Lifetime takes liberties with Jodi Arias movie

TV

Maria Elena Fernandez TODAY

2 hours ago

The Jodi Arias murder trial was must-watch TV for five months this year because it had everything: young beautiful people; sex, lies, photos and audiotapes; religious obstacles; and a particularly heinous tragic ending.

A month after a jury could not decide unanimously if the convicted murderer should be sentenced to death, Lifetime taking the story of Travis Alexander?s brutal death to the small screen. ?Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret,? a title inspired by Arias? lawyer?s opening argument, premieres Saturday at 8 p.m. The two-hour film starring Tania Raymonde (?Lost?) as Arias and Jesse Lee Soffer (?The Mob Doctor?) as Alexander covers their turbulent and brief relationship more than it does the courtroom drama.

Arias, 32, spent 18 days on the witness stand, where she shared sordid details of every intimate relationship she?s been in as well as her time with Alexander. From her favorite drinks and snacks to her many trips with Alexander to their dirty talk and Tootsie Pops and Pop Rocks trysts, Arias left nothing out?except for a plausible explanation for why she killed a man she said she wanted to marry. Along the way, we heard all the lies Arias told the police, media and anyone who would listen before, during, and after the murder. Then she told some more to the jury.

If there was one story that did not need embellishing, it was this one. But "Dirty Little Secret" co-writers Richard Blaney and Gregory Small do take some creative licenses and fill in a few blanks the trial did not cover. What's real and what's not? Here's your guide to five of the larger departures. Spoiler alert!

1.Las Vegas, 2006

TRIALFACT: Arias and Alexander met in Sin City at the first Prepaid Legal Services convention she attended. She testified that he made a beeline to introduce himself at a mixer and later invited her to a dinner for executives as his guest. Because he was so ?attentive,? she said she had to tell him that she lived with her boyfriend and was ?monogamous.?

FILMFICTION: As Alexander gives a speech at a conference about ?putting a bull's-eye? on what you want and not letting anything get in the way, Arias is in the audience taking in every syllable. When he finishes and retreats to the men?s room, she follows him inside. ?I just want you to know that I think you?re amazing,? she says as she barges in and he?s standing at the urinal. Could Arias have been nutty enough to introduce herself to Alexander this way? Perhaps if she had, Alexander would have stayed clear of her.

2.Sexual Encounter No. 1

FACT: After the Las Vegas conference, Arias went home to Palm Desert, Calif., and broke up with her boyfriend. Four days later, she and Alexander met at a friend?s house in Temecula, Calif., where he snuck into her room in the middle of the night and gave her oral sex, she testified. She removed his Mormon temple garments and returned the favor. ?There was no conversation,? she testified. ?I thought there was going to be, but there wasn?t. We sat down and started passionately kissing?I was apprehensive but I was going with it. I didn?t want to tell him no.?

FICTION: During a very awkward conversation full of cheesy sexual innuendos, Arias comes on to Alexander and invites herself to his hotel room to ?drink coffee.? Alexander responds by giving her a little pep talk about why she blows him away and he must refuse. The next night, however, Alexander drinks his coffee. Black.

3.Alexander?s best friends warn him to break up with Arias

FACT: Although Chris Hughes, Alexander?s best friend, was not asked about this incident when he testified, he and his wife appeared regularly on HLN during the trial and told the story of the night Arias scared them to the point they asked her never to return to their house again. While Arias was supposed to be sleeping in the middle of the night, they had a talk with Alexander in their bedroom about their concerns about her bizarre and possessive behavior. Sky Hughes said she felt a bad vibe and told Alexander to open the door. Arias, who had been eavesdropping, was standing there and gave them a ?creepy? look that frightened them enough to tell her to stay away.

FICTION: Sitting by Alexander?s pool, the Hughes talk to Alexander about Arias? obsessive behavior. ?We don?t like her for you.? Alexander responds by saying they don?t need to worry because he?s not in it for the long-term. Arias opens the door and startles them. She and Alexander then get into a fight. ?You think I?m gonna be your booty call forever? If so, man up and tell me,? she begs. Alexander breaks up with her. But it doesn?t end there.

4.The Day of the Murder

FACT: In April 2008, Arias packed up her things and moved to Yreka, Calif., to live with her grandparents. On June 4, 2008, while supposedly en route to Utah on Prepaid Legal business, Arias drove 1000 miles to Alexander?s home in Mesa, Arizona, arriving around 4 a.m. Thirteen hours later, she slashed his throat, stabbed him 28 other times and shot him once in the head and then drove to Utah where she made out with another man.

FICTION: At one point after their break-up, Arias is shown in Yreka, Calif. at her grandparents? house, holding her grandfather?s gun. But then Arias shows up at Alexander?s Arizona house around midnight on June 4, 2008 and tells him she is there to say goodbye because she is moving to Yreka. After some weird talk about how easy she is to be with, Alexander asks her if she wants to spend the night.

5.Travis Alexander?s Death

FACT: We will never know exactly why Arias killed Alexander unless she decides to fess up. She said their fight started when she accidentally dropped the camera after they?d spent the afternoon having sex and photographing one another. The prosecution argued it was all a pre-meditated set-up as Arias was in a jealous rage because he was going to Cancun, Mexico, with another woman. If Arias couldn?t have him, nobody could, the prosecution argued.

FICTION: A text from Katie (his new girlfriend) asking Alexander to meet to talk sends Arias into a rage as Alexander begins to shower. Angrily, Arias directs Alexander to pose for pictures in the shower until she gets him into the vulnerable position she is seeking. Within minutes, his life is over as she surprises him with the knife and later shoots him.

Our Verdict

Raymonde does an admirable job of channeling Arias' crazy-behind-the-eyes behavior trial followers heard described nightly on HLN as well as her insecurities. But Soffer doesn't do justice to Alexander's charisma and swagger, so it's hard to buy her obsession with him. The movie probably would have benefitted from some distance from the irresistible trial. Too much of this sad saga is engrained in our minds.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/true-or-false-lifetime-takes-liberties-jodi-arias-movie-6C10345062

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U.S. files espionage charges against NSA leaker (cbsnews)

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US stocks edge lower after a two-day plunge

Specialist Gregg Maloney, left, works with a trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, June 21, 2013. U.S. stocks rose in morning trading on Friday as traders regrouped following the biggest drop of the year. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Specialist Gregg Maloney, left, works with a trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, June 21, 2013. U.S. stocks rose in morning trading on Friday as traders regrouped following the biggest drop of the year. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Specialist Joseph Mastrolia, left, and trader George Ettinger work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, June 21, 2013. U.S. stocks rose in morning trading on Friday as traders regrouped following the biggest drop of the year. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Richard Newman, left, works with fellow traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, June 21, 2013. U.S. stocks rose in morning trading on Friday as traders regrouped following the biggest drop of the year. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

The stock market is edging lower in midday trading as investors regroup following the biggest drop of the year.

The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 42 points, or 0.3 percent, to 14,708 as of noon Eastern Daylight Time Friday.

The Dow plunged 560 points Wednesday through Thursday after the Federal Reserve said it could wind down its bond-buying program by the middle of next year if the economy continues to improve.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell eight points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,580 points. Technology stocks fell the most in the index after Oracle reported disappointing results late Thursday.

The Nasdaq composite index fell 35 points, or 1 percent, to 3,329.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.50 percent from 2.42 percent.

Gold edged higher.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-06-21-Wall%20Street-Midday/id-1d09d6f1435849c4bc2b299d0f908bcd

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Obama Catholic schools flap: Did he really call for end of religious schools?

Some critics say that remarks President Obama made on a visit to Northern Ireland this week amount to an assault on schools run by religious sects.?But Obama also has defenders on this one ? including some within the Roman Catholic Church.

By Mark Trumbull,?Staff writer / June 22, 2013

President Barack Obama speaks at the Belfast Waterfront on Monday, June 17, 2013, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Obama was attending the G-8 summit in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland.

Evan Vucci/AP

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Did President Obama just step into political trouble on a new issue, or didn?t he?

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Some critics say that remarks made by Mr. Obama on a visit to Northern Ireland this week amount to an assault on schools run by religious sects ? including the Catholic schools that are prominent in the US as well as in Northern Ireland.

But, at a time when the president is under fire on multiple fronts, he also has defenders on this one ? including some within the Roman Catholic Church.

Here?s what Obama said in remarks about building and maintaining peace across sectarian lines:

?There are still wounds [in Northern Ireland] that haven?t healed, and communities where tensions and mistrust hangs in the air.? A little later he added: ?If towns remain divided ??if Catholics have their schools and buildings, and Protestants have theirs???if we can?t see ourselves in one another, if fear or resentment are allowed to harden, that encourages division. It discourages cooperation.?

Since he uttered those words in Belfast on June 17, they?ve spawned resentment and opposition in some quarters ? including among some US conservatives and Catholics.

?Catholic education is not the source of ?division? in Northern Ireland, nor are they a source of division anywhere in the world,? wrote Brian Burch, president of the group Catholic Vote. ?Catholic schools educate children without regard for race, class, sex, origin, or even religious faith. The work of Catholic education is a response to the Gospel call to serve, not divide.?

The tiff over Obama?s words comes as the president has been struggling in public-opinion polls lately against a succession of problems, from controversies involving the Internal Revenue Service and citizen privacy to questions about his leadership on issues like health care reform and the conflict in Syria.

Mr. Burch has called on Catholics to sign a petition seeking an apology from Obama. The petition also refers to a ?growing pattern of hostility on the part of this administration toward Catholics,? mentioning as examples aspects of the president?s health care reform law and a Justice Department argument to the Supreme Court against a religious exemption to employment discrimination laws.

But Bill Donahue, president of the Catholic League, has a different take on Obama?s remarks. He says critics have taken the words wildly out of context ? if they?ve paid attention to the words at all.

