Judge limits 'Storage Wars' rigging lawsuit

Jeremy Cowart / A&E

By Eriq Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter

In December, "Storage Wars" star David Hester brought a big, splashy lawsuit against A&E and producer Original Productions that alleged he was wrongfully terminated and that the high-rated series is rigged.

A&E has scored first.

At a hearing on Tuesday, L.A. Superior Court judge Michael Johnson tossed Hester's claim of unfair business practices. The judge also demanded that Hester's claim of wrongful termination be more specific.

STORY: "Storage Wars" rigging lawsuit: David Hester says A&E can't olead First Amendment

Hester is a professional buyer of abandoned storage lockers. "Storage Wars" shows him and other buyers competing for these lockers. Hester is challenging the producer's allegedly unethical behavior in "salting" storage units. The reality-TV star says that this runs in violation of the Communication Act of 1934, which prohibits "influencing, prearranging, or predetermining outcomes" in "contests of knowledge, skill, or chance."

One of Hester's claims was that A&E committed unfair business practices. As a result of alleged "interference and manipulation of the outcomes of the auctions shown" on "Storage Wars," he says that producers have made it appear that he is less skillful than his competition.

In response, A&E brought an anti-SLAPP motion to this claim.

Because Judge Johnson agrees that the claim arises from constitutionally-protected activity -- "Storage Wars" is expressive free speech -- the burden shifted to Hester to demonstrate a probability of prevailing before the claim went any further.

STORY: A&E responds to allegation that "Storage Wars" is rigged

The judge says that Hester can't make the case, noting that unfair competition only regulates business practices within the arena of commercial speech and that Hester's claim "arises entirely out of non-commercial conduct concerning the production and broadcast of an expressive work."

Hester's lawyer attempted to point out that some of the activity that is being objected to wasn't aired. For example, producers issued press releases. The judge finds the argument "not persuasive," saying there is a distinction between speech promoting commercial activities and speech within an expressive work, and that Hester's real concern is the latter. Thus, Judge Johnson strikes the claim.

The judge also dismisses Hester's claim of wrongful termination of employment in violation of public policy, but allows Hester to revive the claim with more specificity as to the provision within the Communication Act of 1934 that he believes his firing violated.

Hester's other claims for breach of contract and breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing weren't addressed. A&E has said that Hester has been trying "to convert a garden-variety breach of contract claim into a tabloid-worthy drama, in which Hester portrays himself as a crusading whistleblower."

Hester is being represented by Marty Singer. A&E is being represented by Kelli Sager.

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Quantum magnets moving along: Scientists observes coherent propagation of a single spin impurity in a chain of ultracold atoms

Mar. 13, 2013 ? Many discoveries in physics came as a big surprise -- for example the phenomenon, that some materials loose almost all their electrical resistance at low temperatures, or that others become superconductors at unexpectedly high temperatures. In the past it was mainly due to theoreticians to develop models explaining these unusual properties. Unfortunately it is not possible to have a direct look into a solid state crystal and follow up the motion of charge carriers as this process happens at extremely short time and length scales. A team working with Professor Immanuel Bloch (Chair for Experimental Physics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit?t Munich and Director at MPQ) has now observed the coherent propagation of single spin excitations in an ultracold quantum gas of strongly correlated atoms.

This is one of the most fundamental processes in the magnetism of quantum systems. In close collaboration with theoretical physicists from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit?t Munich and the University of Geneva the scientists were able to demonstrate that the propagation of the spin wave in less strongly correlated systems is being slowed down by the emergence of quasi-particles, so-called polarons.

Properties of condensed matter such as magnetism, electrical conductivity, or superconductivity are the result of the behaviour of electrons in the periodic crystal of the solid. In this respect, the intrinsic angular momentum, i.e. the spin of the electrons, is playing a key role. For example, the high-temperature conductivity exhibited by a class of cuprates is thought to go back to the spin coupling of strongly correlated electrons. Ultracold atoms in an optical lattice are ideally suited to investigate such quantum magnetic phenomena under controlled experimental conditions.

