NSA taps Yahoo, Google data flows -- SALESFORCE offers DIY app store -- Kids flee FACEBOOK -- SCHILLER: Goldman better than Google for grads

October 31, 2013 06:00 PDT | 09:00 EDT | 13:00 UTC

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>> DRIVING THE DAY: NSA infiltrates links to Yahoo, Google data centers worldwide, Snowden documents say, by Barton Gellman, Ashkan Soltani: "The National Security Agency has secretly broken into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world... By tapping those links, the agency has positioned itself to collect at will from hundreds of millions of user accounts, many of them belonging to Americans. The NSA does not keep everything it collects, but it keeps a lot... The NSA's principal tool to exploit the data links is a project called MUSCULAR, operated jointly with the agency's British counterpart, GCHQ... From undisclosed interception points, the NSA and the GCHQ are copying entire data flows across fiber-optic cables that carry information among the data centers of the Silicon Valley giants." WaPo
>>>> How the NSA is infiltrating private networks WaPo
>>>> PRISM already gave the NSA access to tech giants. Here's why it wanted more. WaPo The Switch
>>>> NSA issues non-denial denial of infiltrating Google and Yahoo's networks TechDirt
>>>> What's on tap at the NSA? Google's and Yahoo's private fiber backbones InfoWorld
>>>> No US action, so states move on privacy law NY Times (paywalled)

>> GOING PRIVATE: Salesforce.com to offer private version of its AppExchange app store, by Chris Kanaracus: "Salesforce.com has long had a public AppExchange software marketplace, but now it's going to give customers the ability to create their own private AppExchanges where employees can download applications to use in their jobs. Private AppExchange is generally available as of Friday to customers running Salesforce.com's Enterprise and higher editions." InfoWorld
>>>> Salesforce.com launches private AppExchange -- because the world loves appstores Forbes

>> SPY VS. SPY: Silent Circle, Lavabit unite for 'Dark Mail' encrypted email project: "Silent Circle and Lavabit abruptly halted their encrypted email services in August, saying they could no longer guarantee email would remain private after court actions against Lavabit, reportedly an email provider for NSA leaker Edward Snowden... Dark Mail would shield both the content of an email and its 'metadata,' including 'to' and 'from' data, IP addresses and headers. The email providers hope a version will be ready by next year." InfoWorld
>>>> Announcing the Dark Mail Alliance -- founded by Silent Circle & Lavabit Silent Circle blog
>>>> Lavabit to release code as open source, as it creates Dark Mail Alliance to build even more secure email TechDirt

>> CLOUDUS INTERRUPTUS: Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud hit by worldwide interruption, by Mikael Ricknäs: "Microsoft's Windows Azure suffered from an issue on Wednesday that affected a management feature in the compute section of the public cloud, and remained unresolved Thursday morning. Microsoft first updated the Windows Azure Service Dashboard at 2:35 AM UTC... About 17 hours later the company posted a message saying that manual actions to perform so-called swap deployment operations may fail, and users should therefore delay them. Microsoft was still struggling to solve the issue on Thursday morning." InfoWorld

>> COMING ATTRACTIONS: EU researchers create prototype for a server-free future internet, by David Meyer: "Today's Internet is based on client devices such as PCs or smartphones talking to centralized servers to get their data. If an EU-funded project called Pursuit takes flight, the future could be a whole lot more distributed... The Cambridge University prototype would represent a dramatic revamp of that way of doing things. Part of a wider EU-funded project called Pursuit, the putative protocol operates more like... BitTorrent, in that users share information directly with one another, rather than through a server." GigaOM
>>>> Future Internet aims to sever links with servers Phys.org

>> STAT DU JOUR: Sony slips into loss despite pick up in smartphone sales, by John Ribeiro: "Losses widened in the quarter to ¥19.3 billion (US$196 million) from ¥15.5 billion in the same quarter last year. Revenue for the quarter was close to ¥1.8 trillion, a 10.6 percent increase over the same quarter last year. Revenue, however, decreased 9 percent in constant currency, reflecting the volatility of the Yen. Sony reported in the last quarter a modest profit of ¥3.5 billion which it attributed to improved sales of smartphones and the favorable impact of foreign exchange rates, continuing a turnaround that started in the last fiscal year, when it posted its first profit in many years... also revised downwards its revenue and net profit outlook for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014, after revising its annual sales forecasts for certain product lines." PCWorld

>> PREMATURELY GRAY: Facebook beats on revenues and EPS but teen users show decline, by Jim Edwards: "It's a big beat on both revenues and EPS, and the stock popped up 15% immediately in after hours trading.... But then it gave up most of those gains when CFO David Ebersman said the company had seen a small reduction in use by teens.... But no one at Facebook has ever admitted before that it may be losing teens. Ebersman said the stats were not significant: 'We did see a decrease in daily users partly among younger teens. ... This is of questionable significance.'... The reason: Investors bet on the future, not what just happened. And if kids are losing interest in Facebook that could create headwinds in terms of future user growth." Business Insider
>>>> Facebook earnings show that desktop ads -- and Google -- may soon become irrelevant VentureBeat
>>>> Facebook may start logging your cursor movements Ars Technica

>> GONE TO PLAID: Sprint taps into its spectrum for fast LTE, with room to grow, by Stephen Lawson: "...demonstrated a high-speed service it calls Sprint Spark, with current peak speeds of 50-60Mbps (bits per second) and the potential to exceed 1Gbps. It also promoted three upcoming handsets that will be able to take advantage of all three of its spectrum bands. Sprint is in catch-up mode against its bigger rivals, Verizon Wireless and AT&T, and is looking to use its huge spectrum holdings as an advantage. The company is deploying LTE in its 800MHz and 1.9GHz bands as well as the 2.5GHz spectrum it acquired with Clearwire, on which the Sprint Spark service runs." PCWorld
>>>> New cable broadband spec says 10 Gbps speeds possible Now if we could just come up with a better name than 'DOCSIS 3.1' Cable Tech Talk

