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In his new cover story for New York magazine, Joe Hagan offers the most in-depth look at the Today?show ratings?disaster that has created Matt Lauer's weeks-long attempt at image rehabilitation, and it's now clear that the defining moment that brought the morning show crashing own to Earth ? the exit of Ann Curry ? was something of a cross between the fourth circle of Hell and?and running with the Heathers?in high school: Curry got pranked, she got her clothes made fun of, she was prevented from reaching out to Robin Roberts, and her legacy lives on as a ...

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North Korea puts rocket units on 'highest alert,' issues new threats against US

It was announced that North Korea has now ordered rockets and long-range artillery units to be targeted towards U.S. military bases on Guam, Hawaii and the mainland. Analysts believe the threats are only to bolster the appearance of power for new leader Kim Jong Un.

By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News

North Korea stepped up its aggressive rhetoric on Tuesday, ordering its rocket and long-range artillery units to be combat ready and on the "highest alert" and issuing new threats against U.S. bases on Hawaii, Guam and mainland America.

Pyongyang warned that U.S. facilities would be "reduced to ashes and flames the moment the first attack is unleashed," according to a military order issued by the pariah state?s military "supreme command."

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The U.S. and South Korea have signed a military agreement to combine forces in the event of an attack from North Korea. ?NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.

It comes in response to joint military drills by U.S. and South Korean forces which began in the area early this month and which have seen U.S. bombers flying sorties threatening the North.

South Korea's defense ministry said it saw no sign of imminent military action by North Korea Tuesday, according to Reuters.

"They need to stop threatening peace on the peninsula," Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters on Tuesday of North Korea's latest threat. "That doesn't help anyone ... and we stand ready to respond to any contingency,''

He said Pyongyang's statements were designed to "raise tensions and intimidate others."

Rodong Sinmun via EPA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects an army landing exercise on Monday.

North Korea's neighbor and long-time communist ally again called on all parties to show restraint.

"At?present, the situation on the Korean peninsula remains complex and sensitive,'' said China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

The announcement marked a further increase in military rhetoric from Pyongyang, and followed a threat last week that it would attack U.S. bases in the Pacific if its "enemies ? make even the slightest movement."

It came as South Korea marked the third anniversary of the sinking of one its navy vessels, blamed on North Korea, which left 46 sailors dead.

Pyongyang previously threatened nuclear attack on the United States and South Korea, although it is not believed to have the capability to hit the continental United States with an atomic weapon. However, Reuters reported that U.S. military bases in the Pacific area are in range of its medium-range missiles.

The isolated nation has threatened to attack American military bases in Japan and Guam in retaliation for the U.S. conducting military exercises with South Korea. On Wednesday, major South Korean banks and media companies were hacked.

The military statement, also posted on the KCNA website, said: "From this moment the? supreme command will put on the highest alert all the field artillery units including strategic rocket units and long-range artillery units which are assigned to strike bases of the U.S. imperialist aggressor troops in the U.S. mainland and on Hawaii and Guam and other operational zone in the Pacific as well as all the enemy targets in south Korea and its vicinity."

Voice of America?s Northeast Asia bureau chief, Steve Herman, quoted South Korean radio station MND saying Tuesday?s announcement is the first time North Korea has referred to "Il-ho" ? its highest level combat readiness posture.

North Korea has said it has abrogated an armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War and threatened a nuclear attack on the United States.?

The youngest son of Kim Jong Il succeeded his late father in 2011, becoming the third member of his family to rule the unpredictable and reclusive communist state.

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Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

PhotoBlog:?Combat ready? Kim Jong Un inspects troops as N. Korea issues new threats

South Korea on alert after hackers strike banks, broadcasters

US Capitol in flames? North Korea dreams of nuclear strike

UN passes sanctions despite North Korea threat of 'pre-emptive nuclear attack'

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This story was originally published on Tue Mar 26, 2013 6:22 AM EDT

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Sequencing tracks animal-to-human transmission of bacterial pathogens

Mar. 22, 2013 ? Researchers have used whole genome sequencing to reveal if drug-resistant bacteria are transmitted from animals to humans in two disease outbreaks that occurred on different farms in Denmark. The results, which are published today in EMBO Molecular Medicine, confirm animal-to-human transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a disease-causing bacterium that carries the recently described mecC gene. The mecC gene is responsible for resistance to the penicillin-like antibiotic methicillin.

Drug-resistant bacterial infections pose a significant challenge to public health and may have severe and sometimes fatal consequences. As the costs of whole genome sequencing methods continue to plummet and the speed of analysis increases, it becomes increasingly attractive for scientists to use whole genome sequencing to answer disease-related questions.

"We used whole genome sequencing to see if we could determine if the two disease outbreaks were caused by the same bacterium and to investigate if the pathogens were transmitted from animal to humans or the other way around," remarked Mark Holmes, from the University of Cambridge and the senior author on the paper. "At first glance, it seems reasonable to expect the same pathogen to be the source of the two outbreaks at the two geographically close locations. By looking at the single differences in nucleotides or SNPs in the DNA sequences of each isolate, it became obvious that two different strains of bacteria were responsible for the two disease outbreaks. In one case, the results also clearly showed that the most likely direction of transmission was from animal to human."

Methicillin-resistant S. aureus can lead to debilitating skin and soft tissue infections, bacteremia, pneumonia and endocarditis. The researchers used an Illumina HiSeq sequencing system to take a close look at the nucleotide sequence of each pathogen. By comparing single difference in nucleotides in the two sequences (single nucleotide polymorphisms) they were able to reach conclusions about the identity of the pathogens and the routes of infection.

