Source: Business, labor get deal on worker program

FILE - In this May 17, 2012 file photo, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Big business and major labor unions appeared ready Friday, March 29, 2013 to end a fight over a new low-skilled worker program that had threatened to upend negotiations on a sweeping immigration bill in the Senate providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million immigrants already in the U.S. Schumer, who's been brokering talks between the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that negotiators are "very close, closer than we have ever been, and we are very optimistic." He said there were still a few issues remaining. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

FILE - In this May 17, 2012 file photo, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Big business and major labor unions appeared ready Friday, March 29, 2013 to end a fight over a new low-skilled worker program that had threatened to upend negotiations on a sweeping immigration bill in the Senate providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million immigrants already in the U.S. Schumer, who's been brokering talks between the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that negotiators are "very close, closer than we have ever been, and we are very optimistic." He said there were still a few issues remaining. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Several southwest Michigan pastors along with immigrant families and members of the general public take part in a pray-in for immigration reform event outside of Representative Fred Upton's office in downtown Kalamazoo on Friday, March 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Kalamazoo Gazette-MLive Media Group, Matt Gade ) ALL LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL TV INTERNET OUT

Several southwest Michigan pastors along with immigrant families and members of the general public take part in a pray-in for immigration reform event outside of Representative Fred Upton's office in downtown Kalamazoo on Friday, March 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Kalamazoo Gazette-MLive Media Group, Matt Gade ) ALL LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL TV INTERNET OUT

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Big business and labor have struck a deal on a new low-skilled worker program, removing the biggest hurdle to completion of sweeping immigration legislation allowing 11 million illegal immigrants eventual U.S. citizenship, a person with knowledge of the talks said Saturday.

The agreement was reached in a phone call late Friday night with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, U.S. Chamber of Commerce head Tom Donohue, and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, who's been mediating the dispute.

The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement, said the deal resolves disagreements over wages for the new workers and which industries would be included. Those disputes had led talks to break down a week ago, throwing into doubt whether Schumer and seven other senators crafting a comprehensive bipartisan immigration bill would be able to complete their work as planned.

The deal must still be signed off on by the other senators working with Schumer, including Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Marco Rubio of Florida, but that's expected to happen. With the agreement in place, the senators are expected to unveil their legislation the week of April 8. Their measure would secure the border, crack down on employers, improve legal immigration and create a 13-year pathway to citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants already here.

It's a major second-term priority of President Barack Obama's and would usher in the most dramatic changes to the nation's faltering immigration system in more than two decades.

The AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce, longtime antagonists over temporary worker programs, had been fighting over wages for tens of thousands of low-skilled workers who would be brought in under the new program to fill jobs in construction, hotels and resorts, nursing homes and restaurants, and other industries.

Under the agreement, a new "W'' visa program would go into effect beginning April 1, 2015, according to another official involved with the talks who also spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement.

In year one of the program, 20,000 workers would be allowed in; in year two, 35,000; in year three, 55,000; and in year four, 75,000. Ultimately the program would be capped at 200,000 workers a year, but the number of visas would fluctuate, depending on unemployment rates, job openings, employer demand and data collected by a new federal bureau pushed by the labor movement as an objective monitor of the market.

A "safety valve" would allow employers to exceed the cap if they can show need and pay premium wages, but any additional workers brought in would be subtracted from the following year's cap, the official said.

The workers could move from employer to employer and would be able to petition for permanent residency and ultimately seek U.S. citizenship. Neither is possible for temporary workers now.

The new program would fill needs employers say they have that are not currently met by U.S. immigration programs. Most industries don't have a good way to hire a steady supply of foreign workers because there's one temporary visa program for low-wage nonagricultural workers but it's capped at 66,000 visas per year and is only supposed to be used for seasonal or temporary jobs.

Business has sought temporary worker programs in a quest for a cheaper workforce, but labor has opposed the programs because of concerns over working conditions and the effect on jobs and wages for U.S. workers. The issue helped sink the last major attempt at immigration overhaul in 2007, which the AFL-CIO opposed partly because of temporary worker provisions, and the flare-up earlier this month sparked concerns that the same thing would happen this time around. Agreement between the two traditional foes is one of many indications that immigration reform has its best chance in decades in Congress this year.

After apparent miscommunications earlier this month between the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce on the wage issue, the deal resolves it in a way both sides are comfortable with, officials said.

Workers would earn actual wages paid to American workers or the prevailing wages for the industry they're working in, whichever is higher. The Labor Department would determine prevailing wage based on customary rates in specific localities, so that it would vary from city to city.

There also had been disagreement on how to handle the construction industry, which unions argue is different from other industries in the new program because it can be more seasonal in nature and includes a number of higher-skilled trades. The official said the resolution will cap at 15,000 a year the number of visas that can be sought by the construction industry.

Schumer called White House chief of staff Denis McDonough on Saturday to inform him of the deal, the person with knowledge of the talks said. The three principals in the talks ? Trumka, Donohue and Schumer ? agreed they should meet for dinner soon to celebrate, the person said.

Separately, the new immigration bill also is expected to offer many more visas for high-tech workers, new visas for agriculture workers, and provisions allowing some agriculture workers already in the U.S. a speedier path to citizenship than that provided to other illegal immigrants, in an effort to create a stable agricultural workforce.

___

Follow Erica Werner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericawerner

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-30-Immigration/id-f56bb8eb3958447da48253346267cdec

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Smith leads Louisville to 77-69 victory over Ducks

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Even a nasty cold can't stop Russ Smith.

With his teammates struggling with the virus he gave them and top-seeded Louisville facing its toughest test of the postseason, Russ put on his best show yet. He matched his career high of 31 points and the Cardinals proved they can win close games, too, beating Oregon 77-69 on Friday night.

"Without Russ Smith, we couldn't win," said Louisville coach Rick Pitino, who improved to 11-0 in the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament.

Louisville (32-5) plays Duke on Sunday, the first time Pitino and Mike Krzyzewski have met in a regional final since Christian Laettner's shot in 1992.