?There are plenty of reasons to be critical of President Obama?s policies as they relate to the Catholic Church, and I have not been shy in stating them. But the reaction on the part of conservatives, many of whom are Catholic, over his speech in Ireland, is simply insane,? Mr. Donahue said in a Friday blog post.

?Obama was not condemning Catholic schools ??he was condemning segregation,? Donahue wrote. ?He was calling attention to the fact that where social divisions exist, the prospects for social harmony are dimmed. How can anyone reasonable disagree with this observation??

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/8gsYYg4zaOQ/Obama-Catholic-schools-flap-Did-he-really-call-for-end-of-religious-schools

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Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky

Reading the reports of a million demonstrators in streets of Brazillian cities this past week, it is hard not to think of my own city.

Protesters chanted, ?When your son is ill, take him to the stadium.?

And, ?Any good teacher is worth more than Neymar,? in reference to the Brazillian soccer star.

And my favorite.???The people, united, are a gigantic bunch of dudes.?

Money on sports stadiums instead of schools?

Wait. Are we talking about Sao Paulo or Chicago?

Our protests haven?t numbered in the millions.

But neither did the protests in Sao Paulo and Rio.

Until last week.

Perfect storms of outrage are hard to predict.

Just ask Michael Bilandic.

Or Jane Byrne for that matter.

And then there is the phony outrage of the media.

When CTU President Karen Lewis gave a speech to the City Club of Chicago last week she had the chutzpah to suggest that education decisions are being made by rich white people who have no connection to the working and middle class white people or the majority of minority kids who go to CPS.

?She?s playing the race card!?

Holy shit! Not the race card.

The nerve of Lewis for mentioning that race is an issue in ? of all places ? Chicago.

And just to prove the point, a few days later Rahm appointed a rich white person to the CPS board to replace the rich white person who left to go work for President Obama.

But that?s not playing the race card?

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Source: http://preaprez.wordpress.com/2013/06/22/saturday-coffee-166/

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HTC Creative Director Daniel Hundt on the first-gen iPod, Leica M8 and the quandary of constant social connectivity

Every week, a new and interesting human being tackles our decidedly geeky take on the Proustian Q&A. This is the Engadget Questionnaire.

In this week's installment of your smattering of queries, HTC's Creative Director Daniel Hundt chats up the versatile smartphone and responsible consumption. For a look at all of the responses, cozy up on the other side of the break.

Filed under: Misc, HTC

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Russian rights group evicted from Moscow office

By Steve Gutterman

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Authorities forcibly evicted a prominent Russian human rights organization from its office in the early hours of Saturday in a raid its director said he believed was ordered by officials in President Vladimir Putin's administration.

For Human Rights is one of the best-known of the hundreds of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which have been subjected to state inspections under a law Putin signed last year requiring NGOs with foreign funding to register as "foreign agents".

Western powers and rights groups view the legislation and inspections as being aimed at intimidating activists and silencing criticism of Putin, who started a new six-year term in May 2012.

Putin, who has accused Western governments of using NGOs to spy on Russia and influence the political situation, says the law is needed to ensure transparency and that the checks are to enforce legal compliance.

Riot police and Moscow mayor's office representatives entered the building housing the office of For Human Rights at about 2 a.m. (6 p.m. EDT Friday), ejecting at least six employees and supporters, said the group's director, Lev Ponomaryov.

"They treated us very roughly. I was dragged across the floor and then kicked," the 72-year-old said by telephone. He said he and five others were taken by ambulance to a first-aid clinic with bruises and scrapes, but none were in hospital.

A Moscow property official, Maxim Gaman, told state-run news agency RIA on Friday that For Human Rights was being evicted because its lease on the city-owned premises had run out in February and had been terminated on May 27.

A police spokesman said officers had been sent to help city officials evict the group because its lease had run out.

Ponomaryov said the group had not received an eviction notice. He said several security officers had come on Friday afternoon and told them to leave but provided no eviction order.

He said the eviction may have been motivated by the group's refusal to give prosecutors documents they had demanded under the foreign agent law.

"I don't know if Putin is behind it but there must have been a decision at a very high level, in the Kremlin," he said. He also blamed Kremlin-appointed mayor Sergei Sobyanin for the eviction.

The presidential press service declined to comment, and Sobyanin's office could not immediately be reached.

Ponomaryov said he had expected to extend the lease as he had done in previous years, and that he was up to date on rent payments. "It's all entirely illegal," he said, adding that a court decision was required to carry out an eviction.

Russia's human rights ombudsman, Vladimir Lukin, said city and law enforcement authorities had "tried to resolve a dispute between two parties unilaterally without involving the courts".

He said he had been barred from the scene of the raid in what he called a "crude violation of federal constitutional law", Interfax news agency reported.

(Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Jason Bush and Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-rights-group-evicted-moscow-office-094115267.html

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Vacation home industry makes major push for an affluent market ...

The Central Florida Vacation Rental Managers Association is about to launch a major advertising campaign to promote the local vacation home industry.

ORLANDO ? Now at the start of the summer tourist season, Nigel Worrall noted, Central Florida?s vacation home industry appears to be on track for another successful year.
And that?s been true, he added, even as the entire tourism industry took a hit when the national recession began in 2008. Even as consumers gripped their wallets, the vacation home market continued to attract families seeking more room than a hotel could offer during their Orlando area vacation.
?It is one industry that has grown, even with the recession,? said Worrall, who runs Florida Leisure Vacation Homes.
But even as the industry ? made up of property managements who oversee fully furnished homes in luxury resorts, rented to tourists and travelers on a short-term basis ? continues to expand, there?s always room for improvement, including a stronger marketing strategy, said Worrall.
?We do want to do something so that we can do better,? he said.
Worrall is the vice-president of the Central Florida Vacation Rental Manager?s Association, the trade group representing property managers who operate the many vacation homes available to rent in this region. This is a particularly fast-growing market in Lake, Osceola and Polk counties, and has been for more than a decade. These homes offer families the option of spending their vacation in a fully furnished home with multiple bedrooms, a kitchen and dining area, game room and private pool. The association held its monthly meeting on Thursday morning at Fun Spot on International Drive.
Now the CFVRMA is planning a major advertising buy ? one that the members hope will significantly expand the industry?s recognition among vacation travelers.
?We have to work better together, so we need a marketing plan,? Worrall said.
Working in conjunction with the agency Experience Kissimmee ? which works to promote everything in the Kissimmee area ? the CFVRMA is running an advertisement in AARP Magazine. ?Stay in the Heart of Orlando?s attractions in your own private vacation home,? the ad will read, in magazines distributed in the Midatlantic and Southeastern regions of the nation. It will appear in AARP Magazine?s August/September edition.
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for people age 50 and over, dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of its members as they age. AARP provides a wide range of benefits, including receiving the bimonthly ?AARP Magazine,? which addresses the needs and concerns of the 50-plus population. The magazine, published 11 times a year, covers a range of topics, including health, finance and leisure.
Worrall said this ad for the vacation home industry is ?targeted to the affluent boomer market,? or the Baby Boomer generation, born between the years 1946 and 1964, and still a very active part of the leisure travel market.
?We?ve agreed to run a half-page advert,? Worrall said. ?We?ve honed in on the Baby Boomers. There are 32 million people who fit the demographic we want to attract, and we know AARP is where you need to be.?
The ad will cost $100,000, and will be financed by Experience Kissimmee.
An Flamand, president of the CFVRMA, said that shows Osceola County?s tourism leaders are recognizing the important role that the vacation home industry plays in the economy today.
?We?re very excited that Experience Kissimmee was open to listening to us, and this is a big to-do for our industry,? said Flamand, who runs USA Vacation Homes & Spa in Davenport. ?It opens the door for better results, for sure.?
Worrall agreed, saying until this year, agencies like the Kissimmee/Osceola County Convention and Visitors Bureau did not promote the vacation home industry as aggressively as area hotels and other attractions.
?The one thing that they have not marketed until now, or done very limited marketing on, has been with our industry,? he said.
Since meeting with CVB officials last December, Worrall said, that?s changed. And the CFVRMA has since been developing a stronger marketing strategy to target the audience they feel will be most receptive to the idea of staying in a vacation home close to the theme parks.
?We knew that we wanted to target a more affluent traveler,? he said. ?It?s time to change the overall demographics in the county, and we need to lead the charge on that.?
As part of this campaign, CFVRMA is also establishing an 800 number that people can call to get information on the vacation home industry, and an improved web site.
?The first thing we need to do on the web site is sell why people should come to this area,? Worrall said.
Allan Oakley, marketing director of Alexander Holiday Homes and member of the CFVRMA, pointed out that a lot of vacation homes are in Polk County as well.
?Since Experience Kissimmee is flipping the bill, can we only advertise Osceola homes?? he asked.
Worrall said the CFVRMA is also working with tourism officials in Polk County on a marketing strategy as well.

Contact us at FreelineOrlando@gmail.com.

Written by: Michael W Freeman for Freeline Media on June 20, 2013.

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Source: http://freelinemediaorlando.com/vacation-home-industry-makes-major-push-for-an-affluent-audience/16468/

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Stock market rises sharply after hiring picks up

Trader VIncent Quinones, center, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the close of trading, Thursday, May 23, 2013. Stocks are ended the day slightly lower after recouping a big loss early on. U.S. markets fell immediately after the opening bell following a global slump prompted in part by an unexpectedly weak report on manufacturing in China.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Trader VIncent Quinones, center, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the close of trading, Thursday, May 23, 2013. Stocks are ended the day slightly lower after recouping a big loss early on. U.S. markets fell immediately after the opening bell following a global slump prompted in part by an unexpectedly weak report on manufacturing in China.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The stock market is closing sharply higher after the government reported a pickup in hiring last month.

The Dow Jones Industrial average rose 207 points, or 1.4 percent, to 15,248 Firday. It was the Dow's second-biggest gain this year.

Boeing led the Dow higher with a gain of 2.7 percent.

The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 20 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,643. The Nasdaq rose 45 points, or 1.3 percent, to 3,469.

