Daily Archives: September 18, 2013

Facebook 'Like' button ruled as constitutionally protected free speech

Posted: September 18, 2013 at 9:40 pm

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia gave its ruling Wednesday 'Internet equivalent of displaying a political sign in one's front yard': The case has its roots in a sheriff's decision to fire workers who 'liked' his political opponents

By Ap Reporter

PUBLISHED: 16:44 EST, 18 September 2013 | UPDATED: 16:44 EST, 18 September 2013

Clicking 'Like' on Facebook is constitutionally protected free speech and can be considered the 21st century-equivalent of a campaign yard sign, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond reversed a lower court ruling that said merely 'liking' a Facebook page was insufficient speech to merit constitutional protection.

Exactly what a 'like' means if anything played a part in a Virginia case involving six people who say Hampton Sheriff B.J. Roberts fired them for supporting an opponent in his 2009 re-election bid, which he won. The workers sued, saying their First Amendment rights were violated.

Like it or not: A federal court has ruled that 'liking' something on Facebook is constitutionally protected free speech

Roberts said some of the workers were let go because he wanted to replace them with sworn deputies while others were fired because of poor performance or his belief that their actions 'hindered the harmony and efficiency of the office.'

One of those workers, Daniel Ray Carter, had 'liked' the Facebook page of Roberts' opponent, Jim Adams.

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International Space Station to Explore the Tops of Thunderstorms – Video

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International Space Station to Explore the Tops of Thunderstorms
Sometimes, Earth mimics a supernova, producing a Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flash from the tops of thunderstorms. A new lightning sensor on the International Spac...

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Space Station Live Orbital Sciences Cygnus Update – Video

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Space Station Live Orbital Sciences Cygnus Update
Subscribe to My CHANNEL on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TVSpaceChannel.

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Space Station Live Orbital Sciences Cygnus Update - Video

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Poundland Challenge – 10 minute Space Station – Video

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Poundland Challenge - 10 minute Space Station

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Orbital launches cargo ship on maiden flight to space station

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Updated at 01:35 PM EDT, 09/18/13

In a critical test flight for NASA's space station program, an Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket making only its second flight blasted off from the Virginia coast Wednesday, lofting an unmanned cargo ship on its maiden flight to the international lab complex.

The demonstration mission is a critical test run for Orbital to prove the company's new rocket and Cygnus cargo ship can execute an autonomous rendezvous with the space station and, if necessary, carry out an abort if something goes wrong.

If the four-day trip to the station is successful, Orbital will be clear to begin routine cargo delivery missions later this year, joining Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, in a commercial program intended to make up for the retirement of the space shuttle.

Using recycled engines originally built for Russia's moon program, the Antares first stage roared to life at 10:58 a.m. EDT (GMT-4), quickly pushing the 133-toot-tall rocket away from its launching stand at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Island, Va., flight facility.

The Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket moments after launch, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013.

Burning kerosene and liquid oxygen, the refurbished Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ-26 engines fired for nearly four minutes, boosting the rocket out of the dense lower atmosphere and into the orbital plane of the space station.

Dramatic television views from a camera mounted on the rocket showed the Virginia coastline receding in the background and then the limb of the Earth as the spacecraft accelerated toward orbit. A few moments later, the spent first stage could be seen falling away.

The Antares second stage, powered by an Alliant Techsystems solid-fuel motor, then took over, igniting at an altitude of about 116 miles and firing for two-and-a-half minutes to put the spacecraft into an initial orbit with a high point, or apogee, of about 186 miles and a low point, or perigee, of around 151 miles.

A few moments later, the cargo ship was released from the spent second stage motor and its two solar panels unfolded as planned.

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23andMe and Udacity Launch Introductory Human Genetics Course

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

23andMe, the leading personal genetics company, is working with Udacity, a Silicon Valley-based education start-up, to create a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on human genetics. Tales from the Genome will provide an accessible introduction to genetic concepts and technology for just about anyone. The course is designed to be particularly helpful for high school, college and medical students, as well as health care professionals and life-long learners. Course participants can choose to complete the entire course or just the individual lessons on the topics they find most interesting. Tales from the Genome also incorporates personal and engaging perspectives from people living with a variety of genetic traits, from color blindness to lactose intolerance.

Tales from the Genome covers the fundamental principles of inheritance, gene structure and expression, mutation and variation, development of simple and complex biological traits, human ancestry and evolution, and the acquisition and interpretation of personal genetic information. By the end of the course, students will have an enhanced understanding of both the science of genetics and the various ways genetics informs their personal health.

Genetics is so much more than what many students experience in a traditional classroom setting, said Dr. Matthew Cook, the main instructor for the course. It should really be about the stories our genomes can tell, all the biological secrets wound up and packaged into efficient information storage units called chromosomes.

Dr. Cook earned his Ph.D. at Duke University and completed training as a post-doctoral scholar at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Cook then joined the content development team at Udacity to share his passion for genetics with the world.

As individuals are becoming more actively involved in their health care and more physicians incorporate personalized medicine into their practice, genetic information is becoming a fundamental element of basic health care, said Dr. Uta Francke, senior medical director at 23andMe and co-instructor of Tales from the Genome. As a result, genetics education has never been more important, particularly for individuals seeking the best possible care for themselves and their families.

