Working Apple 1 sells for record price at German auction

One of only six remaining working examples of the Apple 1 computer has sold at an auction in Cologne, Germany for a record price. The winning bid was submitted by an anonymous telephone bidder from the Far East and came in at ?516,461 (?441,532/$667,883).

The Apple 1 sold in Germany was hand signed by Apple co-founder and the builder of the computer, Steve Wozniak. It also came with an original monitor, tape deck, keyboard and documentation that was signed by the late Steve Jobs.

The Apple 1 has been described as the "holy grail of collectable technology" and was sold at auction alongside an Apple Lisa-1 which went for a still impressive ?34,000 (?29,000/$43,968). The Apple 1 originally sold for $666.66 and came as just a motherboard when released back in 1976. What about you Apple collectors out there, what's your most prized item?

Source: Sky News

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/unK8sBj5dMs/story01.htm

lesotho a wrinkle in time benjamin netanyahu storm shelters nick lachey lifelock chevy volt

'Remember Me' is a beat 'em up video game for the Facebook generation

Remember Me

Yannick LeJacq NBC News contributor

17 hours ago

Capcom

Capcom and Dontnod Entertainment's upcoming "Remember Me" combines beat 'em up action with a cautionary tale about social media gone wrong.

Being perched on the precipice of a new console generation has made video game developers reflect about their own relationship with technology. Ubisoft's new open-world game "Watch_dogs" is at once exceedingly ambitious and cripplingly self-conscious, asking players to live in a world where the tech industry's wildest dreams about interconnected smart devices and augmented reality systems are as ubiquitous as they are immediately hackable. It's a fascinating concept, no doubt. But will "Watch_dogs" end up being anything more than an attempt to recast "Grand Theft Auto" with smartphones instead of guns?

The real question here is how, exactly, gameplay weds with storytelling. This is the tension at the heart of "Remember Me," a new game from Capcom and the French developer Dontnod Entertainment that will be released early next month.

At its core, "Remember Me" is a beat 'em up game in the "God of War" and "Batman: Arkham City" tradition. Players control a lithe assassin-like figure named Nilin, mastering increasingly complex combinations of kicks and punches to fell enemies.

Like the "God of War" and "Arkham" games, "Remember Me" excels in this regard. The combat I was able to sample during a recent preview event was incredibly satisfying and deceptively complex. Taking a cue from the cult favorite "God Hand," "Remember Me's" developers pared down a potentially overwhelming combat system by allotting four separate combos at a time. Players can tinker with these combos and create their own with a feature called the "Combo Lab," which leaves the gameplay open to creative experimentation without sacrificing the simple pleasure of being able to punch bad guys in the face.

Thing is, Dontnod doesn't just want "Remember Me" to be a game about punching things. Like "Watch_dogs," "Remember Me" is set in a dystopian near-future that takes some of technology's most pressing moral dilemmas and stretches them to their logical extreme. Only instead of smartphones, this game is about social media and the concept of oversharing.

Jean-Maxime Moris, the co-founder and creative director of Dontnod, told NBC News that his game was originally a similar beat 'em up title with a thematic focus on global warming.

"But then we began to think about the recent explosion in the use of social networks and began to wonder what could happen if this ability to share experiences became even more prevalent," Moris said.

What if our current immersion in the digital worlds of Facebook and Twitter "reached a point where you could digitize these memories and no longer simply share, but actually trade and purchase them? This was when 'Remember Me' became the game it is today."

The reimagined "Remember Me" is set in a futuristic version of Paris unimaginatively called "Neo-Paris." Token giant evil corporation "MEMORIZE" has invented a new gadget known as the "Sensation Engine" (Sensen) that's sort of like a more advanced and neurologically invasive version of Google Glass ? users broadcast their memories, no matter how private, across the social Web. And instead of some environmental freedom fighter, Nilin is a "memory hunter" employed by MEMORIZE to steal and alter people's memories. That is, until she wakes up with no memory of her own left and ends up going rogue.

Capcom

The main way "Remember Me's" futuristic portrayal of social media gone awry is expressed is during "Memory Remix" sequences during which the player must alter key details of a person's past to change the resulting memory. It's a neat idea in theory, but it feels more like a mildly interactive cutscene in practice.

Besides the colorful world of Neo-Paris itself, the main way that this "Blade Runner"-meets-"Inception" expresses itself is in a feature known as "Memory Remix." Essentially, these are interactive cutscenes that the player can fast-forward and rewind, sifting through them like puzzles to find key details to alter. In the one Memory Remix I played through, for instance, Nilin messed with different objects in the hospital room of her victim's husband until she remembered him being murdered, however accidentally, by his doctor.

The scene is provocative, no doubt. But all I had to do to finish the entire "Memory Remix" was press back and forth until I highlighted the right things to mess with ? a far less engaging and dynamic experience than the one I was having just moments before punching the living daylights out of some futuristic French cops. That's not necessarily a bad thing, mind you. Many games have cutscenes that are entirely unresponsive to player control. But I'd still like to see "Remember Me's" most ambitious narrative moments, like the disturbing hospital scene, brought out in the actual gameplay.

While Moris insisted that other elements of "Remember Me's" gameplay were adjusted to suit a new narrative, he did ultimately admit that he wanted to limit some features in order to tell a clear story.

"While we do encourage the player to deviate from the path to a certain extent to uncover pick-ups, it is true to say that 'Remember Me' is a linear experience," Moris said. "This was a choice we made at the beginning of the project so we could tell the story of Nilin and ensure the player is immersed in the narrative, which does mean controlling the action, and therefore the emotion."

Will "Remember Me's" story be worth these potential sacrifices? Check back on June 4 for our review.

Yannick LeJacq is a contributing writer for NBC News who has also covered games for Kill Screen, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. You can follow him on Twitter at @YannickLeJacq and reach him by email at ylejacq@gmail.com.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2c607fc1/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Cremember0Eme0Ebeat0Eem0Evideo0Egame0Efacebook0Egeneration0E6C10A0A72770A/story01.htm

real life barbie zipper armenian genocide asteroid mining ivan rodriguez planetary resources mothers day gift ideas

Judge: Ariz. sheriff's office profiles Latinos

By Tim Gaynor and David Schwartz

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio violated the constitutional rights of Latino drivers in his crackdown on illegal immigration, a federal judge found on Friday, and ordered him to stop using race as a factor in law enforcement decisions.

The ruling against the Maricopa County sheriff came in response to a class-action lawsuit brought by Hispanic drivers that tested whether police can target illegal immigrants without racially profiling U.S. citizens and legal residents of Hispanic origin.

U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow ruled that the sheriff's policies violated the drivers' constitutional rights and ordered Arpaio's office to cease using race or ancestry as a grounds to stop, detain or hold occupants of vehicles - some of them in crime sweeps dubbed "saturation patrols."

