Chavez prot?g? invokes Venezuelan curse on opposition voters

By Andrew Cawthorne and Deisy Buitrago

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan acting President Nicolas Maduro said on Saturday a centuries-old curse would fall on the heads of those who do not vote for him in next week's election to pick a successor to late leader Hugo Chavez.

Maduro's invocation of the "curse of Macarapana" was the latest twist in an increasingly surreal fight between him and opposition leader Henrique Capriles for control of the South American OPEC nation of 29 million people.

"If anyone among the people votes against Nicolas Maduro, he is voting against himself, and the curse of Macarapana is falling on him," said Maduro, referring to the 16th-century Battle of Macarapana when Spanish colonial fighters massacred local Indian forces.

Wearing a local indigenous hat at a rally in Amazonas state, a largely jungle territory on the borders of Brazil and Colombia, Maduro compared Capriles and the opposition coalition to the enslaving Spanish occupiers.

"If the bourgeoisie win, they are going to privatize health and education, they are going to take land from the Indians, the curse of Macarapana would come on you," he added.

CAPRILES: REAL CURSE IS GOVERNMENT

Calling himself the "son" of Chavez, Maduro has more than a 10-point lead in most polls, although Capriles supporters are predicting a late pro-opposition surge as sympathy wears off from the former president's death a month ago.

Capriles, 40, a state governor, says Venezuela needs a fresh start after 14 years of Chavez's hardline socialism, and is vowing to install a Brazilian-style administration of free-market economics with strong social policies.

He ridiculed Maduro's latest speech.

"Anyone who threatens the people, who tells the people a curse can fall on them, has no right to govern this country," he said at a rally in western Tachira state.

"I tell you here, all Venezuelans, the real curse is that little group that we are going to get rid of on April 14."

The opposition leader also continued to mock Maduro's twice-told story of having seen the spirit of Chavez in a bird that flew over his head and sang to him last week.

While to some outsiders, talk of spirits and curses may seem absurd in an election campaign, Venezuela's mix of Catholic and animist beliefs, especially in the south-central plains and jungles, is fertile ground for such references.

Maduro also revived accusations of a plot to kill him, saying foreign mercenaries had entered from Central America with plans to spread violence and sabotage the electricity grid.

"The third aim is to kill me. They want to kill me because they know I can't be beaten in free elections," he said at a later rally, again alleging the complicity of current and former U.S. officials along with right-wing politicians in El Salvador.

"They sent paid hitmen to kill me. ... But I won't let myself be killed. I will remain on the streets with the people."

The U.S. government, and two former Bush administration officials named by Maduro, have denied and ridiculed the claims that echoed Chavez's frequent denunciations of assassination plots against him during his 14-year rule.

Maduro, 50, was a bus driver and union leader who rose to become Chavez's foreign minister and then vice president.

In his daily campaign rallies, Maduro has been referring constantly to Chavez and playing a video where the former president endorses his prot?g? last year as his successor.

Puncturing Capriles' public admiration of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Maduro has also been playing a video of the former Brazilian president endorsing him too.

At his rallies, Capriles mocks Maduro as a cheap imitation of Chavez. He says Maduro's track record during the president's sickness from cancer and after his death has wrought disaster on Venezuelans in terms of a currency devaluation and price rises.

Venezuela's vote will decide not only the future of "Chavismo" socialism but also control of the world's biggest oil reserves and economic aid to left-leaning nations in Latin America and the Caribbean from Cuba to Ecuador.

(Editing by Peter Cooney and Xavier Briand)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chavez-protege-invokes-curse-those-vote-against-him-013937725.html

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The equine Adam lived fairly recently: Close relationships among modern stallions

The equine Adam lived fairly recently: Close relationships among modern stallions

Thursday, April 4, 2013

In mammals, an individual's sex is determined by the chromosomes it inherits from its parents. Two X chromosomes lead to a female, whereas one X and one Y lead to a male. Y chromosomes are only passed from fathers to sons, so each Y chromosome represents the male genealogy of the animal in question. In contrast, mitochondria are passed on by mothers to all their offspring. This means that an analysis of the genetic material or DNA of mitochondria can give information on the female ancestry. For the modern horse, it is well known that mitochondrial DNA is extremely diverse and this has been interpreted to mean that many ancestral female horses have passed their DNA on to modern horse breeds. Until recently, though, essentially no sequence diversity had been detected on the Y chromosome of the domestic horse. Not only does the lack of sequence markers on the Y chromosome make it impossible to trace male lineages with confidence, it also represents a scientific paradox. How can a species with so many female lines have so few male lines? The issue has now been addressed by Barbara Wallner and colleagues at the Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna).

