Severe python damage to Florida's native Everglades animals documented in new study

ScienceDaily (Jan. 30, 2012) ? Precipitous declines in formerly common mammals in Everglades National Park in Florida have been linked to the presence of invasive Burmese pythons, according to a study by Michael Dorcas, an associate professor of biology at Davidson College, and colleagues. The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study, the first to document the ecological impacts of this invasive species, strongly supports that animal communities in the 1.5-million-acre park have been markedly altered by the introduction of pythons within 11 years of their establishment as an invasive species. Mid-sized mammals are the most dramatically affected, but some Everglades pythons are as large as 16 feet long, and their prey have included animals as large as deer and alligators.

"The magnitude of these declines underscores the apparent incredible density of pythons in Everglades National Park and justifies the argument for more intensive investigation into their ecological effects, as well as the development of effective control methods," said Dorcas, lead author of the study and author of the 2010 book Invasive Pythons in the United States.

He continued, "Such severe declines in easily seen mammals bode poorly for the many species of conservation concern that are more difficult to sample but that may also be vulnerable to python predation."

The most severe declines, including a nearly complete disappearance of raccoons, rabbits and opossums, have occurred in the remote southernmost regions of the park, where pythons have been established the longest. In this area, populations of raccoons dropped 99.3 percent, opossums 98.9 percent and bobcats 87.5 percent. Marsh and cottontail rabbits, as well as foxes, were not seen at all.

The researchers collected their information via repeated systematic night-time road surveys within the park, counting both live and road-killed animals. Over the period of the study, researchers traveled a total of nearly 39,000 miles from 2003 to 2011 and compared their findings with similar surveys conducted in 1996 and 1997 along the same roadways before pythons were recognized as established in Everglades National Park.

The authors also conducted surveys in ecologically similar areas north of the park where pythons have not yet been discovered. In those areas, mammal abundances were similar to those in the park before pythons proliferated. At sites where pythons have only recently been documented, however, mammal populations were reduced, though not to the dramatic extent observed within the park where pythons are well established.

"Pythons are wreaking havoc on one of America's most beautiful, treasured and naturally bountiful ecosystems," said U.S. Geological Survey director Marcia McNutt. "Right now, the only hope to help halt further python invasion into new areas is swift, decisive and deliberate human action."

The authors suggested that one reason for such dramatic declines in such a short time is that these prey species are "na?ve" -- that is, they not used to being preyed upon by pythons since such large snakes have not previously existed in that ecosystem.

"It took 30 years for the brown treesnake to be implicated in the nearly complete disappearance of mammals and birds on Guam; it has apparently taken only 11 years since pythons were recognized as being established in the Everglades for researchers to implicate pythons in the same kind of severe mammal declines," said Robert Reed, a USGS scientist and co-author of the paper. "It is possible that other mammal species, including at-risk ones, have declined as well because of python predation, but at this time, the status of those species is unknown."

Another coauthor of the study was John Willson '02, a research scientist at Virginia Tech University who has worked with Dorcas on several studies, and co-authored the book Invasive Pythons in the United States.

Willson commented, "Our research adds to the increasing evidence that predators, whether native or exotic, exert major influence on the structure of animal communities. The effects of declining mammal populations on the overall Everglades ecosystem, which extends well beyond the national park boundaries, are likely profound, but are probably complex and difficult to predict. Studies examining such effects are sorely needed to more fully understand the impacts pythons are having on one of our most unique and valued national parks."

On January 23 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a rule in the Federal Register that will ban the importation and interstate transportation of four non-native constrictor snakes that threaten the Everglades, including the Burmese python. These snakes are being listed as injurious species under the Lacey Act.

In addition to Dorcas and Willson, authors of the study are Robert N. Reed, USGS; Ray W. Snow, NPS; Michael R. Rochford, University of Florida; Melissa A. Miller, Auburn University; Walter E. Meshaka, Jr., State Museum of Pennsylvania; Paul T. Andreadis, Denison University; Frank J. Mazzotti, University of Florida; Christina M. Romagosa, Auburn University; and Kristen M. Hart, USGS.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Davidson College.

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Journal Reference:

1. Michael E. Dorcas, John D. Willson, Robert N. Reed, Ray W. Snow, Michael R. Rochford, Melissa A. Miller, Walter E. Meshaka, Jr., Paul T. Andreadis, Frank J. Mazzotti, Christina M. Romagosa, and Kristen M. Hart. Severe mammal declines coincide with proliferation of invasive Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1115226109

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/f_u6QPu5lpY/120130193241.htm

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Oakland to assess damage after Occupy protests (AP)

OAKLAND, Calif. ? Oakland officials assessed damage to City Hall caused by Occupy protesters while leaders of the movement claimed Sunday that police acted illegally in arresting hundreds of demonstrators and could face a lawsuit.

Mayor Jean Quan was among those inspecting damage caused after dozens of people broke into City Hall on Saturday, smashing glass display cases, spray-painting graffiti, and burning an American flag.

That break-in culminated a day of clashes between protesters and police. Interim Police Chief Howard Jordan said nearly 400 people were arrested on charges ranging from failure to disperse and vandalism. At least three officers and one protester were injured.

In a news release Sunday, the Occupy Oakland Media Committee criticized the police conduct, saying that most of the arrests were made illegally because police failed to allow protesters to disperse.

"Contrary to their own policy, the OPD gave no option of leaving or instruction on how to depart. These arrests are completely illegal, and this will probably result in another class action lawsuit against the OPD, who have already cost Oakland $58 million in lawsuits over the past 10 years," the release said.

The scene around City Hall was mostly quiet Sunday morning, and it was unclear whether protesters would mount another large-scale demonstration.

Dozens of officers remained present inside and outside City Hall after maintaining guard overnight. Occupy Oakland demonstrators broke into the historic building and burned a U.S. flag, as officers earlier fired tear gas to disperse people throwing rocks and tearing down fencing at a convention center.

"They were never able to occupy a building outside of City Hall," Jordan said Sunday. "We suspect they will try to go to the convention center again. They will get not get in"

Saturday's protests ? the most turbulent since Oakland police forcefully dismantled an Occupy encampment in November ? came just days after the group said it planned to use a vacant building as a social center and political hub and threatened to try to shut down the Port of Oakland for a third time, occupy the airport and take over City Hall.

