NBC's Gabe Gutierrez reports from Kaufman County, Texas, where residents are on edge after a district attorney and his wife were found dead in their home.
By Frank Heinz, NBCDFW.com
Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia were found shot to death inside their Forney home Saturday, nearly two months to the day after his top assistant was gunned down on his way to work earlier this year.
Kaufman County Sheriff's Department investigators confirmed the deaths to NBC 5 Saturday evening, but officials have had little else to say about the investigation since. Sources close to the investigation told NBC 5 Saturday evening that McLelland and his wife were found at about 4 p.m. that day by a concerned relative or friend who had gone to the house after being unable to reach the couple. Other sources told NBC 5 that the McLelland's front door had been forced open and that gunshots had been fired and that an assault rifle was used in the murders.
On Sunday afternoon, Kaufman County Sheriff David Byrnes spoke with the media, but offered little on the investigation thus far and wouldn't confirm details released by sources. Byrnes also wouldn't speculate on whether the murders are connected to the Jan. 31 slaying of Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse saying, "there is nothing to indicate that, for sure."
See original report at NBCDFW.com
While there remains no immediate, confirmed link between Saturday's murders and Hasse's murder, the similarities between the cases prompted county officials to conduct welfare checks on all employees in the district attorney's office Saturday. All were OK, though one former Kaufman County prosecutor was "in hiding" Saturday evening and said others were as well.
Meanwhile, as a connection between the Hasse and McLelland murders is explored, investigators continue to search for possible connections between Hasse's murder, the slaying of Colorado prison official Tom Clements and the shooting of Montague County Sheriff's Deputy James Boyd that sparked a wild car chase that ended with the fatal shooting of Evan Ebel last week in Wise County.
Byrnes also refused to comment on whether security measures have been put in place for the staff of the district attorney's office other than to say they are taking precautions. Byrnes did say that there would be an increased and visible security presence at the Kaufman County Courthouse on Monday.
"It's unnerving to the law enforcement community and the community at large.? That's why we're striving to assure the community that we are still providing public safety and will be able to do that," Byrnes said, about the McLelland murders.
A tip line has been set up for the investigation and anyone with information to share with investigators is asked to call 1-877-847-7522.
McLelland Vowed to Catch Hasse's Killer
While police officers are frequently the target of violence while trying to apprehend criminals, attacks on prosecutors are extremely rare, though not unheard of.? McLelland said as much in January when speaking about his slain friend when he said Hasse was aware of the dangers associated with being a prosecutor.
At the time, he described Hasse as a really, really good man that was an excellent friend and a spectacular prosecutor who wouldn't be easily replaced. He also vowed to catch Hasse's killers saying, "I hope that the people that did this are watching. Because we're very confident that we're going to find you, pull you out of whatever hole you're in, bring you back and let the people of Kaufman County prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law."
FBI agents and Texas Rangers, who were still investigating the unsolved slaying of Hasse, are now leading the investigation into Saturday's murders, according to a federal law enforcement source.
McLelland and his wife, Cynthia Woodward McLelland, have five children including two daughters and three sons.? One of the sons is a Dallas police officer.
NBC 5's Ray Villeda and Scott Gordon contributed to this report.
It's the last "Apps of the Week" post for the month of March, and we're going to make it a worthwhile one.
As usual, we're bringing you a collection of apps directly from the Android Central writers -- ones that stay on our devices as the go-to apps. This week we have a couple of games, a few utilities (as usual) and a couple of odds and ends to keep things fresh.
Hang around with us after the break and see how this week's picks stack up with he rest.
Google's Doodles on the Google.com search page don't frequently stir up too much controversy, but today many users are outraged by the search giant's choice in featuring Cesar Chavez, an American farm worker, labor leader and civil rights activist. Of course, today is also Easter, which is one of the most observed and celebrated religious holidays for Christians around the world.
Flocka reveals that he will be dropping his upcoming LP on the three-year anniversary of his unforgettable debut album Flockaveli. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Waka Flocka Flame on "RapFix Live" Photo: MTV News
Israeli Jews celebrating Passover will easily relate to their ancestors this year ? the country has been swarmed by millions of locusts, one of the 10 plagues visited on the Egyptians.
By Christa Case Bryant,?Staff writer / March 27, 2013
Locusts make their way from Egypt just before they land in Kerem Shalom near the border with Egypt, in southern Israel's Negev Desert, March 11.
Ariel Schalit/AP
Enlarge
Locusts have descended on Israel this week, just in time for Passover. As millions of Jews commemorate the story of the children of Israel?s exodus from Egypt, including the 10 plagues that afflicted Pharaoh and his people, millions of the crunchy buggers are creeping all over Israel?s southern deserts.
Skip to next paragraph Christa Case Bryant
Jerusalem bureau chief
Christa Case Bryant is The Christian Science Monitor's Jerusalem bureau chief, providing coverage on Israel and the Palestinian territories as well as regional issues.
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This is nothing like the eighth plague of biblical times, in which locusts covered ?the whole face of the earth? in a kind of collective punishment for the Egyptians whose leader refused to let his Hebrew slaves go free.
But this year is the first time since 2005 that modern Israel has had to combat locusts, which can swarm so thickly that drivers can?t see beyond their windshield. Potato farmers bemoaned the detrimental effect of a previous wave of the grasshopper-like insects several weeks ago. The Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, which was on ?locust alert,? has responded quickly to the latest wave with pesticides.?
But it?s not just Israel. Today the Palestinian Authority?s Ministry of Agriculture sprayed pesticides in Hebron, in the southern West Bank. And Egyptian farmers have suffered millions of dollars in damage after a swarm of about 30 million locusts hit Cairo earlier this month.
The most serious situation, however, appears to be in Sudan, where the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) head has warned that immature ?hoppers? are lining up along a 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) stretch of the Nile and could pose a serious threat to Nile Valley crops in May.