>> MAN BITES DOG: Robert Shiller: Young people with a moral purpose should work for Goldman Sachs, not Google, by Alison Griswold: "In a debate titled 'Goldman Vs. Google: A career on Wall Street or in Silicon Valley?' at The Economist's Buttonwood Gathering, the esteemed economist argued that young graduates with a 'moral purpose' and interest in the financial world should work for Goldman Sachs instead of Google.... 'When you study finance, you are studying how to make things happen, on a big scale, on a lasting scale,' Shiller said. 'That has to matter more than getting into Google and programming some little gimmick.' The way Shiller sees it, finance underscores every worthwhile pursuit. 'Every human activity that matters has to be financed,' he explained. 'You cannot do good things for the world all by yourself.'" Business Insider

>> CRASH: Google DNS departs Brazil ahead of new law, by Doug Madory: "Brazil is pressing ahead with a new law to require Internet companies like Google to store data about Brazilian users inside Brazil, where it will be subject to local privacy laws. The proposed legislation could be signed into law as early as the end of this week... By moving DNS resolution out of Brazil and back to the United States, Google DNS now operates outside of Brazilian jurisdiction. It still works just fine for Latin American users, just much more slowly... if Google leaves Brazil as they did in China, they could opt to make their local infrastructure investments in another country... with privacy laws more to their liking." Renesys

>> END OF LIFE CYCLE: The case against Gmail, by Ed Bott: "Google's flagship service has been showing signs that it's past its prime. In particular, Gmail's losing the ability to play nicely with third-party clients... Despite Google's lofty rhetoric about open standards, the Gmail protocols are undocumented and not available for licensing... in December 2012 Google dropped [Microsoft's] Exchange ActiveSync support for its nonpaying customers--including anyone with a free Gmail account and with a free (grandfathered) Google Apps account... Google wants you to interact with Gmail in a browser window--preferably Chrome--or in one of its iOS or Android apps." ZDNet
>>>> How I switched from Gmail to Outlook.com (and how you can too) ZDNet
>>>> Outlook.com calendar maintenance enters its second week PCWorld

>> GOING VIRAL: Waiting for the next great technology critic, by Pat Buchanan: "For well over a decade, the two most influential voices about consumer technology have been a sixty-six-year-old man who lives just outside of Washington, D.C. and a fifty-year-old man who resides in Westport, Connecticut. The former, Walt Mossberg, defined what it means to be a mainstream gadget reviewer when he started a weekly column, Personal Technology, for the Wall Street Journal, in 1991. The latter, David Pogue, began his column for the New York Times, State of the Art, in 2000. Every week, like a modern-day Prometheus handing down secret knowledge about arcane tools, they have dutifully informed millions of readers about the latest gadgets or services, and whether or not they are worth purchasing. Both of them will be gone soon: it was announced last month that Mossberg would leave the Journal at the end of the year, and Pogue revealed last week that he would be leaving the Times shortly." The New Yorker

>> MICROSOFT MISCHIEF: Microsoft Bing tests 'Hero' ads in Windows 8.1 search results, jousting with Google, by Todd Bishop: "Hero Ads... blend elements of display and search advertising. They are being tested by advertisers including Land Rover, Jaguar, Home Depot, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Radio Shack. During the pilot, the ads will be shown to a subset of people searching for the specific names of the companies or brands on Windows 8.1." GeekWire
>>>> Here come Windows 8.1's 'Hero' ads -- brought to you by stealthy snooping InfoWorld

>> IBM gives up fight to build CIA's $600m secret cloud, hands deal to Amazon The Register

>> Scott McNealy tells Hong Kong to go open, free and global Computerworld HK

>> Google's Glass accessory store is coming online (Wow. Stuff's expensive!) Marketing Land

>> What's it like to design the future of Microsoft? Ask this guy. TechNet

>> SAP confirms 20 customers live on HANA cloud, hundreds in the pipeline Computerworld UK

>> Steam rises to 65 million active users, eclipsing Xbox Live The Verge

>> 10 common tasks for MongoDB InfoWorld

>> Fantastical 2: The calendar Apple should have built… again 9to5Mac

>> Mobile saturation means innovation will slow InfoWorld

>> World's first Bitcoin ATM sees 81 exchanges, $10,000 in transactions during first day GeekWire

>> California woman gets the first ticket for driving with Google Glass Glass Almanac

>> SORRY, WE HAD TO RUN IT: Lenovo taps Ashton Kutcher in long-life battery challenge to Apple Bloomberg

>> TWEET O' THE DAY: "This is the only time the city of Boston has ever punished a Cardinal." @rilaws

FEED ME, SEYMOUR: Comments? Questions? Tips? Shoot mail to Trent or Woody. Follow @gegax or @woodyleonhard.

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Source: http://www.infoworld.com/t/technology-business/nsa-taps-yahoo-google-data-flows-salesforce-offers-diy-app-store-kids-flee-facebook-schiller-goldman-be?source=rss_business_intelligence
Tags: miss america   Bill De Blasio  

David Arquette Drunk Dials Howard Stern after Bootsy Bellows Night Out

Stepping for some Halloween festivities, David Arquette stopped Bootsy Bellows in West Hollywood on Wednesday (October 30).

The "Scream" star dressed in a Dia de Meutos-inspired suit as he made his way into the club for the spooky celebration.

Later that evening after a bit too many drinks, Arquette drunk dialed Howard Stern during his talk show's hour to announce how "wasted" he was.

"You're amazing. You are incredible. You are God," David rambled. "We're all gods in our own way. We're all droplets of God... The whole game is to entertain God. God created us all. God is love. The best feeling is love... We're all connected. It's all the same."

While discussing his former wife Courteney Cox, the 42-year-old actor raved about his wife and how much he loves her with all his "f***ing heart."

"She's the most brilliant, beautiful friend that I've ever met," he stated.

When her recent breakup with "Cougar Town" co-star Brian Van Holt came up, David proclaimed, "I'mnot going to get into her personal stuff. She's with someone who loves and cares for her. That's all I care about."

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/david-arquette/david-arquette-drunk-dials-howard-stern-after-bootsy-bellows-night-out-1074681
Category: big bang theory   Voyager 1   911 Memorial   Jane Addams   michael jackson  

Obama pitches the US to foreign investors

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is casting himself as America's business pitchman.

Facing a sluggish economy, Obama on Thursday announced an expanded government role to draw foreign companies to the United States, arguing that the American workforce, cheaper energy costs and an improving economy make the U.S. an attractive home for investments.