"The great weight of the evidence is that all types of saturation patrols at issue in this case incorporated race as a consideration into their operations," Snow said in a written ruling.

He added that race had factored into which vehicles the deputies decided to stop, and into who they decided to investigate for immigration violations.

The lawsuit contended that Arpaio, who styles himself "America's toughest sheriff," and his officers violated the constitutional rights of both U.S. citizens and legal immigrants alike in their zeal to crack down on people they believe to be in the country illegally.

The ruling came days after a U.S. Senate panel approved a landmark comprehensive immigration legislation that would usher in the biggest changes in immigration policy in a generation if passed by Congress.

The bill would put 11 million immigrants without legal status on a 13-year path to citizenship while further strengthening security along the porous southwestern border with Mexico.

Arpaio declined comment on the ruling. A sheriff's spokesman referred a request for comment to attorney Tim Casey, who said he was reading the ruling and had no immediate comment.

'ILLEGAL AND PLAIN UN-AMERICAN'

Cecillia Wang, director of the American Civil Liberties Union Immigrants' Rights Project and plaintiffs' counsel, called the judge's ruling "an important victory that will resound far beyond Maricopa County."

"Singling people out for traffic stops and detentions simply because they're Latino is illegal and just plain un-American," Wang said after the ruling was made public.

"Let this be a warning to anyone who hides behind a badge to wage their own private campaign against Latinos or immigrants that there is no exception in the Constitution for violating people's rights in immigration enforcement."

During testimony in the non-jury trial last year, Arpaio said he was against racial profiling and denied his office arrested people because of the color of their skin.

The sheriff, who won re-election to a sixth term in November, has been a lightning rod for controversy over his aggressive enforcement of immigration laws in the state, which borders Mexico, as well as an investigation into the validity of President Barack Obama's U.S. birth certificate.

The lawsuit was brought against Arpaio and his office on behalf of five Hispanic drivers who said they had been stopped by deputies because of their ethnicity.

The plaintiffs, which include the Somos America immigrants' rights coalition and all Latino drivers stopped by the sheriff's office since 2007, were seeking corrective action but not monetary damages.

Arpaio has been the subject of other probes and lawsuits. In August, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona said it had closed a criminal investigation into accusations of financial misconduct by Arpaio, and it declined to bring charges.

A separate U.S. Justice Department investigation and lawsuit relating to accusations of civil rights abuses by Arpaio's office is ongoing.

Arizona has been at the heart of a bitter national debate over immigration since Republican Governor Jan Brewer signed a 2010 crackdown on illegal immigration.

The federal government challenged the crackdown in court and said the U.S. Constitution gives it sole authority over immigration policy. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, has allowed to stand the part of the law permitting police to question people they stop about their immigration status.

Snow scheduled a hearing in the case for June 14 at 9:30 a.m. at the Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Federal Courthouse in Phoenix.

(Reporting by Tim Gaynor and David Schwartz; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Eric Walsh, Toni Reinhold)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/judge-rules-against-americas-toughest-sheriff-racial-profiling-002946682.html

Fireworks 2012 4th Of July independence day BET Awards 2012 declaration of independence 4th Of July 2012 Zach Parise Spain Vs Italy Euro 2012

Automatic delays connected car platform until August as it seeks to perfect iPhone app

It's an age-old problem: do we clamor for a company to ship a product that's not ready, or do we swallow delays with grace as it aims to deliver when things are good and ready? Such a choice has to be made when it comes to Automatic, the California-based startup which had originally hoped to start shipping its automotive dongle + app platform at the end of this month. Those (including yours truly) who pre-ordered on day one received an email last night delivering the news that things were running a bit behind schedule. The hardware itself is actually already being manufactured, but stellar components are only a piece of the total puzzle. The software -- an iPhone app, in this instance -- still needs more time in the proverbial oven, and now we're being told that packages won't ship until "the end of August."

A three-month hiccup is nothing to scoff at, and Automatic seemingly knows it. In order to sate those who were hoping to use the $70 product during their upcoming summer road trips, the company is giving early pre-orderers the option to beta test the app as it stands today. For those who agree, they'll receive their hardware in mid-June, but they'll be forced to use it with a version of the app that "lacks a few features like Crash Alert and support for multiple cars and users." We'll be keeping a close eye as the situation develops, and will definitely endeavor to pass along a review just as soon as we're able. If you're curious, we've embedded the email in full just after the break.

Filed under: Transportation

Comments

Source: Automatic

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/HiS4VUTCZFE/

Alvin Lee mila kunis hugo chavez jamie lynn spears Chavez Dead Hugo Chavez Dead Bonnie Franklin

TV-related tweets may attract ads with new Twitter campaign

Twitter

Devin Coldewey NBC News

5 hours ago

Twitter

A new advertising method from Twitter will watch for tweets from you about certain TV shows and allow those shows' advertisers to target you. Of course, you can always ignore their tweets the way you ignored their commercials.

The new way to target ads was described in a post on the Twitter advertising blog Thursday. It works like this: Suppose a user were watching a sitcom and tweeted about it. And suppose that during one of the commercial breaks, Macy's had an ad promoting a spring sale. Twitter's tool would alert Macy's that this user had been watching, and Macy's can choose to follow up with something like the following:

"@TVwatcher: Did you enjoy the episode? You know that the characters do all their shopping at #Macy's, right? Follow this link for a 15% off coupon..."

Or something like that. It's a bit creepy, but the fact is that tweeting publicly, like searching on the Internet or buying something with a credit card, already exposes you to this kind of directed advertising.

The Twitter TV ad targeting is only rolling out in beta form for a few U.S. partners at first, but don't be surprised if you start seeing suspiciously accurate ads in your Twitter stream later this summer. Twitter explains the effort in the video here:

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2c548231/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Ctv0Erelated0Etweets0Emay0Eattract0Eads0Enew0Etwitter0Ecampaign0E6C10A0A59458/story01.htm

new orleans saints ireland vangogh yield crossbow airhead atherosclerosis

Earth's mantle affects long-term sea-level rise estimates

May 23, 2013 ? From Virginia to Florida, there is a prehistoric shoreline that, in some parts, rests more than 280 feet above modern sea level. The shoreline was carved by waves more than 3 million years ago -- possible evidence of a once higher sea level, triggered by ice-sheet melting. But new findings by a team of researchers, including Robert Moucha, assistant professor of Earth Sciences in The College of Arts and Sciences, reveal that the shoreline has been uplifted by more than 210 feet, meaning less ice melted than expected.

Equally compelling is the fact that the shoreline is not flat, as it should be, but is distorted, reflecting the pushing motion of Earth's mantle.

This is big news, says Moucha, for scientists who use the coastline to predict future sea-level rise. It's also a cautionary tale for those who rely almost exclusively on cycles of glacial advance and retreat to study sea-level changes.