The researchers emphasize that while whole genome sequencing cannot replace other more traditional types of diseases analysis it can greatly increase the ability of scientists to distinguish between different pathogens as the cause of disease.

"Our findings demonstrate that the MRSA strains we studied are capable of transmission between animals and humans, which highlights the role of livestock as a potential reservoir of antibiotic-resistant bacteria," remarked Ewan Harrison, one of the lead authors of the study.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by EMBO - excellence in life sciences.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Ewan M. Harrison, Gavin K. Paterson, Matthew T.G. Holden, Jesper Larsen, Marc Stegger, Anders Rhod Larsen, Andreas Petersen, Robert L. Skov, Judit Marta Christensen, Anne Bak Zeuthen, Ole Heltberg, Simon R. Harris, Ruth N. Zadoks, Julian Parkhill, Sharon J. Peacock, Mark A. Holmes. Whole genome sequencing identifies zoonotic transmission of MRSA isolates with the novelmecAhomologuemecC. EMBO Molecular Medicine, 2013; DOI: 10.1002/emmm.201202413

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/top_news/top_health/~3/0hbveD-BUWY/130325093712.htm

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Microsoft updates Mail, Calendar and People apps in Windows 8, Windows RT

Just as last week was winding down, we heard a credible rumor that Microsoft was about to update some of the native apps found in Windows 8 / Windows RT. Turns out, that report was on the money: the company unveiled some changes today to Mail, Calendar and People, with a particular focus on speed improvements. None of these updates will be available to download until tonight or tomorrow, says a Microsoft rep, so don't all of you go making a beeline for the Windows Store at once now. If you're itching for a preview, though, we've got a summary of the new features after the break, along with a few extra screenshots.

Gallery: Microsoft updates the Mail, Calendar and People apps in Windows 8, Windows RT

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/25/microsoft-updates-mail-calendar-people-apps-in-windows-8-windows-rt/

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Gov't spent nearly $3.7M on ex-presidents in 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Being the leader of the free world is an expensive proposition. And the costs don't stop once you leave the White House.

The government spent nearly $3.7 million on former presidents in 2012, according to an analysis just released by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. That covers a pension, compensation and benefits for office staff, and the government also picks up the tab for other costs like travel, office space and postage.

The costliest former president? George W. Bush, who clocked in last year at just over $1.3 million.

The $3.7 million taxpayers shelled out in 2012 is about $200,000 less than in 2011, and the sum in 2010 was even higher. It's a drop in the bucket compared with the trillions the federal government spends each year.

Still, with ex-presidents able to command eye-popping sums for books, speaking engagements and the like in their post-White House years, the report raises questions about whether the U.S. should provide such generous subsidies at a time when spending cuts and the deficit are forcing lawmakers and federal agencies to seek ways to cut back.

Under the Former Presidents Act, previous inhabitants of the Oval Office are given an annual pension equivalent to a Cabinet secretary's salary ? about $200,000 last year ? plus $96,000 a year for a small office staff.

Departing presidents also get extra help in the first years after they leave office, one reason that Bush's costs were higher than other living ex-presidents. The most recent ex-president to leave the White House, Bush was granted almost $400,000 for 8,000 square feet of office space in Dallas, plus $85,000 in telephone costs. Another $60,000 went to travel costs.

President Bill Clinton came in second at just under $1 million, followed by George H.W. Bush at nearly $850,000. Clinton spent the most government money on office space: $442,000 for his 8,300 square foot digs in New York's Harlem neighborhood.

Clinton's predecessor, President George H.W. Bush, received about $840,000 in federal funds last year. Costs for Jimmy Carter, the only other living former president, came in at about $500,000.

Widows of former presidents are entitled to a pension of $20,000, but Nancy Reagan, the wife of former President Ronald Reagan, waived her pension last year. The former first lady did accept $14,000 in postage.

The cost totals for ex-president don't include what the Secret Service spends protecting them, their spouses and children. Those costs are part of a separate budget that isn't made public.

Funding for ex-presidents under the Former Presidents Act dates back to 1958, when Congress created the program largely in response to President Harry Truman's post-White House financial woes, the Congressional Research Service said. The goal was to maintain the dignity of the presidency and help with ongoing costs associated with being a former president, such as responding to correspondence and scheduling requests.

These days, a former president's income can be substantial from speaking and writing, and ex-presidents also have robust presidential centers and foundations that accept donations and facilitate many of their post-presidential activities.

Noting that none of the living ex-presidents are poor, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, introduced a bill last year that would limit costs to a $200,000 pension, plus another $200,000 that ex-presidents could use at their discretion. And for every dollar that an ex-president earns in excess of $400,000, their annual allowance would be reduced by the same amount. The bill died in committee.

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Follow Josh Lederman at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-25-US-Former-Presidents-Costs/id-8554e9fcb225499f83a2f233b9de724f

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Matt Lauer and Ann Curry Feud: It Was Personal!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/matt-lauer-and-ann-curry-feud-it-was-personal/

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Amanda Bynes? Worried Family Considering Intervention

Amanda Bynes’ Worried Family Considering Intervention

Amanda Bynes’ bizarre behavior has her loved ones very concerned. The trouble star’s family is trying to get her move from New York back to Los Angeles, so they can keep an eye on her. Bynes, 26, has claimed she is fine but her erratic behavior has caused her family members to worry about her ...

Amanda Bynes’ Worried Family Considering Intervention Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/03/amanda-bynes-worried-family-considering-intervention/

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