"Officials at the highest levels, up to and including me, are going to do even more to make the case for investing in America," Obama told a summit of investors, business CEOs and state and local officials.

Obama said the goal is to make that outreach more efficient, making better use of the federal government to promote the U.S. overseas, a job that had previously been left primarily to states and cities, which had to compete against foreign countries to attract foreign investors.

Using a salesman's delivery, Obama told the SelectUSA 2013 Investment Summit: "So, to all the business leaders here today, and around the world, we want to be your partner in helping to write the next chapter in our history."

Obama singled out steps designed to improve the marketing of the United States:

—Attracting foreign investment will be a priority for U.S. ambassadors.

—Giving businesses a single point of contact within the federal government to cut through national, state and local red tape.

—Providing cities, states and regions with research and analysis to help them attract foreign investors.

A new White House economic report says foreign direct investments to the U.S. totaled $166 billion in 2012. The report says most of that investment comes from a small number of industrialized countries.

Obama said some U.S. based firms are bringing back some of their foreign-based operations, singling out Ford Motor Co. and Caterpillar Inc. among them.

• Politics & Government
• Barack Obama

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-pitches-us-foreign-investors-182326276--politics.html
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EurekAlert! announces the recipients of the 2014 AAAS-EurekAlert! Fellowships for International Science Reporters

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

31-Oct-2013

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Contact: Jennifer Santisi
jsantisi@aaas.org
212-326-6213
American Association for the Advancement of Science

This release is also available in Chinese on EurekAlert! Chinese.

EurekAlert!, the global science news service operated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and its sister site, EurekAlert! Chinese, are pleased to announce four recipients of the 2014 AAAS-EurekAlert! Fellowships for International Science Reporters.

The fellowships are intended to help support excellence in science communication worldwide by providing science reporters with the opportunity to cover the latest research, and to network with peers from around the world. Four accomplished science journalists from China have been selected to participate in the 2014 AAAS Annual Meeting (http://www.aaas.org/meetings), 13-17 February in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Sponsorship for the 2014 fellowships is provided by EurekAlert!. The fellowship pays for travel, lodging and meals at the AAAS Annual Meeting.

The recipients of the 2014 fellowships are:

Hongqiao Liu, Caixin Media

Xiao Gan, China Science Daily

Kun Huang, Xinhua News Agency

Wei Qian, China Newsweek

"The 2014 AAAS Annual Meeting will allow me to continue improving myself as a professional science reporter," said Wei Qian of China Newsweek. It's a unique opportunity for me to attend a renowned science conference, and to learn about the most important advances in science. This experience will provide me with an opportunity to connect with a network of international science journalists and address scientific news in a global context."

The fellowships were originally launched in 2004 with a seed grant from the William T. Golden Endowment Fund for Program Innovation. That year's program brought 10 reporters from China to the 2004 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle. Subsequent fellowships have sponsored reporters from the Middle East, China, Africa, Central and South America.

The 2014 fellows were chosen by judges from an applicant pool of reporters nominated by their editors at leading Chinese media organizations. Dr. Zixue Tai of the University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications, Dr. Shu-Ling Chen Berggreen of the University of Colorado School of Journalism and Mass Communications, and Ms. Xiong Lei, a guest professor at Renmin University of China and former executive editor of China Features, acted as independent judges.

"I'm looking forward to achieving a better understanding of the role that science, discovery and innovation play in the rapidly changing world, and learning how this interacts with interdisciplinary efforts to find solutions for global issues, such as the food crisis, climate change, and new communicable diseases," said Hongqiao Liu of Caixin Media.

The theme of the 2014 AAAS Annual Meeting is Meeting Global Challenges: Discovery and Innovation. In keeping with this theme, and the mission of both AAAS and EurekAlert!, the reporter fellowship program seeks to promote international scientific dialogue and advance the communication of science news to the public worldwide.

"I look forward to learning more about sustainable solutions that might be suitable for development of China, as sustainability is a major theme of the 2014 AAAS Annual Meeting," Kun Huang of Xinhua News Agency said. "And personally, I am very interested in the Career Development Workshops, which will enhance my understanding of science journalism as a lifelong career."

More information about the 2014 fellowship winners is available at http://www.eurekalert.org/fellows. The website will also publish any meeting coverage by the fellows.

###

About AAAS

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science (http://www.sciencemag.org) as well as Science Translational Medicine (http://www.sciencetranslationalmedicine.org) and Science Signaling (http://www.sciencesignaling.org). AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes some 261 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million. The non-profit AAAS (http://www.aaas.org) is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy; international programs; science education; and more.

About EurekAlert!

Founded by AAAS in 1996, EurekAlert! is an editorially independent, online news service focused on science, medicine and technology. Thousands of reporters around the globe use EurekAlert! to access news and resources from the world's top research organizations. For free access to EurekAlert!, visit http://www.EurekAlert.org.

About EurekAlert! Chinese

Organized by AAAS, EurekAlert! Chinese is the world's only source of embargoed science news catering to Chinese journalists. Universities, research institutions, corporations, scientific journals and government-sponsored research institutions post their press releases in both English and Chinese on the EurekAlert! Chinese website, often to a special section accessible only to reporters.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

31-Oct-2013

[


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]


Share

Contact: Jennifer Santisi
jsantisi@aaas.org
212-326-6213
American Association for the Advancement of Science

This release is also available in Chinese on EurekAlert! Chinese.

EurekAlert!, the global science news service operated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and its sister site, EurekAlert! Chinese, are pleased to announce four recipients of the 2014 AAAS-EurekAlert! Fellowships for International Science Reporters.

The fellowships are intended to help support excellence in science communication worldwide by providing science reporters with the opportunity to cover the latest research, and to network with peers from around the world. Four accomplished science journalists from China have been selected to participate in the 2014 AAAS Annual Meeting (http://www.aaas.org/meetings), 13-17 February in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Sponsorship for the 2014 fellowships is provided by EurekAlert!. The fellowship pays for travel, lodging and meals at the AAAS Annual Meeting.

