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Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Nooly: Get the Most Accurate Forecast Possible
Monday, January 28, 2013
Tons and Tons of Security Cameras Are Wide Open to Hackers
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Bloody turmoil erupts in Egypt over death sentences
PORT SAID, Egypt/CAIRO (Reuters) - At least 22 people died on Saturday when Egyptians rampaged in protest at the sentencing of 21 people to death over a soccer stadium disaster, adding to bloody street turmoil confronting Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.
Armored vehicles and military police fanned through the streets of Port Said after the violence. The state news agency quoted a general as saying the military aimed to "establish calm and stability in Port Said and to protect public institutions".
The unrest began with nationwide rallies on Friday to mark the second anniversary of the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, a democratic uprising that protesters now accuse Mursi of betraying by ramming through an Islamist-hued constitution.
While anniversary-related violence subsided, a new flare-up hit Port Said after a court sentenced 21 men to die for involvement in the deaths of 74 people after a local soccer match on February 1, 2012, many of them fans of the visiting team.
Residents ran wildly through the streets of Port Said in rage that men from their city had been blamed for the stadium disaster, and gunshots were reported near the prison where most of the defendants were being held.
State television, citing the Health Ministry, said 22 people were killed and more than 200 wounded. Security sources said at least two of the dead were policemen.
A witness said some men stormed a police station in Port Said, where protesters lit tires in the street, sending black smoke funneling into the air.
At least nine people were killed in clashes with police on Friday, mainly in the port of Suez where the army has also deployed. Hundreds were injured as police rained down tear gas on protesters armed with stones and some with petrol bombs.
The schism between Islamists and secular Egyptians is hurting efforts by Mursi, freely elected in June, to revive an economy in crisis and reverse a slide in Egypt's currency.
The political strife and lack of security that has blighted the Arab world's most populous country over much of the post-Mubarak era is casting a chilling shadow over a parliamentary election expected to start in April.
Highlighting tensions, the opposition National Salvation Front coalition called for a government of national unity and an early presidential vote among other demands. It said it would call for more protests next Friday and could boycott the parliamentary election if its demands are not met.
Mursi's opponents say he has failed to deliver on economic pledges or be a president representing the full political and communal diversity of Egyptians, as he pledged.
His supporters say his critics do not respect the democracy that has given Egypt its first freely elected leader.
VICTIMS' RELATIVES CHEER
At the Port Said soccer stadium a year ago, many spectators were crushed and witnesses saw some thrown off balconies after the match between Cairo's Al Ahly and local team al-Masri.
Families of victims in court cheered and wept for joy when Judge Sobhy Abdel Maguid read a list of 21 names "referred to the Mufti", a phrase used to denote execution, as all death sentences must be reviewed by Egypt's top religious authority.
A total of 73 people have been standing trial. Other rulings will be issued on March 9, the judge said.
One relative in the court shouted: "God is greatest." Outside the Al Ahly club in Cairo, fans also cheered. They had threatened more violence unless the death penalty was meted out.
Thousands took to the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and other cities on Friday to protest against what they call the authoritarianism of Mursi's rule. Protesters in Cairo were again hurling stones at police lines in Cairo on Saturday.
"We want to change the president and the government. We are tired of this regime. Nothing has changed," said Mahmoud Suleiman, 22, in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the cauldron of the 2011 anti-Mubarak revolt and near where youths stoned police.
"PURSUING CRIMINALS"
Ahmed Salama, 28, a protester camped out with dozens of others in Tahrir, said: "The protests will continue until we realize all the demands of the revolution - bread, freedom and social justice."
In a statement in response to Friday's violence, Mursi said the state would not hesitate in "pursuing the criminals and delivering them to justice". He urged Egyptians to respect the principles of the revolution by expressing views peacefully.
The president met on Saturday with the National Defence Council, which includes senior ministers and security officials, to discuss the spate of violence.
In a televised statement, the National Salvation Front said it was holding Mursi responsible.
The Front was formed from disparate groups last year when Mursi awarded himself extra powers and fast-tracked an Islamist-flavored constitution to a referendum, opposed by the Front although the document was passed in the popular vote.
"Egypt will not regain its balance except by a political solution that is transparent and credible, by a government of national salvation to restore order and heal the economy and with a constitution for all Egyptians," prominent opposition politician Mohamed ElBaradei wrote on his Twitter account.
Until the Front was formed, the opposition had struggled to unite and their vote had been split at presidential and parliamentary polls, helping Islamists. The last parliament was dissolved based on court order, demanding a new vote this year.
Mustapha Kamal Al-Sayyid, a professor of political science at Cairo University, said the latest violence reflected the frustration of many liberal-minded Egyptians and others.
"The state of polarization between Islamists and others is most likely to continue and will have a very negative impact on the state's politics, security and economy," he said.
Inspired by the popular uprising in Tunisia, Egypt's revolution spurred further revolts across the Arab world. But the sense of common purpose among Egyptians two years ago has unraveled, triggering bloody street battles last month.
(Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/seven-die-egypt-violence-anniversary-uprising-003521804.html
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Sunday, January 27, 2013
Lance Armstrong 'Sings' Radiohead's 'Creep'
If you ever wondered how Radiohead's "Creep" would sound if Lance Armstrong sang it, you're in luck.
[More from Mashable: Lance Armstrong Movie in the Works]
After Armstrong's confession to Oprah that he did, indeed, use performance-enhancing drugs, videos making fun of the former cycling champion have begun surfacing on the Internet. In a parody made from snippets of the now-infamous Oprah interview, Armstrong "sings" Radiohead's classic song.
Watch the video, above; then, tell us what you think in the comments.
[More from Mashable: Lance Armstrong in 2001 Nike Ad: ?What Am I On??]
BONUS: 20 Entertaining YouTube Videos Under 20 Seconds
Click here to view the gallery: 20 Videos Under 20 Seconds
Image courtesy of Vimeo screenshot
This story originally published on Mashable here.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lance-armstrong-sings-radioheads-creep-185518530.html
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Cool socks, Chicago pride and Pop Rocks at the UFC on Fox 6 weigh-ins
CHICAGO -- The UFC on Fox 6 weigh-ins featured a large, raucous, possibly liquored up crowd of Chicago fight fans, plenty of cool socks, and every fighter making weight. The only fighter who came close to not making weight was Clay Guida. He walked to the scale wearing a custom shirt with the Chicago flag on it and a Chicago flag wristband. He jumped on the scale and was 147, too heavy for featherweight in his first fight at that weight class. He then took off his Chicago Bulls socks and jewelry, and made weight. The only other bit of drama was some jawing between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Glover Teixiera.
