OfficeSuite Pro 7 (for Android)

When I reviewed version 6.5 of OfficeSuite Pro earlier this year, I was dismayed that such a capable app could be held back by an outdated interface. OfficeSuite Pro 7 for Android ($9.99) brings a whole new look that makes the app easier to use. This UI improvement, in addition to an already powerful document creation and management app makes OfficeSuite Pro 7 our Editors' Choice for Android mobile office suites.

Polaris Office 4 put up a good fight at an unbeatable price, and Documents To Go 3 had tools that no other suite provided. But, in the end, OfficeSuite Pro 7 had the looks, the support, and the tools to take the top spot. However, I have to point out that Google Drive offers many of the functions of all these suites for free and with file locker to boot. That said, I did not include Google Drive in my consideration for Editors' Choice because it's an online service, and not a standalone app like the others.

Using OfficeSuite Pro 7
The new OfficeSuite Pro greets users with large buttons for the four categories of documents it handles: text documents, spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations. Don't be fooled by that seemingly short list. The app supports DOC, DOCX, DOCM, RTF, TXT, LOG, XLS, XLSX, XLSM, CSV, PPT, PPTX, PPS, PPSX, PPTM, PPSM, PDF, EML, and ZIP formats.

OfficeSuite Pro also plays nice with all the major cloud services, allowing you to easily sync with Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, SugarSync, or SkyDrive to the app. Documents you open through these services also appear in the Recent Documents section, but unfortunately the app does not clearly indicate which recent documents are stored locally.

The app also packs a well-designed file browser which prompts you to select or create a default location for your documents the first time the app starts up. This is a welcome change from many other apps, which provide little to no assistance in navigating the maze of folders inside your Android device. It also supports voice search.

Assistance is another service well supported by OfficeSuite Pro7, which includes not only a general user's guide on the homepage, but also separate guides for text documents, spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations. There's also a link to customer support in the app. It's rare for an app to offer such complete documentation, and ?at least this reviewer appreciates the effort.

Many of these features are accessible through the app's hidden left tray, which is well utilized in OfficeSuite Pro. The app also includes links to download dictionaries for spellcheck and an improved font pack ($4.99), neither of which is covered in this review.

Working in OfficeSuite
Creating and editing documents in OfficeSuite Pro 7 is extremely straightforward, though I did run into a few problems. For some reason, I was unable to italicize any text in the document editor. Beyond that, the app brings strong formatting and editing support on par with other mobile office suites for Android.

While other office suites support comments, OfficeSuite Pro highlights them by default. Comments can also be added to text easily, making document collaboration a breeze. Unfortunately, the app currently does not support version tracking, like Microsoft Office's Track Changes feature, but the developers assure me it will be supported in a later version.

I was particularly pleased with the complete features in spreadsheet mode, where OfficeSuite made editing equations far easier by including a handy on-screen editor for functions. As in PolarisOffice, you tap and drag cells to add them to a function, though I noticed it was sometimes difficult to get the app to acknowledge my selections. I was also pleased to see that the app included short descriptions of what each function does, which is enormously helpful. You can also easily mark cells, rows, and columns as a particular text type?like currency, or numbers?unlike DocumentsToGo 3.

The previous version of OfficeSuite Pro struggled a bit with PowerPoint documents, but the new version's greatly improved interface resolves many of these issues. The app comes preloaded with several templates, and you can edit text by tapping the text boxes or editing straight from overview mode. Slide notes are added from pop-up tray at the bottom of the screen.

Adding a picture to the presentation was a bit problematic, as most of mine were so large they filled the entire slide. Selecting them was difficult, since text box elements are "above" any images you add (see the slideshow). However, once I managed to select it, a bounding box appeared that I could shrink or zoom ?to my heart's content. The app also has slide transitions and a presentation mode where you can write on the screen?similar to Polaris Office. However, the OfficeSuite seemed to have trouble tracking my finger when I moved quickly, creating jagged lines instead of smooth curves.

Polaris Office handles images, and PowerPoint generally, better than OfficeSuite Pro?but only by a little bit.

Looks Matter
OfficeSuite Pro 7 doesn't just look better?the improved UI makes the app far more user friendly. The developers have gone with a clean interface that puts bright buttons against a muted background. Large icons and clear descriptions make it obvious how to navigate the app, and the fresh interface makes the current version worthy of your money. Ten bucks is a fair price for an office suite that's highly capable and simple to use.

OfficeSuite has a consistent look and feel throughout the app. Icons and text on the homescreen look the same in the document viewer, in the menus, and so on. This keeps the navigation clear and is also a mark of a quality product that takes itself seriously.

Polaris Office 4 wowed me with its interface, and it still has a small edge on OfficeSuite Pro 7. Polaris Office has all but done away with tedious nested menus and relies now on large, bold panels that are consistent throughout the app. OfficeSuite's ribbon of options puts the most important tools right above the keyboard, though many more are accessible by pressing the menu button. I was particularly impressed with Styles Bar, which lets you preview each font.

One Issue
In my testing, I noticed that OfficeSuite Pro 7 could not display italicized text on Samsung devices. I've confirmed that this issue with the developer, who assures me that a fix will be released within a month.

This is a fairly major concern, especially because even though the app will not display the italicized text, it will appear if you open the document on another device. However, this is clearly a bug as I did not notice the issue in older versions of the software. Once the developers rectify the problem, I'll likely revisit the app's score.?

Which is the Best?
I've looked at many major contenders in the Android mobile office suite space. I had hoped to find one that did everything, and did it all while looking fabulous. Polaris Office 4 looks great and provides a complete office suite for free. However, it has far too few cloud storage options, and only installed on one of my devices. OfficeSuite Pro 7 has better cloud support, and also a slick UI that rivals that of Polaris Office's. DocumentsToGo 3 is the only app I reviewed that makes tracked changes from Microsoft Word ?visible, though it cannot record further changes.