The recipients of the 2014 fellowships are:

Hongqiao Liu, Caixin Media

Xiao Gan, China Science Daily

Kun Huang, Xinhua News Agency

Wei Qian, China Newsweek

"The 2014 AAAS Annual Meeting will allow me to continue improving myself as a professional science reporter," said Wei Qian of China Newsweek. It's a unique opportunity for me to attend a renowned science conference, and to learn about the most important advances in science. This experience will provide me with an opportunity to connect with a network of international science journalists and address scientific news in a global context."

The fellowships were originally launched in 2004 with a seed grant from the William T. Golden Endowment Fund for Program Innovation. That year's program brought 10 reporters from China to the 2004 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle. Subsequent fellowships have sponsored reporters from the Middle East, China, Africa, Central and South America.

The 2014 fellows were chosen by judges from an applicant pool of reporters nominated by their editors at leading Chinese media organizations. Dr. Zixue Tai of the University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications, Dr. Shu-Ling Chen Berggreen of the University of Colorado School of Journalism and Mass Communications, and Ms. Xiong Lei, a guest professor at Renmin University of China and former executive editor of China Features, acted as independent judges.

"I'm looking forward to achieving a better understanding of the role that science, discovery and innovation play in the rapidly changing world, and learning how this interacts with interdisciplinary efforts to find solutions for global issues, such as the food crisis, climate change, and new communicable diseases," said Hongqiao Liu of Caixin Media.

The theme of the 2014 AAAS Annual Meeting is Meeting Global Challenges: Discovery and Innovation. In keeping with this theme, and the mission of both AAAS and EurekAlert!, the reporter fellowship program seeks to promote international scientific dialogue and advance the communication of science news to the public worldwide.

"I look forward to learning more about sustainable solutions that might be suitable for development of China, as sustainability is a major theme of the 2014 AAAS Annual Meeting," Kun Huang of Xinhua News Agency said. "And personally, I am very interested in the Career Development Workshops, which will enhance my understanding of science journalism as a lifelong career."

More information about the 2014 fellowship winners is available at http://www.eurekalert.org/fellows. The website will also publish any meeting coverage by the fellows.

###

About AAAS

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science (http://www.sciencemag.org) as well as Science Translational Medicine (http://www.sciencetranslationalmedicine.org) and Science Signaling (http://www.sciencesignaling.org). AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes some 261 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million. The non-profit AAAS (http://www.aaas.org) is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy; international programs; science education; and more.

About EurekAlert!

Founded by AAAS in 1996, EurekAlert! is an editorially independent, online news service focused on science, medicine and technology. Thousands of reporters around the globe use EurekAlert! to access news and resources from the world's top research organizations. For free access to EurekAlert!, visit http://www.EurekAlert.org.

About EurekAlert! Chinese

Organized by AAAS, EurekAlert! Chinese is the world's only source of embargoed science news catering to Chinese journalists. Universities, research institutions, corporations, scientific journals and government-sponsored research institutions post their press releases in both English and Chinese on the EurekAlert! Chinese website, often to a special section accessible only to reporters.

---

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Share

]

 

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/aaft-ea103113.php
Tags: Dakota Johnson   stenographer   jimmy kimmel   auburn football   Hyperloop  

Direct link established between stimulus-response learning and substance abuse

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

31-Oct-2013

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Contact: Marie france Coutu
marie-france.coutu@douglas.mcgill.ca
514-835-3236
Douglas Mental Health University Institute

Findings from Douglas Institute neuroscientist

Vronique Bohbot, PhD, neuroscientist at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, found that the region of the brain involved in stimulus-response learning is directly linked to the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. More specifically, she discovered that people who resorted to stimulus-response learning smoked more, had double the consumption of alcohol and were more likely to use cannabis. Her findings have been published in the most recent issue of Hippocampus.

We rely on one of two strategies to navigate through our surroundings. One is called the spatial strategy, where we use visual cues and landmarks to develop cognitive maps that enable us to know where we are and how to get where we want to go. This process occurs in the hippocampus. The other is the stimulus-response strategy, which is a kind of auto-pilot: after travelling along the same route on a regular basis, we end up taking it out of habit. This process occurs in the striatum.

People who resort to stimulus-response learning have a more developed striatum and would consume more alcohol, tobacco or drugs. Factors such as routine, stress and reward-seeking behaviour also contribute to stimulating the striatum, at the expense of the hippocampus. "The literature indicates that children engage in stimulus-response strategies from a very young age," Vronique Bohbot explains. "Reward-seeking behavior in childhood, especially for immediate rewards like candy or playing action video games, stimulates the striatum and encourages stimulus-response strategies during navigation. This would predispose the child to drug seeking behaviour."

Previous studies have shown that an atrophied hippocampus increases the risk of developing a mental illness such as schizophrenia, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or Alzheimer's disease.

Vronique Bohbot will present her research results on November 13 at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, where she will talk about the importance of improving spatial navigation skills to maintain a balance and increase chances of a healthy cognition.

###

Link to Dr. Bohbot's published study: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hipo.22187/abstract

Vido: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/videos/243

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

31-Oct-2013

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]


Share

Contact: Marie france Coutu
marie-france.coutu@douglas.mcgill.ca
514-835-3236
Douglas Mental Health University Institute

Findings from Douglas Institute neuroscientist

Vronique Bohbot, PhD, neuroscientist at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, found that the region of the brain involved in stimulus-response learning is directly linked to the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. More specifically, she discovered that people who resorted to stimulus-response learning smoked more, had double the consumption of alcohol and were more likely to use cannabis. Her findings have been published in the most recent issue of Hippocampus.

We rely on one of two strategies to navigate through our surroundings. One is called the spatial strategy, where we use visual cues and landmarks to develop cognitive maps that enable us to know where we are and how to get where we want to go. This process occurs in the hippocampus. The other is the stimulus-response strategy, which is a kind of auto-pilot: after travelling along the same route on a regular basis, we end up taking it out of habit. This process occurs in the striatum.

People who resort to stimulus-response learning have a more developed striatum and would consume more alcohol, tobacco or drugs. Factors such as routine, stress and reward-seeking behaviour also contribute to stimulating the striatum, at the expense of the hippocampus. "The literature indicates that children engage in stimulus-response strategies from a very young age," Vronique Bohbot explains. "Reward-seeking behavior in childhood, especially for immediate rewards like candy or playing action video games, stimulates the striatum and encourages stimulus-response strategies during navigation. This would predispose the child to drug seeking behaviour."