"Three million years ago, the average global temperature was two to three degrees Celsius higher, while the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was comparable to that of today," says Moucha, who contributed to a paper on the subject in the May 15 issue of Science Express. "If we can estimate the height of the sea from 3 million years ago, we can then relate it to the amount of ice sheets that melted. This period also serves as a window into what we may expect in the future."

Moucha and his colleagues -- led by David Rowley, professor of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago -- have been using computer modeling to pinpoint exactly what melted during this interglacial period, some 3 million years ago. So far, evidenced is stacked in favor of Greenland, West Antarctica and the sprawling East Antarctica ice sheet, but the new shoreline uplift implies that East Antarctica may have melted some or not at all. "It's less than previous estimates had implied," says Rowley, the article's lead author.

Moucha's findings show that the jagged shoreline may have been caused by the interplay between Earth's surface and its mantle -- a process known as dynamic topography. Advanced modeling suggests that the shoreline, referred to as the Orangeburg Scarp, may have shifted as much as 196 feet. Modeling also accounts for other effects, such as the buildup of offshore sediments and glacial retreats.

"Dynamic topography is a very important contributor to Earth's surface evolution," says Rowley. "With this work, we can demonstrate that even small-scale features, long considered outside the realm of mantle influence, are reflective of mantle contributions."

Building a case

Moucha's involvement with the project grew out of a series of papers he published as a postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian Institute for Advance Research in Montreal. In one paper from 2008, he drew on elements of the North American East Coast and African West Coast to build a case against the existence of stable continental platforms.

"The North American East Coast has always been thought of as a passive margin," says Moucha, referring to large areas usually bereft of tectonic activity. "[With Rowley], we've challenged the traditional view of passive margins by showing that through observations and numerical simulations, they are subject to long-term deformation, in response to mantle flow."

Central to Moucha's argument is the fact that viscous mantle flows everywhere, all the time. As a result, it's nearly impossible to find what he calls "stable reference points" on Earth's surface to accurately measure global sea-level rise. "If one incorrectly assumed that a particular margin is a stable reference frame when, in actuality, it has subsided, his or her assumption would lead to a sea-level rise and, ultimately, to an increase in ice-sheet melt," says Moucha, who joined SU's faculty in 2011.

Another consideration is the size of the ice sheet. Between periods of glacial activity (such as the one from 3 million years ago and the one we are in now), ice sheets are generally smaller. Jerry Mitrovica, professor of geophysics at Harvard University who also contributed to the paper, says the same mantle processes that drive plate tectonics also deform elevations of ancient shorelines. "You can't ignore this, or your estimate of the size of the ancient ice sheets will be wrong," he says.

Rise and fall

Moucha puts it this way: "Because ice sheets have mass and mass results in gravitational attraction, the sea level actually falls near the melting ice sheet and rises when it's further away. This variability has enabled us to unravel which ice sheet contributed to sea-level rise and how much of [the sheet] melted."

The SU geophysicist credits much of the group's success to state-of-the-art seismic tomography, a geological imaging technique led by Nathan Simmons at California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. "Nathan, who co-authored the paper, provided me with seismic tomography data, from which I used high-performance computing to model mantle flow," says Moucha. "A few million years may have taken us a day to render, but a billion years may have taken several weeks or more."

Moucha and his colleagues hope to apply their East Coast model to the Appalachian Mountains, which are also considered a type of passive geology. Although they have been tectonically quiet for more than 200 million years, the Appalachians are beginning to show signs of wear and tear: rugged peaks, steep slopes, landslides, and waterfalls -- possible evidence of erosion, triggered by dynamic topography.

"Scientists, such as Rob, who produce increasingly accurate models of dynamic topography for the past, are going to be at the front line of this important research area," says Mitrovica.

Adds Rowley: "Rob Moucha has demonstrated that dynamic topography is a very important contributor to Earth's surface evolution. ? His study of mantle contributions is appealing on a large number of fronts that I, among others of our collaboration, hope to pursue."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/uJFrfQFctj4/130523143743.htm

arrested development arrested development revenge revenge Chris Hadfield golden state warriors Happy Mothers Day

Chrome for Android updated with better Search, Voice search for iPhone and iPad coming soon

Home ? Android, apps, Software '; } } google_adnum = google_adnum + google_ads.length; document.write(s); return; } google_ad_client='pub-9307253907600475'; google_ad_channel = '1044051032'; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_ad_type = 'text'; google_feedback = 'on'; google_skip = google_adnum; google_encoding = 'utf8'; google_language = 'en';

Chrome for Android has been updated to version 27.0.1453.90 that brings better search that would let you view and refine your query directly in the omnibox instead of viewing just a search URL. This version also brings full screen support on phones and tab history on Android tablets that was available in the Chrome 27 beta that released last month.

New features in?Chrome v27 for Android

• Fullscreen on phones ? Scroll down the page and the toolbar will disappear.
• Simpler searching ? Searching from the?omnibox?will keep your search query visible in the omnibox, making it easier to edit, and show more on your search result page.
• Tab history on tablets ? Long press the browser back button to view your tab history
• Several stability improvements

Download Chrome for Android from the?Google Play, if you don?t have it yet.

Google has also announced that the upcoming Chrome update for the iPhone and iPad that would let you search by voice in the omnibox,?faster reloading of web pages with efficient cache management when the network is slow, option to open links in Chrome and then return to the app with just one tap.

Read

Source: http://www.fonearena.com/blog/70288/chrome-for-android-updated-with-better-search-voice-search-for-iphone-and-ipad-coming-soon.html

Tate Stevens Miss Universe 2012 x factor x factor john kerry eastbay Samantha Steele

Amanda Seyfried to star in Noah Baumbach's 'While We're Young'

By Jeff Sneider

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Fresh off a SAG nomination for her turn as Cosette in "Les Miserables," Amanda Seyfried is in final negotiations to join Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts and Adam Driver in Noah Baumbach's indie movie "While We're Young," TheWrap has learned.

Seyfried emerged as a potential candidate for the role of Driver's love interest several weeks ago and she has now cleared room in her fall schedule for the movie, which is being produced by Scott Rudin and Eli Bush.

The long-gestating project stars Stiller and Watts as a married couple that strikes up an unlikely friendship with a free-spirited younger couple, to be played by Driver and Seyfried, whose character makes homemade ice cream.

The ensemble cast has undergone several configurations over the years, with Greta Gerwig previously eyed for Seyfried's role.

Seyfried has a voice role in Fox's upcoming animated movie "Epic" and will soon be seen as the title character in "Lovelace," which Radius-TWC acquired at Sundance. She's currently filming Seth MacFarlane's comedy "A Million Ways to Die in the West" and just signed on to star opposite Chris Pine and Chiwetel Ejiofor in "Z For Zachariah."

