May 20, 2013 ? Genomic analyses suggest that patterns of genetic diversity which indicate population movement may not be as ancient as previously believed, but may be attributable to recent events. This study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Investigative Genetics, based in the Netherlands, is able to genetically characterize geographically separated subpopulations within the country and map them to population movement within the last 2000 years.
Looking at more than 400,000 SNPs (genetic variations) of almost 1000 people across the Netherlands, this study found that the genomic diversity across the Netherlands follows a southeast to northwest gradient and that the Dutch population could be separated out genetically into four geographic groups (south, north, central-west and central-north).
These results could be explained by invoking movement of ancient, Paleolithic-Neolithic humans, similar to that proposed to explain the genetic diversity across central entire Europe. However the data also fits a model involving movement of people within the last 70 generations of modern Dutch, for which there is a wealth of archaeological evidence.
Prof Manfred Kayser from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, who led the study, commented, "Because of the overwhelming geological and archaeological records for strong genetic discontinuities we explain our findings by recent rather than ancient events in Dutch population history. Our results not only are of epidemiological and forensic relevance but additionally highlight that future population history studies need to take into account recent demography before assuming all genetic variation observed is due to ancient events."
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BioMed Central Limited.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Oscar Lao, Eveline Altena, Christian Becker, Silke Brauer, Thirsa Kraaijenbrink, Mannis van Oven, Peter N?rnberg, Peter de Knijff, Manfred Kayser. Clinal distribution of human genomic diversity across the Netherlands despite archaeological evidence for genetic discontinuities in Dutch population history. Investigative Genetics, 2013; 4 (1): 9 DOI: 10.1186/2041-2223-4-9
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) ? The Republican National Committee chairman and a leading conservative, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, urged caution Monday for Republican critics calling for President Barack Obama's impeachment, but would not rule out impeachment altogether as new details emerged about the White House's role in the developing scandal at the Internal Revenue Service.
"There's a few chapters before we get to the last one. So it's up to us to connect the dots first," RNC chairman Reince Priebus told reporters when asked about impeachment ahead of a New Hampshire GOP fundraiser.
Some conservatives have compared recent IRS wrongdoing to the Watergate scandal, and Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., last week raised the prospect of impeachment.
"There isn't a weekend that hasn't gone by that someone says to me, 'Michele, what in the world are you all waiting for in Congress? Why aren't you impeaching the president? He's been making unconstitutional actions since he came into office,'" Bachmann said during a Washington news conference with tea party leaders.
Paul, a tea party favorite who is considering a 2016 presidential bid, said such rhetoric is premature.
"We need to figure out the truth of what happened before we go anywhere else," Paul said, standing at Priebus' side.
The Internal Revenue Service has acknowledged inappropriate scrutiny of tea party groups applying for tax-exempt status ahead of the last election.
White House chief of staff Denis McDonough and other senior presidential advisers knew in late April that an upcoming report was likely to find that IRS employees had targeted conservative political groups. The White House said McDonough and the other advisers did not tell Obama about the impending report, leaving him to learn the results from news reports later.
The issue has given conservatives a new rallying cry following a disappointing 2012 election cycle. But some GOP leaders worry their criticism could backfire if it appears their attacks appear too politically motived.
While striking a moderate tone on impeachment, Paul said Monday that it "stretches credulity" to think no one else in the Obama administration knew about the misconduct.
"For goodness sake, somebody's got to be fired, if not go to prison," he said in an evening speech to roughly 500 New Hampshire Republicans gathered in the state capital.
Priebus blamed Obama for creating a culture of political "guerrilla warfare" that allowed politics to infiltrate the IRS.
"I think this is just the beginning. It's certainly not the end," Priebus said. "And I'm sure there's going to be a lot more to it. We'll see how far it goes. We'll see how high it goes, too."
Today is Sunday, May 19, the 139th day of 2013. There are 226 days left in the year.
Today's Highlights in History:
On May 19, 1943, in his second wartime address to the U.S. Congress, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill pledged his country's full support in the fight against Japan. That same day, top U.S. and British officials meeting in Washington reached agreement on May 1, 1944 as the date for the D-Day invasion of France (the operation ended up being launched more than a month later).
On this date:
In 1536, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of England's King Henry VIII, was beheaded after being convicted of adultery.
In 1780, a mysterious darkness enveloped much of New England and part of Canada in the early afternoon.
In 1909, the Ballets Russes (Russian Ballets), under the direction of Sergei Diaghilev, debuted in Paris.
In 1913, California Gov. Hiram Johnson signed the Webb-Hartley Law prohibiting "aliens ineligible to citizenship" from owning farm land, a measure targeting Asian immigrants, particularly Japanese.
In 1921, Congress passed, and President Warren G. Harding signed, the Emergency Quota Act, which established national quotas for immigrants.
In 1935, T.E. Lawrence, also known as "Lawrence of Arabia," died in Dorset, England, six days after being injured in a motorcycle crash.
In 1962, actress Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday to You" to President John F. Kennedy during a Democratic fundraiser at New York's Madison Square Garden.
In 1964, the State Department disclosed that 40 hidden microphones had been found in the U.S. embassy in Moscow.
In 1973, Secretariat won the Preakness Stakes, the second of his Triple Crown victories.
In 1981, five British soldiers were killed by an Irish Republican Army landmine in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
In 1993, the Clinton White House set off a political storm by abruptly firing the entire staff of its travel office; five of the seven staffers were later reinstated and assigned to other duties.
In 1994, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died in New York at age 64.
Ten years ago: WorldCom Inc. agreed to pay investors $500 million to settle civil fraud charges. The Supreme Court dealt a defeat to the drug industry, ruling 6-3 that a state (in this case, Maine) may try to force companies to lower prices on prescription medications for the poor and uninsured. A Palestinian woman blew herself up during a security check outside a mall, killing three Israelis in the fifth suicide bombing in 48 hours.
Five years ago: Chinese stood still and sirens wailed to mourn the country's nearly 70,000 earthquake victims. Democrat Barack Obama picked up the endorsement of Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, less than a week after Hillary Rodham Clinton overwhelmingly won the state's primary. Jon Lester of the Boston Red Sox shut down Kansas City 7-0 for the first no-hitter of the season.
One year ago: President Barack Obama and other G-8 leaders held economic talks at Camp David, where they declared that their governments needed to both spark growth and cut debt. Chen Guangcheng (chehn gwahng-chung), a blind Chinese legal activist, was hurriedly taken from a hospital and put on a plane for the United States, closing a nearly monthlong diplomatic tussle that had tested U.S.-China relations. I'll Have Another overtook Bodemeister down the stretch to win the Preakness, two weeks after claiming the Kentucky Derby. (However, a tendon injury forced I'll Have Another into retirement on the eve of the Belmont Stakes.)