The experiment starts with cooling rubidium atoms down to temperatures near absolute zero. The ensemble is then kept in a light field which divides it into several parallel one-dimensional tubes along which the atoms are allowed to move. Now the tubes are superimposed with yet another light field, a standing laser light wave. By the periodic sequence of dark and bright areas an optical lattice builds up in which each site is occupied with exactly one atom fixed to its position. This highly ordered state is called a Mott insulator (named after the British physicist Sir Neville Mott). After all, an array of several chains of atoms each containing around 15 atoms is formed.

The atoms in the optical lattice take the role of the electrons in a solid state crystal. They are in a similar way characterized by an intrinsic angular momentum (a spin). However, in this case the scientists have control over the spins which can -- as if they were little magnetic needles -- align in two opposite directions. In the beginning, all spins are pointing into the same direction. Then, one single atom in the centre of each chain is picked out by a laser beam, and its spin is flipped by irradiating microwave pulses. Afterwards the motion of this deterministically generated spin impurity through the chain is followed up.

An imaging technique developed in the group makes it possible to visualize each atom on its particular lattice site with very high resolution. Using this method the position of the spin impurity can be precisely determined for various evolution times. This measurement is performed on all atomic chains at the same time. The emerging distributions exhibit a structure that is characteristic of an interference pattern, as it is expected from the interference of coherent waves. "Our model describes the process of spin propagation by a mechanism called 'correlated super exchange'," Dr. Christian Gro? explains, scientist at the experiment. "The same instance the spin impurity moves one site to the right the neighbouring atom takes its place. As this exchange takes place in the opposite direction at the same time and with the same probability the observed interference pattern results. If the system was a classic one only a broadening of the distribution would have been observed over time. Thereby we have proved that the spin wave propagates coherently."

In the insulating Mott phase the barriers between the lattice sites are very high, and the atoms are tightly bound to their position, except for the case of the correlated super exchange mentioned above. When the height of the barrier, i.e. the intensity of the laser beams, is lowered below a certain threshold, the atoms are allowed by the rules of quantum mechanics to "tunnel" through the barrier and reach a neighbouring site. In this 'superfluid phase' the mobility of the atoms is enhanced, however, the motion of the impurity gets slowed down, as was demonstrated in the measurement. "The tunnelling happening everywhere in the lattice increases the complexity of the interaction of the spin impurity with the background atoms,"

Dr. Takeshi Fukuhara points out, who works on the experiment as a postdoctoral researcher. "In the end, the interaction is repulsive, creating a hole in the distribution of the background atoms." On its way through the chain the spin impurity has to drag this hole all along, that way getting kind of heavy. "This is quite similar to passing a crowd on a subway station: it will take a long time since one has to create the necessary space on each step," Fukuhara says. "The motion of the impurity observed in our experiment is in good agreement with the forming of quasi particles in the lattice, so-called polarons, as they are known from solid state physics."

The results obtained in this series of measurements are of high interest: on the one hand, the experiments demonstrate the outstanding control of ultracold quantum systems that can be achieved at present. This is a precondition for the simulation of collective solid state excitations, which give, for example, rise to quantum magnetic phenomena. On the other hand the measurements give a direct insight into the propagation of charge carriers and impurities in solid state crystals, which in the end determine the macroscopic properties of materials.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Takeshi Fukuhara, Adrian Kantian, Manuel Endres, Marc Cheneau, Peter Schau?, Sebastian Hild, David Bellem, Ulrich Schollw?ck, Thierry Giamarchi, Christian Gross, Immanuel Bloch, Stefan Kuhr. Quantum dynamics of a mobile spin impurity. Nature Physics, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nphys2561

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

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/~3/qS7_Xoib-0s/130313095421.htm

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'Sophisticated' ID thieves swipe celeb credit info

A website has posted what appear to be the social security numbers, addresses and even credit reports of celebrities, politicians and others who are in the public eye. NBC's Pete Williams reports.

By Pete Williams and Jeff Black

?Sophisticated? online thieves have stolen information from first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, the FBI director and the Los Angeles police chief as well as several celebrities, including Beyonce, Ashton Kutcher, and Jay Z.

A website ? which has an ?.su? domain name, representing the old Soviet Union ? posted what appears to be their credit reports and other information.

