pimblr.com

A bright pink millipede that smells like almonds and an electric ray that produces industrial-strength suction are among a select group of newly discovered species deemed strange enough, deadly enough or fascinating enough to earn a spot on the International Institute for Species Exploration's annual top-10 list.
Each year, the Arizona State University-based institute releases its Top 10 New Species list, highlighting some of the most interesting examples of the thousands of new flora and fauna described in the preceding calendar year. This year's list includes such lethal animals as the Central Ranges Taipan (Oxyuranus temporalis), now counted among the most venomous snakes known to man, and a box jellyfish (Malo kingi) named after its victim Robert King, an American tourist who died after he was stung.
It also includes the aforementioned shocking pink dragon millipede (Desmoxytes purpurosea) of Thailand, whose gaudy colouration is likely used to warn predators of its extreme toxicity. (According to this one blog account, the millipede smells of almonds a a result of the hydrogen cyanide it produces for self-defence.)
According to Quentin Wheeler, an entomologist and director of the IISE, the institute's annual top-10 list is a "fun-filled" way to draw attention to the importance of biodiversity and the field of taxonomy.
“Most people do not realize just how incomplete our knowledge of Earth’s species is or the steady rate at which taxonomists are exploring that diversity," said Wheeler in a recent release. "In 2006, for example, an average of nearly 50 species per day were discovered and named."
“We are surrounded by such an exuberance of species diversity that we too often take it for granted. Charting the species of the world and their unique attributes are essential parts of understanding the history of life and is in our own self-interest as we face the challenges of living on a rapidly changing planet."

network.nationalpost.com

It appears that Mozilla has shot itself in the foot with the Firefox 3 Download Day Guinness Book of World Records attempt.
As of 2:00pm Eastern time, a full hour after Mozilla said that Firefox would be available, the site is sporadically producing errors reading “Http/1.1 Service Unavailable.” A Mozilla rep said the team was working to get the download site up quickly.
A Mozilla blog post stated the following: “The outpouring of interest and enthusiasm around Firefox 3 has been overwhelming (literally!). Our servers are currently feeling the burn and should be back to normal shortly. Download day will officially commence once the site goes live. The 24 hours period will be clocked from that moment.”
The statement acknowledges that the browser maker has missed its launch time of 10 AM Pacific Time, which was already a postponement of the announced 12:01am Pacific time launch.
PC Magazine has published a review of Firefox 3, which seems to be handling heavy traffic without incident.
Update: As of 3PM Eastern Time, the Firefox 3 download site is up and running. Said Mike Schroepfer, VP of Engineering: “We are currently serving almost 14,000 downloads a minute, which puts us on track to clear 5 to 7 million downloads in one day. The systems are busy, so individual requests may not get through—but are up and serving a tremendous amount of traffic.”
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EDISON —A member of the township’s zoning board, Nilesh Dasondi, was arrested Wednesday and charged with violations including visa fraud and conspiracy to commit visa fraud, a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement official confirmed.
“He was arrested yesterday morning at his residence,” Harold Ort, the public affairs officer for ICE in Newark, said Thursday.
Dasondi, a naturalized citizen, is the founder and president of CyGate Software and Consulting, with headquarters at 22 Meridian Road, and offices in India and Canada.
The company sponsors H-1B work visas and sponsors green cards for software consultants it places in various projects.
According to a report in the Long Island, N.Y., newspaper Newsday, six men were being held in an immigration-fraud scheme that centered around CyGate Software.
The Newsday report said that Dasondi falsely placed three Long Island men

(6/11/2008) The only thing better than discovering a great new restaurant is returning to one you’ve been to before, with no expectations whatsoever about the food, and being delightfully surprised. This was exactly what happened at Sunset Beach on Shelter Island recently.
I have been to the restaurant a few times over the last 10 years — for lunch, for dinner, by boat, and by car. Either way, the only guarantees were: the fries were superb while the rest of the food was mediocre, you would be stared at upon arrival by the somewhat louche clientele, and the drinks would be astronomically expensive.
On this visit, only two out of three were true. The drinks are still expensive, the roués are still in place, but the restaurant has experienced a welcome transformation. On two recent visits, I went with a sizable gang, which enabled us to try almost everything on the menu, and just about everything was excellent.
But first a bit about the atmosphere, because this is really what Sunset Beach is about. Tucked neatly into the curvature of Crescent Beach on the north side of Shelter Island, it looks casual and unassuming from the water. Get a little bit closer, and you may start feeling as if you’ve landed in St. Tropez.
Bistro chairs, oilcloth tablecloths, scantily clad staff, ambient music, and twinkling lights all add up to a charming, relaxed, sexy atmosphere that makes you feel like you’ve taken more than a short drive or boat ride to the Victorian grande dame that is Shelter Island. On the first level is a bar, a lounge area (with hardcover books!), and some outdoor dining. Beyond that, there are three more levels, the uppermost is just partially shaded and truly does feel like a tree house.
For starters we tried the shaved fennel and radish salad with bottarga and lemon, crispy calamari salad with frisée and carrot-ginger dressing, the panier de crudités with aioli and tapenade, and crostini with three dips — anchoiade, eggplant caviar, and fava purée. On a second visit we had the gazpacho, gambas grillées with chickpeas, romaine, tahini and harissa, and the tomato-mozzarella di bufalo salad.