OK, so locusts are not your average grasshopper. But still, how can they cause such massive damage?
Consider these arresting facts: They can eat their weight in crops every day; they can fly more than 80 miles a day ? in swarms as dense as 200 million per square mile; and females can lay as many as 1,000 egg pods in roughly 10 square feet, according to an FAO fact sheet.?
To put the threat in practical terms, one ton of locusts (just a fraction of your average swarm) can eat about as much food as 2,500 people can in a day, says FAO.
The Israelis have sought to reverse the food chain this Passover, however, by grilling the kosher insects for a crunchy, high-protein delicacy. And they?re not alone. Locust recipes abound.?
A Mexican version from ?Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects,? by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio, calls for roasting locust torsos and sprinkling them on homemade guacamole in a taco shell. Scrap that. Sprinkle and?enjoy, the cookbook says.?
B?tayavon, as the Israelis would say.?Bon app?tit.
An international team of physicists has proposed a revolutionary laser system, inspired by the telecommunications technology, to produce the next generation of particle accelerators, such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
The International Coherent Amplification Network (ICAN) sets out a new laser system composed of massive arrays of thousands of fibre lasers, for both fundamental research at laboratories such as CERN and more applied tasks such as proton therapy and nuclear transmutation.
The results of this study are published today in Nature Photonics.
Lasers can provide, in a very short time measured in femtoseconds, bursts of energy of great power counted in petawatts or a thousand times the power of all the power plants in the world.
Compact accelerators are also of great societal importance for applied tasks in medicine, such as a unique way to democratise proton therapy for cancer treatment, or the environment where it offers the prospect to reduce the lifetime of dangerous nuclear waste by, in some cases, from 100 thousand years to tens of years or even less.
However, there are two major hurdles that prevent the high-intensity laser from becoming a viable and widely used technology in the future. First, a high-intensity laser often only operates at a rate of one laser pulse per second, when for practical applications it would need to operate tens of thousands of times per second. The second is ultra-intense lasers are notorious for being very inefficient, producing output powers that are a fraction of a percent of the input power. As practical applications would require output powers in the range of tens of kilowatts to megawatts, it is economically not feasible to produce this power with such a poor efficiency.
To bridge this technology divide, the ICAN consortium, an EU-funded project initiated and coordinated by the ?cole polytechnique and composed of the University of Southampton's Optoelectronics Research Centre, Jena and CERN, as well as 12 other prestigious laboratories around the world, aims to harness the efficiency, controllability, and high average power capability of fibre lasers to produce high energy, high repetition rate pulse sources.
The aim is to replace the conventional single monolithic rod amplifier that typically equips lasers with a network of fibre amplifiers and telecommunication components.
G?rard Mourou of ?cole polytechnique who leads the consortium says: "One important application demonstrated today has been the possibility to accelerate particles to high energy over very short distances measured in centimetres rather than kilometres as it is the case today with conventional technology. This feature is of paramount importance when we know that today high energy physics is limited by the prohibitive size of accelerators, of the size of tens of kilometres, and cost billions of euros. Reducing the size and cost by a large amount is of critical importance for the future of high energy physics."
Dr Bill Brocklesby from the ORC adds: "A typical CAN laser for high-energy physics may use thousands of fibres, each carrying a small amount of laser energy. It offers the advantage of relying on well tested telecommunication elements, such as fibre lasers and other components. The fibre laser offers an excellent efficiency due to laser diode pumping. It also provides a much larger surface cooling area and therefore makes possible high repetition rate operation.
"The most stringent difficulty is to phase the lasers within a fraction of a wavelength. This difficulty seemed insurmountable but a major roadblock has in fact been solved: preliminary proof of concept suggests that thousands of fibres can be controlled to provide a laser output powerful enough to accelerate electrons to energies of several GeV at 10 kHz repetition rate - an improvement of at least ten thousand times over today's state of the art lasers."
Such a combined fibre-laser system should provide the necessary power and efficiency that could make economical the production of a large flux of relativistic protons over millimetre lengths as opposed to a few hundred metres.
One important societal application of such a source is to transmute the waste products of nuclear reactors, which at present have half-lives of hundreds of thousands of years, into materials with much shorter lives, on the scale of tens of years, thus transforming dramatically the problem of nuclear waste management.
CAN technology could also find important applications in areas of medicine, such as proton therapy, where reliability and robustness of fibre technology could be decisive features.
###
University of Southampton: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/
Thanks to University of Southampton for this article.
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A ?Navy SEAL from the elite SEAL TEAM 6 was killed and another SEAL injured Thursday night during a parachute training accident in Marana, Arizona, the military said. Details of the accident are not immediately available.
One SEAL was pronounced dead on arrival at the University of Arizona Hospital. The second remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Members of SEAL TEAM 6 carried out the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. All SEAL teams receive extensive parachute training, which is often required for hostage rescue or anti-terrorist operations.
The names of the two SEALS involved in the fatal training mishap have not been released pending notification of next of kin.
The HTC Droid DNA and Motorola's Droid RAZR HD/RAZR MAXX HD are all sweet handsets. The DNA of course has an edge in terms of screen and display while the RAZRs' battery lives are unmatched in the Android ecosystem. Sure the HTC One will be frickin' awesome when it does eventually show up but "later this spring" is just too long to wait. So, if you had a phone upgrade coming your way this weekend—as I do—and the iOS option is right out, which phone would you choose? More »
Mar. 26, 2013 ? Living in colder climates in the US is more energy demanding than living in warmer climates. This is according to Dr Michael Sivak at the University of Michigan, who has published new research today, 28 March, in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters.
Dr Sivak has calculated that climate control in the coldest large metropolitan area in the country -- Minneapolis -- is about three-and-a-half times more energy demanding than in the warmest large metropolitan area -- Miami.