Today's Birthdays: PBS newscaster Jim Lehrer is 79. TV personality David Hartman is 78. Actor James Fox is 74. Actress Nancy Kwan is 74. Actor Peter Mayhew is 69. Rock singer-composer Pete Townshend (The Who) is 68. Concert pianist David Helfgott is 66. Rock singer-musician Dusty Hill (ZZ Top) is 64. Singer-actress Grace Jones is 61. Rock musician Phil Rudd (AC-DC) is 59. Actor Steven Ford is 57. Rock musician Iain Harvie (Del Amitri) is 51. Actress Polly Walker is 47. Actor Jason Gray-Stanford is 43. Rock singer Jenny Berggren (Ace of Base) is 41. Country/rock singer Shooter Jennings is 34. Actor Drew Fuller is 33. Christian rock musician Tim McTague is 30. Rock musician James Richardson (MGMT) is 30. Actor Eric Lloyd is 27.
Thought for Today: "We are torn between nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known." ? Carson McCullers, American author (1917-1967).
(Above Advance for Use Sunday, May 19)
Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Three days just isn't enough to absorb all the info from Google I/O. In fact, it's physically impossible to get to every session, be it due to overlaps, overcrowding (only so many seats) or overexhaustion. It's a good problem to have, though, and Google handles it quite well.
In case you've been living under a rock, in addition to streaming a number of the key sessions live, Google also records them, so you can watch at your leisure. And that's what I've been doing since returning home from San Francisco, the better to get a grasp on all the new features and services announced. And if you've never seen one of these developer sessions before, you might be surprised just how entertaining and engaging they can be. This was my fourth Google I/O, and it still catches me a little off guard.
Another surprise this year was the keynote address. Consolidated into a single address this year (as opposed keynotes the first two days at previous events), it went a whopping 3.5 hours. (Longer if you could the time spent waiting in line.) And it was time well-spent. There was so much information crammed into our brains in far less time than it took many of us to even get to San Francisco. But between all the new Google Play services, and the new Google Maps, and the improved Google+, and the Google Play game services -- and that's just the major Android stuff -- I could have gone another hour, easy.
There's not a lot I can say about Larry Page's appearance -- his first such speech at Google I/O in the years I've attended -- that you can't get from watching the recording. (And I recommend you do.) But I will say this: I've always believed a good CEO should overreach a little. The more Apple-friendly pundits love to poke fun at some of the things Eric Schmidt has said over the years, and perhaps rightfully so. There's certainly a fine line between cheerleading, inspiring and downright crazy talk. And occasionally crossing that line opens you up to jokes and criticism, but I love the sort of head-first-into-the-wall mentality. It's what makes Google Google, it's what gets things done, and it's what moves us forward.
A Syrian supporting the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, holds a placard with his picture and the national flag as he participates in a protest outside the US Embassy in central London, Saturday, May 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
A Syrian supporting the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, holds a placard with his picture and the national flag as he participates in a protest outside the US Embassy in central London, Saturday, May 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) ? The Syrian military on Sunday launched an offensive to retake a strategic rebel-held town near the Lebanese border, a government official said, as activists reported that regime airstrikes and shelling of the town have killed at least 16 people, including opposition fighters.
The western Syrian town of Qusair, home to about 20,000 residents, has been besieged for weeks by government troops. According to opposition activists, members of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group were fighting alongside President Bashar Assad's forces in the area. Hezbollah has been a staunch Assad ally throughout Syria's conflict.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 16 people, including rebel fighters, were killed before noon in Qusair but that the death toll was expected to rise as fierce fighting is underway and the military's operation intensifies.
Speaking over the telephone, a government official in Qusair said government forces have encircled the town, beefing up three offensive positions around it while leaving one "safe passage for fleeing civilians and the armed terrorists who want to surrender."
"The offensive to liberate Qusair has begun," the official told The Associated Press. He would not elaborate further, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Officials in Damascus were not immediately reachable for comment on the offensive. Assad's government and loyalists deny there is a civil war in the country but blame the conflict on "terrorists" ? a term they use for rebel fighters ? backed by a foreign conspiracy.
Qusair, close to the border with Lebanon and 164 kilometers (102 miles) northwest of the Syrian capital, is strategically important because it also links Damascus with Syria's Western coast, where regime loyalists are concentrated. This includes Alawites, followers of a Shiite offshoot to which the Assad family belongs. The rebellion against Assad is largely driven by Syria's majority Sunnis.
The push on Qusair may be an attempt by the regime to regain as much ground as possible before agreeing to any negotiations with the opposition in the wake of a recent U.S-Russian effort to get Assad and his opponents to negotiate an end to the country's civil war. Previous attempts to solve the conflict peacefully have failed.
The U.S.-Russian plan, similar to one set out last year in Geneva, calls for talks on a transition government and an open-ended cease-fire.
More than 70,000 people have been killed and several million displaced since the uprising against Assad erupted in March 2011 and escalated into a civil war.
On Saturday, Assad said in a newspaper interview that he won't step down before elections and that the United States has no right to interfere in his country's politics.
Assad's comments to the Argentine newspaper Clarin were the first about his political future since Washington and Moscow agreed earlier this month to try to bring the regime and the opposition to an international conference for talks about a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The U.S. and Russia have backed opposite sides in the conflict, but appear to have found common ground in the diplomatic push.
The White House and the Kremlin envision holding the meeting next month, but no date has been set. Neither Assad nor the Syrian National Coalition, the main Western-backed opposition coalition group, has made a firm commitment to attend.
In the interview, Assad seemed to play down the importance of such a conference, saying a decision on Syria's future is up to the Syrian people, not the U.S. He also said a decision on his political future must be made in elections, and not during such a conference.
"We said from the beginning that any decisions having to do with reform in Syria or any political doing is a local Syrian decision," Assad said. "Neither the U.S nor any other state is allowed to intervene in it. This issue is dealt with in Syria."
"That's why this possibility is determined by the Syrian people themselves; you go to the elections, you nominate yourself, there's a possibility you win and a possibility you don't," Assad added, hinting he might seek another term.
Disney researchers develop fast, economical method for high-definition video compositingPublic release date: 20-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jennifer Liu jennifer.c.liu@disney.com 818-544-6130 Disney Research
DuctTake system combines multiple takes into single video
ZURICH - Video compositing to create special effects, replace backgrounds or combine multiple takes of an actor's performance is an integral, but highly labor-intensive, part of modern film making. Researchers at Disney Research, Zrich, however, have found an innovative way to create these composite videos that is simple, fast, and easy to use.