---

Some of the information, it turns out, is out of date .?The website shows FBI director Robert Mueller living in San Francisco, for example. But other data appear to be accurate.

All of this kind of information can be bought online from commercially available websites, experts say, once someone's Social Security number and date of birth are known.?

Staff / Reuters

Michelle Obama, Beyonce, Joe Biden, and Ashton Kutcher are pictured in this photo combination. All were apparent victims of recent identity theft.

Among other victims are former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck. Other celebrities targeted include Mel Gibson, Kim Kardashian, and Paris Hilton.

The FBI and the Secret Service say they are investigating the website. So is the LAPD, because so many of the celebrities live in Los Angeles, as does the police chief.

The existence of the website was first revealed on Monday, and as of Tuesday morning was still in online. NBC News is not disclosing the website?s address.

There is no indication that any of the information was obtained by computer hacking. Instead, those on the site now join the millions of other Americans who are victims of identity theft.?There's no indication so far that anyone has tried to use the information posted on the site to pose as any of those targeted.

Credit report agency Equifax said that reports of some of the individuals were accessed through AnnualCreditReports.com, a website it owns with Experian and TransUnion.

"Equifax can confirm that fraudulent and unauthorized access to four consumer credit reports has occurred through the AnnualCreditReport.com channel, a free public service that allows all consumers to get annual access to their credit report," the company said in a statement.?

"Our initial investigation shows the perpetrators had the (personal information) of the individuals whose files were accessed and were therefore able to pass the required authentication measures in place. We have launched a full investigation into this matter and we are also working closely with law enforcement authorities on this matter."

Related:?Celebrity hackers stole data from AnnualCreditReport.com, Equifax says

TransUnion said its systems ?were not hacked or compromised in any way? but blamed the compromise on ?sophisticated perpetrators.?

None of the people targeted by the website have yet come forward to comment on the accuracy of the information exposed. Representatives of those targeted either declined to comment on the accuracy of the information that was posted, or they did not return messages seeking comment, according to the Associated Press.

Stealing the personal information of celebrities isn?t new. More than a decade ago a California man masquerading as Tiger Woods used the golfing great?s name and Social Security number to buy big-screen televisions, stereos and other goods. Anthony Lemar Taylor was sentenced to 200 years in prison.

?

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/12/17287204-sophisticated-id-thieves-swipe-info-on-michelle-obama-beyonce-ashton-kutcher-and-others?lite

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Omarosa breaks down on 'Celebrity Apprentice'

NBC

By Ree Hines, TODAY contributor

Sunday marked an unusually emotional night in the boardroom, as the all-stars found out who won the latest challenge on "Celebrity Apprentice," and who lost a chance to go on in the competition.

Following a photo-booth battle, the two teams -- one led by villain Omarosa and the other by rocker Dee Snider -- faced off before the big boss. They delivered their arguments, and Donald Trump delivered his decision.

"Dee, congratulations," he said with a grin before adding, "You lost!"

With that brutal fake-out out of the way, Omarosa celebrated her victory with tears -- lots of tears. After all, with the win, she nabbed $40,000 for The Sue Duncan Children's Center in honor of her former fianc?, late actor Michael Clarke Duncan.

"You're going to ruin your image," Trump said of the always-tough and rarely-likable player as her tears continued to flow.

As for her teammates, they thought her reaction was right in line with her image.

"That's like an Oscar winner over there," Dennis Rodman said of his weeping leader.

La Toya Jackson put it plainly.

"I truly believe she's using this ? to manipulate herself through the game," she said. "Omarosa believes that she's getting away with this little game that she's pulling and thinks that nobody's on to her."

As for Dee's team, they weren't too concerned about the emotional outburst. They just wanted to know who was going home.

After one more fake-out ("Penn, you're fired! I'm only kidding"), Trump sent Dee packing.

What did you think of Sunday night's action? Do you believe Omarosa's tears were real or just part of her plan? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Real Estate Site Trulia Files For $100M Follow-On Offering For More Acquisitions, Possibly Mergers

Get ready for some more M&A and fundraising activity in the real estate sector. This morning, the real estate search engine Trulia announced that it is looking to raise $100.3 million in a follow-on offering, with "some or all of such net proceeds to acquire or invest in complementary businesses, products, services, technologies, or other assets." Trulia went public last year, and currently has 23.6 million monthly active users.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/wcSsEvdNi9w/

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Four-time champ Buser leads Iditarod

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Four-time champion Martin Buser was leading the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, but his potentially record-breaking pace was slowed by high winds, blowing snow and a soft trail, race officials said.