Read on for a complete list of weights and more pictures from the weigh-in.
MAIN CARD (FOX, 8 p.m. ET)
? Champ Demetrious Johnson (125) vs. John Dodson (124)
? Quinton Jackson (204) vs. Glover Teixeira (206)
? Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Anthony Pettis (155)
? Erik Koch (145) vs. Ricardo Lamas (145)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX, 5 p.m. ET)
? T.J. Grant (155) vs. Matt Wiman (156)
? Clay Guida (146) vs. Hatsu Hioki (146)
? Pascal Krauss (171) vs. Mike Stumpf (170)
? Ryan Bader (205) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (205)
? Shawn Jordan (251) vs. Mike Russow (256)
? Rafael Natal (185) vs. Sean Spencer (186)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 4:30 p.m. ET)
? David Mitchell (171) vs. Simeon Thoresen (171)
At left, Clay Guida and his Chicago Bulls socks. Donald Cerrone's cowboy boots and Superman socks are at right.
Guida's family had their guy's head on a stick and Guida buttons at weigh-ins. They were loud and supportive of Guida on Thursday, so you can bet they'll be out in numbers at the fights Saturday.
Dodson had Pop Rocks as his post weigh-in snack.
Thanks to Combat Lifestyle for the pictures.
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Saturday, January 26, 2013
Toothpaste Dots Keep Down Toiletry Bulk When Carrying Light
Whether you enjoy wilderness backpacking or just subscribe to the one bag travel philosophy a lot of little items can quickly add to up a lot of weight to carry around. Save weight and bulk by drying toothpaste into toothpaste dots for use while on the go.
Tactical skills weblog Imminent Threat Solutions shares a simple method for making toothpaste dots by squeezing small, chocolate-chip sized "dots" of toothpaste onto aluminum foil, allowing those dots to harden for a week or so, and then transferring to a small waterproof bag. To use, all you need to do is pop a toothpaste dot in your mouth, chew for a few seconds, and start brushing. Two caveats: this technique doesn't work with gel toothpaste (check out the source link for photos) and you'll want to toss a pinch of baking soda in your storage bag to keep the dots from sticking.
In addition to backpacking and traveling, I can see this also being a good thing to keep in your go bag with one of those small travel toothbrushes for times you'd like to brush your teeth at the office or on the go.
Trimming Weight with Toothpaste Dots for Lightweight Backpacking | Imminent Threat Solutions
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Facebook Is Done Giving Its Precious Social Graph To Competitors
Of all Facebook's data sets, it's the social graph that's truly unique. It's spent nine years getting you to confirm who you know, and apparently it's sick of handing over your friend list to competitors. This week it?cut off?both Twitter's new photo app Vine and messaging app Voxer from Find Friends, Facebook's API that lets you connect with Facebook friends on other apps. But this could backfireSource: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/-F74SbhZ9ZE/
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Researchers A-C-T on DNA Storage
Using a technique with multiple accuracy checks, researchers have stored large amounts of digital information on tiny volumes of synthetic DNA. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Scientists have used synthetic DNA to store digital files?including a photo, Shakespeare's sonnets and an audio recording of Martin Luther King. The work is published in the journal Nature. [Nick Goldman et al, Towards practical, high-capacity, low-maintenance information storage in synthesized DNA]
Unlike many forms of information storage, DNA is extremely long-lasting and does not require constant electrical power. Plus, it's tiny?a small cup of DNA can store one hundred million hours of high-quality video.
But until now, this storage method has faced too many obstacles: DNA synthesis is expensive and only works for short strings, and the decoding process creates lots of errors.
To avoid these problems, British researchers broke a long string of information into many overlapping short sequences, each tagged with its position in the overall sequence. American collaborators then synthesized short pieces of DNA to match the strings, and shipped the material overseas. Finally, researchers reconstructed the digital files with complete accuracy.
DNA storage is still very expensive. But the scientists predict advancing technology will lower prices and make their method cost-effective within a decade.
?Sophie Bushwick
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
[Scientific American is part of the Nature Publishing Group.]
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Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=1095be2e1b56cf1f8a7fd086926cc755
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Norway says 2 missing hostages dead in Algeria
OSLO, Norway (AP) ? Norwegian energy company Statoil ASA said Friday that two Norwegian employees missing after a terror attack on a gas plant in Algeria have been confirmed dead.
Statoil CEO Helge Lund said the two workers were 58-year-old Tore Bech and Thomas Snekkevik, 35. Bech, who had worked for the Statoil in Algeria since 2006, was the stepfather of Norwegian International Development Minister Heikki Holmaas.
Lund gave no details about the victims or circumstances leading to their discovery or identification.
Three other Norwegian Statoil employees are still missing after the Jan. 16 attack on the Ain Amenas plant in the Sahara, which resulted in a four-day siege by Algerian forces, Statoil said. An al-Qaida affiliated organization has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg conveyed condolences to the families of the dead, describing the attack as "brutal ... and full of evil." He added that it is unlikely that any more survivors of the attack will be found.
Algerian authorities have said at least 37 hostages and 29 militants died during the terrorist attack ? which sent scores of foreign energy workers fleeing across the desert for their lives ? and that five were still missing. Some of the fatalities were badly burned, making it difficult to identify them.
It was unclear whether the two Norwegians were among the missing or whether their bodies had been found but have only now been identified. Norway has a forensic team in Algeria helping local officials.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/norway-says-2-missing-hostages-dead-algeria-131816980.html
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Ending the Stopgap Budget - The Daily Collegian
Flickr/tobym
The United States government has been at a relative standstill since the beginning of President Barack Obama?s first term, with Republicans filibustering almost every bill in the Senate and, since 2011, the majority-Republican House passing severely conservative alternatives to mainstream ideas.