Rather than perform a painstaking segmentation of elements that are to be added or subtracted from a video, the Disney system, called DuctTake, uses computer algorithms to find a spatiotemporal "seam" through the video frame that enables two or more videos to be joined together.
These seams can be highly irregular, following the contours of people, furniture and other objects that are common in each take of the scene. Because it can only combine scenes that have overlapping content, DuctTake isn't useful for combining arbitrary video clips. But it works like a charm when combining multiple takes of the same shot.
The Disney Research, Zrich researchers showed the technique can be used across a wide range of video composites. For example, it can combine the best performances by actors from several different takes into a single seamless output, reducing the number of on-set takes that are required to be filmed. Furthermore, the same technique can be used to make a cut seamless, allowing the first half of one take to be combined into a second take. In another case, the researchers eliminated unwanted cars from a street scene by offsetting the vehicle with empty street imagery from the same video take. Hard-to-shoot scenes involving animals, they demonstrated, become a bit easier when an animal trainer can be easily removed from the shot, or other actors can be added at the moment of time when the animal does the right thing.
"The most delicate component is alignment," said Oliver Wang, post doctoral researcher at Disney Research, Zrich. "But given properly aligned views, we can almost always generate good composites with minimal work."
The findings by Wang and his Disney Research, Zrich team of Jan Regg, Aljoscha Smolic and Markus Gross were presented at Eurographics 2013, the European Association for Computer Graphics conference. More information and a video demonstration is available online at http://www.disneyresearch.com/project/ducttake/.
Most video compositing is accomplished now by the digital equivalent of "cut-and-paste." Rotoscoping is the process by which elements can be added by drawing segmentation outlines. Chroma-keying, familiar to viewers of TV weathercasts in which news announcers appear to stand in front of large, animated maps, separates actors from backgrounds based on color hues; it's cheap and robust, but restricts filming to studio environments, and can require challenging color balancing in post-production.
"Our approach solves a simpler problem," Gross acknowledged, "but as a result it is robust, fast to compute and easy for artists to use, enabling compositing techniques to be used on lower budget shots and productions."
A DuctTake user can combine two videos by making a few quick brush strokes to indicate which parts of the video to keep in each take. An algorithm developed by the Disney Research, Zrich team then computes an optimal seam and merges the two videos together.
DuctTake also includes a number of tools necessary to create a composite that looks realistic, such as adjusting the seam between frames to compensate for camera movement or content movement. Other tools adjust for differences in brightness, contrast and hue between takes, blend images along seams that are visible in a common background, and increase the blurriness in some video to match blurring that occurs in the video with which it is being combined.
###
About Disney Research
Disney Research is a network of research laboratories supporting The Walt Disney Company. Its purpose is to pursue scientific and technological innovation to advance the company's broad media and entertainment efforts. Disney Research is managed by an internal Disney Research Council co-chaired by Disney-Pixar's Ed Catmull and Walt Disney Imagineering's Bruce Vaughn, and including the directors of the individual labs. It has facilities in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Boston and Zrich. Research topics include computer graphics, video processing, computer vision, robotics, radio and antennas, wireless communications, human-computer interaction, displays, data mining, machine learning and behavioral sciences.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Disney researchers develop fast, economical method for high-definition video compositingPublic release date: 20-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jennifer Liu jennifer.c.liu@disney.com 818-544-6130 Disney Research
DuctTake system combines multiple takes into single video
ZURICH - Video compositing to create special effects, replace backgrounds or combine multiple takes of an actor's performance is an integral, but highly labor-intensive, part of modern film making. Researchers at Disney Research, Zrich, however, have found an innovative way to create these composite videos that is simple, fast, and easy to use.
Rather than perform a painstaking segmentation of elements that are to be added or subtracted from a video, the Disney system, called DuctTake, uses computer algorithms to find a spatiotemporal "seam" through the video frame that enables two or more videos to be joined together.
These seams can be highly irregular, following the contours of people, furniture and other objects that are common in each take of the scene. Because it can only combine scenes that have overlapping content, DuctTake isn't useful for combining arbitrary video clips. But it works like a charm when combining multiple takes of the same shot.
The Disney Research, Zrich researchers showed the technique can be used across a wide range of video composites. For example, it can combine the best performances by actors from several different takes into a single seamless output, reducing the number of on-set takes that are required to be filmed. Furthermore, the same technique can be used to make a cut seamless, allowing the first half of one take to be combined into a second take. In another case, the researchers eliminated unwanted cars from a street scene by offsetting the vehicle with empty street imagery from the same video take. Hard-to-shoot scenes involving animals, they demonstrated, become a bit easier when an animal trainer can be easily removed from the shot, or other actors can be added at the moment of time when the animal does the right thing.
"The most delicate component is alignment," said Oliver Wang, post doctoral researcher at Disney Research, Zrich. "But given properly aligned views, we can almost always generate good composites with minimal work."
The findings by Wang and his Disney Research, Zrich team of Jan Regg, Aljoscha Smolic and Markus Gross were presented at Eurographics 2013, the European Association for Computer Graphics conference. More information and a video demonstration is available online at http://www.disneyresearch.com/project/ducttake/.
Most video compositing is accomplished now by the digital equivalent of "cut-and-paste." Rotoscoping is the process by which elements can be added by drawing segmentation outlines. Chroma-keying, familiar to viewers of TV weathercasts in which news announcers appear to stand in front of large, animated maps, separates actors from backgrounds based on color hues; it's cheap and robust, but restricts filming to studio environments, and can require challenging color balancing in post-production.
"Our approach solves a simpler problem," Gross acknowledged, "but as a result it is robust, fast to compute and easy for artists to use, enabling compositing techniques to be used on lower budget shots and productions."
A DuctTake user can combine two videos by making a few quick brush strokes to indicate which parts of the video to keep in each take. An algorithm developed by the Disney Research, Zrich team then computes an optimal seam and merges the two videos together.
DuctTake also includes a number of tools necessary to create a composite that looks realistic, such as adjusting the seam between frames to compensate for camera movement or content movement. Other tools adjust for differences in brightness, contrast and hue between takes, blend images along seams that are visible in a common background, and increase the blurriness in some video to match blurring that occurs in the video with which it is being combined.