Louisville has been nearly untouchable during its 13-game winning streak, beating opponents by an average of 17 points. And it looked as if this was going to be more of the same when Smith outscored Oregon 9-8 through the first 10 minutes.

But the 12th-seeded Ducks (28-9) made a game of it late.

After Louisville went up 66-48 with 9:01 left, Oregon made six straight field goals to close to 70-64 ? the closest anyone's been to the Cardinals in weeks. But Kevin Ware scored on a layup and Chane Behanan threw down a monstrous dunk to put the game out of reach.

Ware finished with 11, topping his previous career best by one, and Gorgui Dieng had 10 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots.

"Russ Smith is a talented young man. They've got a lot of talented players," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "When he got going, we didn't have an answer."

E.J. Singler's 15 points led five Ducks in double figures. But Damyean Dotson had an off night, held without a field goal until five minutes were gone in the second half, and Oregon could never recover from its poor start.

Early foul trouble didn't help, with Johnathan Loyd picking up his third before halftime and Dominic Artis and Carlos Emory playing the last six minutes of the half with two.

"If it wasn't for the beginning, it would have been a completely different game," Loyd said. "We just came out, we weren't ready and we got smacked. If we were playing the way were playing in the second half the whole game, it's a completely different story."

The Cardinals were barely tested in either of their first two games in the NCAA tournament, beating North Carolina A&T by 31 and Colorado State by 26. They set an NCAA tournament record with 20 steals against A&T, outrebounded one of the country's best rebounding teams in Colorado State and left both teams with ugly shooting lines.

But that hacking cough that Smith has had the last few days is making its way around the Louisville team, and it was clear from the start this wasn't going to be another juggernaut performance by the Cardinals.

Peyton Siva spent the last 15:19 of the first half on the bench after picking up his second foul, and Louisville wasn't nearly as stingy on defense as it's been. The Cardinals (13) actually had more turnovers than the Ducks (12), and Oregon is only the third team to shoot 44 percent or better during Louisville's winning streak.

"We've been a great defensive team ? not a good one, a great one ? all season," Pitino said. "Tonight, their quickness was so good, all it did was wear us out defensively. But we had Russ Smith and Kevin really bail us out of some situations that could have gone either way."

After Siva went out, Smith hit a 3 to spark a 14-3 run that put Louisville up 24-8.

"We really dug ourselves a big hole," Singler said. "We tried to figure back as much as possible, but Louisville's a really, really good team. They just played better than us today."

But the Ducks aren't a team that gives in. After losing six of their last 11 regular-season games, the Ducks have been on a tear. They won the Pac-12 tournament, then upset Oklahoma State and Saint Louis last weekend.

After Luke Hancock's 3 capped a 12-2 run that put Louisville up 66-48, the Ducks would make six straight field goals. When Dotson knocked down a jumper with 5:12 remaining, it got Oregon within six, the closest it had been since early in the first half.

Closest anyone had been to Louisville since the Big East tournament, actually.

"We've been in that position before this year," Singler said.

But part of what makes the Cardinals so imposing is their maturity and their options, which seem endless. Instead of panicking, the Cardinals regrouped and regained control, and the Ducks never threatened again.

"I told our guys, 'We don't have it tonight. It's obvious,'" Pitino said. "We're winning with offense and that's great, but we've got to start digging in and getting stops. We did it at the end."

Ware brought a halt to the Oregon run with his layup and then came Behanan's dunk. Smith made a pair of free throws, and the only question was whether the Ducks could get back within single digits before the buzzer.

"(Smith) made big plays," Altman said. "When you let a good team like Louisville be the aggressor, they're tough to beat."

Even with colds.

"Coach has been telling me to fight through it, fight through it, dig in. My teammates as well," Smith said. "We're fighting through it and just doing whatever we can to get a win."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/smith-leads-louisville-77-69-victory-over-ducks-013024595--spt.html

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How Big Is the Tallest Mountain That Could Ever Exist on Earth?

We've got some pretty tall mountains here on Earth. Granted, even the best of 'em don't hold a candle to what's waiting on Mars, but they're still impressive. Just look at the views Google got with its Street Mountain View shots. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/_4YOyCKIxcQ/how-big-is-the-tallest-mountain-that-could-ever-exist-on-earth

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Gene responsible for short stature of dwarf pearl millet identified

Mar. 29, 2013 ? While pearl millet is a major food staple in some of the fastest growing regions on Earth, relatively little is known about the drought-hardy grain.

Recently, plant geneticists at the University of Georgia successfully isolated the gene that creates dwarfed varieties of pearl millet. It is the first time a gene controlling an important agronomic trait has been isolated in the pearl millet genome. Their work appeared in the March edition of the journal G3: Genes, Genomics, Genetics.

The dwarf varieties are economically important in the U.S., India and Africa, in particular.

The researchers, led by UGA's Katrien Devos, also were able to trace the dwarf gene to plants bred 50 years ago by Glenn Burton, a UGA plant breeder who worked on the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Tifton campus.

Knowing which gene controls the dwarfing trait will help plant breeders create more efficient, sustainable varieties of millet that have the short stature some farmers and ranchers want.

"Knowing the actual gene that reduces plant height has allowed us to develop markers that can be used by breeders to screen for the presence of the gene long before the effects of the gene can be visually observed," said Devos, a professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, housed in the department of crop and soil sciences, and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences' department of plant biology.

"In the longer term, the knowledge gained in pearl millet will help to develop semi-dwarf lines with high agronomic performance in other cereal crops," she said.

Rajiv K. Parvathaneni, a doctoral student working in Devos' lab, was in charge of tracking down the gene, which works by controlling the flow of the growth hormone auxin through the plant.

He also wanted to understand the mechanism by which the gene controls auxin and to develop plant-breeder-friendly markers that would allow breeders to screen for the dwarfing gene before their plants matured.

The gene that Parvathaneni found affects the downward transport of auxin, which is made in the top part of the plant. If this gene is on, the auxin flows freely, and millet will grow to its full height, about 10 feet. If it is off, the millet plant may only grow to be 3 to 5 feet in height.