The 112th Congress, in particular, was a travesty and has been incompetent in solving major issues that face the nation. From deficit reduction to simply passing a budget, Congress hasn?t compromised, and the first step towards sanity is achieving bipartisan agreement on an annual budget for the U.S. government.
Although both the 111th and 112th Congress passed significant bills regarding health care, education, taxation and deficit reduction, the Senate has not passed a comprehensive budget since April 2009. The ongoing debate over the spending priorities of the U.S. government has not been resolved, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been unwilling and unable to bring a budget to the floor for debate.
Now, to the public it seems that all Congress has been doing is debating the budget, but the parliamentary realities of the two chambers are quite different. Instead of passing comprehensive, annual budgets, the federal government has been funded by stopgap compromises and continuing resolutions such as the Budget Control Act, which resolved the 2011 debt ceiling crisis, and the American Taxpayer Relief Act (H.R.8), which averted the fiscal cliff.
The stopgap measures of H.R.8 are apparent. The law provides a one-year ?doc fix? for Medicare that extends current physician payment rates until Dec. 31, 2013, to prevent a 27 percent reduction in said payment rates. It will cost $25.17 billion over 10 years. This cost control method, which has been extended annually since 1997, protects doctors from pay cuts automatically required by Medicare law. The American Medical Association (AMA) and over 100 other medical groups propose a permanent solution to the ?doc fix,? but repealing it would cost $245 billion over 10 years. President Obama proposed repealing the ?doc fix? and covering the cost with $400 billion in health care savings, but that option never came to fruition.
Instead of dealing with the ?doc fix? for good, Congress surrendered to its modus operandi, a temporary fix. In order to cover the $25 billion cost of the one-year fix, hospitals will face a $10.5 billion recoupment of Medicare overpayments and a $4.2 billion reduction in payments to hospitals that care for large numbers of Medicare patients, according to Kaiser Health News.
Hospital groups are unhappy with the fiscal cliff deal. Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, president of the AMA, said in a press release that the ?last-minute action? is ?a clear example of how the Medicare program is increasingly unreliable for physicians and patients. Congress? work is not complete. ? Over the next months, it must act to eliminate this ongoing problem once and for all.?
The stopgap funding will influence federal spending on colleges and universities. The fiscal cliff deal did not address the spending cuts known as sequestration, which were pushed two months into 2013. According to The Huffington Post, the fiscal cliff deal spared the American Opportunity Tax Credit, but delayed sequestration could cause an 8.2 percent cut in all discretionary spending and a 7.6 percent cut in mandatory spending, which would cut funding for scholarships and research to universities. The deal also capped charitable tax deductions, which Inside Higher Ed noted are major source of funding for universities through alumni donations. Education still faces cuts in federal research money and eligibility for federal financial aid programs in 2013.
Obama warned, in reference to higher education, ?We can?t keep cutting things like basic research and new technology and still expect to succeed in a 21st century economy,? The Huffington Post reported.
These potential cuts and temporary patches are representative of the inability of opposing politicians to compromise and the intransigence of tea party Republicans about federal spending. When polled, strong majorities of Americans oppose severe cuts to federal spending.
Serious people, including the Simpson-Bowles commission, the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress have proposed comprehensive budgets that reform taxes, earned benefits such as Social Security and Medicare, and discretionary spending that keep much of the federal government intact, while reducing the deficit and the debt. Both Democrats and Republicans must come together on comprehensive budget reform. The U.S. economy is the largest in the world and has the ability to adapt to changing conditions in both the public and private sectors.
Massive debt is the only condition in which the U.S. economy can fail, and we are not there yet. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the federal debt held by the public reached 73 percent of GDP at the end of 2012. This is still far below the danger-levels over 100 percent, and the deficit reduction undertaken by the president and Congress since 2011 has ensured that the debt will not go over 90 percent until at least 2022.
Reforming the federal budget as soon as possible is key to ensuring continued economic recovery and the fiscal stability of the U.S. government. Most of the key players in Washington agree on a path that decreases the national debt, and a few radical members on either end of the political spectrum must not derail progress. The American people face massive uncertainty as to the budget of the federal government and even whether the government will pay its debts. The only way to ease uncertainty and improve confidence is to have a solid budgetary plan for the future.
Detrimental stopgap measures will continue to breed uncertainty, and the only solution is for Congress and the president to do their job and pass a real budget.
Zac Bears is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at ibears@student.umass.edu.
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Source: http://dailycollegian.com/2013/01/25/ending-the-stopgap-budget/
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Friday, January 25, 2013
Check raise: Owner helped MLS
In terms of zippy headlines and content sex appeal, ?Diversity of Ownership? just doesn?t quite get there, does it? Still, that has been such an important storyline in the broader MLS tale over the last 10 years.
If we wanted to talk about the next big name heading MLS way ? whether it was Roberto Donadoni or Hugo Sanchez in another day, or Kaka or Frank Lampard today ? now that was a story that would always jingle our keys.
And stadiums! Every mention of a new ground being considered, every stadium design unveiling, every ribbon cutting and every grand opening made the facility wonks among us (Me, me, me!) happy as a nacho in warm cheese.
But all along, broadening and diversifying that early, tiny fraternity of MLS owners was a huge story, a uniquely critical element in league development. Don?t forget, the ownership roster once started at stopped at the Lamar Hunt, Phil Anschutz and Robert Kraft.
That was just 10 years ago!
So guys like Dave Checketts coming aboard provided essential nutrition to a growing operation. Now Checketts is getting out of the MLS ownership game, as we talked about yesterday.
Soccer America?s Paul Kennedy makes the point this morning that Checketts? arrival was important for more than the growing sum of owners and the badly needed diversity. His presence in the game said something important to other perspective investors.
Says Kennedy:
Checketts was a major figure in the American sports business ? the youngest president in the history of the NBA (Utah Jazz) and the president of Madison Square Garden (owner of the New York Knicks and Rangers) ? and his investment sent a signal to the American sports business community that it was OK to invest in MLS.
Source: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/25/dave-checketts-arrival-was-vital-to-a-growing-mls/
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Thursday, January 24, 2013
Sexual abuse of students: What has Los Angeles done to stop it? (+video)
A new sexual abuse case involving a longtime Los Angeles teacher and, allegedly, 20 young students renews focus on record of reform in the nation's second largest school district. The case signals progress in more timely reporting of such allegations and swift notification of parents.