###
About Disney Research
Disney Research is a network of research laboratories supporting The Walt Disney Company. Its purpose is to pursue scientific and technological innovation to advance the company's broad media and entertainment efforts. Disney Research is managed by an internal Disney Research Council co-chaired by Disney-Pixar's Ed Catmull and Walt Disney Imagineering's Bruce Vaughn, and including the directors of the individual labs. It has facilities in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Boston and Zrich. Research topics include computer graphics, video processing, computer vision, robotics, radio and antennas, wireless communications, human-computer interaction, displays, data mining, machine learning and behavioral sciences.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Reference:?New Options for Your Campus. (2012). Business Officer, 46(3), 44-45
Theme: Administrative Computing, TCO, Community Software, Open Source, Kuali Financial System (KFS). A
Summary and Annotation:This paper introduces actual application of the community software concept with the? successful implementation of the Kuali FinancialSystem (KFS) (Retrieved from www.kuali.org.) at The University of California, Indiana University, Michigan State University and the Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey. The University of California and Indiana University report respectively 8 million and 17 million cost savings in comparison with alternatives commercial software. The paper further emphasizes integration of mobile and Ipad initiatives to meet information access and financial reporting needs on campus.This article illustrates the urgency for Collaboration and cooperation among institutions of Higher Learning as a mean to achieve administrative efficiency.? The quick jump from reporting about the Kuali system to mobile computing and Ipad initiatives seems to be out of context. This is nevertheless understandable since the paper is basically reporting the issues debated by representatives the National Association of Colleges and University Business Officers (Retrieved from www.nacubo.org) during its annual meeting in 2012.
2
Title:. Pay Nothing? Easier Said Than Done.
Reference:?AZEVEDO, A. (2013). Pay Nothing? Easier Said Than Done. Chronicle Of Higher ? Education, 59(21), A18-A19.
Theme: Free and open text books
Annotation and Summary:This paper discusses the challenges top offering free and open textbooks to college and university students in the United States. Issues involving production quality, and adoption by both students and educators are perceived as major roadblocks for success. The tradeoff to write a book for free in open source technology paradigm and to do the same for free is definitely not an attractive option. ?The paper invites consideration of the possible influential impact of state government intervention for the production and offering of free text books using an effort in California as illustration. But the concerns over incentives, quality, and adoption remain.The paper raises issues of significant concern such as lack of incentives and interests of faculty in writing free textbooks, the poor quality of production, and the low adoption rate of such products by faculty, and students as major obstacle to the success of free open textbooks in Higher Education. Nevertheless, I suspect that paying faculty to contribute in the production of open source textbooks from the same logic they are paid to teach could be further help in the promotion and adoption of Open Source Textbooks in Higher Education.
3
Title:?Creating Higher Education Academic and Information Technology Resources in an International Context
Reference:?BARON, J., WILLIS, J., & LEE, R. (2010). Creating Higher Education Academic and Information Technology Resources in an International Context. Computers In The Schools,? 27(3/4), 288-308. doi:10.1080/07380569.2010.523885?
Theme: Open Education, Collaboration, Higher Education
Summary and Annotation:This inquiry is grounded on the contribution of such contemporary factors as globalization, the internet, technological innovations, and the Open Source movement? in fostering international collaboration and cooperation among institutions of higher learning for the creation of Academic and Information Technology Resources for Higher Education.? Such resources include but are not limited to software, textbooks, courseware, and course management systems under the guidance of open source, open access, and open education philosophies as alternatives to the expensive proprietary market.? The paper defines open source software as products developed ?through a collaborative model of development that involves a community of geographically dispersed contributors?, distributed under specific license agreements, and which can be modified due to the availability of the code. The paper traces the evolution of Open Source Software to the early days of the computer in the 1950s and 60s to be developed into an open philosophical approach encompassing new forms of open-source collaboration which led to ?open educational resource projects, such as Connexions? (Retrieved from (http://cnx.rice.edu) and OpenCourseWare (OCW) project (http://ocw.mit.edu).? The paper discusses a number of open source projects with related references. ?These include the Sakai Foundation (http://www.sakaiproject.org) that supports work on the Sakai package for content management and course management, Connexions which is a project at Rice University to support open access e-publishing and course management (http://cnx.rice.edu) that is supported by the Hewlett-Packard Foundation, and the Kuali Foundation (http://www.kuali.org/) that manages work on a suite of administrative software packages for higher education?.? The inquiry provides a vast array of current efforts and projects with a global appeal such as SourceForge (http://www.sourceforge.org), the Open Education Resources unit ( http://oerwiki.iiep-unesco.org /) in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the OpenCourseWare Consortium (www.ocwconsortium.org ) just to name a few.The paper rightly considers Open Source Software OSS as the prototype for the organization of new types of collaboration. Absent from consideration are references to collaboration with foreign educational entities. Nevertheless, the paper remains a significant contribution in the literature on the impact of The Open Source Movement on Higher Education from a global perspective.
4
Title:?Open Source Software in Computer Science and IT Higher Education: A Case Study
Reference:Dan R., L., & Robert S., L. (2011). Open Source Software in Computer Science and IT Higher Education: A Case Study. International Journal Of Advanced Computer Sciences And Applications, (1),?
Theme:? Open Source Software? in Computer Science Education
Summary and Annotation:This study focuses on the advantages of using open source software for academic purposes in comparison with standard proprietary software.? The paper is divided into four sections which include background of the open source movement, identification of different open source licenses, the impact of open source licenses, the use of open source in teaching computer science courses, and? a comparison between open source versus proprietary software on the ground of cost, appeal to students and ease of use. On all factors, the outcome supports the use and adoption of open source. . While the cost of acquisition of the open source software is free, implementation and administration cost vary depending on the circumstances while overall costs remain lower for faculty and students. Open source software appeal more to students due to the academic roots of open source software, the lower cost, and the availability of the source code. The study documents the following as advantages of open source:? readiness for research, implementation,? and development of ?new ideas?, portability to different operating systems, the? availability of the source code for the newest version of a specific application, and the vocation of open source to promote entrepreneurship without startup costs. The main disadvantages. The study finds that ?The main disadvantage in using open source software is the fact that Linux usability on laptops is seriously affected by the lack hardware drivers especially for wireless, graphic cards and suspend/sleep functionality in laptops?.This study stands as a major contribution on the values and merit of open source technologies in Higher Education classrooms. While acknowledging the challenges of open source software in the classroom, the article rightly suggests mixing proprietary and open source resources to better educate Computer Science students.
