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Thursday, February 28, 2013
An Awesome 1940s Photo of Making a Cast of a Giant Fish
Just Not Said: Horse meat
There's been a minor brouhaha over the fact that some horse meat recently found its way into iKEA meatballs in Europe.
In America, because people get attached to their horses and dogs, there is a stigma against eating the meat of both. When we think of horses, we think of My Friend Flicka, or Black Beauty, or Seattle Slew. Eating one of those magnificent creatures -- or their brethren -- would seem almost sacrilegious.
Likewise, when we think of dogs, we think of Balto, or Lassie, or Rin Tin Tin, or our personal pets. Repaying the loyalty of man's best friend by consuming him would feel wrong. So we refrain.
India has its sacred cows; we have our sacred dogs and sacred horses. Are we being just as shortsighted as India? We eat cows, which are lovable creatures in their own way (think Elsie). And we eat venison (think Bambi). Once upon a time we slaughtered buffalo just for their tongues.
We eat sheep, which are sorta cute. We eat pigs, which are even cuter, at least when they're young. And we not only eat calves, we raise them in small pens so their meat is more tender.
We don't eat cats, partly because they're pets, but also because they're not supposed to be tasty and they don't provide much meat anyway. But dogs are reportedly delicious. (Just ask Barack.)
Horse meat, according to Wikipedia, is slightly sweet, tender, and low in fat. Sounds yummy.
We tend to shy away from eating animals we consider intelligent, like dolphins and chimpanzees. And those other brainiacs, elephants and whales, are endangered (despite their high IQ's).
(Question: if an mammal is more intelligent, should that exempt it from consumption? Are less intelligent creatures, like cows and sheep, less sensitive to pain than dolphins and chimps? Do they have fewer nerve endings along with their less advanced cognition? And if this is a relevant criterion, why do we eat pigs, which are more intelligent than dogs?)
We eat all sorts of birds, though we don't eat eagles. But eagles, though once endangered, are now plentiful, and the population currently numbers over 100,000 in this country. They were traditionally a game bird, and there was even a bounty on their heads in Alaska from 1917 to 1952. So why not? Because it would be unpatriotic? Turkeys are still plentiful, but a Thanksgiving bald eagle would be a feast to remember.
These taboos have always struck me as a little silly.
For you pet owners who object, think about it: what better way is there for you to honor your departed pet than to eat it? Your horse or dog will actually become part of you. How could you be any closer than that? (In fact, much horse meat is not healthy because of the medications they're given over their lifetimes; but I am talking theoretically, about "organic" horses.)
If you prefer to bury your pet in the backyard, be assured that it will just gradually rot and be eaten by worms.
It's time to reconsider.
Source: http://justnotsaid.blogspot.com/2013/02/horse-meat.html
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MWC 2013: ??????????? Kaspersky Tablet Security ? ?????????? ...
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Source: http://forums.ferra.ru/index.php?showtopic=54700
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This Could Be The World?s First 3D-Printed Car
With 3D printing on the verge of going mainstream, you can manufacture almost anything. As of November 2010, you can add a 3D-printed car to that list, too.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/PNO50sHwv-g/
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Groupon Reports $638.3M In Q4 Revenue, Shares Drop More Than 20 Percent Due To Worse-Than-Expected Loss
Groupon has just put out its Q4 and full-year results. It has reported quarterly revenue of $638.8 million with an operating loss of $12.9 million and a loss per per share of 12 cents, falling short of?analyst expectations on the EPS front ? they had predicted $638.41 million in revenue and EPS of $0.03. Those numbers show 30 percent revenue growth and a slightly smaller ($12.9 million versus $15 million) operating loss compared to the same period last year. (Those Q4 results needed to be restated about a month after reporting because Groupon had higher-than-expected refunds, due to selling more expensive products and having customers make more returns of those goods.)Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/YZ37wsZBXCY/
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Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Kenya: Official who oversaw 2007 chaotic poll dies
Feb 25 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 2. Matt Kuchar $1,987,000 3. Hunter Mahan $1,412,965 4. John Merrick $1,296,014 5. Phil Mickelson $1,232,760 6. Dustin Johnson $1,200,125 7. Tiger Woods $1,144,000 8. Russell Henley $1,129,080 9. Brian Gay $1,089,181 10. Charles Howell III $1,087,944 11. Jason Day $1,009,164 12. Chris Kirk $990,013 13. Steve Stricker $940,000 14. Josh Teater $870,934 15. Bill Haas $816,300 16. Jimmy Walker $812,620 17. Scott Piercy $789,592 18. Charlie Beljan $785,800 19. ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kenya-official-oversaw-2007-chaotic-poll-dies-140105570.html
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Gender gap disappears in school math competitions, study shows
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
The idea that boys are better at math and in competitions has persisted for a long time, and now we know why: Nobody bothered to schedule the rematch.