Google Drive deserves mention here as well, since it not only has strong office support, but also sports a file locker service and is closely tied to Android. However, it does not support creating PowerPoint presentations from the app and cannot connect to other cloud services. Also, I felt it was unfair to compare Google Drive, which is a service, to stand-alone office apps.

In the end, OfficeSuite Pro 7 ?is PCMag's Editors' Choice for mobile office suites for Android, based on its interface, cloud support, supported devices, and strong editing tools. It doesn't have everything, but it has the most options and is easy to use. It's an enormous leap forward for the app, and probably for mobile office apps as a whole. The bar has now been set.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/IhVzDfuNjB8/0,2817,2414362,00.asp

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Apple once again rumored to be readying an iRadio subscription music service

Once again, just like clockwork, rumors are swirling around an alleged Apple "iRadio" subscription music service, similar to the likes of Pandora and Spotify. These rumors always seem to crop up right before an expected announcement period from Apple -- like spring, summer, or fall, and then disappear when music executives leak that they haven't come to terms on licensing agreements. Which brings us to the latest incarnation, according to the Verge:

Much has been written about Apple's plan to launch a Pandora-esque service this year. Now multiple music industry insiders have told The Verge that significant progress has been made in the talks with two of the top labels: Universal and Warner. One of the sources said "iRadio is coming. There's no doubt about it anymore." Apple is pushing hard for a summertime launch.

Streaming radio services have long been struggling to make a profit and manage revenue streams. According to the sources inside the industry, Apple is in talks with Warner and Universal on streaming agreements:

When and if iRadio happens, it'll be interesting to see how Apple implements it and how pricing would work. It probably isn't likely that record labels would negotiate free deals unless they're advertisement based, which Apple may not be a fan of. How much would you pay to have native streaming on your iOS devices and Apple TV? And how much content would Apple have to have to make you switch from your current streaming service?

Source: The Verge

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/OtIiKNy6Op8/story01.htm

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E. coli outbreak sickens 24 in U.S.: CDC

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. outbreak of E. coli has sickened 24 people, with Farm Rich frozen food suspected as a likely source of the infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.

The outbreak strain of Shiga toxin-producing escherichia coli O121, or STEC O121, has been reported in 15 states, the CDC said in a statement.

New York state health officials found the strain in an open package of Farm Rich brand frozen chicken quesadillas from an ill person's home, the CDC said.

Rich Products Corp. of Buffalo, New York, recalled about 196,222 pounds (89,000 kg) of its Farm Rich brand frozen chicken quesadillas and several other frozen mini meals and snack items on Thursday because they might be contaminated, the CDC said.

The Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration are also investigating to find the source of infections, the CDC said.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/e-coli-outbreak-sickens-24-u-cdc-005848196.html

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Ghana Commercial Bank reports surge in 2012 profits

Two St. Louis Police officers face disciplinary actions stemming from an incident in which one officer allegedly took pot from the scene of a traffic stop. Not only did the squad car's dashboard camera record what happened, but two state lawmakers were along for the ride as observers. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reveals Missouri state Sens. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, and Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, were with officers when the incident occurred. Both lawmakers told a reporter they felt the officers did nothing wrong during the stop.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ghana-commercial-bank-reports-surge-2012-profits-094625438--finance.html

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Engadget HD Podcast 342 - 03.26.2013

This week we'll discuss several Ultra HD displays, some of which can be purchased (Samsung's $40K 85-inch LCD and JVC's $261K 8K projector) and some that can't, like Microsoft's sweet 120-inch demo unit. We also take a peek at Sonos' new soundbar, and the changing media landscape with news and rumors about HBO Go, BBC iPlayer, and even our old friend Intel.

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

Producer: James Trew (@itstrew)

Hear the podcast

Filed under: Podcasts, HD

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/e1vEqKaZdHw/

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Grants for Businesses That Install Security Cameras | Northern ...

Commerce SafeCam Program ? City of Philadelphia, Department of Commerce

The City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce has a new program for every legal business in Philadelphia to install Exterior cameras. Each business has a chance to get 50% reimbursement up to $3,000. Please read the? guideline/application (available for download below) carefully and remember not to install the exterior cameras until getting our approval.

The Commerce SafeCam Program is encourages businesses and property owners within neighborhood commercial corridors to install surveillance cameras, making these areas safer for shoppers and the community while growing their vitality and economic performance.

The program reimburses owners of commercial buildings and businesses up to 50% of the total cost of eligible improvements, for a maximum reimbursement of $3,000.00 for a single commercial property.

The digital camera security system must have the ability for remote log in by the Philadelphia Police Department and be installed on the outside of your building providing surveillance for your business and the public space.

Click here for Guidelines.
Click here for an Application.

If you have any questions, contact . . .

Samuel Kuang-hsien Chueh
Business Services Manager
City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce
Office of Business Services
1515 Arch Street, 12th Floor | Philadelphia, PA 19102
P: 215.683.2014 | F: 215.683.2085 | E: Samuel.Chueh@phila.gov

You can also contact our camera vendor, Corey Nydick,?215-264-4234 or cfnydick@verizon.net for more information and assistance with this program.