Quan, who faced heavy criticism for the police action last fall, on Saturday called on the Occupy movement to "stop using Oakland as its playground."

"People in the community and people in the Occupy movement have to stop making excuses for this behavior," Quan said.

On Sunday, Quan said she is tired of the protesters' repeated actions.

"I'm mostly frustrated because it appears that most of them constantly come from outside of Oakland," Quan said. "I think a lot of the young people who come to these demonstrations think they're being revolutionary when they're really hurting the people they claim that they are representing."

Saturday's events began late Saturday morning, when a group assembled outside City Hall and marched through the streets, disrupting traffic as they threatened to take over the vacant Henry Kaiser Convention Center.

The protesters then walked to the convention center, where some started tearing down perimeter fencing and "destroying construction equipment" shortly before 3 p.m., police said.

Police said they issued a dispersal order and used smoke and tear gas after some protesters pelted them with bottles, rocks, burning flares and other objects.

The number of demonstrators swelled as the day wore on, with afternoon estimates ranging from about 1,000 to 2,000 people.

A majority of the arrests came after police took scores of protesters into custody as they marched through the city's downtown, with some entering a YMCA building, said Sgt. Jeff Thomason, a police spokesman.

Quan said that at one point, many protesters forced their way into City Hall, where they burned flags, broke an electrical box and damaged several art structures, including a recycled art exhibit created by children.

Dozens of officers surrounded City Hall, while others swept the inside of the building looking for protesters who had broken into the building, then ran out of the building with American flags before officers arrived.

The protest group issued an email criticizing police, saying "Occupy Oakland's building occupation, an act of constitutionally protected civil disobedience was disrupted by a brutal police response today."

Michael Davis, 32, who is originally from Ohio and was in the Occupy movement in Cincinnati, said Saturday was a very hectic day that originally started off calm but escalated when police began using "flash bangs, tear gas, smoke grenades and bean bags."

"What could've been handled differently is the way the Oakland police came at us," Davis said. "We were peaceful."

City leaders joined Quan in criticizing the protesters.

"City Hall is closed for the weekend. There is no excuse for behavior we've witnessed this evening," City Council President Larry Reid said during a news briefing Saturday.

Oakland Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente, echoed Reid's sentiments and said that what was going on amounts to "domestic terrorism."

The national Occupy Wall Street movement, which denounces corporate excess and economic inequality, began in New York City in the fall but has been largely dormant lately.

Oakland, New York and Los Angeles were among the cities with the largest and most vocal Occupy protests early on. The demonstrations ebbed after those cities used force to move out hundreds of demonstrators who had set up tent cities.

In Oakland, the police department received heavy criticism for using force to break up earlier protests. Quan was among the critics, but on Saturday, she seemed to have changed her tune.

"Our officers have been very measured," Quan said. "Were there some mistakes made? There may be. I would say the Oakland police and our allies, so far a small percentage of mistakes. "But quite frankly, a majority of protesters who were charging the police were clearly not being peaceful.

Earlier this month, a court-appointed monitor submitted a report to a federal judge that included "serious concerns" about the department's handling of the Occupy protests.

Jordan said late Saturday that he was in "close contact" with the federal monitor during the protests.

Quan added, "If the demonstrators think that because we are working more closely with the monitor now that we won't do what we have to do to uphold the law and try keep people safe in this city, they're wrong."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_us/us_occupy_oakland

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Manage your Sprint account on your iPhone with Sprint Mobile Zone

Sprint has released an iPhone app for their customers called Sprint Mobile Zone. With this app, users can access their Sprint accounts, check out promotions, and read Sprint news. Non-account

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/Xx1jRPIs1yI/story01.htm

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More Info About Marketing Plan And Communications Plan ...

A part of your marketing plan is your communications plan. A focused strategy you use to get the word out about your business, product or service is called a communications plan.

Public relations, advertising and speaking engagements are the examples of some of the communication tactics that you may use. Yes, it does identify who you are communicating to and what your message is, and where and how you will get that message out, and often has goals or objectives you are trying to achieve.

What exactly is the difference between the two

A marketing plan starts by creating a strong, strategic marketing foundation for your communications plan. Addressing the goals and objectives for your business, not just for your communications activities, is what this will do.

What it does is address how you package, price, and sell your product or service and not just how you talk about it. Another thing it does is take into consideration your competitors and helps you develop a unique selling proposition to ensure your product or service is uniquely positioned in the minds of your prospects and customers.

Making sure that you have a way to track all of your marketing activities to create the greatest possible success for your business is what it does as well.

First and foremost, you need a marketing plan

As for the messaging part of your marketing plan, it comes in from your communications plan. When you are able to create a strong, strategic marketing foundation (which you will do as part of creating a marketing plan), you can then determine a message strategy and tactics and this will be your communications plan. Not only that, but it will most definitely be a part of the same document as well.

The communications plan is part of the marketing plan when you are writing marketing plans. Another thing you need to do is make sure that your business goals and strategy is clear within your marketing plan. That way you are not going back to it and not understand what it is you meant!

The success of your communications plan depends on it!

You are missing an important part of what it takes to make a business successful if all you have is a communications plan. A marketing plan is essential.

Searching for press release submission services that sends your press release to the right people, at the right price? We provide how to write press release tips that work!

Source: http://www.nealcoonertyforsupervisor.com/more-info-about-marketing-plan-and-communications-plan/

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Djokovic wins Australian Open in longest final (AP)

MELBOURNE, Australia ? Novak Djokovic wore down Rafael Nadal in the longest Grand Slam singles final in the history of professional tennis, winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 after 5 hours, 53 minutes to claim his third Australian Open title.

Djokovic wrapped it up at 1:37 a.m. local time on Monday, becoming the fifth man since the Open Era began in 1968 to win three straight Grand Slam finals.

The 24-year-old Djokovic tore off his shirt in celebration after the riveting final. He went to his support camp and repeatedly thumped the side of the arena in front of them in delight and relief.

