Short stretches of piRNA evaluate cells' genetic history

ScienceDaily (June 29, 2012) ? As scientists have added to a growing list of types of RNA molecules with roles that go beyond conveying the genetic code, they have found the short strands known as Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) particularly perplexing. New work from Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists suggests those abundant molecules may be part of the cell's search engine, capable of querying the entire history of a cell's genetic past.

Organisms contain thousands of piRNA molecules, strands of 26 to 31 nucleotides encoded all over the genome. In two studies published online June 25, 2012, in the journal Cell, HHMI investigator Craig Mello of the University of Massachusetts Medical School has discovered that piRNAs may be responsible for detecting foreign RNA -- such as that carried by viruses -- relying on a complex search mechanism to reveal whether an invader is foreign based on prior gene activity.

"piRNAs are found in all animals and some of their functions in some organisms have been explained," says Mello. "But overall they've been a very mysterious category of molecule."

Some piRNAs have sequences that match up identically to genes elsewhere in the genome, suggesting that they bind and regulate those genes. But most have no perfect genetic match. Mello and his team focused their attention on the more puzzling piRNAs -- those that had no obvious targets.

In the worm Caenorhabditis elegans, the scientists unexpectedly found that foreign genes that they inserted into the genome were sometimes silenced and sometimes not. When they genetically modified the worm to lack the Piwi protein, the silencing no longer worked.

When the researchers probed which sequences piRNAs tended to shut down, they found that if a cell has ever turned on a gene in the past, the piRNA system will recognize it as a "self" gene and allow it to be expressed. But if it hasn't been active in the organism before, the piRNA will set the silencing mechanism into action so it remains off.

The silencing or lack of silencing is permanent, they found. If the piRNA doesn't silence a gene the first time it encounters it, it won't ever silence it. And if it silences it once, then every time that gene appears in the future, the system will turn it off.

"This is really remarkable," says Mello. "It implies that an organism has a memory of all the previous gene sequences it's ever expressed before."

The researchers think that the snippets of piRNA do not hold the memory in their sequences. Rather, two other small RNA pathways are thought to provide epigenetic memories of "self" and "non-self" RNA. Mello says piRNAs likely allow mismatched pairing as they scan, so that virtually they can potentially recognize all sequences that have been expressed. Silencing occurs only when a sequence has not been seen before.

While people have hypothesized that foreign RNA is recognized by cells as foreign based on a particular feature of the molecule -- like a structural element or chemical tag -- the new results suggest that the recognition may be sequence based.

That's not all Mello's lab discovered about piRNAs. Not only did the gene silencing pattern that they establish persist throughout an organism's life, but the memory was passed very stably between generations.

"These small RNAs are present in the germline at all stages and are transmitted to both the egg and the sperm," says Mello.

When genetically identical animals exhibit opposite and heritable phenotypes, the mechanism of inheritance is dubbed epigenetic. In this case, the inducers of epigenetic silencing are piRNAs, so with that in mind, Mello coined the term RNAe, for RNA-induced epigenetic silencing.

A last highlight of the team's findings was that although an organism retains its pattern of piRNA silencing throughout its lifetime, each individual establishes its own pattern. While one may silence a gene everytime it encounters it, another may allow its expression.

"It's interesting that the animal is a little bit lenient," says Mello. "Maybe we don't necessarily want to shut off everything that we haven't seen before. Maybe there is some adaptive value to this type of variation."

More questions than answers remain about RNAe: What are all its targets? How exactly is the memory of past gene expression stored? And does the system react to changes in the environment, allowing more or fewer silenced genes to express in times of stress?

"So far, these small RNA systems are turning out to be really remarkable," says Mello. "But there's lots more to nail down."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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

---

Journal References:

1. Masaki Shirayama, Meetu Seth, Heng-Chi Lee, Weifeng Gu, Takao Ishidate, Darryl Conte, Craig?C. Mello. piRNAs Initiate an Epigenetic Memory of Nonself RNA in the C.?elegans Germline. Cell, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2012.06.015
2. Heng-Chi Lee, Weifeng Gu, Masaki Shirayama, Elaine Youngman, Darryl Conte, Craig?C. Mello. C.?elegans piRNAs Mediate the Genome-wide Surveillance of Germline Transcripts. Cell, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2012.06.016

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://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120629211756.htm

zombie boy harvard yale joe paterno lung cancer joe paterno lung cancer john tucker must die uk basketball iowa state

The Dangers of Fluoride in Drinking Water

For several years now, private social and environmental action groups have been cautioning against the common practice of adding fluoride to drinking water. Fluoridation was first established in the United States in the mid 1940s after initial studies indicated less prominence of tooth decay issues in children in areas where natural fluoride levels in ground water were relatively high. While the arguments for and against fluoridation continue, there is growing support that the process may do harm than good.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the addition of fluoride to drinking water helps prevent tooth decay and strengthens the enamel of teeth for children and adults. The long held belief among western authorities that fluoride in water is good for the general public has lead to fluoridation becoming a common practice in many city and other public water supplies around the globe. In recent years however, there is growing evidence that fluoridation may have some very serious health consequences, particularly for children.

In one study, conducted and published by the American Dental Association in 2010, fluoride was linked to an increased incidence of tooth decay in infants and children rather than a decrease. Namely, children exposed to fluoride consistently from birth to age four frequently develop dental fluorosis, a condition in which the children?s developing teeth fail to mineralize properly and rot from the inside out as a result. The same process can affect developing bones as well, causing them to lack the appropriate minerals for forming and growing properly.

In addition to these findings, several recent studies of Indian and Chinese children who drank well water and municipal water which contained high levels of fluoride have shown intellectual deficits as a potential side effect of fluoridation. Children in these studies did not perform as well in IQ and other intellectual and cognitive measurements tests as did children in areas where fluoridation is not employed.

While some argue further study is required to determine if total fluoride consumption poses a substantial health risk to children in the United States and other areas in which fluoridation is common practice, many believe the documentation available is enough to warrant changes in policies and personal practices in the home.

Those who believe further study is warranted before public policy changes are implemented point out that other factors, including environmental, dietary and genetic issues may play a role in the results of recent studies. Still other members of the general public believe the practice of fluoridation is simply not worth the potential risks, especially where the health and well being of their children are concerned. For this reason, many consumers decide to install home water filters and whole house water filtration systems capable of removing fluoride from their tap water.

Although there are many varieties of commercial water filters now available on the market, not all measure up the same when trying to remove fluoride from drinking water. The most effective filters for defluoridation are those that use reverse osmosis and ionization technologies, and multi-stage filtration is best for the health conscious parent who wishes to address other water contamination concerns as well.

You can remove the fluoride from your drinking water with a fluoride filter from PureWaterHQ: Authorized Dealer: CRYSTAL QUEST? Water Filters

Source: http://toddsblogs.com/healthandfitness/2012/06/30/the-dangers-of-fluoride-in-drinking-water/

the hobbit the hobbit an unexpected journey latkes how to make it in america how to make it in america schweddy balls schweddy balls

DataSAC Inc. Finding Business Change Management Specialist In ...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://circleoffriendsshortpoems.jameshouts2010.com/636/datasac-inc-finding-business-change-management-specialist-in/

hard boiled eggs sound of music mickelson how to tie a tie snl green bean casserole sweet potato recipes

Reuters: RIM could open up BlackBerry network to others, join up with Ballmer

The Q1 earnings news from RIM of layoffs and a delay in its next generation of handsets has unsurprisingly led to some rumors from the usual "people familiar with the situation," according to Reuters. The options reportedly being considered by the board probably also won't shock you, like the possibility of following former co-CEO Jim Balsillie's plan to open up its network to others and / or or sell it outright. An alternative path comes from Microsoft and Steve Ballmer, who has reportedly been putting a full court press on the folks in Waterloo to pull a Nokia and bring their arms to the Windows OS camp. That choice is reportedly less attractive because it would mean giving up technology independence, but we'll see how long that feeling lasts if future earnings projections remain similarly dismal.

