Teen legally known as 'Girl' fights for her name

Anna Andersen / AP

Blaer Bjarkardottir, 15, left, seen here with her mother Bjork Eidsdottir, is suing Iceland's government so that she can use her first name.

By Anna Andersen, The Associated Press

REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- Call her the girl with no name.

A 15-year-old is suing the Icelandic state for the right to legally use the name given to her by her mother. The problem? Blaer, which means "light breeze" in Icelandic, is not on a list approved by the government.

Like a handful of other countries, including Germany and Denmark, Iceland has official rules about what a baby can be named. In a country comfortable with a firm state role, most people don't question the Personal Names Register, a list of 1,712 male names and 1,853 female names that fit Icelandic grammar and pronunciation rules and that officials maintain will protect children from embarrassment. Parents can take from the list or apply to a special committee that has the power to say yea or nay.

In Blaer's case, her mother said she learned the name wasn't on the register only after the priest who baptized the child later informed her he had mistakenly allowed it.

"I had no idea that the name wasn't on the list, the famous list of names that you can choose from," said Bjork Eidsdottir, adding she knew a Blaer whose name was accepted in 1973. This time, the panel turned it down on the grounds that the word Blaer takes a masculine article, despite the fact that it was used for a female character in a novel by Iceland's revered Nobel Prize-winning author Halldor Laxness.

Given names are even more significant in tiny Iceland than in many other countries: Everyone is listed in the phone book by their first names. Surnames are based on a parent's given name. Even the president, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, is addressed simply as Olafur.

Blaer is identified as "Stulka" ? or "Girl" ? on all her official documents, which has led to years of frustration as she has had to explain the whole story at the bank, renewing her passport and dealing with the country's bureaucracy.

Her mother is hoping that will change with her suit, the first time someone has challenged a names committee decision in court.

Though the law has become more relaxed in recent years ? with the name Elvis permitted, inspired by the charismatic rock and roll icon whose name fits Icelandic guidelines ? choices like Cara, Carolina, Cesil, and Christa have been rejected outright because the letter "c" is not part of Iceland's 32-letter alphabet.

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"The law is pretty straightforward so in many cases it's clearly going to be a yes or a no," said Agusta Thorbergsdottir, the head of the committee, a panel of three people appointed by the government to a four-year term.

Other cases are more subjective.

"What one person finds beautiful, another person may find ugly," she acknowledged. She pointed to "Satania" as one unacceptable case because it was deemed too close to "Satan."

'Basic human right'
The board also has veto power over people who want to change their names later in life, rejecting, for instance, middle names like Zeppelin and X.

Eidsdottir says she is prepared to take her case all the way to the country's Supreme Court if a court doesn't overturn the commission decision on Jan. 25.

"So many strange names have been allowed, which makes this even more frustrating because Blaer is a perfectly Icelandic name," Eidsdottir said. "It seems like a basic human right to be able to name your child what you want, especially if it doesn't harm your child in any way."

"And my daughter loves her name," she added.

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/03/16320630-teen-legally-known-only-as-girl-battles-to-use-her-own-name?lite

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U.S. public schools cut 11,000 jobs in December

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Local U.S. governments cut jobs for the fourth straight month in December, including 11,000 in public schools, dragging down the nation's fragile economic recovery, jobs data showed on Friday.

Local government jobs are now at their lowest level since October 2005, with the bulk of the decline coming from layoffs of teachers and other school employees, according to the Labor Department.

For more than a year, persistent declines in public sector employment - particularly at the city, county and school district level - have stood in contrast to steady job gains in the private sector.

Jan Eberly, the U.S. Treasury assistant secretary for economic policy, said recent improvements in state budgets may start to reverse some of the declines next year.

"There is some expectation that state and local budgets will start to improve as the economy is picking up, and we're seeing improvements in many states, though not in all states," Eberly told reporters on Friday.

Overall government employment in the United States fell by 13,000 last month, the Labor Department said. Those jobs were almost all lost in public schools. Local governments shed 11,000 school jobs, and local agencies outside of schools had 2,200 more job losses.

State governments, meanwhile, added 4,000 jobs while federal government jobs fell by 3,000 in December, according to the report.

