Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) The Liberia National Olympics Committee (LNOC) has continued its fight against the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) with the donation of 288 bottles of bleach to the Sports Writers Association of Liberia (SWAL).The local governing body of Olympics, through its Vice President for Technical Affairs, Malcolm Joseph made the donation over the weekend at the headquarters of the Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP), located on Benson Street. The donation was made possible through the support from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), he said.The gift was in extension of the LNOC’s gesture in an effort to wipe out the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) from Ebola hit countries, under the theme: “Do Not Stigmatize Ebola Survivors. They Are Our People, Embrace Them.”The president of SWAL, Roland Mulbah, thanked the LNOC for the donation and said it would be used for its intended purpose.It may be recalled that the LNOC donated similar items to the Liberia Football Association and the Alpha Oldtimers and Fraternity Association.The LNOC also donated anti-Ebola materials to seven counties of which 80% went to schools, and 20% for sporting associations and/or athletes.The counties included Grand Cape Mount, Bomi, Grand Bassa, Margibi, Bong, Nimba, Grand Gedeh and Nimba. Each county received 200 large anti-Ebola buckets with pumps, 40 cartons of Bleach Chlora, five pieces of thermometers and dozens of detergents (soaps) and antiseptic soaps amongst others. read more

Studying for the college entrance exam — often a tedious and stressful time — just got a bit more trendy, officials at Kaplan, the test-prep company, said. Kaplan introduced three interactive SAT prep programs in June, enabling millions of high school students to download the programs, or “games” as they are called, from the Apple iTunes store onto their iPod for $4.99 per game.With a small press of the clickwheel, students can build their own personal SAT test, choosing from 1,000 questions, varying difficulty levels and timing the test, in reading, mathematics, and writing — while lounging on the sofa or at the beach with friends.In addition to tests, the programs include tips for critical reading or algebra, college-admission tips, and also breaks down each test performance in a colorful pie chart. The proliferation of non-traditional and quirky SAT material, including Manga graphic novels or Japanese-style comics with SAT vocabulary, has been recent, experts said, though the staple preparatory courses and programs still make up the majority of the $300million to $400 million industry. Having the flexibility of developing her own test without having to lug heavy books is an advantage, Ferri said, who frequently travels long distance for her softball competitions. She just finished a four-week prep course with Kaplan. Having already taken four practice tests through the course, completing two hours of daily homework and review and completing games on the iPod, Ferri said she is more relaxed about the upcoming exam. Her SAT preparation is earlier than most students, but with her desire to play at the collegiate level, she will have to take the SATs this fall. The future biology major wants to become a doctor. Ferri said studying with the iPod is easier than books because she can get answer explanations faster on the machine, instead of having to flip from section to section in the book. Her mother has given the unusual study option her support. Christine Ferri said because her daughter is commuting so much, this option works best for her. “She does well with the combination of the structured classroom and this option, Christine Ferri said. “Between the book and this, it helps to reinforce everything she has learned.” Kristin Campbell, Kaplan’s director of SAT and ACT programs, said with summer being the time most students spend preparing for the exam, the portability of the iPod makes it an attractive option for test-takers.“It accommodates busy schedules,” she said. “It is set up to be individual lessons and it is flexible if you have 20 minutes or one hour to study.” Campbell cautions that the interactive test is a supplement to any existing tutoring or college-prep course. Using the iPod to prepare is a more entertaining option though, she said. Education officials saidit is natural that students would rely on gadgets or devices to study.“They want their best shot at getting into a college of their choice,” said Anthony Avina, professor of education at Cal Poly Pomona.Mark Skvarna, superintendent of Baldwin Park Unified District, believes that the more students are using the technology for education purposes, it will inspire more students to consider tests like the SATs more seriously. Talin Meshefedjian, a senior at South Pasadena High School, said the iPod program has helped to improve her critical reading score.Meshefedjian, who wants to attend UCLA, said the questions on the iPod are harder than what she encountered in the SAT prep course she attended this summer. She said having the small and nearly weightless option is better than studying out of the book.“If you are going on vacation, it is definitely good to have,” she said. caroline.an@sgvn.com(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2108160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! Video: 8/6: iPod becomes SAT study buddyFor Jessica Ferri, her iPod has been more than a music-playing device she relies on during long plane or car trips.Ferri, 16, and a junior at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, said the sleek, black iPod — a present from her parents for hitting a home run in a softball game — is one reason why her scores on practice SAT exams have improved. “It is fun,” Ferri said. “It is a lot easier to take exams from the iPod than studying out of a book.” read more

