Microsoft says small number of its computers hacked

US-MICROSOFT-HACK:Microsoft says small number of its computers hacked

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Friday a small number of its computers, including some in its Mac software business unit, were infected with malware, but there was no evidence of customer data being affected and it is continuing its investigation.

The world's largest software company said the security intrusion was "similar" to recent ones reported by Apple Inc and Facebook Inc.

The incident, reported on one of the company's public blogs happened "recently", but Microsoft said it chose not to make any statement publicly while it gathered information about the attack.

"This type of cyberattack is no surprise to Microsoft and other companies that must grapple with determined and persistent adversaries," said Matt Thomlinson, general manager of Trustworthy Computing Security at Microsoft, in the company's blog post.

Over the past week or so, both Apple and Facebook said computers used by employees were attacked after visiting a software developer website infected with malicious software.

The attacks come at a time of broader concern about computer security.

Newspaper websites, including those of The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, have been infiltrated recently. Earlier this month U.S. President Barack Obama issued an executive order seeking better protection of the country's critical infrastructure from cyber attacks.

(Reporting By Bill Rigby; Editing by Gary Hill and Andrew Hay)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Cen-ConsumerElectronicsNet-technologyNews/~3/He46nTaL0zE/viewarticle.jsp

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Canada ambassador says he feels slighted by "Argo"

TORONTO -- Canada's former ambassador to Iran, who protected Americans at great personal risk during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979, said Friday if "Argo" wins the Oscar for best picture there would be something wrong with director Ben Affleck if he didn't mention Canada.

Ken Taylor said he continues to feel slighted by a movie that he says makes Canada look like a meek observer to CIA heroics in the rescue of six U.S. citizens caught in the crisis. Taylor said if Affleck doesn't say something in his acceptance speech "then it's a further reflection" on him.

"I would hope he would," Taylor said. "But given the events of the last while I'm not necessarily anticipating anything."

Taylor kept the Americans hidden at the embassy in Tehran and facilitated the escape. He became a hero in Canada and the United States after.

Affleck's CIA thriller "Argo" is widely expected to win the best-picture trophy on Sunday. Two other high-profile best-picture nominees this year, Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" and Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," have also been criticized for their portrayal of some factual issues.

"In general it makes it seem like the Canadians were just along for the ride. The Canadians were brave. Period," Taylor said.

Taylor noted that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter appeared on CNN on Thursday night and said "90 percent of the contributions to the ideas and the consummation of the plan was Canadian," but the film "gives almost full credit to the American CIA."

"There would be no movie without the Canadians. We took the six in without being asked so it starts there," Taylor said. "And the fact that we got them out with some help from the CIA then that's where the story loses itself. I think Jimmy Carter has it about right, it was 90 percent Canada, 10 percent the CIA."

Affleck said he thought his issue with Taylor had been resolved.

"I admire Ken very much for his role in rescuing the six houseguests. I consider him a hero.?In light of my many conversations as well as a change to an end card that Ken requested I am surprised that Ken continues to take issue with the film," Affleck said in a statement. "I spoke to him recently when he asked me to narrate a documentary he is prominently featured in and yet he didn't mention any lingering concerns.?I agreed to do it and I look forward to seeing Ken at the recording."

Friends of Taylor were outraged last September when "Argo" debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. The original postscript of the movie said that Taylor received 112 citations and awards for his work in freeing the hostages and suggested Taylor didn't deserve them because the movie ends with the CIA deciding to let Canada have the credit for helping the Americans escape.

Taylor called the postscript lines "disgraceful and insulting" and said it would have caused outrage in Canada if the lines were not changed. Affleck flew Taylor to Los Angeles after the Toronto debut and allowed Taylor to insert a postscript written by Taylor that gave Canada some credit.

Taylor called it a good movie and said he's not rooting against it, but said it is far from accurate.

"He's a good director. It's got momentum. There's nothing much right from Day 1 I could do about the movie. I changed a line at the end because the caption at the end was disgraceful. It's like Tiananmen Square, you are sitting in front of a big tank," Taylor said.

Taylor said Carter's remarks support what he has been saying for months.

"Canadians know the truth and a lot of U.S. citizens do. Those involved know it," he said. "If it conveys something about diplomacy I'll be happy if he wins. He's a good guy. He's very affable, a lot of talent."

Taylor's wife, Pat, said everyone has tried to be "diplomatic" about it. Pat, who was with Ken in Iran, would have preferred if the movie said at the start that it was "based on true events" instead of saying it was a true story.