State and local government spending grew at a 0.3 percent annual rate in the third quarter, after 11 straight quarters of contraction, the Commerce Department reported last month. But many states, cities and counties are planning to keep spending flat as they continue to face uncertainty about federal funding levels and revenues.

Since August 2008, local governments have shed some 300,000 teaching and other school jobs, raising fears the layoffs could hurt students' education. Typically, schools try to avoid cutting jobs in the middle of the school year, and make most of their staffing changes in the summer.

The figures are also a worrisome sign that local budgets are still stuck in a slump. State governments have added 24,000 jobs since last December, but local governments have cut more than double that number in the past year.

The 2009 federal economic stimulus measure helped offset states' budget gaps resulting from the recession. But with the money now gone, state aid squeezed and tax revenues low, states have chipped away at their public safety and education workforces.

"(We) remain hopeful that President (Barack) Obama and the 113th Congress, as well as governors, will prioritize our students and public education and work hard to stave off further cuts," said Dennis Van Roekel, the president of the National Education Association, the largest U.S. teachers' union.

(Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-public-schools-cut-11-000-jobs-december-214439831--business.html

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Why Real Estate Investing Is For Skeptics ? Other | Raw Business Law

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a skeptic can be defined as, ?one who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions.?

People generally use a derisive tone to call someone who questions things a skeptic, because it is easier for them to bully someone out of having a scientific approach to things, than to back up their own assertions. However, being a skeptic is not a bad thing, especially when it comes to money.

Skeptics make exceptionally good real estate investors. Why? Because skeptics like to investigate things. They don?t make assumptions, and they don?t let other people?s assumptions steer them. Real estate investing requires plenty of investigation.

For one thing, a skeptic doesn?t want to just nod and take everything his accountant or lawyer says, hands down. Therefore, he will learn a little bit about real estate law and about reading financial documents. A skeptic doesn?t like to be completely dependent on his team of experts, even though he knows it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to carry on without them. But his skepticism makes it easier for him to ask intelligent questions of his team, and they appreciate them for it if they are worth their salt.

The skeptic will do more than a cursory examination of a particular real estate market. He will begin with questions. He will find answers. Answers will lead to more questions, and so on, until he thinks he might have a pretty good idea of what a given area is like, real estate-wise.

The skeptic, however, doesn?t trust this idea he has developed. He wants to make sure. And so he will visit the city he is considering purchasing in. He will interview the local experts. He will interview local businessmen and politicians. He will, of course, have them back up their glowing reviews of their city. He takes nothing on face value. He digs.

When it is time to talk to actual property owners, he will use these same tactics to ferret out every possible scrap of information about a property that he can. He will annoy people who want him to simply believe what they have to say and go away. He will not believe, and he will not go away. In the end, he will have the information he came for, or he will walk away. Chances are, he will walk away anyway. A skeptic knows that most deals are not worth having.

Ken McElroy, author of ?The ABCs of Real Estate Investing,? applauds the skeptic. In fact, he approaches investing in just that manner, with levels upon levels of research, and by insisting that assertions are backed up. So far, it has worked for him.

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Source: http://rawbusinesslaw.com/2013/01/03/why-real-estate-investing-is-for-skeptics-other-2/

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December ISM New York - Business Insider

ISM New York climbed to 54.3 in December, up from 52.5 a month ago.

The latest reading reflects a 5-month high.

"Purchase volume expanded more quickly, while employment contracted for a second time in three month," wrote the ISM.

"Hurricane Sandy appeared to be a lingering business impediment, as weather/natural disasters remained elevated in December."

Read the whole report here.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/december-ism-new-york-2013-1

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U.S. ends long Google probe with only mild reprimand

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a major victory for Google Inc, U.S. regulators on Thursday ended their investigation into the giant Internet company and concluded that it had not manipulated its Web search results to hurt rivals.

The Federal Trade Commission did, however, win promises from Google that it would end the practice of "scraping" reviews and other data from rivals' websites for its own products, and to allow advertisers to export data to independently evaluate advertising campaigns.

Google also agreed to no longer request sales bans when suing companies which infringe on patents that are essential to ensuring interoperability, also known as standard essential patents, the FTC said on Thursday.