Previous studies have shown that an atrophied hippocampus increases the risk of developing a mental illness such as schizophrenia, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or Alzheimer's disease.

Vronique Bohbot will present her research results on November 13 at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, where she will talk about the importance of improving spatial navigation skills to maintain a balance and increase chances of a healthy cognition.

###

Link to Dr. Bohbot's published study: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hipo.22187/abstract

Vido: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/videos/243

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/dmhu-dle103113.php
Similar Articles: julianne hough   liberace   Eiza González   Allison Micheletti   Pain and Gain  

Dylan's guitar from Newport to be auctioned in NYC

NEW YORK (AP) — The sunburst Fender Stratocaster that a young Bob Dylan played at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival when he famously went electric, perhaps the most historic instrument in rock 'n' roll, is coming up for auction, where it could bring as much as half a million dollars.

Though now viewed as changing American music forever, Dylan's three-song electric set at the Rhode Island festival that marked his move from acoustic folk to electric rock 'n' roll was met by boos from folk purists in the crowd who viewed him as a traitor. He returned for an acoustic encore with "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue."

Now the guitar is being offered for sale Dec. 6, Christie's said. Five lots of hand- and typewritten lyric fragments found inside the guitar case — early versions of some of Dylan's legendary songs — also are being sold. The lyrics have a pre-sale estimate ranging from $3,000 to $30,000.

With a classic sunburst finish and original flat-wound strings, the guitar has been in the possession of a New Jersey family for nearly 50 years. Dylan left it on a private plane piloted by the owner's late father, Vic Quinto, who worked for Dylan's manager.

His daughter, Dawn Peterson, of Morris County, N.J., has said her father asked the management company what to do with the guitar but nobody ever got back to him.

Last year, she took it to the PBS show "History Detectives" to try to have it authenticated. The program enlisted the expertise of Andy Babiuk, a consultant to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and owner of an upstate New York vintage instrument shop, and Jeff Gold, a Dylan memorabilia expert. Both men, who appeared on the episode, unequivocally declared the artifacts belonged to Dylan.

Babiuk took the instrument apart and also compared it to close-up color photos of the guitar taken at the 1965 festival.

"I was able to match the wood grain on the body of the guitar ... and the unique grain of the rosewood fingerboard. Wood grains are like fingerprints, no two are exactly alike," Babiuk said in an interview. "Based on the sum of the evidence, I was able to identify that this guitar was the one that Bob Dylan had played in Newport."

Dylan's attorney and his publicist did not respond to email and phone requests for comment. Dylan and Peterson, who declined to be interviewed, recently settled a legal dispute over the items.

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed but allowed Peterson to sell the guitar and lyrics, according to Rolling Stone, which wrote in July about Peterson's quest to authenticate the guitar.

"Representatives for Bob Dylan do not contest the sale of the guitar, and are aware of Christie's plan to bring it to auction," a statement issued through Christie's said.

Dylan has generally looked upon his instruments to convey his art, akin to a carpenter's hammer, Howard Kramer, curatorial director of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said last year. "I don't think he's dwelled on a guitar he hasn't played for 47 years," he said. "If he cared about it, he would have done something about it."

Festival founder George Wein told the AP that when Dylan finished playing, Wein was backstage and told him to go back out and play an acoustic number because that's what people expected. Dylan said he didn't want to do it and said he couldn't because he only had the electric guitar. Wein called out for a loaner backstage and about 20 musicians raised their acoustic guitars to offer them.

The lyrics for sale include "In the Darkness of Your Room," an early draft of "Absolutely Sweet Marie" from Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde" album, and three songs from the record's 1965 recording session that were not released until the 1980s: "Medicine Sunday" (the draft is titled "Midnight Train"), "Jet Pilot" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover."

Dylan's "going electric changed the structure of folk music," the 88-year-old Wein said. "The minute Dylan went electric, all these young people said, 'Bobby's going electric, we're going electric, too.'"

___

Associated Press writer Michelle R. Smith in Providence, R.I., contributed to this report.

• Music
• Hobbies & Personal Activities
• Bob Dylan

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dylans-guitar-newport-auctioned-nyc-172608899.html
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Alcatel One Touch Evolve (T-Mobile)

Today's smartphones are getting more powerful with every release cycle, and cutting-edge hardware is becoming less expensive as newer components are made available. But not everyone needs cutting-edge hardware. If you're looking for something that will keep some cash in your pocket, T-Mobile's least expensive smartphone, the Alcatel One Touch Evolve ($27.99 up front plus $3/month for 24 months or $99.99) is worth a serious look. It doesn't offer all the bells and whistles of T-Mobile's flagship phone—and our Editors' Choice—the Samsung Galaxy S4, but it's also nowhere near as expensive. It does, however, play games, take photos, and have a modern look and feel, making it a good first smartphone for teens and frugal adults.

Design
A svelte, all-black handset, the Evolve measures 4.78 by 2.52 by 0.46 inches (HWD). A chrome band runs around the phone, and it has an angled bottom edge that looks slick and even makes it a little easier to slide the phone in your pocket. The Evolve may be inexpensive, but it doesn't feel that way. The removable plastic (T-Mobile-branded) back panel has a matte black finish with a cutout for the speaker and a minuscule rim that protects the 5-megapixel camera from scratches. Underneath, there's a removable 1400mAh battery covering the full-size SIM card and a microSD slot that supports cards up to 64GB.

On the top of the phone to the right is the Power button, next to the headphone jack in the center. On the right side, near the top, is the volume rocker. Opposite the rocker on the right side of the phone is the micro USB port, no doubt there because of the angled bottom. It's an inconvenient placement if you're right-handed and use the Evolve in landscape mode, as the cable when plugged into the phone is in the way of your fingers underneath it as they try to naturally handle the phone.

The Evolve's 4-inch, 480-by-800 TFT LCD is bright enough to be used outdoors, and images looked vibrant and well-saturated. At 233 pixels per inch, the screen serves up easily readable text. Letters look clear and crisp. Compared with Alcatel's more expensive ($169) T-Mobile phone, the Fierce, its 960-by-540 4.5-inch TFT LCD, and its 244 pixels per inch, the display on the Evolve is a lot sharper and just as bright. The viewing angles aren't great, however. If you're watching video with a friend, make sure your heads are close together.