?Northern Liberties Townwatch

This entry was posted in Projects. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://townwatch.nlna.org/2013/03/27/grants-for-businesses-that-install-security-cameras/

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Court could avoid ruling on gay marriage ban

Plaintiffs Kris Perry, left, and her partner Sandy Stier, right, both from Berkeley, Cailf., meet with the media outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, after the court heard arguments on California's voter approved ban on same-sex marriage, Proposition 8. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Plaintiffs Kris Perry, left, and her partner Sandy Stier, right, both from Berkeley, Cailf., meet with the media outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, after the court heard arguments on California's voter approved ban on same-sex marriage, Proposition 8. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Marcus, left, and Daniel German-Dominguez stand outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, before the court's hearing on California?s voter approved ban on same-sex marriage. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

A demonstrator holds a bible while marching outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, as the court heard arguments on California's voter approved ban on same-sex marriage, Proposition 8. The Supreme Court waded into the fight over same-sex marriage Tuesday, at a time when public opinion is shifting rapidly in favor of permitting gay and lesbian couples to wed, but 40 states don't allow it. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Sandy Stier, left, and Kris Perry of Berkeley, Calif., arrive at the National Archives in Washington, Monday, March 25, 2013, to view the U.S. Constitution, a day before their same-sex marriage case is argued before the Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Demonstrators stand outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, where the court will hear arguments on California?s voter approved ban on same-sex marriage, Proposition 8. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Supreme Court suggested Tuesday it could find a way out of the case over California's ban on same-sex marriage without issuing a major national ruling on whether America's gays have a right to marry.

Several justices, including some liberals who seemed open to gay marriage, raised doubts during a riveting 80-minute argument that the case should even be before them. And Justice Anthony Kennedy, the potentially decisive vote on a closely divided court, suggested that the court could dismiss it with no ruling at all.

Such an outcome would almost certainly allow gay marriages to resume in California but would have no impact elsewhere.

Kennedy said he feared the court would go into "uncharted waters" if it embraced arguments advanced by gay marriage supporters. But lawyer Theodore Olson, representing two same-sex couples, said that the court similarly ventured into the unknown in 1967 when it struck down bans on interracial marriage in 16 states.

Kennedy challenged the accuracy of that comment by noting that other countries had had interracial marriages for hundreds of years.

There was no majority apparent for any particular outcome and many doubts expressed about the arguments advanced by lawyers for the opponents of gay marriage in California, by the supporters and by the Obama administration, which is in favor of same-sex marriage rights.

Kennedy made clear he did not like the rationale of the federal appeals court that struck down Proposition 8, the California ban, even though it cited earlier opinions in favor of gay rights that Kennedy wrote.

That appeals court ruling applied only to California, where same-sex couples briefly had the right to marry before voters adopted a constitutional amendment in November 2008 that defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

Several members of the court also were troubled by the Obama administration's main point that when states offer same-sex couples civil union rights of marriage, as California and eight other states do, they also must allow marriage. The other states are: Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Rhode Island.

Justice Samuel Alito described gay marriage as newer than such rapidly changing technological advances as cellphones and the Internet, and appeared to advocate a more cautious approach to the issue.

"You want us to assess the effect of same-sex marriage," Alito said to Solicitor General Donald Verrilli. "It may turn out to be a good thing. It may turn out to be not a good thing."

Charles Cooper, representing the people who helped get Proposition 8 on the ballot, ran into similar resistance over his argument that the court should uphold the ban as a valid expression of the people's will and let the vigorous political debate over gay marriage continue.

Here, Kennedy suggested that Cooper's argument did not take account of the estimated 40,000 children who have same-sex parents. "The voices of these children are important, don't you think?" Kennedy said.

If the court is to find the exit without making a decision about gay marriage, it has two basic options.

It could rule that the gay marriage opponents have no right, or legal standing, to defend Proposition 8 in court. Such an outcome also would leave in place the trial court decision in favor of the two same-sex couples who sued for the right to marry. On a practical level, California officials probably would order county clerks across the state to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples, although some more conservative counties might object.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had the sharpest questions for Cooper on the issue of standing.

The justices also could determine that they should not have agreed to hear the case in the first place, as happens a couple of times a term on average. In that situation, the court issues a one-sentence order dismissing the case "as improvidently granted." The effect is to leave in place the appeals court ruling, which in the case of Proposition 8, applies only to California. The appeals court also voted to strike down the ban, but on somewhat different grounds than the trial court.

The Supreme Court waded into the fight over same-sex marriage at a time when public opinion is shifting rapidly in favor of permitting gay and lesbian couples to wed, but 40 states don't allow it.

The court's first major examination of gay rights in 10 years continues Wednesday, when the justices will consider the federal law that prevents legally married gay couples from receiving a range of benefits afforded straight married Americans.

The courtroom was packed on Tuesday and the crowd included actor-director Rob Reiner, who helped lead the fight against California's Proposition 8. Some people waited since Thursday ? even through light snow ? for coveted seats for the argument.

Both sides of the case were represented outside the courthouse. Supporters of gay marriage came with homemade signs including ones that read "a more perfect union" and "love is love."

Among the opponents was retired metal worker Mike Krzywonos, 57, of Pawtucket, R.I. He wore a button that read "marriage 1 man + 1 woman" and said his group represents the "silent majority."

Same-sex marriage is legal in nine states and the District of Columbia. The states are Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington.

Thirty states ban same-sex marriage in their state constitutions, while ten states bar them under state laws. New Mexico law is silent on the issue.

Polls have shown increasing support in the country for gay marriage. According to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in mid-March, 49 percent of Americans now favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, with 44 percent opposed.

The California case was argued 10 years to the day after the court took up a challenge to Texas' anti-sodomy statute. That case ended with a forceful ruling prohibiting states from criminalizing sexual relations between consenting adults.

Kennedy was the author of the decision in Lawrence v. Texas in 2003, and he is being closely watched for how he might vote on the California ban. He cautioned in the Lawrence case that it had nothing to do with gay marriage, but dissenting Justice Antonin Scalia predicted the decision would lead to the invalidation of state laws against same-sex marriage.

Kennedy's decision is widely cited in the briefs in support of same-sex unions.

The California couples, Kris Perry and Sandy Stier of Berkeley and Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo of Burbank, filed their federal lawsuit in May 2009 to overturn the same-sex marriage ban that voters approved the previous November. The ballot measure halted same-sex unions in California, which began in June 2008 after a ruling from the California Supreme Court.

Roughly 18,000 couples were wed in the nearly five months that same-sex marriage was legal and those marriages remain valid in California.