Seyfried is repped by Innovative Artists and attorney Michael Williams.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/amanda-seyfried-star-noah-baumbachs-while-were-young-232642002.html

us news law school rankings gael glen rice jr bars lindzi cox bachelor finale courtney robertson

Latest Facebook Updates from the Constitution Party of Illinois About Islam

May 22nd, 2013 ? written by Krzysztof Lesiak ? 14 Comments

A May 22nd post on the Constitution Party of Illinois (CPIL) Facebook page:

MUSLIMS SCREAMING ?ALLAHU AKBAR? BEHEAD BRITISH SOLDIER ON PUBLIC STREET IN LONDON!!!

We are at war with Islam and we need to wake up to that fact.

Comments on the post:

Filed Under: Constitution Party

Source: http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2013/05/latest-facebook-updates-from-the-constitution-party-of-illinois-about-islam/

marine helicopter crash chicago weather star jones photo of whitney houston in casket carrot top george huguely whitney houston casket photo

Syrian opposition urges rebels to join key battle

This Tuesday, May 21, 2013 citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian rebel firing locally made shells made from gas cylinders against the Syrian forces, in Idlib province, northern Syria. Syria's main opposition group is urging rebels to come from around the country to reinforce Qusair, a western town under attack by Syrian troops and members of Lebanon's Hezbollah group. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)

This Tuesday, May 21, 2013 citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian rebel firing locally made shells made from gas cylinders against the Syrian forces, in Idlib province, northern Syria. Syria's main opposition group is urging rebels to come from around the country to reinforce Qusair, a western town under attack by Syrian troops and members of Lebanon's Hezbollah group. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)

This citizen journalism image provided by Qusair Lens, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian man checking his destroyed house that was damaged by a Syrian forces air strike in the town of Qusair, near the Lebanon border, Homs province, Syria, Tuesday, May 21, 2013. Several members of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group died of wounds sustained while fighting for control of a strategic Syrian town near the Lebanese border, activists said Tuesday, as the battle in the area raged for its third straight day. (AP Photo/Qusair Lens)

This Tuesday, May 21, 2013 citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian rebel firing locally made shells made from gas cylinders against the Syrian forces, in Idlib province, northern Syria. Syria's main opposition group is urging rebels to come from around the country to reinforce Qusair, a western town under attack by Syrian troops and members of Lebanon's Hezbollah group. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)

This citizen journalism image provided by Qusair Lens, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian citizens gather over destroyed houses that were damaged from a Syrian forces air strike in the town of Qusair, near the Lebanon border, Homs province, Syria, Tuesday, May 21, 2013. Several members of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group died of wounds sustained while fighting for control of a strategic Syrian town near the Lebanese border, activists said Tuesday, as the battle in the area raged for its third straight day. (AP Photo/Qusair Lens)

This Tuesday, May 21, 2013 citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian rebels firing locally made shells made from gas cylinders against the Syrian forces, in Idlib province, northern Syria. Syria's main opposition group is urging rebels to come from around the country to reinforce Qusair, a western town under attack by Syrian troops and members of Lebanon's Hezbollah group. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syria's main opposition alliance on Wednesday urged fighters from around the country to reinforce a rebel-held town under attack by President Bashar Assad's troops and their allies from the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group.

With its appeal, the Syrian National Coalition seeks to bolster embattled rebel forces in Qusair who for a fourth straight day came under fierce assault by government troops. The town, which is located near the Lebanon border and has been in opposition hands since early last year, lies at the heart of a government offensive to secure a strategic strip of land running from the capital, Damascus, to the Mediterranean coast and the country's seaports.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah group has been fighting alongside Syrian regime forces in the town and surrounding areas in Homs province for weeks.

"Forces from outside Syria" aim to destroy Qusair and rebels should join the fight to "rescue" the town, George Sabra, the acting chief of the Syrian National Coalition, said in a statement. He also urged Lebanese authorities to respect Syria's sovereignty and prevent foreign gunmen from crossing the border to fight in the civil war.

The Coalition has no control over the mosaic of armed rebel groups fighting on the ground inside Syria, and it was unclear what impact, if any, Sabra's appeal would have.

However, an amateur video released by the Aleppo Media Center showed what it said were dozens of members of the Tawheed Brigade in the northern city of Aleppo who were said to be heading to Qusair to help the rebels. The rebels were driving pickup trucks, cars and trucks, some of them mounted with anti-aircraft guns.

Opposition fighters in Qusair were holding out Wednesday, but appeared to be under increasing strain as government tanks and artillery pounded the town and warplanes bombed it from the sky.

A local government official from the Homs governor's office told The Associated Press on Wednesday that about 80 percent of Qusair was in government hands. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to give information to the media during an ongoing military operation.

He added that Assad's troops had discovered tunnels linking areas around the town, and that the fighting is now concentrated in the northwestern parts of Qusair where the "terrorists" ? the phrase regime uses for opposition fighters ? were still entrenched. The official's account could not be independently verified because Damascus bans independent media access to much of the country.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group, said Syrian government and Hezbollah units were bombarding Qusair with rockets on Wednesday. A group of rebels trying to reach Qusair from the nearby town of Ind Shamseen were ambushed by Syrian troops, who killed at least two of the rebels, he said.

A video released by activists on Tuesday showed destruction in several areas in the city as well as heavy damage to the minaret of Qusair's grand mosque that was riddled with bullets and shells.

The videos appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting on the events depicted.

Hezbollah's role in the fighting in Qusair has ratcheted up tensions in neighboring Lebanon, which has been on edge since the Syrian conflict began in 2011. Lebanon and Syria share a complex web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries that are easily enflamed.

In an hour-long standoff Wednesday, dozens of supporters of hardline Sunni Muslim cleric Ahmad al-Assir blocked the road leading to a cemetery in the southern city of Sidon to prevent the burial of a Hezbollah fighter who died recently in Qusair.

To avoid an escalation of the road blockade, Hezbollah and the family of the dead fighter, 21-year-old Saleh Sabbagh, decided to bury him in another cemetery in the city, a senior Lebanese security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to the media. Sabbagh, the son of a Sunni father and a Shiite mother, was initially to be buried in the city's Sunni cemetery but ended up being interred in a Shiite burial place.

Most of Lebanon's Sunni Muslims back the Syria's predominantly Sunni opposition, while Shiites support the Assad regime, which is dominated by members of his minority Alawite sect, an off-shoot of Shiite Islam.

The Observatory said at least 31 Hezbollah fighters have been killed in the struggle for Qusair since Sunday. The group, which relies on a wide network of activists on the ground in Syria, said at least 83 rebels and nine Syrian soldiers were also killed, as well as six Lebanese fighting on the rebel side.

In the past days, Hezbollah has held several funerals in Lebanon for the fighters said to have died at Qusair.

Meanwhile, fighting raged Wednesday in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli between supporters and opponents of Assad. Lebanese security officials said that at least 10 people, including two Lebanese soldiers, have been killed and more than 100 wounded since Sunday in Tripoli. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

In the Jordanian capital, Syria's ambassador in Amman denounced a meeting of nations that back the Syrian opposition, calling the gathering part of a U.S.-Israeli campaign to destroy his country.