1 West Brom have confirmed they have ‘held talks’ with wantaway striker Saido Berahino and ruled out the England Under-21 player leaving the Hawthorns this transfer window.The 22-year-old has been the subject of two failed bids from Tottenham and handed in a transfer request earlier this week to try and catalyse a move to White Hart Lane.The Baggies remain adamant that Berahino will not be leaving though, and club chairman Jeremy Peace confirmed he met with the striker earlier on Thursday to discuss his future.Peace released a statement following the meeting, saying:“I have informed Saido that he will not be transferred during this summer window and that he is staying at the club.“As I have made clear from the moment Tottenham lodged their first bid for Saido on August 18, selling our top goalscorer was never on our agenda this summer. “Our plans have always been based on Saido being part of our squad for the 2015-16 season.“But there are two other good reasons why he will not be sold.“Firstly, had we ever entertained the notion of selling him we have not received an offer anywhere near attractive enough from Tottenham Hotspur. “Not only have the offers been too low as a valuation of the player, but they have been based on stage-payments and add-ons over a long period which do nothing to reflect Saido’s ability and potential.”The Baggies chairman was also heavily critical of Tottenham’s approaches for Berahino, citing the late timing of their bids as disruptive to squad harmony.The statement continued: “I have the greatest respect for Daniel Levy but he must surely appreciate we would have needed to replace Saido had he left and no consideration of that position has been reflected by Tottenham’s strategy.“It has contributed to our completing our last two games without a key player.“I have spoken to Saido and of course I have sympathy for him. He has been unsettled and distracted by all this and I understand that. “But I have strongly advised him to put this behind him and get back to what he does best which is to work hard for the team and score goals for Albion.” Saido Berahino read more

UNION, Mo. – A grandmother of a newborn girl stolen from a rural home pleaded Saturday for the baby’s safe return, as authorities searched for an abductor who stabbed and seriously injured the infant’s mother before fleeing with the child. “The family’s in agony,” Raylene Ochsenbine said at a news conference. “Just give her back.” The attacker walked into the home, told Abby Woods’ mother, “I’m here to take your child,” then slashed the young mother’s throat and fled with the 1-week-old baby. The infant’s pediatrician, Andy Zupan, said the abduction comes at a time when the baby is still adjusting to life. She is already overdue for a doctor’s visit, Zupan said, and had been breast-feeding. “We just want her to just take her to a church or a hospital,” Ochsenbine said. “Just give her back.” Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke said authorities had some good leads in their search for the attacker and the baby, but “nothing has headed us in a certain direction.” The child’s mother said she did not know her attacker, police said. Stephanie Ochsenbine, 21, was in stable condition Saturday after surgery. “She’s torn apart,” Raylene Ochsenbine said. The FBI, Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri National Guard were helping with the investigation, Toelke said. The sheriff asked the public to report any woman who had talked about wanting a child or acted pregnant recently. AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREThe Christmas Truce of 1914 proved that peace is possible Franklin County Maj. Mike Copeland noted that a sign celebrating Abby’s birth was displayed in the front yard and was plainly visible from a highway. The attacker gained entry to the family’s home in Lonedell, about 45 miles south of St. Louis, on Friday afternoon by asking to use Stephanie Ochsenbine’s telephone. James Woods, Ochsenbine’s boyfriend and Abby’s father, was at work at the time, police said. They fought after the woman told Ochsenbine “I’m here to take your child,” and Ochsenbine was stabbed several times and her throat was slashed. Ochsenbine’s 1-year-old son, Connor, also was in the house but was unharmed. Ochsenbine passed out and police aren’t sure how long she was unconscious.160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! read more