Reuters: RIM could open up BlackBerry network to others, join up with Ballmer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 02:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Reuters  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/29/rim-network-microsoft-rumors/

iowa caucus lemonade diet steve jobs action figure chris jericho rose bowl johnny weir quadrantid meteor shower

Endurance athlete Palfrey tries Cuba-Florida swim

British-Australian swimmer Penny Palfrey, smiles before geginning her bid to complete a record swim from Cuba to Florida, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, June 29, 2012. Palfrey aims to be the first woman to swim the Straits of Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Instead she's relying on equipment that surrounds her with an electrical field to deter the predators.(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

British-Australian swimmer Penny Palfrey, smiles before geginning her bid to complete a record swim from Cuba to Florida, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, June 29, 2012. Palfrey aims to be the first woman to swim the Straits of Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Instead she's relying on equipment that surrounds her with an electrical field to deter the predators.(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

British-Australian swimmer Penny Palfrey, adjusts her goggles at the start of her bid to complete a record swim from Cuba to Florida, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, June 29, 2012. Palfrey aims to be the first woman to swim the Straits of Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Instead she's relying on equipment that surrounds her with an electrical field to deter the predators.(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

British-Australian swimmer Penny Palfrey, begins her bid to complete a record swim from Cuba to Florida, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, June 29, 2012. Palfrey aims to be the first woman to swim the Straits of Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Instead she's relying on equipment that surrounds her with an electrical field to deter the predators.(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)(AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)

British-Australian swimmer Penny Palfrey smiles as she is flashed a thumbs up at the start of her bid to complete a record swim from Cuba to Florida, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, June 29, 2012. Palfrey aims to be the first woman to swim the Straits of Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Instead she's relying on equipment that surrounds her with an electrical field to deter the predators. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

British-Australian swimmer Penny Palfrey begins her bid to complete a record swim from Cuba to Florida, in Havana, Cuba, Friday, June 29, 2012. Palfrey aims to be the first woman to swim the Straits of Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Instead she's relying on equipment that surrounds her with an electrical field to deter the predators. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)

HAVANA (AP) ? Marathon swimmer Penny Palfrey powered through the Straits of Florida on Friday as she attempted a record 103-mile (166-kilometer) unassisted swim from Cuba to Florida that tests the limits of human endurance and the will of the high seas.

Slathered with sunblock and lubricant to prevent chafing, the British-born Australian bade farewell to onlookers, dove headfirst into the calm, bathwater-warm seas off Havana and began stroking slowly northward with a kayaker as escort.

"There's a lot of work that's gone into this over the past year," Palfrey said, thanking her husband, her team and Cuban officials who helped facilitate the trip. "It's all coming together, and so exciting to finally get to this point where we can get started."

A member of Palfrey's crew was tweeting to fans, while a webpage updated her location every 10 minutes or so based on data from a GPS device worn by the swimmer. The site showed her making steady northward progress through the Straits of Florida, where the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean meet.

"Swimming strong. Great conditions. Some jellies, but not bad," read one tweet.

As she hit 10 hours in the water Palfrey had traveled about 18 miles from Cuba, said Andrea Woodburn, who was managing Palfrey's Twitter and Facebook accounts. Woodburn said the evening forecast called for thunderstorms and some gusty winds, but otherwise Palfry's weather expert reported the "situation is about as good as it gets in the Straits."

Palfrey will have to fight through physical and mental fatigue while fending off dehydration, hypothermia and dangerous marine life. She estimates that it will take 40 to 50 hours to make the crossing, and the currents will determine where in Florida she comes onshore.

If Palfrey succeeds, she'll go in the record books as the first woman to swim the Straits without the aid of a shark cage. Instead she's relying on equipment that surrounds her with an electrical field to deter the predators.

Australian Susie Maroney made the crossing in 1997 at age 22, but with a shark cage. American Diana Nyad made two unsuccessful cageless attempts last year on either side of her 62nd birthday, but had to call them off due to a debilitating asthma attack and painful Portuguese man o' war stings. She plans to try again this summer.

Palfrey, a 49-year-old mother and grandmother, is more than a decade younger than Nyad.

She was wearing a regular sporting swimsuit instead of a wetsuit, and planned to put on a porous, non-buoyant Lycra bodysuit that provides cover down to the wrists and ankles whenever jellyfish may be a threat.

That's particularly the case at night, according to her support team of more than a dozen navigators, handlers and medical personnel who were escorting her on the 44-foot (13-meter) catamaran Sealuver.

Palfrey is no stranger to jellyfish stings, which forced her to abort two past swims in Hawaii.

A 20-year veteran of distance swimming, her personal best came last year when she completed 67 miles (108 kilometers) between Little Cayman and Grand Cayman islands.

At a news conference Thursday, Palfrey said she swam competitively in her youth but only discovered ultra-long-distance swimming later in life.

"I spent my teenage years swimming and studying, and then I've spent a lot of time raising my family and supporting my husband's business," she said. "And now I feel that it's my window in life to do something that I love to do. I don't believe that I can do it much later in life so this is my opportunity now. "

Friday morning she was upbeat and focused on the task at hand as she prepared to set off from the Hemingway Marina in western Havana.

Asked about the first thing she planned to do on arrival in Florida, she laughed and said, "get out of the water."

"Beautiful sea, beautiful sunrise. It's a lovely morning in Cuba," Palfrey said. "Thanks. I'm gonna get started."

___

Follow Peter Orsi on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Peter_Orsi

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-06-29-Cuba-Swimming%20to%20Florida/id-cde59f466a354e9fa0dc6f2c6e745243

chip kelly billy cundiff super bowl tickets superbowl birmingham news lee evans lee evans

Huge win for Obama as health care reforms stand

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

mario williams vcu unlv sam young ncaa bracket ramon sessions portland trail blazers

BCom student receives prestigious Premier's award

Congratulations to Yukun (Daniel) Luo, a Bcom and Copland Scholars student for winning the international student Premier VCE Award yesterday.

Yukun had a stunning ATAR of 99.85

Each year students who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the Victorian Certificate of Education are recognised at the Premier?s VCE Awards and Yukun had a stunning ATAR of 99.85. Dean of the Faculty, Paul Kofman wished Yukun luck in his future studies here at the Faculty, ?congratulations to Yukun for an outstanding achievement and we wish him the very best of luck with his studies here in the years ahead.?

The Copland Scholars Program is an exclusive opportunity for high achieving students in the Faculty of Business and Economics. As a Copland Scholar you are recognised for your outstanding work during secondary studies, by gaining access to unique opportunities.

sleep no more cyber monday deals war eagle war eagle pawn stars restrepo nba news

Meet the Nexus Q: Google's Cloud Based Media Streamer [Video]

The Nexus Q just showed in Google Play, just before the start of Google I/O. The $299 cloud-service streaming box promises to be the first social streaming media player. More »

trans siberian orchestra little big town little big town bennett bennett daniel day lewis patti stanger

Directory Links for Web Promotion | Search Engine Optimization ...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

2012 predictions new years eve ball drop new years eve times square 2012 2012 holidays prosperity japan earthquake bosom buddies

US new-home sales rose at fastest pace in 2 years

In this Friday, May 25, 2012, file photo, roofers shingle a new home under construction in Columbia Station, Ohio Friday, May 25, 2012. Americans bought new homes in May at the fastest pace in more than two years. The increase suggests a modest recovery in the housing market continues, despite weaker job growth. The Commerce Department says that sales of new homes increased 7.6 percent in May from April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 369,000 homes. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

In this Friday, May 25, 2012, file photo, roofers shingle a new home under construction in Columbia Station, Ohio Friday, May 25, 2012. Americans bought new homes in May at the fastest pace in more than two years. The increase suggests a modest recovery in the housing market continues, despite weaker job growth. The Commerce Department says that sales of new homes increased 7.6 percent in May from April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 369,000 homes. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Americans bought new homes in May at the fastest pace in more than two years. The increase suggests a modest recovery is continuing in the U.S. housing market, despite weaker job growth.