?5
Title: Adopting Open-Source Software Applications in U.S. Higher Education: A Cross-Disciplinary Review of the Literature
Reference: van Rooij, S. (2009). Adopting Open-Source Software Applications in U.S. Higher Education: A Cross-Disciplinary Review of the Literature.?Review Of Educational Research,?79(2), 682-701.Summary:This paper was written to support? the adoption of open source software for academic and administrative purposes by US institutions of higher learning as a more flexible and less costly venue. The focus is on using open source applications such as Moodle (retrieved from www.moodle.org ) Sakai (retrieved from? www.sakaiproject.org) and the? Kualy Financial Systems (retrieved from www.kuali.org/kfs). Upon introduction of a definition of open source from the perspective of codes understandable by the human eyes to ?the concept of the freedom to run, modify, and distribute copies of a program, either free of charge or for a fee.?, the article offers a literature review focused ?only on open-source software at the application layer, with emphasis on systems that support teaching and learning?. The method and scope consisted of key words searches of literary sources for results to be analyzed using the NVIVO, ?a software program for the management and analysis of text data?. The findings reveal that the literature is primarily dominated by ?(a) social and philosophical benefits, (b) software development methodology benefits, (c) security and risk management benefits, (d) software adoption life cycle benefits, and (e) total cost of ownership benefits?. In addition, the inquiry finds that open source is primarily assumed to an issue of concern for technologists while this is just not the case when it comes to administrative and educational use.While this study reveals a gap in the literature when it comes to enabling ?sound pedagogy or enables institutions to achieve a balance of sound pedagogy and technical efficiency?, it establishes the dominating role of Sakai, Kuali, and Moodle as reliable resources for further research.
Title:?Open-Source Learning Management Systems: A Predictive Model for Higher Education
Reference:?van Rooij, S. (2012). Open-Source Learning Management Systems: A Predictive Model for Higher Education. ?????? Journal Of Computer Assisted Learning, 28(2), 114-125.
6
Theme:? Criteria for adoption of open source LMS by Higher Education.
Summary:This quantitative study examines the selection criteria used by an institution of higher education for adoption of an open-source learning management system (LMS). Building on prior studies regarding such efforts in higher education a survey of 285 Chief Information Officers and Chief Academic Officers from US institutions was conducted in order to determine patterns, strategies, and criteria used in such contexts. First, the paper introduces Open Source Software (OSS) and offers comprehensive inventory of the best know open source learning management systems currently available. The list includes the following: Moodle (http://www.moodle.org) with 30,000 users, Sakai (http://www.sakaiproject.org) which features ?generic collaboration along Claroline (http://www.claroline.net), available in more than 35 languages and used in 80 countries; .LRN (http://www.dotlrn.com ), a system thathas e-commerce and project management applicationsbuilt in;? ATutor (http://www.atutor.ca ), developed in Canada and includes more than 17 000 registered user sites, and; Bodington (http://www.bodington.org ), developed in the U.K. and implemented at the University of Leeds and the University of Oxford. Second, the paper presents current LMS evaluation models with an alternative approach. Third, the method, statistical analysis, and results are introduced. The paper ends with acknowledgement of the limitations of the study and actual conclusion. Bottom line,?The present research revealed that an institution?s Carnegie Classification, previous experience with OSS, focus on student learning, and commitment to organizational self-reliance were all predictive of the institution?s decision to opt in or opt out of an open-source LMS?.
This inquiry offers a solid frame of reference with regard to the criteria for adoption of open source learning management system by higher education. One might surmise that the limitations spelled in the study might create a built-in bias jeopardizing the objectivity and reliability of the study. The study nevertheless stands as a strong guide for higher education in the adoption of open source learning management systems.
First New Ship Will Set Sail on Destination-Focused Itineraries in 2015; Maiden Voyages Now Available for Booking
Viking Cruises has announced the launch of its ocean product line, Viking Ocean Cruises, marking the introduction of the travel industry?s first new cruise line in nearly a decade. Developed from the ground up to return the focus of cruising to the destination, Viking Ocean Cruises will begin sailing in May 2015 with its first vessel?Viking Star?embarking on maiden voyages in Scandinavia and the Baltic; and the Western and Eastern Mediterranean. ?Viking Cruises has aggressive expansion plans in both the ocean and river cruise categories, with a second ocean ship on order for delivery in 2016 and conditional orders and options for four more additional ocean vessels. The ocean ship order follows the company?s continued rapid fleet expansion in the river cruise sector, with 10 new river ships recently christened in March of this year and 12 new river ships planned to launch in 2014.
?It is our view that in the race to build bigger ships, many cruise lines have lost sight of the destinations to which they sail,? said Torstein Hagen , Chairman of Viking Cruises. ?With our new ocean cruises, we are applying the same principles behind our award-winning river cruises to our itinerary and ship design; privileged-access excursions; and onboard experiences to make destinations the true focus.?
Leveraging extensive feedback and input from Viking River Cruises passengers, Viking Ocean Cruises was developed with experienced travelers in mind. Itineraries are curated for maximum time in port, often with late evenings or overnights, so guests can experience local nightlife or evening performances. Ports include both cosmopolitan cities and ?collector ports,? and appeal to those with an interest in history, art and culture. In addition, all-inclusive pricing provides unparalleled value?with every cruise fare including a veranda stateroom, shore excursions in each port of call, all onboard meals, and all port charges and government taxes. Passengers also enjoy many complimentary amenities as part of their fare, including: beer and wine with lunch and dinner service; wi-fi; self-service laundry and 24-hour room service?a value of more than $2,400 per couple for an average cruise.
Viking Star
Classified by Cruise Critic as a ?small ship,? the new 928-passenger all-veranda Viking Star is engineered at a scale that allows direct access into most ports, so guests have easy and efficient embarkation and debarkation. The ship?s understated elegance and modern Scandinavian design is crafted for maximum guest comfort. Highlighted features include:
All Veranda Staterooms: Guests can choose from five stateroom categories, starting from a 270 sq. ft. veranda stateroom, all with private verandas, king-size beds, large showers, and LCD TVs.
Explorer Suites:Viking Star?s 14 Explorer Suites are two-room suites ranging from 757 to 1,448 sq. ft. and offer sweeping views from wrap-around private verandas as well as the most amenities and privileges of any category onboard.
Two Pool Choices: In addition to the Main Pool with a retractable dome permitting any-season swimming, Viking Star features one of the only infinity pools at sea, allowing passengers to swim surrounded by their destination in a glass-backed pool cantilevered off the stern.
The Spa: In keeping with Viking?s Nordic heritage, The Spa onboard Viking Star is designed with the holistic wellness philosophy of Scandinavia in mind?from the centuries-old tradition of the sauna to a ?snow grotto? where snowflakes gently descend from the ceiling through chilled air.
