Source: www.ibtimes.com --- Saturday, June 29, 2013
Apple ranks as the leading smartphone maker in the U.S., while Android remains the nation’s top smartphone platform, according to comScore. ...
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BAGHDAD (AP) ? Bombs in Iraq targeting a checkpoint run by government-allied Sunni militiamen, a Shiite tribal leader's funeral and a soccer field killed at least 19 people on Friday, in the latest strikes by militants seeking to destabilize the country.
Iraq is in the midst of its deadliest and most sustained wave of violence since 2008, raising fears the nation is returning to the widespread sectarian-charged bloodshed that pushed it to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007. More than 2,000 people have been killed in bombings and other violent attacks since the start of April.
The deadliest attack, which killed at least 11, struck the militia checkpoint shortly before midday in the village of Zangoura, which is just south of the former insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, some 115 kilometers (70 miles) west of Baghdad, according to police.
The checkpoint was manned by members of the Sahwa, who are Sunni militiamen that joined forces with U.S. troops to fight al-Qaida during the Iraq War. They remain on the Shiite-led central government's payroll for security forces, making them an occasional target for Sunni insurgents who consider them traitors.
One bomb, apparently planted by the side of the road, was the source of the initial blast. A second detonated as villagers rushed to help the victims of the first explosion, police said.
In the town of Dujail, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Baghdad, a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a tent set up to welcome mourners at the funeral of a local Shiite tribal leader.
Dujail mayor Naif al-Khazraji and Ali al-Haidari, a senior security official in the town, said the blast killed at least four and wounded four others. Al-Khazraji said those killed included a police captain who tried to shoot the bomber before he detonated his explosives.
Dujail is a predominantly Shiite town surrounded by mostly Sunni communities.
Shortly after unset, police said a bomb went off near a soccer field in the Shiite-majority town of Madain just south of Baghdad, killing 4 people and wounding 15 others.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Al-Qaida in Iraq frequently deploys car bombs and coordinated explosives, and often targets Shiites and security forces, including Sahwa members.
Police and hospital officials confirmed the casualties. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Earlier Friday, Iraqi officials raised the death toll from a series of bombings late Thursday that targeted soccer fans watching the Confederations Cup semifinal between Spain and Italy in cafes in and around Baghdad. They put the number of those killed at 36.
The deadliest attack, which killed 20 people, took place at a large cafe in the city of Baqouba, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad. The assailants staggered the blasts, apparently so that the second one ? a car bomb ? would kill people rushing to help those hurt in the initial explosion. Rescue teams found several bodies only on Friday morning, police said.
Other attacks late Thursday struck cafes in Baghdad and the Shiite town of Jbala south of the capital.
___
Associated Press writers Adam Schreck and Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bombs-iraq-kill-19-people-182230039.html
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By Alison Griswold
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 ended Friday's session with its strongest first half of any year since 1998 after reaching record highs in May on a rally underpinned by the Federal Reserve's massive monetary stimulus.
While the S&P 500 closed down for the month of June on concerns that the Fed might begin reducing its bond-buying program, the benchmark index ended the second quarter with a gain - marking its first positive second quarter in four years. The Dow Jones industrial average and the Nasdaq also dipped in June, but rose in the second quarter.
"I think the momentum that was established at the end of the first quarter kind of gave us a phenomenal start," said Randy Billhardt, head of capital markets at MLV & Co. in New York.
"The low interest-rate environment has really been the foundation of the stock market performance for this second quarter."
The Dow and the S&P 500 fell in Friday's volatile session, ending three straight days of gains. At the closing bell, the Nasdaq had eked out a tiny gain. Stocks opened lower on weakness in technology shares, then fluctuated between steep losses and moderate gains for much of the day.
The losses were broad, with eight of the 10 S&P 500 industrial sectors declining. Only utilities and consumer discretionary shares closed higher.
Despite Friday's ups and downs, analysts said volatility has decreased as investors have come to terms with the fact that the Federal Reserve's stimulus program will eventually end. The CBOE Volatility Index <.vix>, Wall Street's favorite barometer of investor anxiety, fell nearly 11 percent in the past week. In Friday's session alone, the VIX ended flat at 16.86.
Volatility surged last week after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke suggested the central bank could slow its $85 billion a month in bond purchases before the end of the year if the economy is strong enough.
After two Fed speakers seemed to back away on Thursday from Bernanke's comments, Fed Governor Jeremy Stein and Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker sounded a more aggressive tone on Friday on when the central bank's unprecedented policy accommodation might be reduced.
"The mixed signals from both the economic data and the Fed's direction have caused a lot of anxiety and some opportunistic buying and selling, and it's just created a much less predictive environment going forward," said Steven Baffico, chief executive officer of Four Wood Capital Partners in New York.
Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq snapped a seven-month winning streak, while the Dow broke a six-month surge. For the month, the Dow fell 1.4 percent, the S&P 500 lost 1.5 percent and the Nasdaq dropped 1.5 percent.
Volume was the second highest of the year as some 10 billion shares changed hands on U.S. exchanges. Trading surged toward the close, with about half of the day's shares traded in the last 30 minutes as investors anticipated a final update from Russell Investments for the annual reconstitution of its indexes.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> fell 114.89 points or 0.76 percent, to end at 14,909.60. The S&P 500 <.spx> slipped 6.92 points or 0.43 percent, to finish at 1,606.28. The Nasdaq Composite <.ixic> added 1.38 points or 0.04 percent, to close at 3,403.25.
Before Friday, the three major U.S. stock indexes had climbed for three straight days on diminished concern that the Federal Reserve would bring an imminent end to its $85 billion a month in bond purchases, known as quantitative easing.
For the week, the Dow rose 0.7 percent, the S&P 500 gained 0.9 percent and the Nasdaq advanced 1.4 percent.
For the second quarter, the Dow gained 2.3 percent, the S&P 500 advanced 2.4 percent and the Nasdaq jumped 4.2 percent.