Wallner initially selected seventeen horses from a range of European breeds. She pooled their DNAs and used modern sequencing technology to examine the level of diversity on a 200 kb portion of the Y chromosome she had previously sequenced. The Y chromosomes were found to be highly similar: only five positions turned out to be variable. As Wallner says, "the results confirmed what we had previously suspected: that the Y chromosomes of modern breeds of horse show far less variability than those of other domestic animals."

The five variable positions, or polymorphisms, were nevertheless sufficient to enable the researchers to derive a type of "family tree" for the various breeds of modern horse they investigated. An examination of over 600 stallions from 58 (largely European) breeds showed that the animals could be grouped into six basic lines or haplotypes. The ancestral haplotype is distributed across almost all breeds and geographical regions. A second haplotype also occurs at high frequencies across a broad range of breeds, although not in northern European breeds or in horses from the Iberian Peninsula. A third haplotype is present in almost all English Thoroughbreds and in many warm-blooded breeds. The final three haplotypes are only found in local northern European breeds: one in Icelandic horses, one in Norwegian Fjord horses and one in Shetland ponies.

The pedigree of horses is very tightly controlled, with studbooks in many cases going as far back as the 18th century. Combining the results of the genetic analysis with pedigree data enabled the scientists to trace the paternal roots of many of the current male lines. Wallner feels that, "the results were intriguing, for example in the way the distribution of one haplotype reflects the widespread movement of stallions from the Middle East to Central and Western Europe in the past 200 years. Another haplotype results from a mutation that occurred in the famous English Thoroughbred stallion 'Eclipse' or in his son or grandson. It is amazing to see how much influence this line has had on modern sport horses: almost all English Thoroughbreds and nearly half the modern sport horse breeds carry the Eclipse haplotype."

The Vetmeduni Vienna scientists have confirmed the low diversity of the horse Y chromosome, which contrasts sharply with range of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes observed in modern horses. The difference is presumably due to the strong variation in male reproductive success. Wild horses have a polygynous breeding pattern, while the intensive breeding practices in domestic horses mean that single stallions can effectively pass on their DNA to entire generations. The senior author on the paper, Gottfried Brem, comments that, "most modern breeds were established in the last two centuries, during which time the horse has undergone a transition from working and military use towards leisure and sports. This has largely been achieved through the use in breeding of a few selected males. The restricted genetic diversity of the modern horse Y chromosome is a reflection of what has survived the species' dynamic history."

###

The paper "Identification of genetic variation on the horse Y chromosome and the tracing of male founder lineages in modern breeds" by Barbara Wallner, Claus Vogl, Priyank Shukla, Joerg P Burgstaller, Thomas Druml and Gottfried Brem has just been published online in "PLOS ONE".

The original article in full text online (Open Access): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0060015

University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna: http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at

Thanks to University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna 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/127593/The_equine_Adam_lived_fairly_recently___Close_relationships_among_modern_stallions

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Insurers prepare for rise in compensation claims due to ageing ...

It seems as though the insurance industry are preparing their case to bump up workers compensation premiums.? As if slashing injured workers entitlements weren?t enough, they now seem to be preparing to use the excuse of an ageing population to boost their profits.

Brokers will increasingly have to take into account the impact of the ageing workforce on workers? compensation.

Determining the impact of the ageing process on an injured worker?s capacity will increasingly become a factor in such claims, according to Suncorp insurance brand GIO.

The chief workers? compensation portfolio and underwriting manager, Jason Allison, highlighted the need for awareness of this potential risk at the Australasian General Insurance Exchange in Sydney yesterday.

?Workers? compensation schemes across the nation can expect to have an increasing number of claims that involve older workers as the average age of the workforce rises,? he said.

?With this changing demographic profile, inevitably the issue of pre-existing degenerative conditions and injuries will increasingly be a factor.?

Speaking to Insurance Business today, Allison called for brokers to make themselves aware of the implications of these demographic changes on their clients.

?There?s an important role for brokers to play in providing independent advice to business owners and assisting them to respond to the challenges presented by an older workforce,? he said.

Assuring brokers, he added: ?Businesses that, in partnership with their broker and insurer, take steps to actively manage the risks of an ageing workforce can expect better outcomes with their workers? compensation claims.?

Advances in medical technology will play a role in determining what treatment should be provided through the workers? compensation claim process and that medical assessments will assist in that.

However, Allison added it is important the industry be prepared for this impact and continue to work with employers, regulators and other stakeholders to mitigate the risks.

?The ability to make determinations regarding the influence of natural degeneration and pre-existing injuries in a worker?s compensation claim is dependent upon accurate medical assessments,? he said.

http://www.insurancebusinessonline.com.au/news/brokers-must-prepare-for-rise-in-compensation-claims-173823.aspx?keyword=workers

Source: http://www.injuredworkerssupport.org.au/?p=6000

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The Daily Roundup for 04.03.2013

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/03/the-daily-roundup-for-04-03-2013/

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EPA: Dominion to pay fine, cut pollution at plants

CHICAGO (AP) -- Dominion Energy will pay a $3.4 million penalty to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations at coal-fired power plants in Illinois, Indiana and Massachusetts.