The Commerce Department said Monday that sales of new homes increased 7.6 percent in May from April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 369,000 homes. That's the best pace since April 2010, the last month that buyers could qualify for a federal home-buying tax credit.

Even with the gains, the annual sales pace is less than half the 700,000 that economists consider to be healthy.

Yet the increase follows other signs that show the housing market is slowly improving nearly five years after the bubble burst.

Builders are gaining confidence in the market and starting to build more homes. Mortgage rates have plunged to the lowest levels on record, making home-buying more affordable. Prices remain low and have started to stabilize. And sales of previously occupied homes are much higher than the same time last year.

Though new homes represent less than 20 percent of the housing market, they have an outsize impact on the economy. Each home built creates an average of three jobs for a year and generates about $90,000 in tax revenue, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

One reason prices could rise is the supply of new homes for sale remains extremely low. Just 145,000 new homes were for sale in May. That's not much higher than the 144,000 available in April, which was the lowest supply on records dating back to 1963.

At the current sales pace, it would take 4.7 months to exhaust the May supply. A six-month supply is generally considered healthy by economists.

"With no excess inventory of unsold new homes, any sustained rebound in new home sales should quickly translate into firmer prices," said Steven Wood, chief economist at Insight Economics.

The median price of a new home sold in May edged down 0.6 percent from the April to $234,500. But the median price was 5.6 percent higher than the same month one year ago.

Builders are responding to the low supply. In May, they requested the most permits to start construction on homes and apartments in three and a half years.

The gains in new homes sold were concentrated in two regions of the country last month. Sales surged 36.7 percent in the Northeast and 12.7 percent in the South. Sales fell 10.6 percent in the Midwest and were down 3.5 percent in the West.

Sales of new homes are increasing despite a sluggish job market, which has slowed retail spending and business investment in computers and machinery. Some economists warned that the weaker job market has also started to affect some home sales.

Sales of previously occupied homes fell in May to a seasonally adjusted sales rate of 4.55 million after nearly touching a two-year high in April.

Still, re-sales have risen 9.6 percent from the same month last year.

Hiring slowed sharply in April and May, raising concerns about the strength of the recovery. Employers have added an average of only 73,000 jobs a month in April and May. That's much lower than the average of 226,000 added in the first three months of this year.

Associated Press

jaleel white levi johnston paul ryan 2013 srt viper scott walker recall fisker atlantic social darwinism

2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo Test Drive

On-Sale Date: Now

Price: $22,725 to $26,225

Competitors: VW GTI, VW Beetle Turbo, Mini Cooper S, Fiat 500 Abarth, Honda Civic Si

Powertrain: 1.6-liter turbocharged I-4; 201 hp, 195 lb-ft of torque

EPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 26/38

What's New: When the Hyundai Veloster coupe hit the streets last year, it showed up with crisp handling, a wild style, and a strange three-door (only one rear passenger door) design. But what about horsepower? The standard-issue Veloster sent just 138 hp to the front wheels. Even in a coupe that weighs between 2584 and 2813 pounds (depending on options), that just isn't enough. We nicknamed the car Captain Slow in a recent five-car comparison test because of its 9.8-second 0-to-60 time.

Hyundai fixed the power deficit with the new Veloster Turbo. For about $3500 over the cost of the ordinary dual-clutch transmission-equipped Veloster, you get a 63-hp bump in power and 72 additional lb-ft of torque, courtesy a new 1.6-liter turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder engine. A six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic ($1000 premium) comes paired to this new motor. The more sophisticated dual-clutch transmission that's optional in the regular Veloster might seem like a natural fit for a performance car, but Hyundai says it simply cannot handle the torque of the turbo.

The regular Veloster suspension package could handle the turbo's potency, however, Hyundai says, and so its engineers changed not a single spring or sway bar for use in the Turbo model. The Turbo's steering, though, is slightly quicker (13.9:1 vs 14.1:1) and the steering rack's tie rod ends connect to a new pair of steering knuckles on the front end to improve steering feel. The Hyundai team up-sized the front-brake rotors from 11 inches to 11.8 inches to slow down the new model. The standard Veloster's rear 10.3-inch discs carry over to the turbo.

On the outside, the Veloster Turbo wears more aggressive front and rear bodywork, as well as the obligatory performance ground-effects package. We like the projector headlamps with LEDs?and those two big round exhaust pipes. On the inside, Veloster Turbos have heated leather seats with "Turbo" script on the seatbacks, as well as contrasting color inserts and aluminum pedals. Push-button starting as well as a 450-watt audio system come standard, too.

Tech Tidbit: Hyundai's twin-scroll turbo is cast right into the exhaust manifold for better heat transfer, less turbo lag, and more rapid catalytic converter engagement, which leads to fewer emissions. Michael O'Brien, Hyundai's vice president of product planning and corporate planning, compares having twin-scrolls with having two gear ratios for the turbo. "There's maximum quick boost at low rpm, and maximum horsepower at high rpm," he says. "One volute [an air passage inside the turbo's housing] has a narrower cavity with a higher gas velocity and handles low-flow, high-turbine spool-up characteristics for instant boost at low rpm. The other volute has a larger cavity to provide high flow for high-rpm horsepower at the top of the power band." The upshot of all of this is a high compression ratio for efficiency and excellent low-end torque.

Driving Character: What a difference more power can make. The turbocharged 1.6-liter engine is like a shot of 5-Hour Energy for the Veloster. It is not a rifle shot of peak boost like some turbo engines?rather, the turbo gives this Hyundai diesel-like torque that pools in the basement (1750 rpm). In the naturally aspirated Veloster, we would shift like mad to keep the engine in the power band, but the Turbo's low-end torque provides enough thrust to minimize shifting gears on a twisty mountain road. In fact, the gear ratios in the manual transmission were optimized for this turbo engine. And it all works very well.

The automatic, borrowed from the Elantra, uses shift-point mapping when you select sport mode. We found that it kept the Veloster from upshifting when we didn't want it to. But the aggressive downshift intelligence of more sophisticated transmissions is missing here. But rest easy: There are paddle shifters for more persuasive manual control of that automatic. At 70 mph, the Veloster Turbo's automatic allows it to loaf along at just 2400 rpm, making the coupe a relaxing cruiser. And that relative lack of revs helps it deliver high-30s highway mpg?though perhaps not at 70 mph.

The suspension in the normally aspirated Veloster sometimes felt too stiff on rough roads. That problem appears to be lessened somewhat in the turbo. How can this be if they all use the same suspension, and the turbo has even lower-profile 18-inch wheels and tires? The only explanation we found is that the Veloster Turbo weighs 217 pounds more than the base car. Perhaps that additional weight has settled down the suspension. No matter what the reason, it's certainly an improvement. The steering feels much better than other Hyundai electric power-steering systems we've driven (Elantra, we're looking at you) with a natural buildup of effort. You can still sense the subtle effort and assist change when you wiggle the wheel ever so slightly back and forth as the electronics calculate how much boost to provide. But all this happens much deeper in the background.

