettes. The arms of Angel Resendiz, the notorious "Railroad Killer," were scarred by repeated self-inflicted razor cuts. Markham Duff-Smith, who insisted he didn't kill four relatives, made a death chamber confession.

The death chamber, for 50 years home to the electric chair, has undergone its own changes. The gurney, once on wheels, is a permanent pedestal-like structure bolted to the tile floor. The simple horizontal bar between the inmate and the viewing area was replaced by a thick transparent plastic wall after a needle popped out of Raymond Landry's arm, spraying the lethal drugs toward me and other witnesses.

The first executions were carried out just after midnight. Years later, death warrants were set to take effect at 6 p.m., more convenient for lawyers and judges and less costly in prison overtime.

Some executions came with raucous public demonstrations outside. When Ronald Clark O'Bryan, known as "The Candy Man," was executed for lacing his son's Halloween candy ? a Pixy Stick ? with cyanide so he could collect on an insurance policy, dozens of students dressed in Halloween costumes filled the streets. One carried a giant Pixy Stick replica that looked like a barber pole.

One convict, Ponchai Wilkerson, spit out a hidden handcuff key in his mouth as he was about to die. A Houston judge added a smiley face to his signature on Robert Drew's execution warrant. Carl Kinnamon gave a long final statement in hopes of delaying the procedure until his death warrant expired. He thanked me and others for covering his case, then tried to wriggle out of the leather restraints.

The final statements ? which some victims' relatives have criticized as providing prisoners with an opportunity their slain loved ones never had ? have included songs, poems, prayers and Bible verses. Some inmates have spouted profanity. At least two prisoners thanked the Dallas Cowboys for brightening their lives.

Patrick Knight held a contest dubbed "Dead Man Laughing," encouraging people to send him a joke to tell from the chamber. He said he got 1,300 responses. The "joke" turned out to be Knight's claim that the person being executed wasn't really Patrick Knight. But fingerprints confirmed it was.

Richard Hinojosa repeatedly invoked "Yahweh" during his final words as thunder boomed and lightning crackled outside, adding an eerie backdrop to the proceeding.

Johnny Frank Garrett thanked his family for loving and caring for him, then added: "And the rest of the world can kiss my ass."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/recollections-hundreds-executions-texas-234721680.html

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New brain imaging study provides support for the notion of food addiction

June 26, 2013 ? Consuming highly processed carbohydrates can cause excess hunger and stimulate brain regions involved in reward and cravings, according to a Boston Children's Hospital research team led by David Ludwig, MD, PhD director, New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center. These findings suggest that limiting these "high-glycemic index" foods could help obese individuals avoid overeating.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on June 26, 2013, investigates how food intake is regulated by dopamine-containing pleasure centers of the brain.

"Beyond reward and craving, this part of the brain is also linked to substance abuse and dependence, which raises the question as to whether certain foods might be addictive," says Ludwig.

To examine the link, researchers measured blood glucose levels and hunger, while also using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to observe brain activity during the crucial four-hour period after a meal, which influences eating behavior at the next meal. Evaluating patients in this time frame is one novel aspect of this study, whereas previous studies have evaluated patients with an MRI soon after eating.

Twelve overweight or obese men consumed test meals designed as milkshakes with the same calories, taste and sweetness. The two milkshakes were essentially the same; the only difference was that one contained rapidly digesting (high-glycemic index) carbohydrates and the other slowly digesting (low-glycemic index) carbohydrates.

After participants consumed the high-glycemic index milkshake, they experienced an initial surge in blood sugar levels, followed by sharp crash four hours later.

This decrease in blood glucose was associated with excessive hunger and intense activation of the nucleus accumbens, a critical brain region involved in addictive behaviors.

Prior studies of food addiction have compared patient reactions to drastically different types of foods, such as high-calorie cheesecake versus boiled vegetables.

Another novel aspect of this study is how a specific dietary factor that is distinct from calories or sweetness, could alter brain function and promote overeating.