Most school math contests are one-shot events where girls underperform relative to their male classmates. But a new study by a Brigham Young University economist presents a different picture.
Twenty-four local elementary schools changed the format to go across five different rounds. Once the first round was over, girls performed as well or better than boys for the rest of the contest.
"It's really encouraging that seemingly large gaps disappear just by keeping them in the game longer," said BYU economics professor Joe Price.
Price co-authored the study with the University of Miami's Christopher Cotton and Rutgers' Frank McIntyre. Their report is published by the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.
In the contest, students were paired against a classmate to see who got the most questions right during a 5-minute quiz. In case of a tie, the student who finished first won. The winner earned raffle tickets for a small prize.
Because the schools shared past test scores with the researchers, they could compare how similarly talented boys and girls performed. Even though these matches look even on paper, for some reason boys have the edge when it's the first foray into a competitive setting. On a test worth ten points, it usually amounts to a one-point edge for boys in the initial round.
"We don't know if it's boys getting excited and over-performing or if it's girls being too uncomfortable with the situation," Price said.
But here's another twist: Six classrooms de-emphasized the speed component. Ties weren't decided by who finished first. And though there was still just five minutes on the clock, the students were told, "It's not a race."
With those two small adjustments, girls competed evenly with boys from the start. BYU math professor Jessica Purcell, who was not involved with the study, wasn't surprised that the format adjustments resulted in more parity.
"In mathematical settings without time pressure or competition, such as classes I have taught or classes I have taken, males and females seem to do equally well," said Purcell, a recipient of the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship.
Since boys' competitive advantage is so short-lived, the study authors suggest that a little encouragement could go a long way.
"What motivated us was how to get girls to thrive in a competitive environment," said Price, noting that he has two daughters. "You might guess that girls would shy away from competitive work environments. What our results would hint is that if you convince them to stick around and give it a shot, they will acclimate and do just fine."
###
Brigham Young University: http://www.byu.edu
Thanks to Brigham Young University for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127008/Gender_gap_disappears_in_school_math_competitions__study_shows
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McCain and Graham press Obama on border
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham pressed President Barack Obama on the importance of border security at a rare White House meeting Tuesday and came away praising the president's commitment to overhauling the nation's immigration laws.
"I believe that the president is very committed to comprehensive immigration reform," McCain, R-Ariz., told reporters afterward. "Now does that mean he's committed to anything we do? No, he has his positions on the issue as well, but I believe he is sincerely desirous of comprehensive immigration reform."
The praise from McCain and Graham, two leaders of a bipartisan Senate group developing comprehensive immigration legislation, came even though some other Republicans say Obama just wants to pursue immigration as a political issue to get Latino support and isn't truly committed to a bill.
The pair met with Obama as the White House continued to work to repair damage from a leak earlier this month of draft immigration legislation Obama was preparing, which he's said he'll make public only if the Senate working group on immigration doesn't move quickly enough. McCain said after the leak that it raised questions about Obama's commitment to the issue, and he also criticized the president for failing to communicate with Republicans on immigration.
Tuesday's meeting appeared successful in repairing relations. The White House had no immediate comment on the meeting.
"I think we'll have presidential leadership in a very productive way on immigration reform and with that we've got a very good chance of doing it this year," said Graham, R-S.C.
Both Obama's draft bill and the legislation emerging in the Senate would secure the border, improve legal immigration, crack down on employers and provide a pathway to citizenship to the 11 million illegal immigrants already in the U.S. An important difference is that the Senate bill would mandate a secure border before a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants could begin, a linkage Obama hasn't embraced.
The senators discussed border security with Obama and said they were encouraged by what they heard, though it was unclear if they'd extracted any commitments.
"He understands we need border security that we can afford and Sen. McCain made a strong point about the border, and the president understands the working components of it, so I was, quite frankly, encouraged," Graham said.
McCain, who often speaks of problems along the border in his home state of Arizona, said he was "more confident after our conversation today" that Obama understands those issues.
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Stretchable batteries are here! Power to the bendy electronics
The next frontier in electronics are the flexible, stretchable kind. Yes, that means a rubber, bouncy smartphone (eventually), but it also means heart monitors threaded into cardiac tissue. For devices like that to work, they require flexible, stretchable batteries. And such batteries are here, according to researchers who just published their work.
Yonggang Huang, an engineer at Northwestern University, created the battery with materials wizard John Rogers at the University of Illinois, who received the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2011 for his work on flexible electronics designed for integration with the human body.
How much give and take does the invention allow? ?We can stretch the device a great deal ? up to about 300 percent ? and still have a working battery,? Huang noted. (Please don't try that with your smartphone's battery.)
?Such stretchable batteries enable true integration with stretchable electronics in a small package,? Huang told NBC News in an email.
