Insights into primate diversity: Lessons from the rhesus macaque

ScienceDaily (June 29, 2012) ? New research published in BMC Genetics shows that the rhesus macaque has three times as much genetic variation as humans. However despite much of this extra variation within genes, protein function is not affected. Consequently damaging variations are at similar levels in macaques and humans -- indicating a strong selection pressure to maintain gene function regardless of mutation rate or population size.

Humans and rhesus macaques shared a common ancestor approximately 25 million years ago. Although there are now over seven billion humans on the planet only 100,000 years ago the human population was as low as one million. The effective human population, the number of people required to explain current genetic variation rate, was until recently less than 8,000.

The population size of rhesus macaques is in the millions and is exceeded only by humans (among primates). However there are 13 subspecies which have evolved to exploit environments as diverse as savannah and forests, and across a range of climate zones.

A team of researchers led by Christina Barr and David Goldman from the NIH determined that the effective population size for these primates was 80,000, ten times that of humans. Analysis of genetic variation, using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), showed that the macaque genome had three times higher genetic variation than humans. Most of these SNP were previously unknown and were disproportionally found in functionally important regions of DNA and each known gene had at least one SNP.

Dr. Goldman explained, "Although macaques have more variation than humans in the protein coding regions of genes, the ratio of variation in these regions compared to non-coding regions is significantly lower. Additionally the macaque variation is less likely to alter protein function. This brings down the amount of damaging variation to a level close to what was actually seen in humans."

Dr Barr continued "Our comparative approach across primate species (human and macaques) gives us a genomic view of evolutionary selection and reaffirms the effects of population history on genetic variation. Not very long ago, on an evolutionary timescale, there were more macaques than people, and the genomes of both species are a legacy of those times past."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BioMed Central.

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Journal Reference:

1. Qiaoping Yuan, Zhifeng Zhou, Stephen G Lindell, James Dee Higley, Betsy Ferguson, Robert C Thompson, Juan F Lopez, Stephen J Suomi, Basel Baghal, Maggie Baker, Deborah C Mash, Christina S Barr and David Goldman. The rhesus macaque is three times as diverse but more closely equivalent in damaging coding variation as compared to the human. BMC Genetics, 2012 [link]

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120629005454.htm

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Samsung Galaxy S III - 32GB - white (Sprint)

With the Samsung Galaxy S III (S3), Samsung has done it again. For the third consecutive year, its flagship Galaxy phone is a tidy package of top-flight specs, approachable design, steady performance, and compelling pricing. Starting its U.S. sales debut with five carriers -- Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular -- makes this smartphone nearly ubiquitous. Samsung's aggressive distribution strategy gives it a leg up against its chief Android rival, the HTC One X, but it fails to sweep HTC's finest, and Apple fans will scoff at Samsung's imitation Siri.

That isn't to say that the Galaxy S III (henceforth also known as the GS3) does not impress. From the outside in, it has a large, vibrant HD display; Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich; a sharp 8-megapixel camera; 4G LTE support; a zippy dual-core processor; and tons of internal memory and 2GB RAM. The $199.99 price tag for the 16GB version is highly competitive, and that, along with its carrier spread, makes the GS3 priced to sell.

Some have slammed Samsung for formulaic specs and design, and to some extent, the critics are correct. Samsung isn't setting hardware standards with new creations, and the GS3's software additions, while interesting and useful, mostly build off existing Android capabilities. Regardless, Samsung has continued to produce stronger subsequent models than its first Galaxy S home run. There's a reason why the Galaxy S II sold over 50 million units worldwide, and why the GS3's preorder sales smashed U.K. records. Samsung clearly has its formula worked out for making higher-end features familiar, expected, and easily within reach -- and in the all-around excellent Galaxy S3, it shows.

Pricing and availability
I don't usually start a review with pricing information, but in this case, it's worth the bird's-eye view of which carrier offers which capacity of each color when, and for how much.