"These findings suggest that limiting high-glycemic index carbohydrates like white bread and potatoes could help obese individuals reduce cravings and control the urge to overeat," says Ludwig.

Though the concept of food addiction remains provocative, the findings suggest that more interventional and observational studies be done. Additional research will hopefully inform clinicians about the subjective experience of food addiction, and how we can potentially treat these patients and regulate their weight.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/abl9M9AB9ZE/130626153922.htm

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Scientists find neighbor star with three planets in life-friendly orbits

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A neighbor star has at least six planets in orbit, including three circling at the right distance for water to exist, a condition believed to be necessary for life, scientists said on Tuesday.

Previously, the star known as Gliese 667C was found to be hosting three planets, one of which was located in its so-called "habitable zone" where temperatures could support liquid surface water. That planet and two newly found sibling worlds are bigger than Earth, but smaller than Neptune.

"This is the first time that three such planets have been spotted orbiting in this zone in the same system," astronomer Paul Butler, with the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C., said in a statement.

Scientists say the discovery of three planets in a star's habitable zone raises the odds of finding Earth-like worlds where conditions might have been suitable for life to evolve.

"Instead of looking at 10 stars to look for a single potentially habitable planet, we now know we can look at just one star and have a high chance of finding several of them," astronomer Rory Barnes, with the University of Washington, said in a statement.

Additional observations of Gliese 667C and a reanalysis of existing data showed it hosts at least six, and possibly, seven planets.

The star is located relatively close to Earth, just 22 light years (129 trillion miles/207 trillion km) away. It is about one-third the size of the sun and the faintest star of a triple star system.

In addition to the three well-positioned "super-Earths," two more planets may orbit on the fringe of the star's habitable zone and also could possibly support life.

The research will be published this week in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

(Editing by Kevin Gray and Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/scientists-neighbor-star-three-planets-life-friendly-orbits-002751999.html

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Op-Ed Contributors: Bittersweet Achievement on Climate

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Obama?s new rules are no replacement for Congressional action.
    


Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/opinion/bittersweet-achievement-on-climate.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Discovery launches trio of TV streaming apps for Windows Phone

Discovery launches TV streaming apps for Windows Phone

Windows Phone 8 users whose TV habits revolve around MythBusters, Cake Boss and cute pets are in luck: Discovery has just posted three apps for their platform of choice. The new Animal Planet, Discovery Channel and TLC releases share the same basic template, letting fans check show schedules and stream either brief clips or a smattering of full-length episodes. All of the apps support Windows Phone's live tiles, voice commands and calendar reminders, although they're otherwise simple; they lack the second screen features we've seen in iOS versions. If you're just hoping to watch some Auction Kings on the bus, however, you can get your fix through the Windows Phone store today.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/26/discovery-launches-trio-of-tv-streaming-apps-for-windows-phone/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Disney renames Mouseketeer stage for Funicello

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) ? The stage at Walt Disney Studios where "The Mickey Mouse Club" was filmed is now officially the Annette Funicello Stage.

Disney chief Bob Iger led a ceremony Monday dedicating the soundstage to Funicello, the Mouseketeer-turned-movie star who died in April at age 70.

Iger confessed to having a crush on Funicello when he was growing up, as many who watched the perky brunette on TV did.

Former Mouseketeers, Funicello's family and colleagues and Mickey Mouse himself also participated in Monday's dedication. Frankie Avalon, Richard Sherman and Leonard Maltin were among those honoring the late actress.

Julie Andrews is the only other entertainer to have a namesake stage at Disney studios.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/disney-renames-mouseketeer-stage-funicello-005521197.html

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Bay Street firms pitch TSX rival stock market

Canada's biggest bank is joining with other major financial players to create a new stock exchange that the creators say will keep costs low and discourage computerized high-frequency trading, which some say is sapping confidence in market fairness.

