Angry Birds Star Wars has been updated with 20 new levels, along with 2 new bonus levels, new enemies, and more:
After the epic Battle of Hoth, the Rebel Birds have barely escaped the ice planet with the Pigtroopers in close pursuit! There's an asteroid field close by that could provide some cover... but watch out, there's more to it than meets the eye!
The birds are making their escape from Hoth, fighting pigs though 20 more levels. Moving through the asteroid field, the birds will battle mynock pigs inside an asteroid. Everything culminates in a final boss battle that takes place on a moving stage.
The update is live in the App Store, so go grab it! Let us know what you think in the comments below.
In the wake of a major victory for European environmental organizations, two of the U.K.?s leading home improvement retailers, B&Q and Wickes, have pledged to halt the sale of products containing nicotine-based insecticides that have been linked by researchers to a dramatic population decline among the insect world?s most prolific pollinators.
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Both retailers announced earlier this week that any gardening products containing neonicotinoids, a relatively new family of chemical nerve agents recently identified by the European Food Safety Authority as having a detrimental effect on bees, will be pulled from store shelves. In the case of B&Q, one product containing the widely used imidacloprid will be yanked while Wickes will remove any consumer pesticide products containing thiamethoxam. According to The Guardian, these two compounds along with a third neonicotinoid called clothianidin are believed to be a threat to struggling bee populations.
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Bayer CropScience, the agrochemical subgroup of German aspirin giant and former heroin pusher?Bayer AG, is the primary manufacturer of?neonicotinoid products.
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Although the crucial winged critters have nabbed stateside headlines in recent months for terrorizing unsuspecting?New Yorkers and Canadian homeowners alike, Colony Collapse Disorder remains a very real threat with neonicotinoids and other pesticides fingered as one of the many factors that play a role in the spread of the damaging ??damaging not only to the bees themselves but to agricultural operations across North America and Europe ? and somewhat mysterious phenomenon?along with environmental stressors, poor nutrition, and the spread of the parasitic varroa mite. Some studies have concluded that?neonicotinoids are the culprit behind CCD.?
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Said a spokesperson for B&Q following the company's announcement:
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We have been watching the debate that is developing about the use of pesticides, in particular neonicotinoids, and their potential effect on the UK bee population. Whilst we believe that the vast majority of pesticides are not injurious to bees when used in accordance with the instructions, we have some concerns about the potential for harm to be caused by the unintentional misuse of products containing imidacloprid. In recent years, this active ingredient has been phased out of many retail products, and we currently sell only one garden insecticide that uses this active. As a result of our assessment, we have decided to withdraw it from sale and are investigating alternative treatments to meet customer needs.
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Andrew Pendleton of?Friends of the Earth, one of the organizations that pushed for the ban of neonicotinoids, had this to say:
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We are delighted [the two retailers] are withdrawing these pesticides. Other retailers must follow suit and take action to protect our bees. The spotlight now falls on the UK government. Ministers must help safeguard our beeds by immediately suspending the three pesticides identified by European food safety scientists, and ensuring farmers have safe alternatives. Declining bee numbers are a real threat to food production.
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Upon the EFSA?s landmark announcement earlier this month that neonicotinoids do indeed pose an ?unacceptable? threat to bees, Pendleton claimed that ?this is a major turning point in the battle to save our bees. EFSA have sounded the death knell for one of the chemicals most frequently linked to bee decline and cast serious doubt over the safety of the whole neonicotinoid family.?
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Despite continuously mounting pressure from beekeepers and environemental groups, it appears that the US Environmental Protection Agency is a long ways off from banning neonicotinoids in both commercial agriculture applications and in home gardening products although it does recognize pesticide poisoning as one of the many potential causes of CCD and is currently re-evaluating the insecticide. France, Germany, Slovenia, and Italy have all temporarily or permanently suspended the use of neonicotinoids.
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More over at The Guardian on the recent announcement. Fast Company also has a fantastic, in-depth article from 2010 detailing the stateside push to remove neonicotinoids from the market.?
Time spent watching television is not associated with death among breast cancer survivors Public release date: 31-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Joan Robinson joan.robinson@springer.com 49-622-148-78130 Springer
Study evaluates the link between sedentary time and death among cancer survivors
Spending a lot of time watching television after breast cancer diagnosis is not linked to death in these breast cancer survivors. It appears that after accounting for self-reported physical activity levels after diagnosis, sedentary behavior was not an independent risk factor for death. These findings by Stephanie George, from the National Cancer Institute, and her colleagues, are published online in Springer's Journal of Cancer Survivorship.