"Even President Carter said that Tony Mendez, which is the CIA character that Ben Affleck played, was just in Iran for a day and a half," she said. "I think Ben has directed a very good action movie. Unfortunately people's perception of what actually happened is colored."

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/22/3248774/canada-ambassador-says-he-feels.html

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The lifetime journeys of manure-based microbes

Feb. 22, 2013 ? Studies at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are shedding some light on the microbes that dwell in cattle manure -- what they are, where they thrive, where they struggle, and where they can end up.

This research, which is being conducted by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists at the agency's Agroecosystems Management Research Unit in Lincoln, Neb., supports the USDA priority of ensuring food safety. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency.

In one project, ARS microbiologist Lisa Durso used fecal samples from six beef cattle to identify a core set of bovine gastrointestinal bacterial groups common to both beef and dairy cattle. She also observed a number of bacteria in the beef cattle that had not been reported in dairy cows, and identified a diverse assortment of bacteria from the six individual animals, even though all six consumed the same diet and were the same breed, gender and age.

In another study, Durso collaborated with ARS agricultural engineer John Gilley and others to study how livestock diet affected the transport of pathogens in field runoff from manure-amended soils. The scientists added two types of manure to experimental conventional-till and no-till fields at 1-, 2-, or 4-year application rates. The manure had been collected from livestock that had consumed either corn or feed with wet distillers grains.

After a series of simulated rain events, the team collected and analyzed samples of field runoff and determined that neither diet nor tillage management significantly affected the transport of fecal indicator bacteria. But they did note that diet affected the transport of bacteriophages -- viruses that invade bacteria -- in field runoff.

Gilley also conducted an investigation into how standing wheat residues affected water quality in runoff from fields amended with 1-, 2-, or 4-year application rates of manure. The scientists found that runoff loads of dissolved phosphorus, total phosphorus, nitrates, nitrogen, and total nitrogen were much higher from plots with residue cover. The team also observed that runoff from fields amended with 4-year application rates of manure had significantly higher levels of total phosphorus and dissolved phosphorus than fields amended with 1-year or 2-year manure rates.

Results from these studies have been published in Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and Transactions of the ASABE.

Read more about this research in the February 2013 issue of Agricultural Research magazine: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/feb13/cows0213.htm

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by USDA/Agricultural Research Service. The original article was written by Ann Perry.

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/qfSF_hrZ_QU/130222143227.htm

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Dow bounces from 2-day slide to a 3-digit gain

Strong earnings from big U.S. companies pushed the Dow Jones industrial average to a rare triple-digit gain Friday, but the S&P 500 index still posted its first weekly loss of the year.

Hewlett-Packard had the biggest gain in the Dow and the Standard & Poor's 500 index. It posted fiscal first-quarter earnings late Thursday that beat all forecasts, a relief after months of bad news for the computer maker. H-P rose $2.10, or 12.3 percent, to $19.20.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. was the S&P 500's second-best performer, jumping a day after reporting earnings that beat analysts' expectations. It rose $5.95, or 11.1 percent, to $59.81.

American International Group Inc. rose after its fourth-quarter operating results exceeded analysts' forecasts. The company's net loss was $4 billion, mainly because of claims related to Superstorm Sandy, in the first full quarter after it finished repaying its $182 billion government bailout. AIG rose $1.17, or 3.1 percent, to $38.45.

The Dow closed up 119.95 points, or 0.9 percent, at 14,000.57 ? its third-biggest gain this year. The S&P 500 rose 13.18 points, also 0.9 percent, to 1,515.60. The Nasdaq composite index rose 30.33, or 1 percent, to 3,161.82.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed slightly lower for the week, while the Dow edged higher.

Bill Stone, chief investment strategist with PNC Wealth Management, said he expects stocks to hold up despite this week's volatility.

"You're going to get bumps and bruises along the way, but we do believe things are actually getting better, so I think there's underlying demand" for stocks, Stone said.

Spooked investors sent stocks plunging Wednesday after minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting revealed disagreement over how long to keep buying bonds in an effort to boost the economy. The slide continued Thursday. The Dow lost 155 points over those two days.

Many analysts say the Fed's bond-buying and resulting low interest rates have driven this year's stock rally, which lifted indexes to their highest levels since before the 2008 financial crisis. The Dow is now just 164 points below its record close of 14,164 reached in October 2007.