Parvathaneni and Devos' team first found which region of the pearl millet's genome contributed to growth and then compared that section to a similar section of DNA from sorghum. Sorghum is a grain related to pearl millet, and a complete map of its genome recently was released by Devos' UGA colleague Andy Patterson.

The comparison revealed that ABCB1, a gene controlling auxin transport and causing reduced plant height in sorghum, was the prime gene candidate controlling pearl millet dwarf stature, Devos said.

Comparative genome analysis, a process in which an unmapped genome is compared to the genome of a similar and more thoroughly described plant genome, is a common method to help identify the functions of specific genes, especially in crops for which little genetic resources are available.

The next step for Devos' team is to work with researchers in other states to understand more fully how auxin transport differs in tall and dwarf millet plants and to verify that ABCB1 is in fact the gene that controls dwarfism.

After Devos and Parvathaneni located the dwarfing gene, they tested pearl millet dwarfs from around the world. All dwarfs caused by a nonfunctional ABCB1 gene have the same mutation as the dwarfs that were first bred by Burton in the 1960s.

Dwarf varieties of pearl millet are not ideal for every planting situation. In Africa, many farmers prefer taller varieties because they use the long stalks for roofing thatch and other applications.

However, where millet is intensively cultivated, dwarf millet allows farmers to harvest the grain with mechanical threshers. Ranchers like dwarf millet as a forage plant because it has a high leaf-to-stem ratio, Devos said.

Knowing more about the plant in general is key to broadening production of the very drought-resistant, hardy grain.

"The crop itself has a future, a bright one-especially in regions where climate change may lead to more erratic rainfall patterns as pearl millet is highly drought tolerant. It already is a popular food crop in semi-arid regions of India and Africa and will likely gain interest from drought-prone regions of the developed world as an alternative to corn in animal feed," Parvathaneni said.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Georgia. The original article was written by J. Merritt Melancon.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. R. K. Parvathaneni, V. Jakkula, F. K. Padi, S. Faure, N. Nagarajappa, A. C. Pontaroli, X. Wu, J. L. Bennetzen, K. M. Devos. Fine-Mapping and Identification of a Candidate Gene Underlying the d2 Dwarfing Phenotype in Pearl Millet, Cenchrus americanus (L.) Morrone. G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics, 2013; 3 (3): 563 DOI: 10.1534/g3.113.005587

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/most_popular/~3/4r0xnrj5Ms4/130329161249.htm

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A smartphone solution to childhood obesity

The best weapon in the battle against obesity may already be in the hands of children and teenagers.

That?s the thinking behind the work of several researchers and technologists around the country who hope to turn cell phones into devices that can help young people make healthier food and lifestyle choices.

A recent Pew Internet study found that 78 percent of teens now have a cell phone, and almost half of them ? 47 percent -- own smartphones with computing capability.

?It?s interesting because most people think using technology is part of the problem,? said Dr. Susan Woolford of the Pediatric Comprehensive Weight Management Center at the University of Michigan, pointing to video games and other uses of technology that have made teens more sedentary. ?We?re actually using this new technology to help us.?

Woolford leads a team that sends highly tailored and targeted text messages to obese adolescents to help them change their behaviors. The messages urge teens to reduce their time in front of TV and computer screens, eat a healthy breakfast and more fruits and vegetables, and reduce the number of sweets and sugary beverages in their diets.

The initial test program had bout 25 volunteer participants -- overweight teens who are participating in university's weight management program.

To get the most effective messages to individual teens, participants in the pilot program filled out an online survey with questions about their activity level, what kind of support they have, what kind of foods they prefer and what inspires them to lose weight.

From there, the team has developed a database of 100 or so unique automated messages that are sent daily. Their goal is to get the right message at the right time to the right person.

?We aren?t going to suggest you play basketball as an activity if you said your interest was in water sports,? Woolford said.

Or if a teen prefers dairy for breakfast, the team?s text might suggest low-fat yogurt.

Woolford said the feedback from the participants has been crucial in shaping the messages.

She pointed to a text suggesting alternative snacks that said, ?Instead of ice cream try frozen yogurt today." But some teens in the study were quick to point out when they see the words ?ice cream? in a message they don?t see see the healthy alternative that comes later.

So, Woolford said, the text message simply became "Try yogurt this morning."

?I think technology is definitely going to help us,? she said, ?It?s not just sending a text message, it?s send the right text message. And if we pay attention to the content the success is greater.?

In Massachusetts, Dr. Nicolas Oreskovic is using another common smartphone feature ? the Global Positioning System ? to study where in a city and when young people are active.

?What urban spaces do they use for physical activity and what spaces they do not use for physical activity?? Oreskovic asked.

Oreskovic and his team based at Massachusetts General Hospital?s Center for Child and Adolescent Health Policy had teens in Revere, Mass. wear GPS devices on their wrists and accelerometers on their hips for several months over three seasons to collect data on the location and activity of their daily routines.

By plotting the results on a city map, Oreskovic noticed that children tend to be active in outdoor spaces like parks, playgrounds, streets and sidewalks rather than indoor spaces like their home and school. He also charted when they are most active and where and when they walked to a park or playground.

Oreskovic said he hopes such studies help urban planners design cities and towns to promote a more healthy and active lifestyle in children.

If city officials had good data about how children use their sidewalks, parks and open areas, they can redesign communities with the right walking paths to the right parks, Oreskovic said. Decisions could be made using scientific data, which in turn should encourage more use of a city's parks, playscapes and open space.

Oreskovic said a next step could be to use location mapping to help teens find healthy food options and places to spend their time. The GPS on their cellphones and texting technology could be combined to point teens to a safe park to play or suggest a healthier restaurant near their favorite fast food joint.

?I think the wave of the future in these not traditional areas,? Oreskovic said. ?Intervention in schools has had a limited impact. These novel technology areas are where we can individualize obesity counseling may be helpful.?

Technology is making great strides in the fight against obesity according to Dr. Philip Schauer, director of the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. Schauer said hundreds of applications on mobile and desktop and computerized devices, like smart watches and digital jewelry, are being developed to help users maintain a healthy lifestyle.

