atm technology: March 2013

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Craig Venter close to creating synthetic life

For the first time we are close to creating artificial life from scratch for the first time. So says Craig Venter, founder of the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland, and famed for creating the first cell with a synthetic genome.

"We think we're close, but we've not submitted a paper yet," he said at the Global Grand Challenges summit in London this week.

Venter announced in 2010 that he had brought to life an almost completely synthetic version of the bacterium Mycoplasma mycoides, by transplanting it into the vacant shell of another bacterium. Venter's latest creation, which he has dubbed the Hail Mary Genome, will be made from scratch with genes he and his institute colleagues, Clyde Hutchison and Hamilton Smith, consider indispensable for life.

The team is using computer simulations to better understand what is needed to create a simple, self-replicating cell. "Once we have a minimal chassis, we can add anything else to it," he says.

Venter's quest to engineer algae to produce more oil than usual is also going well. "We've been able to increase photosynthesis threefold, meaning that we get three times as much energy per photon [of sunlight] as from natural algae," he says. He also announced that his programme to scour the oceans for novel microscopic life has so far turned up 80 million genes new to biology.

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Challenges in Supply Chain Risk Management for Large ...

Supply chain risk administration for larger businesses has a tendency to mean management numerous various suppliers the world over. While this has its benefits, there are also problems that may arrive up. Getting catastrophe monitoring is one thing you might require when you have overseas suppliers. With a lot of issues happening so frequently, you'll need to understand what's going to affect your business prior to something really occurs. This type of catastrophe management can save you lots of cash, time, and stress in the long run.

Depending on the supplies, there's not always heading to become a greater option for getting what you need as being a big company. Many overseas suppliers are capable of supplying quality and affordable items at higher numbers, enough for many large businesses. Whilst you will find benefits, there's also a supply chain danger because of just how much away they are.

The problem with selecting overseas suppliers originates from the lack of information. You might not understand what is going on in that country, the current condition from the individuals or business, or a large number of issues before it's as well late. This really is info you need to help keep your personal company shifting and without issue. If a disaster strikes their region and there is no communication, you may not know to get a lengthy while. Disaster management after a catastrophe should not be done on an advertisement hoc basis.

Disasters happen on the normal basis globally. Your supply chain risk administration technique has to know on the every day foundation where risk lies. Whilst some events are broadcast immediately, that is not usually the situation. Some are dismissed from the media, leaving you with out solutions. When you've got to consider disaster administration, you would like to roll out suggestions and actions immediately. Doing so avoids the issue from escalating and helps to maintain restoration time to a minimum.

To remain along with what's taking place, you'll need to understand the facts because they are available in. An automatic system can help you as well as your company remain in the loop, especially when it counts. If a rustic 1 of your suppliers is based in suffers some sort of catastrophe, this technique can let you know to be able to put together and react appropriately. In the event you were to get this info all too late, you might finish up with a large amount of lost provides and no clue what occurred. Instead than offer with this kind of circumstances, you can make investments a better system.

This helps to lower the provision chain danger that might have caused serious problems otherwise. Disaster tracking provides you up to the date info that can be used to prevent something, from severe issues to small hiccups, to ensure that you will find few to no bumps within the street. This early info provides you the chance to begin working on fixing the problem before it even occurs.

When you've got proper disaster administration, you can keep your company from struggling severe issues related to such issues. A provide chain danger, just like an all-natural catastrophe, has the ability to hit your company fairly hard, depending around the provider. If you are not getting ready, you're dealing with much more trouble than you may be in a position to deal with. Catastrophe monitoring makes it feasible for you to know what's taking place and how to face it before your business is hurt.

supply chain risk management

Source: http://www.hellofour.com/blog/101387/challenges-in-supply-chain-risk-management-for-large-companies/

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Dennis Crowley On Using Foursquare To Build The ?Marauder's Map'

Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley discussed the company's evolution from an app that was primarily focused around helping people to find their friends, to finding out more about the world that they live in. Crowley said that one of the underreported stories is the number of companies which rely on Foursquare's map data and what developers can potentially do with that.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3UvP--NeN0w/

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Sunday, March 10, 2013

Two suicide bombers strike on Hagel's visit in Afghanistan

Militants staged two deadly suicide attacks Saturday to mark the first full day of US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's visit to Afghanistan, a fresh reminder that insurgents continue to fight and challenges remain as the US-led NATO force hands over the country's security to the Afghans.

A suicide bomber on a bicycle struck outside the Afghan Defense Ministry early Saturday morning, and about a half hour later, another suicide bomber attacked a police checkpoint in Khost city, the capital of Khost province in eastern Afghanistan.

Nine people were killed in the bombing at the ministry, and an Afghan policeman and eight civilians, who were mostly children, died in the blast in Khost, said provincial spokesman Baryalai Wakman.

RECOMMENDED: 5 factors for peace in Afghanistan

"This attack was a message to him," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said of Hagel, in an email to reporters about the defense ministry attack.

Hagel was nowhere near the blasts, but heard them across the city. He told reporters traveling with him that he wasn't sure what it was when he heard the explosion.

"We're in a war zone. I've been in war, so shouldn't be surprised when a bomb goes off or there's an explosion," said Hagel, a Vietnam War veteran.

Asked what his message to the Taliban would be, he said that the US was going to continue to work with its allies to insure that the Afghan people have the ability to develop their own country and democracy.

Hagel's first visit to Kabul as Pentagon chief comes as the US and Afghanistan grapple with a number of disputes, from the aborted handover of a main detention facility ? canceled at the last moment late Friday as a deal for the transfer broke down ? to Afghan President Hamid Karzai's demand that US special operations forces withdraw from Wardak province just outside Kabul over allegations of abuse.

The prison transfer, originally slated for 2009, has been repeatedly delayed because of disputes between the US and Afghan governments about whether all detainees should have the right to a trial and who will have the ultimate authority over the release of prisoners the US considers a threat.

The Afghan government has maintained that it needs full control over which prisoners are released as a matter of national sovereignty. The issue has threatened to undermine ongoing negotiations for a bilateral security agreement that would govern the presence of US forces in Afghanistan after the current combat mission ends in 2014.

US military officials said Saturday's transfer ceremony was canceled because they could not finalize the agreement with the Afghans, but did not provide details. Afghan officials were less forthcoming.

"The ceremony is not happening today," Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said, without elaborating.

Regarding Wardak, Karzai set a deadline for Monday for the pullout of the US commandos, over allegations that joint US and Afghan patrols engaged in a pattern of torture, kidnappings and summary executions.