Indexes rose after the government reported that employers added 175,000 jobs last month, slightly more than expected. More people also started looking for work.

Investors still expect the Federal Reserve to continue its stimulus.

Two stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was lighter than usual at 3.3 billion shares.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-06-07-US-Wall-Street-Close/id-ffa3a664c4434f91aea5ba9de2acd86f

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Ousted 'Voice' singer explains breakdown

TV

Ree Hines TODAY contributor

14 hours ago

When Holly Tucker learned she didn't make it to the final five on "The Voice," the country singer didn't hide her feelings. Rather than pretending it was all OK, as so many others have done before her, she broke down in tears while her Team Blake pals, The Swon Brothers, comforted her.

During a Thursday morning visit to TODAY, the ousted contestant explained why the moment hit her so hard.

"I think it was just the fact that I've been here for almost two months now and just going through this whole process," Tucker explained. "It's been a lot of work, a lot of time put into it. I was thinking about how much I'm going to miss my teammates, and how much I?m going to miss everybody there on the show."

Now the tears are over for the 19-year-old. Instead of mourning what's she's lost, she's focused on what she's gained.

"I have watched myself literally transform as a performer," she said of her time working with coach Blake Shelton. "I've gotten so much experience, and I can't be more grateful for it."

As for what's next for Tucker, she's had to make a tough choice: school or music career.

"Education will always be there, but the platform that 'The Voice' has given me will not," she said. "I need to really capitalize on that. I want to get music out there as soon as possible, 'cause ultimately, that's what I love and that's my passion."

See how the remaining contestants fare in the competition when "The Voice" airs Monday at 8 p.m. on NBC.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/ousted-voice-singer-explains-breakdown-6C10223331

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Microsoft says IE10 owns the coveted 'most energy efficient browser' title

Ever been concerned about the energy consumption of your web browser? Us neither, but that hasn't stopped Microsoft from ballyhooing that stat to sway you in favor of Internet Explorer. According to the latest tests it commissioned from Fraunhofer USA, IE10 uses up to 18 percent less power in browsing, Flash and HTML5 tasks than its main rivals, Chrome and Firefox. The company claims that translates into more than just boon for your battery life. Redmond goes so far as to say that if every single Chrome and Firefox user switched to IE10, it would save enough energy to power over 10,000 US homes for a year (translation: Google and Mozilla are hurting the Earth). We can't and won't vouch for the authenticity of that statement, but we do know that's a lot of users we're talking about.

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

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Apple's WWDC 2013 keynote happens Monday, get your liveblog here!

It's sure looking like we'll be getting ourselves a seventh version of iOS come Monday morning, but we'd guess Apple has some other surprises in store for the keynote that will kick off WWDC 2013. New laptops? Probably. An updated desktop operating system? Possibly. A television? Unlikely, but hey, anything can happen. We'll be there to help you find out, liveblogging the keynote from start to finish and bringing you all the news as it happens. We'll also be doing a live, streaming broadcast before the keynote to whet your appetite and get you up to speed on what to expect from the day's Apple news. After the event we'll be streaming live again, to give you a video rundown of all the news -- and maybe an early look at the day's new products. You can find the link to the liveblog and the time to click it right here:

Apple WWDC 2013 Liveblog

6/10/2013 1:00:00 PM

Filed under: Laptops, Software, Apple

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/07/apples-wwdc-2013-keynote-happens-monday-get-your-liveblog-here/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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News in Brief: Bird penises start strong, wither away

Male chickens lose phalluses before hatching

By Cristy Gelling

Web edition: June 6, 2013

Enlarge

A false-color micrograph shows the rudimentary penis (pink) of a chick embryo before it begins to shrink.

Credit: A.M. Herrera and M.J. Cohn, University of Florida

Some ducks have penises longer than their bodies, while chickens make do with a tiny bump. The vast size difference between the two types of fowl is due to a wave of cell death during chicken development, researchers report June 6 in Current Biology.

Although the ancestors of birds had penises, 97 percent of bird species have phalluses so small that they can?t insert into the female genitalia. Martin Cohn of the University of Florida and his colleagues found that in chick embryos, a gene turns on in the tip of the developing phallus, causing the cells to die and the tissue to wither away. In duck embryos, the gene does not turn on and the penis keeps on growing.

The researchers were able to kick-start some growth of the embryonic chick penis by blocking the action of the gene. That result suggests that chickens have not entirely lost the genetic pathways that make their waterfowl relatives better endowed.

---

Suggested Reading

S. Milius. For ducks, penis length depends on the other guys. Science News. Vol.178, August 28, 2010, p. 11. Available online: [Go to]

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350864/title/News_in_Brief_Bird_penises_start_strong_wither_away

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Hospitals see surge of superbug-fighting products

Using ultraviolet light, a machine disinfects a hospital room at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Using ultraviolet light, a machine disinfects a hospital room at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Michael Claes, 62, who contracted a superbug while in the hospital, poses for a photograph while recovering at home in New York, Monday, April 8, 2013. Claes caught a bad case of a diarrheal illness caused by Clostridium dificile, while he was a kidney patient last fall at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Michael Claes, 62, who contracted a superbug while in the hospital, shows a bottle of one of his daily medications on Monday, April 8, 2013 as he recovers at home in New York. Claes caught a bad case of a diarrheal illness caused by Clostridium dificile, while he was a kidney patient at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital in fall 2012. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Using ultraviolet light, a machine disinfects a hospital room at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Using ultraviolet light, a machine disinfects a hospital room at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK (AP) ? They sweep. They swab. They sterilize. And still the germs persist.

In U.S. hospitals, an estimated 1 in 20 patients pick up infections they didn't have when they arrived, some caused by dangerous 'superbugs' that are hard to treat.

The rise of these superbugs, along with increased pressure from the government and insurers, is driving hospitals to try all sorts of new approaches to stop their spread:

Machines that resemble "Star Wars" robots and emit ultraviolet light or hydrogen peroxide vapors. Germ-resistant copper bed rails, call buttons and IV poles. Antimicrobial linens, curtains and wall paint.

While these products can help get a room clean, their true impact is still debatable. There is no widely-accepted evidence that these inventions have prevented infections or deaths.

Meanwhile, insurers are pushing hospitals to do a better job and the government's Medicare program has moved to stop paying bills for certain infections caught in the hospital.

"We're seeing a culture change" in hospitals, said Jennie Mayfield, who tracks infections at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

Those hospital infections are tied to an estimated 100,000 deaths each year and add as much as $30 billion a year in medical costs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency last month sounded an alarm about a "nightmare bacteria" resistant to one class of antibiotics. That kind is still rare but it showed up last year in at least 200 hospitals.

Hospitals started paying attention to infection control in the late 1880s, when mounting evidence showed unsanitary conditions were hurting patients. Hospital hygiene has been a concern in cycles ever since, with the latest spike triggered by the emergence a decade ago of a nasty strain of intestinal bug called Clostridium difficile, or C-diff.

The diarrhea-causing C-diff is now linked to 14,000 U.S. deaths annually. That's been the catalyst for the growing focus on infection control, said Mayfield, who is also president-elect of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

C-diff is easier to treat than some other hospital superbugs, like methicillin-resistant staph, or MRSA, but it's particularly difficult to clean away. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers don't work and C-diff can persist on hospital room surfaces for days. The CDC recommends hospital staff clean their hands rigorously with soap and water ? or better yet, wear gloves. And rooms should be cleaned intensively with bleach, the CDC says.

Michael Claes developed a bad case of C-diff while he was a kidney patient last fall at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital. He and his doctor believe he caught it at the hospital. Claes praised his overall care, but felt the hospital's room cleaning and infection control was less than perfect.

"I would use the word 'perfunctory,'" he said.

Lenox Hill spokeswoman Ann Silverman disputed that characterization, noting hospital workers are making efforts that patients often can't see, like using hand cleansers dispensers in hallways. She ticked off a list of measure used to prevent the spread of germs, ranging from educating patients' family members to isolation and other protective steps with each C-diff patient.

The hospital's C-diff infection rate is lower than the state average, she said.

Westchester Medical Center, a 643-bed hospital in the suburbs of New York City has also been hit by cases of C-diff and the other superbugs.

Complicating matters is the fact that larger proportions of hospital patients today are sicker and more susceptible to the ravages of infections, said Dr. Marisa Montecalvo, a contagious diseases specialist at Westchester.

There's a growing recognition that it's not only surgical knives and operating rooms that need a thorough cleaning but also spots like bed rails and even television remote controls, she said. Now there's more attention to making sure "that all the nooks and crannies are clean, and that it's done in perfect a manner as can be done," Montecalvo said.

Enter companies like Xenex Healthcare Services, a Texas company that makes a portable, $125,000 machine that's rolled into rooms to zap C-diff and other bacteria and viruses dead with ultraviolet light. Xenex has sold or leased devices to more than 100 U.S. hospitals, including Westchester Medical Center.

The market niche is expected to grow from $30 million to $80 million in the next three years, according to Frost & Sullivan, a market research firm.

Mark Stibich, Xenex's chief scientific officer, said client hospitals sometimes call them robots and report improved satisfaction scores from patients who seem impressed that the medical center is trotting out that kind of technology.

At Westchester, they still clean rooms, but the staff appreciates the high-tech backup, said housekeeping manager Carolyn Bevans.

"We all like it," she said of the Xenex.

At Cooley Dickinson Hospital, a 140-bed facility in Northampton, Mass., the staff calls their machines Thing One, Thing Two, Thing Three and Thing Four, borrowing from the children's book "The Cat in the Hat."

But while the things in the Dr. Seuss tale were house-wrecking imps, Cooley Dickinson officials said the ultraviolet has done a terrific job at cleaning their hospital of the difficult C-diff.

"We did all the recommended things. We used bleach. We monitored the quality of cleaning," but C-diff rates wouldn't budge, said nurse Linda Riley, who's in charge of infection prevention at Cooley Dickinson.