Royal Bank, mutual fund conglomerates IGM and CI Financial, pension fund PSP Investments and international banks ITG and Barclays are combining to create a new stock exchange they're calling Aequitas.

The name is the Latin word for fairness, and the financial titans founding the exchange say that idea will be a cornerstone of the new exchange.

"Through Aequitas, we have a compelling opportunity to create a level playing field for both retail and institutional investors by challenging certain predatory high-frequency trading strategies which have impacted the quality of existing equity markets," said the company's new chair Greg Mills, who is also RBC's co-head of global equities.

High-frequency trading is the term used to describe the type of computerized trading activity where sophisticated algorithms take advantage of pricing and market inefficiencies, often by trading millions of shares in nanoseconds, and making incremental profits on the transactions.

The practice has become increasingly prevalent, but detractors say it encourages speculators and leads to the sort of sudden "flash crashes" where markets begin to inexplicably tank, because the systems aren't intelligent enough to pause for reflection and merely make automated hair-trigger decisions based on microscopic changes in stock prices.

It's also been claimed that high-frequency trading abuses natural market prices, because traders can quickly place "dummy" orders to buy and sell that they have no intention of following through on, just to gauge interest in a stock, and move the price of it in one direction or another in the process.

These strategies negatively affect the liquidity of listed securities by discouraging true market-makers, resulting in excessive costs falling squarely on investors, the company said in a release.

Jos Schmitt, the man who would be president of the new exchange, told CBC News in an interview that investors aren't well served by stock markets as they are currently constructed.

"We are getting rid of certain behaviours which, at the end of the day, are a tax on the individual investor's trading," he said. Intraday trading volatility is higher than ever ? some estimates say as much as a third of the trades on the TSX and more than half on the NYSE are high-frequency traders, on any given day.

"Somebody is causing that volatility and somebody is taking advantage of it," Schmitt said.

RBC was not part of the consortium of financiers that formed Maple Group two years ago, as an alternative to a proposed merger with the London Stock Exchange that was on the table at the time.

Schmitt said the investors backing the plan have given the idea a strong vote of confidence, but it shouldn't be interpreted that trading on the TSX and Aequitas would be an either/or proposition.

"We want to provide services for all types of companies and investors," he said. "And we want to make sure we grow the pie."

Schmitt also said Aequitas will stop well short of banning high-frequency trading outright, just that they're going to limit some of the more deleterious sides of the practice, such as latency arbitrage, rebate arbitrage and exploratory trading.

(Latency arbitrage refers to unfair trading based on one trader having access to information before another, rebate arbitrage is when exchanges give discounted trading costs to certain traders, and exploratory trading refers to the behaviour described above, where buy and sell orders are placed and then cancelled solely in order to gauge and manipulate prices.)

"We're saying, 'Come and trade here because it's an environment that's protected,'" Schmitt said. "We're creating a microcosm where good trading activity takes place."

It remains to be seen whether Aequitas truly levels the playing field for small investors ? much less brings down costs ? but the new exchange will make it easier for investors to buy into private share and unlisted companies, two asset classes that are currently out of reach for most retail investors.

"As marketplaces cater to volume, they can damage the quality of execution for those who actually want to hold something at the end of the day," said Scott Penman, IGM's chief investment officer and vice-chair of the new company.

IGM and CI together own more than $125 billion worth of Canadian equities, heft that will certainly provide the new exchange with enough trading activity in the short term.

Indeed, the presence of major mutual fund firms ? who are collectively known as being on the "buy side" of the industry because their core business is buying securities ? makes Aequitas different from other TSX alternatives that have come before. Such as Alpha Trading Systems, a rival trading platform that made inroads before being dissolved when Maple Group gained control of the TSX last fall.

"Alpha was backed by the banks [and] big dealers, Aequitas is backed by the buy side," University of Toronto economics professor Andreas Park said in an interview. "That tells you something about buy-side needs [and] interests."