"Each of those accusations has been answered and we're not involved," said Brigadier Adam Findlay, NATO's deputy chief of staff of operations. "There are obviously atrocities occurring there, but it's not linked to us, and the kind of atrocities we are seeing, fingers cut off, other mutilations to bodies, is just not the way we work."

Findlay said NATO officials have made provisional plans to withdraw special operations forces, if Karzai sticks to his edict after meetings this weekend with Hagel and top military commander in Afghanistan Gen. Joseph Dunford.

"What we've got to try to do is go to a middle ground that meets the president's frustration," but also keeps insurgents from using Wardak as a staging ground to launch attacks on the capital, Findlay said. "That plan would be that you would put in your more conventional forces into Wardak," to replace the special operators and maintain security, he said.

NATO officials see the weekend violence as part of the Taliban's coming campaign for the spring fighting season. "There's a series of attacks that have started as the snow is thawing. We had a potential insider attack yesterday ... and there's been a number of attacks on the border," Findlay explained.

The suspected insider attack occurred in Kapisa province in eastern Afghanistan several hours before Hagel arrived Friday. Three men presumed to be Afghan soldiers forced their way onto a US base and opened fire, killing one US civilian contractor and wounding four US soldiers, according to a senior US military official.

The official said investigators were "95 percent certain it was an insider attack," because the three men came from the Afghan side of the joint US-Afghan base, and rammed an Afghan army Humvee through a checkpoint dividing the base, before jumping out and opening fire on the Americans with automatic weapons. All three attackers were killed.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The Taliban said it was not behind the Tagab base attack, and has not yet weighed in on the attack in Khost, but the group claimed responsibility for the morning attack at the ministry shortly after it happened.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said Hagel was in a briefing at a US-led military coalition facility in another part of the city when the explosion occurred. He said the briefing continued without interruption.

Azimi, the defense ministry spokesman, said the bomber on a bicycle struck just before 9 a.m. local time about 30 meters (yards) from the main gate of the ministry.

A man at the scene, Abdul Ghafoor, said the blast rocked the entire area.

"I saw dead bodies and wounded victims lying everywhere," Ghafoor told the Associated Press. "Then random shooting started and we escaped from the area."

The ministry said at least nine civilians were killed and others were wounded.

Reporters traveling with Hagel were in a briefing when they heard the explosion. They were moved to a lower floor of the same building as US facilities in downtown Kabul were locked down as a security precaution.

Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Heidi Vogt contributed to this report from Kabul.

Dozier can be followed on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/KimberlyDozier

RECOMMENDED: 5 factors for peace in Afghanistan

Venezuela's Capriles to run in presidential election: opposition

KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia, March 10 (Reuters) - Ivica Kostelic used all his experience to win the men's World Cup slalom race in Kranjska Gora on Sunday, 10 years after his first victory in the Slovenian resort. Hampered by a lingering knee injury, the Croatian had not won a slalom race this season but the 33-year-old broke his duck in style to earn his 26th World Cup victory after clear first-leg leader Alexis Pinturault messed up his second run. The 33-year-old clocked a combined time of one minute 45. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/venezuelas-capriles-run-presidential-election-opposition-220058981.html

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How the next pope will be chosen, step by secret step

The cardinals will fill out ballots in the Sistine Chapel until all 77 ballots ? two-thirds plus one of the cardinal electors ? reach a consensus. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.

By M. Alex Johnson, staff writer, NBC News

When the College of Cardinals convenes Tuesday to choose a pope, it will revive a centuries-old tradition ? cut off from the world by an oath of secrecy and doors that close with a firm and final thud.

In a ritual that has been described by participants as solemn and moving, the cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel for their conclave, a word drawn from the Latin terms for "with" and "key." They will vote, four times a day after the first day, until they settle on a leader for the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.

In many respects, the ritual is unchanged from the rules Pope Gregory X instituted 800 years ago. But this time, there's a wild card: The previous pope, Benedict XVI, is still alive, and while he won't be in the room, he will probably have an indirect say in the outcome.

Benedict spent just seven years as pope but appointed 67 of the 115 cardinals eligible to vote on his successor. The rest were appointed by his predecessor and theological soul mate, Pope John Paul II. Benedict also made changes to the voting rules that could keep the cardinals working long past the four ballots it took to elect him in 2005.

"It takes as long as it takes. No one wants to rush this," Cardinal Daniel Di Nardo, the archbishop of Houston, told reporters this week. While he spoke, Vatican workers were preparing the chapel for the gathering ? closing it to visitors and installing anti-bugging devices and the stove where the cardinals' ballots will be burned to produce the black or white smoke that tells the world how they're coming along.

Locked up in the Vatican

However long it takes, the cardinals will be locked inside the Vatican, with no newspapers, no TV, no radio, no Twitter or Facebook.

During the day, they will deliberate inside the Sistine Chapel, beneath Michelangelo's breathtaking "Creation of Adam," with its famous depiction of God and Adam touching fingers.

At night, they will bed down in the Casa Santa Marta, which John Paul II had built in 1996. It's relatively modest but a dramatic upgrade from what the cardinals were provided before then ? cubicles furnished only with cots and washbasins, with but one bathroom per 10 people.

Pope Benedict XVI delivered his final audience Feb. 28, 2013, in St. Peter's Square as he prepared to stand down.

Usually, the dean of the College of Cardinals presides, but the current dean, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, is 85 and disqualified from the voting, which is limited to cardinals under 80. So Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops, will be in charge.

Custom and conclave rules fashioned over centuries mean the cardinals have assigned seating, with the prime seats going to two "cardinal bishops" ? the senior Rome cardinals who are younger than age 80 and therefore eligible to vote.

Then come the four patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic churches, the middle-ranking "cardinal priests" who make up the bulk of the college, and the most junior members, the "cardinal deacons."

"It does look quite dramatic, all of the cardinals dressed in scarlet sitting around," said Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, former president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, who took part in Benedict's election in 2005.

Then somebody says extra omnes: Everybody out except the cardinals.

"That's a very dramatic moment, because the door is shut ? there's a thud," Murphy-O'Connor, who is too old to take part this time, told the BBC in a long interview for its radio documentary series "Witness" last month. "I remember looking around at the other 114 cardinals and thinking to myself, 'Well, one of us will be going out with a white cassock on.'"

