RolePlayGateway?

I will provide a list of all Dragon species which exist in the world of Dragon Riders: Rebirth. All those marked with an asterisk are not accessible by any of our player controlled characters. There will be no arguing this decision.

Faerie Dragon - This Dragon is fairly small, standing only about ten feet at the shoulder. They have only a mildly powerful breath attack which is pure energy, but they are fast and can camouflage with nature when in extreme circumstances and danger.
(Link: http://whitneycarter.files.wordpress.co ... dragon.jpg)

Black Dragon - The Black Dragon is another small Dragon with no special properties to speak of. It has an ice breath attack, and is typically a mountain dwelling Dragon.
(Link: http://jennykellerford.files.wordpress. ... dragon.jpg)

* Hurricane Dragon - This mighty beast is enormous, standing over forty feet at the shoulder. It controls the power of the air currents around it to create powerful hurricanes and typhoons at will, but it rarely leaves the sanctity of the Sea.
(Link: http://th00.deviantart.net/fs20/PRE/f/2 ... imlock.jpg ((All credit goes to the artist)))

Cresthal Dragons - These Dragons stand over sixty feet at the shoulder, but have no breath attack. Instead they have powerful magic capabilities which far exceed anything any mortal creature could possibly muster.
(Link: http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/ ... 0-1024.jpg)

* Crawling Dragon - This Dragon stands just over thirty feet at the shoulder and has an incredibly powerful energy based breath attack.
(Link: http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs8/i/2005/2 ... chuang.jpg)

Sunset Dragon - This Dragon spends the majority of its time hiding away in caves until that mysterious time of Twilight. Once the sun begins to set and the sky turns orange, that is feeding time. They stand about fifteen to twenty feet at the shoulder. They have a powerful fire based breath attack.
(Link: http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/ ... 0-1024.jpg)

Fire-Wing Dragon - These Dragons have wings made of fire and have one of the most powerful fire based breath attacks in the Dragon Kingdom. They are exceedingly rare and require a very special individual to control their immense power. They stand at fifty feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4vx9Xrel4Z4/T ... dragon.jpg)

Red Razorback Dragon - This Dragon has a sharp and distinct row of scaly spines along its back connected by thin tissue similar to that in their wings. They have no breath attack, but are immensely strong for their size. They are easily capable of pinning a Dragon twice their weight. They stand about fifteen feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://www.draconika.com/img/red-dragon.jpg)

Green Dragon - These Dragons are about twelve feet at the shoulder and are exceedingly intelligent. They possess a mildly powerful ice based breath attack, and usually dwell within the forested regions.
(Link: http://www.draconika.com/img/green-dragon.jpg)

* Devil Dragon - This Dragon is one of a kind, and has existed beneath the surface of the world in a cave the size of a continent. It has only ever appeared once before in history, but was only driven back by the actions of the Divine Dragon. Should this evil, which stands over one hundred feet at the shoulder, ever rise again, there will not be much hope for the world unless something drastic takes place.
(Link: http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/ ... 24-768.jpg)

* Undead Thunder Dragon - This mighty beast wields powerful lightning magic in place of a breath attack and stands over fifty feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/f/f4/ ... _Shatterer).jpg)

Aquatic Serpent Dragon - This Dragon has scales similar to that of a snake rather than those of a regular Dragon, and is often mistaken as a large snake because of it. It stands only about seven feet at the shoulder, and dwells near streams and rivers in forested regions.
(Link: http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/ ... 0-1600.jpg)

Proto Dragon - Due to its primitive appearance and behavior, it is written off as a rather dumb species of Dragon which could not be further from the truth. They are very intelligent and use a powerful fire based breath attack at close range once they've lured opponents in close. They stand about twenty five feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://fantasticanimals.files.wordpress ... imlock.jpg)

Ancient Dragon - These Dragons have LONG life spans, even for Dragons. sometimes living in excess of fifty thousand years, these Dragons live up to their names. They have access to both fire and ice based attacks, and are very intelligent. They stand between the heights of about fifteen to thirty feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NN1qBUwF4fc/U ... dragon.jpg)

Dark Horned Dragon - This Dragon has forward facing horns on the side of its head and has a fire based breath attack. It is usually found living in abandoned ruins and protects its nesting grounds with such violence and vigor that even Dragon Riders have been loathe to attack it.
(Link: http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/ ... 80-800.jpg)

Blizzard Dragon - This Dragon stands about thirty feet at the shoulder and thrives in frigid environments. It has a strong ice based breath attack.
(Link: http://it.my-walls.net/wp-content/uploa ... agon-3.jpg)

Great Horned Dragon - This Dragon lacks arms and instead stands upright on two hind legs. It stands about twenty five feet at the shoulder and lives in desert areas.
(Link: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k3IsonHvfYE/T ... -19559.jpg)

* Vampire Dragon - Vampire Dragons feed on other Dragons, but unlike the mythical Vampires for which they are named, they kill their prey outright. By flying at high altitudes and dive bombing on their victims by biting their neck to quickly snap it and kill it.
(Link: http://art.ngfiles.com/images/14/o-eter ... dragon.jpg)

Red Temple Dragon - These Dragons live in ancient temples and ruins and horde gold and jewels as their bedding and will protect it at all costs. They stand about thirty five feet at the shoulder without a breath attack.
(Link: http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/ ... 00-500.jpg)

The Frilled Dragon - This Dragon has no special abilities to speak of and stands about twelve feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://www.draconika.com/types/images/silver-dragon.jpg)

Ocean Lord Dragon - This Dragon is serpentine in appearance but is well over one hundred and fifty feet long with a powerful air based breath attack and a certain level of control over the air currents within its general vicinity to cause miniature storms in a controlled space.
(Link: http://www.smashingapps.com/wp-content/ ... gon_13.jpg)

* Maximus Dragon - This Dragon is absolutely massive. It stands over two hundred feet tall just at its shoulder, and is the size of a small mountain. It has an air based breath attack, and they have a mild control over Earth based magic.
(Link: http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2 ... _large.jpg)

White Dragon - This Dragon stands about ten feet at the shoulder and lives in frigid environments. It has an air based breath attack.
(Link: http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/ ... 00-302.jpg)

Griffin Dragon - This Dragon has forward facing horns and appears similar to the mythical Griffin creature. It has no breath attack, but flies at faster speeds than any other Dragon species.
(Link: http://conniejjasperson.files.wordpress ... -abyss.jpg)

Cliff Dragon - This small Dragon lives at the base of mountains. It has a control of Earth based magic, but no breath attack.
(Link: http://downloads.khinsider.com/wallpape ... -wzdqa.jpg)

Spike Dragon - This Dragon has more spikes covering its body than any other species, and stands upright on two legs. It stands about forty feet at the shoulder and has no breath attack.
(Link: http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/ ... 88-868.jpg)

Whispering Dragon - This Dragon stands about twelve to fifteen feet at the shoulder and has an air based breath attack. They have very strong telepathic capabilities.
(Link: http://www.draconika.com/types/images/bronze-dragon.jpg)

Ice Devil - This Dragon lives in and underneath large ice structures and mountains. It has a frigid breath attack which is colder than any other Dragon species. They stand about forty feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://paizo.com/image/content/Pathfind ... Wooten.jpg)

Clubtail Dragon - This Dragon has a club on the end of its tail and stands only eight to ten feet at the shoulder. They have no breath attack.
(Link: http://paizo.com/image/content/Pathfind ... Wooten.jpg)

Black Dragon - This Dragon has a powerful ice based breath attack, and stand about twenty five feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://holdragons.webs.com/black-dragon.jpg)