A small observational study at the hospital showed C-diff infection rates fell by half and C-diff deaths fell from 14 to 2 during the last two years, compared to the two years before the machines.

Some experts say there's not enough evidence to show the machines are worth it. No national study has shown that these products have led to reduced deaths or infection rates, noted Dr. L. Clifford McDonald of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

His point: It only takes a minute for a nurse or visitor with dirty hands to walk into a room, touch a vulnerable patient with germy hands, and undo the benefits of a recent space-age cleaning.

"Environments get dirty again," McDonald said, and thorough cleaning with conventional disinfectants ought to do the job.

Beyond products to disinfect a room, there are tools to make sure doctors, nurses and other hospital staff are properly cleaning their hands when they come into a patient's room. Among them are scanners that monitor how many times a health care worker uses a sink or hand sanitizer dispenser.

Still, "technology only takes us so far," said Christian Lillis, who runs a small foundation named after his mother who died from a C-diff infection.

Lillis said the hospitals he is most impressed with include Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, where thorough cleanings are confirmed with spot checks. Fluorescent powder is dabbed around a room before it's cleaned and a special light shows if the powder was removed. That strategy was followed by a 28 percent decline in C-diff, he said.

He also cites Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill., where the focus is on elbow grease and bleach wipes. What's different, he said, is the merger of the housekeeping and infection prevention staff. That emphasizes that cleaning is less about being a maid's service than about saving patients from superbugs.

"If your hospital's not clean, you're creating more problems than you're solving," Lillis said.

___

Online:

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/hai/

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-29-Disinfecting%20Robots/id-0c529490a0e4438295df6d3d8cbca31d

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Pattern seen in alleged chemical arms use in Syria

BEIRUT (AP) ? The instances in which chemical weapons are alleged to have been used in Syria were purportedly small in scale: nothing along the lines of Saddam Hussein's 1988 attack in Kurdish Iraq that killed thousands.

That raises the question of who would stand to gain as President Bashar Assad's regime and the opposition trade blame for the alleged attacks, and proof remains elusive.

Analysts say the answer could lie in the past ? the regime has a pattern of gradually introducing a weapon to the conflict to test the international community's response.

The U.S. said last week that intelligence indicates the Syrian military has likely used sarin, a deadly nerve agent, on at least two occasions in the civil war, echoing similar assessments from Israel, France and Britain. Syria's rebels accuse the regime of firing chemical weapons on at least four occasions, while the government denies the charges and says opposition fighters have used chemical agents in a bid to frame it.

But using chemical weapons to try to force foreign intervention would be a huge gamble for the opposition, and one that could easily backfire. It would undoubtedly taint the rebellion in the eyes of the international community and seriously strain its credibility.

Mustafa Alani, an analyst at the Gulf Research Center in Geneva, said it would also be difficult for the rebels to successfully employ chemical agents.

"It's very difficult to weaponize chemical weapons," he said. "It needs a special warhead, for the artillery a special fuse."

In the chaos of Syria's civil war, pinning down definitive proof on the alleged use of weapons of mass destruction is a tricky task with high stakes. President Barack Obama has said any use of chemical arms ? or the transfer of stockpiles to terrorists ? would cross a "red line" and carry "enormous consequences."

Already, the White House's announcement that the Syrian regime appears to have used chemical arms has ratcheted up the pressure on Obama to move forcefully. He has sought to temper expectations of a quick U.S. response, saying too little is known about the alleged attacks to take action now.

Analysts suggest that a limited introduction of the weapons, with little ostensible military gain, could be an attempt by the Syrian government to test the West's resolve while retaining the veil of plausible deniability. This approach would also allow foreign powers eager to avoid a costly intervention in Syria to remain on the sidelines, while at the same time opening the door for the regime to use the weapons down the road.

"If it's testing the water, and we're going to turn a blind eye, it could be used widely, repeatedly," Alani said. "If you are silent once, you will be silent twice."

The slow introduction of a weapon to gauge the West's response fits a pattern of behavior the Assad regime has demonstrated since the uprising began in March 2011, according to Joseph Holliday, a Syria analyst at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.

When largely peaceful protesters initially took to the streets, the regime responded with small arms fire and a wave of arrests. As the government ramped up its violent crackdown, the opposition began to take up arms in late 2011, prompting yet another escalation in force by the regime.

In early 2012, government troops began using heavy weapons, first in a relatively restrained manner on military targets.

"Once they could confirm that there wasn't going to be a major reaction from the West, they were able to expand the use of artillery," Holliday said.

By the summer of 2012, government troops were pounding rebellious neighborhoods with tank fire, field cannons and mortars, but the rebellion was stronger than ever, prompting Assad to turn to his air force, and the regime's MiG fighter jets and helicopter gunships began to strike military targets in rural areas.

After the government was satisfied that the international community wasn't going to impose a no-fly zone like NATO did in Libya, Assad unleashed the full might of his air power, and warplanes have been indiscriminately bombing rebel-held areas since.

"It all fits the pattern of being able to do this incrementally," Holliday said.

"It's been important for the regime to introduce these capabilities as gradually as possible so that they don't trip the international community's red lines," he added. "I think this is basically a modus operandi that the Assad regime has established and tested with the United States, and confirmed that it works, and he's using it again with chemical weapons."

Syria has never confirmed it even has chemical weapons. But it is believed to possess substantial stockpiles of mustard gas and a range of nerve agents, including sarin, a highly toxic substance that can suffocate its victims by paralyzing muscles around their lungs.

Concern rose last summer when then-Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi told a news conference that Damascus would only use chemical or biological weapons in case of foreign attack, not against its own people. The ministry then tried to blur the issue, saying it had never acknowledged having such arms.

Weapons of mass destruction are generally viewed as a deterrent against foreign attack, and their use a sign of desperation. But Assad appears far from desperate at the moment, and in fact is operating from a position of relative strength.

While much of northern Syria has fallen to the rebels, the government's hold on Damascus is firm and its forces have been on the offensive in the capital's suburbs and in the countryside near the border with Lebanon. In the northwest, regime troops recently opened up a key supply road to soldiers fighting in the embattled city of Aleppo.

Two of the alleged attacks the Syrian opposition blames on the regime took place in and around Aleppo: one in Khan al-Assal west of the city on March 19, and another in the contested Shiekh Maqsoud neighborhood on April 13. The other alleged instances were in the central city of Homs on Dec. 23 and in the village of Otaybah outside Damascus on March 19.

It is not clear exactly how many people died in those attacks because of the scarcity of credible information. The Syrian government seals off areas it controls to journalists and outside observers, making details of the attacks sketchy. But reports from anti-Assad activists and the government provide a basic outline.

Opposition activists have posted videos and pictures online of alleged victims of the attacks foaming at the mouth or with blister burns ? symptoms consistent with chemical weapons attacks, but also other munitions. The Syrian state news agency, after one attack it blamed on rebels, published photos of casualties, including children. None showed signs of physical injuries.

Both sides in the civil war, which has already killed more than 70,000 people, have tried to use the issue to sway international opinion.

Rebels have been clamoring for more robust international action against the Assad regime. At a recent gathering in Turkey of the rebellion's international supporters, the opposition political leadership demanded drone strikes on regime targets and the imposition of a no-fly zone, and it reiterated calls for transfers of heavier weapons to its fighters.

The regime has seized on the opposition's demands for outside support to bolster its argument that rebels may have used chemical weapons to frame the government and precipitate foreign intervention.

In December, after rebels captured a chlorine factory in Aleppo, the government warned the opposition could be planning a chemical attack to frame the regime. To back up its assertions, the state news agency pointed to internet videos that purported to show regime opponents experimenting with poisons on mice and rabbits.

In the video, a masked man mixes gases in a glass box containing two rabbits. About a minute later, the animals start to spasm and then collapse. A narrator then says, "This is what will happen to you, Assad supporters." The origin of the video was not known.

Alani dismissed the possibility of the rebels, including Islamic extremist groups among the most powerful opposition fighting factions, carrying out a chlorine attack.

He noted that al-Qaida militants used chlorine on at least two occasions in Iraq in the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, but abandoned the practice because "the impact of the chlorine was far less than conventional explosives."

___

Follow Ryan Lucas on Twitter at www.twitter.com/relucasz

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pattern-seen-alleged-chemical-arms-syria-191327590.html

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Per-student pre-K spending lowest in decade

WASHINGTON (AP) ? State funding for pre-kindergarten programs had its largest drop ever last year and states are now spending less per child than they did a decade ago, according to a report released Monday.

The report also found that more than a half million of those preschool students are in programs that don't even meet standards suggested by industry experts that would qualify for federal dollars.

Those findings ? combined with Congress' reluctance to spend new dollars ? complicate President Barack Obama's effort to expand pre-K programs across the country. While Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius continue to promote the president's proposal, researchers say existing programs are inadequate, and until their shortcomings are fixed there is little desire by lawmakers to get behind Obama's call for more preschool.

"The state of preschool was a state of emergency," said Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, which produced the report.

During his State of the Union speech, Obama proposed a federal-state partnership that would dramatically expand options for families with young children. Obama's plan would fund public preschool for any 4-year-old whose family income was below twice the federal poverty rate.

If it were in place this year, the plan would allow a family of four with two children to enroll students in a pre-K program if the family earned less than $46,566.

Students from families who earn more could participate in the program, but their parents would have to pay tuition based on their income. Eventually, 3-year-old students would be part of the program, too.

As part of his budget request, Obama proposed spending $75 billion over 10 years to help states get these new programs up and running. During the first years, Washington would pick up the majority of the cost before shifting costs to states.

"It's the most significant opportunity to expand access to pre-K that this nation has ever seen," Barnett said of the president's proposal.

Obama proposed paying for this expansion by almost doubling the federal tax on cigarettes, to $1.95 per pack.

Obama's pre-K plan faces a tough uphill climb, though, with the tobacco industry opposing the tax that would pay for it and lawmakers from tobacco-producing states also skeptical. Conservative lawmakers have balked at starting another government program, as well. Obama's Democratic allies are clamoring to make it a priority.