Nadal leaned on the net, while Djokovic sat on his haunches before the trophy presentation. Eventually, an official brought them chairs and a bottle of water each.

"We made history tonight and unfortunately there couldn't be two winners," Djokovic said.

Djokovic maintained his mastery of Nadal, who has lost seven straight finals against the Serb since March last year. The Spainiard became the first man in the Open Era to lose three straight major finals. He lost in four sets to Djokovic at last year's Wimbledon and U.S. Open.

Having reduced Roger Federer to tears when he won the title over five sets in 2009, Nadal maintained his composure during the on-court speeches ? and even managed a joke.

"Good morning, everybody," Nadal said, earning laughs and loud applause from the crowd. "Congratulations to Novak and his team. They deserve it. They are doing something fantastic, so congratulations."

After coming back from 5-3 down to win the fourth-set tiebreaker, Nadal was up a break at 4-2 in the fifth set against Djokovic, who seemed to be tiring.

But the No. 1-ranked Djokovic, who needed almost five hours to win his semifinal against Andy Murray, somehow responded. He broke for a 6-5 lead and saved a break point before finally claiming the win.

The previous longest major singles final was Mats Wilander's win over Ivan Lendl at the U.S. Open in 1988, which lasted 4 hours, 54 minutes.

The longest Australian Open final also involved Wilander in 1988, when the Swede beat Pat Cash. Sunday's match was also the longest in the tournament's history.

A tense, error-strewn opening set offered no indication of the high drama to follow. In hot, humid conditions, both players struggled for consistency.

After an exchange of breaks, Nadal took it after 80 minutes ? two minutes short of the entire women's final the previous day.

Nadal had only lost one match of his previous 134 in Grand Slams after winning the first set, but he found his serve coming under increasing pressure as the match wore on.

As if to demonstrate the pervading tension of the occasion, Djokovic double-faulted at break point down while serving for the second set at 5-3 before Nadal returned the favor by double-faulting in the next game to give the Serb the second set.

By the time Djokovic took a 3-1 lead in the third set, Nadal's shoulders were visibly slumping and he was talking to himself more often, unable to stop his opponent from peppering the baseline with his returns to take control of the points.

At 5-2, his uncle and coach Toni Nadal moved to the front row of the players' box to try to get some positive messages to his nephew.

It didn't work. Nadal lost his serve again ? at love.

But in the fourth set, Nadal dug in, drawing on his renowned fighting spirit, and the match really came alive when he recovered from 0-40 down in the eighth game with two spectacular winners, two unreturnable serves and an ace.

Then came a rain shower and a brief delay for the roof to close, robbing Nadal of his momentum.

He regained it the tiebreaker, though, reeling off four straight points from 5-3 down, taking the match into a decider when Djokovic's forehand dropped wide.

The tennis, almost unbelievably, seemed to improve in the fifth set as the match ticked past five hours.

At 4-4, Djokovic looped a backhand long after a 31-shot rally ? the longest of the match ? and then collapsed with his arms and legs spread wide.

He struggled to pick himself and his racket up, but he broke two games later when Nadal, finally showing signs of fatigue, netted a backhand.

Still, Nadal wasn't quite done. Djokovic had to save a break point with a cross-court backhand, crossing himself as he limped back to the baseline, before finally claiming victory with his 57th winner of the match.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_sp_te_ga_su/ten_australian_open

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Notebak Anti-Theft

When your laptop goes missing, your first reaction may be blind, unreasoning panic. If the laptop has Notebak Anti-Theft ($29.95/year direct) installed, though, you can relax a bit. That is, as long as you've configured the product correctly for maximum security. Notebak offers a wide variety of features to help you protect and recover your laptop and the data that it holds.

During installation you define a password for connecting with the Notebak Web portal, along with a separate secret key which can't be the same as the password. To make remote requests of the client installed on the laptop you'll need to enter this secret key.

To open the local Notebak client on the laptop itself you can either double-click its icon or press Shift+Ctrl+V. If desired you can set Notebak for stealth mode, hiding the icon. In that case, the special keystroke becomes the only way to open Notebak.

Lock and Alarm
Any time you have to leave your laptop unattended, you really should lock Windows, so nobody can even look at what you've been doing. Notebak can't do that for you, since it can't tell that you've walked away. However, it can lock automatically if a thief closes the lid or unplugs the power in preparation for running off with the laptop.

From the local client you can choose several alarm and lock options. Just setting it to sound the alarm if the laptop is unplugged or the lid closed won't help you much, since the thief can just click a big on-screen button to turn Notebak off. Instead, set it to sound the alarm and lock the computer. You can choose from a dozen alarm sounds.

As with Laptop Superhero ($29.99/year direct, 2.5 stars) and LaptopSentry 3.1 ($9.99 direct, 2.5 stars), Notebak's alarm could be silenced by plugging headphones (or even a simple audio jack) into the headphone socket. The startled thief probably won't think of this ploy.

Serious Lockdown
The DigitaLabel feature goes way beyond merely invoking Windows's computer lock. When active, it displays a big notice on the laptop screen before Windows ever boots, saying "REWARD FOR RETURN." The notice contains a unique identifier along with Notebak's Web address. An honest user can report the find using the unique ID, without ever receiving your personal connection information. As the owner, you can bypass that screen by typing in a four-digit code that you'll find by logging in to the Notebak Web portal.

Naturally I tried to break through this protection, to somehow gain access without entering the four-digit code. I couldn't do it. The product includes advice to foil a thief who wants to reformat the drive, though of course there's no hope if the thief physically extracts the drive and installs it in another computer.

When a good Samaritan reports finding a lost laptop, the recovery process is flexible. If you want to pay a reward, Notebak will negotiate with the finder. They can set up a meeting or have the finder ship them the laptop (at your expense). You (and the finder) can remain anonymous. The point is to give you the best a chance at recovery.

For maximum security, you can set DigitaLabel so it's always active. That means each time you restart or unlock the computer for your own use, you'll need to enter that four-digit code. You can also set it to activate any time the laptop's location is outside a user-defined geofence (more about geofencing shortly).