Included with the Evolve is a micro USB cable and a larger-than-usual wall charger.  

Connectivity, Call Quality
The One Touch Evolve integrates 802.11 b/g/n dual-band Wi-Fi, A-GPS, and Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, but there's no LTE. You'll get 3G speeds with HSPA on the GSM 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS 850/1900/AWS bands.

In my tests, call quality wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing either. My voice sounded clear but synthetic, with a light static over everything. Noise cancellation wasn't particularly effective outside on a busy New York City street. The person on the other end of the call complained about traffic noises interrupting my speech. My call partner's voice came through loud and clear, but was a little harsh. The speakerphone doesn't get very loud, and can be difficult to use outside in noisy environments.

T-Mobile's Wi-Fi calling lets you make phone calls over Wi-Fi networks when you're low on minutes, or when T-Mobile cellular service is less than stellar or unavailable.

Battery life was in line with other phones in this price range. In our talk tests the One Touch Evolve lasted 5 hours and 13 minutes. The Fierce, to compare, lasted 7 hours and 55 minutes.

OS, Performance
The phone runs on an 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 single-core processor and 512MB of RAM. There's 4GB of onboard storage, but only 1.03GB is available for the user. More than a couple of apps or music albums will quickly fill that, so a microSD card is strongly recommended.

Though it's running a not terribly aged Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, many of the icons have been altered by Alcatel, and look a little more childish. There can always be less bloatware, but it's not horrible here: You get Lookout Security as well as T-Mobile's Mobile Hotspot, My Account, T-Mobile Name ID, T-Mobile TV, and Visual Voicemail apps, none of which are removable. There's no word from Alcatel on whether the Evolve with receive any updates OS updates.

The on-screen keyboard defaults to Swype, which allows you to drag your finger across the keyboard, for quicker letter entry. It's an easy-to-use feature and a nice time saver. Also included is an FM radio app, where you can save your favorite station and even record audio.

The Evolve played almost every media file I could throw at it, including FLAC, OGG, and WAV, but there's no support for 1080p video. It's capped at 720p. The rear-mounted speaker sounds tinny and doesn't provide much volume, but that's to be expected from a phone of this caliber. My headphones got plenty loud, even on the lowest volume level.

In our graphical performance tests—Nenamark and Taiji—the Evolve scored 23.5 and 9.14 frames per second, respectively. Not great scores, but good enough for an inexpensive phone. Popular games like Temple Run 2 and Fruit Ninja ran smoothly, though I suspect some of the more intense graphical games in the Google Play Store will choke the Evolve. Web browsing was very smooth, and switching between games and other apps was quick and fluid.

Camera
The 5-megapixel camera takes decent, but not great photos. Most lack proper exposure and show washed-out colors, and indoor photos are noisy, but they're not unusable. The camera is fast, though, offering quick continuous shooting when you hold down the shutter button or volume rocker. The lack of flash really limits the low-light photos you can take, and, of course, you can't use your phone as a flashlight.

The phone records 720p video and is able to keep its frame rate consistent no matter the light levels. Your footage will suffer from the lack of image stabilization, and graininess when shooting indoors, but again, for a budget phone, it's not bad. The VGA-quality front-facing camera is just that: VGA-quality. You won't see any detail unless your subject is very well lit.

Conclusion
The Alcatel One Touch Evolve isn't the best Android phone on T-Mobile. That's the Galaxy S4. But for $100 total, it's not a bad deal at all, offering good performance and features for the price.

If you need a physical keyboard you can try the free-on-contract myTouch Q, but it runs an ancient version of Android. For about $70 more, you can grab the Evolve's 4.5-inch counterpart, the Alcatel One Touch Fierce, which packs a quad-core processor and 1GB or RAM, but still lacks LTE. If you're on T-Mobile and are looking to enter the Android ecosystem with little investment, the Evolve worth a look.  It's cheap, can run apps like Facebook and Candy Crush Saga, and it looks good doing it.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/U_0W6v64A_o/0,2817,2426379,00.asp
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Ireland Baldwin: Embroiled in Controversy Over Cherokee Indian Halloween Getup

She’s a huge fan of Disney’s “Peter Pan,” and Ireland Baldwin decided to dress as the Native American chief from the story for Halloween.

However, when the just-turned-18 model posted photos of herself in face paint and a headdress, some of her Twitter followers got pretty cranky.

In response to the criticism, Ireland tweeted, “This is who I was being for Halloween at Disneyland. You all are pathetic… I’m also well aware of what many tribes encountered in the past.”

“And for some of you pathetic morons to bring my family and other matters into the discussion. you are all sad excuses for human beings,” she added, noting that she has Cherokee in her bloodline.

After things cooled off, Baldwin offered an apology- “People make mistakes, everyone. I made a mistake and I apologize if it offended.”

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/ireland-baldwin/ireland-baldwin-embroiled-controversy-over-cherokee-indian-halloween-getup-952788
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Morning Report: Tito Ortiz plans on returning to training six weeks after fracturing neck

Forced to pull out of Bellator's inaugural Pay-Per-View event after fracturing his neck last week, Tito Ortiz says he plans on returning to action sooner than some believed possible.

"Ppl I will have 100% recovery & will be back n the gym in 6 weeks," Ortiz posted to Twitter. "I'm a fighter & I love competition. I was doing great n training but accident do happen. Just time to reshuffle the deck & deal another hand. #positiveminded"

Ortiz, of course, was originally slated to face fellow former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson in the main event at Bellator 106 on Nov. 2, the promotion's first foray in PPV. With Tito removed, Jackson was shifted to a later card where he'll face former UFC heavyweight Joey Beltran. Bellator 106, no longer a PPV, will now be headlined by the lightweight title rematch between champion Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez.

At 38, Ortiz has had a trying past few years. With just a single win in nine tries dating back to 2006, many are left wondering what would be left to prove.

5 MUST-READ STORIES

Machida-Belfort. Lyoto Machida says he wants Vitor Belfort next, but his management doesn't think Belfort's camp want any part of it. "Even if Vitor loses to Dan Henderson, I'd want to fight him in our weight class."

Reebok and Hendricks. Landing a sponsorship deal with Reebok, Johny Hendricks will be the first to sport the brand inside the Octagon.