To help it along, Duncan and Sebelius planned to join the report's researchers on Monday at a news conference to introduce the report, along with administration allies. They planned events later in the week to reiterate their support.

Yet those public events were unlikely to sway lawmakers who are already fighting among themselves over spending cuts that are forcing students to be dropped from existing preschool programs, the levying of higher fees for student loans and deep cuts for aid to military schools.

States spent about $5.1 billion on pre-K programs in 2011-12, the most recent school year, researchers wrote in the report.

Per-student funding for existing programs during that year dropped to an average of $3,841 for each student. It was the first time average spending per student dropped below $4,000 in today's dollars since researchers started tracking it during the 2001-02 academic year.

Adjusted for inflation, per-student funding has been cut by more than $1,000 during the last decade.

Yet nationwide, the amounts were widely varied. The District of Columbia spent almost $14,000 on every child in its program while the states of Colorado, South Carolina and Nebraska spent less than $2,000 per child.

"Whether you get a quality preschool program does depend on what ZIP code you are in," Barnett said.

Among the 40 states that offer state-funded pre-K programs, 27 cut per-student spending last year. In total, that meant $548 million in cuts.

Money, of course, is not a guarantee for students' success. But students from poor schools generally lag students from better-funded counterparts and those students from impoverished families arrive in kindergarten less prepared than others.

In all, only 15 states and the District of Columbia spent enough money to provide quality programs, the researchers concluded. Those programs serve about 20 percent of the 1.3 million enrolled in state-funded prekindergarten programs.

"In far too many states, funding levels have fallen so low as to bring into question the effectiveness of their programs by any reasonable standard," researchers wrote.

Part of the reason for the decreased spending are the lingering effects of the economic downturn in 2008, coupled with the end of federal stimulus dollars to plug state budgets.

"Although the recession is technically over, the recovery in state revenues has lagged the recovery of the general economy and has been slower and weaker than following prior recessions. This does not bode well for digging back out of the hole created by years of cuts," the researchers wrote in their report.

Nationally, 42 percent of students ? or more than a half million students ? were in programs that met fewer than half of the benchmarks researchers identified as important to gauging a program's effectiveness, such as classrooms with fewer than 20 students and teachers with bachelor's degrees.

That, too, suggests problems for Obama's plan to expand pre-K programs, especially if Washington insists its partners meet quality benchmarks to win federal dollars.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/per-student-pre-k-spending-lowest-decade-042832006.html

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Ecological knowledge offers perspectives for sustainable agriculture

Apr. 29, 2013 ? A smart combination of different crops, such as beans and maize, can significantly cut the use of crop protection agents and at the same time reduce the need for fertilizers. Integrating ecological knowledge from nature with knowledge of crops opens up the prospect of a sustainable strategy that will increase yield per hectare at reduced environmental costs. This was the assertion of Prof Niels Anten in his inaugural speech upon accepting the post of Professor of Crop and Weed Ecology at Wageningen University on Monday 22 April.

Prof Anten sees great similarities between nature and a field full of crops. In both cases, plants are surrounded by numerous organisms such as weeds, pollinating insects, fungi, blights and diseases and their natural enemies, all engaged in the struggle for existence.

In order to meet the food demand of nine billion people in 2050 and at the same time reduce our impact on the environment, such as the use of crop protection agents and developments leading to deforestation or desertification, we can no longer rely on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers alone. 'We need to conduct much more research to better understand how to utilize the potential provided by natural ecological processes,' said Professor Anten.

He points to recent research data showing that mixed crops require 20-40% less land to obtain the same total yields as mono-crops. There are several reasons for this. Different plant varieties make use of different growing times and different nutrients in the soil. They can also facilitate each other, for example by providing shade or making the soil more acidic, so that more phosphate is released. Also striking is the fact that mixed cultures are on average 40% less affected by diseases on average than single crops. In China there are even examples of a 90% reduction in diseases caused by fungi, leading to increased overall production.

'Mixed crops like these have a range of benefits. This makes it all the more surprising that so little research has been done into them,' observes Professor Anten. 'Our knowledge of plant breeding and crop physiology has resulted in crops which deliver maximum yield in monocultures. But there has been virtually no equivalent research conducted in mixed crops.'

In his inaugural address entitled 'Crop ecosystems as diverse playing fields,' Professor Niels Anten discusses the parallel development of two fields, the ecology of natural systems such as forests and the ecology of agriculture. Within his teaching and research remit of Crop and Weed Ecology, he will be looking at the connections between these areas of study for the benefit of sustainable crops with high yields.

Neighbours

In his speech, Anten talked at length about the way in which plants can detect each other's presence. Plants responses to neighbour plants can differ depending in whether these neighbours are: friends or a foes, a plant of the same species, a family member or a genetically identical clone, as in many monocultures in the West. A plant uses shade and filtering of sunlight by a neighbouring plant to detect its vicinity and size. It may respond with a growth spurt, towards the light. But the plant also differentiates between species. Maize growing beside wheat will produce deep roots to avoid those of the wheat, whereas if there are roots of beans close by, the maize roots will grow towards them. Plants from the same mother can also react differently to each other than plants from different mothers. So it appears that they recognise each other at the family level too.

Alien neighbouring plants include weeds, which pose an important threat to crop production. The use of herbicides is an important element of weed control, but also harmful to the environment, while more and more weeds are becoming resistant to these agents. 'We will therefore also need to look at other, more ecological solutions,' says Professor Anten. 'In short, in order to achieve a sustainable increase in food production, we will need to deploy all the weapons in our arsenal; among these, the opportunities produced by ecological interactions have to date been largely neglected.'

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Russia caught bomb suspect on wiretap

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Russian authorities secretly recorded a telephone conversation in 2011 in which one of the Boston bombing suspects vaguely discussed jihad with his mother, officials said Saturday, days after the U.S. government finally received details about the call.

In another conversation, the mother of now-dead bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was recorded talking to someone in southern Russia who is under FBI investigation in an unrelated case, officials said.

The conversations are significant because, had they been revealed earlier, they might have been enough evidence for the FBI to initiate a more thorough investigation of the Tsarnaev family.

As it was, Russian authorities told the FBI only that they had concerns that Tamerlan and his mother were religious extremists. With no additional information, the FBI conducted a limited inquiry and closed the case in June 2011.

Two years later, authorities say Tamerlan and his brother, Dzhohkar, detonated two homemade bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring more than 260. Tamerlan was killed in a police shootout and Dzhohkar is under arrest.

In the past week, Russian authorities turned over to the United States information it had on Tamerlan and his mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva. The Tsarnaevs are ethnic Chechens who emigrated from southern Russia to the Boston area over the past 11 years.

Even had the FBI received the information from the Russian wiretaps earlier, it's not clear that the government could have prevented the attack.

In early 2011, the Russian FSB internal security service intercepted a conversation between Tamerlan and his mother vaguely discussing jihad, according to U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation with reporters.

The two discussed the possibility of Tamerlan going to Palestine, but he told his mother he didn't speak the language there, according to the officials, who reviewed the information Russia shared with the U.S.

In a second call, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva spoke with a man in the Caucasus region of Russia who was under FBI investigation. Jacqueline Maguire, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Washington Field Office, where that investigation was based, declined to comment.

There was no information in the conversation that suggested a plot inside the United States, officials said.

It was not immediately clear why Russian authorities didn't share more information at the time. It is not unusual for countries, including the U.S., to be cagey with foreign authorities about what intelligence is being collected.

The FSB said Sunday that it would not comment.

Jim Treacy, the FBI's legal attache in Moscow between 2007 and 2009, said the Russians long asked for U.S. assistance regarding Chechen activity in the United States that might be related to terrorism.

"On any given day, you can get some very good cooperation," Treacy said. "The next you might find yourself totally shut out."

Zubeidat Tsarnaeva has denied that she or her sons were involved in terrorism. She has said she believed her sons have been framed by U.S. authorities.

But Ruslan Tsarni, an uncle of the Tsarnaev brothers and Zubeidat's former brother-in-law, said Saturday he believes the mother had a "big-time influence" as her older son increasingly embraced his Muslim faith and decided to quit boxing and school.

After receiving the narrow tip from Russia in March 2011, the FBI opened a preliminary investigation into Tamerlan and his mother. But the scope was extremely limited under the FBI's internal procedures.

After a few months, they found no evidence Tamerlan or his mother were involved in terrorism.

The FBI asked Russia for more information. After hearing nothing, it closed the case in June 2011.

In the fall of 2011, the FSB contacted the CIA with the same information. Again the FBI asked Russia for more details and never heard back.

At that time, however, the CIA asked that Tamerlan's and his mother's name be entered into a massive U.S. terrorism database.

The CIA declined to comment Saturday.

Authorities have said they've seen no connection between the brothers and a foreign terrorist group. Dzhohkar told FBI interrogators that he and his brother were angry over wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the deaths of Muslim civilians there.

Family members have said Tamerlan was religiously apathetic until 2008 or 2009, when he met a conservative Muslim convert known only to the family as Misha. Misha, they said, steered Tamerlan toward a stricter version of Islam.

Two U.S. officials say investigators believe they have identified Misha. While it was not clear whether the FBI had spoken to him, the officials said they have not found a connection between Misha and the Boston attack or terrorism in general.

___

Associated Press writer Adam Goldman in Washington and Michael Kunzelman in Boston contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-caught-bomb-suspect-wiretap-105240857.html

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Fins flop, AFC underwhelms

Bang it here for 2013 NFC Draft Grades.

Baltimore Ravens

32. Matt Elam, strong safety, Florida.
56. Arthur Brown, inside linebacker, Kansas State.
94. Brandon Williams, nose tackle, Missouri Southern.
129. John Simon, outside linebacker, Ohio State.
130. Kyle Juszczyk, fullback, Harvard.
168. Ricky Wagner, tackle, Wisconsin.
200. Kapron Lewis-Moore, defensive end, Notre Dame.
203. Ryan Jensen, guard, Colorado State-Pueblo.
238. Aaron Mellette, receiver, Elon.
247. Marc Anthony, cornerback, California.

