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Jose Rivera faced lesser charges than his wife because he was only an accomplice, Lee said.
"He wasn't the mastermind," Lee said.
He was sentenced to 40 days in jail but allowed to serve in an alternative custody program in Palmdale, and three years informal probation.
Vazquez also ordered Jose Rivera to pay $4,018 in fines.
The couple also must stay away from all state and national parks in California, Vazquez said.
State law bars the removal of any plants from state and national parks.
Davis said she hopes the publicity from the case serves as a warning to others.
"I think that it will show people that are maybe thinking of doing that, or maybe already doing it, they shouldn't and it lets people know how big a deal it is," Davis said. "Awareness is really my whole thing. I’d turn them in tomorrow."
Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley.
It is hard to imagine what students would have put up on their bedroom walls over the past 30 years without the work of Stephen Woolley and his wife and fellow producer, Elizabeth Karlsen. The posters for all the films they have either produced or distributed tell the story of independent cinema.
After bringing audiences foreign arthouse hits such as Paris Texas, Eraserhead and Diva, Woolley had his first triumph as a producer with The Company of Wolves in 1984, going on to make a series of landmarks in British cinema, including Letter to Brezhnev, Absolute Beginners, Mona Lisa, the Oscar-winner The Crying Game...
The duo, who work from a small mews office in central London, are feted within the industry for their skill at spotting stories that will stand out from the pack. Their working model was the acknowledged inspiration of the once dominant, though now disgraced, US film empire set up by the Weinstein brothers, Harvey and ...
The current emphasis on sequels and remakes in the film industry is a symptom of a nervousness that limits the imagination, she believes.
“Chasing the newest thing can actually be a producer’s downfall. And there is an economic imperative that can set in and make you try to turn movie-making into a science: something it constantly resists,” said Karlsen.
Karlsen, 58, is a New Yorker who discovered a great sympathy with Woolley’s taste in films and his attitude to life when they met in the late 80s. She remembers watching The Company of Wolves in a cinema with her brother and still regards it as the dawn of a new era in cinema.
A move into producing films was first suggested to him by the veteran independent film mogul Jeremy Thomas while Woolley was in Tokyo buying the distribution rights to Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence. He took this thought back to Neil Jordan, the Irish director of Angel, a film he had just secured a cinematic release for, ...
Karlsen already had a thirst for subversive films, having worked with Bill Sherwood, the promising American director who died young of complications from Aids. “With Bill, who would have gone on to be a great director, I realised I wanted to produce,” she recalls.
Talking about work is far from forbidden at home. “Occasionally on a Sunday morning I might suggest we don’t talk about a problem we are having,” admits Karlsen.
Karlsen is still motivated by the pleasure of seeing an audience in thrall to the big screen. “Every Christmas now, Carol plays at the Palace in New York and it is fantastic to see. It is packed. When you sense that shared experience that people have in a cinema it is so special.
Researchers at Microsoft and the University of Washington (UW) said they have broken a world record by storing 200MB of data on synthetic DNA strands.
Researchers said the impressive part about reaching the 200MB milestone is not just how much data they were able to encode onto synthetic DNA and then decode, it's also the space they were able to store it in.
Once encoded, the data occupied a spot in a test tube "much smaller than the tip of a pencil," Douglas Carmean, the partner architect at Microsoft overseeing the project, said.
The DNA storage also has a half-life of 500 years, even in harsh conditions. The half-life of DNA -- just as with radioactive material -- determines its rate of decay or the length of time it takes half of its strand bonds to break.
Overall, though, this is a huge step forward. "Think of the amount of data in a big data center compressed into a few sugar cubes. Or all the publicly accessible data on the Internet slipped into a shoebox. That is the promise of DNA storage -- once scientists are able to scale the technology and overcome a series of t...
The data stored on the molecular DNA included digital versions of works of art, including a high-definition music video by the band OK Go!, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in more than 100 languages, the top 100 books of Project Guttenberg and the nonprofit Crop Trust's seed database on DNA strands.