Ballot after ballot, day after day

Once locked in the room, the cardinals will take a collective oath of secrecy. That's followed by a roll call in which each cardinal, with his hand on the Bible, individually swears: "And I, (name), do so promise, pledge and swear. So help me God and these Holy Gospels which I touch with my hand," according to John L. Allen's book "Conclave: The Politics, Personalities, and Process of the Next Papal Election."?

Allen, Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, is considered one of the world's foremost experts on the church. His book, published in 2002, is an encyclopedic chronicle of how things work when the cardinals gather. Much of what else is publicly known about the process comes from the Vatican's Code of Canon Law and history and apostolic letters on the election of the pope issued in 1996 by John Paul II and in 2007 by Benedict XVI.

When the voting finally begins Tuesday, there will be one round of voting in the afternoon, followed by two every morning and two every afternoon until someone gets two-thirds of the votes.

Each cardinal gets two or three ballot papers, inscribed Eligo in summum pontificem ("I elect as supreme pontiff"). They're encouraged to disguise their handwriting and to fold the paper twice to prevent eavesdropping.

Then each cardinal walks up to an altar that stands before Michelangelo's turbulent "Last Judgment." After kneeling in a brief moment of prayer, he recites in Latin: "I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected." He then slides his ballot into a chalice using a large circular plate.

Three cardinals chosen at random count the ballots; three others chosen at random check their work. The cardinals can keep their own tallies, because each vote is read out before it's threaded with a needle and string; at the end, they're all gathered by the strings and tied together in a knot. Assuming there's no winner, the session's second round of voting begins immediately.

Twice a day, after the morning and afternoon sessions, the ballots are burned in a special stove.

That's how the masses outside know how things are going. If there's no new pope, the knotted-up ballots are treated with damp straw or a special chemical so that they produce a black smoke. The dramatic appearance of white smoke ? signaling a winner ? is produced by using a different chemical or by leaving it out altogether.

Technically, the cardinals are supposed to keep their own counsel, but many accounts over the decades make it clear that extensive debate and discussion goes on during breaks and in the residence.

A (relatively) new way of doing things

?Benedict's election was unusually quick, coming after only four ballots. More commonly, the balloting takes a few days, and because of a change Benedict instituted in 2007, there's the potential for a long conclave this time.

Benedict was elected under rules stipulating that after about 30 ballots, depending on how many votes are taken on the first day,?the cardinals could choose to drop the threshold for election to a simple majority.

Benedict threw out that stipulation, meaning a two-thirds vote will be needed for all of the ballots. After 33 or 34 ballots, and occasional one-day breaks for prayer and reflection, the election is narrowed to the two leading vote-getters ? but even then, Benedict ordered, the winner has to get two-thirds.

Many "Vaticanisti" ? the pundits and journalists who obsessively follow the political goings-on of the church ? predict that this change will result in a compromise pope, with the leader in early balloting ultimately fading.

Eventually, someone will be chosen, at which point the senior cardinal will ask the winner, "Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?" If he says yes (accepto), he is the pope, just like that. The new pope will then declare his papal name.?

"Then he goes out," Murphy-O'Connor said. "There's a papal tailor outside with three cassocks, white cassocks ? large, medium and small ? and then after 10 minutes or so he comes back and he's put in the middle and we all go up and kiss his ring.

"It doesn't matter how you voted, whatever. He's the pope now," Murphy-O'Connor added. "It's very dramatic, it's very moving, and it's very faithful."

After the white smoke appears ? historically triggering extended cheers from the thousands gathered outside ? a senior cardinal will step onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and declare: Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus papam. ("I announce to you news of great joy. We have a pope.")

The new pope, whoever he is, then appears before the throng and performs his first official public act. It is a simple apostolic blessing called Urbi et orbi ("to the city and the world"):

May the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, in whose power and authority we have confidence, intercede on our behalf to the Lord.

Through the prayers and merits of the Blessed Mary ever-virgin, of Blessed Michael the Archangel, of Blessed John the Baptist and of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and of all the saints, may Almighty God have mercy on you, and with your sins forgiven, may Jesus Christ lead you into everlasting life.

May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant you indulgence, absolution and remission of all your sins, time for a true and fruitful penance, an always repentant heart and amendment of life, the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit and final perseverance in good works.

And may the blessing of Almighty God, and the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit descend on you and remain with you always.

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Ask Engadget: how long should I first-charge a battery?

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Bernard, who wants an answer to the age-old question of ensuring you get the most out of your batteries. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"It's said that you should always leave brand-new electronics plugged in for 'a few hours' after being fully charged, but how do you decide that period of time? Is there a calculation depending on the capacity of the battery, or what? Help me, please!"

Nowadays, do you even need to? While memory effect was an issue on NiCad batteries, Lithium Ion units don't suffer from the same issue. It could also be tied to the belief that most chargers only re-juice batteries up to 95 percent, but we can't find any authoritative proof on the matter. Let's turn it over to the electrical engineers and battery experts who read Engadget on a regular basis so we can sort this out, once and for all!

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Saturday, March 9, 2013

Abduction illustrates UN vulnerability in Syria

Smoke rises following an explosion in the Syrian village of Jamlah in the southern province of Daraa, Syria, seen from the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights ,Thursday, March 7, 2013. Clashes between Syrian troops and rebel fighters flared on Thursday near an area where armed fighters linked to the opposition abducted 21 U.N. peacekeepers a day earlier. The peacekeepers are part of a force that monitors a cease-fire between Israeli and Syrian troops in the Golan Heights. Israel captured part of the territory in the 1967 Mideast war, and while the area has been peaceful for decades, Israeli officials have grown increasingly jittery as the Syrian civil war moves closer to its borders. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

In this Wednesday, March 6, 2013 image taken from video obtained from the Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, a Free Syrian Army fighter stands next to United Nations Disengagement Observer vehicle near Golan Heights in the southern province of Daraa, Syria. Clashes between Syrian troops and rebel fighters flared on Thursday near an area where armed fighters linked to the opposition abducted 21 U.N. peacekeepers a day earlier. In an online video, a man identified as a spokesman for the Martyrs of Yarmouk Brigades said his group will hold the peacekeepers until Assad?s forces withdraw from Jamlah. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)

In this Wednesday, March 6, 2013 image taken from video obtained from the Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Free Syrian Army fighters stand next to United Nations Disengagement Observer vehicles near Golan Heights in the southern province of Daraa, Syria. Clashes between Syrian troops and rebel fighters flared on Thursday near an area where armed fighters linked to the opposition abducted 21 U.N. peacekeepers a day earlier. In an online video, a man identified as a spokesman for the Martyrs of Yarmouk Brigades said his group will hold the peacekeepers until Assad?s forces withdraw from Jamlah. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)