U.S. stocks followed European stocks higher after a survey of German business optimism rose sharply, adding to evidence that the country will avoid a recession. Germany's economic vitality is crucial for the beleaguered region, offsetting economic contraction in surrounding countries.

"Germany is really the bedrock," Stone said. "If it gives way, then you have real problems."

France's CAC-40 closed up 2.2 percent, Germany's DAX 1 percent.

Among other stocks moving on corporate news:

? Abercrombie & Fitch sank after a key sales metric declined in the all-important holiday quarter. The stock fell $2.19, or 4.5 percent, to $46.86.

? WebMD Health Corp. soared after the health website operator reported better-than-expected revenue and an optimistic outlook for 2013. The stock rose $4.14, or 25.4 percent, to $20.44.

? Texas Instruments Inc. rose strongly after saying it will increase its dividend by one-third and buy back up to $5 billion more of its own stock. TI gained $1.70, or 5.2 percent, to $34.18.

___

Daniel Wagner can be reached at www.twitter.com/wagnerreports .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dow-bounces-2-day-slide-3-digit-gain-212832296--finance.html

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Fall of Ancient Empire Linked to Crisis in Syria

Archaeologists are drawing comparisons between the fall of the Akkadian empire more than 4,000 years ago and the crises in contemporary Syria

By Moheb Costandi and Nature magazine

Image: MACMILLAN SOUTH AFRICA

The current crisis in Syria parallels events that preceded the fall of the Akkadian empire in Mesopotamia more than 4,000 years ago, according to research published recently in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

The Akkadian empire flourished in the third millennium BC. Sometime around 2,200 BC drought hit, the lands dried and people migrated from urban centers. The government then collapsed, and the mighty empire began to falter in a series of calamities collectively referred to as the third-millennium Mesopotamian urban crisis.

Until now, our understanding of the Mesopotamian urban crisis had been based on archaeological studies of ceramic artifacts and changes in the size of archaeological sites along with what we know about farming practices popular at the time.

But archaeologist Ellery Frahm of the University of Sheffield in the UK and his colleagues used geochemical techniques and rock magnetic analyses to examine trade and the social networks associated with it instead.

The researchers used electron microscopy and chemical analyses to examine 97 obsidian tools excavated earlier from a site called Tell Mozan, dating from the early Akkadian empire to several centuries after its demise. Located in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains in northeastern Syria, the site was known as Urkesh in antiquity, and was densely populated at the height of the Akkadian empire.

The tools dating to before 2,200 BC were made of obsidian rock originally quarried from six sites in Eastern Anatolian. This variety suggests that Urkesh was a cosmopolitan city with complex, long distance exchange networks that linked it with civilizations in the Aegean and middle Euphrates.

The tools dated to after 2,200BC, however, came from only two local sources, suggesting that the late third millennium collapse disrupted these trade links.

"Urkesh might have specialized its economy in response to demand for certain commodities, such as metals from the nearby mountains," says Frahm. "With climate shifts and the end of the empire, the inhabitants might have had to refocus their economy on local production and consumption, covering their own needs rather than engaging in specialized long-distance trade."

Some parallels can be drawn to the situation in Syria today. "Some archaeologists contend that the Akkadian Empire was brought down by militarism and that violence ended its central economic role in the region, and a governmental collapse is a real possibility in Syria after nearly two years of fighting," Frahm adds.

Furthermore, contemporary farming in northeastern Syria relies heavily on rainfall, just as farmers did in the Akkadian empire, and climate change is already taking its toll with several severe droughts.

"Those of us who study people and the past are in a unique position to consider what could happen after the immediate crisis ends," says Frahm. "What happens to cities when a state falls? How do the residents sustain themselves if that infrastructure collapses? This is the type of contribution that archaeology can make towards improving the future."

This article is reproduced with permission from Nature Middle East. The article was first published on February 18, 2013.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=b58f4f3935a2e294369ac01e5120854c

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Video: Biden on violence debate: "It is about guns" (cbsnews)

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Ohio governor uses faith in Medicaid expansion bid

Ohio Gov. John Kasich delivers his State of the State address at Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center in Lima, Ohio, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)

Ohio Gov. John Kasich delivers his State of the State address at Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center in Lima, Ohio, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)

Ohio Gov. John Kasich delivers his State of the State address at Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center in Lima, Ohio, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)

Ohio Gov. John Kasich delivers his State of the State address at Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center in Lima, Ohio, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)

Ohio Gov. John Kasich delivers his State of the State address at Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center in Lima, Ohio, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? Ohio Gov. John Kasich isn't just highlighting dollars to persuade state lawmakers to support extending Medicaid coverage to thousands of more low-income state residents. He's also appealing to their faith.