Dr Sivak calculated this difference in energy demand using three parameters: the number of heating or cooling degree days in each area; the efficiencies of heating and cooling appliances; and the efficiencies of power-generating plants.
Not included in the analysis were the energy used to extract fuels from the ground, the losses during energy transmission, and energy costs.
"It has been taken for a fact that living in the warm regions of the US is less sustainable than living in the cold regions, based partly on the perceived energy needs for climate control; however, the present findings suggest a re-examination of the relative sustainability of living in warm versus cold climates."
Heating degree days (HDDs) and cooling degree days (CDDs) are climatological measures that are designed to reflect the demand for energy needed to heat or cool a building. They are calculated by comparing the mean daily outdoor temperature with 18?C.
A day with a mean temperature of 10?C would have 8 HDDs and no CDDs, as the temperature is 8?C below 18?C. Analogously, a day with a mean temperature of 23?C would have 5 CDDs and no HDDs.
Based on a previous study, Dr Sivak showed that Minneapolis has 4376 heating degree days a year compared to 2423 cooling degree days in Miami.
In the study, Dr Sivak used a single measure for the efficiency of heating and cooling appliances, as most are currently rated using different measures so they cannot be directly compared. His calculations showed that a typical air conditioner is about four times more energy efficient than a typical furnace.
"In simple terms, it takes less energy to cool a room down by one degree than it does to heat it up by one degree," said Dr Sivak.
Grouping together climatology, the efficiency of heating and cooling appliances, and the efficiency of power-generating plants, Dr Sivak showed that Minneapolis was substantially more energy demanding than Miami.
"In the US, the energy consumption for air conditioning is of general concern but the required energy to heat is often taken for granted. Focus should also be turned to the opposite end of the scale -- living in cold climates such as in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Rochester, Buffalo and Chicago is more energy demanding, and therefore less sustainable from this point of view, than living in warm climates such as in Miami, Phoenix, Tampa, Orlando and Las Vegas," Dr Sivak concluded.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Institute of Physics (IOP), via AlphaGalileo.
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Journal Reference:
Michael Sivak. Air conditioning versus heating: climate control is more energy demanding in Minneapolis than in Miami. Environmental Research Letters, 2013; 8 (1): 014050 DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/8/1/014050
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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Mar. 28, 2013 ? Concrete plans for a one-way ticket to Mars have been forged. Food will have to be grown on location. Is this a distant future scenario? Not for Wieger Wamelink, ecologist at Alterra Wageningen UR, for whom the future will begin on 2 April. He will be researching whether or not it is possible to grow plants on the moon.
We have been to the moon several times. Next time, we may go back for a considerable period. And concrete plans for a one-way ticket to Mars have already been forged. Food will have to be grown on location. Is this a distant future scenario? Not for Wieger Wamelink, ecologist at Alterra Wageningen UR, for whom the future will begin on 2 April. He will be researching whether or not it is possible to grow plants on the moon.
Will plants survive in Martian soil or moon dust? This question was initially prompted by Dutch plans to establish a colony on Mars. As the plan does not include a return trip, the basic necessities would have to be satisfied on location. "Mars is still a long way off," says Wieger Wamelink, explaining his plans. "But the moon is closer, so it would be more realistic to establish a colony there. What's more, we already know the mineral composition of the soil on the moon, and of moon dust. So what I'm aiming to find out now is whether plants will grow in moon substrate, or whether certain essential elements are lacking. This has never been done before. We are gradually discovering more about Mars, which is why the planet has been included in this research."
Wamelink's research will compare the requirements of certain species of plants with the mineral composition of the soil on the moon and Mars. Alterra has a database that can analyse 25 abiotic preconditions per species and calculate whether a plant species will survive or not. The database also stores information about heavy metals and minerals, although as yet, there are no fixed preconditions for these elements. Using this data, he will be able to determine which plant species would theoretically be capable of growing in moon dust or Martian soil.
Wieger Wamelink: "We will then allow certain species of wild plants and agricultural crops to germinate in pots of artificial moon and Martian soil supplied by NASA. The growth of these plants will be compared with that of the same species in ordinary soil from the Earth. Preconditions relating to heavy metals and minerals will be derived from our findings. Our research is based on the premise that an atmosphere will be available to the colony, perhaps in domes or buildings. We are also assuming the presence of water, either from the moon or Mars or transported from Earth. The plants would produce oxygen and recycle carbon dioxide, ultimately creating a kind of ecosystem."
At a later stage, Wamelink also wants to look into the food safety of agricultural crops grown in human-made conditions on the moon in moon soil. The first trial crops will be planted in greenhouses on 2 April.
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'There's just so many songs that are just our everyday lifestyles and conversations,' producer Detail tells MTV News about Human Being II single. By Rob Markman
Acne is a skin problem. It affects almost all teenagers (except a few lucky ones if there are any). The skin condition is a result of hormone action on oil glands of skin; also known as sebaceous glands. The sebaceous glands are responsible for producing an oily substance known as sebum. It surfaces on the skin through the pore (small opening). The combination of cells and oil facilitates bacteria to thrive in the follicle openings. This tends to clog the pores and promotes development of pimples (acne).
Teen Acne or Pimples Category:
Comedones
These are non-inflammatory papules and usually referred to as blackheads (open papules) or whiteheads (closed papules).
Pustules
These are also inflamed lesions and usually filled with pus. Sometimes, these may appear red at the base.
Papules
These are actually inflamed lesions and tender to the touch. These may appear as very small, pink bumps on the skin.
Cysts
These are a little dangerous version of teen acne as they usually result in pus-filled lesions. Since they stay deep under the skin, the patient may suffer from scarring of skin and pain.
Nodules
These are solid lesions. The appearance is similar to that of a large, painful lesion. These are deep rooted within skin.
The Most Vulnerable Areas for Teen Acne
Usually, teen acne attacks the face. But sometimes, other areas of the body such as back, neck, chest, and shoulders are also affected.