The high-profile case has brought together onetime Supreme Court opponents. Olson, a Republican, and Democrat David Boies are leading the legal team representing the same-sex couples. They argued against each other in the Bush v. Gore case that settled the disputed 2000 presidential election in favor of George W. Bush.

On the other side Tuesday was Cooper, Olson's onetime colleague at the Justice Department in the Reagan administration.

The case is Hollingsworth v. Perry, 12-144.

___

Associated Press writer Jessica Gresko contributed to this report.

___

Follow Mark Sherman on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/shermancourt

Follow Jessica Gresko on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/jessicagresko

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-26-Supreme%20Court-Gay%20Marriage/id-23defb7aa8c947b1b956ac347bb3b9fa

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Gene therapy may aid failing hearts

Mar. 25, 2013 ? In an animal study, researchers at the University of Washington show that it was possible to use gene therapy to boost heart muscle function. The finding suggests that it might be possible to use this approach to treat patients whose hearts have been weakened by heart attacks and other heart conditions.

Led by University of Washington (UW) Professor and Vice Chair of Bioengineering Michael Regnier and Dr. Chuck Murry, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Biology and co-director of the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at UW, the study appears online today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Normally, muscle contraction is powered by a molecule, the nucleotide called Adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP). Other naturally occurring nucleotides can also power muscle contraction, but, in most cases, they have proven to be less effective than ATP.

In an earlier study of isolated muscle, however, Regnier, Murry and colleagues had found that one naturally occurring molecule, called 2 deoxy-ATP (dATP), was actually more effective than ATP in powering muscle contraction, increasing both the speed and force of the contraction, at least over the short-term.

In the new PNAS study, the researchers wanted to see whether this effect could be sustained. To do this, they used genetic engineering to create a strain of mice whose cells produced higher-than-normal levels of an enzyme called Ribonucleotide Reductase, which converts the precursor of ATP, adenosine-5'-diphosphate or ADP, to dADP, which, in turn, is rapidly converted to dATP.

"This fundamental discovery, that dATP can act as a 'super-fuel' for the contractile machinery of the heart, or myofilaments, opens up the possibility to treat a variety of heart failure conditions," Regnier said. "An exciting aspect of this study and our ongoing work is that a relatively small increase in dATP in the heart cells has a big effect on heart performance."

The researchers found that increased production of the enzyme Ribonucleotide Reductase increased the concentration of dATP within heart cells approximately tenfold, and even though this level was still less than one to two percent of the cell's total pool of ATP, the increase led to a sustained improvement in heart muscle function, with the genetically engineered hearts contracting more quickly and with greater force.

"It looks as though we may have stumbled on an important pathway that nature uses to regulate heart contractility," Murry added. "The same pathway that heart cells use to make the building blocks for DNA during embryonic growth makes dATP to supercharge contraction when the adult heart is mechanically stressed."

Importantly, the elevated dATP effect was achieved without imposing additional metabolic demands on the cells, suggesting the modification would not harm the cell's functioning over the long-term.

The finding, the authors write, suggest that treatments that elevate dATP levels in heart cells may prove to be an effective treatment for heart failure.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Washington - Health Sciences, 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. Sarah G. Nowakowski, Stephen C. Kolwicz, Frederick Steven Korte, Zhaoxiong Luo, Jacqueline N. Robinson-Hamm, Jennifer L. Page, Frank Brozovich, Robert S. Weiss, Rong Tian, Charles E. Murry, and Michael Regnier. Transgenic overexpression of ribonucleotide reductase improves cardiac performance. PNAS, March 25, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1220693110

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/most_popular/~3/F2dumpqeqr0/130326101618.htm

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Wells Fargo bank site attack disrupts service

Suzanne Choney , NBC News ? ? ? 14 hrs.

Wells Fargo's online banking site was experiencing problems Tuesday, with a denial-of-service attack likely the reason behind the slowdowns for some customers trying to access the site.

"Today we?ve seen an unusually high volume of website traffic which we believe is a denial of service attack," a bank spokesperson told NBC News. "The vast majority of customers are not impacted and customer information is safe."

Customers who are having problems logging on are encouraged to do keep trying, "as the disruption is usually intermittent," the spokesperson said. "We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience."

This isn't the first time the bank site has been under a denial-of-service attack, where hackers inundate a website with traffic to delay or disrupt it.

Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Ally Financial, and regional bank BB&T have also been hit with attacks in the past year. Sources have previously told NBC News and Reuters that the attacks may be part of an effort by Iranian hackers against major U.S. financial institutions and other corporate entities.

Last fall, a financial services industry group, the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, issued an alert about the attacks to members, raising the threat level from "elevated" to high," because of "credible intelligence" about the potential for such attacks.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/2a059650/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Ctechnolog0Cwells0Efargo0Ebank0Esite0Eattack0Edisrupts0Eservice0E1C90A87970A/story01.htm

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Kirstie Alley Weight Gain: Actress Posts SHOCKING Photo

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/kirstie-alley-weight-gain-actress-posts-shocking-photo/

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Shift In Gay Marriage Support Mirrors A Changing America

Same-sex marriage advocates protest outside the county clerk's office in San Francisco on Feb. 14.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

When Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman recently reversed his stance on gay marriage after his son came out as gay, he joined a tidal wave of Americans who have altered their views on the subject.

This dramatic change forms the backdrop to two Supreme Court cases this week about the constitutionality of same-sex marriage. Support has reverberated at the highest level: The White House has urged the high court to come down in favor of gay rights, and President Obama has reversed his own stance on the issue.

"There's just been a real huge sea change in how people view gay marriage," says Dawn Michelle Baunach, a sociologist at Georgia State University who has tracked attitudes toward same-sex marriage over the past two decades.

"In 1988, we had 72 percent of people who said they disapproved of gay marriage, and only 13 percent approved. But by 2010, we had cut disapproval almost in half, and approval has quadrupled," she says.

