A South Korean-created dog clone becomes the first of its kind to live in the US
January 29, 2009 - Losing a pet can be devastating, especially when disease claims their lives. The bonds formed between humans and their animal companions (as we've learned from Fable 2) can last a lifetime, if by lifetime you mean about a dozen years or so. One American couple decided that they did not want to say goodbye to their cancer stricken pooch, and instead opted to have an exact clone of their Labrador created in a lab (oh, the irony) immediately after the original puppy passed away.
DNA samples of Sir Lancelot were taken and frozen over six years ago at the request of Edgar and Nina Otto, a wealthy couple with an apparent fetish for the Knights of the Round Table. After succumbing to cancer last January in 2008, the DNA of Lancelot was brought to BioArts International in South Korea, where for £108,000 the biotech firm generated a perfect clone of the dog, now disturbingly named Lancelot Encore, like some lame PC music program.
Lancelot Encore is now the first single-birth commercially cloned puppy to reside in the United States. The Otto's, who at ages 66 (Nina) and 79 (Edgar) are no strangers themselves to having death lurking around every corner, were extremely satisfied with the process.
"He looked just like my original Lancelot," said Nina. "The most interesting thing about this Lancelot we notice he's bonded immediately within an hour with every other pets in the house. He's the Alpha dog!"
A rep from another South Korean BioTech firm has since come out and said that cloning a pet will soon cost less than half the price paid the Otto's. RNL Bio claims to have developed a new method for cloning dogs using stem cells derived from fat tissue. Two cloned beagle puppies were born recently using this technique, which the company hopes will reduce the cost of pet cloning to £35,000 within the next three years.
sources:http://gear.ign.com/articles/949/949360p1.html
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
PGDMA lauds transports sector for use of LPG, alternative fuels
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lauded today the transport sector for espousing the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other alternative fuels as part of the government program to help deter global warming, dramatically reduce air pollution in the metropolis, and achieve energy independence in the soonest possible time.
The President made the commendation before 1,000 members and officers of various transport groups during the convention and exhibition of the Philippine Jeepney Operators and Drivers’ Alliance Foundation (PJODAF) this afternoon at the World Trade Center (WTC) in Pasay City.
Among those who welcomed the President were Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes and PJODAF president Orlando Marquez.
"Salamat sa inyong pagtangkilik sa LPG at lahat ng mga paraan kung paano mababawasan ang global warming sa pamamagitan ng clean transportation (Thank you for espousing the use of LPG and other means to reduce global warming through clean transportation)," the President said.
According to the President, the use of LPG and other alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG) would result in lower fares that would eventually benefit the Filipino riding public, including the workers.
"Kung dadami ang gagamit ng LPG at iba pang biofuels gaya ng CNG, sabi ninyo, ibababa pa ninyo ang pasahe sa ikabubuti ng manggagawa (Increased use of LPG and other biofuels such as CNG as you have said would result in lower fares to benefit our Filipino workers)," the President said.
She thanked the support of the transport sector which, she said, deferred the increase of its fares for so many years until it could no longer bear the steep increase of oil prices in the world market.
The President earlier toured the various exhibits at the WTC supporting the kick-off of the government’s engine replacement program for public utility jeepneys in Metro Manila which hopes to reduce by 10 percent the vehicular emissions in the metropolis by 2010.
The President made the commendation before 1,000 members and officers of various transport groups during the convention and exhibition of the Philippine Jeepney Operators and Drivers’ Alliance Foundation (PJODAF) this afternoon at the World Trade Center (WTC) in Pasay City.
Among those who welcomed the President were Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes and PJODAF president Orlando Marquez.
"Salamat sa inyong pagtangkilik sa LPG at lahat ng mga paraan kung paano mababawasan ang global warming sa pamamagitan ng clean transportation (Thank you for espousing the use of LPG and other means to reduce global warming through clean transportation)," the President said.
According to the President, the use of LPG and other alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG) would result in lower fares that would eventually benefit the Filipino riding public, including the workers.