Aequitas's founders expect the exchange to be operational by the end of 2014, pending regulatory approval.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bay-street-firms-pitch-tsx-rival-stock-market-025611547.html

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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

S. Africa president urges prayers for Mandela

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? South Africa's president on Monday said a critically ill Nelson Mandela was "asleep" when he visited the 94-year-old at the hospital, and he urged the country to pray for Mandela, describing him as the "father of democracy" who made extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of his people.

President Jacob Zuma told dozens of foreign and South African journalists that doctors are doing everything possible to help the former president feel comfortable on his 17th day in a Pretoria hospital, but refused to give details of Mandela's condition, saying: "I'm not a doctor." The briefing came a day after the government said Mandela's condition had deteriorated and was now critical.

Monday's press gathering highlighted the tension between the government's reluctance to share more information about Mandela on the basis of doctor-patient confidentiality, and media appeals for thorough updates on a figure of global interest. The government's belated acknowledgement that an ambulance carrying Mandela to the hospital on June 8 broke down has fueled the debate about transparency versus the right to privacy.

Zuma's briefing was also an indicator of the extent to which reports on Mandela's health sometimes overshadow the business of the state. Under questioning, Zuma said President Barack Obama would go ahead with a visit to South Africa, despite concerns about Mandela's health.

"President Obama is visiting South Africa," Zuma said. "I don't think you stop a visit because somebody's sick."

Obama, who arrives in Africa this week, is due to visit Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.

White House spokesman Jay Carney wouldn't speculate about how Mandela's health would impact Obama's upcoming visit to South Africa, saying only that the U.S. president "continues to look forward to his trip."

"The president obviously has long seen Nelson Mandela as one of his personal heroes, and I think he's not alone in that in this country and around the world," Carney said.

Zuma, who in the past has given an overly sunny view of Mandela's health, briefly spoke of his visit Sunday night to Mandela in the hospital in the capital. That visit was mentioned in a presidential statement on the same night that said Mandela, previously described as being in serious but stable condition, had lapsed into critical condition within the previous 24 hours.

"It was late, he was already asleep," Zuma said. "And we then had a bit of a discussion with the doctors as well as his wife, Graca Machel, and we left."

The president said South Africans should accept that Mandela is old, and he urged people to pray for their former leader.

"Madiba is critical in the hospital, and this is the father of democracy. This is the man who fought and sacrificed his life to stay in prison, the longest-serving prisoner in South Africa," Zuma said, using Mandela's clan name.

Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president after the end of apartheid in 1994, was hospitalized for what the government said was a recurring lung infection. This is his fourth hospitalization since December.

Mandela was jailed for 27 years under white racist rule and was released 23 years ago, in 1990. He then played a leading role in steering the divided country from the apartheid era to an all-race democracy. As a result of his sacrifice and peacemaking efforts, he is seen by many around the world as a symbol of reconciliation.

"Nelson Mandela, for me, is like my father," Alex Siake, a South African, said in Pretoria. "Every day, I just pray that he can recover quickly and be among us again."

The Democratic Alliance, South Africa's main opposition party, said in a statement that the news that Mandela was in critical condition came "as a blow to all South Africans."

Zuma referred to the transfer of Mandela from an ambulance with engine trouble to another ambulance on the night he was taken to the hospital in Pretoria.

"Nobody can predict whether the car is going to break down or not," he said. But he said he was pleased because seven doctors, including specialists, in the convoy "made all the contingencies before leaving" and Mandela's health was therefore not affected.

Asked why none of Mandela's doctors had been made available for a news briefing, presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said an arrangement had been made in consultation with Mandela's family whereby information would be provided through a "single source in an authoritative way."

"We've come to that arrangement on the basis that we need to respect the privacy of the family, we need to adhere to doctor-patient confidentiality," he said.

"You can be assured that what we are saying is based on agreement with the doctors," Maharaj said. Doctors approve the text of announcements on Mandela's health, and believe some media reporting has transgressed professional ethics, he said.