AT&T Samsung Galaxy S III ($199.99): 4G LTE in 39 markets; simultaneous voice and data; 16GB model available in blue, white, and (later this summer, and exclusive to AT&T) red

Sprint Samsung Galaxy S III (16GB, $199.99; 32GB, $249): 3G now, 4G LTE when Sprint launches its LTE network; Google Wallet, unlimited data option; available in 16GB (blue, white) and 32GB (blue, white) models

T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S III (16GB, $229.99, $279.99 [Value plan]; 32GB, $279.99, 329.99 [Classic plan]): HSPA+ 42; simultaneous voice and data; available in 16GB (blue, white) and 32GB (blue, white) models U.S. Cellular Samsung Galaxy S III (16GB and 32GB, price TBD): 4G LTE in 6 markets, 3G elsewhere; eligible for carrier points; available in 16GB (blue, white) and 32GB (white) models Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III (16GB, $199.99; 32GB, $249): 4G LTE, 258 markets; eventual global data roaming, voice/data; available in 16GB (blue, white) and 32GB (blue, white) models

This is a review of the 16GB version of Sprint's Galaxy S3 in white.

Design
It won't wow you with neon colors or evocative, industrial design; it doesn't have the sharpest screen on the market; and its body isn't fashioned from ceramic, glass, or micro-arc oxidized aluminum. That said, the Galaxy S3 is about the nicest plastic phone I've ever seen. Likely tired of hearing complaints about how cheap-feeling Samsung phones can be, the company decided to focus instead on making the contours more premium -- without giving up its light, inexpensive, and shatterproof material of choice.

The Samsung Galaxy S III looks and feels smooth, glossy, and far more luxe than previous Galaxy handsets.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Peer closely at the phone (it comes in ceramic white, pebble blue, and later a red shade exclusive to AT&T) and you'll see that Samsung has rounded the edges and corners to attain smooth spines and trim pieces all around. The phone designers also intentionally arranged the backing to give the phone more of a unibody feel.

Samsung doesn't shy away from high gloss and sheen in either white or blue models and somehow, it all works. The pebble-blue variety has lighter blue spines than its steel gray-blue backing, and I like the brushed-metal grain to its uncompromisingly plastic finish. In addition, the phone has felt good in my hand every time I've picked it up since CTIA. It's slick and touchable, and seems to warm to the touch, which gives it the sense that it's conforming to your grip. Though smooth, the GS3 isn't slippery, and although fairly light (at 4.7 ounces, just a tad heavier than the One X), it doesn't feel like it's missing a battery or other essential components. The handset's highly reflective surfaces are its most major design flaw.

When it comes to size, the GS3 is a big device. At 5.4 inches tall and 2.8 inches wide, it's slightly larger and thicker than the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Samsung seems to enjoy pushing the envelope when it comes to creating smartphone displays that border on minitablet territory (the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note even became a cult hit, with about 7 million global sales.) Yet, the handset's slim 0.34-inch width, contoured sides, and glossy coating add up to that comfortable handhold.

My hands are fairly small, so I passed the phone around to see what others thought, regardless of their personal phone choice. Most initially found the GS3 large, but warmed up to it as they played around. Those with smaller hands than mine generally thought it too big. Almost all of them commented on the light weight. My colleagues also stuck the GS3 in front, back, shirt, and jacket pockets; everyone found a way they said they'd carry it (which really only proves that CNET editors are a resourceful bunch.)

Press and hold the GS3's home button to surface your recent apps. Double-press to launch S Voice.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Above the screen are the proximity and ambient light sensors, the indicator LED, and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. Below it is a physical home button, which Samsung managed to keep in this handset, as opposed to the typical soft-touch navigation buttons we often see in Android phones. In general, I can get behind this kind of button, but the GS3's is slightly less comfy in its squashed and narrow form than if it were a larger rectangle or a square. Flanking this button are the back key and the menu key, which fade after a few seconds of use. It's interesting that Samsung kept its menu button rather than the default recent-apps tab in Ice Cream Sandwich. You can still view recent applications by holding down the Home button.

On the right spine is the power button, and on the left you'll find the volume rocker. You'll charge through a Micro-USB power button on the bottom, and listen to audio through the 3.5mm headset jack up top. The 8-megapixel camera lens and flash are on the rear, with the microSD card slot and Near-Field Communication (NFC)-capable battery behind the back cover. The Galaxy S III takes a Micro-SIM card.