The background of the research team means that medical applications will be primarily targeted, but there are other applications for bendy batteries such as wearable solar cells and electric-eye cameras that make studio-quality photographs.
The flexible lithium-ion battery reported today in the journal Nature Communications completes the flexible electronics package with a cordless power source. When the battery runs out of juice after about eight hours, it is recharged wirelessly.
To make the battery, the researchers start with tiny, individual, rigid battery storage components arranged next to each other. The bendy and stretchy characteristics stem from tightly packed, wavy wires that connect these components.
?When we stretch the battery, the wavy interconnects unravels, much like yarn unspooling, while the storage components almost keep undeformed, because of their much larger rigidity than the interconnects? Huang explained.
The breakthrough was demonstrated with a light emitting diode that continues to work when stretched, folded and twisted on a human elbow. It continued to work well through 20 recharge cycles.
John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.
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PFT: Is Te'o gay? Teams want to know? |? Florio
Getty ImagesWhen I first heard about Peter King?s report that the Patriots had signed quarterback Tom Brady to a three-year, $27 million extension, I assumed the deal was worth $27 million per year.
It?s not.? For committing to the Patriots in the 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons, Brady gets a total of $27 million.
It appears, as explained last night, to be nothing more than an effort to reduce Brady?s cap number in 2013 and 2014, the final two years of his existing deal.? It?s hard to spread money over the years of a contract if the contract covers only two more seasons.? Come 2015, the likely reality is that a new deal will be done ? after the appearance that Brady has taken less is used to squeeze other players into doing the same thing, which the Pats did masterfully last decade.
Still, teams and agents are looking at the numbers and wonder what else could be going on.? Whispers of a side deals already have begun in league circles, even though there is (and likely will be) no proof of a wink-nod arrangement that will see Brady get compensated in other ways.
Sides deals aren?t unprecedented in pro football.? The Broncos lost a second-round pick, a third-round pick, and paid a $950,000 for violations relating to $29 million in deferred payments to John Elway and Terrell Davis during the team?s Super Bowl window of the late 1990s.? Again, there is (and likely will be) no proof of a side deal in this case.
Now that more and more teams are pressed against the salary cap and trying to finagle spending space, suspicions of side arrangements and briefcases full of cash will return to the NFL ? even if no team is ever caught or is ever guilty.
In Brady?s case, the facts as presently known raise natural red flags.? At a time when the high-water mater for quarterbacks is $20 million, the notion that Brady would commit to playing for less than half that average over a three-year window starting three seasons from now makes no sense.
At a minimum, agent Don Yee has provided his competitors with more than enough ammunition for the inherently cutthroat game of chasing new clients.? At a maximum, teams and agents will probe for something/anything to explain why Tom Brady was willing to sign a contract that pays him so much less than he?ll be worth starting two years from now.
Maybe, in the end, the explanation is that, given his wife?s obscene earnings, he?s willing to take a lot less money in order to help that Pats stack the deck for another Super Bowl run or two.
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Dorothy Hamill and Andy Dick among 'Dancing' stars
FILE - This April 12, 2010 file photo shows former Olympic figure skater Dorothy Hamill at an event celebrating Good Housekeeping magazine's 125th anniversary in New York. Hamill is one of eleven celebrity contestants who will compete on the next edition of "Dancing with the Stars." The new season kicks off on ABC with a two-hour premiere on March 18. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)
FILE - This April 12, 2010 file photo shows former Olympic figure skater Dorothy Hamill at an event celebrating Good Housekeeping magazine's 125th anniversary in New York. Hamill is one of eleven celebrity contestants who will compete on the next edition of "Dancing with the Stars." The new season kicks off on ABC with a two-hour premiere on March 18. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)
FILE - This April 4, 2011 file photo shows country singer Wynonna Judd from The Judds, performing at the Girls' Night Out: Superstar Women of Country in Las Vegas. Judd is one of eleven celebrity contestants who will compete on the next edition of "Dancing with the Stars." The new season kicks off on ABC with a two-hour premiere on March 18. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, file)
FILE - This Nov. 15, 2012 file photo shows comedian Andy Dick speaks onstage during the American Cinematheque 26th Annual Award Presentation To Ben Stiller 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Andy Dick is one of eleven celebrity contestants who will compete on the next edition of "Dancing with the Stars." The new season kicks off on ABC with a two-hour premiere on March 18. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP, file)
FILE - This June 6, 2012 file photo shows singer Kellie Pickler at the 2012 CMT Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn. Pickler is one of eleven celebrity contestants who will compete on the next edition of "Dancing with the Stars." The new season kicks off on ABC with a two-hour premiere on March 18. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP, file)
FILE - This June 20, 2012 file photo shows boxer Victor Ortiz training during the media workout at Fortune Boxing Gym in Los Angeles. Ortiz is one of eleven celebrity contestants who will compete on the next edition of "Dancing with the Stars." The new season kicks off on ABC with a two-hour premiere on March 18. (AP Photo/Grant Hindsley, file)
NEW YORK (AP) ? A gold-medal figure skater, a country music legend and a kooky comedian are stepping their way onto "Dancing With the Stars."