Monday also marked the 18th anniversary of Mandela's appearance at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final in Johannesburg, a day still enshrined as a hugely significant moment for South Africa.

In a move crucial in unifying sections of a previously fractured society, Mandela wore a green and gold Springboks rugby jersey at the June 24 final in Johannesburg and brought all South Africans together in support of their national team ? once an all-white bastion of the apartheid regime and hated by blacks.

Mandela shook hands with and patted the shoulder of the Springboks' captain, Francois Pienaar, after South Africa won a tense final against New Zealand, underlining the new president's dedication to reconciliation.

___

Associated Press writer Julie Pace in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-africa-leader-mandela-asleep-during-visit-164903201.html

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Trayvon Martin murder case: Opening clash on shooter's motive

(Editor's note: This story contains language in the 4th paragraph that some readers may find offensive)

By Tom Brown and Barbara Liston

SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - Neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin simply because "he wanted to," because he was an armed vigilante, and because he viewed the 17-year-old whom he'd never met as just another "punk," a prosecutor said in opening statements to the jury in a trial that promises to raise thorny issues of race and gun rights.

In a case that centers on a shooting that occurred without a clear eyewitness on a rainy, dark night more than a year ago, prosecutor John Guy sought to cut through doubts surrounding the incident in a fiery 30-minute opening statement that branded Zimmerman as the aggressor for the six jurors who will decide the case.

As the second-degree murder trial opened in earnest after two weeks of jury selection and evidentiary rulings, the prosecutor began by bluntly quoting from Zimmerman's call to a police dispatcher after first spotting the unarmed, black teen.

"'Fucking punks. These assholes, they always get away'," Guy repeated, going on to say those were the "hate-filled words he used to describe a total stranger."

Zimmerman's defense attorney Don West opened with his own unusual gambit, opting to tell a "knock-knock" joke, which fell flat in the courtroom. "Knock knock. Who's there? George Zimmerman. George Zimmerman who? Good, you're on the jury," he said.

West went on to offer a wholly different view of his client - who is out on bail and appeared in court wearing a charcoal gray suit - and the events of February 26, 2012 in a gated community in Sanford, Florida.

Zimmerman was "viciously attacked" by Martin and acted in self-defense, attorney Don West said.

In his 2-1/2 hour statement to the jury, the defense attorney said a witness, who he identified as a homeowner near the site of the altercation, would testify about a man clad in the color of the clothing Martin was wearing "mounting" a man on the ground in mixed martial arts fashion and "basically beating him senseless."

West said contrary to what has often been said about the case, Martin was not unarmed. "Trayvon Martin armed himself with the concrete sidewalk and used it to smash George Zimmerman's head ... That is a deadly weapon," he said.

Zimmerman showed no emotion as he stared straight ahead and away from the prosecutor.

The parents of both Zimmerman and Martin were seated on different sides of the courtroom at the start of the day, but Zimmerman's parents were quickly instructed to leave after the prosecution said they might be called as witnesses.

Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, later left the courtroom when West played the jury a tape of a 911 call in which screams can be heard before the fatal shot. "To sit there and hear her child's final moments was very tough," said Daryl Parks, a lawyer for the Martin family.

Both families say the screams on the tape came from their son, but the FBI has been unable to say conclusively whose voice it is.

Zimmerman, 29 and part Hispanic, was the neighborhood watch captain in the Retreat at Twin Lakes community in Sanford at the time of the killing. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder and could face life imprisonment if convicted.

Martin was a student at a Miami-area high school and a guest of one of the homeowners. He was walking back to the residence after buying snacks at a nearby convenience store when he was shot in the chest during a confrontation with Zimmerman.

Much of what happened during the fatal encounter is still a mystery. Neighbors who provided differing versions of what they glimpsed of the altercation are expected to testify during the trial. Also to testify is a girl who was on the phone with Martin moments before his death and says she heard the events unfold until the line went dead.

