Year after year, Google pulls the best pranks. It'll be tough for Maps or Gmail to top this tomorrow.
Thanks for all your great entries. YouTube finally has enough videos to begin selecting a winner. What do you think is the #bestvideo on YouTube?
We've been thrilled with all of the diverse, creative entries we've seen so far, and we can't wait to begin the process of selecting the best video. We'll be announcing the winner in 10 years.
There seems to be a lot of confusion on the internet over the difference between mandating health insurance and mandating auto insurance for drivers. Simply put, if you do not want to purchase auto insurance, don?t choose to operate a motor vehicle, something many people don?t do and utilize public transportation. Mandating health insurance has no such escape. Simply by being alive you would be required to purchase it through the individual mandate.
Regardless of the seemingly straight forward and easy to understand difference between the two, one can not peruse the comments section of any recent article about the health care law being declared unconstitutional without inevitably seeing the old "OMGADZORS well I guess I shoulNDT have to puchaze auto inSURANCE either!!!"
My question is this: Are the folks who repeatedly try and hammer this argument down our throats simply unable to understand the difference between the two insurances, or are they just so desperate for a talking point that they will forgo giving it some rational thought in a rapid attempt to "win" the argument for their political affiliation?
There are several differences between mandating auto insurance and mandating health insurance:
1) Auto insurance is mandated by the individual states, not the federal government.
2) Auto insurance is not required of everyone; it is only required if you are driving. Driving is a privilege, not a right.
3) But the most important difference is this: The states that require auto insurance require it only to protect the OTHER drivers on the road. There is no state law requiring anyone to insure themselves or their own vehicle. No state requires you to buy auto insurance to cover your OWN medical expenses if you are injured in an auto accident. And the states do not require you to buy insurance to cover repairs to your OWN vehicle, (although your lender might.)
The people who try to hammer the argument down our throats are trying to defend the new health care law. There is no good defense, so they use that argument and also the one that says we all need to buy insurance so the freeloaders who don?t buy insurance don?t run up every one else?s premiums. Actually that argument is no good either, because the new law exempts most of the people who have not been buying insurance. For example: illegal immigrants, low income people and people who qualify for Medicaid are exempt. These are the people who are "not paying their own way" but these are the people who are not mandated to start "paying their own way." There was a good article in the National Review about this.
ROME (Reuters) - Italian President Giorgio Napolitano on Saturday ruled out standing down to make way for new parliamentary elections after the failure of attempts to form a government this week, saying he would stay in place until the very end of his mandate in May.
Earlier, all of Italy's main newspapers said Napolitano, whose term ends on May 15, was considering stepping down to get around constitutional provisions which prevent a president dissolving parliament and calling elections in the final months of his mandate.
But the 87-year-old head of state told reporters he would continue his efforts to break the deadlock since elections last month that left no single group with enough power to govern.
"I will continue until the last day of my mandate to do as my sense of national responsibility suggests, without hiding from the country the difficulties that I am still facing," he told reporters at his Quirinale palace.
He said he would ask two small groups of experts to formulate proposals for institutional and economic reforms that could be supported by all political parties.
Napolitano met leaders of the main parties on Friday to try to find a way out of the stalemate, which has raised fears of prolonged uncertainty in the euro zone's third-largest economy.
However with all of the three main groups in parliament clinging to entrenched positions that have prevented a majority being formed in parliament, hopes of a solution that would avoid a new snap election have faded.
Center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani, whose party controls the lower house but does not have a majority in the Senate, failed to win enough support to form a government from any of the other parties during a week of talks.
He rejected demands by center-right leader Silvio Berlusconi for a cross-party coalition deal that would give the scandal-plagued former prime minister a share in power and the right to decide Napolitano's successor.
Both Berlusconi's group and the populist 5-Star Movement led by ex-comic Beppe Grillo have also ruled out supporting a new technocrat government like the one led by outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti, blocking what appears to be the only other option.
(Writing by James Mackenzie; editing by Barry Moody)
WASHINGTON, D.C. ? March 28, 2013 ? (RealEstateRama) ? At its 30th Anniversary World of Modular convention, the Modular Building Institute presented awards for this year?s best modular buildings and honored industry leaders for individual achievement. A prestigious panel of judges scored building entries on a number of criteria, including architectural excellence, technical innovation, cost effectiveness, energy efficiency, and calendar days to complete.
Judge?s Choice, the highest scoring of all entries, went to ATCO Structures & Logistics for their MEG Energy Christina Lake Lodge in Conklin, Alberta, Canada. The workforce lodge combines quality materials and fine craftsmanship to create the look and feel of a high-end ski lodge. The core facility features wood and metal inlays throughout and includes fireplaces, a theater, recreational center, meeting rooms, first-class fitness facility and offices.
Other notable awards included Mercy Hospital, which received First Place in the Permanent Healthcare category. Built in just 8? months by Walden Structures after a tornado destroyed the original hospital in Joplin, Missouri, the acute care facility not only exceeds International Building Code requirements, but is also 30 percent stronger than the facility it replaced.
Triumph Modular took First Place for Renovated Reuse, which involves recycling an existing building. The winning Solar Studio in Osterville, Massachusetts, incorporates energy efficiency, sustainability and adaptability, and boasts a striking contemporary appearance.
Chabad of Monsey, a private girls? school built in Airmont, New York, by Nadler Modular Structures, received First Place for Permanent Education (Over 10,000 Square Feet). With its site built roof fa?ade, entry porches and stucco siding, the 25,000-square-foot school blends seamlessly into a wooded lot surrounded by private traditional homes.
Conference attendees helped select some of the winners by voting during the event for Best of Show in the following categories:
Permanent Modular ? Champion Commercial Structures for Coal Yard Apartments, Ithaca, N.Y. ? a four-story student residence designed to match architecturally to existing buildings.
Relocatable ? Britco for Aviara Sales Centre, Burnaby, British Columbia ? a pre-construction presentation center designed to showcase a state-of-the-art, master-planned residential high-rise community.