Kasich, one of a small but growing number of Republican governors on board with Medicaid expansion, is openly using his Christianity to tell his fellow GOP legislators that the weak and vulnerable should not be left behind.

He is one of seven Republican governors so far to propose expanding the taxpayer-funded health insurance program ? though he appears to be standing apart in using his faith to inspire believers.

The Bible runs his life "not just on Sunday, but just about every day," he said in his annual State of the State address Tuesday.

"And I've got to tell you, I can't look at the disabled, I can't look at the poor, I can't look at the mentally ill, I can't look at the addicted and think we ought to ignore them," he told the audience of about 1,700 lawmakers, state officials and other guests.

How much weight his pitch carries depends on whether conservative lawmakers can get past their worries about the federal law and how much it could cost.

The federal money that comes with the expansion isn't lost on Kasich. He has also framed his decision as recapturing Ohio taxpayers' federal money.

The federal government will pay the entire cost of the Medicaid expansion for the first three years, gradually phasing down to 90 percent, still well above the Ohio's current level of 64 percent.

Ohio would see $13 billion from the federal government over the next seven years to cover those newly eligible for Medicaid, according to the Kasich administration. Roughly 366,000 Ohio residents would be up for coverage under the expansion beginning in 2014.

The Medicaid expansion is one of the key components of the federal Affordable Care Act. Of the nearly 30 million people expected to gain insurance coverage under the law, about half would get it from the Medicaid expansion.

Many Republicans are averse to Democratic President Barack Obama's signature health care law and resistant to expanding government programs.

Kasich ? who says he sees Medicaid expansion as separate from the overall law, which he opposes ? will have to convince Republicans who control the Legislature to back him, despite the fact that many dislike the federal law's mandated coverage and campaigned against it months ago.

The governor exhorted them in Tuesday's speech to set politics aside as they weigh their choices.

"Put it in your family," Kasich said. "Put somebody that is in your family who becomes the wayward child. And they come home one day, they can't get a job. Put it on your doorstep, and you'll understand how hard it is."

Kasich was raised Catholic and worships regularly in an Anglican church. For more than 20 years, he has met every other Monday with a small group of men to study the Bible. And he has written a book about how the experience has helped him in his search for answers.

Even lawmakers who look to their religious beliefs for guidance say there are other factors to consider.

State Rep. Robert Sprague, a Republican from Findlay, Ohio, said he does think about taking care of those less fortunate. "In the Bible, Jesus makes mention of this," he said.

But there are other aspects to think about, too, Sprague said, namely whether the federal government will keep its promise to fund Medicaid and the sustainability of the nation's health care system.

"All of those things have to come together," he said. "The question is, is this the best way that we can do this?"

State Rep. Jim Buchy, a Republican from Greenville, Ohio, was raised in a Christian home and says he tries to live life in that manner.

"My faith has a bearing on every decision I make about every subject we deal with around here," he said in an interview. Buchy hasn't made up his mind on whether the state should expand Medicaid. For him, the decision comes down to three words, he said: "Follow the money."

"What we have to weigh is at what level can we provide services and still be able to pay for it without upsetting the plan to grow the economy and create more jobs," Buchy said.

House Speaker William Batchelder and Senate President Keith Faber haven't endorsed the Medicaid proposal. They say their GOP caucuses will need time to evaluate it.

Batchelder, who said he belongs to the same church as Kasich, acknowledged after Tuesday's speech that the governor's pitch was compelling.

Asked whether it would strike a chord with lawmakers, Batchelder said, "Oh, sure. No question."

No other Republican governors backing the expansion appear to have gone as far as Kasich in using religious arguments, though Florida Gov. Rick Scott also has gone beyond the numbers in explaining his plans.

Scott, who like Kasich is a vocal critic of the federal law, said Wednesday that he gained new perspective after his mother's death last year.

He said she taught him that "America's greatness is largely because of how we value the weakest among us."

___

Associated Press writers John Seewer in Toledo and Kelli Kennedy in Miami contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-22-Health%20Overhaul-Governor's%20Faith/id-bfe75eb5034d41f4914600a924450a20

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