?Some of these smart watches can help us with weight, they can keep track of the steps day we take each day, the calories burning and track our weight on daily basis," Schauer said.

"There?s all kinds of apps, more and more come out each day and it?s hard to keep track of them,? Schauer said. ?I even think they are working on one where you can take a picture of the food eating with the camera on your smartphone and an app tells you how many calories it is.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/researchers-combat-obesity-tech-tools-popular-teens-135530214.html

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Change (talking-points-memo)

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What's the Safest Seat in an Airplane?

The truth is that, statistically, planes are one of the safest ways to travel. But with that being said, even walking out your front door is going to come with its fair share of risks. So for all you hyper-paranoid aerophobes out there, the UK's Channel 4 is producing a documentary—The Crash—that attempts to officially settle, once and for all, which spot on an airplane least resembles that of a deathtrap. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/-6rF56X350o/whats-the-safest-seat-in-an-airplane

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OpenELEC 3.0 Linux distro gets official, supports 'more hardware than ever'

The OpenELEC Linux distro came out of beta with its official 3.0.0 version this week, and according to its makers nearly every part has been upgraded since the 2.0 release last year. This release of the media center package is based on XBMC 12.1 and as such includes its assortment of updates, as well as specific improvements for the Raspberry Pi, MC001 devices, Apple TV and AMD hardware. If you're on 2.0 you'll need to manually update to the new version. Hit the source link for a full changelog and instructions on how to get it all working.

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Source: OpenELEC.tv

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/27/openelec-3-0/

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A new way to lose weight? Changing microbes in guts of mice resulted in rapid weight loss

Mar. 27, 2013 ? Scientists at Harvard may have new hope for anyone who's tried to fight the battle of the bulge.

New research, conducted in collaboration with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, has found that the gut microbes of mice undergo drastic changes following gastric bypass surgery. Transfer of these microbes into sterile mice resulted in rapid weight loss. The study is described in a March 27 paper in Science Translational Medicine.

"Simply by colonizing mice with the altered microbial community, the mice were able to maintain a lower body fat, and lose weight -- about 20% as much as they would if they underwent surgery," said Peter Turnbaugh, a Bauer Fellow at Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Center for Systems Biology, and one of two senior authors of the paper.

But as striking as those results were, they weren't as dramatic as they might have been.

"In some ways we were biasing the results against weight loss," Turnbaugh said, explaining that the mice used in the study hadn't been given a high-fat, high-sugar diet to increase their weight beforehand. "The question is whether we might have seen a stronger effect if they were on a different diet."

"Our study suggests that the specific effects of gastric bypass on the microbiota contribute to its ability to cause weight loss and that finding ways to manipulate microbial populations to mimic those effects could become a valuable new tool to address obesity," said Lee Kaplan, director of the Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition Institute at MGH and the other senior author of the paper.

"We need to learn a good deal more about the mechanisms by which a microbial population changed by gastric bypass exert its effects, and then we need to learn if we can produce these effects -- either the microbial changes or the associated metabolic changes -- without surgery," Kaplan, an associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, added. "The ability to achieve even some of these effects without surgery would give us an entirely new way to treat the critical problem of obesity, one that could help patients unable or unwilling to have surgery."

While the results were exciting, Turnbaugh warned that it may be years before they could be replicated in humans, and that such microbial changes shouldn't be viewed as a way to lose those stubborn last 10 pounds without going to the gym. Rather, the technique may one day offer hope to dangerously obese people who want to lose weight without going through the trauma of surgery.

"It may not be that we will have a magic pill that will work for everyone who's slightly overweight," he said. "But if we can, at a minimum, provide some alternative to gastric bypass surgery that produces similar effects, it would be a major advance."

While there had been hints that the microbes in the gut might change after bypass surgery, the speed and extent of the change came as a surprise to the research team.

In earlier experiments, researchers had shown that the guts of both lean and obese mice are populated by varying amounts of two types of bacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. When mice undergo gastric bypass surgery, however, it "resets the whole picture," Turnbaugh said.

"The post-bypass community was dominated by Proteobacteria and Proteobacteria, and had relatively low levels of Firmicutes," he said. What's more, Turnbaugh said, those changes occurred within a week of the surgery, and weren't short-lived -- the altered gut microbial community remained stable for months afterward.

While the results may hold out the hope for weight loss without surgery, both Turnbaugh and Kaplan warned that future studies are needed to understand exactly what is behind the weight loss seen in mice.

"A major gap in our knowledge is the underlying mechanism linking microbes to weight loss," Turnbaugh said. "There were certain microbes that we found at higher abundance after surgery, so we think those are good targets for beginning to understand what's taking place."

In fact, Turnbaugh said, the answer may not be the specific types of microbes, but a by-product they excrete.

In addition to changes in the microbes found in the gut, researchers found changes in the concentration of certain short-chain fatty acids. Other studies, Turnbaugh said, have suggested that those molecules may be critical in signaling to the host to speed up metabolism, or not to store excess calories as fat.

Going forward, Turnbaugh and Kaplan hope to continue to explore those questions.

"We think such studies will allow us to understand how host/microbial interactions in general can influence the outcome of a given diet," Kaplan said. "To some degree, what we're learning is a comfort for people who have an issue with their weight, because more and more we're learning that the story is more complicated than just how much you exercise and how much you eat."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Harvard University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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. A. P. Liou, M. Paziuk, J.-M. Luevano, S. Machineni, P. J. Turnbaugh, L. M. Kaplan. Conserved Shifts in the Gut Microbiota Due to Gastric Bypass Reduce Host Weight and Adiposity. Science Translational Medicine, 2013; 5 (178): 178ra41 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3005687

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/~3/55s2_HYwLsA/130327144124.htm

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Uncovering Africa's oldest known penguins

Mar. 26, 2013 ? Africa isn't the kind of place you might expect to find penguins. But one species lives along Africa's southern coast today, and newly found fossils confirm that as many as four penguin species coexisted on the continent in the past. Exactly why African penguin diversity plummeted to the one species that lives there today is still a mystery, but changing sea levels may be to blame, the researchers say.