Microsoft Corp and other Google competitors have pressed the FTC to bring a broad antitrust case against Google similar to the sweeping Justice Department litigation against Microsoft in the 1990s.

Meanwhile smaller Internet companies such as Nextag have complained about Google tweaking its Web search results to give prominence to its own products, pushing down competitors' rankings and making them more difficult for customers to find.

At a press conference, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz anticipated criticism of the agency's decision to not further pursue Google on the so-called subject of search bias.

"Even though people would like us to bring a big search bias case, the facts aren't there," he said.

"The changes Google have agreed to make ensure that consumers continue to reap the benefits of competition in the online marketplace and in the market for innovative wireless devices they enjoy," said Leibowitz.

The commission voted 4 to 1 to settle the patent investigation into Google's injunction requests. It voted 5 to 0 to end the probe of Google's search practices.

The news had little impact on Google shares, which closed up 42 cents at $723.67, as most investors had expected the FTC probe to conclude without inflicting major damage.

"I never saw any real likelihood that the feds were going to insert themselves between one of the most popular brands in the world and the constituency that adores it," said Whit Andrews, an analyst for Gartner Inc.

RIVALS DISAPPOINTED

Yelp, which operates the social networking/user review website yelp.com, had complained about scraped reviews, and said it was disappointed with the result of the FTC probe.

"The closure of the commission's investigation into search bias by Google without action ... represents a missed opportunity to protect innovation in the Internet economy," wrote Yelp spokesman Vince Sollitto in an email. "We look for the regulatory bodies continuing their investigation to have greater success."

Microsoft had no immediate comment, but Dave Heiner, its deputy general counsel, complained in a blog post on Wednesday about "Google's misconduct," specifically blocking a fully featured YouTube, which Google owns, from the Windows Phone.

Gary Reback, who represents a group of Google's critics including Nextag, said he thought the investigation was inadequate since the FTC failed to respond to his clients' assertions that they had been hurt by Google and asked few questions in its civil subpoenas.

"They talked about how thorough and exhaustive the investigation was but that's really rubbish," said Reback, who is with the law firm Carr & Ferrell LLP and is best known for his work against Microsoft in the 1990s. "I've never seen anything as shallow and incomplete as this was."

Microsoft was embroiled in antitrust probes and litigation from 1990 when the FTC began an investigation until 2011, when the final consent decree finally expired.

Leibowitz defended the commission's investigation into Google, saying the agency had scoured through some 9 million pages of documents and taken sworn testimony from key Google executives. "This was an incredibly thorough and careful investigation by the commission, and the outcome is a strong and enforceable set of agreements," he said.

Google's David Drummond, the company's chief legal officer, said the FTC announcement on Thursday meant that "Google's services are good for users and good for competition."

Thomas Rosch, who is leaving the commission this month, suggested the investigation fell short.

"After promising an elephant more than a year ago, the commission instead has brought forth a couple of mice," said Rosch, a Republican.

The FTC broke with its usual practice of requiring a consent decree to settle an investigation. Instead it allowed Google to write a letter pledging to implement the agreed-upon changes in the search portion of the probe.

That prompted some sharp questions about whether Google would live up to its pact.

"I have no reason to think that Google won't honor their commitment; I think they will," said Leibowitz, noting financial penalties if Google failed to do so.

One Google competitor seemed to think the FTC agreement with Google would be a small boon to competitors.

"The concessions that the FTC extracted on review scraping, patents, and data are real, but not game changers by any means," said Oren Etzioni, co-founder of Decide.com, a product website that advises shoppers when prices may change or new versions of gadgets may come out.

Some of Google's critics, anticipating a weak conclusion to the FTC's investigation, said in December that they may be ready to take their grievances to the Justice Department.

The European Union, based in Brussels, is conducting a parallel probe of Google. It announced on December 18 that it was giving the company a month to come up with proposals to resolve its probe.

The European Commission has been examining informal settlement proposals from Google since July but has not sought feedback from the complainants, suggesting it is not convinced by what Google has put on the table so far.

Google is also being looked at by a group of state attorneys general, led by Texas.