Overview: The Ravens entered Thursday with an AFC-high 12 picks. They proceeded to replenish a defense picked apart in free agency with first- and second-day value grabs that address immediate needs. Elam and Brown are plug-and-play starters who add physicality up the middle. Experienced covering slot receivers, Elam is an upgrade on outgoing Bernard Pollard, while Brown's game tape was arguably indicative of a top-20 overall player. Williams is a quick-footed 340-pound nose tackle with pocket-pushing ability. Simon draws comparisons to James Harrison as a stubby, if stout rush linebacker prospect with a deceptively explosive first step. Juszczyk, Wagner, Lewis-Moore, and Anthony look like future role players. Mellette was another terrific late-round value pick. Once GM Ozzie Newsome gets left tackle Bryant McKinnie re-signed, the Ravens' 2013 lineups will near completion. And I think the product can be better than what Baltimore put on the field in 2012.

Grade: B+

Buffalo Bills

16. E.J. Manuel, quarterback, Florida State.
41. Robert Woods, receiver, USC.
46. Kiko Alonso, linebacker, Oregon.
78. Marquise Goodwin, receiver, Texas.
105. Duke Williams, safety, Nevada.
143. Jonathan Meeks, safety, Clemson.
177. Dustin Hopkins, kicker, Florida State.
222. Chris Gragg, tight end, Arkansas.

Overview: A high-risk, potentially high-reward draft. Top Bills personnel men Buddy Nix and Doug Whaley deserve kudos for pre-draft misdirection that convinced everyone Ryan Nassib or even perhaps Matt Barkley would be the No. 8 pick. Instead, they traded down to acquire more valuable choices and still came away with real franchise quarterback target Manuel. I'm admittedly skeptical of Manuel's NFL future, but Buffalo's execution was impressive. Woods, Alonso, Williams, and Gragg were solid value selections. The former two can help right away. The jury is out on whether Goodwin upgrades on in-house speedster T.J. Graham. Meeks and Hopkins were suspect picks.

Grade: C+

Cincinnati Bengals

21. Tyler Eifert, tight end, Notre Dame.
37. Giovani Bernard, running back, North Carolina.
53. Margus Hunt, defensive end, SMU.
84. Shawn Williams, safety, Georgia.
118. Sean Porter, outside linebacker, Texas A&M.
156. Tanner Hawkinson, tackle, Kansas.
190. Rex Burkhead, running back, Nebraska.
197. Cobi Hamilton, receiver, Arkansas.
240. Reid Fragel, tackle, Ohio State.
251. T.J. Johnson, center/guard, South Carolina.

Overview: The Bengals have done a great job of value drafting in recent years, and I don't think that changed here. Eifert was an obvious best-available selection and gives Cincy the athletic movement tight end Jermaine Gresham was supposed to be. Bernard should run circles around plodder BenJarvus Green-Ellis in camp, adding sorely needed playmaking ability to the backfield. Hunt is a Combine freak with unimpressive college tape and turns 26 years old before the season, but he couldn't have landed in a better spot. He'll receive Mike Zimmer and Marvin Lewis' tutelage as a developmental project while riding the bench initially behind one of the NFL's top front fours. Williams, Porter, Burkhead, Hamilton, and Fragel could all be contributors within the next year or two. Quarterback remains an issue in Cincinnati, but the rest of the roster is becoming awfully good.

Grade: B

Cleveland Browns

6. Barkevious Mingo, outside linebacker, LSU.
68. Leon McFadden, cornerback, San Diego State.
175. Jamoris Slaughter, strong safety, Notre Dame.
217. Armonty Bryant, defensive end, East Central (OK).
227. Garrett Gilkey, tackle, Chadron State.

Overview: I contemplated factoring Josh Gordon into this grade -- he was a 2012 second-round Supplemental Pick and cost Cleveland its 2013 second-round choice -- but decided against it because the pick was made by a prior regime. New GM Mike Lombardi does deserve credit for the Davone Bess trade, which netted Cleveland a reliable chain-moving slot receiver and all told cost very little. Along the way, the Browns invested in the 2014 draft, acquiring third- and fourth-round picks next year via trades with Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. Mingo was the most naturally explosive edge presence in this draft. McFadden may be stretched covering outside receivers in the NFL, but projects as an upgrade on Buster Skrine at nickel back. Bryant has some upside as a small-school project. Slaughter can be a core special teamer if his Achilles' is right. Lombardi's first draft haul underwhelms on paper, but the Browns can capitalize on his forward-minded thinking next year.

Grade: C

Denver Broncos

28. Sylvester Williams, defensive tackle, North Carolina.
58. Montee Ball, running back, Wisconsin.
90. Kayvon Webster, cornerback, South Florida.
146. Quanterus Smith, defensive end, Western Kentucky.
161. Tavarres King, receiver, Georgia.
173. Vinston Painter, tackle, Virginia Tech.
234. Zac Dysert, quarterback, Miami of Ohio.

Overview: The early rounds of VP of Player Personnel John Elway's third Broncos draft were largely by the book. Perhaps only Webster could be considered a reach, but he was a late third-rounder and adds quality secondary depth. Elway found potential late-round gems. Speed rusher Smith was leading the nation in sacks last year -- including three against Alabama's offensive line -- before tearing his left ACL in mid-November. King won't play right away, but offers starting-caliber potential down the line with 4.47 jets and separation skills. Although inexperienced, Painter is long armed and highly athletic with upside to develop into a starter at tackle or left guard. Dysert was a favorite of Rotoworld draft guru Josh Norris, whom I trust. Norris encourages not being surprised if Dysert eventually overtakes shaky 2012 second-round pick Brock Osweiler behind Peyton Manning.

Grade: B

Houston Texans

27. DeAndre Hopkins, receiver, Clemson.
57. D.J. Swearinger, safety, South Carolina.
89. Brennan Williams, tackle, North Carolina.
95. Sam Montgomery, outside linebacker, LSU.
124. Trevardo Williams, outside linebacker, Connecticut.
176. David Quessenberry, tackle/guard, San Jose State.
195. Alan Bonner, receiver, Jacksonville State.
198. Chris Jones, defensive tackle, Bowling Green.
201. Ryan Griffin, tight end, Connecticut.

Overview: Perhaps no AFC team found a better first-round fit than Hopkins in Houston. A Roddy White-type talent, Hopkins is a pro-ready bookend for X receiver Andre Johnson, playing Z and in the slot. Hard-hitting, trash-talking Swearinger will be a third safety as a rookie, but adds special teams value and could grow into the Texans' next Glover Quin. Williams is an athletic, finesse right tackle prospect capable of putting immediate pressure on inconsistent starter Derek Newton. An LSU base 4-3 end, Montgomery is a questionable schematic fit for Houston's 3-4 but was a value pick. Williams is undersized but wildly explosive off the age. Quessenberry is another zone-blocking prospect. I liked the late-round stab at Jones, who dominated the MAC last season.

Grade: B

Indianapolis Colts

24. Bjoern Werner, outside linebacker, Florida State.
86. Hugh Thornton, guard, Illinois.
121. Khaled Holmes, center, USC.
139. Montori Hughes, defensive tackle, Tennessee-Martin.
192. John Boyett, safety, Oregon.
230. Kerwynn Williams, running back, Utah State.
254. Justice Cunningham, tight end, South Carolina.

Overview: Keep in mind Colts GM Ryan Grigson also surrendered a 2014 fourth-round pick in the trade up for Hughes early in round five. I'm surprised Grigson mortgaged part of his future for a small-schooler with a checkered character background. Not only is Werner an odd fit for Chuck Pagano's 3-4 defense, but his tendency to give up on plays after initially being blocked was disconcerting on game film. Contrary to popular belief ? which may be racially driven -- the player's motor is an issue. I liked the Thornton pick, but not Holmes. I didn't love many of Grigson's free-agency moves or his draft as a whole, and this grade will be low. But the 2012 NFL Executive of the Year has earned every ounce of the benefit of the doubt. The Colts have a top-15 roster a year after going 2-14, thanks in large part to Grigson's scouting. He knows more than me.

Grade: C-

Jacksonville Jaguars

2. Luke Joeckel, right tackle, Texas A&M.
33. Johnathan Cyprien, strong safety, FIU.
64. Dwayne Gratz, cornerback, Connecticut.
101. Ace Sanders, receiver, South Carolina.
135. Denard Robinson, running back, Michigan.
169. Josh Evans, free safety, Florida.
208. Jeremy Harris, cornerback, New Mexico State.
210. Demetrius McCray, cornerback, Appalachian State.

Overview: Rookie GM Dave Caldwell inherited one of the league's most talent-starved rosters from annual draft-misser Gene Smith. Caldwell's approach was to simply land good football players, which makes sense because Jacksonville doesn't have many of them. Joeckel and Cyprien were widely considered first-round locks before the draft, and I thought press-corner Gratz was a sleeper for the top 32. The Robinson pick may be laughed at in some circles, but he has a genuine chance to be the Jaguars' running back of the future. Maurice Jones-Drew is coming off major foot surgery and entering a contract year. Evans was a solid late value pick; he has centerfielder range and was an excellent player overshadowed by Matt Elam at UF. The Jags still have a laundry list of needs -- pass rusher and quarterback most glaring among them -- but from all indications Caldwell is off to a strong start. Jacksonville still has a long way to go before becoming a competitive team.

Grade: B-

Bang it here for 2013 NFC Draft Grades.

Baltimore Ravens

32. Matt Elam, strong safety, Florida.
56. Arthur Brown, inside linebacker, Kansas State.
94. Brandon Williams, nose tackle, Missouri Southern.
129. John Simon, outside linebacker, Ohio State.
130. Kyle Juszczyk, fullback, Harvard.
168. Ricky Wagner, tackle, Wisconsin.
200. Kapron Lewis-Moore, defensive end, Notre Dame.
203. Ryan Jensen, guard, Colorado State-Pueblo.
238. Aaron Mellette, receiver, Elon.
247. Marc Anthony, cornerback, California.