Favorite Detail: Paint. Lamborghinis and other exotics have been using flat paints (and other crazy-expensive paint jobs) for years. But Hyundai is one of the first to deliver it on a car that costs less than $25,000. The color, Matte Grey, isn't cheap; it'll cost the Veloster Turbo buyer a cool $1000?the paint requires multiple passes through the paint booth. And those who opt for Matte Grey will receive special care instructions, because using wax on matte paint ruins the finish.

Driver's Grievance: The turbocharged engine could use a better soundtrack. Those two giant cannon exhaust tips should produce an incredibly raucous bass note. But they don't. In fact, you hear only a loud whoosh coming from the engine room when you plant the throttle, and that whoosh is backed by the rattlesnake-like tick, tick, tick sound of the direct fuel injectors. Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik says, "You can spend a lot of money and weight to attempt to make that sound go away." The Veloster does have an underhood blanket to quiet the noise. But the far cheaper solution we'd prefer? Just crank up the sound of that exhaust and you'll never hear those injectors again.

The Bottom Line: The new turbo engine makes the Veloster a more finished package. This innovative three-door coupe now has the power to back up its aggressive styling. Hyundai is betting that at least 35 percent of Veloster buyers will opt for the turbo model, and that the turbo slice eventually could grow to 60 percent. We don't doubt it. With a base price under $23,000 and 38-mpg highway, the Veloster Turbo makes a compelling package.

jim marshall died 2013 toyota avalon the secret life of bees full moon amber rose aubrey o day masters live

Romney: States have right to secure their borders

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) ? Mitt Romney on Monday said states have a duty and a right to secure their borders even as he called for a bipartisan national immigration strategy.

The likely Republican nominee did not address the merits of the Supreme Court's decision to strike down key parts of Arizona's tough immigration enforcement law. But he used it as an opportunity to criticize President Barack Obama for inaction on immigration reform until recently.

"This represents yet another broken promise by this president. I believe that each state has the duty ? and the right ? to secure our borders and preserve the rule of law, particularly when the federal government has failed to meet its responsibilities," Romney said in a written statement released before he left Salt Lake City to fly to a planned fundraiser in Arizona.

Romney has worked to soften his rhetoric on immigration policy since becoming the presumptive Republican nominee for president. During the Republican primary, Romney called Arizona's law a "model" ? though he never explicitly endorsed the law.

The Obama administration sued to block the Arizona law soon after its enactment two years ago. During the primary, Romney said he would have ended the lawsuit against Arizona if elected president.

The Monday Supreme Court decision upholds Arizona's "show me your papers" requirement for the moment. But it takes the teeth out of it by prohibiting police officers from arresting people on minor immigration charges.

The court struck down these three major provisions: requiring all immigrants to obtain or carry immigration registration papers; making it a state criminal offense for an illegal immigrant to seek work or hold a job; and allowing police to arrest suspected illegal immigrants without warrants.

.

Associated Press

asante samuel salton sea arizona immigration law aubrey huff the killers brandy steve nash

Pawlenty says to look elsewhere for potential VP (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

st patrick s day parade duke invisible children garbage pail kids st bonaventure ncaa tournament 2012 peyton manning 49ers

Get 'E-ed' and Be Social for Business ? MegaInsights

Jun
25
2012

This piece is a contribution by Lekan Stephen, an e-business expert. He can be reached via Twitter @iamlosa. Enjoy? it.

The internet represents one of the biggest phenomenal inventions in human history. Its components which include the World Wide Web,?electronic business and e-commerce have changed virtually everything about our entire existence?and humanity.

E-business simply means doing business online or deploying internet technologies to sell products and services, as well as optimizing business processes and breaking?geographical barriers that is associated with offline businesses. E-business is often used interchangeably with E-commerce.? Really, the two terms are closely related but quite different in definition and representation. E-commerce is actually the process of buying, transferring, exchanging products, services and/or information via the internet or other forms of networks.

Just like E-business, the word ?E?? now precedes many part of our lives such as e-consultancy, e-procurement, e-environment and e-CRM; to name a few.? This emphasizes the?clear indication of how electronically-based and dependent our humanity and endeavors have become over the years. That may be interpreted that any business or human endeavor without some form of online presence or activities is simply driving against the lanes of the new civilization.

However, E-business like the traditional business setup is not without its own challenges such as security, privacy infringements and piracy. Therefore, it is important for e-business systems managers to guide against these risks by employing?the services of professionals to design and implement measures to keep business and customers? information private and confidential. Authenticity and data integrity is also implemented by deploying physical security, firewalls and encryption amongst other measures.

Just as traditional business systems often require marketing and some measures of advertisement, online businesses also require visibility projection perhaps because the size of the world wide web upon which online businesses seat increases by the day. In fact, as I write this piece today Friday, 22 June 2012, there are about 7.67 billon web pages on the internet. That?s where social media (for business) comes in.

Social Media is one of the newest components of the internet world phenomenon and its design and implementation has further dismantled the geographical barriers and connects us better together in a way that has never been experienced by man. It has turned the world into a small village where communication is instant, direct and real-time regardless of geographical location.

With over 1.5 billion people who are able to communicate, social media network creates an unprecedented viral effects on shared content and information. With the ability to demographically group audiences and users, harnessing the power of social media marketing on e-business system remains the vital component of successful organizational strategies.

navy seals navy seal team 6 tim gunn tim gunn built to last obama state of the union address 2012 obama speech

Mitt Romney's Sons: Dad's a Prankster (Little green footballs)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

human nature arkansas football howard johnson blackhawks real housewives of new jersey levon helm firelight

ricawurfel: Uncommon Perspective - Commercial Properties ...

Big Atmosphere Country originated which has a 1962 promotion in the Montana State Motorway Department. Berlin real estate will be your ticket to become a member of that life, set against the setting of a current city with deeply cultural roots. Belize real real estate www.greaterraleighrealty.com properties are expatriate friendly as well as locals are extremely hospitable. Something has giving; television, lazy weekends, meaningless hobbies and in many cases some family activities should be compromised. While my father concentrated on commercial land improvement, my mother concentrated on residential real real estate. With ties to help marketing, bank management, insurance, investment, and luxury property, out team connected with creative, committed professionals await working with you inside your search for Berlin luxury housing and stand ready to help you find the right property for the discriminating personal expectations.

You have got to meet the above requirements yearly. Partly, this may need to do with the sum of space that real estate investment investing is given inside the media. Quite often this model isn't going to differentiate between residential properties units and commercial real estate investment like retail or even office. So, make sure you have joined to Property Hookup without cost and thoroughly sought after its realtor index for Diana's broker in Desert Heated Springs listing to get quick support on deal making. You can acquire an appraisal, property inspection, and other checks / inspections required legally. To avoid this type of future problems, you need a true opinion from an agent.

Belize is actually a prime place for eco-tourism in addition to being with great pride that searchers from across the world recognize this. When showing houses properly what negatives they will see. Because people are discovering the huge benefits and joys in Yuma, there is a great deal of building going about. This could be ascertained as a result of checking how instant your calls are usually picked and replied. Therefore, you can make use of the 0% interest and also the 0% pay in they offer. Therefore, you can make sure this is also an ideal investment money. Remember that your agent results in a home in your attention before the item gets picked by way of another buyer.

In Are generally market, two types with brokerage exists; Flat-Free and Commission rate Based. He will inform you of if there tend to be any unsalvageable difficulties with the property of course, if, based on his particular assessment, the price is actually fair. A variation around the theme is some slightly reduced monetary fee for vacant systems. Then there will be 4000 acres dedicated to the development of wonderful homes and commercial areas which will make the community way more entertaining and practical to call home in. This beautiful patch of land is some sort of well-preserved ecological bliss. So if you happen to be thinking of accomplishing this and may want a very detailed info for the pitfalls of this investment, you may should consult with a accountant. In lieu of the living trust, the real estate owner can easily choose to reveal the real estate in the family members just before death thus doing away with that physical holding within the estate of the actual.