PPV numbers. Dave Meltzer takes a look at why UFC 165 and UFC 166 may not have reached expectations. "Today it's very clear that big personalities who can fight reasonably well trump even the combination of skill, size and fighting ability at the highest level, and even heaviest level, when it comes to what gets people to spend their money."

20 in 20. Chuck Mindenhall's series reaches 2011, where the year's best action all took place on one night in two different shows.

Chat wrap. Make sure to catch up on the latest MMA buzz during Luke Thomas' weekly live chat.

MEDIA STEW

Pre-fight interviews with Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks.

Free fight: Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Hughes II.

Eddie Alvarez prepares for Michael Chandler.

Ross Pearson talks the stoppage.

Marina Shafir nails Uriah Hall in the stomach.

Pros pick GSP vs. Hendricks.

Peggy Morgan vs. Sarah Moras.

Amputee and Soldier Joshua Rector wins his MMA debut.

Bonus flying armbar.

(HT to Bloody Elbow)

TWEETS

So, Twitter decided not to cooperate last night and for some reason refused to let me embed tweets. I'll try to get it sorted ASAP. Sorry for the screen grabs.

Gentle Ben.

Grice doing well.

Eddie in good shape.

Mayhem in the gym.

TUF night (?)

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announced yesterday (Oct. 30 2013)

Quinton Jackson vs. Joey Beltran at Bellator 108

cancelled Johnny Eduardo vs. Lucas Martins at UFC Fight Night 32

Zak Cummings out, Sean Spencer vs. Sergio Moraes at TUF 18 Finale

canceled Alexandra Albu vs. Julie Kedzie at UFC Fight Night 33

Rick Glenn vs. Georgi Karakhanyan at WSOF 7

Peter Graham vs. Cheick Kongo at Bellator 107

FANPOST OF THE DAY

Today's Fanpost of the Day comes via heavyfl0w.

MMA's Scariest Situations: A Halloween Themed Article (Perhaps?)

Halloween is my least favorite holiday, and I don't know what would come in second. This is an odd way to start an article about being scared, true. But I detest it. I think it brings out the worst in people, especially in regards to the whole trick-or-treat culture. You have kids running full speed in the dark and shoving other kids out of the way to get first dibs on the prime candy spots; you have lazy, absentee parents "taking" their kids trick-or-treating (when all they're doing is inching up the street in their cars, making it impossible to drive); worst of all, you have people pretending to be someone else and pretending to scare other people, which is an affront to all those special folks doing those things for real the other 364 days of the year. It's kind of like New Years Eve, where all those non-drinkers have a few whiskey sours and end up passed out in their neighbors flower bed singing "Bennie and the Jets" and vomiting at the same time. Simply put, it's amateur hour.

That being said, I'm trying to get into the spirit, because I have children in my life. You don't want to be an ogre, because that energy rubs off on kids. Since I can't figure out how to transition from opining on Halloween to opining on things about MMA that would scare the shit out of me if I was forced to experience them ... well, here are some things about MMA that would scare the shit out of me if I was forced to experience them.

Getting into a leglock battle with a Japanese guy.

One of the most important adages in life, "never play footsies with a Japanese guy" is right up there with "never play cards with anyone who has the same first name as a city". It's just a bad idea. You're scrambling, you think you have something, and next thing you know, you're tapping rapidly. Actually, I just thought of a better one ...

Check out the rest of the post here.

Found something you'd like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we'll include it in tomorrow's column.

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/10/31/5047436/morning-report-tito-ortiz-rampage-jackson-bellator-106-ufc-dana-white-machida-belfort-mma-news
Tags: houston texans   Mr Cee  

Salesforce.com to offer private version of its AppExchange app store

Salesforce.com has long had a public AppExchange software marketplace, but now it's going to give customers the ability to create their own private AppExchanges where employees can download applications to use in their jobs.

Private AppExchange is generally available as of Friday to customers running Salesforce.com's Enterprise and higher editions, said Sara Varni, senior director of AppExchange marketing. However, those customers can give employees who don't use Salesforce.com itself access to the private store for $5 per user per month.

[ For a quick, smart take on the news you'll be talking about, check out InfoWorld TechBrief -- subscribe today. | Read Bill Snyder's Tech's Bottom Line blog for what the key business trends mean to you. ]

Enterprise application stores are rapidly coming into favor as companies seek to appease workers who are used to the generally painless experience of consumer app stores like Apple's iTunes. The managed app store model also gives enterprises a way to place a layer of governance over the software and devices employees are using, even as they provide easier access to software.

"The whole goal of private AppExchange is to empower the CIO to say yes," Varni said. While IT departments curate and oversee which applications get into the store, based on pre-determined permissions, employees can download them when they wish, she added.

In February, Gartner released a report predicting that 25 percent of enterprises will have their own app stores by 2017.

Salesforce.com is clearly hoping to keep its current customers from using rival vendors' technology, such as BMC's recently launched AppZone, to build out these stores.

Customers can use Private AppExchange to deliver any Web, mobile or desktop application to any device, with centralized authentication through Salesforce.com's recently launched Identity service.

Stores can also be customized to reflect a company's brand or various departments' needs, according to Salesforce.com.

Salesforce.com didn't run a formal beta program for Private AppExchange, but sought input from about 50 customers into its design. "Given our conversations, we know customers are hungry for this," Varni said.

The development effort was made easier given that much of the plumbing was already there, given the public AppExchange, said Ryan Ellis, senior director of product management.

Private AppExchange doesn't solve every problem related to enterprise app stores, such as the potential complexity of tracking software licenses and subscriptions as users download and use various applications.

It's possible to integrate Private AppExchange stores with third-party license management systems, Varni said.

Salesforce.com has also integrated Private AppExchange with its Chatter collaboration software. This means that "organizations can enable their employees to discover, discuss, rate and self-support applications collaboratively versus just being pointed to a generic app store and left to fend for themselves," Constellation Research vice president and principal analyst Alan Lepofsky [cq] said.