In August, Google was forced to pay $22.5 million to settle charges it bypassed the privacy settings of customers using Apple Inc's Safari browser. The practice was in violation of a 2011 consent decree with the FTC over a botched rollout of the now defunct social network Buzz.

(Additional reporting by Edwin Chan and Alistair Barr; editing by Ros Krasny, John Wallace, Nick Zieminski and Bernard Orr)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-ends-long-google-probe-only-mild-reprimand-000924062--finance.html

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Toward reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of the Internet and telecommunications

Jan. 2, 2013 ? Amid growing concern over the surprisingly large amount of greenhouse gas produced by the Internet and other telecommunications activities, researchers are reporting new models of emissions and energy consumption that could help reduce their carbon footprint.

Their report appears in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Researchers from the Centre for Energy-Efficient Telecommunications (CEET) and Bell Labs explain that the information communications and technology (ICT) industry, which delivers Internet, video, voice and other cloud services, produces more than 830 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂), the main greenhouse gas, annually. That's about 2 percent of global CO₂ emissions -- the same proportion as the aviation industry produces. Projections suggest that ICT sector's share is expected to double by 2020. The team notes that controlling those emissions requires more accurate but still feasible models, which take into account the data traffic, energy use and CO₂ production in networks and other elements of the ICT industry. Existing assessment models are inaccurate, so they set out to develop new approaches that better account for variations in equipment and other factors in the ICT industry.

They describe development and testing of two new models that better estimate the energy consumption and CO₂ emissions of Internet and telecommunications services. They tested the models on a simulated network and on a deployed network that serves the majority of schools in California. Both models delivered better estimates than the current "top-down" models. The researchers suggest, based on their models, that more efficient power usage of facilities, more efficient use of energy-efficient equipment and renewable energy sources are three keys to reducing ICT emissions of CO₂.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Chemical Society.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Chien A. Chan, Andr? F. Gygax, Elaine Wong, Christopher A. Leckie, Ampalavanapillai Nirmalathas, Daniel C. Kilper. Methodologies for Assessing the Use-Phase Power Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Telecommunications Network Services. Environmental Science & Technology, 2013; 47 (1): 485 DOI: 10.1021/es303384y

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/n7TWgURb6s8/130102140452.htm

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Increase your online advertisement with PPC | SSCSWorld Web ...

The world is changing on its own with the passage of time. The best period of invention can be said to be the 21st?century. The computer can be said the pioneer of all other discoveries. After the introduction of computer the second big thing that have helped the world in many ways are the advent of the internet. As the time is passing by all of us are losing their time and also energy in any field. They are becoming more workaholic and thus have no time for any amusement. The work load has made them kind of robots that do not have time for anything. With the introduction of the internet, the companies trying to make internet a household name has increased the load of work. But apart from that good news is that many new and various types of new job possibilities have also arrived.

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What is a PPC service?

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Pay per click or PPC also called cost per click is an Internet advertising model used to direct traffic to websites, where advertisers pay the publisher or typically a website owner when the ad is clicked. With search engines, advertisers typically bid on keyword phrases relevant to their target market. Content sites commonly charge a fixed price per click rather than use a bidding system. PPC display advertisements, also known as ?banner? ads, are shown on web sites or search engine results with related content that have agreed to show ads.?PPC services?are needed for a good advertisement way on the online way.

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It is a research based marketing campaign that is bound to be a success. With the help of the?PPC advertising?that will make your online marketing survey and even the result very hard and also specific. The search engine marketing strategies will be more powerful with PPC and also focused that ever. A research-based marketing campaign is bound to be a success, since it is guided by an analytical study on a niche market, a client?s business or revenue goals, his stand on marketplace, his target customers, and his competitors.

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Internet marketinga new comer in this route has made its name already on the lips of many visitors. The technique and the strategies that they take to make any site a popular one is unique and up to the mark. This particular company goes through the content and tries to change certain things that will make your website a more appealing one. It makes your website an interesting one that helps the site to encapture the interest of the traffic over the globe. The greater heed is paid on the layout of the website to make it more compelling and unique. The layout and navigation are the main things through which the client can spend more time on your site.