"Kung dadami ang gagamit ng LPG at iba pang biofuels gaya ng CNG, sabi ninyo, ibababa pa ninyo ang pasahe sa ikabubuti ng manggagawa (Increased use of LPG and other biofuels such as CNG as you have said would result in lower fares to benefit our Filipino workers)," the President said.
She thanked the support of the transport sector which, she said, deferred the increase of its fares for so many years until it could no longer bear the steep increase of oil prices in the world market.
The President earlier toured the various exhibits at the WTC supporting the kick-off of the government’s engine replacement program for public utility jeepneys in Metro Manila which hopes to reduce by 10 percent the vehicular emissions in the metropolis by 2010.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
RealtyTrac: Colorado No. 5 in 2008 foreclosure rate, Denver No. 19
Colorado’s foreclosure rate for 2008 was fifth highest in the nation, but grew at a slower pace than the rest of the nation, according to an annual report released Thursday by RealtyTrac Inc.
The state saw 66,795 foreclosure filings on 50,396 properties in 2008, for a rate of 2.41 percent of Colorado homes, according to RealtyTrac, an Irvine, Calif.-based private marketer of foreclosure properties.
The state’s 2008 foreclosure rate was 27.90 percent higher than 2007 and 61.41 percent about 2006, the company said in its annual “U.S. Foreclosure Market Report.”
Nationwide, the 2008 foreclosure rate was 1.84 percent, RealtyTrac said. A total of 3,157,806 filings on 2,330,483 properties were tallied.
“Clearly the foreclosure prevention programs implemented to date have not had any real success in slowing down this foreclosure tsunami,” James Saccacio, CEO of RealtyTrac, said in a statement.
If there was any good news in the local numbers, it was that Colorado’s foreclosure-rate growth was outpaced by that of the nation as a whole, which saw a 81.24 percent increase over 2007 and a 224.80 percent jump over 2006.
In RealtyTrac’s parallel series of monthly foreclosure reports, Colorado was ranked highest in the nation for several months in 2006, but has slipped below several other states in more recent rankings. It was No. 10 in the September 2008 monthly report.
RealtyTrac’s reports are controversial in some quarters.
In the past, state officials have disputed Colorado’s high position in RealtyTrac’s rankings, saying that because the state’s public trustees report foreclosures at multiple stages of the process, RealtyTrac may overcount Colorado foreclosures. RealtyTrac officials have denied this, saying they have taken steps to ensure accurate counts.
A report issued Dec. 4 by the Colorado Division of Housing, based on information from Colorado’s county public trustees, said that foreclosure filings through the first nine months of 2008 were down 14 percent from the previous year, and completed foreclosure sales were down 9 percent. The state appeared to be on track to have fewer foreclosures in 2008 than it did in 2007, officials said.
Among U.S. metropolitan areas, the Denver-Aurora area’s 2008 foreclosure rate ranked No. 19 in the RealtyTrac report, at 3.20 percent of all housing units. The company tallied 32,920 foreclosure filings in the area in 2008, up 23.61 percent from the previous year.
Nevada’s 2008 foreclosure rate of 7.29 percent led the states in the RealtyTrac’s report. The report said one in 14 Nevada housing units received at least one foreclosure notice in 2008.
Nevada was followed by Florida (4.52 percent foreclosure rate), Arizona (4.49 percent), California (3.97 percent) and Colorado.
Vermont had the nation’s lowest foreclosure rate, 0.04 percent, RealtyTrac said. Only 124 filings were counted in Vermont.
The report said that among metro areas, Stockton, Calif., led the nation with a 9.46 percent foreclosure rate.
sources:http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/01/12/daily48.html
The state saw 66,795 foreclosure filings on 50,396 properties in 2008, for a rate of 2.41 percent of Colorado homes, according to RealtyTrac, an Irvine, Calif.-based private marketer of foreclosure properties.