Renovated Reuse ? ATCO Structures & Logistics for Tecno Fast ATCO Rental Office, Santiago, Chile ? a new office facility made out of recycled units from their rental fleet.
Green Building Design ? Silver Creek Industries for First Solar ? AV Solar Ranch One, Antelope Valley, California ? a Net Zero building that houses the operations and maintenance team of a solar site that will produce sufficient electricity to support the annual energy needs of approximately 75,000 homes.
Marketing ? M Space Holdings for their renovated company website.
The complete list of winning projects can be seen on MBI?s website.
The well-respected volunteer judging pool included Robert Cassidy, Editor-in-Chief, Building Design + Construction Magazine; Mohamed Al-Hussein, PhD, PE, Associate Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental, Engineering Hole School of Construction, University of Alberta; Lorenz Schoff, PE, President, Energy Efficient Solutions; David Corson, Editor/Publisher, Commercial Construction Magazine; Kelsey Mullen, Director, US Green Building Council; and Dru Meadows, AIA, President, The Green Team.
MBI also gives an Outstanding Achievement Award annually to an individual in honor of their special contribution and service to the commercial modular construction industry, along with a Volunteer of the Year honor to a devoted volunteer. The association also inducts one or more industry leaders into the Hall of Fame for their long-term dedication to the industry. Marty Mullaney, CEO of Satellite Structures received Outstanding Achievement, and Bill Haliburton, VP of Manufacturing for ATCO Structures & Logistics was named Volunteer of the Year. Inducted into the Hall of Fame were Thomas Arnold, Chairman of T.R. Arnold and Associates, and, posthumously, Floyd Bigelow, Founder of Porta-Kamp.
MBI presents its Awards of Distinction at the closing banquet of World of Modular, its annual convention and trade show, held this year from March 16-19 at the Westin Kierland in Scottsdale, Arizona. A record 550 attendees from 15 countries attended educational sessions, networked, and visited a sold-out exhibit hall of suppliers for the commercial modular construction industry.
About MBI The Modular Building Institute is the international nonprofit trade association that has served the modular construction industry for 30 years. Members are suppliers, manufacturers and contractors involved in all aspects of modular projects ? from complex multistory solutions to temporary accommodations. As the voice of commercial modular construction, MBI expands the use of offsite construction through innovative construction practices, outreach, education to the construction community and customers, and recognition of high-quality modular designs and facilities. For more information on modular construction, visit www.modular.org.
Contact: Tracey Daniels , 434-296-3288
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WASHINGTON (AP) ? Late in the oral argument over same-sex marriage in California, Justice Anthony Kennedy made a startling comment, given the months of buildup and mountain of legal briefs that have descended on the justices.
"You might address why you think we should take and decide this case," Kennedy said to lawyer Charles Cooper, representing opponents of same-sex marriage.
One might have thought the court had already crossed that bridge.
But now the justices were openly discussing essentially walking away from the case over California's Proposition 8, a voter-approved ban on gay marriage, without deciding anything at all about such unions.
Indeed, this case offers a rare glimpse at the court's opaque internal workings, in which justices make cold political calculations about what to do and Kennedy's often-decisive vote can never be far from his colleagues' minds.
The court on Wednesday concluded two days of arguments involving gay marriage. In the second case, a constitutional challenge to a portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, a majority of the court appeared likely to rule that legally married gay couples should be able to receive a range of benefits that the law currently reserves for straight married couples.
The decision to hear the DOMA case was easy. The Supreme Court almost always has the final word when lower courts strike down a federal law, as they did in this case.
Proposition 8's route to the Supreme Court was not as obvious. The appeals court ruling under review by the justices seems to have been written to discourage the high court from ever taking up the case because it applies only to California and limited a much broader opinion that had emerged earlier from the trial court.
And yet in December, the court decided it would hear the case. It takes a majority of five to decide a case a particular way, but just four justices can vote to add a case to the calendar. And the court does not disclose how the justices vote at this stage.
It seems apparent after the argument, though, that it was the conservative justices who opted to hear Proposition 8. It also seems that one factor in their decision was that this could be their last, best opportunity to slow the nation's march toward recognition of gay marriage at a time when only nine states and the District of Columbia allow gays and lesbians to marry ? despite a rapid swing in public opinion in favor of gay marriage.
From their comments and questions Tuesday, Justices Samuel Alito and Antonin Scalia indicated they preferred what they called the cautious approach: allowing the debate over gay marriage to play out in the states and not overturning by judicial fiat the will of California voters who approved Proposition 8 in 2008. Justice Clarence Thomas, as is his custom, said nothing during the argument, but he and Scalia were dissenters in the court's earlier two gay rights cases in 1996 and 2003.
Chief Justice John Roberts also had tough questions for lawyers for the same-sex couples who sued for the right to marry, and for the Obama administration.
Scalia sought to counter Kennedy's comment, and a similar one from Justice Sonia Sotomayor, that maybe the court should get rid of the case.
"It's too late for that, too late for that now, isn't it? I mean, we granted cert," Scalia said, using the legal shorthand for the court's decision to hear a case. "We have crossed that river, I think."
Once or twice a term, occasionally more often, the justices do dismiss cases after they have been argued, without rendering opinions and establishing a rule for the whole nation. The language they use is the wonderfully vague "dismissed as improvidently granted." Roughly translated, it means "sorry for wasting everyone's time."
That is one potential outcome, discussed publicly by Kennedy and Sotomayor.
Another possibility would be a decision limited to the technical legal question of whether the Proposition 8 supporters have the right to defend the measure in court. If they don't, the court can't reach the broader issues in the case.
On this point, Roberts' view seemed more in line with questions from some of the liberal justices.
So why would a justice who appeared favorably inclined to California's ban on gay marriage want to rule that the case should not even be in front of the court?
The answer is that Roberts might want to dispose of the case in this narrow way if he saw a decision in support of gay marriage emerging and wanted to block it. Or, he might choose this route if the justices appeared unable to reach a decisive ruling of any kind.