At a minimum, the company recommends you set DigiaLabel to turn on automatically if the laptop hasn't connected to the Internet for a full day. Like the offline lock feature in Laptop Superhero, this helps ensure that a thief can't totally foil Notebak by isolating it from your remote commands.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/NnEnW6uOuJA/0,2817,2399391,00.asp

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Mideast Israel Film Frenzy

Mideast Israel Film Frenzy

FILE - In this Jan. 24, 2012 file photo from right: Israeli film director Joseph Cedar, actor Shlomo Bar Aba, and producer Moshe Edry stand together during a press conference after the film "Footnote", a mordant tale of rivalry between father-son Talmudic scholars was nominated in the Academy Awards' best foreign-language film category, in Tel Aviv, Israel.The budgets are bare-bones and the talent pool is limited, but little Israel has emerged as a surprising powerhouse in the foreign film industry. The Israeli film "Footnote," up for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film this year, is Israel's fourth such nomination in the past five years _ crowning Israel in that five-year period with more nominations than any other country.(AP Photo/Dan Balilty, Files)

Source: AP - Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=app-07bb0493-aa49-4d25-b7d6-25b61e1e2d8b&show_article=1

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Family's Mental Disorders May Shape Your Interests (LiveScience.com)

A brother with autism or a grandmother with depression could help determine which subjects you find intellectually engaging, according to new research that reveals a link between family psychiatric history and interests.

The research, a survey of 1,077 incoming Princeton University freshmen in the class of 2014, posits a genetic influence on personal interests. For example, students who planned to major in the humanities or social sciences were twice as likely as other students to report a family member with a mood disorder or substance abuse. Wannabe science and technology majors, on the other hand, were three times as likely as other freshmen to say they had a sibling on the autism spectrum.

The results are preliminary and based on self-reports, so researchers can't say for certain why these links exist. But according to study researcher Sam Wang, a professor of molecular biology and neuroscience at Princeton, the data is consistent with the idea that interests are partially heritable.

During the past several decades, Wang said in a statement, various researchers have found that, in certain people and their relatives, mood or behavior disorders are associated with a higher-than-average representation in careers related to writing and the humanities, while conditions related to autism exhibit a similar correlation with scientific and technical careers. [Life's Extremes: Math vs. Language]

Interests and disorders

But those studies involved people with demonstrated aptitudes for their careers ? published poets, working scientists and active artists, for example. Wang and his colleagues wanted to cast a wider net.

"[W]hat if there is a broader category of people associated with bipolar or depression, namely people who think that arts are interesting?" Wang said. "The students we surveyed are not all F. Scott Fitzgerald, but many more of them might like to read F. Scott Fitzgerald."

So the researchers chose to look at incoming freshmen, a group old enough to know what they like but too young to be on a set career path. (Princeton students aren't required to pick a major until their sophomore year.)

The researchers asked the students what major they would choose based on their intellectual interests. They also asked them if their parents, siblings or grandparents had a history of mood disorders (such as depression or bipolar disorder), substance abuse or autism-spectrum disorders. All of these disorders have a moderate-to-strong genetic component.

The researchers found that students interested in humanities and social science were more likely than others to grow up with relatives with depression, bipolar disorder or substance abuse. Students interested in science and technology were more likely than others to have a sibling with autism.

These links the researchers found, reported today (Jan. 26) in the journal PLoS ONE, have a long history in pop culture. Poets such as Sylvia Plath are known for their struggles with depression. Aristotle himself is supposed to have said that people "eminent in philosophy, politics, poetry and the arts have all had tendencies toward melancholia."

In more recent culture, ties between autism and technology abound. Take Silicon Valley, where techie personalities and the autistic disorder Asperger's are said to go hand in hand. In multiple studies, University of Cambridge autism researcher Simon Baron-Cohen has found a higher prevalence of autism disorders in families of engineers and mathematicians. ?A 2001 article in Wired magazine on this "geek syndrome," by writer Steve Silberman, explored the possible link.

"Though no one has tried to convince the Valley's best and brightest to sign up for batteries of tests, the culture of the area has subtly evolved to meet the social needs of adults in high-functioning regions of the spectrum," Silberman wrote. "In the geek warrens of engineering and R&D, social graces are beside the point. You can be as off-the-wall as you want to be, but if your code is bulletproof, no one's going to point out that you've been wearing the same shirt for two weeks."

Genetic influences

This is not to say that everyone who enjoys computer programming fits on the autism spectrum, or to insinuate that having a bipolar parent destines a person for an English major. But Wang is not the only researcher to find links between heritable disorders and family interests. In November 2011, for example, researchers reported in the British Journal of Psychiatry that people with bipolar disorder, as well as their healthy immediate family members, were more likely to hold "creative" jobs in the arts or sciences than people without a family history of the disorder. Parents and siblings of people with schizophrenia showed the same tendencies. [Creative Genius: The World's Greatest Minds]

Researchers can't yet rule out environmental influences, such as the experience of growing up with a mentally ill family member. But the correlations suggest a common genetic path between certain interests and certain mental disorders, Wang said. These genetic traits might manifest as a love of language in one person, but go haywire in another and produce mood disorders.

"Everyone has specific individual interests that result from experiences in life, but these interests arise from a genetic starting point," Wang said. "This doesn't mean that our genes determine our fate. It just means that our genes launch us down a path in life, leading most people to pursue specific interests and, in extreme cases, leading others toward psychiatric disorders."

You can follow LiveScience?senior writer Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappas. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience?and on Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20120126/sc_livescience/familysmentaldisordersmayshapeyourinterests

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Disney T-shirt rankles rock fans

Disneystore.com

Clever mash-up or rock sacrilege? Disney's Joy Division-cribbing T-shirt design

By Alexander Smith

Somewhere in the Magic Kingdom, someone?s getting a rigorous talking-to right now.