Emerald Dragon - This Dragon has powerful magical capabilities which surpass most other Dragons. They have a powerful fire based breath attack and stand about fifteen to twenty feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://www.celestialheavens.com/images/ ... Dragon.jpg)

Aged Dragon - These ancient Dragons are wise beyond the scope of any and all mortal kind. They have a powerful ice based breath attack and stand about twenty feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos ... 40-440.jpg)

Bladed Dragon - These Dragons have no breath attack, but their bodies are so sharp that they can cut through other Dragon's scales with ease. They are also incredibly fast, but not as fast as the Griffin Dragon. They stand about thirty feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AMGCdcTEUec/T ... Dragon.jpg)

Gargoyle Dragon - This Dragon stands about forty feet at the shoulder and is one of the strongest Dragons in existence. It stands about forty five feet at the shoulder and has powerful Earth based magic attacks.
(Link: http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs15/f/2007/ ... imlock.jpg)

* Fire Dragon - This Dragon is born of fire and can literally control its body as a controlled flame. It has no breath attack because it is a living flame and uses its entire body as its own attack. It shifts sizes and forms in accordance with the circumstances it finds itself in.
(Link: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9 ... 2y4c5VByEQ)

Thunder Dragon - This Dragon controls the element of lightning, and stands about thirty five feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://www.tabletwallpapers.org/inc/wal ... 4x1024.png)

Celestial Dragon - This Dragon's body has translucent scales which it can manipulate at will and even use images of what is above it to make itself disappear from view down below. It usually travels only at night when it's easier to remain undetected, and it stands about twenty five feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://www.iwallscreen.com/stock/blue-d ... dragon.jpg)

Ascendant Dragon - This Dragon lives on mountain peaks and nowhere else. It stands over forty feet at the shoulder and has a powerful ice based attack.
(Link: http://www.dragonwallpapers.in/bulkuplo ... lpaper.jpg)

Ebon Dragon - This Dragon has a limited control over the dead and can call upon long dead Dragons to fight for and protect it. It has no breath attack of its own and its scales are fairly thin compared to most other Dragons which leaves it vulnerable to attacks. It stands about thirty feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/ ... gon300.jpg)

Dark Horse Dragon - Because of its resemblance to horses in facial construction, it is used as a transportation mule by many cultures. It's peaceful and has no breath attack, and stands about fifteen feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://www.wallpaper4me.com/images/wall ... on_w1.jpeg)

Jeweled Dragon - This Dragon has been hunted nearly to extinction for its scales and jewel like extensions. It stands about forty five to fifty feet at the shoulder, but has not been seen in several thousand years.
(Link: http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/ ... 0-1114.jpg)

Sapphire Dragon - These Dragons have entirely blue bodies which flash and shine like real gems in direct sunlight. They have a powerful ice based breath attack and can control water magic quite well. They stand about thirty feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/ ... 0-1050.jpg)

Monarch Dragon - This regal Dragon is beautiful and deadly. Its spines are poisonous and their claws are the sharpest in the Dragon Kingdom next to the Bladed Dragon. They stand about forty feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://photos.imageevent.com/afap/wallp ... ansazz.jpg)

White Mountain Dragon - This Dragon stands about thirty feet at the shoulder and lives peacefully in the mountains. It has no breath attack.
(Link: http://beyondheroes2.zxq.net/white_dragon.jpg)

* Phoenix Dragon - This Dragon is spoken of only in legends passed down by the Dragons themselves. Supposedly this Dragon can transform its body into pure flame which burns as hot as the sun. It stands about seventy to eighty feet at the shoulder, and has the most powerful telepathic ability in the Dragon Kingdom.
(Link: http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos ... 80-960.jpg)

Ridgeback Dragon - This robust Dragon is about twenty five feet at the shoulder and is rugged and tough. It can take a licking and keep on kicking, but has no breath attack of its own to speak of. It's a pack Dragon.
(Link: http://art-of-fantasy.org/uploads_big/W ... yit-23.jpg)

Leviathan Dragon - This Dragon is massive and controls the seas and the air with ease to create the most powerful storms the world has ever seen. It lives primarily in the ocean, and stands over sixty five to seventy feet at the shoulder.
(Link: http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/ ... mbeyit.jpg)

Mountain Crown Dragon - This Dragon makes its home of the mountains themselves and stands over one hundred feet at the shoulder when fully grown. It has no breath attack because it does not need it.
(Link: http://www.tofuhaus.com/images/2013/01/ ... nclubs.jpg)

*More possibly to come*

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/RolePlayGateway

r kelly r. kelly macular degeneration whitney houston funeral judi dench bobby brown leaves funeral donnie mcclurkin

Dental Patients Positive for Hepatitis, HIV

At least 60 people have tested positive for hepatitis or HIV after visiting an Oklahoma dentist slammed by the state dental board for poor sterilization practices, the Tulsa Health Department said today.

Dr. W. Scott Harrington allegedly re-used needles, a practice that can contaminate ostensibly sterile drugs with dangerous diseases. He is also accused of using rusty equipment that was not properly cleaned.

More than 7,000 patients from Harrington's Tulsa and Owasso clinics were sent letters in late March outlining the risk of infection and steps to obtain free blood testing. Of 3,122 patients tested by county health departments so far, 57 tested positive for hepatitis C, three tested positive for hepatitis B, and at least one tested positive for HIV.

"We understand these first reported test results may be of concern," Tulsa Health Department Director Dr. Bruce Dart said in a statement.

ABC/KOCO,Oklahoma Board of Dentistry

Dentist Allegedly Exposed Patients to HIV, Hepatitis Watch Video Thousands of Oklahoma Dental Patients Possibly Infected With HIV, Hepatitis Watch Video Baby Born With HIV 'Functionally Cured,' Doctors Say Watch Video

The Tulsa and Oklahoma health departments are in the process of notifying patients of the results. Patients who tested positive will be personally contacted, counseled about the disease and directed to resources for care, the agencies said in a statement. Testing may also be recommended for their spouses or partners.

"This is a complex investigation," state epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley said in a statement, stressing that the source of the infections is still under investigation. "The next phase will include more in-depth interviews of persons who test positive to determine the likelihood that their exposure is associated with their dental surgical procedure at the Harrington practice. We will certainly continue to keep the public informed as we learn more."

A surprise inspection of Harrington's practice March 18, prompted by a patient's positive test for HIV and hepatitis C, revealed the use of old needles and rusty instruments, as well the practice of pouring bleach on patients' wounds until they "turned white," according to a complaint filed by the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry.

"The basic things that everyone knows -- follow CDC guidelines, use clean syringes, don't reuse multi-dose vials in multiple patients, don't use rusted equipment -- those are things even non-physicians know," board president Susan Rogers told ABC News at the time. "Those are basic things. That part makes it egregious."

Instruments used for patients who were known to carry an infectious disease were given an extra dip in bleach on top of normal cleaning methods, according to the complaint. But the tools had red-brown rust spots, indicating that they were "porous and cannot be properly sterilized."

Harrington, who has been practicing for more than 30 years, voluntarily surrendered his state dental license and could face criminal charges. A formal hearing before the state dentistry board is scheduled for April 19.

The Tulsa Health Department has set up a hotline at (918) 595-4500 for people with questions.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/60-oklahoma-dental-patients-test-positive-hepatitis-hiv/story?id=18991527

Jim Nabors The Americans bank of america online banking Adairsville Ga ashley judd Alois Bell Donna Savattere

Man Arrested By FBI For In-Flight Fondling of Sleeping Female Passenger

Source:

nba all star weekend malin akerman jeff carter chomp national enquirer kate gosselin helicopter crash

Small Business News Stories in Perspective - Week of April 12

Here is a recap of key stories and developments this week in small business news ? in case you missed them.