Health Risks of Teen Acne
Acne does not produce any serious health risks to teenagers.
So what are the risks?
Severe acne can usually result in permanent scarring. Since the skin appears blemished, flushed, scarred, and filled with pus or reddened pimples, the patient may suffer from significant physical and psychological consequences. Most teenagers having acne suffer from a poor self-image, anxiety, and social inhibition.
Why Do Some Teenagers Don?t Get Acne???!!!
It is not clear why some are lucky to stay away from acne. There are some teenagers who don?t suffer from severe acne while others tend to develop scars, blemishes, pus filled cysts. The exact cause of acne is not known. However, androgens (male sex hormones) are usually responsible for this problem. These hormones experience a significant rise in both boys and girls during puberty.
Androgens enlarge sebaceous glands and produce more sebum. The hormones can even increase because of hormonal changes associated with pregnancy. Sometimes abrupt starting or stopping birth control pills can also trigger these changes. Genetics may also cause acne. The tendency may be inherited from parents.
You may also interested in:
Tags: acne home remedies, acne marks, acne pimples, acne remedies, causes of pimples, cure pimples, get rid of acne, home remedies for acne, home remedy for pimples, how to control acne, how to remove acne, natural acne treatment, pimples cure, pimples skin care, remedies for acne, types of acne
That?s why I chose to represent small business owners exclusively. Because I get jazzed talking to entrepreneurs. Because I adore talking about the issues and practicalities and triumphs and failures these small businesses encounter every single day.
I learn more about business from my clients than I ever could from a CLE class on business law. And there is?plenty to learn. I?m getting a street-level MBA!
It?s a Numbers Game
My clients taught me that running the back office is just as important ? if not more important ? than being good at the job. You can always hire another technician to do the work product and provide service to customers, but someone has to take responsibility for operations behind the scenes. Payroll. HR. Accounting. Billing. Business planning. Marketing. Those are the underpinnings of a successful business. Any successful business. Yes, you can hire someone who can handle the bookkeeping and accounting and even the marketing, but ultimately you are?responsible for the numbers.
I have a client that can quote to me, on an hourly basis, his restaurant?s cash flow. Money in and money out is the key to survival in any business, but particularly in a business like a restaurant. Or a law firm.
Partner Wisely
Those who have been following this blog for a while know that I started out in Big Law, moved into a two-person business partnership, then went solo. I learned from that partnership in the middle of my career that a good friendship (I adore my former business partner) does not always translate into a good business partnership (we nearly killed each other). So basically, all that taught me was what not to do.
My clients taught me how to pick my partners. No, I have not joined with another firm ? I?m still solo. I mean ?partnership? in the loosest, least-legal sense of the word. My clients taught me that my ?partners? include everyone who is involved in running my business. My assistant. My Of Counsel. My bookkeeper. My accountant. My IT guy. My answering service. They all?have an impact on?how well I am able to serve my clients.?My clients have taught me not to ?partner? with anyone without a contract (duh!), and not to partner with someone who isn?t on the same page as me.
Don?t Wear Too Many Hats
My clients taught me that every business needs three people in management: a Visionary ? the person with the ideas for making the business better; an Operations Manager ? the person with the ability to keep things running day-to-day; and a Numbers Guy ? the person who knows what the bottom line is and can manage to that. You can be any or all three of those people at different times. Note that none of those three is a Lawyer ? the person that cranks out work product for the client. These are the different roles of the business manager(s).
They also taught me that you have to know your strengths. You probably are not as capable at one or more of the managerial roles to wear all of the business manager?s hats. If you lack the knowledge, skill or desire to manage all aspects of your business, educate yourself or hire people who can fill those roles and let them manage you.?I watched many small businesses fail because the owners insisted on absolute control, even when they knew they were not good at one of these fundamental roles. I watched many small businesses succeed because the owners were smart enough to get help when it was needed.
At Big Law, the firm?s managing partner was a helluva Visionary and a decent Numbers Guy, but he was not terribly good at Operations. He needed a firm administrator to keep things running. Today, I know that I am a good Visionary and Operations Manager, but not enough of a Numbers Guy, so I have a bookkeeper and an accountant to keep me straight (see above re: being responsible for the numbers).
You Are Your Brand
I do trademark transactions all the time, so I thought I knew everything about the subject. Hah! I had much to learn.
For example, my clients taught me that the ?goodwill? that lawyers always talk about being invested in a trademark or brand?comes from within your business. It?s corporate culture that dictates when and how calls get returned, the level of service clients can expect and what price they will pay for your services. It?s the way you and your employees represent your firm to your clients and potential clients. It?s the way you appear to the court. It?s the way you appear to opposing counsel. It?s if and how you advertise your firm. Those things form the consumer perception of your business. In short, as a solo attorney you are your brand. How people see?you is how they see your business.
One client that stands out is a local wellness center that is involved in every networking group and chamber of commerce in town. The owners are great guys: fun, laid back, friendly. But when they are out representing their business at a networking function, they come across as caring and warm but passionate about their business and always 100% professional. Make that 110%. I pray to come across that well?someday?.
Don?t Expect the Competition to Give You Business
I used to spend a?lot of time at lawyer-only functions. But my clients taught me that networking with potential clients and referral sources outside of the legal industry are a better way to build my practice. A wedding planner gets her business referrals from florists and photographers, not other wedding and event planners.
So don?t expect to get business law referrals from the members of the business law section of your local bar association. Of course, that doesn?t mean you shouldn?t GO to the?business law section meetings ? just don?t expect to build a referral base there.?I focus instead on networking with other business-to-business service providers, like CPAs, insurance agents, marketing agencies, financial planners, etc. And when I do hang out with other lawyers, I work to create a broad network of peers: I get a number of referrals from friends who practice family law, estate planning, and employment law.
Don?t ever forget that a solo practice attorney is an entrepreneur first. You are no different from any other small business owner in most respects. You are just selling a different product.