Since it was first reported in the online music site Pitchfork earlier this week, a certain story has brought together the heretofore incongruous communities of wholesome family entertainment and ferociously-opinionated music geekdom. Believe it or not, the above T-shirt design ? which some might recognize as the iconic sleeve art of Unknown Pleasures, the debut album from storied British post-punk band Joy Division, manipulated to form the silhouette of Mickey Mouse ? is not the work of an artist attempting to make an ironic statement (or not intentionally, anyway), but rather an actual, officially-endorsed product that was being sold at retail outlets at Disneyland, DisneyWorld and via Disney?s online store. Presumably, the Disney organization was trying to tap into a hipper market by mix-and-matching images from their own brand with some of rock?s uber-cool iconography. While arguably a shrewd and inventive marketing ploy, this particular venture has backfired, and Disney has subsequently pulled the shirt from its shelves and Website.

neworderonline.com

The original sleeve of Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division

For a start, the disparity between the well-established Disney brand and the music and overall aesthetic of Joy Division could not possibly be greater. Formed in grim, industrial Manchester, England in 1977, Joy Division?s stark, haunting music dealt almost exclusively in bleak, abjectly dark themes. The very moniker of the band is said to have been taken from a cryptic nickname for the prostitution wing of a Nazi concentration camp. More to the point, Joy Division?s lead singer, Ian Curtis, hung himself in 1980, on the eve of the band?s inaugural American tour. Had anyone at Disney done even just a little bit of research into any of these readily-accessible facts, they might have discerned that Joy Division was not the perfect band to allude to. The Mouseketeers they were not.

On a more practical level, music purists around the Internet have been crying foul over the audacity of the T-shirt design, given Disney?s somewhat strident reputation for copyright control. That said, the album cover?s designer, Peter Saville himself did a bit of appropriating, manipulating the image of successive pulses from the first discovered pulsar?from the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy. The kerfuffle reached even greater heights when it was reported that the surviving members of Joy Division (who continued on and found global success in the wake of Ian Curtis? death as New Order) had no involvement in the shirt's creation.

While the pairing of Joy Division and all things Disney might be a juxtaposition that seems alternately awkward, hilarious or positively profane to some, it should be noted that black-clad goths have been flocking to Disneyland in California for annual ?Bats Days? for over a decade. While Disney does not officially recognize these gatherings, perhaps this influx of stylized gloom inspired the creation of the T-shirt.

These points are now all academic, however, as Disney has since pulled the offending garment from their stores and website. For their part, Disney is reported by Pitchfork to be ?reviewing? the situation. Meanwhile, existing editions of the divisive garment have since been elevated to collector?s item status. ?If you?re an avid Joy Division fan, curio-collector or Disney completest, I?m afraid you?ll just have to start scouring eBay for it. At the time of this posting, one such shirt was up to a bid of $255.00.

And for the sake of context, here?s a little Joy Division?

?

Alex Smith is a Senior Editor for TODAY.com and probably takes his music and his T-shirts more seriously than he should.

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Is Starbucks' new coffee-stained T-shirt worth $85?

Back-to-school style tips ... for dads

Source: http://thelook.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/26/10243930-of-mice-and-merch-disney-t-shirt-rankles-rock-fans

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Dropped heart successfully transplanted in Mexico

MEXICO CITY?? A heart that was dropped on the ground while being transported to a hospital has been successfully transplanted into a 28-year-old hair stylist.

However Dr. Jaime Saldivar said Erika Hernandez doesn't yet know that her new heart made national news when a medic stumbled and the plastic-wrapped heart tumbled out of a cooler onto the street two weeks ago.

Saldivar said it would be up to the family to tell her.

Video: Watch the moment the heart fell out (on this page)

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A rosy-cheeked Hernandez spoke briefly with reporters on Tuesday and thanked the donor's family, saying "I have no words to express what I'm feeling right now."

Hernandez was born with a congenital heart defect. She received the heart of a man who died in a car accident.

The heart was taken from Guanajuato state to Mexico city, a distance of 280 miles, traveling in an ambulance, then a plane, and then a helicopter, according to The Guardian newspaper. The nation's media followed every step of the journey.

'Rapid, precision maneuver'
Mexico City police had described the operation to deliver the heart as a "rapid, precision maneuver."

Everything appeared to be going smoothly as traffic was stopped to allow the helicopter to land near the hospital.

However, after leaving the helicopter one of the two medics wheeling the cooler that contained the plastic-wrapped heart stumbled.

The lid of the cooler came off and the heart fell out onto the street.

Story: Heart patients have higher hospital readmission rates

The medics are seen on video hurriedly pushing it back inside, leaving some ice packs behind, and continuing the short journey to the hospital.

In one of the more printable online comments made after the incident, newspaper reader Christian Sabido said that, "Anybody can make a mistake, but with this type of thing you should be careful."

At the time, doctors said the transplant operation had gone ahead, but added that they wanted to wait to confirm it had been successful.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46127543/ns/world_news-americas/

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Analysis: For Obama 2012, it's all about the 99 percent (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama threw red meat to his political base on Tuesday with a promise to do the nearly impossible: solve the problem of widening U.S. income inequality.

Faced with the very real possibility of losing the White House in November, Obama used his State of the Union address to demand a tax increase for millionaires and launch an aggressive campaign arc built upon economic fairness.

"No debate is more important," Obama said early in his hour-long speech before a joint session of Congress.

"We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules."

In recent months, Obama had made clear he would mine the vein of resentment in America over the growing income gap, the source of inspiration for last year's Occupy Wall Street movement that highlighted the concentration of wealth among 1 percent of the population.

But by choosing to make it the cornerstone of his annual speech to the nation, he cemented the theme of working for the 99 percent as his campaign battlecry for the next 10 months.

He could not have chosen a better day to contrast his populist ideas with his possible Republican challenger.

Mitt Romney, one of the wealthiest presidential candidates in history, released tax returns on Tuesday that showed he and his wife paid an effective tax rate of 13.9 percent in 2010 and expect to pay a 15.4 percent effective tax rate for 2011.

Obama proposed a minimum tax rate of 30 percent for people who make $1 million or more a year, a clear shot at his would-be rival, even though he was unnamed in the speech.

"I think it's one of the best cards he can play, especially given that Mitt Romney released his tax returns today," said

Henry Brady, dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.

"People are worried about fairness in the tax code. So it seems to me that this is something where he has the rhetorical advantage."

Senior administration officials said the 30 percent figure was established long before Romney's tax rate was made public.