Much of the small business news involves economic and policy issues. ?Big picture issues like Saturday mail delivery not going away after all, the Federal budget, and the use (or misuse) of taxpayer funds were the biggest headlines.

The news in social media, commerce and online marketing was relatively light this week. LinkedIn introduced streamlined search, and the world is still digesting the news about Facebook Home.

More detail is below, as the Small Business Trends Editorial Team puts it all in perspective:

Small Business Operations

Economy, Taxes and Lending

• Banks used public funds to repay bailout debt, not make small business loans - To the cynical this will be no surprise. ?More than half of a government fund designed to increase small business lending was actually used by banks to repay earlier bailout debt. So says a Special Inspector General report.
• California is no longer a friendly place for small business -?A Federal court reversed a tax break meant to encourage entrepreneurship in the state.?California is now retroactively billing small business owners and investors to recoup $120 million. Unhappiness and outrage ensues.
• President Obama offers a budget, but Ryan?s is better for small businesses?-?So says Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at Case Western Reserve University, Scott Shane. ?You may agree or not. ?Just read the piece first before taking sides.
• Green energy startup at risk: Fisker lays off staff, considers bankruptcy - Investment in entrepreneurship is generally good. But in this case it likely will cost taxpayers $200 million ? with little to show for it.
• When small business lending goes down, so do exports ??Less money, less exporting. Yes, there is a connection, concludes?a research report issued through the SBA Office of Advocacy.
• Crowdfunding is expected to double in 2013 - Bank financing isn?t the only option for small business owners. ?Consider getting smaller dollars from many sources, i.e., ?crowdfunding.?
• Has the Great Recession permanently put a damper on the American consumer? - Now for the ?Debbie Downer? news of the week ?. One study suggests consumers have become more pessimistic ? permanently. ?Let?s hope the study?s wrong.
• 10 small business tax deductions not to ignore - If you?re working at the last minute on your taxes, the SBA reminds us of 10 tax deductions.

Social Media

Technology, Commerce and Online ?Marketing

About Shawn Hessinger

Shawn is a journalist and social media networker with more than a decade of experience in the traditional newspaper business before moving to the digital world. He was the former community manager of BizSugar and the former community editor at AllAnalytics, a site dedicated to professionals in the business intelligence and analytics community.

?

Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2013/04/small-business-news-april-12.html

brandon knight daylight savings time The Bachelor 2013 Time earthquake today earthquake today mothers day

Ex-SEC chief Schapiro to join private consultancy firm

(Reuters) - Former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman Mary Schapiro will join a private consulting firm as a managing director following a tumultuous four years rehabilitating the agency's battered reputation.

Consulting firm Promontory Financial Group LLC spokeswoman Debra Cope on Tuesday confirmed an earlier report by the Wall Street Journal.

Schapiro stepped down as SEC chairman in December.

When Schapiro took over in 2009, the agency was under fire for regulatory blindspots that critics said helped to fuel the financial crisis. It was also lambasted for failing to catch now-convicted Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff, whose fraud cost investors an estimated $65 billion.

In addition to shoring up the agency's name, Schapiro had to fight numerous other fires - from the 2010 "flash crash" that sent the Dow Jones industrial average tumbling 700 points within minutes to high-profile court losses.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Schapiro said she wouldn't go back to government. "After spending 28 of the last 32 years as a regulator, now was the right time to do something different," she said. (http://link.reuters.com/tuq96t)

Promontory is a strategy, risk management, regulatory, and compliance consulting firm founded in 2001 by Eugene Ludwig, who served as U.S. Comptroller of the Currency under President Clinton.

(Reporting by Mridhula Raghavan in Bangalore; Editing by Mark Potter)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-sec-chief-schapiro-join-private-consultancy-firm-074125691--sector.html

ncaa basketball tournament 2012 megamillions winning numbers lotto winner jerry lee lewis

Sounds of strike ending come from SF Symphony

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? The sound of silence from the San Francisco Symphony appeared to be coming to an end as a tentative agreement was reached Sunday to end a 2?-week strike.

The symphony announced in a statement that its negotiators and leaders of the musicians' union have agreed to terms on a 26-month contract, subject to the approval of the full orchestra and the symphony's Board of Governors. No details on the terms would be released before the contract was ratified, the symphony statement said.

Symphony leaders are planning for musicians to return to the stage at Davies Symphony Hall for a series of performances for schoolchildren starting Tuesday, and Thursday and Friday night concerts featuring performances of pieces by Handel and Mozart are back on the schedule, the statement said.

Four local concerts were canceled because of the strike. A four-performance East Coast tour that included stops at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. was also scrapped.

The musicians' contract expired in February, and the walkout began March 13, after a long dispute with management over the symphony's finances. The musicians sought a greater stake in decision making and more transparency in the symphony's accounting.

Union representatives could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday.

The strike's resolution came much faster than the symphony's last labor stoppage, which led to the cancellation of 43 concerts in 1996 and 1997.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sounds-strike-ending-come-sf-symphony-004323936.html

kim kardashian flour bomb hunger games box office xavier joan crawford joan crawford john goodman kendall marshall

L.A. police ID suspect in girl's abduction case

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Police said Saturday they are looking for a transient in the kidnapping of a 10-year-old girl who was snatched from her San Fernando Valley home before dawn last week and abandoned hours later in front of a hospital.

Investigators identified 30-year-old Tobias Dustin Summers as a suspect in the case but couldn't elaborate on the motive or what led them to him. Police don't know if the girl was targeted but said they don't believe Summers had a connection to her family.

"We have no information that the family knew this individual or that the individual knew any members of the family," Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese said.

About 40 detectives have been working around the clock looking for clues since the girl was abducted from her home Wednesday. She was found hours later, wandering near a Starbucks several miles away.

The girl was barefoot, had bruises and scratches, and wasn't wearing the same clothes she had on when she vanished. She told the police two men she didn't recognize had taken her from her home.

Police initially said they were looking for two suspects, but now are focusing their efforts on locating Summers.

"This is the only person we are looking for right now," Albanese said Saturday.

Investigators have said they believe the girl was driven around the San Fernando Valley in a couple of cars and taken to at least two locations, including a storage facility, before she was released.

A passer-by who recognized her picture from media reports saw her outside the Starbucks and called police. The girl had wandered there from the hospital where she had been dropped.

Summers, who has a distinctive tattoo of a ghoulish face on his right arm, has arrests dating back to 2002, police said. Among them are robbery, grand theft auto, possession of explosives and kidnapping, authorities said.

Police said they had no details on the prior kidnapping case.

Summers was released from prison in July on a petty theft conviction as part of a California law designed to ease crowding in state prisons. He also spent six days behind bars in January on a probation violation.

Summers last checked in with his probation officer at some point earlier this month and had been complying with his release terms, police said. He is known to frequent the area where the kidnapping took place.

The Los Angeles Times reported that law enforcement sources said the girl was sexually assaulted. The Associated Press does not identify victims of sexual assault. Summers isn't a registered sex offender, police said.

Albanese said Summers had been arrested four years ago for investigation of battery that involved child annoyance. Court records show Summers was convicted of battery in September 2009 but the child annoyance charge was either dismissed or not prosecuted.