The latest public opinion surveys show an even greater jump. About one-third of Americans now oppose gay marriage, while some 58 percent support it.

Baunach notes that there has been an acceleration in how quickly opinions about same-sex marriage changed after 2008. She says that for many Americans, gay marriage was no longer an abstract issue, but a personal issue that touches the life of someone they know.

"They can think about it on a more personal level," she says. "Instead of just reacting on a more, 'Oh, that doesn't seem right' [level], they [think], 'Well, you know, Jane is a great person, I like her, I've met her girlfriend and it seems perfectly reasonable that they should be able to get married.' "

Baunach's research suggests that the dramatic shift in attitudes is not because of what sociologists would call "generational change." It has long been known that older people are more likely than younger people to oppose gay marriage. But Baunach says the national change was less about older Americans dying and leaving behind a more liberal America, and more about the fact that many Americans who once opposed gay marriage have changed their minds or softened their opposition.

Support for gay marriage two decades ago was largely restricted to secular and highly educated urban dwellers. Increasingly, though, Baunach says, rural people, those with less education, and even religious people were showing signs of support. Opposition among Republicans, evangelicals and African-Americans, however, remains strong.

Another explanation for the change is that the institution of marriage among heterosexuals has been undergoing a substantial transition, Baunach says.

Many Americans are redefining their intimate relationships in nontraditional ways, she says. Revised views on gay marriage could be related to steadily changing perspectives toward sexuality over the past several decades.

Yet another explanation might have to do with the way the issue of gay rights has come to be framed as an individual rights issue, Baunach says. Other research suggests that Americans resonate with messages that highlight the importance of individual liberty.

Baunach predicts that if current trends continue, the country will soon look like a mirror image of itself from a quarter-century ago: A minority of Americans may be left opposing same-sex marriage, while an overwhelming majority support it.

But she also notes that such a trend is hardly irreversible: While minorities of Americans appear to be fervently for and fervently against gay marriage ? and can reliably be expected to stick to their views ? a substantial bloc of Americans appear to have views that are open to persuasion.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/03/25/174989702/shift-in-gay-marriage-support-mirrors-a-changing-america?ft=1&f=1007

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Pride, penitence and Antonio Banderas: Spaniards mark Holy Week with colorful processions

Emilio Morenatti / AP

Hooded penitents from the La Paz brotherhood walk to the church to take part in a procession in Seville, Spain, on March 24, 2013.

Christian believers around the world are marking the Holy Week of Easter in celebration of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. On Sunday, hundreds of processions were held in towns and cities across Spain.

In his?Palm Sunday service at the Vatican, Pope Francis?appealed to?the crowd to shun corruption and reach out to "the humble, the poor, the forgotten."

Eloy Alonso / Reuters

Women wearing traditional mantilla dresses smoke outside a church before taking part in the Brotherhood procession of "Los Estudiantes" (The Students) at the start of Holy Week in Oviedo, northern Spain, on March 24, 2013.

Emilio Morenatti / AP

"Costaleros" from "La Estrella" brotherhood, wait their turn to carry over their backs the portable dais platform which supports a statue of Jesus Christ during a procession in Seville on March 24, 2013.

Marcelo Del Pozo / Reuters

Penitents pass a man with a dog as they walk to a church before taking part in the procession of "La Paz" (Peace) brotherhood during Holy Week in the Andalusian capital of Seville, March 24, 2013.

Jon Nazca / Reuters

Film actor and director Antonio Banderas, second right, sings a song to the Virgin inside a church as he takes part as a penitent in the "Lagrimas and Favores" brotherhood in a Palm Sunday procession in Malaga on March 24, 2013.

Cristina Quicler / AFP - Getty Images

A penitent of the "La Paz" brotherhood holds a religious item with an image of the Virgin Mary as he takes part in a procession in Seville on March 24, 2013.

Emilio Morenatti / AP

A waiter tries to see from a window as the procession of "La Paz" brotherhood passes along a street in Seville on March 24, 2013.

Eloy Alonso / Reuters

Spanish legionnaires carry a statue of the Christ of the Mercy into church after the Palm Sunday procession of the "Estudiantes" brotherhood was suspended due to rain in Oviedo on March 24, 2013.

Jon Nazca / Reuters

A crying woman is comforted by fellow penitents inside a church where they took shelter from the rain during the "Lagrimas y Favores" (Tears and Favors) brotherhood Palm Sunday procession in Malaga on March 24, 2013.

Jon Nazca / Reuters

Penitents light their candles as they take part in the "Humildad" (Humility) brotherhood Palm Sunday procession in Malaga on March 24, 2013.

?

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Top China college in focus with ties to army?s cyber-spying unit

SHANGHAI (Reuters) ? Faculty members at a top Chinese university have collaborated for years on technical research papers with a People?s Liberation Army (PLA) unit accused of being at the heart of China?s alleged cyber-war against Western commercial targets.

Several papers on computer network security and intrusion detection, easily accessed on the Internet, were co-authored by researchers at PLA Unit 61398, allegedly an operational unit actively engaged in cyber-espionage, and faculty at Shanghai Jiaotong University, a centre of academic excellence with ties to some of the world?s top universities and attended by the country?s political and business elite.

The apparent working relationship between the PLA unit and Shanghai Jiaotong is in contrast to common practice in most developed nations, where university professors in recent decades have been reluctant to cooperate with operational intelligence gathering units.

The issue of cyber-security is testing ties between the world?s two biggest economies, prompting U.S. President Barack Obama to raise concerns over computer hacking in a phone call with new Chinese President Xi Jinping. China denies it engages in state-sponsored hacking, saying it is a victim of cyber-attacks from the United States.

There is no evidence to suggest any Shanghai Jiaotong academics who co-authored papers with Unit 61398 worked with anyone directly engaged in cyber-espionage operations, as opposed to research.