“But what they have shown is they are very good side with experienced players.“Steve and his staff have done a great job, I’m sure they will be up there throughout the season.”The Hoops have found Steve Clarke’s well-drilled outfit a tough nut to crack, with Rodgers yet to record a victory over his Ayrshire counterpart.Rodgers said his team will have to be at their very best this Saturday to end that run.He said: “They set up in a way that it makes it very difficult for you, you have to be really patient in the game against them.“We have to be at our very best to get a result.“The biggest credit you can give them is that it’s not by accident, it has been a real consistent run over the last year.“They are in a position some wouldn’t expect them to be but if you watch them closely, Steve and the players have done a great job.“They are very difficult to beat so we know we will have to be at our best to get the result we want.”Scott Sinclair shared his disgust earlier in the week after a clip surfaced on social media of the Hoops winger being racially abused during the League Cup final.Rodgers said such incidents cannot be tolerated if the Scottish game is to represented in the best light.He continued: “There’s absolutely no place for it, it’s a message which needs reinforced not just in social life but in our football life.“It can’t be tolerated, everyone looks at that and as a representation of Scotland, it is not the case.“We go to our games and play in great atmospheres, they are intense, this type of thing, we don’t ever want to see it.“I’m not so sure, he has obviously had some incidents like it but I wouldn’t just focus on the Scottish game.“You see elements of this in society but, once again, I reinforce that it’s not something we want to hear or want to see. Scott deals admirably with it.” Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers reckons Kilmarnock will use Leicester’s miracle triumph as proof they can mount an unlikely title tilt.The champions host the new Premiership table-toppers on Saturday as they look to return to the summit.Killie haven’t won the league since 1964/65 – a campaign which also marks the last time they topped the table with more than ten games played in a season.Celtic, on the other hand, have enjoyed a stranglehold on the title in recent years and are lining up an eighth straight triumph. Rodgers reckons Clarke’s team will take inspiration from Leicester’s 2016 success that anything in possible.Asked if Kilmarnock can dream of a title tilt, he added: “They will feel: “why not?“What Leicester have done for every team that aren’t a so-called big club is make the impossible possible.“It’s still early, let’s see where we are with ten games to go. read more

Donegal claimed a hugely impressive 3-16 to 0-12 win away to Cork in Division One of the National League yesterday.Donegal are now second in the table with one game left to play.Sligo’s league campaign came to an end with a defeat to Clare in Division Two, while Leitrim beat Meath in their final game in Division Three.Here’s Leitrim boss Philip Brady speaking with Ocean FM’s PJ Leddy…Audio Playerhttps://www.oceanfm.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Philip-Brady-Leitrim-Ladies-After-Meath-Win.mp300:0000:0000:00Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume. read more

For the Hub City TimesMARSHFIELD – Forward Bank will be sponsoring a $5,000 half-court shot Dec. 18 at 7:15 p.m. at the Columbus Dons girls basketball game at Columbus High School.Each fan in attendance that evening to cheer on the Columbus Dons as they face Greenwood will be entered into a random drawing for the shot. The lucky shooter will have two attempts to make the shot from the half court line. If successful, the shooter will receive $2,500 and $2,500 will be donated to the Columbus athletic program on their behalf.“We are excited to continue our partnership with our local school athletic program and support our student athletes with this unique donation opportunity,” commented Megan Rosandich, Marshfield office manager. “I encourage everyone to pack the stands in support of the Dons and for a chance to make a $5,000 half-court shot. We hope to have our first winner in Columbus this year!” read more