In Friday's session, Accenture PLC dropped 10.3 percent to $71.96, making it the biggest drag on the S&P 500 after the company cut its full-year outlook. The results also prompted investors to sell some shares of competitor International Business Machines
U.S.-listed shares of Research in Motion
Arch Coal Inc rose 5 percent to $3.78 after the company agreed to sell its Canyon Fuel subsidiary for $435 million in cash.
(Reporting by Alison Griswold,; Additional reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Jan Paschal)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-futures-stimulus-worries-recede-japan-data-upbeat-113405609.html
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A team of researchers has found that some 2 million years ago,?early humans evolved the ability to aim and throw, skills not shared by our closest living relatives.?
In 2012 multiple exposure image, Boston Red Sox's Jon Lester pitches in the third inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Boston. A new study suggests the ability to throw hard and accurately first appeared in an early human some 2 million years ago.
Michael Dwyer/AP/File
EnlargeIt's completely ordinary to see today's athletes throw a javelin hundreds of feet in the air or fire baseballs accurately and in excess of 90 mph dozens of times during a game. However, not every close human relative has that ability to throw, despite the great strength that many possess. Researchers say they traced that ability back to three changes to the waist, shoulder and upper arm that happened about 2 million years ago in the early human?Homo erectus.
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Making a strong, accurate throw requires the different parts of the body to work together in what biomechanics researchers call a kinetic chain -- the rapid and sequential activation of different muscles. The motion that launches a throw begins with the legs, moves through the hips, torso, shoulder, and through the arm to the hand. Throwing projectiles fast and with high accuracy requires coordination, and also the anatomical features that first appeared together in?Homo erectus.
A team of researchers, reporting in?Nature, found that the three key traits can be found in humans, but not our closest relatives, chimpanzees. Each feature allows the body to store more energy before a quick rotation that releases it: tall and mobile waists that permit torso rotation; the way the elbow and the bone in the upper arm, the humerus, join together and rotate; and the placement of the shoulders. Each trait has "a major role in storing and releasing elastic energy during throwing," the researchers wrote.
The change to the shoulder is crucial, explained Neil Roach, a biological anthropologist at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. While chimpanzee shoulders sit very high and close to the neck, almost as if the animal is permanently shrugging its shoulders, human shoulders are much more relaxed.
"That change in the shoulder really brings all of those things together and that didn't happen until 2 million years ago," said Roach. "That allows us to essentially use the arm like a catapult, to store energy as we cock our arm or rotate our arm away from the target before we rapidly rotate it toward the target."
The rotation of the humerus is the fastest motion the human body produces, said Roach, at over 9,000 degrees per second.
The researchers studied both the fossil record and Harvard University baseball players in order to develop their insights. They used motion capture technology to track the way experienced throwers launch the ball.
The researchers also studied restricted motion using braces, Roach said. They prevented subjects from relaxing their shoulders and restricted the motion of the arm.
"What that did was give us the ability to at least mimic what the ancestral anatomy would have been like," said Roach.
The resulting observations allowed the researchers to zero in on the most important features for throwing: the elbow, shoulder and waist. The fossil record showed that when?Homo erectus?developed these features together, it made them the first of our relatives that could throw like modern humans.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/z1xuFI-Tzyg/Why-gorillas-can-t-throw-fastballs
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Gabriel Gomez billed himself as a modern Republican ? more moderate and culturally-savvy, the kind who could win in heavily-Democratic Massachusetts. Tuesday's defeat showed that most Bay State voters didn't believe the message. ?
Blue state voters rarely do. Democratic-leaning states have been close to off limits to most GOP Congressional candidates. In New England, there isn't a single Republican representative in the House and only two GOP senators remain: Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire and Susan Collins in Maine. The West Coast is dominated by Democrats, and a winnable open Senate seat in New Jersey this year has been all but conceded to the Democrats.
That's handicapped Republicans as they pave their path back to the presidency and, in the short term, hope to win back a Senate majority. The challenges have GOP leaders wondering whether, with a plethora of opportunities during next year's midterm elections, they can crack the blue state code in time.
"It's imperative for any candidate in any blue state, especially for federal office, to cut your own image or better explain why the party stands for certain things," said Mike DuHaime, a GOP consultant based in New Jersey who advises Gov. Chris Christie. "I don't think we've done a great job of that lately. It's very difficult in blue states to overcome the caricature of the Republican Party right now."
Republicans would have less of a problem if their struggles were matched by the Democrats' challenges on conservative turf. At the presidential level, it's largely true. But in the Senate, Democrats have found ways to in win in unlikely places. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota and Sen. Joe Donnelly in Indiana both won Senate races last year in states where the Democratic Party rarely does well.
The GOP has several blue-state senators it can call its own, like Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania, Ron Johnson in Wisconsin, or Mark Kirk in Illinois. But their victories happened in 2010, the most favorable election for the Republican Party in a generation.
The explanation is straightforward for some GOP operatives: The party's primaries, forcing candidates to appeal to the most conservative constituencies, produces inferior general election nominees.
"I think Democrats are more pragmatic than Republicans when it comes to their nominees," said Fergus Cullen, a former New Hampshire state GOP chairman, who credits former Congressman Rahm Emanuel with instilling into his party a necessary political hard-headedness. "It's hard to see Republican primary voters accepting the equivalent of a Mark Pryor as their nominee, or Mary Landrieu as their nominee."
But in Massachusetts, Republicans managed to recruit a candidate that broke the mold. The son of Colombian immigrants and a former Navy SEAL, Gomez constructed a campaign around the premise he was a new kind of Republican. He favored expanding gun-sale background checks, embraced gay marriage, and hailed immigration reform that included a pathway to citizenship for those currently living in the country illegally.
On paper, he compared favorably to Tuesday's winner, Democratic Rep. Ed Markey, who had served as a congressman for nearly four decades.
But in the election, party labels mattered ? a lot. The 'R' next to Gomez's name on the ballot became a scarlet letter.