The state’s 2008 foreclosure rate was 27.90 percent higher than 2007 and 61.41 percent about 2006, the company said in its annual “U.S. Foreclosure Market Report.”
Nationwide, the 2008 foreclosure rate was 1.84 percent, RealtyTrac said. A total of 3,157,806 filings on 2,330,483 properties were tallied.
“Clearly the foreclosure prevention programs implemented to date have not had any real success in slowing down this foreclosure tsunami,” James Saccacio, CEO of RealtyTrac, said in a statement.
If there was any good news in the local numbers, it was that Colorado’s foreclosure-rate growth was outpaced by that of the nation as a whole, which saw a 81.24 percent increase over 2007 and a 224.80 percent jump over 2006.
In RealtyTrac’s parallel series of monthly foreclosure reports, Colorado was ranked highest in the nation for several months in 2006, but has slipped below several other states in more recent rankings. It was No. 10 in the September 2008 monthly report.
RealtyTrac’s reports are controversial in some quarters.
In the past, state officials have disputed Colorado’s high position in RealtyTrac’s rankings, saying that because the state’s public trustees report foreclosures at multiple stages of the process, RealtyTrac may overcount Colorado foreclosures. RealtyTrac officials have denied this, saying they have taken steps to ensure accurate counts.
A report issued Dec. 4 by the Colorado Division of Housing, based on information from Colorado’s county public trustees, said that foreclosure filings through the first nine months of 2008 were down 14 percent from the previous year, and completed foreclosure sales were down 9 percent. The state appeared to be on track to have fewer foreclosures in 2008 than it did in 2007, officials said.
Among U.S. metropolitan areas, the Denver-Aurora area’s 2008 foreclosure rate ranked No. 19 in the RealtyTrac report, at 3.20 percent of all housing units. The company tallied 32,920 foreclosure filings in the area in 2008, up 23.61 percent from the previous year.
Nevada’s 2008 foreclosure rate of 7.29 percent led the states in the RealtyTrac’s report. The report said one in 14 Nevada housing units received at least one foreclosure notice in 2008.
Nevada was followed by Florida (4.52 percent foreclosure rate), Arizona (4.49 percent), California (3.97 percent) and Colorado.
Vermont had the nation’s lowest foreclosure rate, 0.04 percent, RealtyTrac said. Only 124 filings were counted in Vermont.
The report said that among metro areas, Stockton, Calif., led the nation with a 9.46 percent foreclosure rate.
sources:http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/01/12/daily48.html
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Indonesia ferry disaster illustrates transport woes
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Take a ferry in the vast Indonesian archipelago and there's a good chance your name won't show up on the manifest. Foot passengers often buy tickets on board, while car passengers are sometimes not recorded by name.
Indonesia's latest ferry disaster -- more than 200 people are missing after the Teratai Prima capsized and sank in a storm Sunday -- suggests the government still has a long way to go to improve safety standards in its creaking transportation system.
Officials have blamed bad weather for the ferry tragedy, raising questions over why the boat was allowed to sail from Sulawesi island for the city of Samarinda in East Kalimantan. There are also discrepancies over the passenger list, suggesting more people were on board than the official tally of 267.
But the issue goes well beyond basic safety standards for the millions of Indonesians who travel across the 17,000 or so islands sprinkled over a distance of 5,000 km (3,100 miles).
Poor infrastructure -- whether rustbucket ferries or badly maintained railways and roads -- is a burden.
It adds to the cost of doing business, hampers tourism and ultimately hurts growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.
"It's all about governance, this has been going on for years," said Erman Avantgarda Rahman, director of economic programs at the Asia Foundation in Jakarta.
"It shows the poor quality of infrastructure, they don't control the number of passengers ... the quality of the boats."
for more information log on to :http://uk.reuters.com/article/usTopNews/idUKTRE50C1GV20090113
Indonesia's latest ferry disaster -- more than 200 people are missing after the Teratai Prima capsized and sank in a storm Sunday -- suggests the government still has a long way to go to improve safety standards in its creaking transportation system.