Dr. Francke is an emeritus professor of genetics and pediatrics at Stanford University, where she taught molecular and clinical genetics. Tales from the Genome is also co-instructed by 23andMe Senior Director of Research, Dr. Joanna Mountain. Dr. Mountain previously served as a faculty member at Stanford University in the anthropological sciences and genetics departments.

Tales from the Genome will be available to the public as of September 30, 2013 on Udacity.

About 23andMe

23andMe, Inc. is the leading personal genetics company dedicated to helping individuals understand their own genetic information through DNA analysis technologies and web-based interactive tools. The company's Personal Genome Service enables individuals to gain deeper insights into their ancestry and inherited traits. The vision for 23andMe is to personalize healthcare by making and supporting meaningful discoveries through genetic research. 23andMe, Inc., was founded in 2006, and the company is advised by a group of renowned experts in the fields of human genetics, bioinformatics and computer science. More information is available at http://www.23andMe.com.

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Future and Fortune of Nations Written as DNA Poetry – Video

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Future and Fortune of Nations Written as DNA Poetry
Ved DTU´s Årsfest 2013 holdt CEO Bernhard Palsson fra DTU Biosustain festforedrag om DNA og bæredygtig produktion af kemikalier: #39;Future and Fortune of Natio...

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Future and Fortune of Nations Written as DNA Poetry - Video

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V(SV) QUEEN v Muhlenblick Kkl1 , SchH1 , HD/ED(SV) normal , DNA gpr. www.hodowlaowczarka.jimdo.com – Video

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V(SV) QUEEN v Muhlenblick Kkl1 , SchH1 , HD/ED(SV) normal , DNA gpr. http://www.hodowlaowczarka.jimdo.com
f. BRUNO v Vierhundert Hertz m. JUDY v Muhlenblick.

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V(SV) QUEEN v Muhlenblick Kkl1 , SchH1 , HD/ED(SV) normal , DNA gpr. http://www.hodowlaowczarka.jimdo.com - Video

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luciano alves cantando: dna – Video

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luciano alves cantando: dna
luciano alves cantando:dna.

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Twelve Institutions Select DNA from Fiserv

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DNA enjoys strong momentum following acquisition of Open Solutions by Fiserv Innovative technology combined with the stability and leadership of Fiserv attract five banks and seven credit unions to DNA Institutions complement DNA with leading surround solutions from Fiserv

Brookfield, Wis. Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, today announced that 12 institutions - five banks and seven credit unions ranging in assets from $116 million to $5.5 billion - have selected DNA during 2013, following the acquisition of Open Solutions by Fiserv on January 14, 2013.

Recognized by industry-leading analysts for its technology, user experience and breadth of functionality, DNA from Fiserv is the first open, person-centric core banking platform built for global collaboration. The platform provides 24/7 real-time processing and is supported by an extendable relational data model designed around individuals and relationships. As a result, financial institution staff can securely view complete profiles of retail and commercial customers by person, product or account.

"DNA enables us to deliver the real-time banking experience our customers expect," said Lisa Welander, senior vice president and Chief Information Officer at Heritage Bank - the first institution to announce its selection of DNA following the acquisition of Open Solutions by Fiserv. "The platform's open architecture offers the flexibility and scalability to support our aggressive growth strategy and is enabling us to merge three separate institutions into one during our DNA implementation."

With robust retail, mortgage and commercial banking capabilities and extensive integration and customization tools, DNA will support the 12 institutions who recently selected DNA for the long term. A service-oriented architecture (SOA) and web services application programming interface (API) will enable the clients to easily enhance the platform with solutions from Fiserv and third-parties. The DNA users will also have access to the DNAcreator development toolkit, which allows IT professionals to create and sell custom core extensions called DNAapps to other financial institutions via the DNAappstore.

Joining Heritage Bank (Olympia, Wash.) on the collaborative DNA platform, or extending their relationship with Fiserv by selecting DNA, during the first eight months of 2013 are Community Bank - Wheaton/Glen Ellyn (Glen Ellyn, Ill.), Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union (Evansville, Ind.), First Federal Savings & Loan (Bath, Maine), First National Community Bank (Dunmore, Pa.), Greater Nevada Credit Union (Carson City, Nev.), MIDFLORIDA Credit Union (Lakeland, Fla.), Navigant Credit Union (Smithfield, R.I.), NCB, FSB (Hillsboro, Ohio), Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union (Live Oak, Texas), Vermont Federal Credit Union (Burlington, Vt.) and Wildfire Credit Union (Saginaw, Mich.).

"Banks and credit unions have always benefited from the innovative approach to account processing delivered by DNA. With the leadership and breadth of solutions offered by Fiserv, DNA users have gained additional value by adding complementary Fiserv solutions such as CheckFree RXP, Popmoney and the Accel payments network to enhance their core investments. This value adds to our momentum as demonstrated by the recently announced selection of DNA by Wildfire Credit Union and Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union," said Steve Cameron, president, Open Solutions Division, Fiserv.

Additional Resources: Open Solutions, now part of Fiserv - http://www.fiserv.com/about/brands/open-solutions.htm DNAappstore - http://www.DNAappstore.com Fiserv acquires Open Solutions Inc. - http://newsroom.fiserv.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=733386

About Fiserv Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV) is a leading global technology provider serving the financial services industry, driving innovation in payments, processing services, risk and compliance, customer and channel management, and business insights and optimization. For more information, visit http://www.fiserv.com.

Julie Smith Public Relations Manager Fiserv, Inc. 412-577-3341 julie.smith@fiserv.com

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