ABC says Dorothy Hamill, Wynonna Judd and Andy Dick are among 11 contenders for the mirrored ball on the new season of the celebrity dance competition.
Other famous faces in the show's 16th edition include standup comic and actor D.L. Hughley, Baltimore Ravens football player Jacoby Jones and former "American Idol" contestant Kellie Pickler.
Also on hand will be former welterweight boxing champ Victor Ortiz, "General Hospital" star Ingo Rademacher, actress-singer Zendaya Coleman and Lisa Vanderpump from "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," as well as Olympic gold-medal gymnast Aly Raisman.
The new "Dancing With the Stars" season kicks off on ABC with a two-hour premiere on March 18.
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President Obama vs. GOP in a sequester showdown
President Obama must demonstrate why?the Republicans? austerity economics and trickle-down economics are dangerous, bald-faced lies, Reich writes.
President Barack Obama addresses the National Governors Association in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Monday. President Obama has the bully pulpit, Reich writes, and Americans trust him more than they do congressional Republicans.
Charles Dharapak/AP
EnlargeThe White House apparently believes the best way to strengthen its hand in the upcoming ?sequester? showdown with Republicans is to tell Americans how awful the spending cuts will be, and blame Republicans for them.
Skip to next paragraph Robert ReichRobert is chancellor?s professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Clinton. Time Magazine?named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written 13 books, including ?The Work of Nations,? his latest best-seller ?Aftershock: The Next Economy and America?s Future," and a new?e-book, ?Beyond Outrage.??He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause.
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It won?t work. These tactical messages are getting in the way of the larger truth, which the President must hammer home: The Republicans? austerity economics and trickle-down economics are dangerous, bald-faced lies.
Yes, the pending spending cuts will hurt. But even if some Americans begin to feel the pain when the cuts go into effect Friday, most won?t feel it for weeks or months, if ever.
Half are cuts in the military, which will have a huge impact on jobs (the military is America?s only major jobs program), but the cuts will be felt mainly in states with large numbers of military contractors, and then only as those contractors shed employees.?
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Smartphones Growth Reshapes Cellphone Chip Market Order: IHS ...
(By Balaseshan) Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) and Samsung are capitalizing on the rise of smartphones and 4G due to the changes in the cellphone core integrated circuit (IC) business over the past five years, according to a report from information and analytics provider IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS).
Qualcomm in 2012 reigned supreme with 31% market revenue share in application-specific mobile handset core ICs market like baseband and radio-frequency semiconductors, according to the IHS iSuppli Wireless Competitive Landscape Tool.
The San Diego-based chip maker has held the top position since 2007 and even enlarged its lead by 8 percentage points during the period. South Korea's Samsung Electronics was the No. 2 vendor after Qualcomm, with a 21% share, after not even ranking in in the Top 10 in 2007.
IHS iSuppli said both the companies accounted for more than half of the total market, with the next eight vendors in the Top 10 accounting for another 34 percentage points of share. The Top 10 enjoyed a collective 86% share of the market.
The other vendors among the leaders were, in descending order, MediaTek, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), Skyworks (NASDAQ: SWKS), Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN), ST-Ericsson, Renesas, Spreadtrum (NASDAQ: SPRD" title="SPRD : Stock Quote, News and Research" class="showrtquote">SPRD) and Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM).
"The arrival of Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone five years ago changed the game and paved the way for the current market rankings. This change is dramatically illustrated by looking at the major differences in the cellphone core IC rankings from 2007 to 2012," said Brad Shaffer, analyst for consumer & communications at IHS.
While Qualcomm increased its lead at the top from 2007 to 2012, Texas fell from second to sixth place?down from a 20% share to 4%. TI's proprietary OMAP product line of chips for portable and mobile multimedia applications has not taken off as quickly as expected, and the company as a result could not offset its planned exit from baseband products, IHS iSuppli noted.
IHS said the structure of the mobile handset core IC market will continue to shift, particularly as LTE becomes more widespread. Baseband chips, already accounting for more than half the revenue of the total handset core IC space, will maintain their pre-eminence in determining the market-share gains and losses of industry vendors moving forward, IHS believes.
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Powerful blast rocks Damascus; no word yet on casualties
Reuters
A man inspects a house that was damaged by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al Assad in the Harasta area of Damascus on Monday.