HIGH BAR FOR THE PROSECUTION

Guy portrayed Zimmerman as a man with a concealed weapon who committed a vigilante-style killing, not a dutiful watch guard on alert for signs of suspicious activity after a string of robberies in his neighborhood.

"George Zimmerman did not shoot Trayvon Martin because he had too. He shot him for the worst of all reasons, because he wanted to," said Guy, the prosecutor.

Guy also told the jury there was "irrefutable physical evidence" that showed Zimmerman was lying when he told police that Martin attacked him. No blood or DNA from Zimmerman was found on Martin's hands or elsewhere on his body or clothing, he said. That is despite Zimmerman's claims that Martin punched him to the ground and covered his bleeding, broken nose with his bare hands as he pounded his head into the ground.

Six jurors, all women, were selected last week to hear the racially charged murder case against Zimmerman. They will be sequestered for the duration of the trial, which is expected to last two to four weeks.

The case triggered civil rights protests and debates about alleged treatment of blacks as second-class citizens under the U.S. justice system, since police did not arrest Zimmerman for 44 days.

However, there is a high bar for the prosecution to prove second degree murder which requires them to show that Zimmerman acted with "ill will, hatred, spite or an evil intent," and showed "an indifference to human life," according to Florida jury instructions.

Under Florida's Stand Your Ground law, which was approved in 2005 and has since been copied by about 30 other states, people fearing for their lives can use deadly force without having to retreat from a confrontation, even when it is possible.

(Additional reporting and writing by David Adams and Paul Thomasch. Editing by Peter Henderson and Grant McCool)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/murder-trial-begins-earnest-floridas-trayvon-martin-case-050411255.html

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UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz not so sure that Stephan Bonnar should be a fellow Hall of Famer

When Forrest Griffin retired just months after Stephan Bonnar, the UFC said the two fighters would enter the UFC Hall of Fame together. Bonnar's banned substance violation and lackluster career mattered less than his part in the groundbreaking bout on the first "The Ultimate Fighter" finale.

Tito Ortiz, a current member of the UFC Hall of Fame, isn't so sure that Bonnar deserves to have the same honor as him.

"As far as Stephan, I have nothing against the guy, but you've got to be a world champion, I think, to be in the Hall of Fame ... That's a big honor to be in the Hall of Fame," Ortiz said to MMA Junkie. "It means you had a significance in the sport at one time or another. You look at that, and the Forrest and Stephan fight was a big step for the UFC, so do they deserve it? Possibly. But can one fight get you in the Hall of Fame? I don't know. I guess that's Dana's decision."

Griffin won the UFC light heavyweight championship with a win over Quinton Jackson in 2008, but then lost it to Rashad Evans. He finished with a record of 19-7. Bonnar announced his retirement after losing a non-title bout to Anderson Silva at UFC 153. He tested positive for a banned substance for the fight. His final record was 15-8, and he never fought for a UFC title.

Ortiz's comments bring to the forefront to the problems with the UFC Hall of Fame. The UFC's Hall of Fame has no open criteria or voting process, and is limited to just UFC fighters. As Ortiz notes, the decision appears to rest in the hands of UFC president Dana White.

It's totally within the UFC's rights to run their Hall of Fame as they see it, but it shouldn't be compared to say, the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Football's Hall of Fame in Canton has a clear criteria and voting process, and isn't limited to just NFL members.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-hall-famer-tito-ortiz-not-sure-stephan-134400694.html

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For Sharpest Views, Scope The Sky With Quick-Change Mirrors

Link Information - Click to View

For Sharpest Views, Scope The Sky With Quick-Change Mirrors
A technology called adaptive optics is enabling astronomers to peer into space as never before. The specialized telescopes, which have mirrors that can adjust their shapes up to 1,000 times per second, compensate for the blurring that happens when light passes through Earth's atmosphere. Planet hunters are thrilled.