Tried to rob your banker and Calamity Anne roamed the avenues. They are professionals in combining the buyer and seller on a successful property come to terms. Title is the particular chain of ownership of your given piece with property. Also be sure to experience a proper sale-deed whenever possible through a capable or experienced document writer in the field. As with anything else in life, we tend to be controlled by more about your bad experiences as opposed to the good ones, and good real estate agent certainly do are in existence. You'll know you might have taken responsibility for a success in real estate investment when, a) we can see your current job for being an asset, not only to produce income but also for an opportunity for individual development. I can confirm you, I was not consciously planning on real estate development when I wrote them.

harry morgan john lennon death john lennon death c.j. wilson mythbusters hanley ramirez blago

Google Celebrates Alan Turing with a Turing Machine Doodle

Alan Turing is being honored with a Google doodle this weekend on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the pioneering British computer scientist and father of artificial intelligence.

Turing (June 23, 1912-June 7, 1954) worked as a code breaker during World War II, heading the team tasked with cracking German naval codes at Britain's Government Code and Cypher School (GCCS). Prior to the war while a student at Cambridge, he developed his famous "Turing machine," a variation of which is depicted in Google's animated Turing doodle below.

A Turing machine is not an actual computer but rather a hypothetical one that still serves as a fundamental tool for understanding how algorithms, computer programming, and computing itself works. Turing described his conceptual computer, which he referred to as a Logical Computing Machine, in his 1948 essay "Intelligent Machinery" as having:

"...an unlimited memory capacity obtained in the form of an infinite tape marked out into squares, on each of which a symbol could be printed. At any moment there is one symbol in the machine; it is called the scanned symbol. The machine can alter the scanned symbol and its behavior is in part determined by that symbol, but the symbols on the tape elsewhere do not affect the behavior of the machine. However, the tape can be moved back and forth through the machine, this being one of the elementary operations of the machine. Any symbol on the tape may therefore eventually have an innings."

Turing did help design and build functional computational machines in the 1940s and 50s, including groundbreaking experimental computers like the Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) while working at Britain's National Physical Laboratory and the Manchester machines at the Royal Society Computing Machine Laboratory run by the famous mathematician and code breaker Max Newman at Manchester University.

But he is most famous today for the "Turing test." This proposed method for determining if a machine can "think" is considered the basis of the science of artificial intelligence.

There is actually some controversy over how Turing proposed to test machines for intelligence in his 1950 essay "Computing Machinery and Intelligence." In the essay, Turing describes question-and-answer games that involve a "blind" player interrogating two other players, one a human and one a computer, to try to determine the gender of each. In different versions of the game, the players attempt to either trick or assist the interrogator in making his or her final determination of gender.

Turing proposes that if the interrogator is as often right (or wrong) about the computer's gender as the human's, then the computer can be described as "intelligent." However, Turing tests have evolved into a form used today known as the standard Turing test where the interrogator is attempting to simply determine which of the two players being questioned is a human and which is a computer?a formulation of the game that some argue Turing intended while others believe he did not.

The annual Loebner Prize competition, initiated in 1990 by the American inventor Hugh Loebner, uses a standard Turing test on computer programs entered in the contest to determine which is the most human-like.

Turing was gay during a time when homosexuality was persecuted under the law in the U.K. He was convicted of illegal homosexual acts in 1952 and forced to undergo chemical castration treatment to avoid a prison term.

His death by cyanide poisoning just a few weeks before his 42nd birthday was ruled a suicide at the time, though some believe it may have been accidental. In 2009, the British government formally apologized for the persecution of Turing.

For more on Google's doodles, meanwhile, see the slideshow below. Recently, the company has honored Robert Moog, considered by many to be a pioneer in the electronic music space, as well as artist Keith Haring, zipper pioneer Gideon Sundback, Howard Carter, a British archaeologist best known for uncovering the tomb of King Tutankhamen in Egypt, and Peter Carl Faberg?, the famed jeweler and goldsmith to the Russian Imperial Court.

For more from Damon, follow him on Twitter @dpoeter.

For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.

shannon brown mike rowe shld 2012 sec football schedule medifast sinead oconnor braylon edwards

Dashing Times is the collection of Auto Information and Automotive ...

Autos

Mahindra plans to launch 3 motorcycles soon

by newseditor1 Posted ON June 22, 2012 ????? No Comments

Mahindra Two Wheelers, plans to introduce three motorcycles across various segments in the coming months
mahindra Stallio
?We expect to launch three motorcycles this year,? Mahindra Two Wheelers Senior Vice-President (Strategy and Market Development) Viren Popli told reporters here. The company, which made its entry into the popular 100cc motorcycle segment with Stallio, would soon introduce its upgraded version along with premium 300cc motorcycle ?Mojo?.

?We have stopped production of Stallio. We will be making announcements about the newer version of Stallio very soon,? he said, adding that the company was currently testing its 300 cc superbike ?Mojo?. ?There have been so many queries about Mojo. We have been consistently getting it from South, particularly from Chennai. It will be coming soon. It is undergoing some tests now,? he said.

Stating that the company is ?evaluating various options to launch new products,? Popli said the three motorcycles planned for launch would be across ?various segments?, but declined to elaborate, saying, ?you have to wait and watch? till launch. The company which focused on urban markets with its scooters, is also working on targeting rural markets, he said.

Mahindra Rodeo RZ
?Rural segment, those are the areas we are working on. There will be a product for the segment. We have looked at the moped segment as well (for launching a product in that segment,? he said. On plans for this year, he said ?with the introduction of three motorcycles, we will have five products, including two scooterettes?. Popli was here to unveil the company?s second scooter Mahindra Rodeo RZ 125 cc.

The company which tied up with Taiwan-headquartered SYM for supply of engines for its scooter range would also make an announcement of manufacturing engines soon. ?We will be making announcements on that soon,? he said but did not elaborate. Mahindra tied up with SYM for supply of engines to its scooter which it manufactures from their Pithampur facility near Indore. The plant has a total capacity to produce a million units every year, he added.

october baby sugarland 16 and pregnant ludwig mies van der rohe jamie lynn sigler mega millions jackpot black panther party

Three Key Reasons Housing Not Coming Back: Demographics, Student Debt, No Jobs

Consumers Not Ready to Borrow Again

Ben Bernanke is trying like mad to stimulate credit and lending but to no avail. It's an uphill debt because of demographics, student debt, and lack of jobs.

Citing falling debt-service needs, some economists think consumers may be ready to go on a borrowing. They are badly mistaken.

I agree with Jed Graham on Investor's Business Daily who says falling debt-service needs is an illusion. Graham makes the case in Consumer Credit Impaired By Under-45 Job, Debt Woes.

Nearly four years after a borrowing binge gave way to financial crisis, have households slashed enough debt to take on new credit and start spending again?

Yes, says a growing chorus of economists, with some evidence to back them up. The Federal Reserve's ratio of debt service payments to disposable income is at its lowest level since 1994.

But that traditional measure is a poor guide today, as credit-hungry adults under 45 bear the brunt of the jobs, housing and student loan crises.

Considering where more of the income is coming from (government supports), who's earning a bigger share of wages (baby boomers) and which type of debt has been on the rise (student loans), re-leveraging may be a long way off.

Not Ready to Borrow

Graham's analysis is correct. Here are some points from the article that will explain why.

Demographics

• The number of full-time workers younger than 45 has fallen by 9 million, or more than one in seven, Labor Department data show.?
• The number of full-time workers ages 55 and older has climbed by 8.5 million.?
• The 35-44 population has shrunk by 4.5 million over the past 12 years.?
• The huge baby boomer cohort has aged while Generation X is unusually small.?