By The Associated Press
BEIRUT ??Syria said Monday it is prepared to hold talks with the armed rebels bent on overthrowing President Bashar Assad, the clearest signal yet that the regime is growing increasingly nervous about its long-term prospects to hold onto power as opposition fighters make slow but persistent headway in the civil war.
The offer, by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem during a visit to Moscow, came hours before residents of Damascus and state-run TV reported a huge explosion and a series of smaller blasts in the capital, followed by heavy gunfire.
State-run news agency SANA said there were multiple casualties from the explosion, which it said was a suicide car bombing.
The proposal marked the first time that a high-ranking regime official has stated publicly that Damascus would be willing to meet with the armed opposition. But al-Moallem did not spell out whether rebels would first have to lay down their weapons before negotiations could begin ? a crucial sticking point in the past.
The regime's proposal is unlikely to lead to talks. The rebels battling the Syrian military have vowed to stop at nothing less than Assad's downfall and are unlikely to agree to sit down with a leader they accuse of mass atrocities.
But the timing of the proposal suggests the regime is warming to the idea of a settlement as it struggles to hold territory and claw back ground it has lost to the rebels in the nearly 2-year-old conflict.
Opposition fighters have scored several tactical victories in recent weeks, capturing the nation's largest hydroelectric dam and overtaking airbases in the northeast. In Damascus, they have advanced from their strongholds in the suburbs into neighborhoods in the northeast and southern rim of the capital, while peppering the center of the city with mortar rounds for days.
Monday night's explosion struck about 800 yards?from Abbasid Square, a landmark plaza in central Damascus. It was followed by several other smaller blasts thought to be mortar shells landing in various districts of the capital. The blasts and subsequent gunfire caused panic among residents who hid in their apartments.
Shifting momentum
On Thursday, a car bomb near the ruling Baath Party headquarters in Damascus killed at least 53 people, according to state media.
While the momentum appears to be shifting in the rebels' direction, the regime's grip on Damascus remains firm, and Assad's fall is far from imminent.
Still, Monday's offer to negotiate with the armed opposition ? those whom Assad referred to only in January as "murderous criminals" and refused to talk with ? reflects the regime's realization that in the long run, its chances of keeping its grip on power are slim.
Asked about al-Moallem's remarks, U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said the offer of talks was a positive step "in the context of them raining Scuds down on their own civilians." But he expressed caution about the seriousness of the offer.
"I don't know their motivations, other than to say they continue to rain down horrific attacks on their own people," Ventrell told reporters in Washington. "So that speaks pretty loudly and clearly."
If the Assad regime is serious, he said, it should inform the U.N. peace envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi of its readiness for talks. Ventrell said the regime hasn't done that yet.
Andrew Tabler, a fellow at the Washington Institute, said called the offer "a sign of weakness."
"I think everybody knows, including Bashar Assad, that they (the regime) can't hang onto the whole country," Tabler said.
Mustafa Alani, an analyst with the Gulf Research Center in Geneva, said the regime has "reached the conclusion that they are heading toward a major defeat eventually, and this is the right time to negotiate."
"They are not losing miles every day, but they are losing substantial ground every day. So the regime is not genuine (in its offer) because it has changed, it's genuine because it is responding to a major shift in the balance of power on the ground," he added.
Alani cautioned, however, that the regime is also eager to keep the idea of talks alive in order to forestall any Western decision on arming the rebels. As long as the possibility of negotiations is still on the table, the United States and the European Union ? which have so far provided only non-lethal aid ? will be reluctant to open the flood gates on weapons for the opposition, he said.
Strategic delays?
"The whole regime tactic is to delay supplying arms, to buy time," Alani said. "The regime can show good will. Whether they're a viable partner or not is a different story."
It's also unclear who exactly the regime would sit across from at the negotiating table.
The dozens of armed groups across Syria fall under no unified command and do not answer to the Syrian National Council, an umbrella group of opposition parties that the West recognizes as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.
At least one group offered a lukewarm response Monday to al-Moallem's proposal.
The head of one group, Free Syrian Army chief Gen. Salim Idriss, said he is "ready to take part in dialogue within specific frameworks," but then rattled off conditions that the regime has rejected in the past.
"There needs to be a clear decision on the resignation of the head of the criminal gang, Bashar Assad, and for those who participated in the killing of the Syrian people to be put on trial," Idriss told pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Arabiya TV.
He said the government must agree to stop all kinds of violence and to hand over power, saying that "as rebels, this is our bottom line."
Syria's 23-month-old conflict, which has killed more than 70,000 people and destroyed many of the country's cities, has repeatedly confounded international efforts to bring the parties together to end the bloodshed. Russia, a close ally of Assad and his regime's chief international advocate, offered Feb. 20, in concert with the Arab League, to broker talks between the rebels and the government.
With the proposal, which the Kremlin would be unlikely to float publicly without first securing Damascus' word that it would indeed take part, Moscow ratcheted up the pressure on Syria to talk to the opposition.