Overview: The Ravens entered Thursday with an AFC-high 12 picks. They proceeded to replenish a defense picked apart in free agency with first- and second-day value grabs that address immediate needs. Elam and Brown are plug-and-play starters who add physicality up the middle. Experienced covering slot receivers, Elam is an upgrade on outgoing Bernard Pollard, while Brown's game tape was arguably indicative of a top-20 overall player. Williams is a quick-footed 340-pound nose tackle with pocket-pushing ability. Simon draws comparisons to James Harrison as a stubby, if stout rush linebacker prospect with a deceptively explosive first step. Juszczyk, Wagner, Lewis-Moore, and Anthony look like future role players. Mellette was another terrific late-round value pick. Once GM Ozzie Newsome gets left tackle Bryant McKinnie re-signed, the Ravens' 2013 lineups will near completion. And I think the product can be better than what Baltimore put on the field in 2012.

Grade: B+

Buffalo Bills

16. E.J. Manuel, quarterback, Florida State.
41. Robert Woods, receiver, USC.
46. Kiko Alonso, linebacker, Oregon.
78. Marquise Goodwin, receiver, Texas.
105. Duke Williams, safety, Nevada.
143. Jonathan Meeks, safety, Clemson.
177. Dustin Hopkins, kicker, Florida State.
222. Chris Gragg, tight end, Arkansas.

Overview: A high-risk, potentially high-reward draft. Top Bills personnel men Buddy Nix and Doug Whaley deserve kudos for pre-draft misdirection that convinced everyone Ryan Nassib or even perhaps Matt Barkley would be the No. 8 pick. Instead, they traded down to acquire more valuable choices and still came away with real franchise quarterback target Manuel. I'm admittedly skeptical of Manuel's NFL future, but Buffalo's execution was impressive. Woods, Alonso, Williams, and Gragg were solid value selections. The former two can help right away. The jury is out on whether Goodwin upgrades on in-house speedster T.J. Graham. Meeks and Hopkins were suspect picks.

Grade: C+

Cincinnati Bengals

21. Tyler Eifert, tight end, Notre Dame.
37. Giovani Bernard, running back, North Carolina.
53. Margus Hunt, defensive end, SMU.
84. Shawn Williams, safety, Georgia.
118. Sean Porter, outside linebacker, Texas A&M.
156. Tanner Hawkinson, tackle, Kansas.
190. Rex Burkhead, running back, Nebraska.
197. Cobi Hamilton, receiver, Arkansas.
240. Reid Fragel, tackle, Ohio State.
251. T.J. Johnson, center/guard, South Carolina.

Overview: The Bengals have done a great job of value drafting in recent years, and I don't think that changed here. Eifert was an obvious best-available selection and gives Cincy the athletic movement tight end Jermaine Gresham was supposed to be. Bernard should run circles around plodder BenJarvus Green-Ellis in camp, adding sorely needed playmaking ability to the backfield. Hunt is a Combine freak with unimpressive college tape and turns 26 years old before the season, but he couldn't have landed in a better spot. He'll receive Mike Zimmer and Marvin Lewis' tutelage as a developmental project while riding the bench initially behind one of the NFL's top front fours. Williams, Porter, Burkhead, Hamilton, and Fragel could all be contributors within the next year or two. Quarterback remains an issue in Cincinnati, but the rest of the roster is becoming awfully good.

Grade: B

Cleveland Browns

6. Barkevious Mingo, outside linebacker, LSU.
68. Leon McFadden, cornerback, San Diego State.
175. Jamoris Slaughter, strong safety, Notre Dame.
217. Armonty Bryant, defensive end, East Central (OK).
227. Garrett Gilkey, tackle, Chadron State.

Overview: I contemplated factoring Josh Gordon into this grade -- he was a 2012 second-round Supplemental Pick and cost Cleveland its 2013 second-round choice -- but decided against it because the pick was made by a prior regime. New GM Mike Lombardi does deserve credit for the Davone Bess trade, which netted Cleveland a reliable chain-moving slot receiver and all told cost very little. Along the way, the Browns invested in the 2014 draft, acquiring third- and fourth-round picks next year via trades with Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. Mingo was the most naturally explosive edge presence in this draft. McFadden may be stretched covering outside receivers in the NFL, but projects as an upgrade on Buster Skrine at nickel back. Bryant has some upside as a small-school project. Slaughter can be a core special teamer if his Achilles' is right. Lombardi's first draft haul underwhelms on paper, but the Browns can capitalize on his forward-minded thinking next year.

Grade: C

Denver Broncos

28. Sylvester Williams, defensive tackle, North Carolina.
58. Montee Ball, running back, Wisconsin.
90. Kayvon Webster, cornerback, South Florida.
146. Quanterus Smith, defensive end, Western Kentucky.
161. Tavarres King, receiver, Georgia.
173. Vinston Painter, tackle, Virginia Tech.
234. Zac Dysert, quarterback, Miami of Ohio.

Overview: The early rounds of VP of Player Personnel John Elway's third Broncos draft were largely by the book. Perhaps only Webster could be considered a reach, but he was a late third-rounder and adds quality secondary depth. Elway found potential late-round gems. Speed rusher Smith was leading the nation in sacks last year -- including three against Alabama's offensive line -- before tearing his left ACL in mid-November. King won't play right away, but offers starting-caliber potential down the line with 4.47 jets and separation skills. Although inexperienced, Painter is long armed and highly athletic with upside to develop into a starter at tackle or left guard. Dysert was a favorite of Rotoworld draft guru Josh Norris, whom I trust. Norris encourages not being surprised if Dysert eventually overtakes shaky 2012 second-round pick Brock Osweiler behind Peyton Manning.

Grade: B

Houston Texans

27. DeAndre Hopkins, receiver, Clemson.
57. D.J. Swearinger, safety, South Carolina.
89. Brennan Williams, tackle, North Carolina.
95. Sam Montgomery, outside linebacker, LSU.
124. Trevardo Williams, outside linebacker, Connecticut.
176. David Quessenberry, tackle/guard, San Jose State.
195. Alan Bonner, receiver, Jacksonville State.
198. Chris Jones, defensive tackle, Bowling Green.
201. Ryan Griffin, tight end, Connecticut.

Overview: Perhaps no AFC team found a better first-round fit than Hopkins in Houston. A Roddy White-type talent, Hopkins is a pro-ready bookend for X receiver Andre Johnson, playing Z and in the slot. Hard-hitting, trash-talking Swearinger will be a third safety as a rookie, but adds special teams value and could grow into the Texans' next Glover Quin. Williams is an athletic, finesse right tackle prospect capable of putting immediate pressure on inconsistent starter Derek Newton. An LSU base 4-3 end, Montgomery is a questionable schematic fit for Houston's 3-4 but was a value pick. Williams is undersized but wildly explosive off the age. Quessenberry is another zone-blocking prospect. I liked the late-round stab at Jones, who dominated the MAC last season.

Grade: B

Indianapolis Colts

24. Bjoern Werner, outside linebacker, Florida State.
86. Hugh Thornton, guard, Illinois.
121. Khaled Holmes, center, USC.
139. Montori Hughes, defensive tackle, Tennessee-Martin.
192. John Boyett, safety, Oregon.
230. Kerwynn Williams, running back, Utah State.
254. Justice Cunningham, tight end, South Carolina.

Overview: Keep in mind Colts GM Ryan Grigson also surrendered a 2014 fourth-round pick in the trade up for Hughes early in round five. I'm surprised Grigson mortgaged part of his future for a small-schooler with a checkered character background. Not only is Werner an odd fit for Chuck Pagano's 3-4 defense, but his tendency to give up on plays after initially being blocked was disconcerting on game film. Contrary to popular belief ? which may be racially driven -- the player's motor is an issue. I liked the Thornton pick, but not Holmes. I didn't love many of Grigson's free-agency moves or his draft as a whole, and this grade will be low. But the 2012 NFL Executive of the Year has earned every ounce of the benefit of the doubt. The Colts have a top-15 roster a year after going 2-14, thanks in large part to Grigson's scouting. He knows more than me.

Grade: C-

Jacksonville Jaguars

2. Luke Joeckel, right tackle, Texas A&M.
33. Johnathan Cyprien, strong safety, FIU.
64. Dwayne Gratz, cornerback, Connecticut.
101. Ace Sanders, receiver, South Carolina.
135. Denard Robinson, running back, Michigan.
169. Josh Evans, free safety, Florida.
208. Jeremy Harris, cornerback, New Mexico State.
210. Demetrius McCray, cornerback, Appalachian State.

Overview: Rookie GM Dave Caldwell inherited one of the league's most talent-starved rosters from annual draft-misser Gene Smith. Caldwell's approach was to simply land good football players, which makes sense because Jacksonville doesn't have many of them. Joeckel and Cyprien were widely considered first-round locks before the draft, and I thought press-corner Gratz was a sleeper for the top 32. The Robinson pick may be laughed at in some circles, but he has a genuine chance to be the Jaguars' running back of the future. Maurice Jones-Drew is coming off major foot surgery and entering a contract year. Evans was a solid late value pick; he has centerfielder range and was an excellent player overshadowed by Matt Elam at UF. The Jags still have a laundry list of needs -- pass rusher and quarterback most glaring among them -- but from all indications Caldwell is off to a strong start. Jacksonville still has a long way to go before becoming a competitive team.

Grade: B-

Kansas City Chiefs

1. Eric Fisher, left tackle, Central Michigan.
63. Travis Kelce, tight end, Cincinnati.
96. Knile Davis, running back, Arkansas.
99. Nico Johnson, inside linebacker, Alabama.
134. Sanders Commings, cornerback, Georgia.
170. Eric Kush, center, California (PA).
204. Braden Wilson, fullback, Kansas State.
207. Mike Catapano, defensive end, Princeton.