The fossil findings, described in the March 26 issue of the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, represent the oldest evidence of these iconic tuxedo-clad seabirds in Africa, predating previously described fossils by 5 to 7 million years.

Co-authors Daniel Thomas of the National Museum of Natural History and Dan Ksepka of the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center happened upon the 10-12 million year old specimens in late 2010, while sifting through rock and sediment excavated from an industrial steel plant near Cape Town, South Africa.

Jumbled together with shark teeth and other fossils were 17 bone fragments that the researchers recognized as pieces of backbones, breastbones, wings and legs from several extinct species of penguins.

Based on their bones, these species spanned nearly the full size spectrum for penguins living today, ranging from a runty pint-sized penguin that stood just about a foot tall (0.3 m), to a towering species closer to three feet (0.9 m).

Only one penguin species lives in Africa today -- the black-footed penguin, or Spheniscus demersus, also known as the jackass penguin for its loud donkey-like braying call. Exactly when penguin diversity in Africa started to plummet, and why, is still unclear.

Gaps in the fossil record make it difficult to determine whether the extinctions were sudden or gradual. "[Because we have fossils from only two time periods,] it's like seeing two frames of a movie," said co-author Daniel Ksepka. "We have a frame at five million years ago, and a frame at 10-12 million years ago, but there's missing footage in between."

Humans probably aren't to blame, the researchers say, because by the time early modern humans arrived in South Africa, all but one of the continent's penguins had already died out.

A more likely possibility is that rising and falling sea levels did them in by wiping out safe nesting sites.

Although penguins spend most of their lives swimming in the ocean, they rely on offshore islands near the coast to build their nests and raise their young. Land surface reconstructions suggest that five million years ago -- when at least four penguin species still called Africa home -- sea level on the South African coast was as much as 90 meters higher than it is today, swamping low-lying areas and turning the region into a network of islands. More islands meant more beaches where penguins could breed while staying safe from mainland predators.

But sea levels in the region are lower today. Once-isolated islands have been reconnected to the continent by newly exposed land bridges, which may have wiped out beach nesting sites and provided access to predators.

Although humans didn't do previous penguins in Africa in, we'll play a key role in shaping the fate of the one species that remains, the researchers add.

Numbers of black-footed penguins have declined by 80% in the last 50 years, and in 2010 the species was classified as endangered. The drop is largely due to oil spills and overfishing of sardines and anchovies -- the black-footed penguin's favorite food.

"There's only one species left today, and it's up to us to keep it safe," Thomas said.

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Journal Reference:

1. Daniel B. Thomas, Daniel T. Ksepka. A history of shifting fortunes for African penguins. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013; DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12024

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Jeb Bush on brother's paintings (CNN)

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LaToya Ruby Frazier Photographs: 'A Haunted Capital' Captures Family Life In A Forgotten Industrial Town (PHOTOS)

LaToya Ruby Frazier has fierce ties to her roots. The artist grew up in Braddock, Pennsylvania -- the site of one of America's first steel mills.

In a new show at the Brooklyn Museum, "A Haunted Capital," Frazier's photographs of Braddock display a town left in the dust after the advent of the digital age. The black-and-white images, which were actually taken within the last 10 year, look as if they are decades old. Yet the striking photographs breathe life back into the abandoned town, bringing a spotlight to the real faces and homes of the contemporary town.

You might remember Frazier's work from 2010, when she and Liz Magic Laser -- the artist who designed subversive branding for the Armory Show this year -- protested a Levi's ad campaign that described Braddock as "the new frontier" by furiously rubbing their bodies on the sidewalk in front of a Levi's pop-up shop while wearing jeans.

Scroll through the slideshow below to see some of Frazier's photographs of Braddock, and tell us what you think of the haunting images in the comments.

"A Haunted Capital" runs from March 22 - August 11 at the Brooklyn Museum.

• Momme Portrait Series (Shadow) LaToya Ruby Frazier, American, born 1982 7/8 2008 Gelatin silver photograph Mount: 24 x 28 in. (61 x 71.1 cm) Sheet: 15 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. (39.4 x 49.5 cm) Emily Winthrop Miles Fund

• U.P.M.C. Braddock Hospital and Holland Avenue Parking Lot, 2011 LaToya Ruby Frazier, American, born 1982 Gelatin silver photograph mounted on board: 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm) framed: 24 x 28 in. (61 x 71.1 cm)

• Grandma Ruby and U.P.M.C. Braddock Hospital on Braddock Avenue, 2007 LaToya Ruby Frazier, American, born 1982 Gelatin silver photograph mounted on board: 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm) framed: 24 x 28 in. (61 x 71.1 cm)

• Mom's Friend Mr. Yerby, 2005 LaToya Ruby Frazier, American, born 1982 Gelatin silver photograph mounted on board: 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm) framed: 24 x 28 in. (61 x 71.1 cm)

• The Bottom, 2009 LaToya Ruby Frazier, American, born 1982 Gelatin silver photograph mounted on board: 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm) framed: 24 x 28 in. (61 x 71.1 cm)

• Mom's American Cheeseburger, 2005 LaToya Ruby Frazier, American, born 1982 Gelatin silver photograph mounted on board: 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm) framed: 24 x 28 in. (61 x 71.1 cm)

• Grandma Ruby Holding Her Babies, 2002 LaToya Ruby Frazier, American, born 1982 Gelatin silver photograph mounted on board: 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm) framed: 24 x 28 in. (61 x 71.1 cm)

• Aunt Midgie and Grandma Ruby, 2007 LaToya Ruby Frazier, American, born 1982 Gelatin silver photograph mounted on board: 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm) framed: 24 x 28 in. (61 x 71.1 cm)

• Grandma Ruby and Me, 2005 LaToya Ruby Frazier (American, b. 1982). Gelatin silver photograph, 15 1/2 x 18 1/2 in. (39.4 x 47 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Emily Winthrop Miles Fund, 2011.63.1. ? LaToya Ruby Frazier. Photo by LaToya Ruby Frazier

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Putin foe Berezovsky dead, circumstances "unexplained"

By Guy Faulconbridge and Maria Golovnina

LONDON (Reuters) - Boris Berezovsky, the Russian oligarch who helped broker Vladimir Putin's rise to the Kremlin's top job only to become his sworn enemy, has been found dead at his home in Britain in unclear circumstances. He was 67.