Smoke rises following an explosion in the Syrian village of Jamlah in the southern province of Daraa, Syria, as seen from the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights ,Thursday, March 7, 2013. Clashes between Syrian troops and rebel fighters flared on Thursday near an area where armed fighters linked to the opposition abducted 21 U.N. peacekeepers a day earlier. The peacekeepers are part of a force that monitors a cease-fire between Israeli and Syrian troops in the Golan Heights. Israel captured part of the territory in the 1967 Mideast war, and while the area has been peaceful for decades, Israeli officials have grown increasingly jittery as the Syrian civil war moves closer to its borders. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A Syrian Army tank moves towards the Syrian village of Jamlah in the southern province of Daraa, Syria, as seen from the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights ,Thursday, March 7, 2013. Clashes between Syrian troops and rebel fighters flared on Thursday near an area where armed fighters linked to the opposition abducted 21 U.N. peacekeepers a day earlier. The peacekeepers are part of a force that monitors a cease-fire between Israeli and Syrian troops in the Golan Heights. Israel captured part of the territory in the 1967 Mideast war, and while the area has been peaceful for decades, Israeli officials have grown increasingly jittery as the Syrian civil war moves closer to its borders. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

BEIRUT (AP) ? New video Thursday of U.N. peacekeepers held captive by Syrian rebels illustrates the sudden vulnerability of a U.N. force that had patrolled a cease-fire line between Israel and Syria without incident for nearly four decades.

The abduction of the Filipino troops ? soft targets in Syria's civil war ? also sent a worrisome signal to Israel about the lawlessness it fears along the shared frontier if Syrian President Bashar Assad is ousted.

The 21 peacekeepers were seized Wednesday near the Syrian village of Jamlah, just a mile from the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, a plateau Israel captured from Syria in 1967.

Negotiations were under way Thursday for the release of the men, who said in videos posted online that they were being treated well.

"To our family, we hope to see you soon and we are OK here," said a peacekeeper shown in one video. He was one of three troops dressed in camouflage and blue bullet-proof vests emblazoned with the words U.N. and Philippines.

Speaking in Manila, Philippine military spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos said Friday that the rebels are willing to release the peacekeepers and are asking for the International Committee of the Red Cross to escort them to a safe area.

According to Burgos, the rebels said the peacekeepers have to be removed because there is heavy fighting in the area.

He said the information came from the U.N. command.

However, a rebel spokesman seemed to suggest the hostages were also serving as human shields. If the U.N. troops are released and leave the area, the regime could kill "as many as 1,000 people," said the spokesman, who spoke via Skype and did not give his name for fear of reprisals.

The peacekeepers' abduction highlights the growing risks to U.N. staff in Syria's escalating conflict.

Fighting has spread across the country, claiming more than 70,000 lives and displacing nearly 4 million of Syria's 22 million people. There is no sign of a breakthrough for either side, though rebels have scored some recent gains on the battlefield and in the diplomatic arena.

U.N. diplomats and officials said Thursday that the capture of the peacekeepers will almost certainly lead to a re-examination of security for the U.N. force and its patrols in the field.

The U.N. monitoring mission, known as UNDOF, was set up in 1974, seven years after Israel captured the Golan and a year after it managed to push back Syrian troops trying to recapture the territory in another regional war.

For nearly four decades, the U.N. monitors helped enforce a stable truce between Israel and Syria, making it one of the most successful U.N. missions in the world, said Timor Goksel, a Beirut-based former senior U.N. official in the region.

The force has an office in Damascus and staffs observation posts along the armistice line.

Goksel, who works for the Al-Monitor news website, said the observers are "soft targets" in Syria's increasingly brutal civil war. Up to now they were "never challenged by anybody in Syria," he added.

The monitors' success may have been linked to a decision by Assad and his father and predecessor, Hafez Assad, to comply with the armistice deal, including limits on military hardware allowed near the cease-fire line.

Moshe Maoz, an Israeli expert on Syria, said the U.N. mission's success was largely due to the Assads' decision to abide by the truce.

"When you are dealing with an army that follows orders, it is one thing," Maoz said. "Now you have different groups. They do not recognize international law and have no respect for any law or international morals. They are terrorist groups that know no bounds."

An Israeli official said that if UNDOF were to halt operations, it would be a "bad thing for peace." He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the diplomatically sensitive issue with the media.

Israel has said it's trying to keep out of the Syria conflict, but is watching the disintegration of the country with growing concern.

In recent months, Syrian mortars overshooting their target have repeatedly hit the Israeli-controlled Golan. In Israel's most direct involvement so far, Israeli warplanes struck inside Syria in January, according to U.S. officials who said the target was a convoy carrying anti-aircraft weapons bound for Hezbollah, a Lebanese militia allied with Assad and Iran.

The U.N. peacekeepers' four-vehicle convoy was intercepted Wednesday by rebels from a group calling itself the Martyrs of the Yarmouk Brigades. The convoy was stopped on the outskirts of Jamlah, about a mile from the armistice line.

Rebels said 10 people have died in regime shelling of Jamlah and nearby villages in recent days. Fighting continued Thursday, according to activists.

The rebels and Syrian opposition officials have sent conflicting messages about the peacekeepers' release.

Immediately after their seizure, one of the rebels said the U.N. troops would be held until regime forces leave Jamlah.

On Thursday, however, a spokesman for the captors expressed concern about more regime attacks on the area if the hostages are freed, suggesting release was not imminent.

A member of Syria's political opposition in exile, Khaled Saleh, said the rebels would deliver the U.N. troops to safety in Jordan as soon as the regime halts airstrikes in the area and a transfer is deemed safe.

In two amateur videos posted Thursday, men who appeared to be captive U.N. troops made similar statements, though it was not clear to what extent they had been coerced to do so.

"We, the U.N. personnel here, are safe, and the Free Syrian Army are treating us good," one of three peacekeepers shown in the video said in halting English. "We cannot go home because the government of (President Bashar) Assad do not stop the bombing."

In another video, six men, presumably peacekeepers, are shown. One man, who identifies himself as a captain, says the U.N. force encountered bombings and artillery, and civilians in the area "helped us for our safety."

The videos appear in line with AP reporting of the incident.

The U.N. Security Council, which has demanded the peacekeepers' immediate and unconditional release, scheduled a closed meeting Friday with U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous.