Summers has family in Southern California, according to police, and the FBI said it will obtain a warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution if the agency determines he has fled the state.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/la-police-id-suspect-girls-abduction-case-223900956.html

whitney houston funeral video tyler perry whitney houston r kelly r. kelly macular degeneration whitney houston funeral judi dench

Pope refers to "Muslim brothers" on Good Friday

Pope Francis lies down in prayer during the Passion of Christ Mass inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Friday, March 29, 2013. Pope Francis began the Good Friday service at the Vatican with the Passion of Christ Mass and hours later will go to the ancient Colosseum in Rome for the traditional Way of the Cross procession. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis lies down in prayer during the Passion of Christ Mass inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Friday, March 29, 2013. Pope Francis began the Good Friday service at the Vatican with the Passion of Christ Mass and hours later will go to the ancient Colosseum in Rome for the traditional Way of the Cross procession. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis delivers his blessing during the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) torchlight procession celebrated in front of the Colosseum on Good Friday in Rome, Friday, March 29, 2013. Pope Francis is sitting in silent prayer during this year's Good Friday procession, which is re-enacting Christ's crucifixion and recalling the wars and "violent fundamentalism" that are devastating the Middle East today. The Good Friday procession at Rome's Colosseum is one of the most dramatic rituals of Holy Week, when Christians commemorate the death and resurrection of Christ. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A worker adjusts a giant torch lit cross overlooking the ancient Colosseum prior to the start of the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) torchlight procession which will be celebrated by Pope Francis, on Good Friday, in Rome, Friday, March 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A crowd gathers beneath the ancient Colosseum prior to the start of the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) torchlight procession which will be celebrated by Pope Francis, on Good Friday, in Rome, Friday, March 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis presides the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) torchlight procession celebrated in front of the Colosseum, not pictured, on Good Friday in Rome, Friday, March 29, 2013. Pope Francis is sitting in silent prayer during this year's Good Friday procession, which is re-enacting Christ's crucifixion and recalling the wars and "violent fundamentalism" that are devastating the Middle East today. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

ROME (AP) ? Pope Francis reached out in friendship to "so many Muslim brothers and sisters" during a Good Friday procession dedicated to the suffering of Christians from terrorism, war and religious fanaticism in the Middle East.

The new pontiff, who has rankled traditionalists by rejecting many trappings of his office, mostly stuck to the traditional script during the nighttime Way of the Cross procession at Rome's Colosseum, one of the most dramatic rituals of Holy Week.

With torches lighting the way, the faithful carried a cross to different stations, where meditations and prayers were read out recalling the final hours of Jesus' life and his crucifixion.

This year, the prayers were composed by young Lebanese, and many recalled the plight of minority Christians in the region, where wars have forced thousands to flee their homelands. The meditations called for an end to "violent fundamentalism," terrorism and the "wars and violence which in our days devastate various countries in the Middle East."

Francis, who became pope just over two weeks ago, chose, however, to stress Christians' positive relations with Muslims in the region in his brief comments at the end of the ceremony.

Standing on a platform overlooking the procession route, Francis recalled Benedict XVI's 2012 visit to Lebanon when "we saw the beauty and the strong bond of communion joining Christians together in that land and the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters and so many others."

"That occasion was a sign to the Middle East and to the whole world, a sign of hope," he said.

Friday's outreach followed Francis' eyebrow-raising gesture a day earlier, when he washed and kissed the feet of two women, one a Muslim, in the Holy Thursday ritual that commemorates Jesus' washing of his apostles' feet during the Last Supper before his crucifixion.

Breaking with tradition, Francis performed the ritual on 12 inmates at a juvenile detention center, rather than in Rome's grand St. John Lateran basilica, where in the past, 12 priests have been chosen to represent Jesus' disciples.

Before he became pope, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio long cultivated warm relations with Muslim leaders in his native Argentina. In one of his first speeches as pope, he called for the church and the West in general to "intensify" relations with the Muslim world.

The Vatican's relations with Islam hit several bumps during Benedict XVI's papacy, when he outraged Muslims with a 2006 speech quoting a Byzantine emperor as saying some of Prophet Muhammad's teachings were "evil and inhuman." And in 2011, the pre-eminent institute of Islamic learning in the Sunni Muslim world, Cairo's Al-Azhar institute, froze dialogue with the Vatican to protest Benedict's call for greater protection of Christians in Egypt.

However, Francis' past outreach to the Muslim community in Argentina seems to have changed that. Al-Azhar's chief imam, Sheik Ahmed el-Tayyib, sent a message of congratulations to Francis on his election and said he hoped for cooperation.

The Vatican's efforts to reconcile with the Islamic world have not been welcomed by all. Italy's most famous Muslim convert to Catholicism, Magdi Allam, announced last week he was leaving the church because of its "soft" stance on Islam. Allam was baptized by Benedict XVI in 2008 during the high-profile Easter Vigil service when the pope traditionally baptizes a handful of adults. There has been no Vatican comment on his about-face.

Thousands of people packed the Colosseum and surrounding areas for the nighttime procession, holding candles wrapped in paper globes as Francis sat in silent prayer as a giant torch-lit crucifix twinkled nearby. Some in the crowd had Lebanese flags around their shoulders in an indication of the special role Lebanese faithful played in this year's procession.

Lebanon has the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East ? nearly 40 percent of the country's 4 million people, with Maronite Catholics the largest sect. As civil war has raged in neighboring Syria, Lebanon's Christian community has been divided between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Overall, Christians in the Middle East have been uneasy as the Arab Spring has led to the strengthening of Islamist groups in most countries that have experienced uprisings. Thousands of Christians have fled the region ? a phenomenon that the Vatican has lamented, given Christianity's roots in the Holy Land.

"How sad it is to see this blessed land suffer in its children, who relentlessly tear one another to pieces and die!" said one of the Good Friday meditations. "It seems that nothing can overcome evil, terrorism, murder and hatred."

Francis picked up on that message, saying Christ's death on the cross is "the answer which Christians offer in the face of evil, the evil that continues to work in us and around us."

"Christians must respond to evil with good, taking the cross upon themselves as Jesus did," he said.

At the end of the ceremony, a male choir sang a haunting Arabic hymn, a reflection of the Eastern rite influence that infused the ceremony.

On Saturday, Francis presides over the solemn Easter Vigil ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica and on Sunday, he celebrates Easter Mass and delivers an important speech. Usually the pope also issues Easter greetings in dozens of languages.

In his two weeks as pope, Francis' discomfort with speaking in any language other than Italian has become apparent. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Friday "we'll have to see" what Francis does with the multilingual greetings.

The Good Friday procession was conducted entirely in Italian, whereas in years past the core elements recounting what happens at each station would be recited in a variety of languages.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-29-EU-Vatican-Good-Friday/id-0653c3732eaa44a1871cdae1213f7ce7

carol burnett neil degrasse tyson neil degrasse tyson davy jones death born this way foundation lytro camera lytro camera

Can hard-right ideology win in a 50/50 state?

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) ? Virginia is conducting nothing short of a grand political experiment in 2013, testing whether a tea party favorite can carry a closely divided state with conservative roots. If Ken Cuccinelli wins the race for governor, he will have undercut Republican moderates' claims that hard-right ideologies are hurting the party ? and undoubtedly intensify a debate already roiling the GOP.

Despite its Southern conservative history, Virginia is not Kansas or Oklahoma. President Barack Obama carried it twice after years of Republican dominance, and both U.S. senators are Democrats. Democrats and Republicans have battled fiercely for control of the state Legislature and governorship for years, with Republicans holding the edge lately.

It's hard to find a more 50-50 state where moderate and independent voters loom large in fall general elections.

Cuccinelli, the fiery attorney general running for governor this year, is no garden variety conservative. He once told college leaders they couldn't ban anti-gay discrimination. He advised Catholic clergy to go to jail to protest federal contraceptive coverage mandates. He investigated a former Virginia scientist over his climate change research. All this gave Cuccinelli a national profile few attorneys general attain.

His in-your-face conservatism contrasts with the more measured style of successful Republicans in other toss-up states, including Pat McCrory, North Carolina's first Republican governor in 20 years.