Overview: GM John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid entered the draft without a second-round pick following the Alex Smith trade. Their failed Branden Albert trade bid ensured it stayed that way. Kansas City still drafted left tackle Fisher with the first pick and plucked day-one talent Kelce at the beginning of round three. Their draft dropped off precipitously from there. Selecting workout warrior running back Davis over Johnathan Franklin was one of the worst picks of the 2013 draft. If Davis' college tape means anything for his NFL future -- and I believe it does -- he won't be long for the league. Johnson is a two-down role player and special teamer at best. Commings has been billed as a physical press corner, but I watched his tape and found him to be allergic to contact. The Catapano pick offered late-round value, but otherwise I was unimpressed by this eight-man haul.

Grade: C-

Miami Dolphins

3. Dion Jordan, defensive end, Oregon.
54. Jamar Taylor, cornerback, Boise State.
77. Dallas Thomas, guard/tackle, Tennessee.
93. Will Davis, cornerback, Utah State.
104. Jelani Jenkins, inside linebacker, Florida.
106. Dion Sims, tight end, Michigan State.
164. Mike Gillislee, running back, Florida.
166. Caleb Sturgis, kicker, Florida.
250. Don Jones, safety, Arkansas State.

Overview: GM Jeff Ireland was pick-rich after unloading Brandon Marshall and Vontae Davis -- two premier NFL starters -- for pennies on the dollar. Those bad trades are factored into Miami's grade. After more trades, the Fins wound up turning the two Marshall third-rounders into Michael Egnew, B.J. Cunningham, blocking tight end Sims, and part of the deal that brought underwhelming corner prospect Davis. For Vontae, they got Taylor straight up. Jordan has a chance to be the best player in this draft class. I like Taylor. Gillislee could be a year-one upgrade on Daniel Thomas if he demonstrates consistency in pass protection. Jones has starter measurables and offered value at the tail end of day three. But Ireland can't be let off the hook for his past talent-shaving trades just because he snuck them into last offseason. The Fins are still paying the piper, and after nauseatingly producing four consecutive losing seasons Ireland has cost himself all possible benefit of the doubt.

Grade: D+

New England Patriots

52. Jamie Collins, defensive end, Southern Miss.
59. Aaron Dobson, receiver, Marshall.
83. Logan Ryan, cornerback, Rutgers.
91. Duron Harmon, safety, Rutgers.
102. Josh Boyce, receiver, TCU.
226. Michael Buchanan, defensive end, Illinois.
235. Steve Beauharnais, inside linebacker, Rutgers.

Overview: The Patriots entered the draft with just five picks and did well to maneuver down the board, picking up more chances to improve their roster. Collins is an underrated, explosive edge rusher. Dobson had the best hands of any receiver in the draft. Boyce can really run, and Buchanan is talented enough to develop into an eventual NFL contributor. Ryan will play on special teams and may eventually push slot cornerback Kyle Arrington for snaps. The Patriots drafted several solid prospects and could get surprise impact from some members of the group, but New England is a win-now team and I'm not confident this draft will help them get where they want to be in 2013.

Grade: C-

New York Jets

9. Dee Milliner, cornerback, Alabama.
13. Sheldon Richardson, defensive tackle, Missouri.
39. Geno Smith, quarterback, West Virginia.
72. Brian Winters, guard, Kent State.
141. Oday Aboushi, tackle, Virginia.
178. William Campbell, guard, Michigan.
215. Tommy Bohanon, fullback, Wake Forest.

Overview: The fact that the Jets surrendered Hall of Fame talent Darrelle Revis for the 13th pick (and a 2014 third-rounder) is factored into their grade. GM John Idzik was still savvy enough to pull off a productive trade of his own, sending pick No. 106 to the Saints for new feature back Chris Ivory. Rather than adhere to a position-specific strategy, Idzik made selections working straight down his board. Milliner and Richardson upgrade the pass defense. Smith was the Jets' No. 1-rated quarterback and figures to start over David Garrard as a rookie. (Mark Sanchez will be released.) Winters is a highly impressive prospect and probable Week 1 starter at right guard. Aboushi, Campbell, and Bohanon may amount to mid- to late-round throwaways, but the Jets got better in this draft with five starting-caliber talents, including Ivory. Revis' loss still keeps their grade in check.

Grade: C+

Oakland Raiders

12. D.J. Hayden, cornerback, Houston.
42. Menelik Watson, tackle, Florida State.
66. Sio Moore, linebacker, Connecticut.
112. Tyler Wilson, quarterback, Arkansas.
172. Nick Kasa, tight end, Colorado.
181. Latavius Murray, running back, Central Florida.
184. Mychal Rivera, tight end, Tennessee.
205. Stacy McGee, defensive tackle, Oklahoma.
209. Brice Butler, receiver, San Diego State.
233. David Bass, defensive end, Missouri Western.

Overview: The Raiders essentially came away from GM Reggie McKenzie's first draft with a goose egg and signed several 2012 free-agent busts, from Mike Brisiel and Dave Tollefson to Shawntae Spencer and Ron Bartell. He also traded for Matt Flynn, which is not a solution for Oakland's long-term quarterback woes. Entering the draft, I worried McKenzie was simply struggling to identify talent. This haul eased some concerns. The Hayden and Wilson picks stand out as quality value additions of potential franchise changers. Wilson doesn't have the greatest arm and isn't the most accurate thrower, but he was the best quarterback in the draft in terms of pocket toughness. And that trait can take a signal caller a long way. I wouldn't be surprised if he started over Flynn this year. Kasa, Murray, and Bass were worthwhile late-round stabs. Watson will probably start at right tackle as a rookie, which is where he played last year at Florida State. I like Moore as a prospect, but didn't understand the fit. The Raiders are still desperate for pass rushers.

Grade: B-

Pittsburgh Steelers

17. Jarvis Jones, outside linebacker, Georgia.
48. Le'Veon Bell, running back, Michigan State.
79. Markus Wheaton, receiver, Oregon State.
111. Shamarko Thomas, strong safety, Syracuse.
115. Landry Jones, quarterback, Oklahoma.
150. Terry Hawthorne, cornerback, Illinois.
186. Justin Brown, receiver, Oklahoma.
206. Vince Williams, inside linebacker, Florida State.
223. Nick Williams, defensive end, Samford.

Overview: There's a lot to like about this draft on paper. Just keep in mind Pittsburgh sent a 2014 third-round pick to Cleveland in exchange for No. 111. Hard-hitting Thomas was a value there, but may only help on special teams for the next year and is a tight-hipped safety prospect, which is why he was available in round four. Jones and Bell are day-one starters, while Wheaton should have every opportunity to win a job in three-receiver sets as the "X" when Emmanuel Sanders kicks inside to the slot. Vince Williams is a physical inside thumper. Nick is built ideally to play five-technique end in Pittsburgh's 3-4 defense and has developmental athleticism. Hawthorne was once a projected future first-rounder. Jones has a great arm and quick release, though he'll have to improve his in-pocket courage to pan out. I think the Steelers added good football players and can expect immediate impact from two to three acquisitions, but giving up next year's third-rounder is still bothersome when the team cannot be sure Thomas will be a productive NFL player.

Grade: C+

San Diego Chargers

11. D.J. Fluker, right tackle, Alabama.
38. Manti Te'o, inside linebacker, Notre Dame.
76. Keenan Allen, receiver, California.
145. Steve Williams, cornerback, California.
179. Tourek Williams, outside linebacker, FIU.
221. Brad Sorensen, quarterback, Southern Utah.

Overview: Rookie GM Tom Telesco's first draft netted just one clear-cut value pick in Allen. More disturbingly, Fluker was the only front-five addition to arguably the NFL's worst offensive line. Telesco has been praised for stealing Allen in round three, but I'm not sure that pick helps the offense whatsoever if Philip Rivers isn't protected. And pass protection was Fluker's weakness in college, surrendering 5.5 sacks and 15.5 more hurries last season. He can be made to look silly by speedy edge rushers. The Williamses bring to the table athleticism and core special teams value, but neither projects as a future NFL starter. Sorensen is coming off a disappointing senior season at a small school. Te'o can be a solid two-down inside linebacker if protected by massive defensive tackles, but wasn't worth the trade up, which cost San Diego the Nos. 45 and 110 overall picks. I just find it shocking that Telesco showed so little urgency about upgrading his offensive line.

Grade: D

Tennessee Titans

10. Chance Warmack, guard, Alabama.
34. Justin Hunter, receiver, Tennessee.
70. Blidi Wreh-Wilson, cornerback, Connecticut.
97. Zaviar Gooden, outside linebacker, Missouri.
107. Brian Schwenke, center, California.
142. LaVar Edwards, defensive end, LSU.
202. Khalid Wooten, cornerback, Nevada.
248. Daimion Stafford, safety, Nebraska.

Overview: The players acquired look impressive at first glance, but dig deeper and there are concerns about the class as a whole and the costs to put it together. In the trade up for Hunter, Tennessee surrendered pick Nos. 40 (Tank Carradine) and 216 (Charles Johnson), on top of a 2014 third-round pick. All that for a six-spot jump in round two, which netted a receiver with great physical gifts but suspect hands. It was a steep price. Warmack adds needed power to the Titans' line, but was a largely ineffective second-level blocker at Alabama due to limited movement skills. He's a phone-booth player entering a zone scheme. Schwenke and Gooden stand out as value picks, but Tennessee did little to upgrade its porous pass defense and still needs to get more physical on Jerry Gray's side of the ball. Regardless of draft results, Jake Locker's third-year progress -- or lack thereof -- will determine whether or not the Titans field a competitive 2013 football team. And it'll probably determine Gray, GM Ruston Webster, and coach Mike Munchak's future in Nashville.

Grade: C-

Source: http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/43164/174/draft-2013-afc-draft-grades

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