"As far as we know they are safe," Ladsous told a group of reporters Thursday. "But of course we demand the immediate freedom and the ability for UNDOF to carry out its mandate in the area of the Golan."

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland called the men's continued detention "absolutely unacceptable."

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group, said negotiations were under way between the rebels, the Arab League and U.N. officials on handing over the peacekeepers. As part of the negotiations, the rebels were demanding that the regime withdraw from the area, end shelling attacks and allow refugees to return, the Observatory said.

Meanwhile, Nuland said Assad's forces have bombarded opposition-held neighborhoods in the central city of Homs over the last 24 hours and cited reports that regime forces were amassed outside of the city "for what looks to be an all-out assault on rebel holdouts."

___

Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Aron Heller in Jerusalem, Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Bradley S. Klapper in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-07-Syria/id-ffa3cf3e9c54483ab01ffbf20dad6874

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Bin Laden spokesman caught in Jordan, report says

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Osama bin Laden's spokesman and son-in-law has been captured by the United States, officials said Thursday, in what a senior congressman called a "very significant victory" in the ongoing fight against al-Qaida.

Abu Ghaith's extradition to the United States is imminent, and he is expected to be prosecuted in federal court in New York, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

Rep. Peter King, the former chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, credited the CIA and FBI with catching al-Qaida propagandist Sulaiman Abu Ghaith in Jordan within the last week. He said the capture was confirmed to him by U.S. law enforcement officials.

A Jordanian security official confirmed that al-Ghaith was handed over last week to U.S. law enforcement officials under both nations' extradition treaty. He declined to disclose other details and spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

"Definitely, one by one, we are getting the top echelons of al-Qaida," said King, R-N.Y. "I give the (Obama) administration credit for this: it's steady and it's unrelenting and it's very successful."

Abu Ghaith became an international name in late 2001 when he appeared on pan-Arab satellite television urging Muslims everywhere to fight the United States and warning of more attacks similar to those of Sept. 11. In one video, he was sitting with bin Laden in front of a rock face in Afghanistan. A teacher and mosque preacher in Kuwait, he was stripped of his Kuwaiti citizenship after 9/11.

He is identified as a major al-Qaida core official by the New America Foundation think tank in Washington. King said Abu Ghaith was involved in the planning in the 9/11 attacks against the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported that Abu Ghaith was passing through Jordan, on his way to Kuwait, shortly after leaving Turkey.

The newspaper said that Abu Ghaith was taken into custody more than a month ago at a luxury hotel in in Ankara, the Turkish capital. But Turkish officials decided he had not committed any crime in Turkey, and released him, the newspaper reported.

In Ankara, Turkish officials refused to confirm Abu Ghaith's deportation or his capture in Jordan to The Associated Press. In Amman, the Jordanian capital, a security official said he had no information on the CIA arrest in Jordan.

U.S. intelligence officials in Washington and New York refused to comment on the case.

___

Associated Press writer Tom Hayes in New York and Jamal Halaby in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Lara Jakes on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/larajakesAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-official-bin-laden-spokesman-caught-jordan-153446737.html

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Friday, March 8, 2013

Plankton adjusts to changing ocean temperatures

Mar. 8, 2013 ? Imagine trying to swim through a pool of honey. Because of their small size, this is what swimming in water is like for tiny marine plankton. So, it was often assumed they would be easy prey, especially in the dense viscosity of colder waters, but that is not necessarily so.

Texas Tech Associate Professor and Whitacre Endowed Chair in Mechanical Engineering Jian Sheng, along with biologists Brad Gemmell and Edward Buskey from the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, have discovered new information that explains how these tiny organisms overcome this disadvantage.

Their paper, titled "A compensatory escape mechanism at low Reynolds number" was published in the current issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"The purpose of the study was in trying to determine the effects of climate change at the very base of the food chain," Sheng said.

As one of the most abundant animal groups on the planet, many species, including many commercially important fish species, rely on planktonic copepod nauplii at some point during their life cycle. Understanding the ability of these animals to respond to changes in the environment could have direct implications into understanding the future health of our oceans.

By independently varying temperature and viscosity, Sheng recorded their movements with 3-D high speed holographic techniques developed by the Sheng lab at Texas Tech.

"At 3,000 frames per second, it was like tracking a racecar through a microscope," Sheng said. "We were able to determine that the plankton adapted to changes in viscosity by altering the rhythm of its pulsing appendage."

The response, built-in to its natural muscle fiber, was only triggered by changes in temperature, Sheng said. It could not compensate for changes in viscosity due to environmental pollution, such as algae blooms or oil spills.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Texas Tech University. The original article was written by Karin Slyker.

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

Journal Reference:

B. J. Gemmell, J. Sheng, E. J. Buskey. Compensatory escape mechanism at low Reynolds number. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1212148110

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/yWsJWsEcb0o/130308133057.htm

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Hidden layer of genome unveils how plants may adapt to environments throughout the world

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified patterns of epigenomic diversity that not only allow plants to adapt to various environments, but could also benefit crop production and the study of human diseases.

Published March 6 in Nature, the findings show that in addition to genetic diversity found in plants throughout the world, their epigenomic makeup is as varied as the environments in which they are found. Epigenomics is the study of the pattern of chemical markers that serve as a regulatory layer on top of the DNA sequence. Depending on where they grow, the plants' epigenomic differences may allow them to rapidly adapt to their environments.

Epigenomic modifications alter gene expression without changing the letters of the DNA alphabet (A-T-C-G), providing cells with an additional tool to fine-tune how genes control the cellular machinery. These changes occur not only in plants, but in humans as well.

"We looked at plants collected from around the world and found that their epigenomes are surprisingly different," says senior author Joseph R. Ecker, a professor in Salk's Plant Biology Laboratory and holder of the Salk International Council Chair in Genetics. "This additional diversity may create a way for plants to rapidly adapt to diverse environments without any genetic change in their DNA, which takes a very long time."

By understanding epigenomic alterations in plants, scientists may be able to manipulate them for various purposes, including biofuels and creating crops that can withstand stressful events such as drought. That knowledge of epigenomic changes in crop plants could tell producers what to breed for and could have a huge impact on identifying plants that can survive certain conditions and adapt to environmental stressors, says Ecker, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Investigator.