Narrowly based decisions sometimes seem more attractive to the justices than fractured rulings.
One example is the court's 2009 decision in a voting rights case in which eight of the justices agreed to sidestep the looming and major constitutional issue in the case after an argument in which the court appeared sharply split along ideological lines.
___
Follow Mark Sherman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/shermancourt
Robot ants successfully mimic real colony behaviorPublic release date: 28-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Simon Garnier garnier@njit.edu 973-353-2527 Public Library of Science
Robotic ants successfully mimic a real colony
Scientists have successfully replicated the behaviour of a colony of ants on the move with the use of miniature robots, as reported in the journal PLOS Computational Biology. The researchers, based at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark, USA) and at the Research Centre on Animal Cognition (Toulouse, France), aimed to discover how individual ants, when part of a moving colony, orient themselves in the labyrinthine pathways that stretch from their nest to various food sources.
The study focused mainly on how Argentine ants behave and coordinate themselves in both symmetrical and asymmetrical pathways. In nature, ants do this by leaving chemical pheromone trails. This was reproduced by a swarm of sugar cube size robots, called "Alices", leaving light trails that they can detect with two light sensors mimicking the role of the ants' antennae.
In the beginning of the experiment, where branches of the maze had no light trail, the robots adopted an "exploratory behaviour" modelled on the regular insect movement pattern of moving randomly but in the same general direction. This led the robots to choose the path that deviated least from their trajectory at each bifurcation of the network. If the robots detected a light trail, they would turn to follow that path.
One outcome of the robotic model was the discovery that the robots did not need to be programmed to identify and compute the geometry of the network bifurcations. They managed to navigate the maze using only the pheromone light trail and the programmed directional random walk, which directed them to the more direct route between their starting area and a target area on the periphery of the maze. Individual Argentine ants have poor eyesight and move too quickly to make a calculated decision about their direction. Therefore the fact that the robots managed to orient themselves in the maze in a similar fashion than the one observed in real ants suggests that a complex cognitive process is not necessary for colonies of ants to navigate efficiently in their complex network of foraging trails.
"This research suggests that efficient navigation and foraging can be achieved with minimal cognitive abilities in ants," says lead author Simon Garnier. "It also shows that the geometry of transport networks plays a critical role in the flow of information and material in ant as well as in human societies."
###
Everything published by PLOS Computational Biology is open access, allowing anyone to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, and/or copy articles, so long as the original authors and source are cited. Please mention PLOS Computational Biology in your report and use the link(s) below to take readers straight to the online articles. Thank you.
Financial disclosure: This work was partly supported by the Programme Cognitique from the French Ministry of Scientific Research. Simon Garnier was supported by a research grant from the French Ministry of Education, Research and Technology, and by an ATUPS grant from the University Paul Sabatier. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Citation: Garnier S, Combe M, Jost C, Theraulaz G (2013) Do Ants Need to Estimate the Geometrical Properties of Trail Bifurcations to Find an Efficient Route? A Swarm Robotics Test Bed. PLOS Comput Biol 9(3): e1002903. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002903
Please add this link to the freely available article in online versions of your report (the link will go live when the embargo ends):
http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002903
CONTACT:
Simon Garnier
Assistant Professor
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Department of Biological Sciences
439 Boyden Hall, Rutgers University
195 University Avenue
Newark, New Jersey 07102
United States
Phone: 609-994-4990 (mobile)
Website: http://www.theswarmlab.com
Disclaimer
This press release refers to an upcoming article in PLOS Computational Biology. The release is provided by journal staff, or by the article authors and/or their institutions. Any opinions expressed in this release or article are the personal views of the journal staff and/or article contributors, and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of PLOS. PLOS expressly disclaims any and all warranties and liability in connection with the information found in the releases and articles and your use of such information.
Media Permissions
PLOS Journals publish under a Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/), which permits free reuse of all materials published with the article, so long as the work is cited (e.g., Brinkworth RSA, O'Carroll DC (2009) Robust Models for Optic Flow Coding in Natural Scenes Inspired by Insect Biology. PLOS Comput Biol 5(11): e1000555. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000555). No prior permission is required from the authors or publisher. For queries about the license, please contact the relative journal contact indicated here: http://www.PLOS.org/about/media-inquiries/embargo-policy/
About PLOS Computational Biology
PLOS Computational Biology features works of exceptional significance that further our understanding of living systems at all scales through the application of computational methods. All works published in PLOS Computational Biology are open access. Everything is immediately available subject only to the condition that the original authorship and source are properly attributed. Copyright is retained.
About the PLOS
PLOS is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. For more information, visit http://www.PLOS.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.
Robot ants successfully mimic real colony behaviorPublic release date: 28-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Simon Garnier garnier@njit.edu 973-353-2527 Public Library of Science
Robotic ants successfully mimic a real colony
Scientists have successfully replicated the behaviour of a colony of ants on the move with the use of miniature robots, as reported in the journal PLOS Computational Biology. The researchers, based at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark, USA) and at the Research Centre on Animal Cognition (Toulouse, France), aimed to discover how individual ants, when part of a moving colony, orient themselves in the labyrinthine pathways that stretch from their nest to various food sources.
The study focused mainly on how Argentine ants behave and coordinate themselves in both symmetrical and asymmetrical pathways. In nature, ants do this by leaving chemical pheromone trails. This was reproduced by a swarm of sugar cube size robots, called "Alices", leaving light trails that they can detect with two light sensors mimicking the role of the ants' antennae.
In the beginning of the experiment, where branches of the maze had no light trail, the robots adopted an "exploratory behaviour" modelled on the regular insect movement pattern of moving randomly but in the same general direction. This led the robots to choose the path that deviated least from their trajectory at each bifurcation of the network. If the robots detected a light trail, they would turn to follow that path.