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Apart from that SEO?also is a great service that will help the clients with better raking in the search engines.

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Source: http://guptaabhijit318.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/increase-your-online-advertisement-with-ppc/

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Source: http://luludyse.posterous.com/increase-your-online-advertisement-with-ppc-s

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ArcelorMittal to sell $1.1 billion stake in Canada iron ore unit to POSCO group

SEOUL/HONG KONG (Reuters) - ArcelorMittal , the world's biggest steelmaker, will sell a $1.1 billion stake in a Canadian iron ore mine operator to a consortium that includes South Korean steelmaker POSCO and Taiwan-listed China Steel Corp, China Steel said in a statement.

ArcelorMittal, formed in 2006 when India-born Lakshmi Mittal's steel business bought European peer Arcelor for $33 billion, is battling sluggish steel demand and is looking to offload assets to cut debt.

The sale of a 15 percent stake in Canada's Labrador Trough iron ore mining and infrastructure asset is part of that process.

POSCO, China Steel and ArcelorMittal Mines Canada will own Labrador Trough through a joint venture and will enter into long-term iron ore supply agreements, China Steel said in the statement on its Website.

POSCO shares were up 2.6 percent, while China Steel rose 0.6 percent.

The transaction is subject to approval from the Taiwanese government, and is expected to close in two installments in the first and second quarters of 2013, the statement said.

The deal will give POSCO, the world's fourth-biggest steelmaker, access to iron ore and coal used to make steel, as it currently imports nearly all of its key raw materials. POSCO already owns a 12.5 percent stake in Australia's $10 billion Roy Hill project.

Earlier on Wednesday, a South Korean wire service Yonhap Infomax reported China Steel and POSCO would jointly contribute $540 million, while the remainder was expected to be paid by financial investors including the National Pension Service.

A POSCO spokeswoman confirmed a consortium involving POSCO signed a stock purchase agreement to acquire a stake in the iron ore mine operator, but declined to elaborate on details.

ArcelorMittal is one of Canada's top exporters of iron ore to steel markets around the world and its operations account for about 40 percent of Canada's iron ore output. It operates two large open-pit mines in the province of Quebec, where it also owns the Port-Cartier industrial complex that includes a pellet plant, storage areas and port facilities for shipping.

Last month, ArcelorMittal wrote down the value of its European business by $4.3 billion, underscoring gloom about prospects for the region's recession-hit manufacturers.

A source had previously told Reuters that POSCO was seeking to buy the stake with South Korea's National Pension Service and other investors.

Credit agency Fitch has cut ArcelorMittal's long-term issuer default rating to BB+, just below investment grade, due to the challenging outlook for Western European steel markets in 2013.

ArcelorMittal, which makes about 6-7 percent of the world's steel, says demand in Europe had fallen 29 percent since 2007 when the financial crisis started.

Goldman Sachs and RBC Capital Markets were advising ArcelorMittal on the deal, while Morgan Stanley is advising the POSCO consortium.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee and Denny Thomas; Editing by Michael Perry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/posco-consortium-buys-1-1-billion-stake-arcelormittal-001629581--finance.html

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Director Business Development - Teach for Pakistan ... - Pakistan Jobs

Develop and execute strategies to service and increase financial support for teach for Pakistan?s operations
??? Develop and/or support wider communication that raises awareness of teach for Pakistan?s mission and work

Qualifications:
??? Bachelor?s degree required, Masters Preferred
??? At least 5-7 years of work experience in fund raising, marketing and media relations

The salary package for each position will depend upon individual qualifications and experience.

For complete job descriptions and further information on how to apply. Please visit http://teachforpakistan.edu.pk/website/careers.

The final date to submit applications is January 13, 2013.

Source: http://www.pak.jobs-career-employment.com/articles/10465/1/Director-Business-Development---Teach-for-Pakistan-NGO---Karachi/Page1.html

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Top Health and Fitness Trends for 2013 | Jamie Scott Fitness

Affordable Group Fitness
Jamie Scott Fitness devotees are way ahead of the curve on this one. Personal training in small groups is one of the top 10 fitness trends for 2013, according to both the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise. From group classes to small-group personal training?both mainstays of the JSF family?exercising as a group is becoming more and more common as people realize all of the benefits it provides. Group personal training is less expensive than one-on-one sessions since you share the cost with others, and many people find it more comfortable since all the focus isn?t directed solely at them.