Explorers? Lounge and Wintergarden: Spaces designed to facilitate mingling and storytelling, the two-deck Explorers? Lounge at the bow of the ship is the perfect spot for taking in scenery through double-height windows over a glass of aquavit or pint of local craft beer; and the Wintergarden is a serene environment in which to relax and enjoy afternoon tea service complete with a curated tea selection.
Dining Choices: Viking Star offers multiple restaurant locations and food choices?from The Restaurant and the World Cafe, serving a variety of global cuisines and regional specialties?to intimate dining experiences at The Chef?s Table, Italian Grill and The Kitchen Table, all serving meals prepared with fresh, local ingredients. Furthermore, with multiple choices for outdoor seating during meals, Viking Star offers more al fresco dining than any other ship.
Enriching Entertainment: Connecting passengers to their destinations through authentic experiences is central to Viking Cruises, and Viking Star?s onboard venues include a dramatic three-deck atrium where passengers can enjoy musicians playing regional and classical music; the Star Theater, home of enrichment lectures from scholars and experts; an onboard cooking school where guests can learn local specialties; and the Viking Piano Lounge, where guests can relax, mingle, and exchange stories after a day of exploring.
Sustainable Features: Designed with the environment in mind, Viking Star features energy-efficienthybrid engines, a hydro-dynamically optimized streamlined hull and bow for maximum fuel efficiency, onboard solar panels, and equipment that minimizes exhaust pollution and meets the strictest environmental regulations.
The ship has been designed by experienced nautical architects and engineers, including an interior design team of London-based SMC Design, and Los Angeles-based Rottet Studios. The first of two ocean ships on order, Viking Star will be built by Italy?s Fincantieri shipyard.
2015 Maiden Voyage Itineraries
Viking Homelands (15 days; Stockholm ? St. Petersburg ? Copenhagen ? Bergen) ? This itinerary features a blend of northern continental European cities, imperial Russia and the legendary homeland of the Vikings. The journey includes overnights in Bergen, Stockholm and St. Petersburg, plus calls in Helsinki, Tallinn, Gdansk, Berlin (Warnemunde), Copenhagen, Aalborg, Stavanger, and Flam. Introductory 2-for-1 pricing starts at $4,999 per person with discounted airfares from $895 per person.
Passage Through Western Europe (15 days; Bergen ? London ? Paris ? Barcelona) ? The nimble proportions of Viking Star give guests access to the heart of the Continent as well as coastal cities on this cross-region itinerary that journeys from the Viking waters of Bergen to London on the Thames, down the Atlantic Coast of France and Portugal, and to the Mediterranean. Ports include Lisbon, Cadiz, Gibraltar, and Cartagena with overnights in Bergen, London, Paris (Rouen) and Barcelona. Introductory 2-for-1 pricing starts at $4,499 per person with discounted airfares from $795 per person.
Mediterranean Odyssey (13 days; Barcelona ? Rome ? Dubrovnik ? Venice) ? Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Greece?this cruise has it all. Visit Toulon, France; Monte Carlo; Tuscany (Livorno), Rome and Naples in Italy; Corfu (Kerkira) Greece; Dubrovnik and Split in Croatia; plus overnights in Barcelona and Venice. Introductory 2-for-1 pricing starts at $3,999 per person with discounted airfares from $595 per person.
Empires of the Mediterranean (10 days; Venice ? Athens ? Ephesus ? Istanbul) ? From ancient ruins to medieval cities, this Mediterranean journey starts in Venice and journeys to Pula and Dubrovnik in Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; Santorini, Athens (Piraeus), and Ephesus (Kusadasi), plus an overnight in Istanbul. Introductory 2-for-1 pricing starts at $2,999 per person with discounted airfares from $695 per person.
Combination cruises of the above are also available, ranging from 22 to 50 days, and starting at $6,799 per person for introductory pricing with air specials from $695 per person.
Booking Details
From now through July 31, 2013, Viking is offering an introductory Early Booking Discount in the U.S. market for the 2015 maiden season with 2-for-1 pricing on cruise departures and savings of $2,000 per couple on international air. The 2015 maiden season is initially being offered only in the U.S.; Viking will begin marketing the new ocean cruises in the UK, Australia and New Zealand later this year.
Viking Star Technical Details
Length overall: 745.4 ft. (227.2m); beam 94.5 ft. (28.8 m); draft 20.7 ft. (6.3 m); air draft 131.2 ft. (40.0 m); gross tonnage (GRT) 47,800 t; deadweight 3,640 t; service speed 20.0 kn; number of decks 14; classification: Lloyds Register.
The Viking Cruises brand now encompasses both river and ocean cruises. Viking Ocean Cruises focuses on destination-centric cruising in the small ship category and is priced for genuine value. Debuting its maiden season in 2015, the sophisticated state-of-the-art Viking Star will sail itineraries in Scandinavia and the Baltic; and the Western and Eastern Mediterranean. Viking River Cruises, the world?s leading river cruise line, offers scenic cruising along the rivers of Europe, Russia, Ukraine, China, Southeast Asia and Egypt. The company was named No. 1 River Cruise Line in Travel + Leisure?s 2012 ?World?s Best? Awards and has been honored multiple times as the top river cruise line on Conde Nast Traveler?s ?Gold List.? It has also been recognized as the World?s Leading River Cruise Operator at the World Travel Awards and by the editors of Cruise Critic as ?Best River Cruise Line,? with the entire Viking Longships fleet being named ?Best New River Ships of 2012? in the website?s Editors? Picks Awards. The travel trade has recognized Viking River Cruises as ?Best River Cruise Line? by Travel Weekly, ?Best River Cruise Line? by Recommend and Travel Agent magazines, Best Cruise Line for Luxury River Cruises at the Luxury Travel Advisor Awards of Excellence and as ?Best Overall Cruise Line for River Cruising? and ?Best River Cruise Line for Travel Agent Support? by TravelAge West. Since its 1997 inception, the company has grown to a fleet of 35 vessels (in 2013), and provides unique, deluxe vacations to experienced travelers with an interest in geography, culture and history.
PARIS (AP) ? France will see its first gay weddings within days, after French President Francois Hollande signed a law Saturday authorizing marriage and adoption by same-sex couples and ending months of nationwide protests and wrenching debate.
Hollande's office said he signed the bill Saturday morning, a day after the Constitutional Council struck down a challenge to the law and ruled it in line with France's constitution.
Hollande, a Socialist, had made legalizing gay marriage one of his campaign pledges last year. While polls for years have shown majority support for gay marriage in France, adoption by same-sex couples is more controversial.