Russia Syrian situation 'at a crossroads'
Russia has shielded Assad's government from U.N. action and kept shipping weapons to the military, but it is growing increasingly difficult to protect the regime as the violence grinds on.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov repeated his call Monday for Syria to negotiate with the opposition, saying before meeting al-Moallem that "the situation in Syria is at a crossroads now." He also warned that further fighting could lead to "the breakup of the Syrian state."
Past government offers for talks with the opposition have included a host of conditions, such as demanding that the rebels first lay down their arms. Those proposals have been swiftly rejected by both activists outside Syria and rebels on the ground.
Both sides in the conflict in recent weeks have floated offers and counteroffers to hold talks on the crisis.
In a speech in January, Assad offered to lead a national dialogue to end the bloodshed, but said he would not talk with the armed opposition and vowed to keep fighting. The opposition rejected the proposal.
This month, the leader of the Syrian National Coalition, the umbrella group for opposition parties, said he would be open to discussions with the regime that could pave the way for Assad's departure, but that the government must first release tens of thousands of detainees. The government refused, and even members within the coalition balked at the idea of talks.
Speaking to reporters Monday in Cairo, SNC chief Mouaz al-Khatib accused the regime of procrastinating and said it had derailed his dialogue offer by not responding to the coalition's conditions.
"We are always open to initiatives that stop the killing and destruction, but the regime rejected the simplest of humanitarian conditions. We have asked that the regime start by releasing women prisoners and there was no response," he said. "This regime must understand that the Syrian people do not want it anymore."
Reversal on Rome meeting
The coalition also finds itself at odds with its Western backers. Initially, it said it would boycott a conference in Rome that is to help drum up financial and political support for the opposition. The SNC said it had suspended its participation in the Rome meeting because of the indifference of the West and the coalition's Arab allies over the regime's attacks on the Syrian people.
Walid al-Bunni, a spokesman for the Coalition, said later Monday that the group has reversed its decision following a phone call between al-Khatib and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Al-Bunni told Al-Arabiya TV the decision was made based on guarantees al-Khatib heard from western diplomats that the conference would be different this time. He did not elaborate.
Kerry on Monday urged rebel leaders not to skip the meeting and insisted that more help is on the way.
Kerry made a public plea at a joint news conference with British Foreign Secretary William Hague and also called al-Khatib, leader of the Syrian Opposition Council, "to encourage him to come to Rome," a senior U.S. official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Meanwhile, the fighting inside Syria rages on.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group reported heavy clashes Monday near a police academy in Khan al-Asal just outside Aleppo.
Rebels backed by captured tanks launched an offensive on the facility Sunday. Observatory director Rami Abdul-Rahman said at least 13 rebels and five regime troops were killed.
In another part of Aleppo, rebels downed a military helicopter near the Mennegh airport, where there have been fierce clashes for months.
A video posted online by activists showed a missile being fired, a trail of white smoke and the aircraft going up in flames. Voices in the background shouted, "God is great!" as a man raised both hands in celebration.
The video appeared to be authentic and corresponded to other AP reporting.
? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Sterling struggles after UK debt downgrade
LONDON (AP) ? The British pound is recovering after dropping against the world's leading currencies as markets reacted to a downgrade of the U.K.'s cherished triple-A credit rating.
During early trading Monday, sterling dropped to $1.5069 against the dollar ? its lowest level since July 2010 ? before bouncing back to $1.5144. Against the euro, the pound hovered around 18-month lows with one euro worth 0.8745 pound.
The pound was in focus in the wake of last Friday's decision by Moody's to downgrade the U.K.'s credit rating by one notch from the top AAA to AA1. The agency says sluggish growth and rising debt are weakening the British economy's outlook.
Two other major rating agencies ? Fitch and Standard & Poor's ? have also warned that they may downgrade the U.K. as well.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sterling-struggles-uk-debt-downgrade-103218519--finance.html
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Monday, February 25, 2013
'The Avengers' & The Oscars: Cast Of Hit Movie Reunites At Academy Awards
Just like the superheroes they played in the movie, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson all huddled together back stage to get a plan together and of course joke around.
Downey suggested the stars of "The Avengers" bow as they headed onstage to make Oscar presentations. Or perhaps curtsy.
When a show worker asked Jackson to stand still so he could be wired with a microphone, the actor faced a backstage wall and pretended he was being frisked by police.
To pass the time, the superheroes watched Melissa McCarthy and Paul Rudd from a backstage monitor.
Suddenly Ruffalo asked, "Did we miss our cue?"
"You want to go out there with them?" asked Jackson.
After presenting two awards, the actors returned backstage, where Downey quipped, "Avengers disassemble."