One outcome of the robotic model was the discovery that the robots did not need to be programmed to identify and compute the geometry of the network bifurcations. They managed to navigate the maze using only the pheromone light trail and the programmed directional random walk, which directed them to the more direct route between their starting area and a target area on the periphery of the maze. Individual Argentine ants have poor eyesight and move too quickly to make a calculated decision about their direction. Therefore the fact that the robots managed to orient themselves in the maze in a similar fashion than the one observed in real ants suggests that a complex cognitive process is not necessary for colonies of ants to navigate efficiently in their complex network of foraging trails.
"This research suggests that efficient navigation and foraging can be achieved with minimal cognitive abilities in ants," says lead author Simon Garnier. "It also shows that the geometry of transport networks plays a critical role in the flow of information and material in ant as well as in human societies."
###
Everything published by PLOS Computational Biology is open access, allowing anyone to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, and/or copy articles, so long as the original authors and source are cited. Please mention PLOS Computational Biology in your report and use the link(s) below to take readers straight to the online articles. Thank you.
Financial disclosure: This work was partly supported by the Programme Cognitique from the French Ministry of Scientific Research. Simon Garnier was supported by a research grant from the French Ministry of Education, Research and Technology, and by an ATUPS grant from the University Paul Sabatier. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Citation: Garnier S, Combe M, Jost C, Theraulaz G (2013) Do Ants Need to Estimate the Geometrical Properties of Trail Bifurcations to Find an Efficient Route? A Swarm Robotics Test Bed. PLOS Comput Biol 9(3): e1002903. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002903
Please add this link to the freely available article in online versions of your report (the link will go live when the embargo ends):
http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002903
CONTACT:
Simon Garnier
Assistant Professor
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Department of Biological Sciences
439 Boyden Hall, Rutgers University
195 University Avenue
Newark, New Jersey 07102
United States
Phone: 609-994-4990 (mobile)
Website: http://www.theswarmlab.com
Disclaimer
This press release refers to an upcoming article in PLOS Computational Biology. The release is provided by journal staff, or by the article authors and/or their institutions. Any opinions expressed in this release or article are the personal views of the journal staff and/or article contributors, and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of PLOS. PLOS expressly disclaims any and all warranties and liability in connection with the information found in the releases and articles and your use of such information.
Media Permissions
PLOS Journals publish under a Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/), which permits free reuse of all materials published with the article, so long as the work is cited (e.g., Brinkworth RSA, O'Carroll DC (2009) Robust Models for Optic Flow Coding in Natural Scenes Inspired by Insect Biology. PLOS Comput Biol 5(11): e1000555. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000555). No prior permission is required from the authors or publisher. For queries about the license, please contact the relative journal contact indicated here: http://www.PLOS.org/about/media-inquiries/embargo-policy/
About PLOS Computational Biology
PLOS Computational Biology features works of exceptional significance that further our understanding of living systems at all scales through the application of computational methods. All works published in PLOS Computational Biology are open access. Everything is immediately available subject only to the condition that the original authorship and source are properly attributed. Copyright is retained.
About the PLOS
PLOS is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. For more information, visit http://www.PLOS.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.
Editor?s note: There?s a lot of interesting academic research going on in digital media ? but who has time to sift through all those journals and papers?
Our friends at Journalist?s Resource, that?s who. JR is a project of the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and they spend their time examining the new academic literature in media, social science, and other fields, summarizing the high points and giving you a point of entry. Roughly once a month, JR managing editor John Wihbey will sum up for us what?s new and fresh.
This month?s edition of What?s New In Digital Scholarship rounds up the findings of eight studies that touch on many of the major themes scholars are exploring: how an era of social media and citizen media production are affecting journalistic norms and the business fundamentals and operations of journalism; how issues of participation and access are affecting citizens? experiences and roles in the information ecosystem; and, looking abroad, how digital technologies are being used and curtailed in various conflict and authoritarian situations. In addition, the potential uses and abuses of online data continue to be an area of focus for academics.
More academic research is documenting how ?hybrid? norms are evolving within legacy news media grappling with the participatory logic of digital culture, and how non-traditional organizations and NGOs are playing quasi-press roles as producers of watchdog-oriented media and conveners of public discussion. This paper looks at coverage of the 2011 Durban climate change conference and uses it to examine the new interplay between legacy and advocacy media. Because journalists could not produce nearly the sheer volume of media ? videos, pictures, blog posts, tweets, etc. ? that the NGOs could, traditional media had to draw on NGO materials and even point to their creation as significant news events in their own right. By the same token, NGOs sometimes operated as news organizations, soliciting comment from news makers and turning themselves into platforms for public participation and discussion.
?Unlike USA Today and the New York Times,? the author writes, ?NGO coverage was exhaustive and included the actions and comments of high-profile international and national officials, scientists, civil society, and locally focused grassroots groups. In fact the news flows from activist and social media outlets were so much more robust and dynamic than legacy journalism coverage that even the New York Times referred its readers to Twitter for ?the best way to track the finale and afterthoughts.?? Moreover, when NGO communications staff interview officials and delegates ?using questions from the public, or?enlist youth delegates to report on their country negotiator, these organizations are opening up the discourse, going beyond their own specific climate agenda or the agenda of climate justice movement leaders.?
The study examines the degree to which information available online can successfully predict an individual?s personal ? and private ? attributes. The researchers correlated public records of Facebook ?Likes? from more than 58,000 users with results from personality and intelligence tests and information from public profiles. The researchers were able to accurately predict a male user?s sexual orientation 88 percent of the time. While less than 5 percent of users were explicitly linked to gay policy or advocacy groups, ?predictions rely on less informative but more popular Likes, such as ?Britney Spears? or ?Desperate Housewives? (both moderately indicative of being gay).?