Officials have blamed bad weather for the ferry tragedy, raising questions over why the boat was allowed to sail from Sulawesi island for the city of Samarinda in East Kalimantan. There are also discrepancies over the passenger list, suggesting more people were on board than the official tally of 267.
But the issue goes well beyond basic safety standards for the millions of Indonesians who travel across the 17,000 or so islands sprinkled over a distance of 5,000 km (3,100 miles).
Poor infrastructure -- whether rustbucket ferries or badly maintained railways and roads -- is a burden.
It adds to the cost of doing business, hampers tourism and ultimately hurts growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.
"It's all about governance, this has been going on for years," said Erman Avantgarda Rahman, director of economic programs at the Asia Foundation in Jakarta.
"It shows the poor quality of infrastructure, they don't control the number of passengers ... the quality of the boats."
for more information log on to :http://uk.reuters.com/article/usTopNews/idUKTRE50C1GV20090113
Friday, January 09, 2009
Studios Try to Settle ‘Watchmen’ Dispute
LOS ANGELES — Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox are moving toward a settlement of their bitter legal battle over rights to the superhero film “Watchmen,” lawyers for both sides said at a hearing here on Friday morning.
The film has already been shot, at a cost of about $130 million, and Warner Brothers, which made the movie in partnership with Legendary Pictures and Paramount Pictures, is planning to release it on March 6. But even before shooting began, Fox stepped forward, saying it actually owned the rights to the dark, highly regarded graphic novel on which the film was based.
Louis A. Karasik, a lawyer for Fox, which filed suit last year, said that the studios in recent days had had “exchanges on the subject of resolution that have been productive.” Earlier, court-mandated settlement talks had failed, and the studios were headed for a showdown over Fox’s bid to block Warner from releasing the film.
The court fight has had considerable spectacle value for Hollywood, where major studios have seldom pushed each other quite so hard over a movie that stood so close to release.
Federal District Judge Gary A. Feess ruled here last month that Fox owned distribution rights to the movie, stemming from its 1980s acquisition of the graphic novel, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons.
Mr. Karasik, joined by lawyers for Warner, had asked a court clerk on Friday if the judge would conduct a hearing in chambers, because they planned to discuss what he called “settlement issues.” The clerk conferred with Judge Feess, then returned to say that the judge would insist on a session open to the public. In a brief status conference, the parties agreed to defer further issues in the case until a hearing on Monday afternoon.
Warner has been struggling to clear up uncertainty around the fate of “Watchmen,” to open the way for a marketing campaign that must soon begin if the audience at large is to connect with a film that has long been considered a difficult proposition.
for more information:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/movies/10watc.html
The film has already been shot, at a cost of about $130 million, and Warner Brothers, which made the movie in partnership with Legendary Pictures and Paramount Pictures, is planning to release it on March 6. But even before shooting began, Fox stepped forward, saying it actually owned the rights to the dark, highly regarded graphic novel on which the film was based.
Louis A. Karasik, a lawyer for Fox, which filed suit last year, said that the studios in recent days had had “exchanges on the subject of resolution that have been productive.” Earlier, court-mandated settlement talks had failed, and the studios were headed for a showdown over Fox’s bid to block Warner from releasing the film.
The court fight has had considerable spectacle value for Hollywood, where major studios have seldom pushed each other quite so hard over a movie that stood so close to release.
Federal District Judge Gary A. Feess ruled here last month that Fox owned distribution rights to the movie, stemming from its 1980s acquisition of the graphic novel, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons.
Mr. Karasik, joined by lawyers for Warner, had asked a court clerk on Friday if the judge would conduct a hearing in chambers, because they planned to discuss what he called “settlement issues.” The clerk conferred with Judge Feess, then returned to say that the judge would insist on a session open to the public. In a brief status conference, the parties agreed to defer further issues in the case until a hearing on Monday afternoon.