All opinions, advice, and experiences of guest bloggers/columnists are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, practices or experiences of Solo Practice University?.
About the Author
A self-described serial entrepreneur, attorney Suzanne Meehle loves being a solo practitioner. Her passion is helping small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs. Suzanne has been honored most recently with an AV Preeminent peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell,reflecting her commitment to excellence as an attorney and to ethics in the profession. Website | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
An update to the Google Translate app for Android is going out today, adding support for offline translations for fifty languages. It's a big upgrade for Google Translate, which until now has required an internet connection. (We all know how expensive international roaming can be.)
The new version supports Android 2.3 Gingerbread and above, and languages can be downloaded from the new "Offline languages" menu. A word of warning -- downloading an entire language to your phone takes as just much space as you'd imagine -- with only English and German installed, we'd already taken up 280MB of internal storage.
There are also some limitations to offline mode -- it's currently text-only, so voice translation and image translation doesn't work offline.
If you've already got Google Translate installed, hit the Play Store to get the latest update. If not, you can use the handy Google Play link above.
ROME (Reuters) - Italy's top court on Tuesday ordered a retrial of American Amanda Knox and former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher, re-opening a case that prompted harsh criticism of the Italian justice system.
Kercher's half-naked body, with more than 40 wounds and a deep gash in the throat, was found in the apartment she shared with Knox in Perugia in 2007.
Prosecutors accused Knox and Italian Sollecito of killing the 21-year-old Leeds University student during a drug-fueled sexual assault that got out of hand.
The two, who always protested their innocence, were initially found guilty in 2009 and sentenced to 26 and 25 years in prison respectively after a trial that grabbed headlines around the world.
In 2011, their convictions were quashed after forensic experts challenged evidence in the original trial, prompting accusations of a botched police investigation and leaving many aspects of the killing unexplained.
They were released after four years in prison and Knox returned to her family home near Seattle immediately afterwards.
On Tuesday, the Court of Cassation overturned the acquittal and accepted a request for a retrial from prosecutors and Kercher family lawyers who had criticized the earlier ruling as "contradictory and illogical".
Unlike law in the United States and some other countries, the Italian system does not contain so-called "double jeopardy" provisions that prevent a defendant being tried twice for the same offense.
The court has not yet provided a full reasoning of its decision and a date has not yet been set for the new trial, which will be held in Florence.
However it was immediately welcomed by the Kercher family lawyer Francesco Maresca who said it would provide an opportunity to find out what happened to Meredith.
"This is an important day for the Italian justice system," he said outside the court, criticizing the earlier judgment acquitting Knox and Sollecito as "extremely superficial".
"I've spoken to the family and Stephanie, her sister, is very happy, she's trying to understand what happens now," he said.
It is unclear if Knox, now 25, intends to return to Italy for the trial but in a statement issued through representatives, she said the decision was "painful". The prosecution had repeatedly been revealed as "unfounded and unfair," she said.
FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2008 file photo, American murder suspect Amanda Knox , center, is escorted by Italian penitentiary police officers to Perugia's court at the end of a hearing, central Italy. ... more? FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2008 file photo, American murder suspect Amanda Knox , center, is escorted by Italian penitentiary police officers to Perugia's court at the end of a hearing, central Italy. On Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 Rudy Hermann Guede, of the Ivory Coast, appealing his conviction for murdering British student Meredith Kercher in Italy, testified Wednesday that he heard the victim arguing with American defendant, Amanda Knox, in the case minutes before she was slain. Guede's appeals process began Wednesday even as the initial trial implicating American student Amanda Knox, of Seattle, and Knox's ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, continued. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, files) less? ?
Knox, dubbed "Foxy Knoxy" in many early media reports, was initially portrayed as a sex-obsessed "she devil" by prosecutors but a lobbying campaign by her family helped change perceptions and she is due to publish a book of memoirs in April.
"She was very sad, she thought that this nightmare was over," Carlo della Vedova, one of her legal team told reporters after speaking to Knox. "At the same time she is ready, we went through all this before, we are strong enough and strong enough to fight again."
BATTLE
Tuesday's ruling by the Court of Cassation examined whether there were procedural irregularities which gave grounds for a retrial, rather than assessing the details of the case, which remain obscure in many particulars.
Kercher, from Coulsdon in Surrey, was on a year-long exchange program in Perugia when she was murdered, bringing a flood of unwelcome attention to the medieval town in central Italy that her family said she loved.
Much of the attention of the case was focused on the carefree image of foreign students enjoying a year abroad in Italy as well as on lurid stories of sex and heavy partying.
Prosecutors had said that Kercher resisted attempts by Knox, Sollecito and a third man, Ivorian Rudy Guede, to involve her in an orgy in the apartment the two women shared in the town.
However their case was weakened by forensic experts who undermined the credibility of DNA evidence provided by police and made strong criticisms of their first response procedures at the scene of the killing.
Guede, found guilty and sentenced to 16 years in a separate trial, is now the only person serving time for the murder, although prosecutors say he could not have killed Kercher by himself.
"We are convinced there were more people in that room than Rudy Guede," Maresca said. "We are asking the judges to tell us something on this point, as long as their decision is well-grounded and thorough, not like the appeals court which was absolutely superficial."
The defence argued that no clear motive or evidence linking the defendants to the crime had emerged, and said Knox was falsely implicated in the murder by prosecutors determined to convict her regardless of the evidence.
Giulia Bongiorno, a lawyer for 29-year-old Sollecito, said the decision was not a guilty verdict for her client but just meant the court wanted a more in-depth examination of some aspects of the case.
"Unfortunately we have to continue the battle," she told reporters. "This is a sentence that says, with regards to the acquittal, that something more is needed," she said.