The parliamentary debate exposed a deep conservatism and attachment to traditional families in France's rural core that is often eclipsed by and at odds with libertine Paris.
But mostly, it tapped into deep discontent with the Socialist government, largely over Hollande's handling of the economy. Months of anti-gay marriage protests became a flashpoint for frustrations with Hollande, and occasionally degenerated into violence.
In addition, gay rights groups reported a rise in attacks on homosexuals as the parliamentary debate was under way. Protest organizers distanced themselves from the trouble-makers.
The opposition isn't ready to give up. It plans a protest May 26 that aims to parlay the success of the anti-gay marriage movement into a broader anti-Hollande one. Among those expected to attend is Jean-Francois Cope, the leader of the opposition UMP party, riven by divisions and struggling for direction since Nicolas Sarkozy lost the presidency last year.
Hollande warned that he wouldn't accept any disruption of France's first gay marriages.
One couple signed up Saturday to tie the knot on May 29 in the gay-friendly southern French city of Montpellier.
"We're very happy that today we can finally talk of love after all the talk of legislation and political battles," one of the future newlyweds, Vincent Autin, said on France-Info radio.
According to French law, couples must register to marry in city hall and wait at least 10 days before holding a ceremony so that anyone objecting to the union ? such as an existing spouse ? has time to intervene.
Marketing whizzes are already preparing lesbian and gay cake toppers, his-and-his wedding bands, and other services for France's gay weddings.
Despite the protests, the law passed easily in both houses of parliament, which are dominated by Hollande's Socialists. And the Constitutional Council said, "Marriage as a union between a man and a woman cannot be considered a fundamental principle."
France is the most populous country to have legal gay marriages, and the 14th country worldwide. In the United States, Minnesota became the 12th state in the country to legalize same-sex unions on Tuesday.
In neighboring Belgium, thousands of people took to the confetti-covered streets of Brussels to take part in an annual gay pride march on Saturday. Trucks blasting music and carrying dance floors made their way through cheering crowds. Belgium legalized gay marriage 10 years ago and permitted adoption for same-sex couples seven years ago.
In our speedy-paced world, many people have realized on their own extended thin and stressed. Even investing a bit of time reading the massive amount of info on working with tension guidance on the net is enough to travel an individual crazy. The subsequent info can provide easy ways to relieve your life.
Producing when emphasized can be quite a positive electric outlet for that nervousness of demanding circumstances. When you can?t discuss your source of stress with another individual, it is possible to get some alleviation by composing out your thoughts. Keep a record of the items are triggering pressure in your own life, the helpful tips is offered.
An expert therapeutic massage will help you eliminate a few of the stress out. Stressed muscles can be a byproduct of stressed out simply being transported on the body. An effective massage calms the muscles and enable you to really feel less stressed and a lot more calm.
Say your affirmation repeatedly when you?re sensing stress or nervousness , which can increase your pressure.
A great technique for reducing tension may be just to lay back and carry out some daydreaming. Allow your brain to drift in a location you?d want to pay a visit to and time period of dream. This sort of intellectual exercising is a brief although.
small loans A cupful of tea is an excellent pressure reliever. There are a variety of teas that will help decrease your pressure, including chamomile or kava kava. Large the teas for around ten minutes to find the greatest energy in the herbal remedies.Try out consuming a glass every morning or prior to bed furniture to lessen your stress.
Go on a number of deep breathes so that you can handle any condition that could allow you to stressed. Require a take a step back and count up from one to 10, very clear your mind, then reply. This relaxation technique can aid you to keep quiet and refocus your interest on the circumstance without getting defensive.
Horticulture is a superb reducing stress.
A lengthy bathtub can just drift aside and relax is surely an incredible stress reliever.Add more scented essential oil or bath tub normal water and relish the high end.
Remain alongside a wall and push onto it as tough as you can with your hands and wrists, giving the only thing you have although excavating in with your feet.Extending your hamstrings might help alleviate tension.
Tunes is an excellent stress you may be suffering from. While you are anxious, listen to your chosen music, and after that chill out and savor, stopping out anything else near you. This lets the mind a rest from everything that is responsible for you to feel emphasized.
One specific way to avoid pressure would be to quit telling lies constantly.
A good way to control your anxiety would be to believe in advance.
Try an organic tonic for anxiety alleviation. Homeopathy ought to be explored as a great way to support decrease stress. These treatments are regarded as being extremely risk-free and all sorts of-natural. Use herbal treatments like Kava, which was proven in some scientific studies it performs like alprazolam, or Xanax.
A very basic suggestion which can help you minimize your stress threshold is always to pay out close consideration when individuals are providing you with instructions. Focus on directions to avoid demanding scenarios. By way of example, take notice whenever your manager gives you recommendations, give attention to your doctor if he or she is offering assistance, or give your trainer your full consideration.
You can unwind and de-stress by just shutting down the eyes sealed. Delicate songs can confer with your heart and soul and brain on many degrees. When you hear it together with your eye closed, the mind in a natural way drifts off to surroundings which are pleasant. It is a highly effective when coping with tension on your working day.
Acquire your self out of your situation instantly.
sagamore small loans One of the most great approaches to handle anxiety is to enroll in health and fitness sessions. You will reinforce your muscles, obtain power and discharge tension from the entire body.
no credit check no faxing small loans You should produce healthy dealing elements to help you cope with tension. These tactics are aware ?workout routines? you engage in to ease the emotional and mental negative effects of nerve-racking conditions, which include beneficial claims that you explain to your self once you start obtaining anxious. Whenever you can think beneficial thoughts, then you can see by way of and ultimately work through your stress levels.
Looking at something which soothes the heart and soul may help a person cut back on tension. Pictures of hills, hills, or waterfalls can provide visual enter that will loosen up your brain. When you can?t find an proper visible support, then near your eyes and imagine relaxing, and picture a tranquil setting. You entire body will truly feel more relaxed if you envision on your own in those configurations.
One essential aspect in lowering pressure would be to believe in advance.
A great way to fight stress is and also hardwearing . lifestyle as prepared since you can. An absence of business capabilities can produce a way to obtain anxiety. Basically trying to keep things within their correct places can reduce the stress and anxiety you might be suffering from.
To quit anxiety from piling up at your workplace, think rationally concerning the jobs that ought to be carried out, so that you can easily see what should be due to the most interest. When you have a big undertaking, crack it straight down. This may relieve the potent anxiety due to the fact that one large and daunting project.
Negative opinions will undoubtedly come up with a demanding scenario worse. When you are able resolve a single issue, you can count on yet another one.