DNA is needed as a storage medium because the world's data is growing exponentially and molecular-level storage is vastly more dense than hard drives, solid state drives (SSDs) or even up-and-coming technologies such as phase-change memory.
"Those systems also degrade after a few years or decades, while DNA can reliably preserve information for centuries," the University of Washington (UW) researchers stated in a news release. "DNA is best suited for archival applications, rather than instances where files need to be accessed immediately."
UW Associate Professor Luis Henrique Ceze, in blue, and research scientist Lee Organick prepare DNA containing digital data for sequencing, which allows them to read and retrieve the original files.
The UW and Microsoft researchers are one of two teams nationwide that have also demonstrated the ability to perform random access of data from a pool of molecules, which they described as a task similar to reassembling one chapter of a story from a library of torn books.
The researchers said they developed "a novel approach" to convert the long strings of ones and zeroes in digital data into the four basic building blocks of DNA sequences -- adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine -- represented as As, Gs, Cs and Ts.
The digital data is broken down into pieces and stored by synthesizing it as a massive number of tiny DNA molecules, which can be dehydrated and preserved for long-term storage.
While advances in DNA storage rely on techniques pioneered by the biotechnology industry, it also requires lessons learned from information technology. For example, the Microsoft and UW team's encoding approach uses error correction schemes commonly used in computer memory.
"This is an example where we're borrowing something from nature -- DNA -- to store information. But we're using something we know from computers -- how to correct memory errors -- and applying that back to nature," said Luis Henrique Ceze, a UW associate professor of computer science and engineering and the university'...
To access the stored data, the researchers encode the equivalent of zip codes and street addresses into the DNA sequences. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) techniques -- commonly used in molecular biology -- help them more easily identify the zip codes they are looking for.
"Right now it is very slow compared to current memories -- on the order of about one megabyte per hour for writing, and 100s of MB per hour for reading," said Ceze.
Using DNA sequencing techniques, the researchers can then read the data and convert it back to a video, image or document file by using the street addresses to reorder the data.
Most of the world's data today is stored on magnetic and optical media. Tape technology has recently seen significant density improvements with tape cartridges as large as 185TB, and is the densest form of storage available commercially today, at about 10GB per millimeter (mm). Recent research reported feasibility of o...
A depiction of a DNA double helix.
DNA has a theoretical limit above one exabyte per millimeter, which is eight orders of magnitude denser than tape. DNA-based storage also has the benefit of eternal relevance: As long as there is DNA-based life, there will be strong reasons to read and manipulate DNA, the researchers stated in an April research paper.
According to the ongoing "Digital Universe" study by IDC and EMC, the amount of data is forecast to grow to over 16 zettabytes (ZB) in 2017. The Internet of Things, in large part, will be responsible for doubling digital data every two years, resulting in 44 trillion gigabytes (44ZB) by 2020.
"A significant fraction of this data is in archival form; for example, Facebook recently built an entire data center dedicated to 1 exabyte of cold storage," the scientists stated in their research paper.
Researchers have been experimenting with DNA as a data-storage medium for more than a dozen years, but it has progressed quickly. In 1999, DNA-based storage involved encoding and recovering just a 23-character message.
In April, Microsoft and GW researchers were able to store these three image files, which were synthesized and sequenced in DNA.
By 2013, scientists from U.K.-based EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute claimed they'd encoded an MP3 version of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech in DNA.
In April, Microsoft and UW researchers released their paper detailing how synthetic DNA could be used as a form of archival storage.
Based on the current progress in DNA synthesis and sequencing together the storage technology's progress, Ceze speculated that it will still be about a decade before the new storage medium could be used for commercial archive purposes.
"DNA is an amazing information storage molecule that encodes data about how a living system works. We're repurposing that capacity to store digital data -- pictures, videos, documents," Ceze said. "This is one important example of the potential of borrowing from nature to build better computer systems."
Access to image-based resources is fundamental to research, scholarship and the transmission of cultural knowledge. Until now, much of the Internet’s image-based resources have been locked up in silos, with access restricted to custom-built applications. The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) support...