Police in Britain, where the tycoon fled in 2000 after falling foul of the Kremlin under Putin, said on Saturday the death was unexplained and they had started an investigation.

Associates said the man who personified the ruthless world of post-Soviet politics may have committed suicide or suffered a heart attack following the stress of losing a $6 billion court case to Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich.

He was found at his house in Ascot, a commuter town 25 miles west of London, by one of his bodyguards, possibly in his Russian sauna.

"I can confirm he died in his home. I've known him for a long, long time, we have spent a lot of time together," Andrei Sidelnikov, a Russian dissident living in London who was a friend of Berezovsky's, told Reuters.

"I am shocked. It is the end of an epoch."

A fast-talking former mathematician who scaled the heights of the ruthless world of post-Soviet business and politics, Berezovsky clashed with Putin soon after his election in 2000 and fled for Britain where he became his most vociferous enemy.

From his base in London, Berezovsky vowed to overthrow Putin whom he cast as a corrupt 'bandit' surrounded by venal ex-KGB spies. Once a supporter, he accused Putin of rolling back the freedoms won after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Berezovsky's court included some of Putin's most wanted enemies, including a former Chechen rebel, and the former billionaire funded opposition leaders and former spies such as Alexander Litvinenko, who was murdered in London in 2006.

Putin fumed at any mention of Berezovsky and his asylum in Britain strained ties between London and Moscow, which cast Berezovsky as a criminal who should stand trial for massive fraud and tax evasion.

"UNRELIABLE WITNESS"

Once cast as the 'godfather of the Kremlin' by foes and admirers alike, Berezovsky was humiliated in 2012 when he lost a legal battle with former partner Abramovich, over shares in Russia's fourth biggest oil company.

The judge, Elizabeth Gloster, said Berezovsky was an "unimpressive and inherently unreliable witness" who would say "almost anything to support his case".

Some associates said that Berezovsky, once one of Russia's richest billionaires, had grappled with the financial impact of losing the case, which lawyers at the time said could open him up to claims for costs of considerably more than $100 million.

Clearly shaken by the verdict in August, Berezovsky said it appeared to have been written by Putin himself but in the months following he kept a low profile and was rarely seen in public.

Berezovsky had sought as much as $6 billion from Abramovich whom he accused of using the threat of Kremlin retribution to intimidate him into selling out of Russia's fourth biggest oil company at a knockdown price. He also accused Abramovich of selling his shares in RUSAL, the world's top aluminum producer, without his permission.

The judge dismissed all of Berezovsky's claims.

In an effort to recoup some of the losses incurred during case, Berezovsky is said to have auctioned off an Andy Warhol portrait of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin to raise cash.

He agreed to pay one of Britain's biggest-ever divorce settlements to his former wife Galina in 2011. Local media said the settlement was believed to be more than $100 million.

"My sources say it was heart failure," said Alexei Venediktov, editor of Russia's Ekho Moskvy radio. "After his recent loss in court against Roman Abramovich he was in deep depression, he was being treated, he was treated in Israel."

"I think it was probably his health, including depression, and his age. Boris Abramovich never took it easy - he was a fighter, he led an active lifestyle, and unfortunately he has left life in this way."

Known for his love of cognac, beautiful women and for his ability to talk well into the night, Berezovsky lived the adrenaline-fuelled life of Russia's A-team of oligarchs.

Whatever the circumstances of his final hours, his death marks the end of an era for many Russians for whom Berezovsky epitomized the oligarch of the 1990s: brash, arrogant and dangerous alpha males who made their own rules.

UNLIKELY OLIGARCH

As a mathematician working in an obscure section of the Academy of Sciences, Berezovsky was an unlikely oligarch.

But the collapse of the Soviet Union helped propel him from academia to the pinnacle of one of the most ruthless, corrupt and violent business environments on earth - post Soviet Russia.

As the Soviet empire crumbled and gang wars erupted in Moscow, Berezovsky forged a profitable relationship with AvtoVAZ, Russia's biggest carmaker and producer of the Lada.

With the rouble worth nothing, cars were a tradeable asset, though to protect his fortune, Berezovsky forged ties with the Chechen gangs - some of the most feared in Russia.

The graveyards of Russia attest to the short lifespans of many businessmen in the 1990s and Berezovsky came close: in 1993 he faced a gun battle in central Moscow and a year later the Mercedes he was in was blown up, decapitating his driver.

But with nerves of iron and flush with cash, Berezovsky went for gold: he paid for the publication of President Boris Yeltsin's memoirs, securing him the goodwill of Russia's leader.

His political clout gave him access to Aeroflot, once the Soviet flag carrier, and then to oil.

After meeting on a Caribbean yacht trip organized by fellow tycoon Pyotr Aven, Berezovsky and Abramovich, then a 28-year-old oil trader, came up with a simple idea: merge Russia's best refinery with some of the top oil and gas fields of Siberia.

The result was Sibneft over which they would clash years later in a London courtroom.

"Everything can be bought and everything on earth has a price," he once said. "Politicians are the hired help of entrepreneurs."

But if Kremlin politics under Yeltsin had helped Berezovsky to the top, Kremlin politics under Putin proved his downfall.

'GODFATHER OF THE KREMLIN'

Facing the prospect of a Communist victory in 1996, Berezovsky helped rally the billionaire barons of Siberia to Yeltsin's side. He won. And the oligarchs carved up more of Russia's vast oil and metals sector.

But as Yeltsin's health deteriorated in 1999 and his popularity plummeted, Berezovsky and others began to look for a protege who could rule Russia for its second post-Soviet decade.

The obscure and quiet former KGB spy they found was Putin and Berezovsky helped pitch him when the powerbrokers of Russia met at their country houses, known as dachas, outside Moscow.