Source: NPR
Posted on: Monday, Jun 24, 2013, 8:46am
Views: 11

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128755/For_Sharpest_Views__Scope_The_Sky_With_Quick_Change_Mirrors

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Sunday, June 23, 2013

lern2play Resources and Information. This website is for sale!

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Boston bombing amputee rises to her feet



>>> good evening, a live look at the city of new york tonight. and hour headquarters on a beautiful friday night. and we begin just to our north in boston . not long after our cameras arrived there and not long after the initial shock and confusion over the marathon bombing, we came to know some of the victims. one of them more than the rest. ke left has allowed its to chronicle her recovery. and she has become a living example for our viewers much grit and per se variance. tonight to start us off, kate snow reports on a crucial new stage for celeste her first steps on a new set of legs to replace her own.

>> we first met her and her daughter just eight days after the bombings. sher daughter suffered se sha rap nell continued.

>> it's been hard, but mother and daughter moving on to fiscal therapy, sydney learning to walk again and se sleft preparing for her proth thet i can legs. celeste was at her high school graduation still in her wheelchair. but this week, all that changed. she finally got her first set of legs and by day two, she had already ditched her walker. by her side as always, her sister who ran the boston marathon , her son tyler, and sydney .

>> sydney , what is it like to see your mom walking?

>> before she walked, i told her like don't be surprised if all you can do is shuffle a little bit. she looked at me and said, no, i'm going to walk.

>> i'm just watching you --

>> now the hugs are at eye-level.

>> i'll keep you up.

>> and everybody has been noticing how tall you are.

>> yes.

>> you were 5'4".

>> and now i think i'm 5'7".

>> you noticed it right away.

>> immediately.

>> i'm taller than you.

>> we've got to work on that. it's killing me.

>> you want to take a couple of steps?

>> yes.

>> this is the woman we've come to know. the embodiment of boston strong.

>> i feel like i'm on stilts.

>> but the re'llty is singing in. recovery can be grulg and even painful.

>> boston strong is fantastic and everybody pulling together in a time when everybody needed to was what everybody need, you know. but for the people who are still damaged -- sorry -- it's just not that easy to stay boston strong, you know?

>> but you're allowed to have a bad day . like you said, it's going to take a while to get to the other side. you're not there yet.

>> i think that's what's frustrating because i want to be there you now.

>> these legs feel foreign. each step that once came so naturally is now hard work.

>> i really do want people to see that it is hard. you know.

>> it's the reality. there's no reason to sugar coat what's going on.

>> it is auto easy.

>> but with each day, she's one step closer to getting back the to beach, driving a car, returning to her wark as a hairstylist.

>> your station is still there, right?

>> it is. i don't want to to be like a shine or something.

>> but you do want to go back and stand in that station on your legs and do people's hair.

>> do people's hair. that's what i love to do. every day we do take a step forward . some days we take some steps back, but we always end up forward.

>> carmen has been thinking about running again in next year's boston marathon .

>> do you want her to run again?

>> that's a hard question. because there's a huge part of me that's like, no, i don't want to go anywhere near there. no. if it's a goal that she sets and wants to do, then i'll probably be scared out of my mind, but i'll be standing there watching her cross.

>> she's going to be right where i stopped and these two are coming down the street with me. i'm not take it by myself. whether we walk holding hands or do a slow jog. that's the only way i'll go down. i'm not running a whole mayor mon.

>> nope.

>> kate snow is here with us. we all profit from knowing her and knowing her story. and her recovery includes a whole new house of her condition.

>> because they had an older home and narrow hallways and steps up to the front door and that doesn't work anymore. they're buying new property and build a new home. now those legs that you saw, those are tens of thousands of dollars for one pair of process thesies and she ago have several. it's a great expense.

>> thank you for this and everything. kate snow here with

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2da1a15f/l/0Lvideo0Bmsnbc0Bmsn0N0Cid0C52280A615/story01.htm

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