One noted, however, that not all wealthy people kept their money in accounts on the Cayman Islands, a dig at the former Massachusetts governor, whose advisers said his holdings included amounts in funds based in the Cayman Islands and other overseas entities.

POPULIST STRATEGY

Obama's tax reform proposal, made on one of the biggest campaign stages of the year, is the latest in a series of moves the president has made to appeal to the middle class and to present a populist message.

The president's fall deficit reduction proposals and recent appointment of a director to lead the consumer financial protection agency that is unpopular with Republicans have raised the temperature and highlighted the contrasts between him and the opposition party.

Nevertheless, the president knows he has almost no chance of getting his millionaire tax proposal through a divided Congress.

But the issue gives him a strong talking point to energize his political base, much of which has been disenchanted with his record.

"It's a great issue for President Obama. It's something that his base has been waiting for," said Democratic strategist Bud Jackson. "He has started to move to a more combative approach in terms of contrasting himself with Republicans ... and I also think that dovetails nicely with Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich or whoever the nominee will be."

The president will take the message on a five-state, three-day trip beginning on Wednesday.

The state choices are not coincidental. He is going to Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, and Michigan - all battlegrounds that could help decide the general election.

Officials said he would release more details about his business, energy, and college affordability proposals during the trip.

Supporters are eager to have more details - and more red meat.

"I did particularly like that he described income inequality and the support of the middle class as the defining issues of our time," said James Catalano, 51, of Tampa, Florida, who attended a party with other Democrats to watch the speech.

"I thought it was really moderate and reasonable, which was a little frustrating."

(Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; editing by Mary Milliken and Eric Beech)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/pl_nm/us_obama_campaign

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Giffords a reality check in chamber of politics (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The chair between Reps. Jeff Flake and Raul Grijalva stood empty at last year's State of the Union address, reserved for their colleague, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. They could hardly have imagined that just one year later she would actually be able to join them one more time.

The two Arizona lawmakers said it was an emotional ride watching Giffords enter the House for only the second time since she was shot in the head last January and just one day before she tenders her resignation so that she can focus on her recovery.

"There was a bit of sadness, but it was kind of uplifting to see what this young woman has done to get herself where she is now. I have nothing but admiration for what's she's done," said Grijalva, a Democratic lawmaker who represents an adjacent congressional district in Southern Arizona.

Giffords was greeted with cheers of "Gabby, Gabby" from many of her colleagues after entering the House chamber. Flake watched as Supreme Court justices, cabinet members and President Barack Obama greeted her. Obama gave Giffords a long embrace and the two swayed from side to side as they hugged.

"It was just a very special experience to be there," said Flake, a Republican who is running for the U.S. Senate seat that Giffords may have challenged him for had she not been wounded. "Knowing what she has gone through, it's just incredibly special. We all know she has given 100 percent."

Limping a little, Giffords beamed around the chamber and raised her left hand to wave. Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, approached with two bags of chocolate, which Giffords took, grinning.

She looked to the gallery to wave at her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly. When First Lady Michelle Obama took her seat next to him, she waved, too.

She has inspired gestures of bipartisanship. Last year, in the tender days after the shooting, members of both parties sat together across the chamber, rather than Democrats to the president's right and Republicans to his left. Many lawmakers did the same this year.

Throughout the speech, Flake, sitting at Giffords' side, repeatedly helped her stand as her fellow Democrats applauded Obama. Grijalva said he sensed that she was getting tired toward the end of the night.

Giffords' presence may be the only element about the event above politics.

Obama used the highest-profile pulpit in the land to reclaim the spotlight from Republicans battling for the right to face him in the general election. He was speaking to a Congress cranky after a year of the bitterest partisan fighting in recent memory.

But the political subtext seems trivial compared with the wrenching journey Giffords has traveled from the shooting a year ago in Tucson to the House chamber Tuesday night. The shootings left six dead, Giffords recovering from a bullet wound to the head and 12 others injured.

She has since regained a halting ability to speak and walk on her own. She was so disgusted about the way Congress was handling the debate over whether to raise the nation's debt ceiling in August that she made a surprise appearance in the House chamber to cast her vote.

Giffords earned a reputation as someone who tried to reach common ground with her opponents. Grijalva said that even she would have struggled over the past year.

"One of her wonderful legacies is she tried to build consensus. With the emergence of the tea party in the House, she herself would have found it difficult to gain consensus," Grijalva said.

Still, Flake said he believes her example had helped lawmakers to strive to work together more, at least within the Arizona delegation.

Giffords will vote on one last bill, a measure she co-authored to impose tougher penalties on smugglers who use small, low-flying aircraft to avoid radar detection and bring drugs across the Mexican border.

Her office said in a press release that she will then submit her resignation letter.

Giffords' ends her resignation letter with the words: "Every day I am working hard. I will recover and will return and we will work together again for Arizona and for all Americans."

___

Associated Press writer Laurie Kellman contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_go_co/us_state_of_the_union_color

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Demi Moore seeks treatment for exhaustion (omg!)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A spokeswoman for Demi Moore says the actress is seeking professional help to treat her exhaustion and improve her health.

Publicist Carrie Gordon says the decision is due to the stresses in Moore's life, and she looks forward to getting well.

Gordon did not release any other details about the nature or location of Moore's treatment.

The past few months have been rocky for Moore. She released a statement in November announcing she had decided to end her marriage to Ashton Kutcher following news of alleged infidelity. The two were known to publicly share their affection for one another via Twitter.

Moore still has a Twitter account under the name mrskutcher but has not posted any messages since Jan. 7.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_demi_moore_seeks_treatment_exhaustion012632881/44293530/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/demi-moore-seeks-treatment-exhaustion-012632881.html

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Under pressure from rivals, Romney to release tax returns Tuesday, wants to refocus attention (Star Tribune)

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Watch What Happens When You Leave a Bicycle Outside for a Year [Video]

If you leave your bike on the streets of New York, it's eventually going to get stolen. Even if it's locked up. Even if it's a beater. Even if there aren't any tires. It. Will. Get. Stolen. This video shows you the life cycle of a bicycle left outside for an entire year. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/BzRquzE2FKI/watch-what-happens-when-you-leave-a-bicycle-outside-for-a-year

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Physicists use ion beams to detect art forgery

Saturday, January 21, 2012

University of Notre Dame nuclear physicists Philippe Collon and Michael Wiescher are using accelerated ion beams to pinpoint the age and origin of material used in pottery, painting, metalwork and other art. The results of their tests can serve as powerful forensic tools to reveal counterfeit art work, without the destruction of any sample as required in some chemical analysis.