Using MethylC-Seq, a method for mapping epigenomic changes developed by Ecker, the researchers analyzed methylation patterns from a population of Arabidopsis thaliana, a modest mustard weed that has become to plant biology what laboratory mice are to animal biology. The plants were from a variety of climates in the Northern Hemisphere, from Europe to Asia and Sweden to the Cape Verde Islands. Ecker's team examined the genomes and methylomes of A. thaliana, the makeup of their entire genetic and epigenomic codes, respectively, which is the first step toward understanding the impact of epigenetic changes on the plants' physical characteristics and ability to adapt to their environment.

"We expected variation in methylation patterns among groups of plants from around the globe," says co-lead author Robert J. Schmitz, a postdoctoral researcher in Ecker's lab. "The amount, however, was far greater than we ever anticipated."

By analyzing these patterns, Ecker's team was able to chart their effects on the activity of genes in the plants' genome. Scientists know that methylation can inactivate genes, but in contrast to DNA mutations, methylation patterns are reversible, giving the plants the ability to temporarily activate genes. The identification of genes that are epigenetically regulated has greatly narrowed the potential candidates important for environmental adaptation.

Methylation silencing also occurs in humans?and that has implications for treating cancer, a hallmark of which is the silencing of tumor suppressor genes. "If these genes are turned off by the epigenome, they could potentially be turned back on by removing the DNA methylation," says study co-lead author Matthew Schultz, a graduate student in Ecker's lab. Understanding how these methylation variants form in the wild will help toward better engineering of epigenomes.

Ecker's team will next study how methylation variations affect the traits of plants. They will examine stress-induced epigenomic changes and how they might provide clues as to which alterations are most important for the plants.

###

Salk Institute: http://www.salk.edu

Thanks to Salk Institute for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127182/Hidden_layer_of_genome_unveils_how_plants_may_adapt_to_environments_throughout_the_world

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Ghana?s debt is running faster than Usain Bolt - Dr. Akoto Osei

956245407_564035.jpgFormer Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei says Ghana?s economy is already in a ditch after the huge debt piled up in just four years by the NDC government.

According to him, the Mahama-led government in its first term has tripled the country?s debt ? a situation he said will gravely affect all aspects of our national life.

Dr. Akoto Osei, in expressing his frustration over what he said was the total mismanagement of the economy, anticipated that government may increase taxes as an austerity measure.

Minister of Finance, Seth Tekpeh will on Tuesday present the 2013 budget statement in Parliament to outline the economic policies of the state.

The much anticipated budget statement comes at a time the country is experiencing power crisis coupled with huge budget deficits and Ghanaians are expecting government to outline plans to solve the looming crisis.

Speaking on Asempa FM?s Ekosii Sen programme Monday, Dr. Akoto Osei called on the Finance Minister to be sincere and admit that there has been fiscal indiscipline on the part of government.

He noted that the repercussions of government?s unnecessary expenditure had increased Ghana?s debts from GHS 9.5 billion to GHS 33.5 billion.

Sounding sarcastic, Dr. Akoto Osei said the Finance Minister should be bold and tell the President in the face that his "Better Ghana is now Bitter Ghana".

The economist was skeptical about the economy regaining its vibrant status, added that ?the economy is running faster than the world acclaimed fastest runner Usain Bolt?.

?The problem is within and it is time for government to take the bull by the horn and be truthful to Ghanaians because the hardship is going to [be worse]?.

He said considering Ghana?s present state, the budget statement will not change anything.

Dr. Akoto Osei stressed the Minority will actively participate in the debate of the budget when presented to Parliament.

He observed that the job of the opposition NPP was to hold government accountable and that they will do.

Source: http://www.ghanaforum.com/showthread.php/19575-Ghana?s-debt-is-running-faster-than-Usain-Bolt-Dr-Akoto-Osei?goto=newpost

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Most mobile malware hits Android: report

Marshall Honorof , TechNewsDaily ? ? ? 40 min.

Shakespeare nailed Android's current dilemma in "Henry IV": "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown."

Since 2011, Android's share of the worldwide smartphone market has skyrocketed from 49.2 percent to 68.8 percent. That success has not been unqualified, though: a staggering 79 percent of all malware on mobile devices targets Android machines.

This information comes by way of a report from Finland-based F-Secure Response Labs, which monitors digital threats around the world and keeps wary consumers informed and protected.

The report states that while threat levels on BlackBerry, Windows Phone and Apple's iOS are relatively stable, Android's potential hazards have been multiplying at an alarming rate.

The most prominent risk comes in the form of premium SMS scams. These rogue programs are simple and often quite insidious. By masquerading as legitimate apps (such as "Angry Birds" or Instagram), premium SMS malware often installs a working version of the program, but one that requests permissions well in excess of what is normally required.

Gaining access to a user's credit card information, these programs then subscribe to costly messaging or subscription services, putting money directly into scammers' pockets.

Other popular Android hacks include banking Trojans, and anyone using a banking app should be watchful for this kind of malware. To make online banking possible, banks provide users with an authentication number, which is then saved in the phone's cache. [See also: 10 Tips to Keep Your Android Phone Safe]

When hackers get their hands on these numbers, conducting seemingly legal transfers of money into shady accounts is simplicity itself. Last year, one particularly invasive Trojan called Eurograbber robbed users of over $47 million.

Android's rise in market prominence and its malware woes are linked, but a 20 percent increase in market strength does not explain a 200 percent increase in harmful software. In this case, Android's greatest strength is also its Achilles heel.

The platform is considerably more open and developer-friendly than its iOS competitor. While this gives Android operators more freedom in installing apps and modifying a phone's user interface, it also makes the operating system a much easier target for hackers.

Luckily, keeping Android phones safe is no more difficult than protecting home computers. When downloading new apps, be sure that you're getting the official version.

Don't open strange messages or follow questionable links. If you observe any strange program behavior, clear your cache, invest in some mobile anti-virus software or consult your wireless provider.

If everyday users play it smart with their Android phones, F Secure's next report should include much more promising data.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/most-mobile-malware-hits-android-devices-report-1C8753186

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Thursday, March 7, 2013

Obama signs expanded domestic violence law (cbsnews)

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South Sudan army begins offensive against Yau Yau rebels, kills 28

JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan's army launched a military offensive against insurgents loyal to rebel leader David Yau Yau in the eastern Jonglei state, killing 28 militants, authorities said on Tuesday.

Yau Yau raised a rebellion last year, with support from his Murle ethnic group, after losing local elections in 2010.

Revenge killings between Murle and Lou Nuer tribesmen and a heavy-handed government disarmament campaign meant that peace talks between Juba's government and Yau Yau never got off the ground.