Student Debt

• Student debt has soared to nearly a trillion dollars. About two-thirds of it are held by those under 40.
• Among those age 30-39, 25% have student loan debt, with an average balance of $28,500.?
• New York Fed research shows that of 37 million student loan borrowers last fall, only 39% were paying down their balances.

Jobs

To Graham's analysis I would add the jobs picture is bleak.

• Unemployment insurance has expired for millions: 200,000 Lose Unemployment Benefits This Week, Nearly Half From California
• Self-Employment desperation: 100% of U.S. Jobs Added Since 2010 Have Been Self-Employment, Contractor, or Other Jobs Without Unemployment Insurance Benefits
• Last two jobs reports have been dismal: Another Payroll Disaster: Jobs +69,000, Employment Rate +.1 to 8.2%, April Jobs Revised Lower to +77,000; Long-term Unemployment +310,000
• The 4-week moving average of weekly unemployment claims is at the highest rate of the year, at 386,250.

Those were points 7-10 in my analysis 12 Reasons US Recession Has Arrived (Or Will Shortly)

Housing

Let's put it all together and look at the picture from the point of view of housing.

1. Kids are graduating from college deep in debt with poor job prospects.
2. Those with too much debt and too little income are sharing apartments or moving back home, not buying homes and starting families.
3. Boomers are looking to downsize, not buy more toys and larger houses.
4. Shadow inventory of buyers waiting for higher prices is immense, yet generation X and Generation Y represent small pools of potential buyers

Factor in the rapidly slowing Chinese economy (China Manufacturing PMI 7-Month Low, Sharpest Decline in New Export Orders Since March 2009 coupled with Europe in the midst of a severe recession, and it's difficult if not impossible to see just where US growth will come from.

Nonetheless, I believe housing is bottoming. I made the case in New American Dream is Renting; Reflections on Renting Houses, Cars, Books, Clothes; Will Rentership Fuel the Next Boom? What About Home Prices?

However, even "if" housing is bottoming, don't expect either housing or the economy to go anywhere fast.? Prospects for family formation are fundamentally very weak and overall economic fundamentals are very weak as well.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Disclaimer:The content on this site is provided as general information only and should not be taken as investment advice. All site content, including advertisements, shall not be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security or financial instrument, or to participate in any particular trading or investment strategy. The ideas expressed on this site are solely the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of sponsors or firms affiliated with the author(s). The author may or may not have a position in any company or advertiser referenced above. Any action that you take as a result of information, analysis, or advertisement on this site is ultimately your responsibility. Consult your investment adviser before making any investment decisions.

matilda cab calloway melissa gilbert deadliest catch dwts sean hannity bobby petrino fired

BRICUP Briefing Document: Universities rebranding Israel?s image: Hasbara posts in Israel Studies threaten academic integrity

?

Since 2009 several UK universities have created posts in Israel Studies, all funded by external donors. Some explicitly promote political aims, especially by diverting attention from Israel?s occupation of Palestine.?Such efforts threaten academic integrity and freedom.???

This briefing document provides guidance about the threat and about opposition strategies for local campaigns.?Special thanks are due to Adriano M?rola for useful material, especially in the Annex.

We welcome extra information and comments for future development of the briefing document.??? Likewise any requests to support local campaigns via endorsement or practical assistance.?See email contact address above.

For many years, supporters of Israel have sought to re-brand its global image.?They have promoted an intense campaign of hasbara, the Hebrew word for 'explanation?, though also often translated as 'public relations?.?This is a euphemism for propaganda: hasbara portrays Israel as a centre of academic and cultural excellence, as well as a civilized democracy.?This diverts attention from its colonisation of Palestine, where Israel has systematically violated international law and carried out war crimes in Gaza. Hasbara attempts to soften or pre-empt negative public attitudes towards Israel, while also deflecting the international campaign of Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment (BDS).[1]? Hasbara initiatives have been well funded by the Israeli government and Zionist foundations, with strategic advice from organizations such as the Reut Institute, an influential Zionist think-tank.?According to its 2010 report on threats to Israel, hasbara means 'public relations?, which have 'great significance in articulating Israel's positions?.?After the UN?s Goldstone Report accused Israel of war crimes during the 2009-10 'Operation Cast Lead? against Gaza, for example, 'a number of Israeli ministers were sent on rapid-response missions to provide hasbara for Israel's stance and policy?.[2]? More recently the strategy has been extended to academia, especially for countering calls to boycott Israeli universities.[3] Money can buy hasbara in universities, which thereby become complicit in rebranding Israel. ?? In the UK a key hasbara initiative is the Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange (BIRAX). It was jointly established by the UK and Israeli governments, with support from the Pears Foundation and United Jewish Israel Appeal?(UJIA).[4] ?BIRAX has been facilitated by Lord Weidenfeld, a former Chef de Cabinet of Israel.?BIRAX aims to strengthen research cooperation between Israeli and British academics, especially as a way to counter boycott calls against Israeli universities.?The UK ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould, commented on the BIRAX initiative as follows: I also think the clearest possible answer to people who are calling for a boycott of Israel is to promote cooperation. So when people call for an academic boycott, we push for scientific cooperation. Just when people call for an economic boycott, we push commercial collaboration and when people call for a cultural boycott, we push cultural collaboration.[5] Going beyond academic cooperation, in 2006 the Australian millionairess Lee Lieberman funded a new chair in Israel Studies at Monash University.?She was worried that Israel is studied in universities 'through the narrow perspective of the Palestinian conflict?.?As a way forward, she encouraged the creation of Israel Studies courses all over the world.[6]

This strategy has been promoted by the Reut Institute, whose website reported in 2009: 'Ben Gurion University Professor David Newman describes how the growth of Israel studies programs may serve as a constructive response to delegitimacy and attempted boycotts of Israel on campus.??Moreover,

in the context of Reut?s current work on how to fight the delegitimacy of Israel, the suggestion to create chairs of Israel Studies in leading UK universities could act as an important component of Israel?s strategy.^[7]

A hasbara strategy in academia was likewise developed at a 2009 conference convened by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Likud Minister of Knesset Yuli Edelstein, especially in a working group on 'Delegitimization of Israel: Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions?. Amongst its UK participants were representatives from the Union of Jewish Students and Wes Streeting, President of the National Union of Students. It produced a document targeting university campuses, especially through the development of 'Israel Studies as an academic discipline?. This contributed to the group?s 'Going on Offense? plan to counter the 'critics of Israel?, which included a point titled 'Circulate information on Muslims acting contrary to Islam?.?

Since 2009 several UK universities have created posts in Israel Studies. The list includes: the School of African & Oriental Studies (SOAS), Manchester University, Leeds University (all funded by the Pears Foundation) and at Oxford University (Stanley and Zea Lewis Family Foundation).[8]?At SOAS the posts are named Israel Studies.?At the other universities the names link Israel with Middle Eastern or Mediterranean Studies.?There are efforts to create more posts. At Sussex University in particular, the Yossi Harel Chair in Modern Israel Studies is named after a Mossad spy-provocateur who sought to escalate conflict with Egypt during the 1954 Suez crisis; he also fought in the Haganah (see Annex on Yossi Harel).?The Chair?s name indicates the pro-Zionist political objectives of the sponsors: the R and S Cohen Foundation, the Blavatnik Family Foundation, the Atkin Foundation, the Gerald Ronson Foundation (see Annexes).?Lord Weidenfeld welcomed the Yossi Harel Chair as 'vital in the fight against anti-Zionism?.?Indeed, Israel Studies 'is very important to have in some key universities, particularly those with an anti-Israel presence?, he told the Jewish Chronicle (01.03.12).[9]

In financing these posts, donors aim to promote the Zionist narrative, e.g. by either obscuring or justifying Israel?s ongoing and illegal dispossession of the Palestinian people. This hasbara agenda profoundly contradicts the mission and basic values of universities. ?They are committed to excellence, integrity and rigour in both research and teaching. This aim distinguishes universities from PR companies, advertising agencies, policy-based think-thanks, in-house research units, commercial R&D units and the like.?It forms the core value of universities to the wider society.?Research and teaching therefore must be carried out in ways that are not, nor seen to be, captured by special interests of any kind. Universities have a fundamental responsibility to students, tax-payers, donors, and the wider public in this regard.?Their intrinsic value and wider reputation would suffer to the extent that they disregard this responsibility.