All about the screen: In terms of screen size, the Galaxy S III's 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display (with a 1,280x720-pixel resolution) fits right between the Galaxy Nexus (4.65 inches) and the Galaxy Note (5.3 inches), both of them honkers on their own. It's almost identical to the HTC One X (4.7 inches.) How much you like the size depends on your preference for large-screen phones. If you like 'em on the smaller side, you'll find this excessive. If you enjoy having more screen real estate for reading and watching videos, you'll likely approve.

The HD Super AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S3 (center) was dimmer beside other top smartphones, the HTC One X (top) and iPhone 4S (bottom).

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Samsung's new flagship phone is one of the first handsets to use Corning's Gorilla Glass 2, a thinner, lighter, more responsive cover glass material that the two companies also say lets colors shine brighter. I definitely noticed the screen's sensitivity; at times I barely had to brush the display for a response. Colors looked bright and vibrant with the phone in a dark setting, but slide to full brightness and the screen sometimes seemed dark, especially when compared with other phones at full throttle.

Like typical AMOLED displays, the GS3 overdoes it on the greens, which stand out more than on phones with LCD screens, or when you view photos you took yourself. I downloaded a high-res image with varying contrasts and colors on five phones, also at peak brightness -- the GS3, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, iPhone 4S, and HTC One X. The Galaxy Note's resolution was a little looser than that of the other four because of its lower pixel density. The GS3 showed a much dimmer picture than the Galaxy Nexus did. Colors on the HTC One X and iPhone 4S were bright and looked truer to life. Blacks looked blacker on the Nexus' AMOLED screen, but there was far more detail throughout the images on the One X and iPhone 4S, which both use LCD screens with in-plane switching (IPS.) From there, quality was a tossup, with some features of the image looking better on the iPhone, and some looking better on the One X.

Don't get me wrong -- the GS3's screen is still lovely when you aren't peering at it side by side with another screen, but the comparative image darkness is a little disappointing, and was especially noticeable in my sunny-day photo and video shoots. Part of the screen dimness problem is that some apps, like the browser, were actually less bright by default. Even when I changed system settings to full blast, the browser remained dimmer until I changed its individual brightness setting. In general, I appreciate Samsung's power-saving checks and balances, but checking settings throughout the phone was confusing.

Interface and OS
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich looks great on the GS3, especially because Samsung used a lighter hand with its TouchWiz interface than on previous versions. That said, Samsung hasn't fully adopted all of Google's visual cues, like the ICS menu (I personally miss this interface touch.) With TouchWiz, Samsung is able to add things like gestures and systems control access in the notifications pull-down. There are also the unique additions that Samsung tacked on to Android Beam.

Android Beam gets a boost in S Beam, which can share videos and photos with a tap.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

Not every one of the GS3's special additions is essential, and some, like sharing content through AllShare Play and GroupCast, are unnecessarily complicated to set up and use. While Samsung deserves kudos for brainstorming and implementing these features, customers will care more about overall camera performance than the capability to tag friends' faces in photos.

S Beam: Built on top of Android Beam for Ice Cream Sandwich, the Samsung-only S Beam wields NFC and Wi-Fi Direct to "beam" larger-file photos, videos, and documents -- that's in addition to Android Beam's capability of sharing URLs, maps, and contact information. Behind the scenes, NFC initiates the handshake, and the Wi-Fi Direct protocol takes over for larger files. The combination isn't groundbreaking, perhaps, but Samsung deserves credit for packing it up in one seamless action. As with Beam, you won't have to do more than press the backs of the phones together, confirm the beam, and pull the phones apart. The larger the file, the longer it usually takes for the transfer magic to happen.

S Beam worked flawlessly every time I tried it. Samsung really does get a high-five for this addition, which goes beyond simple cleverness to actual usefulness.

S Voice: And then there's S Voice. Samsung's answer to Apple's Siri, S Voice is a personal assistant that plumps up Android's built-in Voice Actions into the more personal format that Apple popularized with Siri. Vlingo powers S Voice on the listening and interpretation front (Siri uses Nuance), and sources answers from databases like Wolfram Alpha. You launch S Voice by double-pressing the home button, and can wake up S Voice in between commands by saying, "Hello, Galaxy" (this is optional and drains the battery faster.)

You can do a lot with S Voice (left), but only if it understands you (right.)

(Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

S Voice can launch apps and turn-by-turn navigation; switch into driving mode; voice-dial; tweet; get the weather; compose a memo; search contacts; and schedule tasks. It can also take a photo, place and answer calls, search the Web, adjust the volume, send e-mail and text messages, record voices, and launch the native music player. It also ties into Android 4.0's lock screen security, so you can use your voice to unlock the phone. As a bonus, you can program four of your own voice commands to open the camera, record your voice, and check for missed calls and messages.

S Voice sounds great in theory, but it didn't work well. Sometimes it didn't work at all. Throughout my testing period, I used S Voice extensively, asking the phone to perform the full range of tasks. Sometimes it delivered what I wanted immediately, like driving directions or turning Wi-Fi on and off. Other times, it must have stuffed cotton in its digital ears and repeatedly garbled or blanked on what I wanted. My favorite was when it knew exactly what I said, repeated my command (you can choose voice feedback in addition to text,) and then did nothing. There was also the time that S Voice stalled on deleting an alarm, then ignored my subsequent request to finish the first one.

S Voice is Samsung's garbled answer to Apple's Siri.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

On the whole, S Voice is more rigid than Siri about syntax and the software takes a while to process. Unless I'm driving or otherwise hands-free, I find it faster and less frustrating to set your own alarm, or turn on driving directions before engaging the ignition. Siri also has its share of slowness and interpretation issues, but it's performed more consistently for me in my tests. In my S Voice versus Siri showdown, Apple's assistant trounced S Voice in a poor showing that makes S Voice seem more like a beta product than a Siri substitute.

Sharing software: Multimedia sharing is a Galaxy S3 emphasis, with four main ways to share your stuff through different means, like DLNA and Wi-Fi Direct protocols.

AllShare Play uses DLNA to share multimedia across your Samsung TVs, tablets, and phones, so you can play a video you shot on your phone on the TV, and do things like control the volume from your handset. A Web storage element has you access content on your other devices by tapping into a third-party client, SugarSync.

Face recognition software prompts you to tag yourself and your friends, even on photos taken with the front-facing camera, like this one.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

GroupCast, which you can use as a presentation service, uses AllShare Play. It takes seven steps (including a password and PIN number) to set up the share, but once you do, you can share a folder -- like slides or photos -- across all phones you've invited into the GroupCast. Any device can control the screens, and annotate with pen strokes that fade after a few seconds. Samsung should let the GroupCast leader lock it down.

Buddy Photo Share is a neat optional in-camera feature that can e-mail or text a freshly shot photo to the person you tag in it. Photos show up in a "received" folder in the recipient's gallery.

ShareShot is a camera shooting mode that uses Wi-Fi Direct in the background to automatically send photos to your friends as you shoot them, instead of e-mailing them after the fact. Multiple people can get in on the deal -- so long as they're within about 100 yards, about the length of a football field. Photos also appear in the gallery. You lose ShareShot when you switch shooting modes.

My problem with these tools is that some of them have unintuitive and disjointed user experiences. It isn't always obvious how to get to a feature, how to sign others up, and how to find your shared content afterward.

Features
An Android Ice Cream Sandwich phone through and through, the GS3 is fully loaded with all the Google goodies, and then some. There are the Google apps and services, like Gmail, Maps with turn-by-turn voice navigation, a music player, and YouTube, to name just a few. Wi-Fi, GPS, Wi-Fi Direct, and Bluetooth 4.0 are other communication features, along with NFC (which powers stuff you can do with TecTiles and Google Wallet.)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/YIff/~3/Bpj4lAOVU9w/4505-6452_7-35326396.html

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From Israel to Pakistan, Community is Key When Building a Startup (Google I/O)

Google I/O: It?s a startup world

In my previous post, I covered the funding aspect of entrepreneurship, but there?s more to innovation than money. To achieve the trifecta of startup success (money, talent, ideas), a vibrant startup community can make the difference between success and failure. In this Google I/O session, ?It?s a Startup World?, moderated by my talented colleague Bridgette Sexton, a panel of?international startup community leaders shared some of the best practices from their experience. ?The panel included Erik Hersman (Kenya ,founder of iHub), Eden Shochat (Israel, founder of Face.com, VC at Genesis, founder of The Junction), Jon Bradford (UK/Ireland, founder of Springboard), Jeffery Paine (Singapore, Golden Gate Ventures) and Jehan Ara (Pakistan). Below are the highlights from the panel as well as some interesting audience questions.?