To give scholars an unprecedented level of uniform and rich access to image-based resources hosted around the world.
To define a set of common application programming interfaces that support interoperability between image repositories.
To develop, cultivate and document shared technologies, such as image servers and web clients, that provide a world-class user experience in viewing, comparing, manipulating and annotating images.
The IIIF initiative was conceived on the back of a napkin at a Cuban restaurant in Palo Alto, California at a dinner of technologists from the Bodleian Libraries at Oxford University, the British Library and Stanford University Libraries. In June of 2015, eleven institutions committed resources and officially formed th...
Learn more about IIIF at http://iiif.io.
The UK’s Information Commissioner has told IT businesses to stop complaining and get on with allowing Internet users to opt out of receiving cookies from corporate websites warning that they cannot rely on browser settings to do the job for them.
The controversial ‘Cookies Directive’ (Directive 2009/136/EC) from the European Commission will become law in the UK, as well as all other European member states, on 26 May and will require companies to obtain "explicit consent" from web users before storing cookies. Cookies are tiny pieces of software that are install...
Many companies are reluctant to implement the measures asking for users’ consent to cookies because they fear losing effective tracking information about their website. However, others are confused about how to implement the law in the first place.
“Companies cannot stick their heads in the sand: these regulations are now law,” emphasised Christopher Graham, UK Information Commissioner. “There is a time for lobbying and a time for compliance, and the time for compliance is now. There’s no point fighting battles that you lost two years ago.” The directive was enac...
Graham also admitted that it will be difficult for companies to get their houses in order at such short notice, but blamed the British government for not transposing the directive into law sooner. “We couldn’t publish any guidance until the law was published, and our guidance is very much a work in progress,” he explai...
“We are not going to be going in on day one with a heavy hand. There will be a period of grace, but that will not last longer than 12 months. And if I receive complaints on day one - which I will - we will examine how far efforts have been made to comply,” said Graham.
He went on to warn companies that in many cases, browser settings alone will not be sufficient for compliance. “Browser settings won’t help in all instances - for example situations where cookies are intrinsic to the site, such as a ‘shopping cart’. More sophisticated browser settings may help, but we have to wait for ...
This may lead to confusion for companies operating in other European member states, as many are stumped on how to transpose the directive into national law. To date, only the UK and Denmark have done so. What "consent" to cookies requires in practice is not defined in detail in the directive, and some countries are hop...
But “the circumstances in which such settings can be considered appropriate for expressing the user's consent depends on how well they meet the general requirements in the legislation”, said European Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
The next Barnstable Democratic Town Committee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 11 at 7 p.m. at the Centerville Recreation Center on Main Street in Centerville. Congressman Bill Keating and Senator Dan Wolf will be the speakers at the meeting.
The Barnstable DTC's regular meeting will follow the speakers. All registered Democrats are welcome to attend.
For more information about the Barnstable Democratic Town Committee, visit their website here.
COLOMA, Mich. (WNDU) Police are investigating after a razor blade reportedly fell from a gas pump handle when a patron picked it up.
Please be vigilant and inspect handles prior to use, the Coloma Township Police Department advises.
Coloma police posted the following Tuesday morning: "The Coloma Township Police Department is investigating an incident in which a local gas station reported that a razor blade fell from a gas pump handle when a patron picked it up. Please be vigilant and inspect handles prior to use."
Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden plan to announce a campus sexual assault awareness campaign from the White House Friday, with a special focus on engaging men in the fight against a largely hidden problem.
White House officials say the campaign, called "It's On Us," will challenge everyone on campuses to see sexual assault as their personal responsibility to prevent, but will particularly target male students. Presidential aides point to research shows that men are often reluctant to speak out against violence against wo...
The event comes as students are settling in for a new year on campus and follows other White House efforts that have been helping raise awareness about the problem that typically remained in the shadows. Research has shown that one in five college women is assaulted, most victims know their attackers, alcohol or drugs ...