The model was able to predict a user?s ethnic origin (95 percent) and gender (93 percent) with a high degree of accuracy. ?Patterns of online behavior as expressed by Likes,? the researchers write, ?significantly differ between those groups, allowing for nearly perfect classification.? The model also predicted a user?s religion (82 percent), political views (85 percent), relationship status (67 percent) and substance use (between 65 percent and 75 percent for drugs, alcohol and cigarettes) with a high degree of accuracy. The researchers caution against the potential negative outcomes that ready access to this type of personal data might have: ?Commercial companies, governmental institutions, or even one?s Facebook friends could use software to infer attributes such as intelligence, sexual orientation or political views [that] could pose a threat to an individual?s well-being, freedom or even life.?
The study evaluates the broad set of practices that now commonly constitute audience engagement and pulls them together toward a new theory of the role of journalism in a digital society. The researcher examines how news audience members are becoming secondary ?gatekeepers,? helping to communicate their tastes to news outlets and decide what is best or most worthy in terms of content. Of course, this is partly accomplished not only through the now-ubiquitous ?most popular? displays (more broadly called ?usage boxes?), which reflect reader data, but also through comment management systems like Disqus and social media platforms that foster engagement and allow crowds to record their approval or disapproval. The researcher analyzed the practices of websites of 138 newspapers during a two-month stretch in 2011.
Her sweeping conclusion is that ?journalists who long have defined themselves largely as society?s gatekeepers now find the role is broadly shared with members of an increasingly active audience. Users are choosing news not only for their own consumption but also for the consumption of others, including those within their personal circle of acquaintances and those who are part of an undifferentiated online public. This shift toward ?user-generated visibility? suggests a new way of looking at one of the oldest conceptualizations of the journalist?s role in our society.? Finally, there?s a great historical nugget in the study to put all this in context: ?Not since 18th century newspapers left their fourth page blank so that people could add their own observations for the benefit of subsequent readers?have news consumers had this sort of power to make editorial judgments not only for themselves but also for others ? and, importantly, to act on those judgments by serving as secondary distributors of the material they deem worthy.?
This study falls somewhere in the ?Is Google Making Us Stupid?? category, though its findings are nuanced. The public has a woeful understanding of many public policy issues ??that much we know. And though much depends on whether local or national topics are at issue, in general people of higher socioeconomic status have tended to acquire knowledge more rapidly in the mass media age. But how do the ways people access information ? particularly, traditional versus online media channels ? affect what they learn about policy topics? Are people learning more because of online access?
The tentative answer is no. This new study analyzes Pew Research Center data on news consumption to assess how modes of access and socioeconomic status aid political learning about issues. The researcher concludes that ?affluent and educated groups are more active in seeking news from various channels and taking advantage of new technology to get the news.? Overall, however, the study?s ?analysis indicates that online news use has not yet contributed substantially to political learning,? contradicting some previous research about the perceived benefits of nearly ubiquitous online news and information. The study speculates that this may be because ?online news is highly individualized and tailored to personal preferences, which limit its ability to inform about a broad range of issues relevant to the larger society.? However, the data used were a little old (2006) and the respondents to the Pew survey skewed older (average age 50.)
Twitter commands all the attention from U.S. media watchers and social media researchers, but the dynamics on China?s Sina Weibo microblogging platform are in many respects more interesting, as it features a 24/7 massive cat-and-mouse game between censors and dissidents. This study set out to establish the precise speed and comprehensiveness of the Chinese social media censorship regime, which is comprised of both software bots and human minders (in 2012, Sina Weibo also began offering ?user credits? for those who report on fellow users). The researchers monitored more than 3,000 users who often get into trouble to see what the censorship response rate was.
The researchers found that ?especially for original posts that are not reposts, most deletions occur within 5-30 minutes, accounting for 25% of the total deletions of such posts. Nearly 90% of the deletions of such posts happen within the first 24 hours of the post.? Other interesting and weird aspects of China?s censorship apparatus include: If you use the word ?Falun,? as in the religious group ?Falun Gong,? you are likely to be told that there is a delay in posting the material due to ?server data synchronization? problems; this gives human censors the time to evaluate the content and zap it if need be. Further, the censors have a way of fooling users by ?camouflaging? the deletion: ?Weibo also sometimes makes it appear to a user that their post was successfully posted, but other users are not able to see the post. The poster receives no warning message in this case.?
Part of the expanding academic literature on the Arab uprising and the role of digital media, the study casts doubt on the view that the Internet ?caused? these events. But the researchers do ?contend that the complex interactions between communication platforms (social media), communication phenomena (narrative and social bonding), and collective identity (civil religion) are a salient feature of the revolutions.? Most importantly, though, the online narratives that formed around Egypt?s Khaled Saeed and Tunisia?s Mohamed Bouazizi fit squarely into pre-existing Islamic frames of martyrdom.
So the ?reason? for viral online campaigns around these two figures and their stories ? state brutality in the case of Saeed, and politically motivated suicide for Bouazizi ? is that the power of the digital networks met up with a well-primed social-cultural pathway, the authors suggest: ?There must be conditions in place that create a context in which certain narratives can resonate and serve as the foundation for an imagined solidarity and imagined politics of hope and change. We contend that greater understandings of the narrative landscapes before and after the Arab Spring can shed light on possible tipping points and that our analysis has elucidated two cases where the combination of a moment of crisis, vertical integration (of a longstanding cultural narrative, contemporary narrativized events and personal investments, however, small), civil religion, and social media, yielded a mediated politics of hope for the citizens of Tunisia and Egypt.?
Based on survey of more than 1,400 Swedish journalists, the study divides up media members into three groups with respect to social media participation: skeptical shunners, pragmatic conformists, and enthusiastic activists. It?s a division that would be familiar to American newsroom professionals. But what?s most interesting is how little the ?enthusiasts? see their core values changing: ?With regard to traditional professional ideals (objectivity, scrutiny, neutrality, independence, and so on) our study, however, shows no significant differences between [social media] users and non-users. This suggests that social media are indeed changing the journalistic profession in terms of how it relates to the audience/public, but not in terms of how it perceives its fundamental societal role as the fourth estate.?