easthamptonstar.com

W ORCESTER - All season long, Lexington coach Frank Pagliuca had preached the value of the little things in winning softball games.
His words proved prophetic.
Intelligent baserunning, along with the no-hit pitching of junior Kiki Saveriano, led the Minutemaids to a 1-0 win over Gardner in the Division 1 state title game at Worcester State College last night. It was the first state softball title for Lexington (24-2) since 1976.
Gardner (20-5) lost in the state final for the second straight year.
The Minutemaids, who won their last three games by 1-0 scores, had runners in scoring position in every inning but the first, but had failed to come through with a key hit. Ironically, the game’s lone run came without the ball even hitting the bat.
Instead, heads-up baserunning by Beth Rutila and Amanda McKenna allowed the run to score. With one out in the top of the seventh and runners on second (Sarah Heingartner) and third (Rutila), Gardner pitcher Elyssa Boris struck out McKenna on a nasty inside pitch. Unfortunately, the pitch was too nasty for catcher Jocelyn Goodale to handle cleanly, and the ball popped out of her glove. McKenna alertly took off for first, forcing Goodale to make a throw to record the out.
Just as Goodale let go of the ball, Rutila took off for home, sliding in to beat the return throw home.
“Amanda made the play by realizing she needed to take off,” Pagliuca said. “And Beth perfectly timed her jump. It was one of those little things you need to win games like this.”
The inning was set up by little things as well. Rutila led off the seventh with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and reached third on Heingartner’s bunt single. Heingartner took second uncontested to set up the strange, game-winning sequence.

bostonherald.com

Welcome back to another edition of 411’s MMA Roundtable Preview! Yesterday we tackled ELITE XC’s Return of the Kings show, but today we take a look at the latest event from DREAM, DREAM 4! We will look at seven fights, including a Lightweight Grand Prix bout, as well as the four Middleweight Grand Prix bouts that will headline the show! So let’s meet the staff and then we’ll break down the DREAM 4 card!
The new man covering WEC Wreckage, Jonathan Solomon!
The man behind the Ultimate eXperience, Ryan Seymour!
From the Fighting Stance News Report, Adam Tool!
He just wrote a pimp profile on Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, he is Justin Thomas!
The man that compiles the official 411 MMA rankings, Dustin James!
He’s an interview guru, he is the Ground and Pound’s John Curry!
Finally your editor and general show reporterLarry Csonka!
NOTE: Late into the process the Alavutdin Gadzhiyev vs. Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira was changed to Alavutdin Gadzhiyev vs. Ralek Gracie. Due to it being so late in the process, we were not able to make new picks. We apologize fort this.
Jonathan Solomon: Overeem has fought some of the best in the world. Granted he lost most of those fights but you don’t become worse of a fighter against the elite of the sport. Lee has had two pro fights. The man he did beat had ten more losses than wins. This will be quick.
Winner: Alistair Overeem, KO, Round 1
Ryan Seymour: Alistair Overeem will be remembered by some by his performances in the now defunct PRIDE. Overeem has faced the best and has beaten some very talented fighters. Overeem has wins over the likes of Vitor Belfort, Igor Vovchanchyn and Sergei Kharitonov. Overeem can be dangerous with his powerful hooks as well as his great knees. Tae Hyun Lee is an excellent ssireum (Korean wrestling sport) and might be able to take Overeem down at will. My thoughts on this fight is that Overeem will be too strong for Lee and finish him of in the first round.

411mania.com

B OSTON - City officials hoping to rejuvenate Boston Common are looking to a longtime rival for tips.
A Boston contingent put aside the well-known rivalry with New York in a trip to the city’s parks yesterday to see what they could learn.
Crime and drug use on Boston Common have recently made it a dicey place to visit, especially at night.
The 20-person Boston delegation, including city councilors and civic leaders, visited Madison Square Park, Bryant Park and Central Park.
The Boston Globe reports they were impressed with the food offerings, which seemed to attract vibrant crowds.
Mayor Thomas Menino’s office says he’s open to having a restaurant or food stand on the Boston Common.
Attempts to establish a restaurant on the Common have been stymied by difficulties getting a liquor license.