"Gomez is certainly a very different type of Republican from the national party," said Ryan Williams, a veteran of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. "But all [Democrats] have to say is you're going to support the party's leadership, and it's hard to win that way in a deep blue state."
After Markey's win was secured, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued a memo proclaiming the Gomez's defeat proved the GOP was struggling to win outside of red states.
"The circumstances in Massachusetts and New Jersey are indicative of a larger failure for the Republican Party and the NRSC: the complete inability to expand the map and compete in blue or purple states," said Guy Cecil, the DSCC's executive director. "This is a particularly bad sign for the NRSC as they seek to expand the 2014 map into any state beyond those won by Mitt Romney."
The blue and purple state targets in 2014 include New Hampshire, Minnesota, Virginia and Colorado, each of which is represented by a Democratic incumbent. Michigan and Iowa are also in play after incumbent Democratic senators there retired. In all six, an array of high-profile Republicans have passed on running.
Not all Republicans see a problem with the party's record in blue states, or think this week's loss in Massachusetts is symptomatic of a deeper problem. Markey and the Democratic Party felt compelled to spend about $3 million and to parade luminaries from President Obama to former President Bill Clinton through the state, noted Republican strategist Brian Walsh, a former spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
"The fact that it hasn't been a cakewalk for Democrats is a minor victory," said Walsh. "That's $3 million Democrats aren't going to have going into next year."
In a statement, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Jerry Moran said the midterm map offers far friendlier opportunities for the GOP than Massachusetts.
"We're doing things differently this cycle, and today's result only strengthens our resolve and commitment to recruit and support excellent candidates in every race," said Moran. "Democrats may have won this round, but it came at a massive cost on friendly turf. The same cannot be said in Louisiana, West Virginia, South Dakota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Montana, Alaska, Michigan, Iowa, and New Hampshire."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/republicans-cant-crack-blue-state-code-212053404.html
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Levitating magician: A viral Pepsi ad shows an English magician apparently levitating alongside a double-decker bus. How are we so easily fooled by magic?
A TV commercial posted online shows an English magician named Dynamo apparently levitating off the side of one of London's iconic double-decker buses, as amazed onlookers gape, point, and, because this is 2013, shoot photos and video with their phones. He then slides off the bus, produces a can of Pepsi Max, opens it, and takes a sip.
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It was posted on Monday, and by Thursday afternoon, it already had more than 2.3 million views. Have a look at the video at the top of this page, if you haven't done so already.
"If you can just take a moment to look at things from a new perspective," says Dynamo in his gentle Yorkshire accent, "you might see the world in a whole new light."?
So how did Dynamo do it? Here, we reveal his secret: He had the soda can in his pocket the whole time.?
OK, we're not going to say how Dynamo floated alongside the bus: Exposing the secrets of individual magicians serves only to diminish the entertainment. (It can also ruin their livelihoods, and why would we want to do that?)?
So instead, we'll just give away how every magician everywhere performs every illusion. And we'll share some cognitive psychology with you along the way.
At the heart of every illusion is misdirection, the manipulation of the audience's attention. ?
"Everyone knows what attention is," wrote William James in his seminal 1890 work, "Principles of Psychology."
"It is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. Focalization, concentration, of consciousness are of its essence. It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others, and is a condition which has a real opposite in the confused, dazed, scatterbrained state which in French is called distraction, and Zerstreutheit in German."
And skilled magicians are the ultimate?Zerstreutheitmeisters. Gesturing hands, shiny props, dazzling spotlights, flying doves, "assistants" in sparkly outfits, and, in Dynamo's case, waggling feet and a smartphone are all expertly deployed to take your mind off of where the "magic" ? usually a fairly straightforward mechanism ? is really happening. And we fall for it almost every time.
We get fooled for two big reasons: The first is that we aren't able to take in all of the stimuli in our environment all at once. You might think that you're eyes are merely windows to the outside world, but the picture that you're seeing right now is mostly a simulation. As you focus your attention on these words, the rest your visual field is sketched out in only the barest detail. It only appears like a rich vista because your brain is constantly filling in the gaps, not with what it actually perceives, but with what it expects to perceive. ?
Want proof? Place your left hand over your left eye. Extend your right arm forward, with your index finger raised. Now, staring at a point straight ahead, and not at your finger, slowly move your arm to the right. When your arm is at an angle of about 15 degrees, the tip of your finger will vanish. Presto!
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SANFORD, Fla. (AP) ? A friend who was on the phone with 17-year-old Trayvon Martin moments before he was fatally shot by George Zimmerman testified that she heard the Miami teen shout, "Get off! Get off!" before his telephone went dead.
Rachel Jeantel recounted to jurors in Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial how Martin told her he was being followed by a man as he walked through the Retreat at Twin Lakes townhome complex on his way back from a convenience store to the home of his father's fiancee.
Jeantel is considered one of the prosecution's most important witnesses because she was the last person to talk to Martin before his encounter with Zimmerman on Feb. 26, 2012.
She testified that Martin described the man following him as "a creepy-ass cracker" and he thought he had evaded him. But she said a short time later Martin let out a profanity.
Martin said Zimmerman was behind him and she heard Martin ask: "What are you following me for?"
She then heard what sounded like Martin's phone earpiece drop into the grass and she heard him say, "Get off! Get off!" The phone then went dead, she said.
Zimmerman, 29, could get life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder for killing Martin. Zimmerman followed him in his truck and called a police dispatch number before he and the teen got into a fight.
Zimmerman has claimed self-defense, saying he opened fire after the teenager jumped him and began slamming his head against the concrete sidewalk.
Zimmerman, whose father is white and whose mother is Hispanic, has denied the confrontation with the black teenager had anything to do with race, as Martin's family and its supporters have claimed.
Jeantel's testimony came after two former neighbors of Zimmerman testified Wednesday about hearing howls and shouts for help in the moments before the shooting.
Jayne Surdyka told the court that immediately before the shooting, she heard an aggressive voice and a softer voice exchanging words for several minutes in an area behind her townhome at the Retreat at Twin Lakes.