Bridgette: Eden, what made you start the junction?

• Eden- we have mandatory service in the army (18-21). It created awesome companies, but the army doesn?t do ecommerce, or much?mobile, which are now the biggest growth engines in startups. When I moved to VC, I found out that there were no good consumer internet startups. They were sporadic.?The Junctionwas a prototype. We ask applicants 3 questions:
  • Are you working on the venture full time
  • Is the entire team going to work together?
  • are you willing to spend 10% working on other people?s startup.
• The junction is all about creating a pay it forward model. We don?t care about short term revenue. We ask nothing from the companies, we just want them to help each other. In a B2C

Bridgette: Jon, you run several accelerator programs. What do you see your programs producing??

• Jon -London has 250 nationalities, the next one on the list is New York with 150. We attract great global talent.?I very strongly believe that no geographic region has a monopoly on entrepreneurship. The valley is full with fellow?travelers, it?s a big advantage as you have to create?critical?mass to have a successful cluster.

Bridgette Sexton, Erik Hersman, Eden Shochat, Jon Bradford, Jeffery Paine, Jehan Ara

Bridgette:?What are you investing in South East Asia at Golden Gate Ventures??

• Jeff ? we look at mobile, consumer Internet, games and SaaS. Singapore is a developed country, and we?re right smack in the middle of developing countries. The challenges are many for Singaporean entrepreneurs: they tend to think very small and very local. We are missing a layer of mentors that ?been there, done that?, not 10 years ago though. Cause technology changes very fast. We need current role models. ?My last investment?is an enterprise company from Malaysia that went global from day one. There?s pressure to make money fast to survive quickly, so innovation takes a second seat.

Bridgette: Eric,?What is the role of ihub in the community??

• Eric ? we had a vibrant tech culture, but there was no central space. we have 8,000 members now, in Nairobi. How are you going to measure success? ?if we put enough smart people in the room good things will happen?. You have to experiment in a market like this, because you don?t know what will work. Some of them got funding, when you?re in a nacent market, you?re builidng the market.?For us it?s about bringing people together. Testing if ?we can apply the accelerator model from the Bay Area to Africa.

• Eden ? I wanted to add the purpose of The Junction ? team building. The most important thing for every?entrepreneur?is to be able to convince the team of what they?should?do before they have funding. Geekcon brings people together to build stuff. The purpose is to build useless projects.

Bridgette: Jehan, how is Pakistan unique as a market??

• Jehan ? in Pakistan, we have 120 million mobile subscribers. The scale of users is just much bigger. The?P@SHA SIF Fund that we run, is a social entrepreneurship fund. With very little sums of money, $2,000 per company that passed the screening process, we are able to support various teams with a very small amount of money. Startups that target Pakistan can tap into a huge audience, with a relatively low investment, say $10,000. We started with unique projects to the local market with the first projects we funded. An Audible in Urdu (the national language), a marketplace for handmade leather shoes and Bloodline, a blood transfusion community, which is a big need in hospitals.

Bridgette:?Why do you do a lot of small seed investments vs fewer, bigger rounds?

• Jon ? I used to do a lot of seed investment. when I wrote people a big cheque, they stressed out on metrics from day 1.?When I wrote people small cheuques, the first thing they do, is go talk to a customers.?In Bulgaria, where I?m involved in a new fund, it?s a desert. There?s lots of entrepreneurship and little funding. So in the next 3 years, we?re going to fund 200 teams to take forward their ideas of products.?The approach is throwing a lot of shit on the wall and seeing what sticks.?I call it the?entrepreneurial?compost team. Just because you failed, it doesn?t make you bad. You?re retaining the knowledge of your previous experience.?We want to embrace cultures that embrace that attitude, where it?s ok to fail.

Bridgette:- In Israel there?s lot of money. you have opportunity to get series A, why seed??