(Additional reporting by James Mackenzie and Gavin Jones; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
PASSAIC, N.J. (AP) ? One mystery was solved Monday in the $338.3 Powerball jackpot drawing ? the location in New Jersey where the winning ticket was sold. But a bigger mystery remained: Who bought it?
New Jersey lottery officials announced a liquor store in the city of Passaic, 15 miles northwest of New York City, had sold the ticket but said they hadn't heard from the winner ? who has a year to step forward and claim the prize.
Eagle Liquors owner Sunil Sethi said "a couple of people are telling us they got it, but nobody has confirmed it yet."
Liquor store employee Pravin Mankodia, 67, who has worked at Eagle for seven years, sold the ticket. "It feels awesome, we feel so lucky," he said.
The store will get $10,000. The owner said he'll probably use some of the money to fix up the store and also share some with employees.
As word spread that Eagle had sold the ticket, some patrons continued to dream about what could have been.
James Brown, 56, of Passaic, who described himself as a scrap man, as in scrap metal, said he would have returned to his home state if he had scored the big jackpot.
"I like it here, but I'd be back in South Carolina by now if I had won. I would like to go back home and retire," he said.
Brown buys lottery tickets twice a day and said he will keep doing so.
He then sought out Mankodia.
"Maybe he'll shake my hand and give me some luck, too," he said.
Other patrons were excited that someone from the area had apparently won the big jackpot.
"It's about time someone from Passaic wins something," said Gloria Brinson of Paterson, who buys lottery tickets at the store each week. "But now the question is what are they going to do with the money? Are they going to help the community? I hope so."
The winner will owe 25 percent of the jackpot in federal taxes and 3 percent in state taxes, which amounts to about $59 million, according to state lottery officials. The cash value of the jackpot after taxes is about $152 million, if the winner chooses a lump-sum payment of $221 million over an annuity.
State lottery director Carole Hedinger said it's not usual for big winners to wait a few days or longer to claim the prize while they seek professional advice.
Lottery officials said it was the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball history. The numbers drawn Saturday were 17, 29, 31, 52, 53 and Powerball 31.
No one had won the Powerball jackpot since early February, when Dave Honeywell in Virginia bought the winning ticket and elected a cash lump sum for his $217 million jackpot.
The largest Powerball jackpot ever came in at $587.5 million in November. The winning numbers were picked on two different tickets ? one by a couple in Missouri and the other by an Arizona man ? and the jackpot was split.
Nebraska still holds the record for the largest Powerball jackpot won on a single ticket ? $365 million ? by eight workers at a Lincoln meatpacking plant in February 2006.
Powerball is played in 42 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The chance of matching all five numbers and the Powerball number is about 1 in 175 million.
___
Associated Press writer Angela Delli Santi contributed to this report from Lawrenceville, N.J.
Remember when T-Mobile announced that it would begin carrying Apple products sometime this year? It looks like today's the day we finally get more information. As we've been expecting, the fourth-largest carrier is now ready to officially offer the iPhone after years of inviting customers to bring an unlocked model onto its network. The iPhone 5 will be available in retail stores and online starting April 12th, but you'll be able to pre-order one beginning April 5th. Additionally, the iPhone 4S and 4 will be coming to "select markets," though we haven't seen details on which markets or when they'll be offered.
What about pricing? You can grab the iPhone 5 for $100 down and pay the rest in $20 monthly installments for the next two years; the 4S will be $70 down (with the same $20 installments) and the 4 will be $15 down with $15 monthly payments. No doubt, this move will make its forthcoming LTE launch even more enticing, but that's not all: T-Mobile CEO John Legere stated on stage that his company's version of the iPhone 5 will support AWS HSPA+ in addition to LTE. HD Voice is also offered on this particular model.
We also learned that despite the network's use of the "UnCarrier" brand, its version of the iPhone 5 will be locked to T-Mobile until the phone is completely paid off.
Stay updated on T-Mobile's announcements with our liveblog!
When planning a custom home, plans to entertain your whole family at times like Easter can make a big impact on the design and layout of your home.?Easter is just around the corner and you?ve probably got a load of folks visiting for the holiday. Do you have room for them all?
Right-sizing your home is important for energy efficiency but if you have family members visit regularly, a larger home might be worthwhile.
Couples who are building retirements homes often face the question of just how big their house should be. On the one hand, with only two people using the house regularly, it makes sense to have a ?small house with space primarily dedicated to entertaining guests at parties. The Benton floor plan, with two bedrooms, a large living room and a separate dining room is perfect for this type of more formal entertaining. With an extra bedroom that can double as a sitting room and a guest bedroom for the occasional overnight guest, the home is perfect for small-space living and entertaining.
If you find you need more room for more regular overnight visitors, the Aspen Loft 44?is a good option because there?s extra space in the loft that can be comfortable sleeping space when visitors stay the night. It?s perfect for teenage or adult grandchildren who need a space of their own while their parents occupy the second bedroom. The Aspen also has an open floor plan in the front room that allows for a relaxed approach to family gatherings. Add in an optional island bar and family members can enjoy your company in the kitchen while you make Easter dinner together. The porch adds even more room for breakfast outside or outdoor sleeping on warm summer nights. If you need even more space for an extra large family, the Aspen Loft 60 adds another bedroom and other amenities while still keeping the open floor plan.
All of these options are perfect for the occasional family visit at the holidays and the variety of floor plans can suit anyone?s entertaining style. If you find that everyone tends to gather in the kitchen, an open floor plan with room for overnight guests is perfect. But if your family lives close to the lot where you?ll be building and will rarely spend the night, a smaller home can help you save money while still providing space for family dinners. Whether your family is 2 or 20, we can build the perfect home for your needs.
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Reversing blood and freshening it upPublic release date: 25-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Martin Wahlestedt Martin.Wahlestedt@med.lu.se 46-462-220-313 Lund University
The blood of young and old people differs. In an article published recently in the scientific journal Blood, a research group at Lund University in Sweden explain how they have succeeded in rejuvenating the blood of mice by reversing, or re-programming, the stem cells that produce blood.