The settlement announced Monday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department calls for Virginia-based Dominion to reduce air pollution at its Kincaid, Ill., and Somerset, Mass., plants, and to permanently retire its State Line, Ind., plant.

The company also must spend $10 million on projects in nearby communities, including cutting locomotive pollution at Chicago rail yards and restoring land near the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Dominion is selling its Somerset and Kincaid plants; it shuttered the State Line plant in 2012.

A Dominion spokesman says the company denies the pollution allegations. He says the new owner will assume any upgrades that aren't completed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/epa-dominion-pay-fine-cut-141615698.html

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Mark Sanford Wins S.C. Runoff, but Colbert Busch Still Blocks His Path to Redemption

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford will be the Republican nominee on a ballot in his home state for the first time in seven years, after defeating former Charleston County Council member Curtis Bostic in a primary runoff on Tuesday for the state's vacant 1st Congressional District seat.

The Associated Press called the race Tuesday evening with 67 percent of precincts reporting that Sanford had a combined 55 percent of the vote to Bostic's 45 percent.

The win was not unexpected for Sanford, who outraised Bostic more than 15-1 in the pre-runoff period and was able to blanket the airwaves, building on his nearly universal name recognition in the district he represented in Congress for three terms in the 1990s. Bostic, meanwhile, works in the district, but lives just outside its boundaries.

Bostic nevertheless built a strong coalition, drawing heavily on his ties to the evangelical Christian and home-schooling communities, and highlighting his family values in the hopes of attracting voters concerned about the affair that nearly ended Sanford's political career in 2009.

Sanford has come a long way in just the four years since he admitted to having an affair with Argentinian reporter Mar?a Bel?n Chapur, seeming to end a 16-year political career that had him on many short lists for the presidency. In 2009, during his second term as governor, Sanford disappeared for six days, telling his staff, who then passed off the story to the press, that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. As he later revealed in a lengthy, awkward press conference, he had in fact been in Argentina with Chapur, to whom he is now engaged.

Sanford served out the rest of his term, leaving office in 2011, despite a censure by the state House and several failed attempts by the General Assembly to impeach him. He stayed largely out of the public eye until then-Rep. Tim Scott, another Republican, was appointed to the Senate in January, vacating Sanford's old seat.

Though neither Sanford nor Bostic has mentioned the affair directly during the campaign, it has hung over the special election, with Bostic emphasizing his family and Sanford invoking a "God of second chances" in his first television ad and on the campaign trail.

Sanford will go on to face Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the Democratic nominee, in the special election on May 7. Though the district is heavily Republican and has not elected a Democrat since the 1970s, Democrats are optimistic about Colbert Busch's chances, particularly given an internal poll she released on Monday showing her with a marginal lead in a race against Sanford.

Her brother's celebrity doesn't hurt either. Comedian Stephen Colbert has mentioned his sister (who pronounces the T in her surname) on his Comedy Central show and has already held two events for her, helping Colbert Busch keep pace with Sanford in fundraising so far. Colbert, the faux TV pundit, will reportedly hold two more high-priced events for her this month. Colbert Busch will also likely have the help of national Democratic groups eager to start off the next election cycle with a red-state victory.

But Colbert Busch hasn't faced much opposition thus far, sailing to victory in a Democratic primary against an underfunded candidate as Republicans have spent the last three months slowly whittling down a 16-candidate field. With Sanford as their nominee, focus will now shift to Colbert Busch, who has thus far been able to present a largely uncontested image of herself as a fiscally conservative job creator.

That spotlight already began to shift on Monday night, when the Sunlight Foundation reported that Colbert Busch's campaign had wiped more than 500 tweets from her account. Many were innocuous, and Colbert Busch's campaign explained that they were trying to clean up the account to make it easier for voters to find important information. But some of the tweets, including one that indicated her support for same-sex marriage and reproductive choice, represent the difficult balance she'll have to strike over the next five weeks between exciting Democrats in the district and attracting the Republicans and independents she'll need to remain competitive.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mark-sanford-wins-c-runoff-colbert-busch-still-214501075--politics.html

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Cardinals acquire QB Palmer from Raiders

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) ? Carson Palmer has landed with the third team of his NFL career.

First Cincinnati, then Oakland and now Arizona, it's not exactly a 'Who's Who' of NFL powerhouses.

But Palmer and his new coach insist that he's coming to a Cardinals team built to win now, despite the fact it lost 11 of its last 12 a season ago.