Likely you?ve already heard much about this ? and the Lab has a valuable interview with the report?s lead author. In any case, key findings include: As news outlets have slashed staff and reduced the quantity and quality of coverage, the report suggests, many consumers have responded negatively: ?Nearly one-third ? 31% ? of people say they have deserted a particular news outlet because it no longer provides the news and information they had grown accustomed to, according to [a] survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults in early 2013.? About half of all people surveyed said news stories are not as thorough as they were previously. Of the consumers who reported abandoning certain news outlets, 61 percent said the decision was based on issues of quality, while 24 percent said there were not enough stories. Newspaper ad revenue is now down 60 percent compared to a decade ago. The number of U.S. news jobs is likely now below 40,000, compared to the historic high of 56,900 in 1989, a 30 percent decrease overall.
Amid the gloom, bright spots include: ?In 2012, total [online] traffic to the top 25 news sites increased 7.2%, according to comScore. And according to Pew Research data, 39% of respondents got news online or from a mobile device ?yesterday,? up from 34% in 2010, when the survey was last conducted.? Further, the emerging mobile market offers another opportunity, as many people appear to be consuming more news because of Internet-enabled devices. This offers opportunities for the news business: ?One piece of [the mobile] market that news can exploit is sponsorship advertising, and in 2012, so-called native advertising (a type of sponsorship ad) made headlines. Though it remains small in dollars, the category?s growth rate is second only to that of video: sponsorship ads rose 38.9%, to $1.56 billion; that followed a jump of 56.1% in 2011. Traditional publications such as The Atlantic and Forbes, as well as digital publications BuzzFeed and Gawker, have relied heavily on native ads to quickly build digital ad revenues, and their use is expected to spread.?
Photo by Anna Creech used under a Creative Commons license.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The menus offered to children by most U.S. restaurant chains have too many calories, too much salt or fat, and often not a hint of vegetables or fruit, according to a study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The group, which has agitated for everything from healthier popcorn at the movies to calorie labeling in supermarkets, found that among almost 3,500 combinations surveyed, kids' meals failed to meet nutritional standards 97 percent of the time.
That was a marginal improvement over 2008 when such meals failed to meet standards 99 percent of the time.
Every children's meal offered at popular chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Dairy Queen, Hardee's, McDonald's, Panda Express, Perkins Family Restaurants and Popeyes fell short of standards adopted by the center from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's nutritional recommendations.
The meals also fell short of standards set by the National Restaurant Association's Kids LiveWell Program, said the CSPI, which titled its study, "Kids' Meals: Obesity on the Menu."
"Most chains seem stuck in a time warp, serving up the same old meals based on chicken nuggets, burgers, macaroni and cheese, fries, and soda," said Margo Wootan, CSPI nutrition policy director. "It's like the restaurant industry didn't get the memo that there's a childhood obesity crisis."
Among the meals singled out was Applebees' grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough bread, fries and two percent chocolate milk, which has 1,210 calories, 62 grams of fat and 2,340 milligrams of sodium.
The combo meal had nearly three times as many calories as the CSPI's criteria for four- to- eight-year-olds suggest.
At Ruby Tuesday, the macaroni and cheese, white cheddar mashed potatoes and fruit punch combo has 870 calories, 46 grams of fat and 1700 milligrams of sodium, said Wootan.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that children eat no more than 2,300 milligrams of salt each day to avoid high blood pressure, which can lead to coronary disease, stroke and other ailments.
Being overweight as a child leaves a person vulnerable to heart disease, diabetes and a shortened life span. About one-third of American children are now considered overweight and 17 percent are considered obese, according to USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The CSPI cited Subway restaurants' Fresh Fit For Kids meal combinations as exceptions to the salty, fatty norm.
Subway serves apple slices with its kid-sized sub sandwiches and offers low-fat milk or bottled water instead of soda. All eight of its children's meals met CSPI's nutrition criteria.
A few other establishments have begun to offer side dishes beyond French fries. In fact, every child's meal at Longhorn Steakhouse now comes with fruit or a vegetable.
"More chains are adding fruit, like apple slices, to their menus, but practically every chain could be adding more vegetable and whole grain options," said Ameena Batada, an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Wellness at the University of North Carolina Asheville.
Labeling can be a potent tool. The report cited two studies that indicated customers who are provided with calorie counts on the menu sometimes gravitate toward healthier choices.
To produce its study, the CSPI looked at 50 top U.S. chain restaurants, finding 34 of them had meals designed for children and were willing to provide nutritional data. It analyzed those meals and meal combinations.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Ros Krasny and Steve Orlofsky)
FILE - In this Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 file photo U.S. student Amanda Knox, right, walks past Raffaele Sollecito, as she arrives after a break to attend a hearing in her appeals trial, at Perugia's courthouse, Italy. Italy's highest criminal court has overturned the acquittal of Amanda Knox and of her former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, in the slaying of her British roommate and ordered a new trial. The Court of Cassation ruled Tuesday, March 26, 2013 that an appeals court in Florence must re-hear the case against the American and her Italian-ex-boyfriend for the murder of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
FILE - In this Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 file photo U.S. student Amanda Knox, right, walks past Raffaele Sollecito, as she arrives after a break to attend a hearing in her appeals trial, at Perugia's courthouse, Italy. Italy's highest criminal court has overturned the acquittal of Amanda Knox and of her former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, in the slaying of her British roommate and ordered a new trial. The Court of Cassation ruled Tuesday, March 26, 2013 that an appeals court in Florence must re-hear the case against the American and her Italian-ex-boyfriend for the murder of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
FILE - This Friday Nov. 2, 2007 file photo shows Amanda Knox, left, and Raffaele Sollecito, looking on outside the rented house where 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher was found dead Friday, in Perugia, Italy. Italy's highest criminal court has overturned the acquittal of Amanda Knox and of her former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, in the slaying of her British roommate and ordered a new trial. The Court of Cassation ruled Tuesday, March 26, 2013 that an appeals court in Florence must re-hear the case against the American and her Italian-ex-boyfriend for the murder of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher (AP Photo/Stefano Medici, file)
ROME (AP) ? When crooked American financier Bernie Madoff was sentenced in New York, the leading Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera published a front-page cartoon mocking Italy's trial system.