Universities must also operate in ways that conform to their core ethical values. Under new financial pressures, universities increasingly pay attention to who their partners and stakeholders are, especially regarding what ethical standards should apply to new fund-raising for academic activities. Such issues have been highlighted by the Woolf Report criticising the LSE?s relations with the former Libyan regime.[10]?Since then, codes of corporate and social responsibility have been examined in order to devise an Ethics Code governing relations between the LSE and donors.

Israeli PR has goals fundamentally at odds with the university?s mission.?Such funding also generates a conflict with the ethical codes and standards that some universities are attempting to formalize. ??Academic integrity and freedom are under threat at every stage: in accepting such funds, selecting staff, setting the curriculum, research topics, framing issues, etc.?? Staff may well feel under pressure to keep quiet about such concerns.?Such funds concern all those who wish to uphold basic academic standards in an era of greater austerity and private fund-raising.

To defend the basic mission of the university, we have a responsibility to question the aims and conditions of a new post in Israel Studies, regardless of whether it has already been established.?Questions can be flexibly deployed for different purposes or at different stages, for example:

1.?????? pressurising universities to demonstrate that the post is not Hasbara Studies, or

2.?????? opening up debate about the academic integrity of such a post, or

3.?????? trying to set conditions for improving its integrity, or

4.?????? opposing the post.?

A campaign can maximise initial unity by posing questions to donors and universities, who may be sensitive about their reputation.?Questions could be put more forcefully if sponsored by unions of university staff and students. The list of questions should be widely publicised; see examples below.?

University staff have already posed such questions about posts in Israel Studies.?In some cases, donors? terms have been clarified or improved, or else their offers have been withdrawn.

Depending on responses from the university and donors, a campaign can then decide on further demands or action.?? This activity could be called, for example, the 'Campaign Against Hasbara Studies? or the 'Campaign Against Apartheid Apologetics?, or the ?Campaign for Academic Integrity?.?Groups to be engaged in a campaign include: academic and other staff; students, student societies and the Students Union; UCU at branch and national level; and the local community.?Appropriate methods include public meetings, press announcements, cross-university collaboration, etc.

As a general question: How do the criteria and procedures for this post compare with other new posts in the department??? More specific questions:

Rationale for the post

What academic need informed the decision to create the post? Or did the initiative come from the donors?

What are the aims for establishing the post??What is the justification within the academic framework and the department?s programme??

How does this post relate to the department?s other strengths in Middle East studies? Why isn?t the post called Middle Eastern or Mediterranean Studies? (as already done at some universities)

Criteria for candidates

What are the criteria and specifications for selecting a candidate?

Is the position open to all applicants, regardless of ethnic or religious origin??

Will the donors accept a decision to select a Muslim, Arab or Palestinian?

Role of donors

Will the appointment be set up on a basis independent of the donors??Have they expected or requested a role in the selection process? Do they have the opportunity to set criteria??If so, what are they?

Have any donors suggested names of candidates??Have such suggestions resulted in applications?

Will the financial contribution be an annual renewal and therefore vulnerable to donor interference? or by a long-term guaranteed endowment?

Application and selection process

Where is the post to be advertised?

Who are the members of the appointment committee??Will it include a staff-appointed representative??

Has a shortlist been established??What are the shortlisting procedures?

After shortlisting, will candidates give presentations accessible to staff members?

?

The information below on key hasbara names further demonstrates the political agendas driving new finance in academia. The above criticisms and questions apply equally to new posts or relevant units which may have names other than Israel Studies.?Most text below comes from investigation by Adriano M?rola.

?

Lord Weidenfeld is a cross-bench member of the House of Lords since 1976. It was his initiative to create the Chair in Modern Israel Studies at Sussex. He has been a life-long supporter of Israel, from its inception until the present day. In 1949, he was Political Advisor and Chef de Cabinet in Israel to Chaim Weizmann, working for an entire year in this capacity. He has been the Vice-Chairman of the EU-Israel Forum, as well as the Governor of Tel-Aviv University, Chairman of Ben Gurion University of the Negev amongst many.

He has been quoted as not supporting the Palestinian Statehood bid because of its unilateral nature; a common argument amongst right-wing Zionists. Instead, the 'peace talks? are upheld as the model for co-operation, despite their appalling track-record.

He is quoted as saying that Islam is a 'merciless? religion. Furthermore, he has compared Hamas to the SS special death squads or the Ascension Commandos of the Gestapo. He is an outspoken defender of the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza in May 2010, as well a supporter of Israel?s supposed right to own nuclear weapons.?He openly encourages military intervention as a means to stop Iran from attaining any nuclear arsenal. ?The Jewish Chronicle said of Lord Weidenfeld: 'He has worked with presidents, prime ministers, a pope and just about every significant Israeli politician since the birth of the state.?

Lord Weidenfeld also runs the Weidenfeld & Nicolson publishing company, which he set up in 1948. This company has published many books by outspoken Zionists:

I can say without exaggeration that I published just about every Israeli memoir that?s ever been done. I published Rabin, Peres, Golda Meir, Shamir and, of course, Kollek
(Lord Weidenfeld quoted in the Jewish Chronicle, 21.05.09).

?

The Atkin Foundation is headed by Edward Atkin, CBE, although the charity is officially under the name of someone else. The Foundation has worked to support many Jewish Charities in the UK, from mental health charities to institutions helping Jewish kids with learning disabilities.

The Atkin Foundation is an ardent financial supporter of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR). This centre attempts to combat 'radicalism? all over the world, though its main focus is the Middle East. The centre is a partnership of four institutions ? King?s College London, the University of Pennsylvania, the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy and the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. The last institute, located in Israel, is a private university with strong ties to the Israeli military intelligence community. This institute is also tied to the R & S Cohen Foundation, mentioned above. ?Some of its notable contributors are Avi Dichter (former head of Israel?s internal security agency), Richard Dearlove (former head of MI6), among other well-known security personnel.

The Atkin Foundation provides the financial support for the 'Atkin Fellowship? as part of the ICSR. This fellowship is funded by the Atkin Foundation and it offers Israeli and Arab students the opportunity to come to London as Fellows of the ICSR and learn/ promote these particular ideas of security. Every year, 4 students are chosen, one from each institution. There is an abundance of Zionist publications focused on security coming out of the ICSR, including ideas of 'neutralizing Iran? and 'excluding Hamas and Hezbollah? from political participation. Much of the contributions in publications are done by Israeli political actors; the same right-wing actors which are in power today.

?

?

The owner and founder of this foundation is famous Russian-American oligarch Leonard Blavatnik. Leonard Blavatnik is the sixth wealthiest person in the UK and 80^th in the world.?He has an outstanding debt to the Royal Bank of Scotland (and thus to the UK government) of ?2.5 billion, which he was granted in a loan and then never repaid.?He has been allowed not to do so and so is effectively subsidised by the UK government. He is a former owner of Warner Music.