Their research is featured on the front cover of the current issue of Physics Today in an article titled, "Accelerated ion beams for art forensics." Wiescher and Collon say, "Art experts play an important role in identifying the style, history and context of a painting, but a solid scientific basis for the proper identification and classification of a piece of art must rely on information from other sources.

"A host of approaches with origins in biology, chemistry and physics have allowed scientists and art historians not only to look below a painting's or artifact's surface, but also to analyze in detail the pigments used, investigate painting techniques and modifications done by the artist or art restorers, find trace materials that reveal ages and provenances, and more," Wiescher and Collon continue.

The information that is revealed can shed light on trading patterns, economic conditions and other details of history. For example, the amount of silver in Roman coins can indicate the degree of inflation in the ancient economy.

Laboratories in Europe, including several in Italy and one in the basement of the Louvre in Paris, have accelerators dedicated to the forensic analysis of art, and archaeological artifacts. These accelerator-based techniques have allowed not only to analyze the works themselves, but also to determine origin, trade and migration routes as well as dietary information. As an example, the analysis of the ruby eyes in a Babylonian statue of the goddess Ishtar using the Louvre's accelerator showed that the rubies came from a mine in Vietnam, demonstrating that trade occurred between those far-apart regions some 4,000 years ago.

At Notre Dame, researchers are using proton-induced x-ray emission (PIXE) and Accelerator Mass Spectroscopy (AMS) to study artifacts brought by local archeologists, Native American cultures in the American Southwest and the Snite Museum of Art extensive collection of Mezzo-American figurines.

Wiescher, the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Physics, and Collon, associate professor of physics, are using their findings to teach undergraduates. Wiescher initially developed the undergraduate physics class called Physical Methods in Art and Archaeology, and now Collon teaches the class which attracts students from nearly every major. The course covers topics such as X-ray fluorescence and X-ray absorption, proton-induced X-ray emission, neutron-induced activation analysis, radiocarbon dating, accelerator mass spectroscopy, luminescence dating, and methods of archeometry.

###

University of Notre Dame: http://www.nd.edu

Thanks to University of Notre Dame for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116915/Physicists_use_ion_beams_to_detect_art_forgery

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'Open Marriage,' Newt Gingrich? Not Sure That's Traditional (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Newt Gingrich loves to use indignation to get out of answering sticky questions, and the last installment of the debate season without end held no exception. According to Yahoo! News, Newt raged at moderator John King for asking about Marianne Gingrich's assertion (ex-wife No. 2, for anyone keeping score) that Newt wanted an open marriage.

Newt said of the question: "The destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country, harder to attract decent people to run for public office."

I'll give you a moment to digest that statement. You might need a glass of irony to help it go down.

When you're a celebrity, your life's details aren't relevant to fulfilling the requirements of your job. You can do or say things away from your work that aren't so great, yet still be such a great entertainer (Alec Baldwin, I'm looking at you) that we'll turn on the TV anyway. Celebrities' lives do not impact ours.

A politician isn't a celebrity. A politician is a representative of the people, both in Washington and to the rest of the world. A politician has actual power to shape lives, destroy lives, make things easier for people and make things so much harder.

If Newt Gingrich's platform supported inclusion of non-traditional relationships, then focusing on his alleged desire for an open marriage would venture into salacious. Why? Because then we would know that his view is that people's relationships are their relationships and people's bedrooms are their business.

That is not his platform. Instead, he is a vocal proponent of protecting "traditional marriage." While that term has become code for marriage between a man and a woman, traditional marriage is monogamous. Whether Newt asked for an open marriage or not -- and he says it's not true -- we know he was not monogamous.

Journalists ask these questions and discuss the answers because we, the people, have a right to know the true political agendas of the individuals in whom we place the trust of our nation. Without journalists, politicians could say absolutely anything and do absolutely anything and we would never know. That is what it seems Newt means when he says that journalists make it "harder" to govern the country: it would be far easier for politicians to get elected if no one questioned their true agendas, and then for them to do whatever they wanted, in secrecy, once they got there.

That sentiment alone should terrify anyone in this country with even a passing fondness for the Constitution.

Trust is a delicate thing, and yet we must support all of the weight of our governance on something so fragile. We are entitled to have as much information as possible to find the people least likely to crumble under our trust.

We do agree on one point, though, Newt. It does seem harder and harder to find a decent person running for public office.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120120/cm_ac/10860481_open_marriage_newt_gingrich_not_sure_thats_traditional

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Pets

**sparda rolled a random image posted in comment #721 at Give this guy the manliest of medals.. **
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Chemistry Cat and Bad teacher does not work; given the fact their in the same field of work but their memes are completely different. Chemistry cat is just a bunch of puns used in the field of Chemistry.
Bad Teacher is just a bunch of things that all of us go through and we think the teacher is an evil asshole/bitch given the fact that some of them are very dick moves on behalf of the teacher

Source: http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/3209855/Pets/

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Experts see tough road for Kodak to reinvent self

An unidentified person enters Kodak Headquarters in Rochester, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012. Eastman Kodak Co. said early Thursday Jan. 19, 2012 it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as it seeks to boost its cash position and stay in business. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

An unidentified person enters Kodak Headquarters in Rochester, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012. Eastman Kodak Co. said early Thursday Jan. 19, 2012 it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as it seeks to boost its cash position and stay in business. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

CHICAGO (AP) ? Even in bankruptcy, Kodak boasts some enviable strengths: a golden brand, technology firepower that includes a rich collection of photo patents, and more than $4 billion in annual sales of digital cameras, printers, and inks.