?The issue is operational activity ? whether these research institutions have been involved in actual intelligence operations,? said James Lewis, director of the Technology and Public Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. ?That?s something the U.S. does not do.?

?(In the U.S.) there?s a clear line between an academic researcher and people engaged in operational (intelligence gathering) activities.?

Shanghai Jiaotong declined to comment.

CO-AUTHORS

In reviewing the links between the PLA and Shanghai Jiaotong ? whose alumni include former President Jiang Zemin, the head of China?s top automaker and the former CEO of its most popular Internal portal ? Reuters found at least three papers on cyber- warfare on a document-sharing web site that were co-authored by university faculty members and PLA researchers.

The papers, on network security and attack detection, state on their title pages they were written by Unit 61398 researchers and professors at Shanghai Jiaotong?s School of Information Security Engineering (SISE).

In one 2007 paper on how to improve security by designing a collaborative network monitoring system, PLA researcher Chen Yi-qun worked with Xue Zhi, the vice-president of SISE and the school?s Communist Party branch secretary. According to his biography on the school?s website, Xue is credited with developing China?s leading infiltrative cyber-attack platform.

Calls and emails to Xue were not answered. Reuters was unable to find contact details for Chen.

Fan Lei, an associate professor at Shanghai Jiaotong whose main research areas are network security management and cryptography, also co-authored a paper with Chen. Fan told Reuters he has no links with Unit 61398 and his work with Chen in 2010 was because Chen was a SISE graduate student. Fan said he was unaware Chen was with the PLA when they collaborated. Both of the papers Chen co-wrote with SISE professors stated he was with the PLA unit.

Cyber-security experts say the publicly available papers and China?s National Information Security Engineering Centre are ostensibly about securing computer networks.

?The research seems to be defensive, but cyber-security research in general can be dual purpose,? said Adam Meyers, director of intelligence at CrowdStrike, a security technology company based in Irvine, California. Figuring out how best to defend networks, by definition, means thinking about the most effective means of attack, he noted.

Efforts to reach the PLA for comment on its collaboration with Shanghai Jiaotong were unsuccessful.

TECH PARK NEIGHBORS

Set amid manicured lawns, Shanghai Jiaotong University is one of China?s top four colleges, turning out brilliant technical engineers much in demand by both domestic companies and foreign multinationals. Its reputation has led to tie-ups with elite universities abroad.

Last month, Mandiant Corp, a private U.S.-based security firm, accused China?s military of cyber-espionage on U.S. and other English-speaking companies, identifying Unit 61398 and its location at a building on the outskirts of Shanghai. China said the report was baseless and lacked ?technical proof?.

?SISE at Shanghai Jiaotong has provided support? to PLA Unit 61398 ? known more formally as General Staff Department (GSD), Third Department, Second Bureau ? said Russell Hsiao, author of papers on China?s cyber-warfare capabilities for Project 2049 Institute, a Virginia-based think-tank, who drew his research from the technical papers and government reports.

He said another Shanghai Jiaotong department, the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, also did research work with another PLA unit. A Project 2049 report last year found the GSD?s Third Department had oversight of ?information security engineering bases? in Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin.

The GSD Third Department?s Shanghai base is in an industrial park housing mainly government research institutes and high-tech firms. The SISE building is in the same development, 40 kms from the university?s main Minhang campus. Across the street from SISE is the National Information Security Engineering Center, a building commissioned in 2003 by PLA Unit 61398. Also part of the base is the Ministry of Public Security?s Third Research Institute, which researches digital forensics and network security.

AUTO RESEARCH

Shanghai Jiaotong is not officially linked to China?s military. SISE says on its website its goal is to speed up the development of China?s information security sector and address the national shortage of information security professionals.

Shanghai Jiaotong set up a joint institute in China?s second city in 2006 with the University of Michigan ? seeking, it says on its web site, to ?develop innovative and highly reputable education and research programs in various engineering fields.? A spokesman for the U.S. college said it has no relationship with SISE. Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh also had a partnership with Shanghai Jiaotong?s School of Electronic, Information and Electrical Engineering, and Singapore Management University said it ended a tie-up with SISE last June.

Among the industries in the United States allegedly targeted by Unit 61398, as recently as last year according to Mandiant, is transportation, including the auto sector.

The University of Michigan collaborates closely with Detroit-based automakers on research projects, and is one of three colleges that comprise the University Research Corridor, which spent $300 million on R&D projects over the last five years. Nearly a third of that was funded by private industry, according to local consultant the Anderson Economic Group.

?There was no indication in 2010 that the joint institute was involved in any way and that also is the case today. We do, of course, watch the news reports on these issues carefully,? said Rick Fitzgerald, a University of Michigan spokesman, referring to a New York Times report in 2010 citing investigators? claims to have tracked cyber-attacks against Google Inc (GOOG.O) to Shanghai Jiaotong and an eastern Chinese vocational school. (Additional reporting by Jim Finkle and Joseph Menn in SAN FRANCISCO; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/world/top-china-college-in-focus-with-ties-to-armys-cyber-spying-unit-673508.html

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FGCU becomes first 15 seed to reach round of 16

Florida Gulf Coast's Eric McKnight, from left, Chase Fieler, Brett Comer and Bernard Thompson celebrate after a dunk by McKnight late the second half of a third-round game against San Diego State in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 24, 2013, in Philadelphia. Florida Gulf Coast won 81-71. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Florida Gulf Coast's Eric McKnight, from left, Chase Fieler, Brett Comer and Bernard Thompson celebrate after a dunk by McKnight late the second half of a third-round game against San Diego State in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 24, 2013, in Philadelphia. Florida Gulf Coast won 81-71. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Florida Gulf Coast's Sherwood Brown, center, celebrates with teammates after their 81-71 win over San Diego State in a third-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 24, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

Florida Gulf Coast players celebrate after winning a third-round game against San Diego State in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 24, 2013, in Philadelphia. Florida Gulf Coast won 81-71. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Duke's Rasheed Sulaimon, left, goes up for a shot as Creighton's Avery Dingman defends during the second half of a third-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 24, 2013, in Philadelphia. Duke won 66-50. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

Creighton's Doug McDermott, right, goes up for a shot against Duke's Amile Jefferson during the second half of a third-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 24, 2013, in Philadelphia. Duke won 66-50. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Florida Gulf Coast can only hope its second weekend in the NCAA tournament is as much fun as its first.