_ Sandy Coehn ? http://www.twitter.com/apsandy
___
EDITOR'S NOTE ? Show Bits brings you the 85th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/the-avengers-the-oscars-academy-awards_n_2756934.html
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LG brings together entire four-tier smartphone lineup at MWC
LG is taking some time at MWC 2013 to lay out its entire portfolio of phones for 2013, which it calls its "four-tier strategy". LG is hoping to cover an entire range of specs, sizes and price points with four lines -- Optimus G Series, Vu: Series, F Series and LII (L2) Series. We've already seen what LG has in store for the G Series, which is the highest end specs possible -- think Optimus G, Optimus G Pro. The Optimus Vu hasn't exactly been the hit LG was hoping for, but they're sticking with it going forward, focusing on pen input and multi-window apps as part of its QSlide software.
The newest additions to the lineup are the F Series and LII Series, filling out the middle and low-end, respectively. We received some details on the first F Series devices -- the F5 and F7 -- which have solid specs and are meant to expand LG's LTE offerings. The LII Series is focused on design rather than raw specs, with 3G-only devices that seem to be a playground for LG to try out new design elements in the low end.
LG is clearly trying to focus its design and product portfolio around the Optimus name in new ways for 2013, falling in line with the likes of Samsung and HTC that are focusing on a single flagship brand name. We'll see if this can help LG push its portfolio ahead in the coming year.
 |  |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/lW-C7Rhh768/story01.htm
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Huawei reveals 'fastest smartphone in the world'
This undated product image provided by Huawei, shows the Chinese company's new flagship model that it calls "the fastest smartphone in the world."The company said Sunday, Feb. 24, 2012, the device supports faster download speeds than other phones, but today's wireless networks aren't equipped to supply those speeds. (AP Photo/Huawei)
This undated product image provided by Huawei, shows the Chinese company's new flagship model that it calls "the fastest smartphone in the world."The company said Sunday, Feb. 24, 2012, the device supports faster download speeds than other phones, but today's wireless networks aren't equipped to supply those speeds. (AP Photo/Huawei)
This undated product image provided by Huawei, shows the Chinese company's new flagship model that it calls "the fastest smartphone in the world." The company said Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, the device supports faster download speeds than other phones, but today's wireless networks aren't equipped to supply those speeds. The new phone, the Ascend P2, will have a 4.7 inch screen. (AP Photo/Huawei)
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) ? Huawei, a Chinese company that recently became the world's third-largest maker of smartphones, calls its new flagship product "the fastest smartphone in the world" and wants to use it to expand global awareness of its brand.
Parts of the presentation of the phone at a press conference Sunday in Barcelona, Spain, suggest that the company has some way to go in polishing its pitch for a global audience.
Richard Yu, head of Huawei's consumer business group said the new phone can be programmed to display more than 100 different "themes," or looks. This is important because "ladies like flowers, colorful things," Yu said.
Yu also said Huawei is learning from Apple how to make Google's Android software easier to use, a lawsuit-friendly utterance considering that Apple is on a global campaign to sue makers of Android phones for copying from the iPhone.
The new phone, the Ascend P2, will have a 4.7 inch screen. Yu said it will be available in the April to June time frame for about $525 without a contract. It's the "fastest" because it supports faster download speeds than other phones. However, today's wireless networks aren't equipped to supply those speeds.
Huawei Technologies Ltd. was the world's third largest seller of smartphones, after Samsung and Apple, in the fourth quarter of last year, according to research firm IDC. That's despite selling very few phones in the U.S., where the big phone companies mostly ignore it. It has a much better position in Europe, where cellphone companies have embraced its network equipment, and France's Orange is committed to selling the phone.
In the U.S., a congressional panel recommended in October that phone carriers avoid doing business with Huawei or its smaller Chinese rival, ZTE Corp., for fear that its network equipment could contain "back doors" that enable access to communications from outside. The Chinese government rejected the report as false and an effort to block Chinese companies from the U.S. market.
Meanwhile, a report by a private U.S. cybersecurity firm concluded recently that a special unit of China's military is responsible for sustained cyberespionage against U.S. companies and government agencies. China has denied involvement in the attacks in which massive amounts of data and corporate trade secrets, likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars, were stolen.
"It has not been an easy journey for us," Huawei's global brand director, Amy Lou, said Sunday of the company's quest to become globally recognized and trusted. She called the company "a great consumer brand in the making."
The world's largest cellphone trade show, Mobile World Congress, opens Monday in Barcelona.
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Bomber killed near Afghan capital's diplomatic zone: police
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan security forces shot dead at least one would-be suicide bomber on Sunday in a high-security area of Kabul, home to government departments and diplomatic missions, police said.
Violence across the country has increased over the last 12 months, sparking concern about how the 350,000-strong Afghan security forces will manage once most foreign troops withdraw by the end of 2014.