"It was someone being very aggressive and angry at someone," she said.
During the struggle, she said, she saw a person in dark clothes on top of the other person. Martin was wearing a dark sweatshirt and Zimmerman wore red clothing. Surdyka said she saw the person who was on top get off the body after the shot was fired.
Surdyka said she heard cries for help and then multiple gunshots: "pop, pop, pop." Only one shot was fired in the fatal encounter.
"I truly believe the second yell for help was a yelp," said Surdyka, who later dabbed away tears as prosecutors played her 911 call. "It was excruciating. I really felt it was a boy's voice."
During cross-examination, defense attorney Don West tried to show there was a lapse in what Surdyka saw. Defense attorneys contend Martin was on top of Zimmerman during the struggle, but after the neighborhood watch volunteer fired a shot, Zimmerman got on top of Martin.
West also challenged Surdyka about her belief that the cry for help was a boy's voice, saying she was making an assumption about whose voice it was.
Jeannee Manalo testified after Surdyka that she believed Zimmerman was on top of Martin, saying he was the bigger of the two based on pictures she saw of Martin on television after the fight. Manalo also described hearing howling, but she couldn't tell who it was coming from, and then a "help sound" a short time later.
Under cross-examination, defense attorney Mark O'Mara asked why she had never mentioned her belief that Zimmerman was on top in previous police interviews. He also got her to concede that her perception of Martin's size was based on five-year-old photos she had seen of him on television that showed a younger and smaller Martin.
Martin's parents have said they believe the cries for help captured on 911 calls made by Zimmerman's neighbors came from their son, while Zimmerman's father has said he believes the cries belong to his son. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys believe they could show whether Zimmerman or Martin was the aggressor in the encounter. Defense attorneys successfully argued against allowing prosecution experts who claimed the cries belonged to Martin.
Before the February 2012 shooting, Zimmerman had made about a half dozen calls to a nonemergency police number to report suspicious characters in his neighborhood. Judge Debra Nelson on Wednesday ruled that they could be played for jurors.
Prosecutors had argued that the police dispatch calls were central to their case that Zimmerman committed second-degree murder since they showed his state of mind. He was increasingly frustrated with repeated burglaries and had reached a breaking point the night he shot the unarmed teenager, prosecutors say.
Defense attorneys argued that the calls were irrelevant and that nothing matters but the seven or eight minutes before Zimmerman fired the deadly shot into Martin's chest.
Seven of the nine jurors and alternates scribbled attentively on their notepads as the calls were played.
___
Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KHightower
Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trayvon-martins-friend-describes-final-phone-call-184329832.html
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Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/06/25/thirsty-take-a-swig-from-your-tie-ummm-what/
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June 25, 2013 ? Nanoprobes made from gold could be used to predict people's cancer risk -- and the effectiveness of treatments, following research by University of Strathclyde academics.
The nanoprobes could allow scientists to study cancer cells in minute detail -- using a highly-sensitive imaging technique known as FRET microscopy -- with the aim of identifying tumour-causing properties. The nanoprobes could also be used to measure how effective medicines are, at a sub-cellular level of detail, while another application could be the identification of contaminants in food and water supplies.
Dr Yu Chen, of the University's Department of Physics, said: "The technology could allow the simultaneous detection of multiple types of RNA related to cancer, which would then raise the possibility of scientists eventually being able to screen patients, in order to predict their risk of developing disease. By allowing us to see what is happening inside cells, we also hope this research will also lead to the development of techniques to study the efficacy of drugs."
Co-worker Professor David Birch, also of the Physics Department, said: "We are very excited about the potential applications of this multi-disciplinary approach, which harnesses expertise from physics, chemistry, biology, engineering and medicine. We hope it will lead to the development of a new generation of biological imaging and sensing techniques that underpin improvements in healthcare for a range of diseases."
The team also believes FRET microscopy with gold nanoparticles could be used to improve food and water safety. Co-worker Dr Jun Yu, of the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, said: "This new approach to imaging RNA at a single-cell level may also allow scientists to develop new methods to identify various microbes which may have contaminated food and water. Food safety is a global challenge and using novel nanoprobes to detect food contamination by various microbes will open up a new way of addressing this crucial issue."
Gold nanoparticles - less than 1000th of the width of a human hair - have a number of advantages over organic dye molecules that are used at present for studying cells with fluorescence microscopy. They are more photostable - meaning they are unchanged by exposure to light - are more sensitive because they can probe over a longer distance, and are less toxic to cells.
Dr Chen said: "The nanoprobes are based on a type of 'molecular handshake', called F?rster resonance energy transfer -- or FRET, in which gold nanoparticles are linked with a fluorescent protein, via a hairpin-structured single stranded DNA. Upon interacting with the target mRNA in the cell, the hairpin structure dissolves and a fluorescent signal occurs -- enabling the tracking and quantification of the disease-related mRNA at a cellular level, even down to the level of single molecules."
Scientists believe they can be used to deliver other molecules, such as cancer drugs, directly to disease tissues -- bypassing normal, healthy cells. Also, they are economical to produce because they only use a tiny trace of the precious metal.
The 18-month project, backed with ?119,000 investment from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. It aims to develop a new approach for imaging message ribonucleic acids (mRNA) - a kind of nucleic acid present in all living cells that carries genetic codes from DNA to make protein. By examining key mRNAs at a cellular level, scientists could be able to detect diseases -- such as cancer -- at an early stage, and to study how effective a particular treatment is.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/3lYWswDBtp0/130625073740.htm
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Justin Bieber Hooking Up With Vegas Waitress Jordan Ozuna
Justin Bieber appears to have a new lady friend after he was photographed getting cozy with a Las Vegas waitress. Look away Selena Gomez, it appears Bieber is hooking up with attractive waitresses now! There’s been lots of speculation about Bieber’s romantic life following his split from Selena Gomez earlier this year. Justin Bieber made ...