Some Virginia Republicans had hoped to thwart Cuccinelli's nomination, fearing he's too extreme for the swing state. But a conservative takeover of the state party last summer ensured it.

A more moderate Republican recently decided against an independent candidacy, and GOP officials are rallying around Cuccinelli in his Nov. 5 showdown with Terry McAullife. The former national Democratic Party chairman and New York native was a major fundraiser for Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Some GOP strategists nervously point to states where Republicans lost winnable elections in 2010 and 2012 after tea party-backed candidates wrested the nominations from moderates.

Most of those races were for the Senate, however. It's hard to know if similar dynamics will play out in a gubernatorial race in an off-year election, when no federal candidates are on the ballot.

For now, Democrats are optimistic.

"They must be saying, 'Once more the Republicans have given us a gift,'" said Steve Jarding, a veteran Virginia Democratic strategist now teaching at Harvard.

He said Virginia Republicans should view the intraparty tension "sort of like a cancer. You've got to remove it early or you risk killing the party."

Cuccinelli used a high-profile setting this month to make nods toward the political center. Addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference near Washington, he went relatively easy on the red-meat lines that conservatives eat up, and used phrases seldom heard at the often bombastic annual convention.

He called for greater support for the mentally ill and for felons who may have been wrongly convicted. Virginia must "protect our most vulnerable citizens," he said, "at every stage of life." That seemed an indirect reference to opposing abortion, something he usually hits head-on.

Cuccinelli needn't look far to see the challenges for a conservative champion trying to moderate his record. In fact, he has complicated similar efforts by Virginia's current GOP governor, Bob McDonnell, who is seen as having presidential ambitions.

A tea party group aired ads in Iowa and New Hampshire attacking McDonnell for bipartisan legislation to reshape Virginia's failing transportation funding system, which includes some new taxes. In a twist, Cuccinelli vigorously opposed and nearly scuttled the transportation deal. But McAuliffe backed it.

The Iowa ad, narrated by Virginia Tea Party Federation past chairman Jamie Radtke, said McDonnell's transportation deal broke a 2009 campaign promise never to raise taxes. "Remember, you can't believe a word he says," it concluded.

McDonnell, a top Mitt Romney liaison with conservatives just a few months ago, was not invited to speak at CPAC. "You stick to your conservative principles but you focus on results and not just on rhetoric," McDonnell said of the snub.

Veteran GOP strategist Charlie Black said Cuccinelli is in trouble if he can't unify his party and expand his image beyond social conservatism.

"Yes, he's a strong social conservative, but he's not leading with that in the campaign," Black said. "I think he'll be prepared with answers for all of that."

In a new Quinnipiac University poll, 32 percent of Virginia voters said Cuccinelli's political philosophy is "about right," while 29 percent said he is too conservative and 5 percent said he is too liberal. One-third of voters had no opinion. The poll found that neither Cuccinelli nor McAuliffe is well-known among state voters.

McDonnell isn't the only socially conservative governor who has drawn fire from the right for pivoting toward the center on fiscal issues.

In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott, a former hospital corporation executive whose loathing of Obama's health care law fueled his candidacy, was excoriated by tea partyers for last month's about-face to expand Medicaid in Florida.

Similar criticisms have fallen on Republican governors John Kasich of Ohio, Jan Brewer of Arizona and Rick Snyder of Michigan for agreeing to Medicaid expansions under "Obamacare."

Cuccinelli's success or failure in Virginia will cause ripples across the country.

"What we're seeing is the outgrowth of the divide we've seen coming in the Republican Party for quite some time," said Virginia Beach tea party activist Karen Miner Hurd. "In the Republican Party organization nationally, you're seeing this play out."

Asked what the GOP will look like in four of five years, Hurd replied, "That depends on whether the Republican Party survives."

___

Babington reported from Washington.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hard-ideology-win-50-50-state-070955613--election.html

Sandy Hook kanye west Univision josh hamilton Susan Rice American Airlines the Who

RIM founder says board asked him to stay as CEO

TORONTO (AP) ? Research In Motion Ltd. co-founder Mike Lazaridis said Thursday as he prepared to leave the company for good that the board had asked him to reconsider his decision to step down as co-CEO.

Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie stepped down in January 2012 after several quarters of disappointing results. Lazaridis said he stayed on as vice chairman and a board director to help new CEO Thorsten Heins and his team with the launch of the BlackBerry 10 smartphones, an update considered crucial to the company's future. With that underway, Lazaridis, 52, plans to leave the company on May 1.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Lazaridis said the board wanted both him and Balsillie to stay, but Lazaridis decided "it was the right time" to leave.

"I was asked to reconsider my decision to give up the CEO post, but I promised the board I would assist Thorsten and his team in the completion and development of BB10," he said. "Now with the launch of BB10, I believe I fulfilled my commitment to the board and told them it is now time to move on to my new adventure."

Lazaridis started a new venture capital fund last week and is also a major philanthropist.

Lazaridis said he has no plans to sell his significant interest in RIM. According to FactSet, Lazaridis is RIM's second biggest shareholder with a 5.7 percent stake.

Lazaridis helped turn the email smartphone into a ubiquitous device that many could not live without, but U.S. users moved on to flashier touch-screen phones such as Apple's iPhone and various competing models that run Google's Android software. RIM's modern operating system, BlackBerry 10, faced numerous delays before launching Jan. 31, starting in the U.K. A U.S. launch was further delayed until last week.

Heins, formerly RIM's chief operating officer, took over as CEO and has spent the past year cutting costs and steering RIM toward the launch of new BlackBerry 10 phones. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company said Thursday that it sold about 1 million phones running its new BlackBerry 10 system, more than analysts had expected. It also surprised Wall Street by returning to profitability in the most recent quarter.

Lazaridis said Heins has done an excellent job completing the BlackBerry 10 system and launching it around the world.

"I'm very proud of what we built at RIM together," he said. "I believe I'm leaving the company in good hands, and I remain one of its largest shareholders and I also remain a huge fan of BlackBerry."

Heins paid tribute to Lazaridis at the start of a conference call on Thursday to discuss RIM's latest financial report. He said Lazaridis revolutionized the mobile communications industry when he invented the BlackBerry. Lazaridis dropped out of the electrical engineering school of the University of Waterloo to start RIM in 1984.

He is widely recognized as one of Canada's greatest innovators. He and Balsillie have long been celebrated as Canadian heroes, even appearing in the country's citizenship guide for new immigrants as models of success. Lazaridis, a Turkish-born Greek immigrant, moved to Canada as a kid in 1966.

"On a personal level I'm grateful to Mike for his help, guidance and advice during my first 15 months as CEO of BlackBerry, and I wish him all the best," Heins said.

Lazaridis and RIM co-founder Doug Fregin announced last week that they've started a $100 million venture capital fund called Quantum Valley Investments. It will be focused on the power of quantum computing. He has long been interested in physics and has donated more than $270 million to the Waterloo area, including $150 million to the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, which he founded in 2000 and which has attracted the involvement of such giants of physics as Stephen Hawking.

Lazaridis also donated money to the University of Waterloo's Institute for Quantum Computing and to the Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre.

"There is a lot to do," he said. "We've had a lot of chapters in BlackBerry. This is my next book. It's very exciting."

Lazaridis' stake in RIM was worth more than $3 billion at its peak in 2008, according to Forbes magazine, but the value has fallen to about $440 million amid the company's declining stock price.

He is on the verge of completing a 26,000-square-foot mansion on the shores of Lake Huron. Construction began in 2006.