"We can do more to make sure that every young man out there — whether they're in junior high or high school or college or beyond — understands what's expected of them and what it means to be a man, and to intervene if they see somebody else acting inappropriately," Obama said in January when he announced a task force t...
In April, the White House Task Force to Prevent Students from Sexual Assault recommended actions campuses could take to protect victims, such as identifying confidential victim's advocates and conducting surveys to better gauge the frequency of sexual assault on their campuses. And the U.S. Department of Education for ...
Many campuses have made sexual assault awareness programs mandatory for incoming students, and Obama, Biden and several male celebrities and sports stars have appeared in public service announcements against sexual assault.
The task force report called so-called bystander intervention one of the most promising prevention strategies for campus sexual assault, meant to motivate witnesses to step in to stop the crime. "When men think their peers don't object to abusive behavior, they are much less likely to step in and help," the report said...
The "It's On Us" campaign will use social media, partnerships with colleges and private partners with reach among college students to attempt to create a culture where sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported. Obama plans to release materials to help support the growing student movement against campus...
The White House said the task force will announce model policies for schools by the end of September.
Ghanaian international, Thomas Partey produced another spectacular performance as Athletico Madrid defeated Atletic Bilbao on Sunday at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano.
Kelvin Gameiro climbed off the bench to score the first goal for Diego Simone's side in the 62nd minute.
Gameiro again assisted former Chelsea striker, Diego Costa to score the second goal in the 80th minute.
Thomas Partey enjoyed a wonderful game and last the entire duration of the match.
The Ghanaian international was superb in midfield with his deft-touches and skilful display in the middle of the pitch.
Atletico Madrid currently occupies the 2nd position on the league log with 55 points.
LONDON — Brexit is being shaped by big business and banks while the interests of ordinary people are being drowned out, a damning new report has concluded.
The analysis of lobbyist activity exposes how big corporations and the finance sector are dominating back-room discussions with negotiators in both London and Brussels.
At the same time small business, labour groups and NGOs are being marginalised, leading campaigners to warn Brexit will be dictated according to a "corporate bias."
The report passed to The Independent highlights how a single investment bank had more meetings with officials from the UK's Department for Exiting the European Union, than Britain's two biggest trade unions put together, representing millions of workers between them.
Groups that have poured money into Conservative party coffers - and even donated to Brexit Secretary David Davis himself - were also granted direct access to the UK's team.
In Brussels business interests also dominated, with officials at the EU's Brexit taskforce three times more likely to meet corporate lobbyists than representatives of civil society.
Details of the new report from the Corporate Observatory Europe and Global Justice come as Mr Davis heads back to Brussels on Monday for talks with the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier.
But the report could be embarrassing for leaders on both sides, with Theresa May having pledged to run Britain for ordinary working people, while European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker is set to emphasise how the EU must be in touch with citizens in a major speech next month.
Analysis of the UK team's meetings show they were dominated by the finance sector, which concerned 46 gatherings at Dexeu in six months. Goldman Sachs - an investment bank heavily criticised for its actions during the financial crash - attended four meetings.
HSBC, which recently paid £28 million to Swiss authorities to close a money-laundering case, attended six and lobby group TheCityUK was at eight.
In contrast, the UK's two biggest trade unions, United and Unison, which together represent some 2.7 million working people, had one meeting each - the same number as attended by think tanks like Policy Exchange and the Legatum Institute, unknown to the wider public.
Other sectors which had meetings included food and agriculture, whose representatives were at 17 meetings; infrastructure industry lobbyists, at 13; the defence industry, at eight, and tech groups, at seven.
The Federation of Small Businesses was present at five "round tables" with other groups but had no one-on-one meetings, despite small firms making up 99 per cent of the UK's private sector.
Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis and European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.
Mr Davis did hold two meetings in quick succession with Arbuthnot Banking group, which has donated £267,470 to his party since 2009.
The cabinet minister himself accepted £50,000 from Arbuthnot in 2005 to fund his unsuccessful leadership campaign against former prime minister David Cameron.

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