• Eden ? the way that VC works, is that you have to deploy quite a lot of capital. If you run a $100 m fund, you are expected to create $300 million.?The VC typically owns 25% of the value of its portfolio, so he needs to exceed $1.2 billion in exits to be able to enjoy the carry of the fund. So the amounts that a VC has to deploy have to be fairly big for the investment to matter to the fund?s bottom line. I?ll give you an example. A startup that made?Internet based insoles, for shoes. The guy needed $100,000. The amount of money that I made as a VC is insignificant, even if he sells the company for $10 million.?I think the model needs to be different. ?VCs should reduce the cost of entrepreneurship and make sure that people fail fast ? if the idea succeeds, we can get you the money.?Don?t take anything, give them the value they need to build a company ($20K, office space,)?create a community.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VentureCapitalCafe/~3/Ks5BpJgeP4Q/

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Kazakhstan Oil Field Deal Settled

An agreement between Kazakhstan and a consortium of companies ? including BG Group and Eni ? involved in the country's Karachaganak field became effective on Thursday after six months of wrangling over the details.

The deal ? originally signed on Dec. 14 2011 ? settles a dispute more than two years old between the consortium and the Kazakhstan government, with the partners now allowed to recover costs before the government takes its share of the hydrocarbon revenues.

?

It sees the entry of the Kazakh state company KazMunaiGaz, which gets a 10-percent stake issued pro rate by the current partners. Meanwhile KMG will provide a pipeline with the capacity to transport up to two millions tons of liquids a year.

?

"KazMunaiGaz's entrance represents a significant step forward towards strengthening the cooperation between the parties involved in the consortium. In the interim the companies have already started preparatory activities to support future development of the field, which is expected to yield a substantial increase in current production of liquids and gas," said a statement issued by Eni.

?

BG Group Chief Executive Sir Frank Chapman commented in a BG Group statement:

?

"We welcome the Republic of Kazakhstan and KMG into the Karachaganak contracting companies group and look forward to working with all of our partners to capture the significant remaining potential of the giant Karachaganak field."

?

Karachaganak is a giant liquid and gas field with recoverable reserves of five billion barrels of oil equivalent. In 2011, production at the Karachaganak field averaged 239,000 barrels per day of liquids and 784 million cubic feet of gas per day of natural gas.

?

A former engineer, Jon is an award-winning editor who has covered the technology, engineering and energy sectors since the mid-1990s. Email Jon at jmainwaring@rigzone.com.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

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Source: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=118949&rss=true

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Two feet of rain, thousands flee Debby floods

River flooding form Tropical Storm Debby on Tuesday forced up to 20,000 people out of their homes in one Florida county alone, while another area had already seen more than 26 inches of rain -- topping the official forecast calling for up to 25 inches in a few areas by the time Debby moves out.

In Pasco County near Tampa Bay, a mandatory evacuation was ordered between the Anclote and Pithlachascotee rivers, Reuters reported. The Anclote rose from 9 feet before Debby's approach to more than 27 feet on Tuesday, flooding areas with water head-high in places.

Boats were used to reach stranded residents, and 106 homes had been damaged.

Wakulla County, meanwhile, has seen more than 26 inches of rain, weather.com said in a Twitter alert Tuesday morning. Authorities there advised people to stay in their homes due to washed out and flooded roads.

Flash flood warnings were issued for parts of northern Florida and southern Georgia as Debby moved eastward. By midday, Debby picked up speed to 6 mph and winds had dropped to 40 mph, but that didn't stop the rain.

Parts of Interstate 10 in north Florida were closed due to flooding on a 50-mile stretch between Jacksonville and Tallahassee. The Florida Highway Patrol warned motorists to use extreme caution on other parts of the highway.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been impacted, many having to leave flooded homes in Florida's Panhandle on Monday and others losing power or having property hit by twisters.

In Tampa Bay, a mother manatee was found dead in the water Tuesday off Bayshore Boulevard. Her two calves, which were still alive and later rescued, washed ashore along the flooded road.

Tropical-storm warnings were in effect for 450 miles of coastline -- from the Panhandle's Mexico Beach to Englewood, south of Sarasota.

Debby made landfall near Steinhatchee on Tuesday afternoon, earlier than expected. While continuing to weaken and likely to be downgraded to a tropical depression, Debby was still dumping rain and could return as a tropical storm when it exits Florida's Atlantic coast.

On Monday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a statewide emergency as five inches of rain in the course of an hour fell on some areas.