Calisthenics Similar to Your Gym-Class Memories?
Remember gym classes in high school? Often short on specialized equipment, they were long on calisthenics, using your own body as resistance. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, planks?training using these kinds of tried-and-true exercises is heating up in 2013. This trend, like the group fitness trend, has to do with getting back to basics and saving on costs without sacrificing results.

Specialized Diets
In 2011, you likely didn?t know anyone on a gluten-free diet, or if you did, it was probably more about managing a specific health condition than conforming to a lifestyle. But, in 2012, there?s a good chance you needed both hands to add up the gluten-free folks in your life. Well, you can expect this trend to continue as new programs aimed at avoiding food sensitivities crop up more and more in the coming year. In addition to gluten, look for soy, dairy and healthy sugars to be on the food sensitivity list.

Employer-Sponsored Wellness Programs
As health care costs continue to rise for both individuals and corporations, more and more employers are beginning to penalize unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, and reward healthy behavior, like regular exercise. This incredibly positive trend will find more companies will be spending on wellness programs designed to improve employee health and reduce long-term costs. They?ll also encourage employees to get health screenings and assessments. Additionally, more employers are devoting some of their own square footage to developing exercise rooms and spaces where employees can come to sweat with their colleagues for free.

Source: http://www.jscottfitness.com/top-health-and-fitness-trends-for-2013

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Video of iPhone-eating elephant smells like hoax

A YouTube video from Thaistar2012 tells the story of a smartphone that's lost and found. (Eww!)

By Alan Boyle

The latest "stupid animal tricks" video to go viral shows an elephant at a Thai nature park nabbing a woman's smartphone and swallowing it down, followed by the recovery of the phone when it's heard ringing from a pile of elephant dung. Is it fake or real?

There are the usual signs of a hoax ??including the incredibly low quality of the video, and the staginess of the reactions to the loss of the phone and its unappetizing rediscovery. But beyond that, there are the scientific questions: Do elephants really go for foreign objects like phones? How long does it take for something to make its way from one end of the elephant to the other? Would a smartphone still work after passing all the way through?

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For answers, we went to Murray E. Fowler, professor emeritus at the UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and co-editor of a textbook titled "Biology, Medicine and Surgery of Elephants."?It turns out that Fowler has some personal experience with the ins and outs of elephant feeding habits.

He recalled a time when he drove a van full of students to a zoo, put the key in the pocket of his coveralls, and then paid an up-close visit to one of the elephants. When it came time to get back in the van ... no key. Fowler had to retrieve a spare from the school.?"About four days later, they found the key in a stool sample from the elephant," Fowler said. He figures the elephant must have snagged the key out of his coveralls, or picked it up where he dropped it.

Based on that experience, plus Fowler's professional knowledge of an elephant's innards, he says it's possible that the animal could take an iPhone and swallow it. "I can verify that," Fowler said. But you couldn't expect to recover the phone from the poop on the same day. On the contrary: Experts say it takes between 18 hours and several days for an elephant's alimentary canal to do its work. (Fun fact: Elephants digest and absorb only 44 percent of what they eat.)

If that's the case, the woman would have to come back later to pick up her lost item, presumably after it has been found and cleaned up. Moreover, it's highly questionable whether the darn thing would work after all that time?? and not just because the battery ran down. "There'll be acids and various and sundry enzymatic situations," Fowler said.

Bottom line? Even if you presume that the video is not a hoax from start to finish, the idea that you could recover a working mobile phone after it's worked its way through the digestive tract smells fishy ... or in this case, elephant-y. To me, the mere idea of sticking the phone into the dung so that you can pull it out for the sake of a YouTube video is creepy enough. But what do you think?

More stupid video tricks:

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Hat tip to Gizmodo / DVICE / Ubergizmo. While you're thinking, here's a better-produced "Elephant-Meets-Smartphone" video.

Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/31/16271843-that-video-of-the-iphone-eating-elephant-sure-smells-like-a-hoax?lite

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