The Swiss-born Buser reached Kaltag, an Athabascan Indian village that is the last checkpoint on the Yukon River, at 2:24 p.m. Alaska time.

The 1,000-mile endurance race, which has grown from a little-known contest into a sporting extravaganza, began in Anchorage a week ago and the winner is expected to cross the finish line in the Bering Sea town of Nome on Tuesday.

Behind Buser were 2012 runner-up Aliy Zirkle, 2004 champion Mitch Seavey and 13 other mushers who were on their way to Kaltag. The village of 186 people 346 miles from the finish line in Nome, is the last checkpoint before the Bering Sea coast.

Official standings had Zirkle in second place, about three hours behind Buser at the previous checkpoint, with Seavey a close third.

But Sebastian Schnuelle, an Iditarod veteran writing a blog for the race organizers, reported the race has become closer than the standings indicate. He reported that both Zirkle and Seavey were catching up to Buser, and that all three were expected to leave Kaltag at the same time Saturday evening.

This year's Iditarod has been characterized by higher-than-normal temperatures, overflow from melting streams and creeks and, in some places, a hard-packed and fast trail.

Sixty-six mushers started the race this year. Four have since dropped out. Among them is Newton Marshall of Jamaica, who is searching for a dog that went missing from his team.

The Iditarod race commemorates a 1925 rescue mission that carried diphtheria serum to Nome by sled-dog relay. The race's name derives from a local Athabascan term meaning "a far, distant place," according to race officials.

The winner will take home $50,400 and a new truck, part of a total $600,000 race purse. Winners usually reach Nome after about nine days of mushing.

(Editing by Tim Gaynor and Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/four-time-iditarod-champ-buser-leads-alaskan-dog-014131379--spt.html

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CDC: Frogs with salmonella could still be in homes

CHICAGO (AP) ? They live underwater, eat bloodworms, and are promoted on pet websites. But African dwarf frogs can carry salmonella.

An outbreak tied to the frogs sickened nearly 400 people, mostly children, from 2008 to 2011.

Since these miniature amphibians can live up to 18 years, some linked to the outbreak may remain in U.S. home aquariums. That's according to government researchers in a Monday report from the journal Pediatrics.

Five outbreak-linked cases also occurred last year. No one died.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises washing hands after touching the frogs' aquarium water and says young children should not clean aquariums.

The California breeder linked to the outbreak briefly suspended distribution and cooperated with authorities.

___

Pediatrics: http://www.pediatrics.org

___

AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner

Associated Press

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Thousands of Sharks Descend on Florida Beaches during Annual Migration [VIDEO]

Mar 07, 2013 08:46 PM EST

(Photo : Reuters) Shark attacks in the U.S. reached a decade high in 2012 when compared to the worldwide attacks that remained average, reports University of Florida?s International Shark Attack.

Creating an amazing nature spectacle at several beaches in South Florida, thousands of blacktip sharks descended causing swimmers to take cover as the creatures swam on their annual migration.

Officials in Broward and Palm Beach counties on Florida's south-east coast have temporarily closed several beaches to swimmers and surfers as a precautionary measure, although marine biologists say that there is little risk to humans.

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University say they have counted more than 15,000 sharks, most less than 200 yards from shore. The sharks are heading north to North Carolina after migrating south for the winter. The migration happens every year, but usually begins and ends before peak beach season, unlike this year.

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"We don't have a sandbar." lifeguard Craig Pollock, a Palm Beach lifeguard supervisor told ABC News. "A lot of times when we have a sandbar the sharks stay off of the shore a little further."

Many beaches are flying a double red flag Thursday, warning beachgoers to stay out of the water.

Experts warn that if you're swimming at any South Florida beach that doesn't have the double red flag or hasn't been closed, be sure to swim along beaches where lifeguards are present. Also, leave your jewelry on the shore. Scientists say sharks are attracted to silver, along with the colors yellow and gold.