On the one hand, research indicates that taking part in regular, moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity after a breast cancer diagnosis may reduce the risk of death. On the other hand, it has been suggested that sedentary time may have negative health consequences. George and team's study is one of the first to evaluate the link between sedentary time and death among cancer survivors, in order to help inform lifestyle recommendations for this expanding and aging population.
Two and a half years after diagnosis, 687 women diagnosed with breast cancer, who took part in the Health, Eating and Lifestyle (HEAL) Study, were asked about the amount of time they spent sitting watching television, and the type, duration and frequency of activities they performed in the past year. They were then followed up for a further seven years, during which time the researchers recorded 89 deaths.
Overall, women who watched the most television were older, more overweight and less active than those who watched the least. More deaths were observed for those who watched the most vs. the least television. However, once self-reported physical activity levels were taken into account along with other important risk factors, the relationship authors observed between television watching and death was weakened and no longer significant.
Dr. George concludes: "It is possible that there is no true independent relationship between post-diagnosis television time and death. HEAL survivors who reported the most television time also reported the equivalent of 140 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity - which is the amount recommended to all adults for general health. Perhaps with this amount of recreational activity, television time may not have an independent effect on survival."
###
Reference
George S et al (2013). The association between television watching time and all-cause mortality after breast cancer. Journal of Cancer Survivorship; DOI 10.1007/s11764-013-0265-y
The full-text article is available to journalists on request.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Time spent watching television is not associated with death among breast cancer survivors Public release date: 31-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Joan Robinson joan.robinson@springer.com 49-622-148-78130 Springer
Study evaluates the link between sedentary time and death among cancer survivors
Spending a lot of time watching television after breast cancer diagnosis is not linked to death in these breast cancer survivors. It appears that after accounting for self-reported physical activity levels after diagnosis, sedentary behavior was not an independent risk factor for death. These findings by Stephanie George, from the National Cancer Institute, and her colleagues, are published online in Springer's Journal of Cancer Survivorship.
On the one hand, research indicates that taking part in regular, moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity after a breast cancer diagnosis may reduce the risk of death. On the other hand, it has been suggested that sedentary time may have negative health consequences. George and team's study is one of the first to evaluate the link between sedentary time and death among cancer survivors, in order to help inform lifestyle recommendations for this expanding and aging population.
Two and a half years after diagnosis, 687 women diagnosed with breast cancer, who took part in the Health, Eating and Lifestyle (HEAL) Study, were asked about the amount of time they spent sitting watching television, and the type, duration and frequency of activities they performed in the past year. They were then followed up for a further seven years, during which time the researchers recorded 89 deaths.
Overall, women who watched the most television were older, more overweight and less active than those who watched the least. More deaths were observed for those who watched the most vs. the least television. However, once self-reported physical activity levels were taken into account along with other important risk factors, the relationship authors observed between television watching and death was weakened and no longer significant.
Dr. George concludes: "It is possible that there is no true independent relationship between post-diagnosis television time and death. HEAL survivors who reported the most television time also reported the equivalent of 140 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity - which is the amount recommended to all adults for general health. Perhaps with this amount of recreational activity, television time may not have an independent effect on survival."
###
Reference
George S et al (2013). The association between television watching time and all-cause mortality after breast cancer. Journal of Cancer Survivorship; DOI 10.1007/s11764-013-0265-y
The full-text article is available to journalists on request.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Nintendo's Wii U was supposed to get TVii when the console launched back in late November. That did not happen. Then, when it did launch in late December, two key features were missing: TiVo and Netflix. Despite insistence that the former would arrive in January 2013, Nintendo tells us that both are delayed beyond January to an unknown point in "early 2013." The company specifically notes that said integration is planned for the United States.
Google Maps and Street View, custom-tailored for the Wii U's tablet-like GamePad, were also given a January 2013 launch window when we first heard back in early December that they were headed to the Wii U. As it turns out, those are also delayed, albeit to a more precise "first quarter of 2013." This news comes on the heels of below expectation Wii U console sales, and word of not one, but two console updates coming later this year aimed at optimizing the hardware -- an issue we struggled with during our review of the console last year.
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Public release date: 31-Jan-2013
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