"The operation has started," army spokesman Philip Aguer told Reuters. "The community leaders had been given time to make an agreement to get Yau Yau to return but those attempts have failed."

Since winning independence from Sudan in July 2011, South Sudan has been struggling to assert law and order across vast swathes of territory bristling with weapons after the 1983-2005 civil war with Khartoum.

South Sudan's army has clashed repeatedly with rebels in Jonglei, where Total holds a vast oil concession.

Aguer said 28 rebels were killed on Monday in clashes around Kongkong, several kilometres (miles) east of the town of Pibor.

Pibor district commissioner Joshua Konyi said civilians have been advised to gather in urban areas to avoid getting caught up in the army offensive.

"They were told to come to town where it is secure. People need to be protected. Cattle keepers must keep to the river," he told Reuters.

Human rights groups say the army has fuelled dissent by committing abuses including rape and torture during its disarmament programme among the Murle and Lou Nuer, launched last year.

South Sudan has repeatedly accused Sudan of airdropping weapons and supplies to Yau Yau, who the government says is responsible for a cattle raid that killed over 100 Lou Nuer in February.

Sudan denies the allegations and in turn says South Sudan is supporting rebels on its side of the border.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-sudan-army-begins-offensive-against-yau-yau-104343992.html

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Emblaze Mobile's ex-CEO: First Else was eventually ready but the market had changed

We were rather heartbroken when Emblaze Mobile announced the premature death of its First Else project back in June 2010, with the culprit being "critical delays in deliveries;" so when we caught up with ex-CEO Amir Kupervas -- who's now running a startup called UIU -- at MWC, we had to see if he had anything to add to the sad story. "It was ambitious for a small Israeli company to come into consumer electronics, build a brand and try to push it," Kupervas emphasized. "When we started this project it wasn't about ecosystem and apps and things like that. Eventually the iPhone came with its app store, and then Android came with its app store, and we were left behind."

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/05/emblaze-mobile-ceo-amir-kupervas-mwc-2013/

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Jameson Taillon: Future MLB star and Canada?s pitching weapon at WBC

Canada's Jameson Taillon throws before an exhibition spring training baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, March 5, 2013, in Phoenix. Taillon is the highest-drafted Canadian in major-league history after being taken second overall - one spot behind Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper - in the 2010. He's the pitcher the Pittsburgh Pirates hope will one day anchor their starting rotation. He's also Canada's wild card at the World Baseball Classic.

Photograph by: Morry Gash , THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP

PHOENIX ? The burden of expectation should probably weigh more heavily on a young pitcher being groomed for stardom.

Jameson Taillon is the highest-drafted Canadian in major-league history after being taken second overall ? one spot behind Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper ? in 2010. He?s the pitcher the Pittsburgh Pirates hope will one day anchor their starting rotation.

He?s also Canada?s wild card at the World Baseball Classic.

Taillon will start against the United States on Sunday, a strategy Canada hopes will surprise its powerful rival in the same way Adam Loewen did when he held the U.S. scoreless in an 8-6 win in 2006. Taillon?s being asked to give Canada a chance against all-star hitters such as Ryan Braun, David Wright and Giancarlo Stanton.

No sweat. Taillon can?t wait.

?I wouldn?t say it?s intimidating,? said Taillon. ?For me, I?ve really got nothing to lose. Those guys are five-, six-, 10-time all-stars, so I?m just going to go out there and have some fun with it, see what I can do.?

Any fear Taillon might have felt was wiped away last Thursday during his first spring training start for the Pirates against the Boston Red Sox, when he gave up one unearned run and one hit with three strikeouts through two innings.

?I?m out there facing, I don?t even remember who it was, it was a big leaguer,? he said. ?And I was sitting there and I was like, ?Man, how am I going to get this guy out? I watched him on TV. How am I going to get him out?? It worked out well for me, but I think getting that experience out of the way, I?ll be fine going into this.?

At 21, Taillon is the youngest player on the Canadian team. Before the team?s roster was announced, many of Taillon?s teammates didn?t even know he was Canadian. Born in Winter Haven, Fla., to Canadian parents, Taillon grew up in the U.S. The six-foot-six, 225-pound right hander holds dual citizenship and played for USA Baseball as a junior.

When Baseball Canada offered him a roster spot that wouldn?t have been available on a stacked U.S. squad, Taillon accepted. It didn?t go over well with everyone.

?I think I shocked a lot of people when I decided to do this,? he said. ?But it?s something my parents made sure we knew when we were young is that we?re dual citizens. And they always said it will pay off in the future and they made sure we got cultured both ways so I think this is a pretty cool opportunity for me.?

If people were upset, it?s because Taillon gives Canada a powerful arm. He?s got four pitches ? four-seam and two-seam fastballs that touch 94-97 miles per hour, a curveball he calls his strikeout pitch and a change-up he is developing.

He?s also quickly moving up in the Pirates? minor-league system. After spending most of last season with a single-A team, Taillon finished the year with three games in double-A. In those few games, he finished with 18 strikeouts, just one walk and a 1.59 earned-run average in 17 innings pitched.

Taillon and pitching prospect Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh?s No. 1 pick in 2011, represent hope for a franchise trying to return to relevance. Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said he?s impressed with Taillon?s progress so far.

?He?s on a good pace for getting better,? he said. ?He?s a great person, he?s a hard worker, he comes from an unbelievable family and he?s taken some quality steps forward for us.?

Taillon was 18 when he was drafted. One year prior the Nationals drafted Stephen Strasburg with the top pick and only waited a year before calling up the ace pitcher to the majors.

At first, Taillon said he thought more about the expectations for his career. Nobody wants to be a draft bust, but Taillon has learned to relax and embrace the Pirates? hopes for him.

Pirates reliever Chris Leroux, who will start for Canada against Mexico on Saturday, said Taillon has one of the best arms he?s ever seen. He added Taillon?s potential goes beyond the Pirates? rotation, and that he could be one of baseball?s top pitchers.

?He?s a really quiet guy and he just goes about his business,? said Leroux. ?He?s not nervous at all about the World Baseball Classic. He?s a very confident kid. He knows he?s got all the skill sets that it takes to become a dominant pitcher. I?m excited to see him pitch to be quite honest.?

Huntington said he had no reservations about his players competing in the WBC ? besides Taillon and Leroux, Pirates closer Jason Grilli is also playing for Italy ? but Baseball Canada?s Greg Hamilton, the director of national teams, said his team is taking care with one of the Pirates? prized prospects.