Jordan is hosting the "Friends of Syria" conference, which will be attended by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry along with officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Britain, France, Germany and Italy.

The meeting will prepare for U.N.-hosted international talks on Syria planned for next month.

In Germany, the weekly Der Spiegel reported that the German intelligence chief has revised his assessment of the Syrian civil war.

The chief, Gerhard Schindler, told a small group of politicians dealing with security issues in a secret briefing that Assad's military is stronger than it has been in a long time, according to Der Spiegel. Additional successful offensives of the regime are possible anytime, he said.

The German intelligence agency BND believes this is a turning point. At the end of 2012, it appeared the regime was in its end phase.

He said the channels for restocking the regime's weapons supplies are now open, and the supply of gas for tanks and aircraft is also working again. Schindler said Assad most likely won't be able to defeat the rebels, but he can contain them and even win back some territory.

The BND predicts that in 2013, regime troops will be able to recapture additional territory. If the fighting continues as it has in recent weeks, the regime could recapture the entire south by the end of the year. In this case, the rebels would be left with only the north.

___

Associated Press writer Albert Aji contributed to this report from Damascus, Syria.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-22-Syria/id-4e222bb1a8aa489cbfff5330c9701f5f

jeremy shockey new orleans saints ireland vangogh yield crossbow airhead

Tomorrow's Galactic Explorers Could Use Pulsars as Interstellar GPS

Space is so ludicrously vast that keeping a precise fix on our spacecraft?even within the solar system?is really tough. So rather than track them from afar, a team of researchers want spacecraft to govern themselves?using pulsars.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/GtzR2qlzxW0/tomorrows-galactic-explorers-could-use-pulsars-as-inte-509529384

ronda rousey vs miesha tate lindsay lohan snl lindsay lohan on snl real housewives of disney awakenings phantom of the opera agoraphobia

Donchez wins close Democratic primary for Bethlehem mayor

In a nail-biting primary Tuesday that likely will decide the next mayor, veteran Bethlehem City Councilman Robert Donchez took an early lead over J. William Reynolds and held it, but the margin of victory was so slim he declined to declare victory early Wednesday morning.

According to unofficial election results, Donchez won by just 296 votes with all precincts reporting at 12:30 a.m.

"It's a close race, and I'm not ready to declare victory," Donchez said. "We'll wait until tomorrow and see what the final numbers are."

Donchez commended Reynolds and his volunteers on a well-fought campaign. Donchez had 2,651 votes and Reynolds tallied 2,355, according to unofficial results. Reynolds won in the Lehigh County part of the city.

Reynolds said, "I'm proud of the campaign we ran and will wait to see what the results are tomorrow."

If Donchez's lead holds, he will likely become the city's 12^th mayor when the term-limited Mayor John Callahan steps down at the end of the year, barring a third-party or write-in candidate. No Republicans filed to run.

Donchez would likely work with a council that will include at least two new faces. With four seats up for election, council members Eric Evans and Karen Dolan and newcomers Bryan Callahan and Adam Waldron were leading among the six Democrats running. In November, the four top vote getters in the council race will face Republican Christopher Morales, owner of Bethlehem's lone hot dog cart, Easy Weenies.

The mayoral contest pitted Donchez, a 63-year-old retired teacher and legislative aide, against Reynolds, a 31-year-old teacher and former legislative aide. The two had very similar records on council but diverged widely on style.

Donchez emphasized his experience, suggesting Reynolds wasn't ready to be mayor. The son of a former city police detective, Donchez had an early look at the inner workings of City Hall and his campaign experience is nearly as old as the city's strong mayor form of government. He's been on council for 17 years, serving as its elected president nearly half that time.

But Reynolds called Donchez an insider and questioned Donchez's maturity, once confronting him at a debate with a negative mailer Donchez had sent out. One mailer included an old photograph of Reynolds with his hat turned backward.

Reynolds got an 11^th-hour endorsement Friday from Callahan, who said he intended to stay neutral but was persuaded to make a public endorsement after the mailers.

Donchez's campaign issued a statement calling Callahan "the ultimate hypocrite," noting Callahan's negative campaign when he became mayor in 2003. Donchez had also questioned how Reynolds could call him an insider when he had the support of the sitting mayor.

Reynolds, the youngest city councilman ever elected, had spent much of the campaign comparing his energy and philosophy to Callahan, who was elected at 34, and former Mayor Don Cunningham, who was elected at 31.

Reynolds emphasized his grass roots and proposed several initiatives, including changing some of council's at-large seats to district seats, and creating neighborhood committees to meet with department heads. He vowed not to marry any one until everyone ? regardless of sexual orientation ? could marry in Pennsylvania.

Donchez has described himself as taking a deliberative approach where he would convene a task force of business and finance experts to analyze how City Hall operates and search for better budgeting practices. He may make the rare move and ask council to reopen the 2014 budget after he is sworn in to make changes based on the task force's recommendations.

He said he would schedule regular office hours where residents could drop in, and hold town hall meetings in each section of the city.

He's called for bringing more economic development programs in house and naming a point person to help guide the effort. He would also explore creating the Christmas City Economic Development Corp., supplanting Bethlehem Economic Development Corp., and possibly merge it with the Redevelopment Authority.

On public safety, he would consider returning a fire pumper to the Dewberry station, which is now an EMS site, and gradually bring the police officer ranks from 149 to 155.

He said he would explore sponsorships for city facilities and create better access for the elderly at paths and pet-friendly parks.

Donchez had the backing of several well-known Democrats, including campaign chairs Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli and state Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton.

Donchez took an early fundraising lead with $112,000 in the bank by Jan.1. Donchez had $167,600 to spend on the campaign during this year, a little more than twice what Reynolds had.

Nicole.mertz@mcall.com

610-778-2253

Source: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-bethlehem-mayor-election-20130521,0,2395042.story?track=rss

Aereo Masters 2013 Lone Star College 42 louisville basketball Ready for Love ncaa

Smith Micro Introduces Poser 10 & Poser Pro 2014 | Animation ...

Animation software producer Smith Micro has announced the official launch of Poser 10 and Poser Pro 2014, the newest versions of its 3D animation creation software.

Perfect for artists, illustrators, animators and graphic designers, Poser allows users to easily create full 3D scenes with digital humans, animals and props. Poser also offers preloaded content for quick 3D creations. In addition to an extensive library of pre-loaded characters and content, Poser 10 and Poser Pro 2014 come equipped with new features such as Subdivision Surfaces for improved bending fidelity, Bullet Physics for adding increased realism to animation and Live Simulation mode for previewing dynamics in real-time.