Training might help when you start sensation overwhelmed by stress or anxiety. An easy move round the neighbors can produce a arena of variation in curbing any emotions of nervousness.
Strategy every day before hand, and stick to this plan.
You must strive to remember that while anxiety is distressing, also, it is poor for your health. When you find yourself anxious, your body drops being able to run effectively and effectively. Implement the following tips to the lifestyle, and assist yourself unwind and feel great.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Two bombs hidden in a motorcycle and a car exploded inside an elite gated community linked to the family of Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Friday evening, killing at least nine people and wounding more than 70 near the southern city of Kandahar, an official said.
The blasts happened inside Aino Mina, a housing complex on the northern outskirts of the city that was developed in part by Mahmood Karzai, the president's younger brother.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but striking inside a powerful symbol of wealth and influence would be a publicity coup for the Taliban insurgency.
Both the car bomb and the motorcycle were remotely detonated within minutes of each other while parked next to a restaurant area where families were dining, Kandahar government spokesman Javeed Faisal said. He had earlier said there was only one blast.
Three police were among the dead, Faisal said, adding that an investigation is underway into how the explosives-laden vehicle slipped past the community's heavy security.
Many of the dozens of wounded brought to Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar were in critical condition, Dr. Samad Ahmadi said.
Aino Mina is home to thousands of Afghan government officials, businessmen and other wealthy citizens who pay some $90,000 for a three-bedroom house on grounds featuring parks, a jogging track, a football field and its own mosque.
Residents have special identification badges, and cars are typically searched before entering the gates.
Mahmood Karzai was one of the main investors into the project, promoted as a triumph of modernity in Kandahar, which is the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban insurgency. The Taliban imposed a harsh interpretation of Islamic law when it led Afghanistan for five years, before they were ousted in the U.S.-led invasion that followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. by al-Qaida, which was based in the country at the time.
The Karzai clan itself is from Kandahar and another brother of the president, Ahmed Wali Karzai, was a powerful political figure there before being gunned down in 2011 by a bodyguard.
President Karzai's office quickly condemned the attack, noting it was the second terrorist strike in a residential area in two days. On Thursday, a suicide car bomber hit a U.S. convoy in a residential part of eastern Kabul, killing 15 people, including nine Afghan bystanders and six Americans. That attack was claimed by another militant movement, Hizb-e-Islami.
"Terrorists, by these acts that are un-Islamic and inhumane, are not the followers of any religion," Karzai's statement said.
Attacks on both military and civilian targets have been on the rise since the Taliban launched their spring offensive late last month, aiming to weaken the Afghan government ahead of the withdrawal of most international forces by the end of next year.
May 17, 2013 ? While Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt visited Earth's moon for three days in December 1972, they drove their mission's Lunar Roving Vehicle 19.3 nautical miles (22.210 statute miles or 35.744 kilometers). That was the farthest total distance for any NASA vehicle driving on a world other than Earth until yesterday.
The team operating NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity received confirmation in a transmission from Mars today that the rover drove 263 feet (80 meters) on Thursday, bringing Opportunity's total odometry since landing on Mars in January 2004 to 22.220 statute miles (35.760 kilometers).
Cernan discussed this prospect a few days ago with Opportunity team member Jim Rice of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The Apollo 17 astronaut said, "The record we established with a roving vehicle was made to be broken, and I'm excited and proud to be able to pass the torch to Opportunity."
The international record for driving distance on another world is still held by the Soviet Union's remote-controlled Lunokhod 2 rover, which traveled 23 miles (37 kilometers) on the surface of Earth's moon in 1973.
Opportunity began a multi-week trek this week from an area where it has been working since mid-2011, the "Cape York" segment of the rim of Endeavour Crater, to an area about 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometers) away, "Solander Point."
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL also manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and its rover, Curiosity, which landed on Mars in August 2012.
For more information about Opportunity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/rovers and http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov . You can follow the project on Twitter and on Facebook at: http://twitter.com/MarsRovers and http://www.facebook.com/mars.rovers .
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
?Stand up for what you care about and together we turn the world inside out.? Thus begins the HBO documentary Inside Out: The People?s Art Project. Led by French artist JR, the initiative invites people from Paris to the Middle East to the United States to reexamine preconceptions about race, politics, and the ability of humanity to change course by creating giant black-and-white photo portraits of ordinary folks and pasting them up in public spaces. It airs May 20.
Next-generation blues
Cassie Taylor spent her teens playing bass for her dad, progressive bluesman Otis Taylor, before going solo. Like father, like daughter? Not quite. The young artist favors a more polished, traditional sound on Out of My Mind, a stylistically varied set that spans New Orleans jazz, rock, and trance blues. Ms. Taylor?s voice ? by turns sassy and tender ? eschews melisma for soul. You won?t get ?Out of My Mind? out of your mind.
Kindred souls
What do you get when you combine the grit of California?s Inland Empire with the smoky lament of Chicago? You get a fast-moving blues train powered by the multitalented Ben Harper on slide guitar and legend Charlie Musselwhite on his wailing harmonica. Feeling down never felt so buoyant. Their raucous album, Get Up!, has both an old-soul depth as well as Mr. Harper?s signature boldness ? a combination that will keep you playing this album over and over.
Chick out of Dixie
Ben Harper has also teamed up with Dixie Chick lead singer Natalie Maines to produce her solo album, Mother, her first since the Dixie Chicks broke out of Nashville in 2006 with Grammy-winning ?Taking the Long Way.? But there are no signs of bluegrass on this emotive rock album. Somewhat uneven tracks include songs by Mr. Harper, Patty Griffin, Eddie Vedder, and others. It?s tempting to hear political defiance in the chosen lyrics, but Maines?s own ?Take It On Faith? comes across as a worthy search for a fresh start.?
Party game
The new 99-cent app Heads Up plays essentially like the party game Celebrity or the old TV show ?Pyramid.? Hold the iPhone to your head so that everyone but you can see the word on the screen. The rest of the room then acts out the secret word until you correctly guess the celebrity, movie, animal, or accent (our favorite). Additional decks of words cost an additional 99 cents.
What?s on PBS?
Three shows of note: First up, watch how The Ghost Army ? young artists using inflatable tanks, sound effects and impersonation ? fooled Hitler?s armies during World War II (May 21). Next, tune into Rebel (May 24) for a fascinating documentary about Loreta Velazquez, one of about a thousand women who secretly served as soldiers during the American Civil War. Finally, the National Memorial Day Concert airs live from the US capital on May 26 at 8 p.m., featuring the National Symphony Orchestra and military bands.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 20-May-2013
Share ] 