The Arizona Cardinals acquired Palmer from the Oakland Raiders, then agreed to a two-year contract that could pay him up to $20 million with $10 million guaranteed.

"I've got a lot of tread left on my tires," the 33-year-old quarterback promised.

Ever since Bruce Arians was hired to replace the fired Ken Whisenhunt, quarterback was the No. 1 topic of conversation.

"I'm here to introduce our starting quarterback and put it to bed," Arians said at a news conference on Tuesday, "and I'm really happy about it."

The Cardinals gave up a conditional seventh-round 2014 draft pick and swapped the second of their two sixth-round picks this year for Oakland's seventh-round selection.

"This was a no-brainer," Cardinals President Michael Bidwill said. "When we learned that he would be available via trade and that we had a shot at getting him, we were aggressive. We went out there, we put our best foot forward and made sure that we got the deal done. It dragged on a little over the weekend but this morning we made sure we pushed it over the goal line and got it done."

Palmer was to make $13 million under his old Raiders contract but reworked it to come to the desert.

"I've only got a couple of shots left," he said. "I've been in this league for a long time. It's nothing personal, it's not statistical, it's about trying to win a championship."

If Palmer starts at least 13 games next season, Oakland gets Arizona's 2014 seventh-round pick. If he doesn't, the Cardinals owe the Raiders nothing.

But at least the Raiders have the prospect of getting something for the quarterback rather than just releasing him. Oakland acquired quarterback Matt Flynn on Monday in a deal that sent two draft picks to the Seahawks.

Palmer is 54-67 as a starter. He was 4-11 with Oakland last season.

In 15 games in 2012, Palmer threw for 4,018 yards, becoming the second quarterback in Raiders history to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a season. He threw for 22 touchdowns with 14 interceptions.

He said that when it became clear the Raiders were embarking on a youth movement, he began to look elsewhere. Palmer said he found out Arizona was a possibility last Friday in a call from his agent, David Dunn.

He said he liked the chance to play for a coach he has respected over the years, and of course throw to Larry Fitzgerald. Arians was well aware of Palmer from the coach's days with Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. Palmer also said the Cardinals, coming off a 5-11 season, were obviously committed to getting better in a hurry.

"It's not a rebuilding process," Palmer said. "It's not 'We think we're going to be pretty good in a couple of years.' They want to win now and at the point I'm at in my career, I want to win now, too. I don't have years to build and get better, I've got to be ready to play in Week 1."

Arians had repeatedly talked of a quarterback being available "behind Door No. 2."

"I was confident that somebody was going to be able to be shaken loose somewhere," he said.

He had his eye on Oakland with the knowledge that they might go younger at the position, making Palmer available.

"We are not in that stage," Arians said. "This is too good of a football team for a youth movement. We're in it to win and win now."

Palmer's abilities fit the "throw long downfield" philosophy of Arians, who inherited a team with a woeful situation at quarterback. General manager Steve Keim said he watched video of every pass Palmer has thrown the past three seasons and saw no sign of diminished velocity or accuracy.

"His ability to still do it with accuracy, timing and touch was something that I was extremely excited about," Keim said.

Last year, Arizona had four starting quarterbacks ? John Skelton, Kevin Kolb, Ryan Lindley and Brian Hoyer. They combined to throw for 3,383 yards with 11 touchdowns and 21 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 63.1 in an offense that ranked last in the NFL. The Arizona quarterbacks were sacked 58 times in 608 pass attempts. By contrast, Palmer was sacked 28 times last year in 585 throws.

The Cardinals have released Skelton and Kolb and have signed Hoyer to a tender offer. They also have signed free agent Drew Stanton, the backup last season to Andrew Luck in Indianapolis, where Arians was interim head coach.

Palmer was the first overall draft pick in 2002 by Cincinnati and, enduring a severe knee injury and an elbow problem, was with the Bengals until his trade to Oakland two years ago. In two seasons with the Raiders, he started 24 games, completed 61 percent of his passes for 6,771 yards and 35 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. His career passer rating is 85.5.

"We'd like to thank Carson Palmer for his services over the past two seasons," Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said in a news release, "and we wish him well with the Cardinals."

For his career, Palmer has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 29,465 yards and 189 touchdowns with 132 interceptions.

He would be the fourth different starting quarterback to open the season with Arizona since Kurt Warner retired in 2009.

A few years ago, Arizona acquired another quarterback thought to be well past his prime. All Warner did was lead the team to the Super Bowl.

'Kurt was a phenomenal player, came here and just lit people up," Palmer said. "I'd love to be compared to some of the things that he did here when it's my time to leave."

___

Follow Bob Baum at www.twitter.com/Thebaumerphx

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cardinals-acquire-qb-palmer-raiders-182836431--nfl.html

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