The little-known Eagles made NCAA tournament history Sunday night, becoming the first 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16 ? and they did it in style with a convincing 81-71 win over No. 7 San Diego State that had the Wells Fargo Center partying.

A couple of hours later, Duke joined them with a 66-50 win over Creighton ? and a decidedly more subdued postgame celebration.

Both will have a tough time next weekend.

Second-seeded Duke gets No. 3 Michigan State in the Midwest Regional semifinals, while FGCU ? the upstart state school ? plays the system's flagship university, third-seeded Florida, in the South Regional semifinals at Dallas.

"We got a lot of exposure this weekend and now I'm sure it'll be increased," FGCU coach Andy Enfield said in one of the understatements of the tournament. "If you watched us play and know the personalities, it won't be a problem. They enjoy themselves. I think it's important for them to take this in. I want all our players to take a couple deep breaths and say, 'Wow, we're in the Sweet 16, we've accomplished a lot.'"

The players ? and their new fans from Philadelphia ? had a blast in their first two NCAA tournament games: the 78-68 victory over second-seeded Georgetown that brought the Eagles (26-10) to the nation's attention and the impressive win over the seventh-seeded Aztecs.

"Words can't describe this feeling as being a 15 seed, the first 15 seed to ever do this," FGCU point guard Brett Comer said. "I don't think it's really sunk in to any of us yet. I feel like maybe it will tomorrow, but right now we're on such an emotional high it's hard to come down from."

The Eagles continued their high-flying act that resulted in some highlight-reel dunks, many on assists from Coomer, who finished with 10 points and 14 assists.

"We got on a run, and when we push the ball we get the crowd behind us and we get a dunk, and then we go to the other end and get a stop and another dunk, it's hard to try to turn the momentum back like that," Comer said.

The Eagles broke the game open against Georgetown with a 21-2 run in the second half. Against San Diego State it was a 17-0 run and when it was over the Eagles led 71-52 with 4:19 to play and the only decisions left were how the players and fans were going to celebrate.

"We're all about having fun and also playing really hard and that's something we like to do, we like to get the crowd involved," said Sherwood Brown, the A-Sun's player of the year, who had 17 points despite being saddled with foul trouble. "The whole crowd got behind us even if they are not from Fort Myers, or as I like to say, Dunk City."

Bernard Thompson had 23 points for the 16-year-old school from Fort Myers.

Jamal Franklin had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Aztecs (23-11), who were trying to reach the regional semifinals for the second time in three years.

Franklin spoke with Brown after the game.

"I just told him just keep being the leader that he is, make sure the ball is in his hands, make sure he does what he has to do to keep his team rolling," Franklin said.

The Eagles shot 55.9 percent (33 of 59), including going 7 of 18 from 3-point range.

The Aztecs finished at 44.3 percent (27 of 61) and were 8 of 23 from beyond the arc.

"They play with a swagger, and they have a right to do that," said San Diego State coach Steve Fisher, who knows about players with that attitude having led the Fab Five to consecutive national championship games at Michigan. "You can have that look and feel, but you have to compete and play to earn your spurs, and they've done that."

Freshman Rasheed Sulaimon scored 21 points and Seth Curry added 17 as Duke advanced to the round of 16 for the fourth time in five years.

A year after they lost their NCAA tournament opener, the Blue Devils (29-5) are in the regional semifinal for the 23rd time after holding Creighton to 30.2 percent shooting (16 of 53), including 2 of 19 from 3-point range.

Mason Plumlee, Josh Hairston and Ryan Kelly battled foul trouble all game long that could have doomed the Blue Devils but seventh-seeded Creighton (28-8) never made a serious run in the second half.

Doug McDermott scored 21 points on 4-for-16 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds for the Bluejays, who were knocked out in the third round by an Atlantic Coast Conference team for the second straight season. Creighton lost to North Carolina last year.

Associated Press

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When a gene is worth two: Same gene fulfills different biological roles in plants

Mar. 22, 2013 ? The notion that each gene can only codify for a single protein has been challenged for some years. Yet, the functional outcomes that may result from genes encoding more than one protein are still largely unknown. Now, in a study published in the latest issue of The Plant Cell journal, a group of scientists led by Paula Duque at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ci?ncia (IGC, Portugal) discovered a gene -- ZIFL1 -- that has the particularity of producing two different proteins with completely distinct locations and functions in the plant. The researchers observed that in the root ZIFL1 codifies a protein that is important for the transport of auxin, a hormone essential for the correct growth and development of the plant. However, in the leaves the same gene originates a protein that promotes tolerance to drought. The gene presented in this study is one of the few identified to produce two proteins with such different biological roles.

ZIFL1 belongs to a family of transporter genes known to be present in all classes of organisms, but the functional role of most of its members remains unknown. What is known is that these transporter genes encode proteins that are integrated into cell membranes and act by allowing the passage of small molecules across them. By undergoing genetic and cell biology studies in the plant model Arabidopsis thaliana, Paula Duque's team was able to study the role of the ZIFL1 gene. What surprised the scientists was that mutant plants unable to produce the ZIFL1 transporter presented specific defects in different organs and functions. On one hand, their roots exhibited problems of growth, ramification and orientation when compared to normal plants.

These observations suggested that the ZIFL1 gene was involved in the transport of the auxin hormone, which plays an important role in the development of the root. But the researchers also found out that the mutant plants had problems in tolerating drought. They realized that the leaf pores that regulate transpiration -- the stomata -- were more open in the mutants than in normal plants, resulting in the loss of higher quantities of water. This suggested a role for ZIFL1 in the closure of stomata and in the control of water loss by the plant, which can be critical under drought conditions.