Elementary students' parents leave a meeting with school officials at the George De La Torre Jr. Elementary in the Wilmington area of Los Angeles on Jan. 24, after a teacher who worked for nearly 40 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District was arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing students at the school.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
EnlargeThe arrest of Robert Pimentel, a longtime fourth-grade teacher accused of sexually abusing 20 students, has once again thrust the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) into the spotlight.
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The case prompts questions about how much progress has been made since another district teacher was charged a year ago for lewd conduct with more than 20 young students.
The district has made several policy changes in the past year, and advocates for abuse victims hope that attention to the issue will prompt further changes throughout California, and even nationally.
?I?m seeing more reporting of [such] incidents around the county.... Now we need to train and teach so that it doesn?t keep happening,? says Charol Shakeshaft, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., and an expert witness on behalf of a student who was molested by a teacher and recently won a $6.9 million in a jury verdict against LAUSD. ?There are lots of ways to see and stop [student abuse] early,? she says.
Law enforcement officials began investigating Mr. Pimentel in March, after several girls told their parents that he had touched them inappropriately at the George De La Torre Jr. Elementary School in Wilmington, Calif.
The district responded quickly ? one result of improvements made since last year?s shocking allegations of abuse at Miramonte Elementary School.
Pimentel was immediately removed from the school last March, and, based on the new rules, the district notified parents of the allegations within 72 hours. The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing was also notified quickly.
Before the Board of Education could take action to dismiss Pimentel, he retired. He is being held on $12 million bail. The Los Angeles Times reports that the principal of the school was immediately removed, because the LAUSD superintendent was dissatisfied with how the incident had been handled. The principal had not properly reported allegations of misconduct by this teacher that arose in 2008, according to this report.
In November, a report by the California State Auditor found that many cases of employee misconduct against students had been reported to the credentialing commission a year or more later than they should have been. It also raised concerns about the time that elapsed between an investigation unit reporting on an allegation and the principal taking action against the teacher ? eight months in one case.
The audit found that LAUSD has had to spend $3 million in salaries on the 20 employees who have been relocated from classroom sites for the longest periods of time because of allegations of sexual misconduct against students.
The district has taken steps to address such concerns, including many launched before the audit?s release. Among them:
- Training last February districtwide helped employees and parents learn how to identify and engage in discussions about suspected abuse. Each school site must receive biannual child-abuse awareness training as well.
- Educational Service Centers in the district began to offer more specialists in each local area to advise school leaders on misconduct issues.
- The district has been lobbying state legislators about the difficulties of dismissing teachers for misconduct. District officials say it costs on average $300,000 per teacher and can take years.
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Buoyed by Obama, leaders press for climate action
A man pushes his motorcycle through a flooded street in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013. Floods regularly hit parts of Jakarta in the rainy season, but Thursday's inundation following an intense rain storm appeared especially widespread. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana.)
A man pushes his motorcycle through a flooded street in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013. Floods regularly hit parts of Jakarta in the rainy season, but Thursday's inundation following an intense rain storm appeared especially widespread. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana.)
A commuter ferry crosses the harbor in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013, through fog caused by cold air moving over warm water. Frigid temperatures persist across parts of Canada as bitterly cold Arctic air and high winds deliver extreme wind chill values. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Andrew Vaughan)
UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, gestures as he speaks to the assembly of the 43rd Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Costa Rica's President Laura Chinchilla listens during a panel session of the 43rd Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Keystone/Laurent Gillieron)
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? Hurricanes, floods, droughts and a newly climate-conscious Barack Obama are helping boost efforts around the world to fight climate change.
Top political and financial leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos say recent natural disasters, along with Obama's inauguration announcement this week that he's making the battle against rising temperatures a pillar of his second term, could rev up the glacially slow climate pact negotiations and revive fundraising for global action to cool the planet.
"Unless we take action on climate change, future generations will be roasted, toasted, fried and grilled," International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde told participants at Davos.
The U.N.'s climate chief, Christiana Figueras, told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday that Obama's emphasis on climate "definitely is a political boost." She said Hurricane Sandy and drought in the Midwest last year helped push climate change back onto the U.S. political debate.
"We also need to see clearly much more engagement from the United States, we need to a confirmation from the new leadership in China that they remain on course and are willing to engage further. From the Europeans, we need to see that they also remain on course," Figueras said. "And then all of the emerging economies, in addition to China, need to begin to explore the opportunities that they have."
The U.N. climate talks, now two decades in the making, have so far failed to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions that most scientists say are warming the Earth.
Participants at the Davos forum ? which identifies extreme weather as one of the top three risks to the global economy ? called for global action.
Until now, rich and poor countries have accused U.S. leaders of hampering the global fight against climate change, which scientists say is causing a rise in temperatures and sea levels, threatening island nations and other low-lying areas, and shifting weather patterns to produce more droughts, floods and devastating storms.
Figueras, the daughter of a former Costa Rican president, and Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla both said their country could serve as an example.
"Costa Rica is already producing 90 percent of the energy we are consuming from renewable sources," Chinchilla told AP. "We are encouraging the policies of many different companies ? many are already adopting the right policies. For example, in the agricultural sector, we already have coffee which is certified carbon-neutral coffee."
European Union Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard called the battle against global warming the greatest economic challenge of this century.
Several CEOs of major banks and businesses said there have been robust discussions at Davos on potential private financing for "green" technologies to produce cleaner sources of energy.
So far, nations have ponied up about $30 billion toward the $100 billion a year goal by 2020 set at Copenhagen's U.N. climate talks in 2009.
A U.N. climate conference in Doha, Qatar, agreed in December to extend the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty that limits the greenhouse gas output of some rich countries, and agreed to adopt a new global climate pact by 2015. But hopes for stronger U.S. leadership in the ongoing U.N. climate talks were dimmed when legislation to cap emissions stalled in Congress.
"We're coming out of two years of climate silence," said Fred Krupp, president of the U.S.-based Environmental Defense Fund. "The impacts of extreme weather are now affecting everybody in the wallet."