On one side was a U.S. courtroom, where a judge was handing down a 150-year sentence after a six-month trial. On the other, an Italian courtroom with a judge handing down a six-month sentence after a 150-year trial.
That's how the country's No. 1 newspaper summed up Italy's slow-moving, and at times inconclusive, justice system.
The decision by Italy's highest criminal appeals court to overturn the acquittals of American student Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend, and order a new trial in the 2007 slaying of her British roommate, is once again raising concerns both at home and abroad about how justice works in Italy.
It's a system where people cleared of serious crimes can have the threat of prison hanging over them for years, while powerful politicians such as former premier Silvio Berlusconi can avoid jail sentences almost indefinitely by filing appeal after appeal until the statute of limitations runs out.
"Lots of confusion and contradictions," said restaurant chef Angelo Boccanero, giving his impression of the Knox case as he sipped his morning espresso.
And it's not just the criminal courts that raise eyebrows.
The back log on civil cases is so severe that it hampers desperately sought foreign investment to Italy. Divorces can take years to process, meaning that couples who've had enough remain legally tied. And forget about getting quick compensation in a fraudulent property deal ? it can take ages (if ever) before you'll see any money.
Successive governments have pledged to streamline proceedings but have so far failed to do so. That's largely because powerful people in politics, business and the judiciary have repeatedly fended off reform to protect their interests and the people close to them.
One criticism of the system is Italy's high number of lawyers. Milan, for example, has more attorneys than all of France. In civil cases, it takes an average of seven years to reach a verdict.
Defenders say that Italy's legal system is one of the world's most "garantista" ? or protective of civil liberties. Defendants are guaranteed three levels of trial before a conviction is considered definitive and both sides are granted the right to appeal ? although prosecutors often don't appeal minor acquittals. It's a system that sprang up in the postwar era to prevent the travesties of summary justice seen under fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, but in reality it means that justice can be delayed until it's denied as cases move at a snail's pace through the bloated legal machine.
Italy is also one of the leading voices in the world in campaigns to abolish capital punishment. In 1996, Italy refused to extradite one of its citizens wanted for murder in Florida, saying it did not receive sufficient guarantees he would not risk execution if convicted. He was tried in Italy, convicted and sentenced to 23 years in prison.
For Knox, the system allowed new evidence in the appeals trial that led to her 2011 acquittal. But it also is exposing her to a third trial ? which in all likelihood will be followed by another round at the supreme court. Knox is not expected to attend her retrial. If she is convicted ? and the conviction is upheld by highest criminal court ? Italy could seek her extradition. The United States law allows extradition of its citizens.
Another key aspect of the Knox case: The Italian system does not include U.S. Fifth Amendment protection against a defendant being put in double jeopardy by government prosecution.
"Our judicial system, like all judicial systems, is fallible," said Stelio Mangiameli, a constitutional law expert at Rome's LUISS University, but added: "It's not worse or better than the United States."
He said that, in addition to guarantees for the defense, Italy takes pains to protect the rights of the victim.
"You need to consider when there is a crime, there is also a victim," said Mangiameli. "In the Amanda Knox case, there is a dead girl and someone needs to respond for this death, no matter if American or French or any other nationality."
But the process, which in some cases runs over decades, can leave people like Knox in judicial limbo.
In September, an Italian civil court ordered the government to pay 100 million euros in civil damages to relatives of 81 people killed in a 1980 air disaster whose cause has been attributed alternately to a bomb on board and to being caught in an aerial dogfight. The court held that the transport and defense ministries had concealed the truth, even though a criminal court acquitted two generals for lack of evidence five years earlier.
It would seem natural that after three decades, the September decision meant the case was closed. Instead, appeals are pending.
For two decades, Berlusconi has been moving from trial to trial on charges that include corruption, tax fraud and sex-for-hire. He has described himself as an innocent victim of prosecutors he routinely slams as communists.
The ex-premier has so far never had a conviction upheld by the highest court and never served any time in jail. His lawyers employ vigorous defense techniques that have included laws ? one struck down as unconstitutional ? blocking top government officials from prosecution. As premier, Berlusconi himself has enacted legislation that is widely seen as tailor-made to shield him from legal difficulties.
Sometimes, however, justice is served.
Parmalat founder Calisto Tanzi is serving an eight-year sentence on market rigging related to the stunning 2003 collapse of his dairy empire despite his advanced age. Tanzi, now 74, has been jailed since 2011 for his role in the scandal that defrauded thousands of small-time investors, despite arguments by his lawyer that his health is failing and that he should be granted house arrest under a law allowing it for convicts over age 70.
Tanzi faces even more jail time ? nearly another 18 years ? on a conviction of fraudulent bankruptcy and criminal association in the 4 billion euro bankruptcy. There is one more appeal on that sentence.
Whether the 25-year-old Knox, who spent four years in prison during the investigation, trial and first appeal, ever returns to Italy to serve more prison time depends on a string of unknowns.
Should she be convicted by an appeals court in Florence court, she could appeal that verdict to the Cassation Court, since Italy's judicial system allows for two levels of appeals ? by prosecutors and the defense. Should that appeal fail, Italy could seek her extradition from the United States.
In defending Italy, some experts say the system cuts both ways.
"If she had been wrongly convicted," said criminal lawyer Manrico Colazza, "she would have been happy there was a court to reverse it."
___
AP correspondent Colleen Barry contributed from Milan.
Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...
Protein-rich breakfasts prevent unhealthy snacking in the eveningPublic release date: 26-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Christian Basi BasiC@missouri.edu 573-882-4430 University of Missouri-Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day, but up to 60 percent of American young people consistently skip it. Now, Heather Leidy, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, says eating a breakfast rich in protein significantly improves appetite control and reduces unhealthy snacking on high-fat or high-sugar foods in the evening, which could help improve the diets of more than 25 million overweight or obese young adults in the U.S.