He supports a Zionist charity called Colel Chabad, which has existed since 1788 to aid and improve the economic standing of Jewish people in what is today Israel. The charity works to fight poverty in Israel, on the basis that the recipients of aid are Jewish. This charity does not differentiate between 'aiding? Jewish inhabitants of Israel and Jewish settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Blavatnik Family foundation is a financial supporter of the 'UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel?s Soldiers?. Every year, the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel?s Soldiers (AWIS) gives 120 'outstanding? soldiers from the Israeli Defence Forces scholarships of NIS 4,000 (approx. ?670). The UK Friends of AWIS are amongst the most prolific Zionist groups in the UK; their unrelenting support for any and all of Israel?s wars makes them a highly politically biased organisation for the Blavatnik Foundation to associate with.

The Blavatnik Foundation has donated millions to Tel-Aviv University for them to enhance their computer science department. This strengthens the human capital resources of Israel?s IT industry, its most prominent industry.

Leonard Blavatnik controls various media firms all around the world, and has long looked to invest in Israeli media to further expand his corporation?s influence. He has also close ties with the former Israeli ambassador to Britain, Zvi Hefetz.

The Blavatnik Foundation has invested in other academic institutions beyond Tel-Aviv University where Leonard Blavatnik sits on the academic board; these institutions include $10 million to Harvard University and $75 million to Oxford University, to create the Blavatnik School of Government. This school is designed to 'develop tomorrow?s leaders, in both the private and public sectors?.

Leonard Blavatnik is the Honorary Vice-President of the UK Hillel group. Hillel is a Zionist international organisation which aims at refuting 'anti-Israeli? claims on university campuses around the world, whilst fostering ties between Jewish students and Israel.?Leonard Blavatnik is also on the International Board of Governors of the One Family Fund, an Israeli organisation which helps victims of terrorism and spreads information about the dangers of terrorism in Israel, usually with a staunchly nationalistic bias.

Sources

?

Gerald Ronson is a multi-millionaire businessman and Chief Executive of Heron International Plc, one of the largest real-estate companies in the UK. He is the head of the Gerald Ronson Foundation. Ronson is a convicted felon, involved in the famous Guinness share-trading fraud and convicted in 1990 of two charges of false accounting, one of conspiracy and one of theft. He was given a one-year jail sentence, of which he served 6 months at the Ford Open Prison in Sussex.

Whilst in prison, during a one-day release for a medical examination, he met Yitzhak Shamir the then Israeli Prime Minister, together with Binyamin Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister of Israel. He reportedly maintains a close relationship with Shamir and other high-ranking Israeli politicians, frequently visiting them in Israel.

He has worked with the United Jewish Israel Appeal, a Zionist organisation from the UK which offers education opportunities to inhabitants of the northern area of Galilee, including the occupied Golan Heights. Furthermore, this group operates the UJIA Israel Experience, a program designed to offer tours and year-abroad opportunities to Jewish people wishing to know Israel. This program is part of a wider Zionist idea of strengthening ties between Israel and the Jewish community outside of Israel.

Ronson set up the Jewish Community Secondary School, an exclusively-Jewish secondary school in London. The School ethos is one of staunch support for Israeli national politics, whilst committing itself to 'developing strong links with Israel?. Some of the ways they demonstrate this Zionist support includes residential visits to Israel and close links with Israeli schools.

Ronson also funds Jewish Care, a UK-registered charity which provides support to the Jewish community in the UK through day centers and other facilities designed to aid Jewish pensioners and disenfranchised people. Although not an explicitly Zionist organization, Jewish Care community centers have celebrated Israel?s independence days through large, extravagant celebratory shows.

Sources

The Pears Foundation is run by Trevor Pears and his family. Trevor Pears is a British billionaire and property mogul who has been in much controversy over the past decade for his seemingly ruthless treatment of small shopkeepers and individual tenants. He is one of David Cameron?s largest donors, and has long supported the current Conservative Prime Minister since before he became leader of the Conservative Party.

The Pears Foundation considers itself a 'friend of Israel?.?It has started a campaign to spread Israel Studies across Europe, in the hope of fostering stronger ties between Europe and Israel. ??Its support for 'friendship-building? includes the Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX).[11] This ?1 million joint initiative with the British Council is supported by the British and Israeli governments. It was created to counter the growing calls for academic boycott of Israel, with greater research cooperation as the proposed response.

The establishment of 'Pears Scholarships? is another example of the 'friendship-building? with Israel that the Pears Foundation proposes. In this scholarship programme, students from primarily Africa and Asia receive free-of-charge opportunities to study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the field of public health and agriculture, all with funding from the Pears Foundation. Over the past five years, over 60 people have graduated from this programme.
The Pears Foundation has created numerous Israel-focused institutions at leading academic institutions across the UK in the past three years.?They include

the 'Pears Fellowship in Israel and Middle Eastern Studies? at Manchester University;

the 'Pears Fellowship in Israel and Mediterranean Studies? at Oxford University;

a 'Lecturer/ Senior Lecturer position in Israel & Middle East Studies? at Leeds University;

the 'Pears Lectureship in Israel Studies? as well as the 'Pears Senior Research Fellowship in Israel Studies? at the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS);

the 'European Association of Israel Studies? (EAIS), which is temporarily located at SOAS, with plans for it to be a Europe-wide organisation.

The Pears Foundation supports the New Israel Fund, which promotes Israel as a highly accomplished country, looking beyond the Israel/Palestine conflict. The New Israel Fund complements efforts by the Israeli government and other organisations to rebrand Israel as a prosperous country.

With the help of Lord Weidenfeld?s own publishing company, the Pears Foundation published a book titled Israel in the World in 2005. This book emphasises the scientific and cultural accomplishments of Israeli society.?It contributes to wider efforts to focus on the positive accomplishments of Israel in order to counter increased 'de-legitimisation? of Israel in Europe, especially on university campuses. ?It is written by two journalists, Douglas and Helen Davis, who happen to be prominent Zionists.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem gave Trevor Pears, the head of the Pears Foundation, an honorary doctorate 'in recognition of his outstanding commitment to social justice and in tribute to his profound friendship for Israel and the Hebrew University?. ?His friendship of Israel amidst growing opposition to the occupation of Palestine is undeniable.

?

Sources

?

The R & S Cohen Foundation is run by Ronald Cohen. He is married to the daughter of Yossi Harel, whose name features in the Sussex University Chair of Modern Israel Studies.?Ronald Cohen is linked with a new 'non-political? movement in Israel, whose goal is to change the country?s electoral system.?In 2004 Ronald Cohen was the Labour Party?s fourth largest financier.

He set up the Portland trust together with Sir Harry Solomon, whose aim is to relieve poverty through encouraging Palestinian entrepreneurs to set up businesses in Israel. This NGO tries to foster entrepreneurial co-operation by having Palestinians set up businesses in Israel, leading both to an outflow of Palestinian entrepreneurs from the West Bank and a normalisation of an inherently political conflict.??

The R & S Cohen Foundation finances UK Friends of I.D.C., a Zionist organisation which fundraises for a private university in Israel with strong links to the military Intelligence community. This University is called the 'Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya University?. It is responsible for, amongst others, the Israeli propaganda campaign 'Stand With Us?.

In 2005-06 the R & S Cohen Foundation gave ?10,000 to the Jewish National Fund, ?5,000 to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, ?15,000 to the Jewish Leadership Council. The latter was a major group successfully lobbying to change UK law on Universal Jurisdiction, so that now a government Minister can block arrest warrants on suspected war criminals.

Ronald Cohen is a member of the executive committee of the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), a right-wing, pro-Israel think-tank based in London. The IISS has been prominent in the fear-mongering regarding the supposed nuclear threat from Iran.?? Ronald Cohen is also on the board of trustees of the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel, a right-wing think-tank which advises the Israeli government on matters of national security, with close links to the military intelligence community.

Sources

temperance world bank kim kardashian flour bomb hunger games box office xavier joan crawford joan crawford