"Boris Berezovsky was certainly the political father of Vladimir Putin. He was the person who found Putin," commentator Sergei Parkhomenko said on Ekho Moskvy radio.

While Putin was happy to receive support, he resented the meddling that Berezovsky and oil oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky felt was their right. Berezovsky could not win. His only option was to flee.

According to Russian journalist Ilya Zhegulev, who spoke to him on Friday, Berezovsky was pining for Russia.

"I should not have left Russia," she quoted him as saying. "He said: I don't know what to do. I am 67 and I don't know."

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told state-run Rossya-24 television that Berezovsky had written to Putin and asked for help in returning to Russia.

Berezovsky did not return.

(Additional reporting by Peter Griffiths in London and Steve Gutterman in Moscow; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kremlin-foe-boris-berezovsky-died-britain-reports-173123054.html

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Bill Gates Has $100,000 For Anyone Who Can Invent a High-Tech, Next-Gen Condom

Condom's are a life-saving piece of tech, and for being little more than uninflated latex balloons, they do their job pretty well if you wear them. That's the part that Bill Gates is working on. No, he's not going around as a one-man condom-police army, but he is offering $100,000 to anyone who can make a condom less of a bummer to wear. More »

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Comet, Not Asteroid, Killed Dinosaurs, Study Suggests

The rocky object that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago may have been a comet, rather than an asteroid, scientists say.

The 112-mile (180 kilometers) Chicxulub crater in Mexico was made by the impact that caused the extinction of dinosaurs and about 70 percent of all species on Earth, many scientists believe. A new study suggests the crater was probably blasted out by a faster, smaller object than previously thought, according to research presented this week at the 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas.

Evidence of the space rock's impact comes from a worldwide layer of sediments containing high levels of the element iridium, dubbed the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary, which could not have occurred on Earth naturally.

The new research suggests the often-cited iridium values are incorrect, however. The scientists compared these values with levels of osmium, another element delivered by the impact.

Their calculations suggested the space rock generated less debris than previously thought, implying the space rock was a smaller object. In order for the smaller rock to have created the giant Chicxulub crater, it had to have been going exceedingly fast, the researchers concluded.

"How do we get something that has enough energy to generate that size of crater, but has much less rocky material? That brings us to comets," study author Jason Moore, a paleoecologist at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, told BBC News. [Meteor Crater: Experience an Ancient Impact]

Comets?are balls of ice, dust and rocky particles that are distinguished from asteroids by their highly eccentric orbits and thin, fuzzy atmospheres, called comas or tails. The Chicxulub impact is more compatible with a long-period comet, the results indicated, which can take hundreds, thousands or sometimes millions of years to orbit the sun once.

It is possible that a rapidly moving asteroid?could have caused the Chicxulub impact crater, the researchers said, but the fastest-moving objects that have been observed are mostly comets.

"I think it's some very interesting work," physicist Brandon Johnson of Purdue University, In., who was not involved in the research, told LiveScience. If the impact were in fact a comet, "it could change things quite a bit," he said ? a comet would have rained down a lot more material than an asteroid.

But the findings are debatable: "There's a possibility that lot of the impacted material could have been ejected at escape velocity, so we couldn?t find it on Earth," Johnson said. This means the remnants of the impact could be just a fraction of the mass of the space rock, suggesting it could still have been an asteroid.

Geologist Gareth Collins of Imperial College London, U.K., agreed. "Geochemistry tells you ? quite accurately ? only the mass of meteoritic material that is distributed globally, not the total mass of the impactor," Collins told BBC News, adding, "To estimate the latter, one needs to know what fraction of the impactor was distributed globally, as opposed to being ejected to space or landing close to the crater."

The researchers suggest that 75 percent of the space rock's mass was distributed on Earth, Collins said, but he contends that it could have been less than 20 percent ? an amount that could have come from a larger and slower asteroid. In response, the researchers point to studies that suggest the object lost an amount of mass consistent with their findings.

Follow Tanya Lewis on Twitter?and Google+.?Follow us @livescience, Facebook?& Google+. Original article on?LiveScience.com.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/comet-not-asteroid-killed-dinosaurs-study-suggests-211815677.html

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Archos GamePad arrives in the States for $179

Tired of waiting for the WikiPad? Needing some immediate gratification for your thumbs? Willing to consider Archos to fill that void? If your answer to all three was a mighty, "Aye!" then you'll be glad to know that the Archos GamePad is now for sale in the US at various online retailers. The portable gaming system combines Android 4.1, a 7-inch 1,024 x 600 screen and honest-to-goodness physical buttons, all within a 0.3-inch thick enclosure that's priced between $179 and $189. The GamePad sports a 1.6GHz dual-core CPU and a Mali-400 MP GPU, and while it may lack the cachet of the WikiPad, it has the distinct advantage of being available now. And you know what? Sometimes, that's all that matters.

[Thanks, Duncan]

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Jeff Bezos highlights finds from F-1 engine underwater 'sculpture garden'

You'd think running a company like Amazon would keep a guy busy. But like many of his fellow billionaires, Jeff Bezos still has big dreams. Space dreams. As of late, the exec's been spending time onboard the Seabed Worker (much of which has apparently involved working on his computer from the cabin), alongside a crew tasked with recovering F-1 engines from the Apollo program, which are now a part of an "incredible sculpture garden...that tells the story of a fiery and violent end." Seems Bezos has been exercising his poesy muscles in the cabin, as well. The team has apparently recovered enough F1-parts to construct two engines, which will go on display to help "inspire something amazing." More striking images from the expedition can be seen in the source link below.

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Lecturer in Biology - Surrey - greateducation.co.uk

LECTURER IN BIOLOGY

SURREY

?21,000 - ?36,000

An exciting new opportunity has arisen with Hays Further Education for a lecturer in Biology to become part of the team at an outstanding college in Surrey. The ideal candidate will be qualified to graduate level and hold some form of teaching qualification (PTLLS, CTLLS, DTLLS, A1, D32, D33, TAQA).