Leidy is the first to examine the impact of breakfast consumption on daily appetite and evening snacking in young people who habitually skip breakfast. In her study, 20 overweight or obese adolescent females ages 18-20 either skipped breakfast, consumed a high-protein breakfast consisting of eggs and lean beef, or ate a normal-protein breakfast of ready-to-eat cereal. Every breakfast consisted of 350 calories and was matched for dietary fat, fiber, sugar and energy density. The high-protein breakfast contained 35 grams of protein. Participants completed questionnaires and provided blood samples throughout the day. Prior to dinner, a brain scan using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed to track brain signals that control food motivation and reward-driven eating behavior.
The consumption of the high-protein breakfast led to increased fullness or "satiety" along with reductions in brain activity that is responsible for controlling food cravings. The high-protein breakfast also reduced evening snacking on high-fat and high-sugar foods compared to when breakfast was skipped or when a normal protein, ready-to-eat cereal breakfast was consumed, Leidy said.
"Eating a protein-rich breakfast impacts the drive to eat later in the day, when people are more likely to consume high-fat or high-sugar snacks," Leidy said. "These data suggest that eating a protein-rich breakfast is one potential strategy to prevent overeating and improve diet quality by replacing unhealthy snacks with high quality breakfast foods."
People who normally skip breakfast might be skeptical about consuming food in the morning, but Leidy says it only takes about three days for the body to adjust to eating early in the day. Study participants ate egg and beef-based foods such as burritos or egg-based waffles with applesauce and a beef sausage patty as part of a high-protein breakfast; Leidy also suggests eating plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or ground pork loin as alternatives to reach the 35 grams of protein.
Future research will examine whether regularly consuming high-protein breakfasts improves body weight management in young people.
###
The article, "Beneficial effects of a higher-protein breakfast on the appetitive, hormonal, and neural signals controlling energy intake regulation in overweight/obese, 'breakfast skipping,' late-adolescent girls," was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology is a joint effort by MU's College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; College of Human Environmental Sciences; and School of Medicine. Funding for the research was provided by the Beef Check-off and the Egg Nutrition Center/American Egg Board.
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Protein-rich breakfasts prevent unhealthy snacking in the eveningPublic release date: 26-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Christian Basi BasiC@missouri.edu 573-882-4430 University of Missouri-Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day, but up to 60 percent of American young people consistently skip it. Now, Heather Leidy, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, says eating a breakfast rich in protein significantly improves appetite control and reduces unhealthy snacking on high-fat or high-sugar foods in the evening, which could help improve the diets of more than 25 million overweight or obese young adults in the U.S.
Leidy is the first to examine the impact of breakfast consumption on daily appetite and evening snacking in young people who habitually skip breakfast. In her study, 20 overweight or obese adolescent females ages 18-20 either skipped breakfast, consumed a high-protein breakfast consisting of eggs and lean beef, or ate a normal-protein breakfast of ready-to-eat cereal. Every breakfast consisted of 350 calories and was matched for dietary fat, fiber, sugar and energy density. The high-protein breakfast contained 35 grams of protein. Participants completed questionnaires and provided blood samples throughout the day. Prior to dinner, a brain scan using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed to track brain signals that control food motivation and reward-driven eating behavior.
The consumption of the high-protein breakfast led to increased fullness or "satiety" along with reductions in brain activity that is responsible for controlling food cravings. The high-protein breakfast also reduced evening snacking on high-fat and high-sugar foods compared to when breakfast was skipped or when a normal protein, ready-to-eat cereal breakfast was consumed, Leidy said.
"Eating a protein-rich breakfast impacts the drive to eat later in the day, when people are more likely to consume high-fat or high-sugar snacks," Leidy said. "These data suggest that eating a protein-rich breakfast is one potential strategy to prevent overeating and improve diet quality by replacing unhealthy snacks with high quality breakfast foods."
People who normally skip breakfast might be skeptical about consuming food in the morning, but Leidy says it only takes about three days for the body to adjust to eating early in the day. Study participants ate egg and beef-based foods such as burritos or egg-based waffles with applesauce and a beef sausage patty as part of a high-protein breakfast; Leidy also suggests eating plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or ground pork loin as alternatives to reach the 35 grams of protein.
Future research will examine whether regularly consuming high-protein breakfasts improves body weight management in young people.
###
The article, "Beneficial effects of a higher-protein breakfast on the appetitive, hormonal, and neural signals controlling energy intake regulation in overweight/obese, 'breakfast skipping,' late-adolescent girls," was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology is a joint effort by MU's College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; College of Human Environmental Sciences; and School of Medicine. Funding for the research was provided by the Beef Check-off and the Egg Nutrition Center/American Egg Board.
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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.
This Feb. 20, 2013 photo shows Kacey Musgraves at the Barista Parlor in Nashville, Tenn. Musgraves' latest CD, "Same Trailer Different Park," was released on March 19, 2013. (Photo by Donn JonesInvision/AP)
Music review: Kacey Musgraves? album makes her a Nashville star
By david burger
| The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published Mar 25 2013 01:55 pm ? Last Updated Mar 25 2013 01:56 pm
Grade ? B+
CD ? 2013 has already proved to be rich for first-rate country albums, with superb releases from The Mavericks and Ashley Monroe. The trend continues with Kacey Musgraves, whose major-label debut "Same Trailer Different Park" is not only intriguing vocally but engaging lyrically, with every song co-written by the 24-year-old East Texas native.
Showing the verve that she displayed when writing Miranda Lambert?s single "Mama?s Broken Heart," Musgraves looks to be on the right path ? as long as she keeps the slickness away and continues writing about deferred dreams and the not-so-quiet desperation of women yearning to breathe free.
Don?t miss her when she opens for Kenny Chesney this July.
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Public release date: 28-Mar-2013
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