According to the International Shark Attack File?at the Florida Museum of Natural History, there were 80 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide in 2012, 26 of which were in Florida.

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Source: http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/764/20130307/thousands-sharks-descend-florida-beaches-during-annual-migration-video.htm

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An Amazing Menagerie of Animal Prostheses [Video]

Image: YouTube/uzook

FUJI, THE DOLPHIN
Winter's not the first dolphin to receive a prosthesis?that distinction goes to Fuji, who had the end of her tail amputated after contracting a mysterious necrotic disease. Fuji, who lives in an aquarium in Japan, lost a much smaller portion of her tail?just her back fin?than Winter did, but she also struggled to adapt to her new body. So volunteers at tire-manufacturer Bridgestone came to the rescue, reportedly spending $83,000 to build Fuji a prosthetic fin made of rubber and carbon fiber.

MOTALA & MOSHA, THE ELEPHANTS
Motala and Mosha are Asian elephants who lost their legs after stepping on land mines along the Thailand?Burma border. The pachyderms ended up at the Friends of the Asian Elephant Hospital in Lampang, Thailand, where Soraida Salwala spent years trying to build the animals brand new limbs. It?s not easy to build prosthetics for animals that weigh 2,700 kilograms?veterinarians and prosthetists had to invent a new technique just to take casts of the animals? stumps?but today, both elephants are lumbering around on their new legs, made from a combination of plastic and metal. (The prosthetists fashioned the ankle joint out of parts from a car engine.) The elephants? story is chronicled in the 2012 documentary, The Eyes of Thailand.

BEAUTY, THE BALD EAGLE
In 2005 a poacher shot Beauty in the face. The bullet destroyed most of the top half of her beak, leaving her unable to eat or groom herself. Beauty was rescued by Birds of Prey Northwest, and Nate Calvin, a mechanical engineer and the founder of the Kinetic Engineering Group, set out to make her a new upperbeak. Calvin made a mold of what remained of Beauty?s beak and then designed a prosthetic using a 3-D modeling software. He printed the beak, which was made of a nylon polymer, using a 3-D printer. With the prosthetic attached to her face, Beauty can now eat on her own.

TZVIKA, THE TURTLE
A run-in with a lawnmower left Tzvika with a broken shell and a damaged spine?and her back legs very weak. Veterinarians in Israel restored the female turtle?s mobility by attaching a set of wheels to the underside of her shell. The wheels also elevate Tzvika?s body, preventing her from dragging her legs and shell along the ground and sustaining further injury. A handful of other legless turtles have also been outfitted with wheels.

NAKI?O, THE DOG
When Naki?o was just his puppy, he got his paws stuck in a frozen puddle. All four frostbitten appendages were amputated. As the cattle dog grew up, it became increasingly difficult for him to move around on his stumps. Fortunately, OrthoPets, a Denver company that designs orthotic and prosthetic devices for companion animals, came to the rescue: It outfitted Naki?o with four artificial paws, reportedly making him the first dog to have four prosthetic limbs.

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WR Hartline reaches deal to remain with Dolphins

MIAMI (AP) ? Coming off his best season, Brian Hartline wanted to stay put.

The veteran receiver agreed to a five-year deal for nearly $31 million to remain with the Miami Dolphins, his agent said Friday. The contact includes $12.5 million guaranteed, agent Drew Rosenhaus said.

Hartline would have become an unrestricted free agent Tuesday but decided instead to remain with the team that drafted him in 2009.

"I believe he could have signed for more in the open market with another team, but he wanted to remain with the Dolphins for less money," Rosenhaus wrote in a text message to The Associated Press.

Working with rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill, Hartline led Miami last year with 74 receptions for 1,083 yards, both career highs, despite missing most of the preseason because of injuries.

However, he caught only one touchdown pass and has career totals of six scores in 183 receptions.

While Hartline is a solid No. 2 target, landing a top receiver for Tannehill remains the Dolphins' foremost offseason priority, and they're expected to court free agent Mike Wallace and possibly Greg Jennings. Miami's wideouts combined for only three touchdown catches in 2012.