Intrigued by these observations, the researchers investigated whether the ZIFL1 gene could be originating two proteins that would act differently in distinct tissues. Alternative splicing is a key mechanism allowing the same gene to produce multiple proteins. When genes are activated to give rise to proteins, they first originate an intermediate molecule of RNA that can be processed differently, with some parts being removed. This cut and paste process may originate different RNA molecules that can then be converted into different proteins. Estelle Remy, investigator at Duque's laboratory and first author of this work, observed that in the case of the ZIFL1 gene, alternative splicing originates two RNA molecules that differ in just two chemical residues. However, this small difference has a huge impact on the proteins that are generated, with one of them being shortened by 67 amino acids. In collaboration with Isabel S?-Correia's group? at Instituto Superior T?cnico, the researchers then tested the activity of the two proteins in yeast cells and found that both transport potassium ions.

Having different size but similar transport activity, Estelle looked for the reason why these two proteins had such distinct biological functions. Surprisingly, she observed that root tissues only present the longer form of the protein, whereas the shorter protein can only be found in the leaves. Furthermore, the location of these two proteins also differs inside the cells of the root and leaves, being integrated into different cell membranes. According to Estelle, "the fact that we cannot find both proteins being expressed either in roots or leaves suggests that these tissues may have specific factors that somehow influence the splicing of the ZIFL1 RNA into the form that confers the biological role necessary for that tissue."

Says Paula Duque, "To our knowledge, there are not many known cases of proteins with such different biological functions being codified by the same gene. What is most fascinating is how the inclusion or removal of just two chemical residues in the RNA molecule results in the production of two proteins that play essential roles either in hormone transport or in tolerance to drought."

Alternative splicing is a crucial mechanism to generate protein diversity. In humans, about 20,000 to 25,000 genes codify proteins. However, recent studies indicate that over 90% of these genes undergo alternative splicing, with scientists estimating that there may be up to 500,000 or more different proteins in the human body.

This study was carried out at the IGC in collaboration with the research groups of Isabel S?-Correia (Biological Sciences Research Group, IBB/CEBQ, Instituto Superior T?cnico, Portugal) and Ji?? Friml (VIB/Ghent University, Belgium and Institute of Science and Technology, Austria). It was funded by Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia (Portugal).

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Instituto Gulbenkian de Ci?ncia (IGC).

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. E. Remy, T. R. Cabrito, P. Baster, R. A. Batista, M. C. Teixeira, J. Friml, I. Sa-Correia, P. Duque. A Major Facilitator Superfamily Transporter Plays a Dual Role in Polar Auxin Transport and Drought Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell, 2013; DOI: 10.1105/tpc.113.110353

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/-K3qwiHxFkk/130322154124.htm

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Characters Gives You Quick Access to Special Characters and Emojis in Your Mac's Menubar

A few weeks ago, we introduced you to CatchChar, a Windows utility that made it easy to find and use special Unicode characters. Now, Characters brings similarly handy functionality to your Mac's menubar.

You can invoke Characters by clicking on its menubar icon or with a customizable keyboard shortcut, and then find anything you want using a natural language search bar. The app supports all the standard Unicode special characters you'd expect, plus Emoji as a fun bonus. Once you find what you're looking for, just click the character or navigate to it with arrow keys and hit enter to copy it to your clipboard. The app also features an incredibly useful code mode that can copy the character's HTML Entity or Python source to use on your website or script.

If you don't need special characters very often, you can find them fairly easily in the Edit menu of most Mac apps. But if you find yourself needing them a lot, or just want quick access to silly Emojis, Characters is well worth its $2.99 price tag.

Charaters ($2.99) | Mac App Store via MacStories

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105 US kids died of flu; most didn't get vaccine

This Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013 photo shows vials of flu vaccine in Philadelphia. Health officials say the flu season is winding down, and it has killed 105 children - about the average toll. The flu season started earlier than usual and ended up being moderately severe. Roughly 100 children die in an average flu season. One exception was the swine flu pandemic of 2009-2010, when 348 children died. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the latest number Friday, March 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

This Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013 photo shows vials of flu vaccine in Philadelphia. Health officials say the flu season is winding down, and it has killed 105 children - about the average toll. The flu season started earlier than usual and ended up being moderately severe. Roughly 100 children die in an average flu season. One exception was the swine flu pandemic of 2009-2010, when 348 children died. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the latest number Friday, March 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The flu season is winding down, and it has killed 105 children so far ? about the average toll.

The season started about a month earlier than usual, sparking concerns it might turn into the worst in a decade. It ended up being very hard on the elderly, but was moderately severe overall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Six of the pediatric deaths were reported in the last week, and it's possible there will be more, said the CDC's Dr. Michael Jhung said Friday.

Roughly 100 children die in an average flu season. One exception was the swine flu pandemic of 2009-2010, when 348 children died.

The CDC recommends that all children ages 6 months and older be vaccinated against flu each season, though only about half get a flu shot or nasal spray.

All but four of the children who died were old enough to be vaccinated, but 90 percent of them did not get vaccinated, CDC officials said.

This year's vaccine was considered effective in children, though it didn't work very well in older people. And the dominant flu strain early in the season was one that tends to cause more severe illness.

The government only does a national flu death count for children. But it does track hospitalization rates for people 65 and older, and those statistics have been grim.

In that group, 177 out of every 100,000 were hospitalized with flu-related illness in the past several months. That's more than 2 1/2 times higher than any other recent season.

This flu season started in early December, a month earlier than usual, and peaked by the end of year. Since then, flu reports have been dropping off throughout the country.

"We appear to be getting close to the end of flu season," Jhung said.

___

Online:

CDC flu: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm

Associated Press

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