But all that may not be enough to revive its declining fortunes in a Chapter 11 overhaul. Kodak is at a crossroads: It could go the way of fallen Montgomery Ward and Circuit City, two corporate names that never recovered from long declines. Or Kodak could prosper after bankruptcy like General Motors.

Of the many restructuring experts interviewed by The Associated Press on Thursday, none are optimistic that Kodak can make a strong comeback.

Selling select business lines and patents and making the right bets on a limited number of new technology products could allow the Eastman Kodak Co. to survive, several experts said. But none see a path back to anything close to the glory days of the former photography titan.

"You can pick your metaphor: 'Stick a fork in them,' 'They're over the cliff' -- they're done," said Bill Brandt, chief executive of turnaround consultant Development Specialists Inc. in Chicago. "The Kodak as we know it is done, unequivocally."

The company's only hope, Brandt said, is to reinvent itself as an intellectual property company. But first it will have to put its patent portfolio up for sale and determine whether it wants to sell them based on what's offered, he said, or retain them and try to remake the company over a period of years.

Kodak said only that it has appointed a chief restructuring officer to head the effort: Dominic DiNapoli, vice president of FTI Consulting. It expects to complete its U.S.-based restructuring next year.

Whatever the company does now is likely to be too little, too late, said Gary Adelson, managing director of turnaround firm NHB Advisors in Los Angeles.

"I can't imagine a big future for Kodak," said Adelson, who thinks the company should just sell its assets. "I think it's going to be another one of those companies that didn't make the transition to the future."

Some experts think the company can get by once it cuts debt by reducing pension and employee benefit costs in bankruptcy, then disposes of its least valuable products.

Only a much leaner, more focused Kodak can survive, said Haresh Sapra, an accounting professor and bankruptcy specialist at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. "They probably should go back to basics and focus on one or two of those business lines that are self-sustaining," he said.

The primary hope lies in digital businesses that generated some $4.5 billion in revenue last year, an amount Kodak said accounted for about 75 percent of total sales. That includes consumer devices such as self-service photo kiosks, printers and high-volume document scanners.

"If they can take their existing products and improve them and make them much cheaper, I see no reason why the company can't emerge with a healthier balance sheet," said Edward Neiger, a partner at New York bankruptcy law firm Neiger LLP. "It's going to be a shell of what the old company was, but I don't think they need to liquidate."

In a statement accompanying the Chapter 11 filing on Thursday, the company touted its "pioneering investments in digital and materials deposition technologies" in recent years.

The best-case scenario for Kodak in the long run may be to end up like Polaroid, suggested Eli Lehrer, who heads the nonprofit Heartland Institute's Center on Finance, Insurance and Real Estate in Washington. The company long known for its instant-film cameras stopped making them and filed for bankruptcy in 2008. The Polaroid name, however, lives on under private ownership, albeit as a much smaller firm.

Kodak has a better brand name, Lehrer said, although "That doesn't necessarily translate to people keeping their jobs, or stockholders keeping anything."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-19-Kodak-How%20to%20Fix/id-5e56f30adb12480f94fa07a0c4cc141d

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Obama losing luster with independent voters: poll (reuters)

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Death-defying time crystal could outlast the universe

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Court rejects appeals in student speech cases (AP)

PHILADELPHIA ? The U.S. Supreme Court has passed up a set of cases for the online age ? whether schools may censor students who are off-campus when they create online attacks against school officials and other students.

The court let stand the suspension of a West Virginia high school's "Queen of Charm," who created a Web page that suggested another student had a sexually transmitted disease, and invited classmates to comment.

The court also left alone rulings that said schools could not discipline two Pennsylvania students for MySpace parodies of their principals that the students created at home. An appeals court, following 40-year-old case law on student speech, said the posts did not create substantial disruptions at school.

Lawyers on both sides were disappointed that it will be at least another year before the high court wades into the issue. Federal judges have issued a broad range of opinions on the subject.

"We've missed an opportunity to really clarify for school districts what their responsibility and authority is," said Francisco Negron, general counsel of the National School Boards Association. "This is one of those cases where the law is simply lagging behind the times."

The American Civil Liberties Union expects the Supreme Court to examine the question "sooner rather than later," according to Witold Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. Still, he is relieved the Pennsylvania students represented by the ACLU have been exonerated after their long legal fights.

"When kids go to school, the parents give up control. But once the kids leave the school, the parents again are the primary custodians, and have decision-making authority over those kids," Walczak said.

With the cases settled, Justin Layshock of western Pennsylvania will receive $10,000 in damages plus legal fees, while an eastern Pennsylvania girl, identified only as "J.S.," can pursue damages and legal costs.

Layshock in 2005 created a parody that said his principal smoked marijuana and kept beer behind his desk. The Hermitage School District said it substantially disrupted school operations. Layshock was suspended, but the suspension was overturned by a district judge and upheld by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.

In the other Pennsylvania case, an eighth-grader in the Blue Mountain School District used her principal's photograph in a fake profile, described him as a pedophile and mentioned a sex act. The girl was suspended for 10 days.

"Though disturbing, the record indicates that the profile was so outrageous that no one took its content seriously," a 3rd Circuit majority wrote last year. But the court was divided 8-6.

Such disparities are common around the country as school districts wrestle with how to address online pranks, threats or cyberbullying.

In the West Virginia case, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond unanimously refused to reinstate Kara Kowalski's lawsuit against school officials in Berkeley County. She claimed her five-day suspension from Musselman High School in 2005 violated her free speech and due process rights.

A new statewide anti-bullying policy that goes into effect July 1 extends rules about student conduct beyond the school yard, holding students accountable for "vulgar or offensive speech" online if it disrupts school.

Although sexual orientation was not an issue in the legal case, the West Virginia Board of Education policy specifically noted that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students are often bullied. That sparked opposition to the policy from certain groups.

Kevin McCoy, president of the West Virginia Family Foundation, said Tuesday the high court's ruling is a setback but not a blockade to those who oppose the policy. The group says the policy intrudes on the private lives of children.

"Does this make it a little more difficult for us? A little," McCoy said. "But it definitely does not close the door to any future challenge."

___

Mark Sherman in Washington and Vicki Smith in Morgantown, W.Va., contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_re_us/us_supreme_court_student_speech

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