news.bostonherald.com

HONG KONG -
After waiting ten months for a green light from the South Korean government, HSBC admitted it might need to pull the plug on its proposed $6.3 billion acquisition of Korea Exchange Bank. The U.K. banking giant may now turn to Thailand to bid for a 42% stake in BankThai.
Although the British bank had agreed with U.S. private equity fund Lone Star, which has a majority holding in Korea Exchange Bank, to extend the deadline on the transaction for three months, to July 31 this year, HSBC (nyse: HBC - news - people ) is not optimistic that the deal will go through. “It’s an acquisition we would like to complete, but it’s up to regulatory approval,” Sandy Flockhart, chief executive for HSBC Asia-Pacific, told foreign journalists in Taipei on Wednesday. “If nothing happens, we’ll find ourselves in a position to pull out. The board will have to consider that position,” Reuters quoted Flockhart as saying.
South Korea’s Financial Services Commission Chairman Jun Kwang-woo said earlier this month that public perception is a “major constraint” on regulatory approval. He further reiterated that the authority could not give a nod to the KEB deal until legal disputes involving Lone Star are resolved.
HSBC entered into a conditional agreement in early September last year to acquire 51.02% of the issued share capital of KEB from Lone Star for approximately $6.3 billion in cash.
A South Korean court in February convicted Lone Star and the head of its Korean unit, Paul Yoo Hoe-won, of stock price manipulation in the takeover of Korea Exchange Bank’s credit card unit. Yoo was sentenced to a four-year jail term, while Lone Star and KEB were fined 25 billion won ($26.5 million) each. (See: “Seoul Convicts Lone Star Exec Of Stock Manipulation”)

forbes.com

Here is one of the most deeply moving films in years, telling two tales. One is warm and slow. At a nursing home, a visitor (James Garner) reads a love story to a patient (Gena Rowlands).
The other is the story he’s reading, filled with youthful vigor. In the 1940s, a young man (Ryan Gosling), solid and hardworking, pursues a wealthy beauty (Rachel McAdams).
There was much room for sloppy sentiment here, all avoided. Director Nick Cassavetes (Rowland’s son) and his cast offer a richly human story.
The town of Monstropolis, it seems, gets its energy from the screams of frightened children. Now a little girl named Boo changes everything.
This is from the Pixar people, who keep turning out computer-animated fun. Randy Newman’s song, “If I Didn’t Have You,” won an Academy Award.
“Sally Hemings: An American Scandal,” 6-10 p.m., Ion. Spending four hours with this vision of Thomas Jefferson is maddeningly frustrating. Here is a man who seemed to love his slave, yet did nothing to free her. The film is beautifully cast (Sam Neill, Carmen Ejogo) and directed (Charles Haid), but painful to watch.
“Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989), 7-10 p.m., USA Network. The third Indiana Jones movie has two dandy bits of casting — River Phoenix as the young Indy and, later, Sean Connery as his dad.
“Crossroads: A Story of Forgiveness” (2007), 8-10 p.m., Hallmark Channel. In real life, Bruce Murakami’s wife was killed by a teen street racer. The bigger story, however, comes as he gets to know the teen. It’s a fascinating tale.
“Saturday Night Live,” 10:29 p.m., NBC. Here’s a quick rerun of the season finale. Steve Carell hosts, with Usher as the music guest.
Mike Hughes covers television for the Lansing State (Mich.) Journal and Gannett News Service. Reach him at mhughes@lsj.com.

news-leader.com

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - From Iowa to Missouri, officials in the flood-ravaged Midwest were frantically sandbagging, watching weakened dams and rescuing residents from water that in some places rose knee-high, while storms threatened more damage in the Upper Plains.
Several tornadoes touched down in Minnesota’s Nobles, Murray and Cottonwood counties, damaging trees and farm outbuildings, as well as in eastern Nebraska.
In Minnesota and North Dakota, strong winds closed a highway and even sent a cow into the air, a witness said. Winds gusting at 60 miles per hour were responsible for felling two semitrailer trucks near Fergus Falls about 10 a.m. Both directions of Interstate 94 were closed. At 2:15 p.m., the westbound lanes were reopened, and the eastbound lanes were reopened about an hour later.
Strong winds blew down a barn and reportedly sent cows flying through the air earlier near Valley City, N.D., a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office in Barnes County said.
Elva Dittmer, 83, said she was looking out the kitchen window during the storm and saw what she thought was a cow flying 10 feet through the air. Her son Ronald Dittmer, who owns the barn, said one cow was hurt and another had to be euthanized.
"I’ve never seen it before and I hope I never see it again," Elva Dittmer said.
Meanwhile, medical examiners along the East Coast revealed that a heat wave from Saturday to Tuesday had killed 17 people, most of whom were elderly.
‘Volunteers saved this city’
Along the Mississippi River in Missouri and Illinois, the National Weather Service was predicting the worst flooding in 15 years. Outlying areas could be inundated, but most of the towns are protected by levees and many low-lying property owners were bought out after massive flooding in 1993, officials said.
"Everything is flooded — everything is up to knee-high," said Patrice Calhoun of Waterloo, Iowa, who rolled up her pants and waded through water to get home Wednesday morning. "You could actually swim in it."

startribune.com