Hello Intel vPro Community!I’m going to talk to you today a little bit about how to use Windows Powershell to set Intel vPro power profiles. I’ll provide a quick bit of background first on what power profiles are, and why you’d want to be able to set them with Powershell.Intel vPro power profiles are nothing more than a setting in the Management Engine that tells the AMT chip when to be powered up, and when not to be powered up. In some cases, you may want vPro to be inactive during sleep states, or after the computer has lost power (eg. UPS failure).In my case however, I want vPro to be always active. This is problematic, because Microsoft Configuration Manager’s implementation of a provisioning server doesn’t give you the option of setting the active power profile. Instead, during provisioning, ConfigMgr sets the active profile to whatever index “5” is. You’ll actually see this in the amtopmgr.log file on your OOB (Out-Of-Band) service point during the provisioning process.Because ConfigMgr decides the default power profile during provisioning, I’ve decided that I wanted to change it. Because Windows Powershell is an awesome automation tool, and because Intel’s AMT Developer Toolkit (DTK) offers a .NET library that I can use in Powershell, I figured that I would figure out how to do it!——————–You might remember my last post on how to use Powershell to connect to an AMT device. The process basically involves loading the aforementioned .NET DLL from the DTK, and then establishing a connection to the device. I didn’t really get the opportunity to show you how to do a whole lot with it after making the connection though, so that’s the purpose of this post! Let’s go ahead and take a look at a few lines of Powershell code, so you can understand the retrieval, and setting of power profiles.————————————————-# In my last Powershell script, I used the $amtdevice variable# to reference the AmtSystem .NET object. We’ll assume at this point# that you have already connected to the AMT device based# on my last article.$amtdevice# By using the .NET Reflector tool, we can see that the AmtSystem# object has a property called SecurityAdmin, which returns an AmtSecurityAdmin# object.$AmtSecAdmin = $AmtDevice.SecurityAdmin# The AmtSecurityAdmin object has a method called GetPowerPackages().# After examining this data type in .NET Reflector, we can filter for only the two# properties we want to see, the profile ID, and its Name. We’ll use the Powershell# Select-Object cmdlet to filter this data.$AmtSecAdmin.GetPowerPackages() | Select-Object -Property ID,Name# You should get some output looking something like this:# 12834f94-10fb-dc4f-968e-1e232b0c9065 Desktop: ON in S0# ab0086a1-7f9a-424c-a6e6-bb243a295d9e Desktop: ON in S0, S3# acab8672-b496-e248-9b9e-9b7df91c7fd4 Desktop: ON in S0, S3, S4-5# 4dcd327b-be6b-8943-a62a-4d7bd8dbd026 Desktop: ON in S0, ME Wake in S3# 46732273-dc23-2f43-a98a-13d37982d855 Desktop: ON in S0, ME Wake in S3, S4-5# baa419c5-6f6e-4d8d-b227-517f7e4595db Desktop: ON in S0, S3, S4-5, OFF After Power Loss# ede30bd6-c504-462c-b772-d18018ee2fc4 Desktop: ON in S0, ME Wake in S3, S4-5, Off After Power Loss# Once we have a listing of the power profiles available on the AMT device# we can get the one that we want, and then set it. Since I always want my# AMT device active, no matter the system’s power state, I’m going to choose# “Desktop: ON in S0, S3, S4-5″ which is index 2 (in a zero-based collection).$TargetPowerProfile = ($AmtSecAdmin.GetPowerPackages())[2]# Now that I have a variable referencing the target power profile, I will set the# profile on the AMT device. The AmtSecurityAdmin object has a method called# SetActivePowerPackage() that takes one parameter: the power profile we have# a reference to.$AmtResult = $AmtSecAdmin.SetActivePowerPackage($TargetPowerProfile)”Setting power profile to $($TargetPowerProfile.Name) resulted in $AmtResult!”##### End Setting Power Profile ###### Let’s also take a quick look at how to get some basic information about# the AMT device’s provisioning data. We can figure out if IDE-R, SoL, and the# WebUI are enabled. We’ll use the AmtGeneralInfo object for this.# Get a reference to the AmtGeneralInfo object$AmtInfo = $amtdevice.Info# Write out the current configuration settings”SOL Enabled: $AmtInfo.SerialOverLanEnabled””IDE-R Enabled: $AmtInfo.IdeRedirectEnabled””WebUI Enabled: $AmtInfo.WebUiEnabled”————————————————-I hope this helps get you on your way to doing some cool Powershell / vPro automation! Let me know whether or not this helps you in your endeavors Trevor SullivanSystems EngineerOfficeMax Corporation read more