Krupp said while no one is going to invest in unprofitable new technologies, a growing number of clean-energy investments are highly profitable.
Nations also agreed at the U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen to set a goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). But because of inaction, Figueras said, the world is now on "somewhere between a 4 and 6 degree (Celsius) trajectory."
"But the door is not closed," she quickly added. "We have the technology, we have the capital. We have the possibility."
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says one of his top hopes for 2013 is to reach a new agreement on climate change.
"Slowly but steadily, we are coming to realize the risks of a carbon-based economy," he told the forum Thursday. "Those supposedly longer-term issues are actually silent crises with us today: the death of children from preventable diseases; the melting of the polar ice caps because of climate change. ... Let not our inaction today lead to harsh judgment tomorrow."
Prince Albert II of Monaco, whose foundation focuses on climate change and other environmental issues, said Obama's inauguration speech gave a welcome lift toward collective action.
"That can only be positive, because we need to have the U.S. on board," he told the AP.
But Thomas Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said despite Obama's speech there would still be resistance.
"While the president and his colleagues will pursue what we believe is an aggressive climate change policy, they're not going to get it through the Congress," Donahoe predicted. "It's going to be done on a regulatory basis ... and that's going to create a different approach to dealing with this very important but controversial subject."
___
Heilprin can be reached at www.twitter.com/JohnHeilprin
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WADA disputes Verbruggen claim on doping
FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, file photo provided by Harpo Studios Inc., Lance Armstrong listens as he is interviewed by talk show host Oprah Winfrey during taping for the show "Oprah and Lance Armstrong: The Worldwide Exclusive" in Austin, Texas. Armstrong confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France cycling during the interview that aired Thursday, Jan. 17, reversing more than a decade of denial. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Harpo Studios, Inc., George Burns, File)
FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, file photo provided by Harpo Studios Inc., Lance Armstrong listens as he is interviewed by talk show host Oprah Winfrey during taping for the show "Oprah and Lance Armstrong: The Worldwide Exclusive" in Austin, Texas. Armstrong confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France cycling during the interview that aired Thursday, Jan. 17, reversing more than a decade of denial. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Harpo Studios, Inc., George Burns, File)
FILE - In this July 29, 2001, file photo, Lance Armstrong stands during ceremonies after winning the Tour de France cycling race following the 20th and final stage in Paris. Armstrong confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France during a taped interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013, reversing more than a decade of denial. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours, File)
MONTREAL (AP) ? The World Anti-Doping Agency disputes a claim by former cycling federation leader Hein Verbruggen that discussing suspicious doping samples with athletes was once normal practice in sports.
WADA says such a policy "totally contradicts the purpose of an effective anti-doping program."
The agency says it has "no evidence of other international federations 'discussing atypical blood test results, or other test results' with athletes."
Verbruggen, the International Cycling Union president from 1991-2005, claimed Wednesday it was the governing body's former policy and "indeed also of other federations."
WADA has criticized the UCI for arranging for Lance Armstrong to meet with a laboratory director in 2002 after his tests had suspicious levels of EPO.
WADA says any federation discussing tests with athletes "leave(s) itself open to criticism with regards to its impartiality and integrity."
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Nanoparticles digging the world's smallest tunnels
Jan. 23, 2013 ? The world's smallest tunnels have a width of a few nanometers only. Researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Rice University, USA, have dug such tunnels into graphite samples. This will allow structuring of the interior of materials through self-organization in the nanometer range and tailoring of nanoporous graphite for applications in medicine and battery technology.
Results are now presented in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
The tunnels are manufactured applying nickel nanoparticles to graphite which then is heated in the presence of hydrogen gas. The surface of the metal particles, that measure a few nanometers only, serves as a catalyst removing the carbon atoms of the graphite and converting them by means of hydrogen into the gas methane. Through capillary forces, the nickel particle is drawn into the "hole" that forms and bores through the material. The size of the tunnels obtained in the experiments was in the range of 1 to 50 nanometers, which about corresponds to one thousandth of the diameter of a human hair.
To furnish proof of the real existence of these graphite tunnels, the researchers have made use of scanning electron and scanning tunneling microscopy. "Microscopes, in fact, image only the upper layers of the sample," the principal authors of the study, Maya Lukas and Velimir Meded from KIT's Institute of Nanotechnology, explain. "The tunnels below these upper layers, however, leave atomic structures on the surface whose courses can be traced and which can be assigned to the nanotunnels by means of the very detailed scanning tunneling microscopy images and based on computerized simulations." In addition, the depth of the tunnels was determined precisely by means of a series of images taken by a scanning electron microscope from different perspectives.
Porous graphite is used, for example, in the electrodes of lithium ion batteries. The charge time could be reduced using materials with appropriate pore sizes. In medicine, porous graphite could serve as a carrier of drugs to be released over longer periods of time. Replacing graphite by nonconductive materials, e.g. boron nitride, with atomic structures similar to that of graphite, the tunnels could serve as basic structures for nanoelectronic components such as novel sensors or solar cells.
The graphite tunnel study was carried out by the study groups headed by Pulickel M. Ajayan from Rice University, USA, and Ralph Krupke and Wolfgang Wenzel from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Maya Lukas, Velimir Meded, Aravind Vijayaraghavan, Li Song, Pulickel M. Ajayan, Karin Fink, Wolfgang Wenzel, Ralph Krupke. Catalytic subsurface etching of nanoscale channels in graphite. Nature Communications, 2013; 4: 1379 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2399
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.
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Yamaha's CD-N500 network CD player comes to the States, priced at $800
It was unveiled back at IFA, and now Yamaha's networked CD player is ready to make its way to our neck of the woods. The CD-N500 lets users play music streamed from their smartphones, tablets, PC, NAS drives, et al, via the company's Network Player Controller mobile app for iOS, Android and the Kindle Fire. Such CD player-based connectivity isn't cheap, however -- becoming a member of the elite connected CD player future is gonna run you $800. More info on the product can be found in the press release after the break.