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Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/06/justin-bieber-hooking-up-with-vegas-waitress-jordan-ozuna/
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New York City?s North Brother Island has lived many past lives, as a shipwreck site, a smallpox clinic, a tuberculosis colony, and a drug rehab facility, for starters. The 20-acre island, which sits between the Bronx and Riker?s Island, has been abandoned since the 1970s. But two architecture students are hoping to change that soon, with a proposal to build a school for autistic children on the island.
A daring kayaker trekked out there earlier this year to snap some erie pictures of what the abandoned place looks like now. In the 50 some-odd years since the island has been used, its crumbling, decrepit buildings have been overtaken by vegetation, and the land has become a nesting ground for water birds. It's a really cool spot that looks somewhere in between war ruins and farmland that you don't really believe exists in the Big Apple's backyard. And Ellis and Peterson want to build something that respects its integrity and provides for both kids, their parents, and the plant and wildlife that's set up shop on North Brother.
So what would the plan look like? The main school building would be built in the middle of the island, as to avoid bird's typical nesting grounds. Five of the existing buildings on the island would be restored for the school's use. Structures on the south end of North Brother would be revamped for use by the New York City Parks Department, Cornell University Department of Ornithology, and the Audubon Society.
The island would allow administrators to control the school environment more carefully, which makes it a good fit for kids with Autism, whose needs are often not met in traditional schools. There are different types of Autism?some kids are hypersensitive, meaning they need safety, control, and consistency. Others are hyposensitive, meaning they need to be able to explore and discover. With varying types of indoor and outdoor spaces, the island would be able to satisfy all of these needs. There would be a contained play area in the middle, so kids could explore; but they'd also have access to a controlled area if necessary. Classrooms would be mostly identical, but the scissor-shaped roof as well as gardens would provide nuance. The roof would also allow for enough natural light to enter the school without being totally overwhelming.
Overall, the designers would respect the way the island has grown as it's decayed. For example, the existing vegetation would be used to guide further plant growth and establish tidal flats. The harmony of manmade and natural structures is designed to benefit the students with special needs and the wildlife that needs protection equally?even the city stands to gain from the economic growth. Although for now, it's just that?a plan. For now the island remains empty, only accessible to birds and fearless explorers. [ArchDaily via BusinessInsider, SeriouslyForReal]
Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-ghostly-abandoned-nyc-island-could-become-a-speci-574229238
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From Networx's Sayward Rebhal:
Dental floss is something you should always have around ? and hopefully you?re using it every day to clean between your teeth. But beside the dental duty, floss is also awesome as a stand-in for all sorts of common items. From hanging photos (Boston general contractor Tom Silva of This Old House recommends it over wire because dental floss does not mar wall paint) to acting as a micro-spatula, read on to find out all the ways that floss can help you around the house. Like . . .
List and captions courtesy of Networx
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It's kind of hard to scope things out on Venus because the surface probes we send get obliterated pretty quickly by the heat. Pictures of Venus' surface do exist, though, and this one shows "large circular domes" that look pretty darn hot. The domes are thought to be magma erupting through vents, in a process that happens on Earth too, called volcanism. Get it? Volcanoes? Get it? Okay. Moving on.
The Magellan spacecraft circled Venus from 1990 to 1994 and used radar to map its surface. The picture above is computer generated based on those data. To get a sense of scale, the circular domes on Venus are estimated to be about 15.5 miles across, so we're not talking about some little magma bubble here. How long until Earth is just as inhospitable? [APOD]
Source: http://gizmodo.com/okay-yeah-the-surface-of-venus-looks-really-hot-548934139
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Today, businesses are about being able to reach out to a greater audience. Therefore the focus of programs like MBA in International Business is to develop resources of managers that will be able to address the challenges of a global economy. What started out as a simple post graduate program in foreign trade has evolved into one of the most respected MBA programs of the corporate sector. As more and more students realize the realm of MBA in International Business, the need from the corporate sector is also growing at an exponential pace. A lot of us might want to know that how come an MBA in International Business is suddenly so important. While the advantages of doing an MBA in International Business are plenty, there are a few key motivators that bring students to coveted B schools like Symbiosis Institute of International Business.
First and foremost, doing an MBA in International Business can open a host of interesting career options across the globe. The aspiration of doing an MBA in Pune or pursuing a program at prestigious institutions like Symbiosis has been existent for quite some time. But, places like Symbiosis Institute of International Business are able to offer students a lot more than a mere MBA in Pune. Routine exposure to the industry and a well structured curriculum are a norm at the programs pursued at SIIB. In fact, the discipline applies to both-MBA in International Business as well as the MBA in Agribusiness and others that are taught within the SIIB campus.
The focus on strategy planning, extensive communication outreach programs that help your business to traverse borders are a must for any MBA in International Business program. Currently there are very few institutes in the country that are able to offer this uniqueness. SIIB, Pune is amongst those few. True to its vision of developing a talent pool fit for the global business environment, SIIB also holds the distinction of being amongst the few options when it comes to choosing an Institute for energy and environment. For a lot of us, pursuing an MBA in International Business or an MBA in Agribusiness meant stepping out of your homes and travelling seven seas. But coming of options like Symbiosis Institute of International Business has changed this conception entirely.
1 viewsSource: http://www.freepressrelease.com/significance-international-business-management/692425/
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HONG KONG (AP) ? Hong Kong was silent Saturday on whether a former National Security Agency contractor should be extradited to the United States now that he has been charged with espionage, but some legislators said the decision should be up to the Chinese government.
Edward Snowden, believed to be holed up in Hong Kong, has admitted providing information to the news media about two highly classified NSA surveillance programs.
It is not known if the U.S. government has made a formal extradition request to Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong government had no immediate reaction to the charges against Snowden. Police Commissioner, Andy Tsang, when was asked about the development, told reporters only that the case would be dealt with according to the law. A police statement said it was "inappropriate" for the police to comment on the case.