Warner has been struggling to clear up uncertainty around the fate of “Watchmen,” to open the way for a marketing campaign that must soon begin if the audience at large is to connect with a film that has long been considered a difficult proposition.
for more information:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/movies/10watc.html
Studios Try to Settle ‘Watchmen’ Dispute
LOS ANGELES — Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox are moving toward a settlement of their bitter legal battle over rights to the superhero film “Watchmen,” lawyers for both sides said at a hearing here on Friday morning.
The film has already been shot, at a cost of about $130 million, and Warner Brothers, which made the movie in partnership with Legendary Pictures and Paramount Pictures, is planning to release it on March 6. But even before shooting began, Fox stepped forward, saying it actually owned the rights to the dark, highly regarded graphic novel on which the film was based.
Louis A. Karasik, a lawyer for Fox, which filed suit last year, said that the studios in recent days had had “exchanges on the subject of resolution that have been productive.” Earlier, court-mandated settlement talks had failed, and the studios were headed for a showdown over Fox’s bid to block Warner from releasing the film.
The court fight has had considerable spectacle value for Hollywood, where major studios have seldom pushed each other quite so hard over a movie that stood so close to release.
Federal District Judge Gary A. Feess ruled here last month that Fox owned distribution rights to the movie, stemming from its 1980s acquisition of the graphic novel, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons.
Mr. Karasik, joined by lawyers for Warner, had asked a court clerk on Friday if the judge would conduct a hearing in chambers, because they planned to discuss what he called “settlement issues.” The clerk conferred with Judge Feess, then returned to say that the judge would insist on a session open to the public. In a brief status conference, the parties agreed to defer further issues in the case until a hearing on Monday afternoon.
Warner has been struggling to clear up uncertainty around the fate of “Watchmen,” to open the way for a marketing campaign that must soon begin if the audience at large is to connect with a film that has long been considered a difficult proposition.
for more information:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/movies/10watc.html
The film has already been shot, at a cost of about $130 million, and Warner Brothers, which made the movie in partnership with Legendary Pictures and Paramount Pictures, is planning to release it on March 6. But even before shooting began, Fox stepped forward, saying it actually owned the rights to the dark, highly regarded graphic novel on which the film was based.
Louis A. Karasik, a lawyer for Fox, which filed suit last year, said that the studios in recent days had had “exchanges on the subject of resolution that have been productive.” Earlier, court-mandated settlement talks had failed, and the studios were headed for a showdown over Fox’s bid to block Warner from releasing the film.
The court fight has had considerable spectacle value for Hollywood, where major studios have seldom pushed each other quite so hard over a movie that stood so close to release.
Federal District Judge Gary A. Feess ruled here last month that Fox owned distribution rights to the movie, stemming from its 1980s acquisition of the graphic novel, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons.
Mr. Karasik, joined by lawyers for Warner, had asked a court clerk on Friday if the judge would conduct a hearing in chambers, because they planned to discuss what he called “settlement issues.” The clerk conferred with Judge Feess, then returned to say that the judge would insist on a session open to the public. In a brief status conference, the parties agreed to defer further issues in the case until a hearing on Monday afternoon.
Warner has been struggling to clear up uncertainty around the fate of “Watchmen,” to open the way for a marketing campaign that must soon begin if the audience at large is to connect with a film that has long been considered a difficult proposition.
for more information:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/movies/10watc.html
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
CES 2009: Asus shows touchscreen EeePC and Keyboard PC
Las Vegas (NV) - Asus took advantage of the crowd present at the first major press conference at CES 2009 and showed off next-generation of EeePC netbooks, Windows 7 on netbooks, a multitouch EeePC as well as a 4.3” screen PC that runs inside a regular notebook.