Stem cells form the origin of all the cells in the body and can divide an unlimited number of times. When stem cells divide, one cell remains a stem cell and the other matures into the type of cell needed by the body, for example a blood cell.*
"Our ageing process is a consequence of changes in our stem cells over time", explained Martin Wahlestedt, a doctoral student in stem cell biology at the Faculty of Medicine at Lund University, and principal author of the article.
"Some of the changes are irreversible, for example damage to the stem cells' DNA, and some could be gradual changes, known as epigenetic changes, that are not necessarily irreversible, even if they are maintained through multiple cell divisions. When the stem cells are re-programmed, as we have done, the epigenetic changes are cancelled."**
The discovery that forms the basis for the research group's method was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine last year.
The composition of blood is one example of how it ages; blood from a young person contains a certain mix of B- and T-lymphocytes and myeloid cells.***
"In older people, the number of B- and T-lymphocytes falls, while the number of myeloid cells increases", said Martin Wahlestedt.
When an elderly person is affected by leukaemia, the cancer often has its origin in the myeloid cells, of which the elderly have more. Being able to 're-start' the blood, as Martin and his colleagues have done in their studies on mice, therefore presents interesting possibilities for future treatment.
"There is a lot of focus on how stem cells could be used in different treatments, but all that they are routinely used for in clinical work today is bone marrow transplants for diseases where the blood and immune systems have to be regenerated", said Martin Wahlestedt, continuing:
"A critical factor that gives an indication of whether the procedure is going to work or not is the age of the bone marrow donor. By reversing the development of the stem cells in the bone marrow, it may be possible to avoid negative age-related changes."
Even if the composition of the blood in old and young mice is remarkably like that in young and elderly people, Martin Wahlestedt stressed that the science is still only at the stage of basic research, far from a functioning treatment. The research group is pleased with the results, because they indicate that it may not primarily be damage to DNA that causes blood to age, but rather the reversible epigenetic changes.
###
Publication
'An epigenetic component of hematopoietic stem cell aging amenable to reprogramming into a young state'
Blood. 2013 Mar 8.
Wahlestedt M, Norddahl GL, Sten G, Ugale A, Micha Frisk MA, Mattsson R, Deierborg T, Sigvardsson M, Bryder D.
Link to Blood: http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/content/early/2013/03/08/blood-2012-11-469080.abstract?sid=43720289-eae7-402a-9ff6-c926fffb5337
For more information, please contact: Martin Wahlestedt, doctoral student, tel: +46 46 222 03 13, Martin.Wahlestedt[at] med [dot] lu [dot] se; or David Bryder, Associate Professor and research group leader, David.Bryder@med.lu.se.
*About stem cells:
There are different types of stem cells. Embryonic stem cells, which can be extracted from an embryo at an early stage, have the capacity to develop into all types of cell. Stem cells are also found in adults, where they have more limited development potential, but can divide in principle an unlimited number of times. For example, blood cell-forming stem cells in bone marrow create all types of blood cell and stem cells in the brain create many different types of brain cell.
**About epigenetics:
Epigenetics is a term that has historically been used to describe the aspects of genetics that cannot be explained by the composition of an individual's DNA alone. For tissue and organs to form, a number of different types of cell must be developed. This happens through the activation and de-activation of different genes. When a cell formed in this manner then divides again, the gene expression can be maintained in the daughter cells. This is referred to as 'epigenetic inheritance'. The epigenetic mechanisms, or which genes are activated or de-activated, can be affected by factors such as age, chemicals, drugs and diet.
*** About the composition of blood:
B- and T-lymphocytes and myeloid cells are all white blood cells. Lymphocytes, as the name suggests, are particularly common in the lymphatic system. T-lymphocytes patrol the body and recognise a specific bacteria or virus. B-lymphocytes 'remember' old infections and can quickly be activated again if required. This memory capacity is the mechanism behind immunity. The myeloid cells belong to the blood system's 'big eaters' they neutralise damaged tissue, dead cells, and to a certain extent also bacteria.
[ | 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.
Reversing blood and freshening it upPublic release date: 25-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Martin Wahlestedt Martin.Wahlestedt@med.lu.se 46-462-220-313 Lund University
The blood of young and old people differs. In an article published recently in the scientific journal Blood, a research group at Lund University in Sweden explain how they have succeeded in rejuvenating the blood of mice by reversing, or re-programming, the stem cells that produce blood.
Stem cells form the origin of all the cells in the body and can divide an unlimited number of times. When stem cells divide, one cell remains a stem cell and the other matures into the type of cell needed by the body, for example a blood cell.*
"Our ageing process is a consequence of changes in our stem cells over time", explained Martin Wahlestedt, a doctoral student in stem cell biology at the Faculty of Medicine at Lund University, and principal author of the article.
"Some of the changes are irreversible, for example damage to the stem cells' DNA, and some could be gradual changes, known as epigenetic changes, that are not necessarily irreversible, even if they are maintained through multiple cell divisions. When the stem cells are re-programmed, as we have done, the epigenetic changes are cancelled."**
The discovery that forms the basis for the research group's method was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine last year.
The composition of blood is one example of how it ages; blood from a young person contains a certain mix of B- and T-lymphocytes and myeloid cells.***
"In older people, the number of B- and T-lymphocytes falls, while the number of myeloid cells increases", said Martin Wahlestedt.
When an elderly person is affected by leukaemia, the cancer often has its origin in the myeloid cells, of which the elderly have more. Being able to 're-start' the blood, as Martin and his colleagues have done in their studies on mice, therefore presents interesting possibilities for future treatment.