When China regained control of Hong Kong in 1997, the former British colony was granted a high degree of autonomy and granted rights and freedoms not seen on mainland China. However, under the city's mini constitution Beijing is allowed to intervene in matters involving defense and diplomatic affairs.
Outspoken legislator Leung Kwok-hung said Beijing should instruct Hong Kong to protect Snowden from extradition before his case gets dragged through the court system. Leung also urged the people of Hong Kong to "take to the streets to protect Snowden."
Another legislator, Cyd Ho, vice-chairwoman of the pro-democracy Labour Party, said China "should now make its stance clear to the Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) government" before the case goes before a court.
China has urged Washington to provide explanations following the disclosures of National Security Agency programs which collect millions of telephone records and track foreign Internet activity on U.S. networks, but it has not commented on Snowden's status in Hong Kong.
A formal extradition request, which could drag through appeal courts for years, would pit Beijing against Washington at a time China tries to deflect U.S. accusations that it carries out extensive surveillance on American government and commercial operations.
Snowden's whereabouts have not been publicly known since he checked out of a Hong Kong hotel on June 10. He said in an interview with the South China Morning Post that he hoped to stay in the autonomous region of China because he has faith in "the courts and people of Hong Kong to decide my fate." Tsang said in interview broadcast on local television that he could not comment when asked about a local newspaper report that Snowden was in a police "safe house."
Snowden and his supporters have also spoken of his seeking asylum from Iceland.
A prominent former politician in Hong Kong, Martin Lee, the founding chairman of the Democratic Party, said he doubted whether Beijing would intervene at this stage.
"Beijing would only intervene according to my understanding at the last stage. If the magistrate said there is enough to extradite, then Mr. Snowden can then appeal," he said.
Lee said Beijing could then decide at the end of the appeal process if it wanted Snowden extradited or not.
A one-page criminal complaint unsealed Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, said Snowden engaged in unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified communications intelligence information. Both are charges under the Espionage Act. Snowden also is charged with theft of government property. All three crimes carry a maximum 10-year prison penalty.
The complaint will be an integral part of the U.S. government's effort to have Snowden extradited from Hong Kong, a process that could become a prolonged legal battle. Snowden could contest extradition on grounds of political persecution.
Hong Kong lawyer Mark Sutherland said that the filing of a refugee, torture or inhuman punishment claim acts as an automatic bar on any extradition proceedings until those claims can be assessed.
"Some asylum seekers came to Hong Kong 10 years ago and still haven't had their protection claims assessed," Sutherland said.
Organizers of a public protest in support of Snowden last week said Saturday that there were no plans for similar demonstrations this weekend.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hk-silent-far-possible-snowden-extradition-051344237.html
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In this Feb. 9, 2012 file photo, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 waits to take off at Chicago's Midway Airport as another lands. A spokesman for Southwest Airlines says all departing flights have been grounded due to a system-wide computer problem, Saturday, June 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
In this Feb. 9, 2012 file photo, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 waits to take off at Chicago's Midway Airport as another lands. A spokesman for Southwest Airlines says all departing flights have been grounded due to a system-wide computer problem, Saturday, June 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
DALLAS (AP) ? A system-wide computer problem forced Southwest Airlines to ground its entire fleet of airplanes preparing for departures late Friday, and cancellations were expected even after service slowly resumed more than two hours later using a backup system, a company spokesman said.
Brad Hawkins told The Associated Press an estimated 250 flights ? most of them on the West Coast ? were grounded at least temporarily. The glitch impaired the airline's ability to do such things as conduct check-ins, print boarding passes and monitor the weight of the aircraft.
Some flights were on the taxiway and diverted back to the terminal after the problem was detected around 8 p.m. PST Friday, he said. Flights already in the air were unaffected.
Shortly after 11 p.m. PST, Southwest posted on its Twitter page that "systems are operating and we will begin work to get customers where they need to be. Thanks for your patience tonight."
Hawkins said service was sluggish once it resumed because officials were using a different system.
"Backup systems are in place, not the main system, so it's slower," he said. "But we are able to start launching these flights."
He said at least some cancellations were expected because the airline doesn't do redeye flights and was near "the end of our operational day."
The late hour of the disruption meant the computer problem affected far more flights on the West Coast, but Hawkins said at least a few on the East Coast were grounded as well. Southwest, based in Dallas, conducts, on average, 3,400 flights a day.
A spokesman for Los Angeles International Airport said of about 25 inbound and outbound flights remaining Friday, only five departing flights were experiencing delays, of 30 to 80 minutes. At LA/Ontario International Airport (ONT), a total of three flights ? all departures ? were affected.
Four Southwest flights were temporarily held in Seattle, said Christina Faine, a Seattle-Tacoma International Airport spokeswoman.
One flight to Oakland, Calif., had been due to leave at 9:20 p.m. and departed before 11 p.m. Faine said late Friday night that an airport duty manager, Anthony Barnes, told her the others were expected to depart shortly.
Steve Johnson, a spokesman for Portland, Ore., International Airport, said he was not aware of any planes held up there.
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American comedian Jon Stewart sat down with Bassem Youssef, the host of Egypt's most popular satire show, last night, swapping jokes but also concern about free speech in Egypt.
American comedian Jon Stewart appeared on Egypt's most popular satire show on Friday.
AP Photo
EnlargeEgyptian and American political satire met head on last night, as US comedian Jon Stewart appeared on Egypt?s most popular comedy show, hosted by Bassem Youssef, to discuss freedom of speech and the power of satire in a fledgeling democratic context.
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Youssef?s weekly show, El Bernameg, is modeled on Stewart?s The Daily Show. Attracting an estimated 30 million viewers across the Middle East, the 39-year old Egyptian uses his wry brand of humor to heavily criticize the government of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.
In last night?s episode, Stewart was bundled on stage wearing a black hood and introduced to the audience as a captured foreign spy, a tongue-in-cheek reference to frequent claims by the Egyptian government that agents of western governments are destabilizing the country.
The American met with cheers as he addressed the crowd in rehearsed Arabic, saying ?please sit down, I am a simple man who does not like to be fussed over.?