Hartline's contact leaves the Dolphins with an estimated $33 million in salary cap space, giving them enough room to sign at least one major free agent.

The deal was the second significant move by the Dolphins this week. On Monday they designated defensive tackle Randy Starks as their franchise player.

General manager Jeff Ireland hopes to re-sign at least a couple of other players before they become free agents. Some Miami is in danger of losing include tackle Jake Long, running back Reggie Bush, cornerback Sean Smith, safety Chris Clemons, tight end Anthony Fasano, backup quarterback Matt Moore and reserve tackle Nate Garner.

Associated Press

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Maps & Atlases - Dingwalls, London, GB

Maps & Atlases sophomore album ?Beware And Be Grateful? is a mature progression for the band, who started life being labelled as ?math-rock?, and have now found themselves writing intelligent pop music. ?The band are known for putting on a terrific live performance, which often ends in an intimate acoustic set for any fans who don?t rush off after the last song.

Source: http://ticketabc.com//rockfeedback.ticketabc.com/events/maps-and-atlases/

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Scientists say baby born with HIV apparently cured

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A baby born with the virus that causes AIDS appears to have been cured, scientists announced Sunday, describing the case of a child from Mississippi who's now 2? and has been off medication for about a year with no signs of infection.

There's no guarantee the child will remain healthy, although sophisticated testing uncovered just traces of the virus' genetic material still lingering. If so, it would mark only the world's second reported cure.

Specialists say Sunday's announcement, at a major AIDS meeting in Atlanta, offers promising clues for efforts to eliminate HIV infection in children, especially in AIDS-plagued African countries where too many babies are born with the virus.

"You could call this about as close to a cure, if not a cure, that we've seen," Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, who is familiar with the findings, told The Associated Press.

A doctor gave this baby faster and stronger treatment than is usual, starting a three-drug infusion within 30 hours of birth. That was before tests confirmed the infant was infected and not just at risk from a mother whose HIV wasn't diagnosed until she was in labor.

"I just felt like this baby was at higher-than-normal risk, and deserved our best shot," Dr. Hannah Gay, a pediatric HIV specialist at the University of Mississippi, said in an interview.

That fast action apparently knocked out HIV in the baby's blood before it could form hideouts in the body. Those so-called reservoirs of dormant cells usually rapidly reinfect anyone who stops medication, said Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins Children's Center. She led the investigation that deemed the child "functionally cured," meaning in long-term remission even if all traces of the virus haven't been completely eradicated.

Next, Persaud's team is planning a study to try to prove that, with more aggressive treatment of other high-risk babies. "Maybe we'll be able to block this reservoir seeding," Persaud said.

No one should stop anti-AIDS drugs as a result of this case, Fauci cautioned.

But "it opens up a lot of doors" to research if other children can be helped, he said. "It makes perfect sense what happened."

Better than treatment is to prevent babies from being born with HIV in the first place.

About 300,000 children were born with HIV in 2011, mostly in poor countries where only about 60 percent of infected pregnant women get treatment that can keep them from passing the virus to their babies. In the U.S., such births are very rare because HIV testing and treatment long have been part of prenatal care.

"We can't promise to cure babies who are infected. We can promise to prevent the vast majority of transmissions if the moms are tested during every pregnancy," Gay stressed.

The only other person considered cured of the AIDS virus underwent a very different and risky kind of treatment ? a bone marrow transplant from a special donor, one of the rare people who is naturally resistant to HIV. Timothy Ray Brown of San Francisco has not needed HIV medications in the five years since that transplant.

The Mississippi case shows "there may be different cures for different populations of HIV-infected people," said Dr. Rowena Johnston of amFAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research. That group funded Persaud's team to explore possible cases of pediatric cures.

It also suggests that scientists should look back at other children who've been treated since shortly after birth, including some reports of possible cures in the late 1990s that were dismissed at the time, said Dr. Steven Deeks of the University of California, San Francisco, who also has seen the findings.

"This will likely inspire the field, make people more optimistic that this is possible," he said.

In the Mississippi case, the mother had had no prenatal care when she came to a rural emergency room in advanced labor. A rapid test detected HIV. In such cases, doctors typically give the newborn low-dose medication in hopes of preventing HIV from taking root. But the small hospital didn't have the proper liquid kind, and sent the infant to Gay's medical center. She gave the baby higher treatment-level doses.