"It's going great," he said. "It is accepting furniture. We hope to move soon."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-03-28-CN-Earns-Research-In-Motion-Lazaridis-Leaves/id-f46e2225081640e39fadb3d4332b8854

marion barber marion barber syracuse ohio state girl with the dragon tattoo ohio state basketball collateral

Researchers attach Lyme disease antibodies to nanotubes, paving way for diagnostic device

Mar. 26, 2013 ? Early diagnosis is critical in treating Lyme disease. However, nearly one quarter of Lyme disease patients are initially misdiagnosed because currently available serological tests have poor sensitivity and specificity during the early stages of infection. Misdiagnosed patients may go untreated and thus progress to late-stage Lyme disease, where they face longer and more invasive treatments, as well as persistent symptoms.

Existing tests assess the presence of antibodies against bacterial proteins, which take weeks to form after the initial infection and persist after the infection is gone. Now, a nanotechnology-inspired technique developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania may lead to diagnostics that can detect the organism itself.

The study was led by professor A. T. Charlie Johnson of the Department of Physics and Astronomy in Penn's School of Arts and Sciences along with graduate student Mitchell Lerner, undergraduate researcher Jennifer Dailey and postdoctoral fellow Brett R. Goldsmith, all of Physics. They collaborated with Dustin Brisson, an assistant professor of biology who provided the team with expertise on the bacterium.

Their research was published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.

"When you're initially infected with the Lyme disease bacterium, you don't develop antibodies for many days to a few weeks," Johnson said. "Many people see their physician before antibodies develop, leading to negative serological test results. And after an initial infection, you're still going to have these antibodies, so using these serological diagnostics won't make it clear if you're still infected or not after you've been treated with antibiotics."

The research team's idea was to flip the process around, using laboratory-produced antibodies to detect the presence of proteins from the organism. This is an extension of previous work Johnson's lab has done connecting other biological structures, such as olfactory receptors and DNA, to carbon nanotube-based devices.

Carbon nanotubes, rolled-up lattices of carbon atoms, are highly conductive and sensitive to electrical charge, making them promising components of nanoscale electronic devices. By attaching different biological structures to the exteriors of the nanotubes, they can function as highly specific biosensors. When the attached structure binds to a molecule, that molecule's charge can affect the electrical conduction of the nanotube, which can be part of an electrical circuit like a wire. Such a device can therefore provide an electronic read-out of the presence, or even concentration, of a particular molecule.

To get the electrical signal out of these nanotubes, the team first turned them into transistor devices.

"We first grow these nanotubes on what amounts to a large chip using a vapor deposition method, then make electrical connections essentially at random," Johnson said. "We then break up the chip and test all of the individual nanotube transistors to see which work the best."

In their recent experiment, Johnson's team attached antibodies that naturally develop in most animals that are infected with the Lyme disease bacterium to these nanotube transistors. These antibodies naturally bind to an antigen, in this case, a protein in the Lyme bacterium, as part of the body's immune response.

"We have a chemical process that lets us connect any protein to carbon nanotubes. Nanotubes are very stable, so we have a very reactive compound that binds to the nanotube and also has a carboxylic acid group on the other end. For biochemists, getting any kind of protein to bind to a carboxylic acid group is just child's play at this point, and we have worked with them to learn how to perform this chemistry on the side wall of nanotubes. "

After using atomic-force microscopy to show that antibodies had indeed bound to the exteriors of their nanotube transistors, the researchers tested them electrically to get a baseline reading. They then put the nanotubes in solutions that contained different concentrations of the target Lyme bacteria protein.

"When we wash away the solution and test the nanotube transistors again, the change in what we measure tells us that how much of the antigen has bound," Johnson said. "And we see the relationship we expect to see, in that the more antigen there was in the solution, the bigger the change in the signal."

The smallest concentration the nanotube devices could detect was four nanograms of protein per milliliter of solution.

"This sensitivity is more than sufficient to detect the Lyme disease bacterium in the blood of recently-infected patients and may be sufficient to detect the bacterium in fluids of patients that have received inadequate treatment," Brisson said.

"We really want the protein we are looking to detect to bind as close to the nanotube as possible, as that is what increases the strength of the electrical signal," Johnson said. "Developing a smaller, minimal version of the antibody -- what we call a single chain variable fragment -- would be a next step.

"Based on our previous work with single chain variable fragments of other antibodies, this would probably make such a device about a thousand times more sensitive."

The researchers suggested that, given the flexibility of their technique for attaching different biological structure, eventual diagnostic tools could incorporate multiple antibodies, each detecting a different protein from the Lyme bacterium. Such a setup would improve accuracy and cut down on the possibility of false-positive diagnoses.

"If we were to do this type of test on a person's blood now, however, we would say the person has the disease," Johnson said. "The first thought is that if you detect any protein coming from the Lyme organism in your blood, you are infected and should get treatment right away."

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 University of Pennsylvania.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Mitchell B. Lerner, Jennifer Dailey, Brett R. Goldsmith, Dustin Brisson, A.T. Charlie Johnson. Detecting Lyme disease using antibody-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotube transistors. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2013; 45: 163 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2013.01.035

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/jKHfAQDeP-s/130326194140.htm

prince fielder state of the union address 2012 obama state of the union 2012 2012 state of the union address jorge posada maurice sendak sotu

Steven Cohen's Picasso: After Insider Trading Payout, Hedge Fund Billionaire Spends $155 Million On Masterpiece

Wassily Kandinsky's "Study for Improvisation 8" - $23 million

ARTIST: Russian abstract painter, Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) ARTWORK: Oil painting of religious pilgrims in Kiev painted in 1909. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/paintings/wassily-kandinsky-studie-fur-improvisation-8-5615597-details.aspx">Christie's Impressionist and Modern Art Sale</a> (November 2012) PRICE: $23,042,500 For more on the Kandinsky painting, check out our <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/30/oil-painting-by-russian-a_n_1840215.html">original article here</a>.

Jean-Michel Basquiat's "Untitled" - $26.4 million

ARTIST: New York-bred graffiti-turned-gallery painter, Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988). ARTWORK: A large, colorful acrylic and oil stick on canvas work depicting a skeletal fisherman yielding his loot, created in 1981. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=5621952">Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art Sale</a> (November 2012) PRICE: $26,402,500 for more on Basquiat's painting, check out our <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/jean-michel-basquiat-pois_n_1896428.html">original article here</a>.

Francis Bacon's "Untitled (Pope)" - $29.8 million

ARTIST: British figurative painter, Francis Bacon (1909-1992). ARTWORK: One of Bacon's "Pope" paintings, which depict the Bishop of Rome sitting atop his papal throne with his mouth agape, seemingly writhing in a fit of terror. Created circa 1954. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2012/contemporary-art-evening-auction-n08900/lot.26.html">Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Sale</a> (November 2012) PRICE: $29,762,500 For more on Bacon's "Pope" check out our <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/28/francis-bacons-acclaimed-_n_1923279.html">original article here</a>.