How Komodo dragons survive deadly bites from other Komodos By Kelly MayesJul. 29, 2019 , 11:00 AM Zoo Atlanta Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) have always been oddballs in the reptile world. Their unusual cardiovascular system and their uniquely powerful sense of smell help them hunt—and find mates—more easily than other lizard species. Now, scientists know why, thanks to the first-ever sequencing of the Komodo dragon’s genome.To understand why Komodo dragons are so unique, scientists spent 8 years gathering data and sequencing the genomes of four lizards from four zoos (including Slasher, above, from Zoo Atlanta). They then mapped the evolutionary history of Komodos by comparing their genomes with three birds, four mammals, and 15 reptiles in the Varanidae family, including the Chinese crocodile lizard and the Carolina anole.Nearly 201 genes stood out, including those that coded for some of the Komodo dragon’s most unusual traits, like their ability to use pheromones to target and ambush prey. Several genes seem to enhance their metabolism, allowing them to process carbohydrates faster for more energy during extended periods of hunting and fighting. The researchers also found genes coding for proteins used in haemostasis, a blood-clotting process that allows the lizards to survive bites from other Komodo dragons, whose saliva contains blood-thinning chemicals, researchers report today in Nature Ecology & Evolution.Sign up for our daily newsletterGet more great content like this delivered right to you!Country *AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBolivia, Plurinational State ofBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, The Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCote D’IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and Mcdonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People’s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorwayOmanPakistanPalestinianPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRWANDASaint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweI also wish to receive emails from AAAS/Science and Science advertisers, including information on products, services and special offers which may include but are not limited to news, careers information & upcoming events.Required fields are included by an asterisk(*)Scientists hope their new map of the Komodo dragon genome will not only help them better understand lizards like Slasher, but will also provide a template for researching—and conserving—other lizards in the same family. read more

Women are twice as likely as men to be fair haired, studies reveal.If light locked ladies are successful in finding love, they pass on this physical characteristic genetically.The fact that there are so many more blonde ladies than lads is proof that men prefer this hair colour, researchers argue.A study, published in the journal of Nature Genetics, identified 111 new genes that affect hair pigmentation.It analysed data from 300,000 adults who gave samples to various British DNA banks.It analysed which colours were the most prevalent – and found that this drastically differed between men and women.Blokes were much more likely to have dark features, whereas blonde genes were more active in women.Professor Tim Spector, a researcher at King’s College London, believes that this is affected by sexual preferences.While women favour tall, dark and handsome chaps, men prefer lighter tresses.He said: “We found that women have significantly fairer hair, which reflects how important cultural practices and sexual preferences are in shaping our genes and biology.“Men are three times more likely to have black hair than women.“It could be for evolutionary reasons, as blonde women are more likely to be successful with men and dark-haired men are more likely to be more successful with women.”Your hair colour isn’t the only attribute that can determine your levels of attractiveness.Men who play this sport are believed to be the most desirable.Another study showed that blokes with scars are seen as better long term partners.For women, a good sense of humour is said to be the best thing to win a lover over.Source read more