?It?s our goal to provide illustrators, graphic designers, animators and 3D artists as well as novice users and hobbyists with a resource for telling their stories in 3D, via images and video,? said Steve Cooper, senior product manager of productivity and graphics at Smith Micro. ?Poser not only provides professional users with powerful tools for creating 3D character content and scenes, but also offers a variety of easy-to-use features and pre-loaded figures and props that allow beginners to get into 3D art without forcing them to master figure modeling, texturing and rigging.?

Poser comes with pre-built, ready to use 3D characters that enable users to begin posing and animating right out of the box. Supported by tutorial videos as well as by an experienced team of content creators, developers, QA testers and customer service and support teams, the full featured software is reliable, well documented and easy-to-learn.

Poser?s new Comic Book Preview Mode enables illustrators to create color or black and white comic art with improved line control and outlines with persistent shading, even when rotating or animating their point of view. Users can also interactively fit existing clothing and props to any Poser figure with Poser Pro?s Fitting Room, which provides five intelligent methods that interactively loosen, tighten, smooth and preserve soft and rigid features. With the click of a single button, designers can generate a new conforming clothing item, using the original figure?s rig, complete with full morph transfer.

From now until June 30, 2013 Poser 10 is available for $239.99 and Poser 2014 for $399.99. After this time, Poser 10 will be available for $299.99 and Poser 2014 for $499.99.

For more information, please visit: poser.smithmicro.com.

Poser 10 / Poser Pro 2014

Related posts:

Source: http://www.animationmagazine.net/vfx/smith-micro-introduces-poser-10-poser-pro-2014/

artie lange nascar daytona 2012 kasey kahne angelina jolie right leg saving face academy award winners best picture

Olympia Circuits shows Arduino datalogger and Arno Add-Ons at Maker Faire 2013

Olympia Circuits is best known for its Arno board and Arno Shield, which are designed to ease the Arduino learning curve by providing a bevy of pre-wired sensors and controls along with detailed instructions for several DIY projects. The company announced a couple of new products at Maker Faire this past weekend: the Arno Digital RGB Add-On and the SODA HE-1.0 Arduino datalogger. With the former, your Arno simply gains three RGB LEDs, while the latter stands for "Simple, Open Data Acquisition, High Efficiency." It's an Arduino board with screw terminals designed around Atmel's ATmega32u4 that features a real-time clock (RTC) with battery backup, a high-precision ADC and a microSD card slot. The RTC can either wake the entire board or trigger an interrupt at set intervals, which makes the board very power efficient when used in the field. Olympia Circuits will be updating its website with more info shortly (including availability and pricing). Until then, don't miss our hands-on gallery below.

Gallery: Olympia Circuits at Maker Faire 2013

Filed under: Misc

Comments

Source: Olympia Circuts

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/20/olympia-circuits-shows-arduino-datalogger-and-arno-add-ons-at-ma/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

wrestlemania results womens final four josh hutcherson google april fools office space shell houston open mega millions winners

Sports world keeps eye on Oklahoma tornado

Los Angeles Dodgers' Matt Kemp reacts as he crosses the plate after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday, May 20, 2013, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Matt Kemp reacts as he crosses the plate after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday, May 20, 2013, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

This frame grab courtesy KFOR TV shows the aftermath of a massive tornado as much as a mile wide with winds up to 200 mph roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, May 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Courtesy KFOR TV)

This frame grab courtesy of KFOR TV shows the aftermath of a massive tornado as much as a mile wide with winds up to 200 mph roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, May 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Courtesy KFOR TV)

The massive tornado that ripped through a handful of Oklahoma City suburbs and killed at least 50 people grabbed the attention of the sports world on Monday, especially the players and coaches with ties to the area.

Kevin Durant, a three-time scoring champion for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, posted on his Twitter account that he was praying for everyone involved. He added: "Everybody stay safe!"

Mets pitcher Jeremy Hefner went to Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, just south of Oklahoma City. The school had its roof torn off and walls knocked down. Some of those killed died at the school.

"I mean, it's terrifying," the right-hander said.

Hefner still has family living in Moore. He said he had been in contact with his mother, who told him his cousins and uncles were OK.

"It's just unfathomable," he said. "I used to live there."

Dodgers star Matt Kemp posted on Twitter: "'m giving $1000 for tonight's HR and every HR until the All-Star break for the victims of my hometown in OKC. (hash)PrayforOklahoma"

Coverage of the tornado damage was on the clubhouse TV as the Red Sox prepared for their game at the Chicago White Sox.

"It's a tragedy when you see a natural disaster like that take place, so many innocent people that are certainly affected, if not directly by injury or possibly loss of life," Boston manager John Farrell said. "Having been though something similar back in 1997 that had probably very similar damage, it's a scary situation. Our thoughts are with all the people affected."

Farrell played for Oklahoma State in college, and then served as the assistant coach and pitching and recruiting coordinator for the Cowboys for five seasons from 1997-2001.

"The location today is very close to where it was back in '97," Farrell said. "Just that area just south of Oklahoma City seems to be right in the path of unfortunately a lot of storm fronts and certainly the tornadoes again today."

White Sox manager Robin Ventura also played his college ball at Oklahoma State, where was a three-time All-America. The Santa Maria, Calif., native said he didn't know anything about tornadoes until there were a couple that passed through the area while he was in school.

"It's scary," he said. "There's nothing you can do about it."

Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden, who played at Oklahoma State and grew up in the Oklahoma City area, was relieved that no one in his wife's family was injured.

"Devastating damage to Moore, Oklahoma due to Tornadoes," Weeden wrote on his Twitter account. "Please keep these people in your prayers. Thankfully (at)MelanieWeeden family is safe."

Kansas coach basketball coach Bill Self also went to Oklahoma State.

"We wish nothing but the very best for (those affected by the storm) and our thoughts are with them," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-05-21-US-Severe-Weather-Sports/id-a8030e647e55495fa6555b9de6fe8a89

april fools day April Fools Jokes Julie Roberts roses april fools Good April Fools Jokes Dumpster

Kershaw pitches 3-hitter as Dodgers beat Brewers

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday, May 20, 2013, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday, May 20, 2013, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly looks over Miller Park with the umpires before a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday, May 20, 2013, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Andre Ethier hits a triple during the second inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday, May 20, 2013, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Norichika Aoki can't catch a triple hit by Los Angeles Dodgers' Andre Ethier during the second inning of a baseball game Monday, May 20, 2013, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Matt Kemp reacts as he crosses the plate after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday, May 20, 2013, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

MILWAUKEE (AP) ? Clayton Kershaw scattered three singles in his second complete game of the year and Matt Kemp hit his first home run since April 24, lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night.

Ryan Braun managed a pair of singles and Yuniesky Betancourt also singled for the only hits off Kershaw (5-2). The lefty struck out five and walked one.

Andre Ethier homered and tripled for the last-place Dodgers before being ejected by plate umpire Dan Bellino for arguing a called third strike in the eighth inning.

The victory was a respite for Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. He addressed speculation before the game on whether he would be fired this week, insisting he didn't feel as if he was about to be replaced.