Henry Moore's "Reclining Figure: Festival" - $30.1 million

ARTIST: British sculptor, Henry Moore (1898-1986). ARTWORK: A 6-foot-long bronze sculpture depicting a laid-back female figure resting on one elbow, created in 1951. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.christies.com/in-the-saleroom-henry-moore-reclining-figure-festi-2114-3.aspx">Christie's Impressionist / Modern Art Evening Sale</a> (February 2012) PRICE: ?19,081,250 (approximately $30.1 million) IMAGE: A gallery assistant at Christie's auction house admires a sculpture by Henry Moore entitled 'Reclining Figure: Festival' on February 2, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Jeff Koons' "Tulips" - $33.7 million

ARTIST: American neo-pop artist and "Balloon Dog" extraordinaire, Jeff Koons (1955-present). ARTWORK: A large-scale, mirror-polished stainless steel sculpture with transparent color coating created between 1995 and 2004. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/sculptures-statues-figures/jeff-koons-tulips-5621948-details.aspx?intObjectID=5621948">Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art Sale</a> (November 2012) PRICE: $33,682,500

Gerhard Richter's "Abstraktes Bild" - $34.2 million

ARTIST: Abstract and photorealist painter Gerhard Richter (1932-present). ARTWORK: A squeegee painting created in 1994 and owned by famous British musician, Eric Clapton. It was bought by Clapton for ?2million ($3.2 million) in 2001 and sold for 10 times the price tag 11 years later. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2012/contemporary-art-evening-auction-l12024/lot.15.lotnum.html">Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Sale</a> (October 2012) PRICE: ?21,321,250 (approximately $34.2 million) For more on Eric Clapton's big sale, check out our <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/15/eric-clapton-sells-gerhar_n_1966518.html">original article here</a>. IMAGE: A Sotheby's employee stands in front of Gerhard Richter's 'Abstraktes Bild (809-)' painting on October 8, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

John Constable's "The Lock" - $35.2 million

ARTIST: British Romantic artist, John Constable (1776-1837). ARTWORK: The fifth in a celebrated series of six large-scale paintings of the Stour Valley in Suffolk. AUCTION: Old Master and British Paintings Evening Sale PRICE: $35,210,321 IMAGE: Employees pose with a painting by British Romantic artist John Constable entitled "The Lock" at Christie's auction house in central London on June 12, 2012. (CARL COURT/AFP/GettyImages)

Jackson Pollock's "Number 4, 1951" - $36 million

ARTIST: Abstract expressionist painter, Jackson Pollock (1912-1956). ARTWORK: A rare drip painting on canvas created in 1951. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2012/contemporary-art-evening-auction-n08900/overview.html">Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Sale </a>(November 2012) PRICE: $40,402,500 Image: Sotheby's employees hold Jackson Pollock's 'Number 4, 1951' on October 8, 2012 in London, England. Estimated at $25-35 million the work forms part of Sotheby's Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary Art sale on November 5, 2012 in New York. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Yves Klein's "The Pink of Blue" - $36.8 million

ARTIST: French post-war artist, Yves Klein, who is well-known for his devotion to the color blue (1928-1962). ARTWORK: Natural sponges and pebbles soaked in pigment and scattered on a board. Named "The Pink of Blue", the sponge-relief is similar to Klein's other works created in International Klein Blue. It was finished in 1960. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/paintings/yves-klein-le-rose-du-bleu-5584448-details.aspx">Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale </a>(June 2012) PRICE: $36,779,111

Joan Miro's "Peinture (Etolie Bleue), 1927" - $36.9 million

ARTIST: Spanish Cattelan artist, Joan Miro (1893-1993). ARTWORK: Oil on cavas work depicting Miro's typical Surrealist imagery created in 1927. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/catalogues/ecatalogue.html/2012/impressionist-modern-art-evening-sale-l12006#/r=/en/ecat.fhtml.L12006.html+r.m=/en/ecat.lot.L12006.html/10/">Sotheby's Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale</a> (June 2012) PRICE: $36,946,396 IMAGE: Gallery assistants pose with Spanish Catalan artist Joan Miro's 'Peinture (Etolie Bleue), 1927' at Sotheby's acution house in central London on June 14, 2012. (LEON NEAL/AFP/GettyImages)

Andy Warhol's "Double Elvis" - $37 million

ARTIST: Pop art king, Andy Warhol (1928-1987) ARTWORK: A silver silkscreen image of Elvis Presley depicted as a cowboy. The work, created in 1963, is named for the duplicate screening of Elvis that appears to the left of the central figure. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/catalogues/ecatalogue.html/2012/contemporary-art-evening-n08853#/r=/en/ecat.fhtml.N08853.html+r.m=/en/ecat.lot.N08853.html/27/">Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Sale</a> (May 2012) PRICE: $37,042,500 For more on Warhol's "Double Elvis," check out the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/10/warhol-elvis-fetches-37m-_n_1506141.html">original AP story here</a>. IMAGE: This undated file image provided by Sotheby's Auction House shows Andy Warhol's portrait of Elvis Presley depicted as a cowboy. The painting, with a silver background, ?Double Elvis [Ferus Type]? sold at auction by Sotheby?s in New York for $37 million on May 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Sotheby's Auction House, File)

Franz Kline's "Untitled" - $40.4 million

ARTIST: Abstract expressionist and contemporary of Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline (1910-1962). ARTWORK: The untitled piece belongs to the series of black and white abstractions for which Kline is known, combining aggressive brushstrokes with simple forms reminiscent of Japanese calligraphy. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/paintings/franz-kline-untitled-5621927-details.aspx">Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale</a> (November 2012) PRICE: $40,402,500 For more on Kline's calligraphic work, check out our <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/26/franz-klines-untitled-abs_n_2023830.html">original article here</a>.

Andy Warhol's "Statue of Liberty" - $43.7 million

ARTIST: Andy Warhol, again. ARTWORK: This time it's a screen print of the State of Liberty, created in 1962. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/paintings/andy-warhol-statue-of-liberty-5621945-details.aspx?intObjectID=5621945">Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art Sale</a> (November 2012) PRICE: $43,762,500

Claude Monet's "Water Lillies" - $43.8 million

ARTIST: French Impressionist painter, Claude Monet (1840-1926). ARTWORK: A work from Monet's "Water Lilies" series, depicting a pond in Giverny, France. Created in 1905. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/paintings/claude-monet-nympheas-5615591-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5615591&sid=4fab7ff1-5ea5-4100-830c-27f4c613b81a">Christie's Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale</a> (November 2012) PRICE: $43,762,500 To read more about Monet's "Water Lilies", check out the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/09/work-from-monets-water-li_n_2101182.html#slide=1741505">original AP article here</a>.

Francis Bacon's "Figure Reflected in a Mirror" - $44.9 million

ARTIST: Francis Bacon, again. ARTWORK: Oil on canvas work created in 1976. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/catalogues/ecatalogue.html/2012/contemporary-art-evening-n08853#/r=/en/ecat.fhtml.N08853.html+r.m=/en/ecat.lot.N08853.html/19/">Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Sale</a> (May 2012) PRICE: $44,882,500

Roy Lichtenstein "Sleeping Girl" - $44.9 million

ARTIST: Famous American pop artist and major Ben-Day dot fan, (1923-1997) ARTWORK: Part of a series of sexy comic book-inspired images Lichtenstein created in 1964. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2012/contemporary-art-evening-n08853/lot.16.lotnum.html">Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Sale</a> (May 2012) PRICE: $44,882,500 IMAGE: This undated file photo provided by Sotheby's Auction House in New York shows "Sleeping Girl" by artist Roy Lichtenstein. The painting sold for $44.8 million by Sotheby's on Wednesday May 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Sotheby's, File)

Raphael's "Head of a Young Apostle" - $47.8 million

ARTIST: Renaissance painter, Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (1483-1520). ARTWORK: A drawing titled "Head of a Young Apostle" that depicts one of the primary figures from Raphael's "Transfigurations." Created circa 1519-1520. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2012/old-master-british-paintings-evening-l12036/lot.52.lotnum.html">Sotheby's Old Master & British Paintings Evening Sale</a> (December 2012) PRICE: Approximately $47,690,717

Mark Rothko's "No. 1 (Royal Red and Blue)" - $75.1 million

ARTIST: Russian-American abstract painter, and lover of all things color-blocked, Mark Rothko. ARTWORK: A multi-form oil painting reminiscent of most of Rothko's later work. Created in 1954. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2012/contemporary-art-evening-auction-n08900/lot.19.lotnum.html">Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Sale</a> (November 2012) PRICE: $75,122,500