The child responded well through age 18 months, when the family temporarily quit returning and stopped treatment, researchers said. When they returned several months later, remarkably, Gay's standard tests detected no virus in the child's blood.

Ten months after treatment stopped, a battery of super-sensitive tests at half a dozen laboratories found no sign of the virus' return. There were only some remnants of genetic material that don't appear able to replicate, Persaud said.

In Mississippi, Gay gives the child a check-up every few months: "I just check for the virus and keep praying that it stays gone."

The mother's HIV is being controlled with medication and she is "quite excited for her child," Gay added.

The United Nations agency that guides the global fight against HIV/AIDS, known as UNAIDS, hailed the news.

"This news gives us great hope that a cure for HIV in children is possible and could bring us one step closer to an AIDS-free generation," said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe. "This also underscores the need for research and innovation especially in the area of early diagnostics."

___

Associated Press writer Ron DePasquale contributed from the United Nations in New York.

Associated Press

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TESOL Career Center: Adult Education jobs, Riyadh jobs, Saudi ...

INTERLINK Language Centers/English Language Academy

Technical and Vocational Training Colleges of Saudi Arabia

EFL Instructional Positions for Males and Females

Available Immediately and Fall 2013

?

Background

For more than three decades, INTERLINK has been offering intensive English language training, academic preparation, and cultural orientation to students, scholars and professionals from around the world at its US university centers.

With over a decade of operations in Saudi Arabia, INTERLINK is now entering its third year of a contractual agreement with the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC),? a Saudi government organization overseeing the country?s colleges of technology and telecommunication. The goal of the program is to prepare students for different professional functions needing English as a medium of communication.? Most students are preparing for the workplace, while a small number also continue to higher education either in the Kingdom or abroad.

For more comprehensive information, please visit? www.INTERLINK.edu.

Minimum Qualifications

Candidates for these positions must:

• Be citizens of English speaking countries with native or near-native fluency in English (Non-native English speakers may be considered if their undergraduate credentials are from an English-speaking country)
• Have an undergraduate degree (BA/BS) in English, education or a related field?????????????????????? (NB: The Saudi government does not recognize online degrees or certificates; all must be residential.)
• Hold a CELTA or an SIT TESOL Certificate or equivalent (at least 120 hour of instruction; online certificates will not be considered)
• Have experience with zero beginners
• Have strong computer skills
• Have a minimum of one year of ESL/EFL teaching experience with adult learners

Preference will be given to those who can have/demonstrate:

• Advanced training/MA in TESL
• Creativity and flexibility to adapt to a learner-centered program using an experiential, content-based and needs-based approach
• Ability to adapt to a way of life requiring understanding, conformity, and flexibility
• Commitment to students, the profession, and innovative approaches to teaching method
• Fluency in other languages and/or Peace Corps or similar service/work experience in another country
• Experience with course management systems

Responsibilities

• 20 hours of weekly instruction of core classes, plus 10 hours weekly of work on individualized instruction, which includes supervision of student work done in core classes, ?labs, or any other language needs students may have
• Record-keeping, grading, and report-writing
• Initial placement testing of students
• Keeping office hours for meetings with students
• Participation in faculty meetings, committees, and professional development

Salary, Benefits and Terms

• $35,750 - $42,500 salary per annum, commensurate with experience
• Annual renewable contracts.
• Local holidays and 45 days of paid summer vacation
• Round-trip transportation to and from Saudi Arabia
• Local transportation to and from the campus Furnished housing (two- to three-bedroom apartments to be shared by two instructors)
• Medical insurance, with 10% co-pay
• 5% end-of-service bonus for renewal of 12-month contract
• Growth opportunities within the Kingdom and in the U.S. for successful employees

To apply, please visit? http://apply.tvtcinterlink.net

NB: Due to the strict governmental regulations and the challenge of obtaining work visas, applicants from non-English-speaking countries cannot be considered. Applicants not meeting requirements will not be acknowledged.

Source: http://careers.tesol.org/jobs/5239488/efl-instructional-positions-for-males-and-females

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