"There is a lot of focus on how stem cells could be used in different treatments, but all that they are routinely used for in clinical work today is bone marrow transplants for diseases where the blood and immune systems have to be regenerated", said Martin Wahlestedt, continuing:
"A critical factor that gives an indication of whether the procedure is going to work or not is the age of the bone marrow donor. By reversing the development of the stem cells in the bone marrow, it may be possible to avoid negative age-related changes."
Even if the composition of the blood in old and young mice is remarkably like that in young and elderly people, Martin Wahlestedt stressed that the science is still only at the stage of basic research, far from a functioning treatment. The research group is pleased with the results, because they indicate that it may not primarily be damage to DNA that causes blood to age, but rather the reversible epigenetic changes.
###
Publication
'An epigenetic component of hematopoietic stem cell aging amenable to reprogramming into a young state'
Blood. 2013 Mar 8.
Wahlestedt M, Norddahl GL, Sten G, Ugale A, Micha Frisk MA, Mattsson R, Deierborg T, Sigvardsson M, Bryder D.
Link to Blood: http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/content/early/2013/03/08/blood-2012-11-469080.abstract?sid=43720289-eae7-402a-9ff6-c926fffb5337
For more information, please contact: Martin Wahlestedt, doctoral student, tel: +46 46 222 03 13, Martin.Wahlestedt[at] med [dot] lu [dot] se; or David Bryder, Associate Professor and research group leader, David.Bryder@med.lu.se.
*About stem cells:
There are different types of stem cells. Embryonic stem cells, which can be extracted from an embryo at an early stage, have the capacity to develop into all types of cell. Stem cells are also found in adults, where they have more limited development potential, but can divide in principle an unlimited number of times. For example, blood cell-forming stem cells in bone marrow create all types of blood cell and stem cells in the brain create many different types of brain cell.
**About epigenetics:
Epigenetics is a term that has historically been used to describe the aspects of genetics that cannot be explained by the composition of an individual's DNA alone. For tissue and organs to form, a number of different types of cell must be developed. This happens through the activation and de-activation of different genes. When a cell formed in this manner then divides again, the gene expression can be maintained in the daughter cells. This is referred to as 'epigenetic inheritance'. The epigenetic mechanisms, or which genes are activated or de-activated, can be affected by factors such as age, chemicals, drugs and diet.
*** About the composition of blood:
B- and T-lymphocytes and myeloid cells are all white blood cells. Lymphocytes, as the name suggests, are particularly common in the lymphatic system. T-lymphocytes patrol the body and recognise a specific bacteria or virus. B-lymphocytes 'remember' old infections and can quickly be activated again if required. This memory capacity is the mechanism behind immunity. The myeloid cells belong to the blood system's 'big eaters' they neutralise damaged tissue, dead cells, and to a certain extent also bacteria.
[ | 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.
From left, French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble speak with each other during an emergency eurogroup meeting in Brussels on Sunday, March 24, 2013. The EU says a top official will chair a high-level meeting on Cyprus in a last-ditch effort to seal a deal before finance ministers decide whether the island nation gets a 10 billion euro bailout loan to save it from bankruptcy. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
From left, French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble speak with each other during an emergency eurogroup meeting in Brussels on Sunday, March 24, 2013. The EU says a top official will chair a high-level meeting on Cyprus in a last-ditch effort to seal a deal before finance ministers decide whether the island nation gets a 10 billion euro bailout loan to save it from bankruptcy. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Protesters hold a banner that reads "Hands off Cyprus" during an anti-bailout rally outside European Union house in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Sunday, March 24, 2013. After failing for a week to find a solution to a crisis that could force their country into bankruptcy, Cypriot politicians turned to the European Union on Sunday in a last-ditch effort to help the island nation forge a viable plan to secure an international bailout. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
Students hold placards the ones on the right reads in Greek "we don't sell out "during a parade for Greek independence day celebrations at the southern port city of Limassol, Cyprus,Monday, March 25, 2013. Cyprus secured what its politicians described as a ?painful? solution to avert imminent bankruptcy, agreeing early Monday to slash its oversize banking sector and make large account holders take losses to help pay to secure a last-minute euro10 billion (US$13 billion) bailout. (AP Photo/Pavlos Vrionides)
Protesters chant slogans after the end of a parade for Greek Independence Day celebrations in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Monday, March 25, 2013. Cyprus secured what its politicians described as a ?painful? solution to avert imminent bankruptcy, agreeing early Monday to slash its oversize banking sector and make large account holders take losses to help pay to secure a last-minute euro10 billion (US$13 billion) bailout. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
An elderly woman sells Greek, Cypriot, and EU flags before the start of a parade for Greek Independence Day celebrations in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Monday, March 25, 2013. Cyprus secured what its politicians described as a ?painful? solution to avert imminent bankruptcy, agreeing early Monday to slash its oversize banking sector and make large account holders take losses to help pay to secure a last-minute euro10 billion (US$13 billion) bailout. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? Cyprus' president says the central bank will impose some limits on bank transactions on Tuesday, when most of the country's financial institutions reopen for the first time in over a week.
All banks except the Bank of Cyprus and Laiki are due to reopen on Tuesday morning. President Nicos Anastasiades did not specify what limitations would be imposed on transactions.
He said it was a "very temporary measure, which will gradually be relaxed."
The country's banks have been closed while politicians set up a plan to secure funding for an international bailout, after lawmakers rejected an initial scheme that would have seized up to 10 percent of people's accounts.
A deal securing the bailout was reached early Monday.
Google's Doodles on the Google.com search page don't frequently stir up too much controversy, but today many users are outraged by the search giant's choice in featuring Cesar Chavez, an American farm worker, labor leader and civil rights activist. Of course, today is also Easter, which is one of the most observed and celebrated religious holidays for Christians around the world.
When planning a custom home, plans to entertain your whole family at times like Easter can make a big impact on the design and layout of your home.?Easter is just around the corner and you?ve probably got a load of folks visiting for the holiday. Do you have room for them all?![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 25-Mar-2013
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