Mark Rothko's "Orange, Red, Yellow" - $87 million

ARTIST: Marky Mark, again. ARTWORK: Another multi-form, of course. This one was created in 1961. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/paintings/mark-rothko-orange-red-yellow-5559196-details.aspx">Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale</a> (May 2012) PRICE: $86,882,500 IMAGE: In this undated file photo provided by Christie's Auction House, "Orange, Red, Yellow," a 1956 painting by Mark Rothko is shown. The painting was sold by Christie's in New York for $388.5 million on Tuesday, May 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Sotheby's Auction Housse, File)

The Scream - $119.9 million

ARTIST: Edvard Munch, the Norwegian painter and printmaker known for his treatment of dark, psychological motifs (1863-1944). ARTWORK: This version of the iconic piece, "The Scream," is not a painting but is pastel on board. It was created in 1895. AUCTION: <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/sales-series/2012/impressionist-modern-art-evening-sale/overview.html">Sotheby's Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale</a> (May 2012) PRICE: $119,922,500, making this version of "The Scream" <em>the</em> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/12/the-scream-mystery-buyer_n_1668170.html"><em>most expensive</em> piece of art ever sold at auction</a>. IMAGE: In this undated photo provided by Sotheby?s Auction House in New York, ?The Scream,? by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch is shown. The 1895 pastel on board, arguably one of the art world's most recognizable images, will go on view at the Museum of Modern Art in New York beginning Oct. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Sotheby?s Auction House)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/26/steven-cohen-buys-picasso-after-insider-trading-payout-billionaire-buys-art_n_2955732.html

amy schumer amy schumer Prince Harry Vegas pictures Avril Lavigne Microsoft Tropical Storm Isaac amber portwood

Europe seeks to spur building of fast broadband networks

By Claire Davenport

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission has set out rules aimed at reducing the cost of building high-speed broadband networks, in a move that shows how Brussels is seeking more power over the telecoms sector.

The initiative is important because European leaders are worried that debt-laden telecom operators' slow pace of investment is saddling the region with weak infrastructure that over time could hobble its already recession-wracked economies.

It also comes as the EU cuts funding for broadband rollouts. EU budget cuts, which must be approved by Parliament, hammered out in February cut such funding for rural projects to just 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) from 9.2 billion.

The draft regulations issued on Tuesday, which Reuters reported in early February, requires new and renovated housing to be broadband ready, calls for ducts and other infrastructure to be shared among telcos on fair and reasonable terms and shortens the permitting process.

It also calls for water, electricity and gas companies to share their underground ducts with telecoms firms to cut the cost of creating high-speed broadband networks.

The Commission said digging up streets to lay fiber accounts for up to 80 percent of the cost of deploying new networks, adding that the new rules would save up to 60 billion euro.

The construction in Europe of fiber networks lags far behind Asia and some parts of the United States, worrying policymakers who see the infrastructure as a key motor for economic growth. Europe had 5.95 million fiber broadband customers by mid-2012, a fraction of the more than 58 million subscribers in Asia.

About half of Europeans still rely on internet technologies such as ADSL, which offers speeds of up to 30 megabits per second compared with 100 megabits or more for fiber.

Hampering the buildouts, the continent's debt-laden telecom operators such as Telefonica and Telecom Italia are wary of ploughing billions into fiber when the investments will take decades to pay off.

Another major obstacle has been the patchwork of regulations in the 27 member states of Europe on how telcos must share access to ducts and lines into homes, the cost of such line rentals, and also the technology deployed.

SHARED ACCESS

For example, in France, the telecoms regulator has said operators must share access to the final part of fiber into the home. But Spain hasn't gone that far, and in Germany, the regulator has backed Deutsche Telekom's plan to delay fiber and rely on another technology, known as VDSL, instead.

Each country also sets their own prices for competitors to rent space on each others' networks.

"This shows that the European Commission is interested in centralizing control," said analyst Robin Bienenstock at brokerage Bernstein.

A Commission source told Reuters the proposals were not about centralized planning but converging regulatory approaches to make them more consistent.

"In most places, today's rules hurt Europe's competitiveness," said European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes in a statement. "Everyone deserves fast broadband. I want to burn the red tape that is stopping us for getting there."

The proposals are part of a bigger package of measures being rolled out by the Commission in coming months to try and deliver a single market for telecom services.

The Commission plans to present its ideas on the single market by October for debate by countries. The proposals may include tighter control of new mobile spectrum and changes to how prices are set for operators to rent out space on the networks of competitors, analysts have said.

Telecom bosses also hope the initiative will lead to a more permissive approach on mergers in the sector, although the top antitrust regulator in Brussels remains wary of such moves.

The ECTA, a trade body representing alternative operators that challenge former state-owned telcos, said it welcomed the effort to reduce the cost of broadband roll-outs.

"Reducing those costs would speed up the deployment of open networks and the provision of competitive communication services to businesses and consumers," said Tom Ruhan, ECTA's chairman.

ETNO, the lobby representing traditional telecom operators, said the Commission's rules should focus on where fiber projects were not getting off the ground, such as rural areas.

"This welcome step needs to be complemented by further reforms of the overall regulatory landscape aiming at targeting regulation to uncompetitive areas and real bottlenecks," said Daniel Pataki, ETNO's director. ($1 = 0.7763 euros)

(Additional reporting and writing by Leila Abboud; Editing by David Holmes)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/europe-seeks-spur-building-fast-broadband-networks-140702399--finance.html

elizabeth banks battle royale key largo ryan madson louisiana primary syracuse basketball chipper jones

Recycling in the Garden with Vintage Finds - 1-800-RECYCLING

Forgotten doors, windows, chairs and more breathe new life into your home garden.

With spring in the air, I can?t help but think about and plan my gardens. Last year, I purchased and planted new shrubs and grasses (using Coast of Maine products), and this year, I?m stepping it up in the d?cor department.

A few years ago, I salvaged an antique door that was put on the curb in my neighborhood. I had seen one used in a restaurant with coat hooks attached to it and thought it was a great way to avoid landfill waste.

So, with a little elbow grease and some outdoor stain, I was able to refinish the door so that it looked whitewashed and set it up against my garage. I then added a few nails and hung some flowering baskets, adding some wonderful color to my yard. I also know of a few shutters that I can get my hands on and love the idea of using them for this project.

As it turns out, there are tons of DIY projects just like mine that can be made from recycled materials. For example, Dishfunctional Designs gives us tons of ideas for what to do with old windows. I love the idea of adding a shelf and using them as a planter, and they also give us the great idea of making a mini greenhouse out of them as well.

Vintage doors can be reused as excellent companions to your garden.

Over at Cottage in the Oaks, a blog dedicated to DIY home improvements, they use old garden tools such as rakes and shovels to make a trellis.

Turning an old chair into a planter has become a popular idea, and Better Homes and Gardens gives us a few simple steps to do so. With a couple of tools you will have bees and butterflies enjoying the vibrant colors along with you. Using vintage wooden crates, baskets and containers makes for unique garden planters as well.

For lighting, I now save my old mason jars and place candles in them. Flowers for my table are usually set in an old aluminum can that once housed tomatoes. I spray-paint the can with metallic paint, and then tie a simple bow around it to give it some color and a shabby chic, vintage look.

Many of these items you can find at flea markets and in antique stores. It might even be worthwhile to ask your friends if they have old things that they are planning on getting rid of soon. And, of course, the next great find might be as close as your neighbor?s curb.

Pinterest is now a great reference for unique ideas, and, like many of you, I am slightly addicted. What ideas do you have for your garden this year? I?d love to hear about any unique items that you plan to salvage and reuse.

Source: http://1800recycling.com/2013/03/recycling-garden-vintage-finds/

michael buble Jenni Rivera Alive Facebook Down bo jackson bo jackson hanukkah justin tv