Jurassic Bummer

A team led by biologist David Penneyused next-generation sequencing to search for ancient DNA in two 10,000-year-old stingless bees that were preserved in copal, tree resin that hasn’t yet fully hardened into amber, found in Colombia. The researchers did not recover any viable ancient DNA,  and reported their results this week (September 11) in PLOS One. "If we cannot pull DNA from copal, then we absolutely cannot do it from amber either," Penney, an expert in amber-encased insects, told The Verge. "So this would be the end of the road for these investigations."

The study seems to lay to rest speculation and some earlier research that claimed to have extracted and sequenced ancient DNA from amber-entombed insects and sounds the death knell for anyone hoping to bring dinosaurs back to life. But sci-fi fans can at least revel in the fact that a sequel to Jurassic Park, dubbed Jurassic World, is slated to hit movie screens in the summer of 2015.

From: Herb Gart <therainbow.com@gmail.com>
Date: September 11, 2013, 4:41:31 PM EDT
To: Bobb Goldsteinn <bogo2000@earthlink.com>
Subject: Copyrights

Thought you should know this!

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Victor Willis, the Village People lyricist and performer of such songs as "Y.M.C.A." and "In the Navy," says he's reclaimed the rights to 33 songs he wrote.

Under a copyright law from 1978, he told the New York Times he's exercised his "termination rights," which allow creators to establish control over works they had signed away after a 35-year period, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2013.

Village People's Victor Willis Speaks Out on Recent Copyright Victory, Trademark Lawsuits

Willis is reportedly the first artist to make such a legal triumph public. In 2011, artists including Bob Dylan and Tom Petty had reportedly filed in advance to reclaim ownership of portions of their catalog.

In May 2012, a judge granted Willis' motion to dismiss publishers' claims against his proceedings, allowing the termination to go forward. A lawyer for the companies behind the Village People's catalog, Stewart L. Levy, told the Times "an appeal of the court's decision permitting such reversion has yet to be taken" and Willis' claim on the songs was "far from certain."

Village People's Victor Willis Wins Huge Rights Reversion Case Over 'YMCA'

However, Willis' lawyers were more confident: "The termination is going to occur," Jonathan Ross told the Times, stating that only the division of rights -- between Willis, the late Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo, a co-writer on "YMCA" and other tracks -- remained to be settled in court.

Beyond its potential precedent in future copyright cases, Willis' apparent victory has left the future of his music, and the still-active Village People, in question.

Judge in 'Y.M.C.A.' Copyright Termination Battle Asks to Hear More Information

"I’ve had lots of offers, from record and publishing companies, a lot of stuff, but I haven’t made up my mind how it’s going to be handled," Willis told the paper, adding that he might clamp down on the group currently touring with his material under the Village People name. "I learned over the years that there are some awesome powers associated with copyright ownership. You can stop somebody from performing your music if you want to, and I might object to some usages.”

I love great art no matter the medium

Beauty, Science-Deep

© PKM1/ISTOCKPHOTO.COMThe trendy look for this season’s cosmetics lab is high-tech instruments and tools. Researchers are using gene microarrays to understand what makes young skin taut and even-toned, and to find out why older epidermis sags, wrinkles, or develops spots. They can then hunt for molecules that activate those same genes in aging or sun-damaged skin. A number of skin-care lines, such as Olay products, already contain ingredients based on microarray work.

Another way makeup makers develop new products is to examine the metabolism of skin cells. A healthy cell, with active mitochondria, is a comely cell. Old cells with fewer or malfunctioning mitochondria look aged. Modern devices can infer metabolic rate based on oxygen consumption and the acidic by-products released by cell cultures into the media in which the cells are grown.

Cultured skin is crucial to in vitro studies of personal-care products. One of the best mimics for the human integument is, not surprisingly, made of human skin. Epidermal cells from elective surgery, dissociated and reconstituted, are common in cosmetics labs where scientists daub on new compounds and test the safety of different formulations.

In fact, these days, product safety testing often takes place in a dish. Rarely do the methods involve using animals, which has been out of vogue for decades, notes Michael Ingrassia, senior manager for skin biology and drug delivery at Dow Pharmaceutical Sciences in Petaluma, California, where he works on the CeraVe moisturizer line. In fact, the desire to limit animal experimentation has driven the development of many modern cosmetics testing methods.

One common goal among cosmetics researchers is to make skin appear fresh and young. Signs of aging vary depending on skin tone. Light-skinned consumers are looking to minimize wrinkles, the earliest sign of aging in people with low levels of melanin in the skin. Buyers with dark, melanin-filled skin frequently seek products to diminish the darkened spots that appear in their skin before wrinkles.

To develop creams and other anti-aging remedies, researchers working at personal-care product companies use many of the same tools as their counterparts in basic research and pharmaceutical sciences.