President Barack Obama called Scott on Tuesday and the federal government stands "ready to provide additional assistance if necessary," the White House said.

St. Marks, Fla., saw 21 inches in a two-day period while other areas got around 20 inches, weather.com noted.

Parts of Live Oak, Fla., were evacuated Tuesday due to flooding, it added.

Some areas of northern Florida and southeast Georgia could see up to 15 inches of rain Tuesday through Thursday, weather.com stated.

The National Hurricane Center predicted parts of northern Florida could see 25 inches of rain by the time Debby crosses Florida and exits into the Atlantic.

Weather.com noted that 2012 broke the record for the most named storms so early in the Atlantic season. Debby makes four so far, "leapfrogging Dennis from July 5, 2005.

"In an average year, the fourth named storm would have occurred by August 23," it added. "In terms of named storm counts, we're roughly two months ahead of the pace. That said, there is no correlation between a fast start to the season and the degree of activity of the rest of the season."

Debby was also the first tropical storm of the season to enter the Gulf of Mexico.

Debby earlier left tens of thousands of people without power and forced the closure of key highways and bridges in the Tampa Bay area.

Debby has also spawned some 20 twisters, including one on Sunday that killed a woman, injured her daughter and tore through homes in central Florida's rural Highlands County.

WFLA-TV reported Heather Town died when her home was lifted off its foundation and she and her 3-year-old were thrown into nearby woods. The mother was found clutching the child, who survived.

In Starke, Fla., five dogs drowned early Monday when a swollen creek flooded an animal shelter, The Florida Times-Union reported.

Pinellas County saw flooding and at least 20 homes damaged during a tornado-like storm on Sunday.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Summer Bash :: Buffalo Business Networking

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New foster care initiative focuses on success of children Adoption

Anthony is a healthy seven year old child. He?s sweet, active, smart, and polite. Initially shy, he interacts well with familiar individuals. As an active child, he love to ride... [more]

[about me] ? [search] ? [waiting kids in LA] ? [all] ? [share]

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The 50th Annual Hunger Games! With a curious twist... [OPEN]

A man clad in a blood red suit strode out onto the balcony. With calm, delicate features he surveyed the cheering masses below him with an air of amusement. He waited for the chariots to come to a halt in the center of the stadium before clearing his throat. Instantly, the crowd grew silent. All eyes were on him.

?Greetings, ladies and gentleman. My dear tributes, welcome to the Capital. You honor me with your presence and your participation in the 50th Hunger Games. And may the odds be ever in your favor.?

The crowd erupted in excitement at the familiar words. The man held up his hand and the crowd fell silent a second time.

?Once more, we are gathered here for the 50th time to commend the most celebrated event in the history of Panem. It is always the joy of the citizens of this wonderful metropolis to host Panem?s tributes and their teams. It is my great honor and pleasure to share this special moment with all of you. As you know, this year is especially extraordinary. We celebrate today the 2nd ever Quarter Quell! For this momentous event, we asked the citizens of each district to pick their two tributes of any age and gender by vote. People of Panem, I thank all of you for your great loyalty to the Hunger Games. Now, without further delay,? the man paused, feeling the loaded tension of the crowd below. With a smile, he proceeded, ?I now declare the 50th Annual Hunger Games, officially open!?
As the crowd went hysterical with excitement, Mycroft Holmes gave a small nod, and turned to walk from the balcony into the shadows.

This story is just like any other Hunger Games RP. An arena, an assortment of tributes, and a fight to the death. However, there is a twist. The characters you will be playing will be ones from any fandom. These characters can come from anywhere, TV shows, Movies, Books (as long as they have my approval, of course). You like Chaos Walking, Misfits, Supernatural? What about Criminal Minds or House MD? The Avengers or the X-men? All allowed, just without their supernatural powers/mutation. They can be of any age, any gender. Do you think your favourite character would win the Hunger Games? Why don't you try it out? Our story begins after the Reaping, but before training and interviews. This means whoever your character may be will have time to make alliances from other fandom characters and establish their relationship with their sponsors (played by me).

In short: Hunger Games, tributes are characters from whatever fandom you like fighting to the death.

There are plenty of spots open, so feel free to check out the RP and join! :)

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