Stewart?s three-day visit to Cairo comes as he takes a summer break from his famous comedy newscast, The Daily Show. He is in the Middle East to work on his first film, which is based on the memoir of Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari.
During the interview, Youssef and Stewart touched on a range of topics, from the American?s battles with Fox News to Cairene traffic problems.
But the clearest message came when Stewart praised his Egyptian counterpart for using humor to challenge state authority. He said Youssef?s success shows that ?satire can still be relevant, that it can carve out a space in the country for people to express themselves.?
Although the two comedians attract regular comparisons - the international media fondly refers to Youssef as ?Egypt?s Jon Stewart? - many see the analogy as misguided. Their jokes are cracked in very different political contexts and unlike El Bernameg, The Daily Show has never faced investigation by the state.
Youssef himself argued as much in an interview earlier this year. ?I love Jon Stewart, and I will never shy away from the fact that he is a role-model,? he told the Guardian. ?But the show is different in so many ways; we are at a different stage in building our country. Stewart is in a much more stable environment, a much more established democracy."
Youssef?s rise to fame and the focus of state investigation is an allegory for Egypt?s political progress since its 2011 revolution. The former heart surgeon volunteered in makeshift medical centers during the uprising, before using the country?s apparent new freedoms to upload his own videos to YouTube, poking fun at the country?s political leaders.
Today, the satirist's hit television show has drawn over 30 million viewers and he was included in Time Magazine's 2013 list of the world's most influential people. His entry was penned by Stewart, who described the Egyptian as his hero.
But this surge in attention has been accompanied by the more unwelcome gaze of Egypt?s authorities. In April, Youssef was interrogated for allegedly insulting Islam and President Mohamed Morsi. His arrest came amid a wider crackdown on media figures and opposition activists, drawing international condemnation.
Stewart used last night?s interview to send a message to Egypt?s authorities, telling the audience: ?If your regime is not strong enough to handle a joke, then you don?t have a regime.?
?A joke has never ridden a motorcycle into a crowd with a baton. A joke has never shot tear gas through a group of people in the park,? he said, in a thinly veiled reference to Egyptian government crackdowns on street protests.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/lr5Gk0Hw9IY/Jon-Stewart-in-Cairo-isn-t-just-about-laughs
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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) ? Hobbs Johnson didn't feel any pressure when he learned shortly before game time he'd be matched up against North Carolina State ace Carlos Rodon.
The unassuming Johnson went out and did his thing, which was more than good enough to keep No. 1-seeded North Carolina alive in the College World Series on Thursday night.
Johnson turned in the longest outing of his career while combining with Chris McCue on a five-hitter, and the Tar Heels broke open a close game late to beat the Wolfpack 7-0.
Rodon, projected as a possible No. 1 pick in next year's draft, started on three days rest after throwing 108 pitches in an 8-1 win over Carolina on Sunday.
"I can't really say that I think a whole lot about facing him," Johnson said. "Obviously, he's a great pitcher and you have to pitch well to beat him. For me it's just going after their hitters and giving us a chance to win."
Johnson allowed five singles, walked two and struck out six before leaving with one out in the ninth. The Tar Heels won three of five meetings with the Wolfpack this season.
"We've had some great battles with them, but tonight was all about Hobbs," Carolina coach Mike Fox said. "Just an incredible performance. We really needed it. He gave us exactly what we needed."
Now Carolina (59-11) must beat UCLA twice ? first on Friday and again Saturday ? to reach the finals. North Carolina State (50-16), in the CWS for the first time since 1968, was shut out for the first time this season.
Michael Russell drove in three runs for the Tar Heels, the first on a sacrifice fly that resulted in a close play at the plate to open the scoring in the fourth inning.
Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year Colin Moran had three singles, reached base four times and drove in two runs to become the first ACC player with 90 RBIs in a season since Florida State's Buster Posey in 2008.
Johnson (5-1), a 14th-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers, bounced back from a dismal start in the super regionals against South Carolina. He lasted just 1 2-3 innings and gave up five runs in an 8-0 loss that day.
But he had turned in a strong start the last time he faced the Wolfpack, and he did again Thursday. He relied on a fastball that reached the low 90s to keep the Wolfpack in check. He got an assist from a 22-mph wind blowing in at a ballpark that has surrendered only two home runs through 10 CWS games.
"Every single pitch he threw was a fastball. Even when McCue came in, he threw one changeup and it was supposed to be a fastball," Carolina catcher Brian Holberton said. "We just went right after them and wanted them to put the ball in play and let our defense work."
NC State coach Elliott Avent originally planned to start Brad Stone. Rodon (10-2) was scheduled to throw an extended bullpen session Thursday, but Avent and pitching coach Tom Holliday scrapped it and decided to go with Rodon and give him a 75-pitch count that stretched to 80.
Rodon, who held the Tar Heels hitless into the fifth inning on Sunday, had his fastball humming in the mid-90s but wasn't as dominating.
The Tar Heels, who had runners in scoring position in the first and third innings, broke through in the fourth on Russell's bases-loaded sacrifice fly. NC State right fielder Jake Fincher made a perfect throw home, but the headfirst-sliding Holberton touched the plate with his right hand just ahead of catcher Brett Austin's tag.
Austin bounced his mask off the ground and Rodon, backing up on the play, threw his glove in the dirt as Avent bolted out of the dugout to confront umpire Joe Burleson. TV replays appeared to support Burleson's call.
Burleson, wearing a television microphone, told Avent that Holberton beat the tag.
"You really believe that, Joe?" Avent asked.
"I do," Burleson said before warning Avent he would eject him if he didn't quit following him.
After the game, Avent said he didn't get an adequate explanation.
"He was kind of hard to talk to," Avent said. "I certainly didn't want to get thrown out on this stage, at this great event. Maybe the guy's hand got in. The ball just beat him, so maybe we didn't block the plate well enough."