Yovani Gallardo (3-4) gave up three runs, including two homers, in six innings. The right-hander lost his third consecutive start and the reeling Brewers have dropped 15 of 18 games.

With the Dodgers' bullpen giving up 12 runs while Los Angeles was swept in a three-game weekend series at Atlanta, Mattingly took no chances. He sent Kershaw out for the ninth, and the ace needed only 10 pitches to retire the Brewers in order.

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said before the game he thought Kemp's lack of power this season was due to the slugger's offseason surgery on his left shoulder.

The star center fielder hit his second homer of the season, connecting for the first time in a span of 87 at-bats. Kemp's solo homer came in the sixth.

Colletti said his team, second-to-last in the majors in scoring at 3.4 runs per game, needed to hit better in the clutch. The Dodgers went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position against the Brewers.

Kershaw beat the Brewers for the second time in five starts. He has given up only three earned runs in 39 2-3 innings for an 0.68 ERA in that span.

Kemp, who hit 116 homers the past four seasons, walked to lead off the second and scored easily on Ethier's triple for a 1-0 lead.

The Brewers tied it in the third. Rickie Weeks walked and later scored on a groundout to second by Norichika Aoki.

Ethier's solo homer, his fourth, put the Dodgers ahead in the fourth.

NOTES: Dodgers LHP Ted Lilly was reinstated off the 15-day DL. RHP Matt Magill was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. Lilly will spend a couple of days in the bullpen and is expected to start Saturday against St. Louis. ... Dodgers INF Jerry Hairston has tendinitis in his left knee.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-05-20-BBN-Dodgers-Brewers/id-c629246878e5455db856ed488b0acf0a

st. patrick s day brandon lloyd brandon lloyd celtic thunder fabrice muamba collapse prometheus trailer patrice oneal

UK ISPs Block Huge Movie Site Movie2K, Proxy Immediately ...

UK ISPs Block Huge Movie Site Movie2K, Proxy Immediately Unblocks

Internet service providers in the UK have today begun blocking one of the world?s largest streaming movie portals. In a follow up to similar actions, the MPAA obtained a High Court order which compels all major ISPs to begin blocking Movie2K, a massive site with millions of visitors each month. However, in a ridiculously fast show of defiance, one of the largest Pirate Bay proxy operators has already deployed a brand new site to beat the censorship.

During the past couple of years the UK has become the easiest country in the world to have a website blocked on copyright grounds.

Against a background of initial pessimism, Section 97A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act has proven more than capable of enabling the filtering dreams of the entertainment industries after blocking provisions in the Digital Economy Act were deemed too controversial.

While more recent blocks were actioned by the UK recording industry under the watchful eye of the BPI, it was the MPAA who pioneered site censorship in the UK. Their success against Usenet indexing site Newzbin2 has become the model through which ISPs can be forced to black out sites based on the order of a judge.

Last week we reported that the music industry are considering future action against a wide range of sites but there is a more immediate situation developing courtesy of their movie-making counterparts.

Sometime in the past two months the MPAA went to court with a copyright complaint against two sites ? Movie2K and another called Download4All (DL4All). The precise details are unclear, but it seems likely that they presented similar arguments to those offered in earlier cases.

Broadly speaking the studios will explain that these sites breach their copyrights and cost them money and, since ISPs are now aware that they?re facilitating their users? infringements, they must now block the sites to avoid becoming liable themselves.

TorrentFreak can confirm that in the last week of April several of the UK?s leading ISPs including BT, Virgin Media and TalkTalk, and almost certainly O2, EE and Sky, received a copy of a High Court order compelling them to block the sites.

BT have already begun blocking the site in the UK and Virgin Media inform us that they too will initiate a blockade today.

?Virgin Media has received an order from the Courts requiring it to prevent access to Download4All and Movie2K in order to help protect against copyright infringement,? a spokesperson told TorrentFreak.

?As a responsible ISP, Virgin Media complies with court orders addressed to the company, but strongly believes that changing consumer behaviour to tackle copyright infringement also needs compelling legal alternatives to give consumers access to great content at the right price.?

And in a final and somewhat amazing note, the operators of PirateReverse.info, one of the largest Pirate Bay proxy services, informs TorrentFreak that they have already deployed a proxy site to unblock Movie2K.

?We?ve just deployed movie2kproxy.com (in record time), still working on getting the images to load properly but should all be fixed shortly.?

The moles in this game now appear to be getting whacked even before they appear.

UPDATE: The operator of PirateProxy.net, the world?s largest Pirate Bay proxy, says that he too will unblock Movie2K for UK users.

During the past couple of years the UK has become the easiest country in the world to have a website blocked on copyright grounds. Against a background of initial pessimism,...

Source: http://torrentfreak.com/uk-isps-block-huge-movie-site-movie2k-proxy-immediately-unblocks-130520/

safehouse brown recluse brown recluse front door alyssa bustamante protandim weightless

Kerry to Mideast to advance struggling Syria plan

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Secretary of State John Kerry is headed back to the Middle East to press his case for peace talks between Syrian rebels and President Bashar Assad's regime amid increasing signs the new U.S. strategy to halt the war is being undermined by Russia.

Kerry left Washington on Monday for Oman where he will have discussions with the sultan of the Gulf state. He will then travel on to Jordan to gather with 10 of America's closest European and Arab partners to discuss how to advance a political transition and end more than two years of bloodshed in Syria, before traveling on to Israel.

For the Syria negotiations to succeed, the Obama administration is banking on Russia's help.

The U.S. and Russia have wrangled repeatedly while more than 70,000 Syrians have died, but they now say they're working together to start direct talks between Syria's government and the opposition in Geneva next month. Washington demands Assad's ouster, while Russia continues to provide the Syrian leader with military aid and diplomatic cover, but President Barack Obama this week said the meeting "may yield results."

The optimism echoes the message of Kerry, who during his Moscow visit earlier this month declared that the old Cold War foes, by rejuvenating Syrian peace hopes, were demonstrating how they "can accomplish great things together when the world needs it."

For all the heady talk of cooperation, however, Russia has continued to rebuff American demands that it cut off military support for Assad.

Moscow is preparing to give Syria state-of-the-art ground-to-air missile systems, Israeli officials say. It is beefing up its naval presence near its base in northwestern Syria, reports suggest. And, in the latest revelation, U.S. officials say Russia has provided the Assad regime with anti-ship cruise missiles.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the transfer of the advanced anti-ship missiles is "an unfortunate decision that will embolden the regime and prolong the suffering."

On the diplomatic front, the situation isn't much better. There, Russia has repeatedly blocked a proposal for an expanded Security Council trip to Turkey and Lebanon to study Syria's refugee crisis, according to U.N. diplomats.