Chris Kanaracus covers enterprise software and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Chris' email address is Chris_Kanaracus@idg.com

Source: http://www.infoworld.com/d/the-industry-standard/salesforcecom-offer-private-version-of-its-appexchange-app-store-229914
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Windows 8.1's 'Hero' ads -- brought to you by stealthy snooping

Microsoft yesterday unveiled more details about its new search-based advertising for Windows 8.1. Microsoft calls the technology behind the ads "Smart Search," and it's certainly smart -- for advertisers, that is, not for you. For Windows 8.1 customers like you and me, Smart Search is the worst privacy-busting feature to ever slither its way into Windows.

I've talked about Smart Search before, but if you use Windows 8.1, it would behoove you to double-check right now and make sure you aren't being MicScroogled. And if you know somebody who's actually fallen for this bit of marketing muck, show them what's going on behind the scenes.

At this moment, I count 40 different tech publications that are parroting Stephen Sirich's official A View Into Tomorrow at Bing Ads Next blog post. (According to LinkedIn, Sirich is a general manager in Microsoft's Online Services Division.) Sirich is speaking to advertisers when he says:

We are currently running the pilot of Hero ads, which can appear when users are searching for certain brand-specific information in Bing Smart Search. The goal of Hero ads is to enable searchers to quickly find the most relevant information and complete the most popular tasks for the brand they are specifically searching for via a beautiful visual and interactive experience created in partnership with our brand partners.

Those 40-odd tech blog posts pick up on the fact that the Hero ad pilot comes a week after Google started testing banner ads, but that's a coincidence. In fact, Hero ads have been part and parcel of Windows 8.1's Smart Search since early beta versions.  Search Engine Watch says this:

Bing Ads has announced a brand new ad experience today at its Bing Ads Next event, called Hero Ads. The new ads are a very visual ad unit within Windows 8.1 Bing Smart Search and are a great integration between Windows and Bing Ads.

The goal of the new Hero ads is to combine user intent, branding and task completion for consumers. From an advertiser perspective, it enables advertisers to get all the most important and relevant information before consumers, with plenty of call to action.

Hero Ads are very visual ad formats and essentially the ads look to be like a landing page, rather than an advertisement by Bing. Hero ads are currently part of the Windows 8.1 user experience with Bing Smart Search...

Hero ads are currently being run as free of cost during the consumer testing phase. During the limited pilot, Bing Ads will be scrutinizing metrics for consumer experience and get feedback from both advertisers and consumers. Specifically, they want to test how consumer satisfaction changes with hero ads. They also want to determine whether it should it be a total ad experience or a hybrid of ad and search when serving Hero ads.

Source: http://www.infoworld.com/t/microsoft-windows/windows-81s-hero-ads-brought-you-stealthy-snooping-229907?source=rss_infoworld_blogs
Category: Edith Head   Andre Rison   Scott Eastwood   New Girl   Kendra Spears  

Saudi Women Get Behind Wheel For 'Drive-In' Protest

YouTube

A woman drives in Saudi Arabia, in a video posted by the Oct. 26 Driving campaign.

Women in Saudi Arabia are braving a ban on their ability to drive, taking to the streets Saturday as part of a push to allow women to attain drivers' licenses. Thousands of people have signed an online petition supporting the protest, which government and religious officials have spoken out against.

NPR's Deborah Amos filed this report from Riyadh for our Newscast unit:

"The drive to end Saudi Arabia's unique ban kicked off early on Saturday, when the first video was posted online of a woman driving in the capital.

"Activists have been officially warned of arrest and possible legal action. Some high-profile organizers got personal calls from the Ministry of Interior advising them to stay off the road. They were also shadowed by undercover cops in what appeared to be an intimidation campaign.

"However, the warnings have been mostly ignored. Support to lift the ban has come from surprising quarters – including male commentators in Saudi's mainstream media."

The drive-in is the third broad protest against the driving ban since the early 1990s. And it's being discussed energetically on Twitter, where the hashtags #Saudi, #Oct26driving, and #Women2Drive are providing running commentary.

As of Saturday morning (in the U.S.), we're not seeing any reports of broad arrests related to the protest. Police had reportedly intended to use the threat of traffic tickets, not arrests, to dissuade most women from driving.

A video posted to the Oct. 26 Driving YouTube account Saturday shows a woman driving while wearing a niqab (a veil that leaves only the eyes uncovered), talking with her passengers. We'll note that even in the excitement of the moment, the driver smoothly flicks on her turn signal to change lanes and make a right turn.

Today's protest also inspired a song: "No Woman No Drive." The liberal rewrite of the Bob Marley hit was posted to YouTube Saturday by musician Alaa Wardi and comedians Hisham Fageeh and Fahad Albutairi.

As we reported last month, a Saudi cleric who had hoped to discourage female drivers said that sitting behind the wheel of a car could harm a woman's ovaries. His comments met with derision — and inspired some of the lyrics to the "No Woman No Drive" parody song.

Organizers tell the AP that at least 60 women took part in Saturday's protest. More than 20 women posted videos of themselves driving in Saudi Arabia today.

The AP spoke to May Al Sawyan, who says she was one of them.

"'I am very happy and proud that there was no reaction against me," Sawyan tells the AP in a phone interview. "There were some cars that drove by. They were surprised, but it was just a glance. It is fine. ... They are not used to seeing women driving here."

Sawyan tells the news agency that she has a driver's license — it's just not a Saudi one. As Deborah Amos has reported, Saudi Arabia is the only country that doesn't allow drivers' licenses to be issued to women.

Asked about today's protest drive, Sawyan says she didn't go far.

"I just took a small loop. I didn't drive for a long way, but it was fine. I went to the grocery store," she tells the AP.

The agency says Sawyan's "husband and family waited at home and called her nervously when she arrived at the grocery store to check on her."

In a recent report on the female drivers' movement in Saudi Arabia, Deborah Amos rode along with Aziza al-Yousef on a trip around Riyadh, with her male driver relegated to the back seat. Al-Yousef is a main organizer of the event.

"We are saying, 'Just go ahead and drive now,'" she says. "I know women started driving. The messages are in the hundreds. We are counting the videotapes."

In the weeks leading up to today's event, a website created by the protest's organizers was blocked in Saudi Arabia. And on Friday, the site was hacked.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/26/240955303/saudi-women-get-behind-wheel-for-drive-in-protest?ft=1&f=1001
Category: Wojciech Braszczok   jennifer lawrence   Don Jon   Jason Heyward   Jamaal Charles