Yamaha CD-N500 Network CD Player Provides Seamless Access to MP3s, Internet Radio and Streamed Content
Yamaha Corporation of America, AV Division, today introduced the CD-N500 network CD player that offers music fans a flexible portal to their favorite content from practically any source-CDs, downloaded files such as iTunes(R) and streamed music from PCs, NAS systems, smartphones, tablets and Internet radio. The free Yamaha NETWORK PLAYER CONTROLLER app for smartphones and tablets enables the user to quickly select entertainment choices and easily stream content to the player. Gapless playback enhances streaming audio experiences by eliminating the annoying pauses often heard when music is transmitted from a network source.
"While most consumers have moved to accessing music via iTunes, music streaming and Internet radio, there are still many passionate digital music fans who also have large CD libraries that remain an important part of their entertainment experience," said Tom Sumner, senior vice president, Yamaha Corporation of America. "The CD-N500 is a perfect transition piece for this audience, since it enables them to better integrate all desired music sources. They can listen to what they want when they want, as our network CD player eliminates the barriers to identifying and enjoying their favorite artists and songs."
The free downloadable Yamaha NETWORK PLAYER CONTROLLER app for iOS, Android[TM] and Kindle Fire[TM] devices turn these portable devices into remote controls for choosing music sources and viewing song information and album art. In addition, the app's Music Play function enables quick and seamless wireless streaming of music stored on these portable devices.
The CD-N500 offers a front panel USB digital connection for iPod(R), iPhone(R), iPad(R) and USB devices that enable music stored on them to be heard with the highest possible sound quality. Featuring support for the vTuner radio station database, users are able to playback Internet radio broadcasts from anywhere in the world.
The CD-N500 reproduces music from all sources with Yamaha's signature Hi-Fi concept and "Natural Sound" approach. The result is that listeners hear the music as it was meant to be heard, according to the exacting standards of the recording artists and engineers. Yamaha designed the model with left-right symmetrical audio circuitry to provide the shortest circuit path for audio signal travel without loss of audio signal purity. In addition, all components of the CD-N500 were carefully selected, including the highly regarded 192 kHz/32-bit Burr-Brown high precision DAC, to deliver superior audio quality.
The CD-N500 is compatible with the FLAC 192 kHz/24-bit and Apple Lossless formats and ensures optimum performance with high-resolution audio sources. Pure Direct mode can also be selected for higher quality audio output.
The CD-N500 network audio player is currently available for $799.95 MSRP.
Source: Yamaha
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/23/yamaha-cd-n500/
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Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Lindsay Lohan Snubs ?Dancing With The Stars? Offer
Lindsay Lohan Snubs “Dancing With The Stars” Offer
Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan has turned down a lucrative offer to appear on “Dancing With The Stars”. Lohan has been having serious money problems and is way behind on her taxes. But, the actress apparently thinks she is too good for reality television. Lindsay Lohan has tried to get her waning career back on track ...
Lindsay Lohan Snubs “Dancing With The Stars” Offer Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News
Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/01/lindsay-lohan-snubs-dancing-with-the-stars-offer/
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Electronic manga comic consumption in Japan
japan.internet.com recently reported on one aspect of a survey by goo Research into manga (comics) that found that about one in three paper readers were also consumers on electronic devices.
Demographics
Between the 8th and 10th of January 2013 1,075 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.6% of the sample were male, 16.4% in their teens, 18.1% in their twenties, 21.9% in their thirties, 15.8% in their forties, 15.6% in their fifties, and 12.2% aged sixty or older.
Instead of a comic on a mobile phone, let?s have a mobile phone in a comic:
I?ve never read a manga electronically in any form, but coincidentally today at lunchtime I noticed a colleage reading one on a tablet computer.
Research results
Read more on: comic,goo research,mangaFirst off, the sample were asked if their read manga. 23.1% said they did so regularly, and another 19.6% were irregular readers. This 42.7% (459 people) were then asked the following.
Q1: Do you read manga on a PC, smartphone, other electronic device? (Sample size=459)
Yes, almost every day (to SQ) 6.8% Yes, sometimes (to SQ) 25.5% No, never 67.8% Q1SQ: On what kinds of electronic devices do you read manga? (Sample size=148, multiple answer)
PC 54.7% Smartphone 45.9% Tablet 23.0% Feature phone 10.1% Other 4.7%
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WhatJapanThinks/~3/ikl6PMe7yRw/
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A day pulsing with history follows very old script
WASHINGTON (AP) ? For once, the drumbeats of division receded and Americans of every ornery opinion gathered to witness history unfold in President Barack Obama's second-term inauguration.
Hours before Monday's pageantry, people on foot spilled out of Metro stations near the White House and streamed toward the festivities, military vehicles and buses sealed off intersections blocks from the White House and commuters packed coffee shops, among the few businesses open on an inauguration falling on the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.
A heavy and steady stream of people headed toward the National Mall as the sun rose, but there wasn't the same early morning crush of humanity of Obama's first swearing-in four years ago. No one expected a repeat of those unprecedented crowds, nor quite the same adrenaline-pumping excitement. But for many thousands, it was not to be missed.
David Richardson, 45, brought his children, Camille, 5, and Miles, 8, from Atlanta to soak it all in and to show them, in Obama's achievement, that "anything is possible through hard work."
The "mostly Republican" Vicki Lyons, 51, of Lakewood, Colo., called the experience "surreal" and "like standing in the middle of history."
She didn't vote for Obama and voiced plenty of worry about the nation's future but said: "No matter who the president is, everybody needs to do this at least once."
Outside the Capitol, scene of Obama's noontime inaugural speech, people had their pictures taken with the flag-draped building in the background. It was cool with a steady breeze, but the crowd was spared the biting cold of four years earlier.
Obama's motorcade went into motion several hours before the speech, taking him with his family to St. John's Episcopal Church near the White House for a service. On recent visits to the "Church of Presidents," Obama has taken to ditching the motorcade in favor of walking back to the White House through Lafayette Park.
But this was a day for a speech, a parade and the decorative rituals of power, not an idle stroll.
___
Associated Press writers Richard Lardner, Alan Fram and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/day-pulsing-history-follows-very-old-script-140009723--politics.html
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Tuesday, January 22, 2013
SBC8600B Single Board Computer based on TI AM3359 ...
Editor Contact:Mary
Embest Technology Co., Ltd.