This continuously improving college in Surrey is looking to recruit a committed and ambitious Biology lecturer to inspire students and work well as part of the expert and friendly team. The successful candidate will be required to teach Biology up to A2 Level and potentially Level 3 BTEC Applied Science and promote the subject area with enthusiasm.

To apply for this job, please click 'Apply'. To find out more about Hays Further Education and other FE Teaching jobs, then please call Dave Choonucksing on 01189 590 123 or e-mail your CV to

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Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at hays.co.uk

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LEGO City Undercover (Nintendo Wii U)

When I first saw LEGO City Undercover, the first thing that came to mind was the music video for the Beastie Boys' Sabotage: fictional cops with over-the-top car chases, disguises, and ridiculous hair. While this $49.99 Nintendo Wii U?game doesn't have Mike D, MCA, or Ad-Rock screaming into a microphone and there's no unlockable Cochise skin (the latter of which would have made this my game of the year), LEGO City Undercover is packed full of ridiculous, funky, family-friendly police action and stands as one of the best games on the Wii U so far.

The Chase
You play Chase McCain, returning to LEGO City after a few years away. The man you put behind bars, Rex Fury, has broken out, and a crime wave is sweeping the streets of this brick-based San Francisco analog. This isn't Grand Theft Auto or Sleeping Dogs, though; criminals are all bank robbers or similarly simple criminals, and firefights are nonexistent. Instead, you've got to overcome your enemies using judo flips, fist-fights, and handcuffs.

Chase has a wide variety of tools that get unlocked through the game, integrated into the "police communicator" (the menu and map system on the Wii U gamepad's screen) and the disguises Chase can wear. The Wii U gamepad screen serves as a map, but it also lets you scan for criminals and hidden objects by holding it up to the TV and treating it like an augmented reality scanner. It serves as a video communicator for in-games call you receive, and you'll hear the voices of your erstwhile partner Frank and dispatcher Ellie through the gamepad's speakers, too.

Chase isn't exactly a gunslinger, and he doesn't get the job done by shooting or even punching enemies (much). Instead, most puzzles are solved by putting on different disguises, giving the game a sense of variety similar to the Super Nintendo classic The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse. As a police officer, Chase can use a grappling hook gun and free run through certain obstacles. Disguised a criminal, Chase can use a crowbar to open doors and crack safes. The miner disguise lets Chase blow up boulders, the farmer disguise lets Chase water planets and make platforms appear, and the fireman disguise lets Chase break through boarded up doors and put out fires.?

LEGO City
Since this is an open-world, Grand Theft Auto-styled game, driving plays a major part. Thankfully, you can wave down any driver with your police whistle and commandeer your car, and you can unlock a fleet of over 100 vehicles you can access at buildable call-in points scattered through the city. Driving is simple, with the right trigger accelerating and the left trigger breaking and going in reverse. Vehicles have their own health meters, and once they take enough damage they collapse into a pile of bricks. Fortunately, even small cars are resilient, and there are plenty of roads, alleys, and jump ramps to take through the city. The driving control isn't extremely tight, but it's responsive enough to feel fun and simple without worrying about things like drifting.

LEGO City isn't huge compared to Grand Theft Auto's Liberty City, and the areas can seem cramped in the beginning until you unlock more places to explore, but it's satisfyingly diverse, with lots of different environments to play in. The game gives an impression of San Francisco at first, complete with a Lombard Street analog and an Alcatraz-like island prison, but it opens up into areas that look like other parts of other cities and settings, like New York, Miami, and even national park neighborhoods.

While you explore LEGO City in a Grand Theft Auto open-world way, the main missions of the game are punctuated by traditional LEGO game levels, where you're placed in linear stages with a nearly fixed camera and have to build your way to the end. These levels allow for more intricate set pieces and involved puzzles than the open world exploration, so the different pace during them is welcome.

This is strictly a single-player game, with no online mode or local co-op. You won't miss them any more than you did in the pre-San Andreas Grand Theft Auto games; there's so much to do in the city on your own and the action is so focused with taking you through areas that there isn't much of a place for multiplayer.

Lots to Find
Since this is also a LEGO game, there are a ton of unlockables to find, build, and buy. Tokens are scattered all through the city that unlock additional disguises (including analogs of Sherlock Holmes, Columbo, and Horatio Cane... but no Cochise) and vehicles (but the main game mechanic-based disguises are all found in the story missions), and once they're unlocked you can purchase them with "studs" (the in-game currency) in the police headquarters. There are also several Super Builds scattered through the city like vehicle drop-off points, houses, and landmarks you can build by collecting bricks (and searching for hidden gold bricks, which are worth thousands of bricks).

The humor really shines through, with full voice acting and excellent animation turning the entire world into a strange cartoon. While some aspects can be as grating as they are funny (like partner Frank Honey's loud screams and Fry-like stupidity), LEGO City Undercover surprised me by bringing out more laughs than I've gotten from a game since Borderlands 2. The amount of computer-generated visual gags reminded me more than a little of the show Reboot, with unoffensive humor packed full of charm.

LEGO City looks great, but in 1080p the differences between the buildings, vehicles, and plants made of Lego and the more realistically modeled dirt and rocks can be jarring. The seams between the LEGO aspects and the realistic backgrounds look strange, but not too much more so than any other LEGO game in the past that combined those elements (and every LEGO game from LEGO Star Wars to LEGO Indiana Jones featured realistic set-pieces and weren't completely made of bricks). The action can generally be very smooth, but the framerate dipped occasionally when I was driving.

The biggest problem in the game is the load times. They're excruciating. It takes upwards of a minute to get into the police headquarters or load a story mission, and the funky detective show music that plays will wear on you fast when you're watching the badge spin on the screen.?

LEGO City Undercover isn't a game-changer for the Nintendo Wii U, but it's a compelling argument to dust off the four-month-old system and play something that isn't a Nintendo franchise or a port of a game released a year ago. It's fun, friendly, and funny, even if it's not especially deep or remotely challenging.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/H3OTrezlHPE/0,2817,2416543,00.asp

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Biden honors Irish prime minister, heritage (The Arizona Republic)

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