Initially Canada planned to start Scott Mathieson on Sunday, but the team decided Taillon might provide more of a surprise against the Americans.

?He has a big arm,? said Hamilton, adding that Taillon makes up for his lack of experience with a pitching arsenal that he hopes U.S. batters will struggle with. ?His stuff is major-league calibre now. It?s plus major-league calibre right now.

?You?re going to have to come in and deal with a mid-90s fastball and a plus breaking ball from him. He?s a big, strong guy who?s coming at you.?

Taillon hasn?t been told what his future will be following the WBC. There?s a chance he moves up to triple-A, but he won?t be surprised by a season in double-A. Barring a major setback, Taillon is on his way to the Pirates? rotation eventually.

There?s also the chance he could still pitch for the U.S. in the future, but Taillon said if he has to choose he won?t forget the opportunity Canada has given him. He?s looking forward to showing off what he can do.

?I feel like going into the game I?ve got nothing to lose,? he said. ?I?m a younger guy, I haven?t made my major league debut yet. That?s how I?m approaching it ? nothing to lose. I know if I make my pitches, I?ve got the stuff that I feel can get anyone in the world out.?

? Copyright (c)

Source: http://feeds.canada.com/~r/canwest/F255/~3/W1dsi0bm2fI/story.html

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Sunday, March 3, 2013

Growing push to halt workplace bullying

Chart shows types of hostility in the workplace

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Margaret Fiester is no shrinking violet, but she says working for her former boss was a nightmare.

"One day I didn't do something right and she actually laid her hands on me and got up in my face and started yelling, 'Why did you do that?'" said Fiester, who worked as a legal assistant for an attorney.

Fiester doesn't have to worry about those tirades anymore, but she hears lots of similar stories in her current role as operations manager at the Society for Human Resource Management, where she often fields questions about the growing issue of workplace bullying.

On-the-job bullying can take many forms, from a supervisor's verbal abuse and threats to cruel comments or relentless teasing by a co-worker. And it could become the next major battleground in employment law as a growing number of states consider legislation that would let workers sue for harassment that causes physical or emotional harm.

"I believe this is the new claim that employers will deal with. This will replace sexual harassment," said Sharon Parella, a management-side employment lawyer in New York. "People who oppose it say these laws will force people to be polite at work. But you can no longer go to work and act like a beast and get away with it."

Many companies already recognize workplace bullying as a problem that can sap morale, lead to increased employee turnover and even affect the bottom line. Half the employers in a 2011 survey by the management association reported incidents of bullying in their workplace, and about a fourth of human resource professionals themselves said they had been bullied.

At St. Anthony North Hospital outside of Denver, human resources director Robert Archibold says most of the bullying incidents he sees are peer-to-peer. In a recent case, one worker got offended by a co-worker's remark and suggested they "take it out to the parking lot." The offending worker was suspended under the hospital's anti-bullying policy, which has been in place for more than a decade.

"Hostile work environments, threats, bullying can come from anywhere," he said. "You can't tell by looking at someone who it will be."

One reason the issue has attracted more attention in recent years is that parents who deal with school bullying realize it can happen in the workplace, too.

Some employers have put into place anti-bullying policies, but advocacy groups want to go even further. They have been urging states to give legal rights to workers who do not already fit into a protected class based on race, gender or national origin.

More than a dozen states ? including New York and Massachusetts ? have considered anti-bullying laws in the past year that would allow litigants to pursue lost wages, benefits and medical expenses and compel employers to prevent an "abusive work environment."

Gary Namie, a social psychologist who co-founded the Bellingham, Wash.-based Workplace Bullying Institute in 1997, is among those leading the charge, along with labor unions and civil rights groups. He says the economic downturn has made bullying even worse and argues that passage of the laws would give employers more incentive to crack down on bad behavior in the workplace.

"People are trapped; they don't have the same alternative jobs to jump to," Namie said. "They are staying longer in these pressured, stress-filled, toxic work environments."

Business groups have strongly opposed the measures, arguing they would open the floodgates to frivolous lawsuits.

"We would look at a bill like this as overreaching," said Marc Freedman, executive director of labor law policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He said the bill would punish an employer for acts of its employees that it may not be able to anticipate.

But Parella, the employment lawyer, thinks it's only a matter of time before states begin passing these laws and bullying issues become a major factor in workplace litigation.

"Once it passes in a few states, there will be a chain reaction," she said, noting that other countries such as England, Ireland and Sweden already have laws addressing workplace harassment.

In Massachusetts, the National Association of Government Employees Local 282 has been one the first unions in the country to include an anti-bullying clause in collective bargaining agreements.

"From a labor perspective, we want there to be remedies in place for corrections to be made, not to yell, scream, threaten or treat the person basically like a slave," said Greg Sorozan, president of NAGE, which represents about 12,000 public employees.

In 2008, Sorozan succeeded in placing "mutual respect" provisions in labor contracts with the state that say harassment, abusive language and bullying behavior will not be tolerated in the workplace. It allows workers to raise concerns with managers and file a grievance if not satisfied.

Sorozan said the provision recently helped workers in a state office who complained about a manager who acted bizarrely, leering at employees over cubicles and randomly punishing those who questioned him by reassigning them or refusing to let them take vacations. After the union complained, the manager was eventually forced out.

The management association survey found that 56 percent of companies have some kind of anti-bullying policy, usually contained in an employee handbook or code of conduct. Most said their response to bullying allegations depends on the circumstances but could include suspension, termination, reassignment or mandatory anger management training.

Employers say the vast majority of bullying incidents are verbal abuse, such as shouting, swearing and name-calling, along with malicious gossip, rumors and lies. Bullying through technology, such as Facebook or other social media, accounted for about 1 in 5 incidents, the survey found.

"It's usually the manager or senior executive who's just a complete out-of-control jerk," Fiester said. "Everyone's going to be walking around on eggshells around somebody like that. You're afraid to make mistakes, you're afraid to speak up, you're afraid to challenge."

If the bully is a senior manager or CEO, resolving a complaint can be tricky for a low-level human resources employee.

"It might be a little bit difficult to discipline the CEO," said Fiester, the human resources adviser. "You are really walking a tightrope."

She suggests approaching someone else in senior management who might be in a better position to approach the boss.

___

Follow Sam Hananel on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SamHananelAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-01-Workplace%20Bullying/id-68dbdb2a497d4812a87f1898be06d4a8

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