+86 -755 -25636285yubm@embedinfo.com
SBC8600B Single Board Computer based on TI AM3359
SBC8600B is the new flagship product of Embest based on TI AM3359 ARM Cortex-A8 architecture processor,up to 720 MHZ, can be used in portable navigation system, digital video set-top box, portable education/game equipment, industrial automation, building automation, man-machine interface, teaching/medical equipment, etc. In addition SBC8600B added 3D image acceleration module (speed is up to 20 m/tri/s), double Ethernet ports, support gigabit Ethernet network, lower energy consumption, size smaller (only for 95 mm x 95 mm). Plate loads 6 serial ports (including one isolation RS485 interface), 1 road with isolation CAN2.0 interface, two USB Hosts and one USB OTG, LCD touch screen, TF card interface. In addition there are a variety of optional modules, including 3G wireless module, Wi-Fi Internet function module, etc.
SBC8600B can support Linux3.2.0, WinCE 7 and Android[
] 2.3.We also provide free source code, a variety of drivers.
For more information please access:
www.embest-tech.com/shop/product/sbc8600b-singl[...]
About TI?s Sitara AM3359 processor
The AM3359 microprocessors based on the ARM Cortex-A8 are enhanced with image, graphics processing, peripherals and industrial interface options such as etherCAT and Profibus. The device supports Lunix,Windows CE and Android high-level operating systems .
The AM335x9 microrocessor contains MPU,PRUSS and POWERVR.SGX Graphics Accelerator subsystems.
About Embest
Embest Technology Co., Ltd is a global provider of embedded hardware and software, and formed in 2000, now is part of element14 and Premier Farnell, a global electronic components distributor with over 70 years in the business.
We offer professional development tools, evaluation boards, SBC (Single Board Computers), hardware and software development services and applications. We are also the authorized distributor of ARM, Parasoft, HP, Cadsoft and etc in China.
What we provide:
Embedded development tools
Single board computers and core modules
OEM/ODM service of Embedded products
Our vision is to take use of our technology and services to help customers to develop and produce embedded products faster, more efficient with high quality.
Know more about Embest : www.armkits.com
Source: http://embedded-computing.com/news/sbc8600b-computer-based-ti-am3359/
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Monday, January 14, 2013
White House responds to petitions regarding states wanting to secede from union
On Saturday, the White House responded to a group of the ?We the People? petitions, regarding states wanting to secede from the union, that have been posted on the petitions page of the White House governmental web site.
Since President Barack Obama was reelected on Nov. 6, 2012, all 50 states in the United States of America have had petitions posted which request that the state be allowed to part from the union known as the United States. The last of the petitions was posted on Nov. 14 which was only some five weeks after the presidential election. By far, most of the states? petitions were quite successful in terms of receiving signatures from citizens of the land. Early on, Texas was the leader in garnering signatures and made headlines throughout Nov. and Dec. of last year as the number of signatures on the petition involving the Lone Star State reached astronomical levels.
All 50 States petition to Secede from the United States of America (Total Signatures as of Nov. 15)
In the response to a group of the petitions, the White House has spoken via a statement from Jon Carson who is the Director of the Office of Public Engagement.
Carson states in his response titled ?Our States Remain United:
Our States Remain United
Thank you for using the White House's online petitions platform to participate in your government.
In a nation of 300 million people -- each with their own set of deeply-held beliefs -- democracy can be noisy and controversial. And that's a good thing. Free and open debate is what makes this country work, and many people around the world risk their lives every day for the liberties we often take for granted.
But as much as we value a healthy debate, we don't let that debate tear us apart.
Our founding fathers established the Constitution of the United States "in order to form a more perfect union" through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government. They enshrined in that document the right to change our national government through the power of the ballot -- a right that generations of Americans have fought to secure for all. But they did not provide a right to walk away from it. As President Abraham Lincoln explained in his first inaugural address in 1861, "in contemplation of universal law and of the Constitution the Union of these States is perpetual." In the years that followed, more than 600,000 Americans died in a long and bloody civil war that vindicated the principle that the Constitution establishes a permanent union between the States. And shortly after the Civil War ended, the Supreme Court confirmed that "[t]he Constitution, in all its provisions, looks to an indestructible Union composed of indestructible States."
Although the founders established a perpetual union, they also provided for a government that is, as President Lincoln would later describe it, "of the people, by the people, and for the people" -- all of the people. Participation in, and engagement with, government is the cornerstone of our democracy. And because every American who wants to participate deserves a government that is accessible and responsive, the Obama Administration has created a host of new tools and channels to connect concerned citizens with White House. In fact, one of the most exciting aspects of the We the People platform is a chance to engage directly with our most outspoken critics.
So let's be clear: No one disputes that our country faces big challenges, and the recent election followed a vigorous debate about how they should be addressed. As President Obama said the night he won re-election, "We may have battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future."
Whether it's figuring out how to strengthen our economy, reduce our deficit in a responsible way, or protect our country, we will need to work together -- and hear from one another -- in order to find the best way to move forward. I hope you'll take a few minutes to learn more about the President?s ideas and share ideas and share more of your own.
CLICK HERE to go to the White House web site page which allows persons to respond to the White House?s response to the petitions regarding secession
Therefore, the White House?s response to the petitions expressing a desire to secede from the union has been written off the nation?s growing ?to-do? list of 2013. Somehow, deep down, it is sincerely believed that we knew that would be the response all along. Yet, the petitions are believed, by many, to have served their purpose of letting the President of the United States, Barack Obama, and his administration in the White House in Washington, D.C. know of a discontent nation at this time in our nation?s historic development.
The White House web page's petition page, entitled "We the People", is open to the public for initiating and signing petitions to the White House. By its rules, the White House responds to petitions which reach a 25,000 signature threshold.
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Saturday, January 12, 2013
Biden says consensus emerging on gun safety
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Pledging swift action to curb gun violence, Vice President Joe Biden said he would deliver new policy proposals to President Barack Obama by Tuesday.
Biden said that while he had not finalized his recommendations, a consensus was emerging over banning assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, as well as tightening background checks.
Some of those measures are likely to face opposition from some pro-gun groups, most notably the powerful National Rifle Association. A representative from the NRA was scheduled to meet with Biden Thursday afternoon.