The continued friction between Moscow on the one hand and Washington and its partners on the other comes as the Obama administration is evaluating a range of options, including military ones, to break the stalemate in Syria's civil war and respond to evidence that Assad's forces used small amounts of chemical weapons in two attacks in March. Obama previously declared chemical weapons use his "red line" for a more forceful American intervention, though Kerry and other U.S. officials have since suggested that no such step would be taken while the new peace push still has hope.

Russia's missiles support significantly boosts Syria's capability to target manned planes, drones and incoming missiles after its systems were easily circumvented in 2007 when Israeli jets bombed a suspected nuclear reactor site along the Euphrates River in northeastern Syria. Apparently successful Israeli strikes in recent weeks on weapons convoys to Hezbollah show the Syrian defenses are still far from impregnable, but the new weaponry adds further considerations as the United States tries to change Assad's calculation that he can prevail in Syria's civil war.

While more and better anti-missile systems wouldn't immediately change the fight between Syria's government and armed opposition, they would make it more dangerous for the U.S. and other governments to try to enforce a no-fly zone in the country or otherwise intervening militarily. And with Washington mulling over the options, the war continues. The refugee toll has topped 1.5 million people and much of the country has slipped into lawlessness.

Kerry's weeklong trip will also see him try to advance his two-month effort to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The secretary has persuaded the Arab world to help by sweetening its deal of universal recognition for the Jewish state if it pulls out of most of the territory in east Jerusalem and the West Bank that it conquered in the 1967 Mideast war. But he has struggled to gain any public concession from Israel, which was accused of taking steps last week to legalize four unauthorized settlement outposts in the West Bank. The Palestinians see that land as part of its future state.

Kerry also will travel to Ethiopia to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Organization of African Unity, the precursor to today's African Union. While in Addis Ababa, Kerry plans a separate one-on-one meeting with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, officials said.

In Oman, Kerry will talk with officials about their plans to purchase a $2.1 billion air defense system from American manufacturer Raytheon.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-05-20-US-Syria/id-dd571263681d4963b225091ad6ffaa5b

2012 sports illustrated swimsuit same day flower delivery valentines day cards hallmark grammy winners obama budget woolly mammoth

New NOAA report examines national oil pollution threat from shipwrecks

May 20, 2013 ? NOAA presented to the U.S. Coast Guard today a new report that finds that 36 sunken vessels scattered across the U.S. seafloor could pose an oil pollution threat to the nation's coastal marine resources. Of those, 17 were recommended for further assessment and potential removal of both fuel oil and oil cargo.

The sunken vessels are a legacy of more than a century of U.S. commerce and warfare. They include a barge lost in rough seas in 1936; two motor-powered ships that sank in separate collisions in 1947 and 1952; and a tanker that exploded and sank in 1984. The remaining sites are 13 merchant marine ships lost during World War II, primarily along the Atlantic Seaboard and Gulf of Mexico. To see a list of the ships and their locations, visit: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/protect/ppw/.

The report, part of NOAA's Remediation of Underwater Legacy Environmental Threats (RULET) project, identifies the location and nature of potential sources of oil pollution from sunken vessels. Knowing where these vessels are helps oil response planning efforts and may help in the investigation of reported mystery spills--sightings of oil where a source is not immediately known or suspected.

"This report is the most comprehensive assessment to date of the potential oil pollution threats from shipwrecks in U.S. waters," said Lisa Symons, resource protection coordinator for NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. "Now that we have analyzed this data, the Coast Guard will be able to evaluate NOAA's recommendations and determine the most appropriate response to potential threats."

"The Coast Guard is pleased to receive these risk assessments from our partner agency NOAA and looks forward to our continued coordination on the matter of potential pollution associated with sunken vessels in U.S. waters," said Capt. John Caplis, the Coast Guard's chief of marine environmental response. "Coast Guard federal on-scene coordinators receiving the risk assessments will carefully review the data and incorporate it into their area contingency plans."

In 2010, Congress appropriated $1 million for NOAA to develop a list of the most significant potentially polluting wrecks in U.S. waters, including the Great Lakes, specifically addressing ecological and socio-economic resources at risk. Those funds were not intended for oil or vessel removal.

NOAA maintains the internal Resources and UnderSea Threats (RUST) database of approximately 30,000 sites of sunken material, of which 20,000 are shipwrecks. The remaining items are munitions dumpsites, navigational obstructions, underwater archaeological sites, and other underwater resources.

Initial screening of these shipwrecks revealed 573 that could pose substantial pollution risks, based on the vessel's age, type, and size. This includes vessels built after 1891, when U.S. vessels began using fuel oil; vessels built of steel; vessels over 1,000 gross tons, and any tank vessel.

Additional research about the circumstances of each vessel's loss narrowed that number to 107 shipwrecks. Of those, some were deemed navigational hazards and demolished, and others were salvaged. Most of the 107 wrecks have not been directly surveyed for pollution potential, and in some cases little is known about their current condition.

To prioritize and determine which vessels are candidates for further evaluation, NOAA used a series of risk factors to assess the likelihood of substantial amounts of oil remaining onboard, and the potential ecological and environmental effects if that oil spills. Risk factors include the total oil volume onboard as cargo or fuel, the type of oil, and the nature of the sinking event. For example, a vessel that was struck by multiple torpedoes would likely contain less oil than a vessel that sank in bad weather.

After this third level of screening, 87 wrecks remained on the list developed for the Coast Guard's area contingency plans. Among this group, NOAA determined that 36 shipwrecks are candidates for a "Worst Case" discharge event in which the shipwreck's entire fuel oil and oil cargo would be released simultaneously, and recommended that 17 of these wrecks be considered for further assessment and feasibility of oil removal.

Six wrecks are potential candidates for a "Most Probable" discharge event, where a shipwreck could lose approximately 10 percent of its fuel oil or oil cargo. To date, known oil discharges from shipwrecks are typically in the "Most Probable" category or smaller.

The report, including 87 risk assessments, is not intended to direct Coast Guard activities, but rather provide the Coast Guard with NOAA's scientific and technical assessment and guidance as a natural resource and cultural heritage trustee.

The Coast Guard, as the federal On-scene Coordinator for mitigating oil spills in the coastal marine environment, the Regional Response Teams, and local Area Committees, as established under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, will review and incorporate the assessments into regional and area marine environmental response contingency plans. The individual risk assessments not only highlight concerns about potential ecological and socio-economic impacts, but also characterize most of the vessels as historically significant and many of them as grave sites, both civilian and military.

Funding for any assessment or recovery operations determined to be necessary is dependent upon the unique circumstances of the wreck. If a wreck still has an identifiable owner, that owner is responsible for the cost of cleanup. Coast Guard officials say that if no responsible party exists, the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund would likely be accessed.

To view the report, 2012 Risk Assessment for Potentially Polluting Wrecks in U.S. Waters, visit http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/protect/ppw/.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/36wfnV9EfVA/130520193151.htm

Michelle Obama Speech Michael Clarke Duncan Nazanin Boniadi Deval Patrick Dedication 4 labor day college football scores