Netbooks and touchscreen products shape up to become two major stories at this year’s CES. Asus pioneered the segment two years ago and seems to have an edge over its competitors once again. The upcoming 8.9” EeePc T91 and the 10” EeePC T101H are the first netbooks with a swivel screen - much like what we have seen with tablet PCs in the past. Tablet PCs were first shown at Comdex 2001 and never achieved the initially set goal to grow into a major product category.
That may be different with the new EeePCs which should be much cheaper than tablet PCs. The devices shown at CES integrate a touchscreen and run Windows XP with a modified GUI (that actually looks much more like Linux than Windows). Microsoft was also on stage and touted its cooperation with Asus to make sure its software will run on future netbooks. To proof its point, the company showed an Asus EeePC netbook running its communications software as well as Windows 7 Ultimate.
The T91 comes with an Intel Atom Z520 processor (Silverthorne core), while the 10” T101H will get the N270 chip with Diamondville core.
A bit further out is the EeePC N20, Asus’ first multitouch netbook. It comes with its own interface and multitouch application, which kept crashing during the presentation and did not reveal much of its potential.
Much more interesting were two small PC products: The first was the Eee Keyboard, a compact keyboard with a 5” touchpad on the right side of the device and a fully functional PC inside. This “first wireless media center with integrated ultra-wideband HDMI” will be able to connect to any existing displays, including TVs - making it one of the most compact computers we have seen to date.
Asus also demonstrated a future notebook with a 4.3” touchscreen where you usually would expect a touchpad. While it can function as a touchpad, the device is driven by its own computing device to run display features such as email or even decode videos that can be projected on the larger screen. Asus claims the technology can extend the battery life of the notebook to up to 12 hours (if you spend a significant amount of time on the 4.3” device.)
Asus concluded its press conference with a concept PC: The company envisions mobile computers to become much more compact. In a brief video, the company revealed its “fold” notebook, a device that can fold into three different form factors and “slide” into other fold notebooks to enable screen sharing.
source:http://www.tgdaily.com/html_tmp/content-view-40863-145.html
Netbooks and touchscreen products shape up to become two major stories at this year’s CES. Asus pioneered the segment two years ago and seems to have an edge over its competitors once again. The upcoming 8.9” EeePc T91 and the 10” EeePC T101H are the first netbooks with a swivel screen - much like what we have seen with tablet PCs in the past. Tablet PCs were first shown at Comdex 2001 and never achieved the initially set goal to grow into a major product category.
That may be different with the new EeePCs which should be much cheaper than tablet PCs. The devices shown at CES integrate a touchscreen and run Windows XP with a modified GUI (that actually looks much more like Linux than Windows). Microsoft was also on stage and touted its cooperation with Asus to make sure its software will run on future netbooks. To proof its point, the company showed an Asus EeePC netbook running its communications software as well as Windows 7 Ultimate.
The T91 comes with an Intel Atom Z520 processor (Silverthorne core), while the 10” T101H will get the N270 chip with Diamondville core.
A bit further out is the EeePC N20, Asus’ first multitouch netbook. It comes with its own interface and multitouch application, which kept crashing during the presentation and did not reveal much of its potential.
Much more interesting were two small PC products: The first was the Eee Keyboard, a compact keyboard with a 5” touchpad on the right side of the device and a fully functional PC inside. This “first wireless media center with integrated ultra-wideband HDMI” will be able to connect to any existing displays, including TVs - making it one of the most compact computers we have seen to date.
Asus also demonstrated a future notebook with a 4.3” touchscreen where you usually would expect a touchpad. While it can function as a touchpad, the device is driven by its own computing device to run display features such as email or even decode videos that can be projected on the larger screen. Asus claims the technology can extend the battery life of the notebook to up to 12 hours (if you spend a significant amount of time on the 4.3” device.)
Asus concluded its press conference with a concept PC: The company envisions mobile computers to become much more compact. In a brief video, the company revealed its “fold” notebook, a device that can fold into three different form factors and “slide” into other fold notebooks to enable screen sharing.
source:http://www.tgdaily.com/html_tmp/content-view-40863-145.html
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