Obama, spurred by the horrific shooting of school children in Newtown, Conn., appointed Biden to lead a task force on preventing gun violence. He set a late January deadline for the group's recommendations, which he pledged to act on swiftly.
The vice president said Thursday that while no recommendations would eliminate all future mass shootings, "there has got to be some common ground, to not solve every problem but diminish the probability."
The NRA, the nation's largest gun-rights group, has blocked gun-control efforts in the past and is opposing any new ones. In the wake of the Newtown shooting, NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre rejected efforts to tighten gun laws and instead recommended putting armed guards in all schools as a way to stop another school shooting.
LaPierre will not be attending the White House meeting. Instead, the NRA is sending its top lobbyist, James Baker, who has worked with Biden previously on gun issues.
White House officials recognize it is unlikely the NRA will ever fully support measures Obama is pushing, including an assault weapons ban and limits on high-capacity ammunition magazines. But the administration may need to soften the NRA's opposition if it hopes to rally support from pro-gun lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Biden was also meeting Thursday with sportsmen and wildlife organizations, including Ducks Unlimited, the Outdoor Industry Association and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, as well as the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Firearms Import/Export Roundtable.
Wal-Mart, the nation's largest firearms seller, will meet separately with Attorney General Eric Holder Thursday along with other retailers such as Bass Pro Shops and Dick's Sporting Goods.
Biden has also said the administration is weighing executive action in addition to recommending legislation by Congress. Those steps could include making gun-trafficking a felony, getting the Justice Department to prosecute people caught lying on gun background-check forms and ordering federal agencies to send data to the National Gun Background Check Database.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence says that about 40 percent of gun sales are made without background checks, often at gun shows and over the Internet.
Representatives from the Brady Campaign joined other victims' groups and gun safety organizations for meetings with Biden on Wednesday. The vice president said the steps the administration is considering could "take thousands of people out of harm's way" and improve the safety of millions more.
"I want to make it clear that we are not going to get caught up in the notion that unless we can do everything, we're going to do nothing," Biden said. "It's critically important we act."
The Newtown shootings pushed gun control to the top of Obama's domestic agenda for the first time during his presidency. He was largely silent on the hot-button political issue after the 2011 shootings in Tucson, Ariz., that killed six people and wounded 12 others, including then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and the Colorado movie theater killing of a dozen people and wounding of many more last July.
The president hopes to announce his administration's next steps to tackle gun violence shortly after he is sworn in for a second term and has pledged to push for new measures in his State of the Union address.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/biden-says-consensus-emerging-gun-safety-174616607--politics.html
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Friday, January 11, 2013
Largest-known spiral galaxy crowned
Jan. 10, 2013 ? The spectacular barred spiral galaxy NGC 6872 has ranked among the biggest stellar systems for decades. Now a team of astronomers from the United States, Chile and Brazil has crowned it the largest-known spiral, based on archival data from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) mission, which has since been loaned to the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.
Measuring tip-to-tip across its two outsized spiral arms, NGC 6872 spans more than 522,000 light-years, making it more than five times the size of our Milky Way galaxy.
"Without GALEX's ability to detect the ultraviolet light of the youngest, hottest stars, we would never have recognized the full extent of this intriguing system," said lead scientist Rafael Eufrasio, a research assistant at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and a doctoral student at Catholic University of America in Washington. He presented the findings January 10 at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Long Beach, Calif.
The galaxy's unusual size and appearance stem from its interaction with a much smaller disk galaxy named IC 4970, which has only about one-fifth the mass of NGC 6872. The odd couple is located 212 million light-years from Earth in the southern constellation Pavo.
Astronomers think large galaxies, including our own, grew through mergers and acquisitions -- assembling over billions of years by absorbing numerous smaller systems.
Intriguingly, the gravitational interaction of NGC 6872 and IC 4970 may have done the opposite, spawning what may develop into a new small galaxy.
"The northeastern arm of NGC 6872 is the most disturbed and is rippling with star formation, but at its far end, visible only in the ultraviolet, is an object that appears to be a tidal dwarf galaxy similar to those seen in other interacting systems," said team member Duilia de Mello, a professor of astronomy at Catholic University.
The tidal dwarf candidate is brighter in the ultraviolet than other regions of the galaxy, a sign it bears a rich supply of hot young stars less than 200 million years old.
The researchers studied the galaxy across the spectrum using archival data from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, the Two Micron All Sky Survey, and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, as well as GALEX.
By analyzing the distribution of energy by wavelength, the team uncovered a distinct pattern of stellar age along the galaxy's two prominent spiral arms. The youngest stars appear in the far end of the northwestern arm, within the tidal dwarf candidate, and stellar ages skew progressively older toward the galaxy's center.
The southwestern arm displays the same pattern, which is likely connected to waves of star formation triggered by the galactic encounter.
A 2007 study by Cathy Horellou at Onsala Space Observatory in Sweden and Baerbel Koribalski of the Australia National Telescope Facility developed computer simulations of the collision that reproduced the overall appearance of the system as we see it today. According to the closest match, IC 4970 made its closest approach about 130 million years ago and followed a path that took it nearly along the plane of the spiral's disk in the same direction it rotates. The current study is consistent with this picture.
As in all barred spirals, NGC 6872 contains a stellar bar component that transitions between the spiral arms and the galaxy's central regions. Measuring about 26,000 light-years in radius, or about twice the average length found in nearby barred spirals, it is a bar that befits a giant galaxy.
The team found no sign of recent star formation along the bar, which indicates it formed at least a few billion years ago. Its aged stars provide a fossil record of the galaxy's stellar population before the encounter with IC 4970 stirred things up.
"Understanding the structure and dynamics of nearby interacting systems like this one brings us a step closer to placing these events into their proper cosmological context, paving the way to decoding what we find in younger, more distant systems," said team member and Goddard astrophysicist Eli Dwek.
The study also included Fernanda Urrutia-Viscarra and Claudia Mendes de Oliveira at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil and Dimitri Gadotti at the European Southern Observatory in Santiago, Chile.
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- C. Horellou, B. Koribalski. Stars and gas in the very large interacting galaxy NGC?6872. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2007; 464 (1): 155 DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20066023
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.
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