Rodon caused some of his own problems in the fourth. Moran singled leading off and was safe at second when Rodon bounced a throw into center field as he tried to get Moran on Holberton's bunt. He walked Cody Stubbs to load the bases with none out.
Moran was forced out at home on Skye Bolt's grounder to third, and then Russell delivered his sacrifice fly.
Rodon hit Parks Jordan leading off the fifth, and Moran's two-out single to center brought him home.
The Tar Heels made it 6-0 with a four-run eighth, with Russell singling in two runs and Mike Zolk doubling in two more.
"We laid a foundation for future classes," NC State's Trea Turner said. "Hopefully we can get some good classes next year and years following that and make some trips back here and win it for the ACC and for North Carolina State."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tar-heels-oust-nc-state-cws-7-0-035114349.html
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If you haven't already heard, Instagram was recently updated to include support for video uploads. Just like Vine, Instagram can auto-play those videos as soon as you scroll past them. For many of us, this feature may be more annoying than it is useful. As it happens, there's a way to disable it.
Here's how:
That's it. Instagram will now not play videos automatically as you scroll past them unless you actually tap on them to play them.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/TWfVDfNLALk/story01.htm
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WASHINGTON (AP) ? White House-backed immigration legislation gained momentum in the Senate on Thursday as lawmakers closed in on a bipartisan compromise to spend tens of billions of dollars stiffening the bill's border security requirements without delaying legalization for millions living in the country unlawfully.
"Once the Senate adopts our amendment, I will be proud to vote for a bill that secures our border and respects our heritage as an immigrant nation," Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., said in a statement. Additional GOP support was expected as a result of measures that backers dubbed a "border surge."
Under the emerging compromise, the government would grant legal status to immigrants living in the United States illegally at the same time the additional security was being put into place. Green cards, which signify permanent residency status, would be withheld until the security steps were complete.
Officials said the plan envisions doubling the size of the Border Patrol with 20,000 new agents, completing 700 miles of new fencing along the border with Mexico and purchasing new surveillance drones to track would-be illegal border crossers. The cost of the additional agents alone was put at $30 billion over a decade.
In addition, immigrants would not be able to claim credit for Social Security taxes they paid while working without lawful status. Credits are used to determine the amount in Social Security benefits a worker receives after retirement.
Under another change, neither the administration nor states would be permitted to grant welfare benefits for five years to immigrants currently living unlawfully in the United States
There was no immediate reaction from the White House to terms hashed out by senators in both parties, although Democrats kept administration officials apprised of the talks.
The agreement began to take shape over the past several days beginning with a series of meetings involving Republicans who were uncommitted on the legislation but receptive to supporting it after changes were made. Eventually, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., both authors of the bill, joined the talks.
If agreed to, the changes could clear the way for a strong bipartisan vote within a few days to pass the measure that sits atop President Barack Obama's second-term domestic agenda.
The officials who described the emerging deal spoke on the condition of anonymity because the talks were private.
The developments came as Democrats who met with House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday quoted him as saying he expected the House to pass its own version of an immigration bill this summer and Congress to have a final compromise by year's end.
Boehner, R-Ohio, already has said the legislation that goes to the House in the next month or two will not include a pathway to citizenship for immigrants in the United States illegally.
The potential compromise in the Senate came into focus Wednesday, one day after the Congressional Budget Office jolted lawmakers with an estimate saying that as drafted, the legislation would fail to prevent a steady increase in the future in the number of residents living in the United States illegally.
The estimate appeared to give added credibility to Republicans who have been pressing Democrats to toughen the border security provisions already written into the bill.
"Our whole effort has been to build a bipartisan group that will support the bill," said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., who's helped develop the deal along with Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. "That's what this is all about, and it's focused on border security."
Schumer and Menendez met at midday Wednesday with Graham, Hoeven, Corker and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. The Democrats, Graham and McCain are part of the so-called Gang of Eight.
It was unclear which other portions of the Senate legislation might be changed. There is pressure from some Republicans to make sure no federal benefits go to immigrants who are in the country illegally, at least until they become citizens.
The underlying legislation already envisions more border agents; additional fencing along the U.S-Mexico border; surveillance drones; a requirement for employers to verify the legal status of potential workers; and a biometric system to track foreigners who enter and leave the United States at air and seaports and by land.
Schumer said discussions with Republicans "have been really productive."
"We've made a lot of progress in the last 24 hours. Now we have some vetting to do with our respective allies," he said.
If ratified, the compromise would mark concessions on both sides.
Some Republicans have been unwilling to support a bill that grants legal status to immigrants in the country illegally until the government certifies that the border security steps have achieved 90 percent effectiveness in stopping would-be border crossers.
On the other hand, Democrats have opposed Republican proposals to make legalization contingent on success in closing the border to illegal crossings. Under the legislation as drafted, legalization could begin as soon as a security plan was drafted, but a 10-year wait is required for a green card.
One plan to change that was sidetracked on a vote of 61-37 Wednesday.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said his proposal would require Congress to vote annually for five years on whether the border is secure. If lawmakers decide it is not, "then the processing of undocumented workers stops until" it is, he said. The decision would be made based on numerous factors, including progress toward completion of a double-layered fence along the U.S.-Mexico border and toward a goal of 95 percent capture of illegal entrants. A system to track the border comings and goings of foreigners is also required.
Across the Capitol, House Republican leaders sought to present a friendlier face to Hispanics ? a group that gave Obama more than 70 percent support in last year's presidential election.
Boehner met with the Democratic-dominated Congressional Hispanic Caucus, while rank-and-file members of his party reviewed areas of agreement with Latino religious leaders.
"It's a conversation Republicans want to have," Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., said later at a news conference outside the Capitol.
Separately, the House Judiciary Committee approved legislation creating a program allowing farm workers to come to the United States to take temporary jobs in the United States.
The measure is one of several that the panel is considering in the final weeks of June as part of a piece-by-piece approach to immigration rather than the all-in-one bill that Senate is considering.
___
Associated Press writer Laurie Kellman contributed to this report.
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