I love great art no matter the medium

FAI NEWS

CHANGE IN CANADIAN TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKERS PROGRAM

September 6th, 2013

Date: September 4, 2013

To: All Local AFM Officers and Members

RE: CHANGE IN CANADIAN TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKERS PROGRAM AND THE PROCESSING OF THE LABOUR MARKET OPINION APPLICATION

From: Alan Willaert, Vice President from Canada, American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada

While the entire Canadian music industry is, by now, very aware of the processing fee implemented by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) for the Labour Market Opinion (LMO), this communication is intended to clarify some misunderstandings based on the write-ups we've seen on the matter.

Here are the facts:

If you did not require an LMO before, you do not require an LMO now and the processing fee does not affect you.

The Labour Market Opinion (LMO) application form has changed and been revised to include a processing fee of $275 per foreign worker. This is the ONLY change in the process for a temporary foreign worker/performer.

This change in the LMO process in NO WAY affects U.S. AFM members. Therefore, it is status quo for U.S. AFM members who are performing in bars or restaurants, which are not work permit exempt. These members still require a work permit BUT are LMO exempt. The work permit fee is still $150 for a single musician or $450 for groups of 3-14. AFM members must present a cultural exchange letter from the Canadian office, along with their Canadian contracts, upon entry into Canada. See this link for the application forms and a checklist:http://tiny.cc/5how2w

Also, this change in the LMO processing fee in NO WAY affects recognized entertainment venues such as festivals and music conferences/award shows (which are considered exempt), as well as travelling entourages of 15+ workers [musicians, crew, tour manager and all supplemental positions] which are work permit exempt.

There is a difference between the following: Labour Market Opinion, Temporary Work Permit and visas.

Temporary Work Permit: This is required whenever a musician is working in a bar,restaurant or nightclub (NON-EXEMPT venues). This is paid for at the border. The fee for a work permit is $150 per person or $450 per band of 3 members or more who enter at the same port and at the same time. If a musician/band is playing at a theatre, community hall, church, or festival, then they do not require a work permit as these venues are EXEMPT. A Temporary Work Permit is valid for 90 days at a time [so up to a 3 month tour], except in some cases where there is only one engager (such as a symphony orchestra) and the work engagement is for the whole season.  In this type of situation, an LMO is required.

Labour Market Opinion Application form (LMO): This is an HRSDC form that is completed by the Canadian employer/purchaser/promoter who is bringing the foreign act into Canada to work temporarily at a non-exempt venue (bar/restaurant/nightclub). The fee for the processing of the LMO is $275 per foreign artist. If the band is touring Canada and has many non-exempt venues, this LMO and processing fee must be submitted to the HRSDC office nearest the first performance site. The LMO fee cannot be passed through to the foreign worker. The requirement for such engagers to file an LMO is not new; the only change is that a fee is now being charged.

To see if you require a work permit or an LMO for your performances, click link below for the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Foreign Worker Manual and see the chart in Section 5:8 (page 33 and 34): http://tiny.cc/9jow2w

Visa: See if you require a visa to enter Canada. Even if you are working at an exempt venue, you still may be required to obtain a visa to enter Canada. If a foreign entertainer comes from a country that is on Canada's list of countries whose citizens require a visa to enter Canada, he or she will be required to procure one. See this link to determine if you will require a visa to enter Canada: http://tiny.cc/5kow2w

There was consultation by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) with recognized stakeholders, the Canadian Labour Congress and its members being a group of those stakeholders. The small business [venue] owner was most definitely not a target of CIC. It was poor hiring practices of those in major business who were the primary cause for these changes [1.4 million Canadians are unemployed, with a trend of 75% of new jobs being given to temporary foreign workers]. In the entertainment world in 2012, 6000 Canadian actors lost jobs to foreign workers who were not accredited actors.

It is true that these changes were implemented to ensure more jobs for Canadians [labour and entertainment] and better scrutiny in clearing temporary foreign workers by at least a couple of the provincial HRSDC offices across Canada who seemed to rubber stamp LMO applications without much scrutiny.

The other reason for the new fee is so that Canadian taxpayers are no longer subsidizing the processing of foreign worker applications for workers who are potentially taking jobs away from them. The same reasoning in regard to temporary foreign workers has been provided by U.S. immigration departments, as well as those of other countries.

We do not anticipate an impact on foreign entertainers. As outlined above, there are still exempt venues that would be able to offer performance opportunities to overseas musicians.

We hope this clears up the errors in understanding that are out there, and we are more than happy to address any concerns anyone may still have.

My girlfriend said the spark was gone from our relationship, so I tasered her! I'll ask her again when she wakes up!

I love great art no matter the medium