The attack, one of four in Afghanistan early on Sunday, happened near a construction site that was stormed by Taliban gunmen in April last year. That assault triggered a nine-hour attack in which the insurgents fired rockets at western embassies and nearby hotels frequented by foreigners.
The man shot dead on Sunday was in a stationary four-wheel-drive vehicle in the suburb of Sherpur when officers from the country's intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS) fired at the car, killing him.
The would-be bomber was carrying a gun and wearing an explosive-laden vest when he was shot dead, Kabul police chief General Ayoub Salangi told Reuters.
The car was also packed with explosives. Security forces were still attempting to defuse it an hour later.
The attack came on the same morning as bombings in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Logar.
In the capital of Nangarhar, Jalalabad, two NDS guards were killed and three others wounded when a car carrying explosives was detonated at a compound used by the intelligence agency.
In Logar an attacker detonated a van packed with explosives at a highway checkpoint, wounding three police officers.
Later on Sunday morning, a man in a suicide vest blew himself up outside a district police office, wounding another police officer.
No one has claimed responsibility for the Kabul incident but the Taliban took credit for the attacks in the eastern provinces via text message.
In January six suicide bombers attacked an NDS compound in downtown Kabul, killing two guards.
Less than a week later, attackers stormed the headquarters of Kabul's traffic police and engaged in an eight-hour gun battle with security forces before being killed.
(Reporting by Hamid Shalizi; Writing by Dylan Welch; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bomber-killed-near-afghan-capitals-diplomatic-zone-police-071922255.html
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Pirates prospect proud to play for Canada at WBC
Report an error
Jameson Taillon pitched Team USA to its first-ever win at the 2009 Pan-Am Juniors in Venezuela.
He was on the mound for Team USA at The Futures Game in Kansas City last summer.
And next month, the Pittsburgh Pirates farmhand will start for Team Canada ... likely against Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
?Jameson grew up in Texas, all our kids have dual citizenship and that allows the luxury of choices, we?ll be there,? his father, Michael Taillon said from Calgary. ?As the baby of our family, he?s done extremely well. It?s nice to see him grow and blossom.?
Mike works for Aon, one of the world?s largest insurance brokerage firms. He returns to Houston often to see wife Christie, who grew up in the Lawrence Park area of Toronto. Mike moved to Calgary from Vancouver when the office wanted someone with a background in oil and gas.
Daughter Jazmine is an attorney in Houston, son Jordan recently accepted a fellowship at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, as well as practising at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, while Justin is an assistant professor at the University of Guelph in the school of hospitality and tourism management.
Christie ?deserves the credit, all the brains came from her,? says Mike.
Proud grandpa Raymond will watch on TV from the Taillon homestead in St. Andrews West, near Cornwall, Ont.
?This has not been a tough winter in Calgary, compared to growing up in eastern Ontario,? said Mike. ?It was minus-16 the other day when I went for breakfast, but it was clear blue skies and you can see the mountains. ?Vancouver was mild, but from the middle part of January for a month or so it would rain two or three days times a week.?
When Mike retires, he has plans after living half of his life north of the border.
?Christie and I decided to keep the house in The Woodlands (north of Houston), this is a house the kids can always come back to,? Mike said. ?We?d like to buy a place. We can?t afford Muskoka but maybe the Okanagan ... it?s God?s country, and throw in all the great B.C. wineries.?
Or Mike could work for the B.C. Board of Tourism.
?Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in the world,? he says, ?there is something about a city when you throw in the Rockies, the view is spectacular.?
When he worked on the coast, Mike could look out his windows and see English Bay, Stanley Park and the mountains. Pure postcard.
Jameson and Mike visited Banff and Lake Louise in early last October.
In the gold medal game at Barquisimeto, Vez., Jameson pitched 72/3 innings, striking out a Junior Pan-Am record 16, surpassing the record of 15 shared by Team USA?s Scott Kazmir in 2001 and Jeff Manship in 2003.
Bryce Harper, now of the Washington Nationals, was catching and Manny Machaco, now of the Baltimore Orioles played short.
?Jamo pitched the game of his life,? proud papa says.
Team USA officials coming to The Woodlands high to present him their international player of the year honour.
Jameson faced his good friend Gerrit Cole ? another former Pirates first-round pick ? in an intra-squad game the other day in Bradenton, Fla.
?He?s listening, learning,? Mike says. ?The good thing are both Chris Leroux and Russ Martin are there. They?ll be with Canada. Russell was very helpful after Jamo threw a bullpen the other day.?
The 6-foot-6 right-hander started 2012 at class-A Bradenton, was elevated to double-A Altoona and had better numbers.
In 23 Florida State league starts he was 6-8, with a 3.82 ERA walking 37 and striking out 98 in 125 innings.
At Altoona, he was 3-0 in three starts with a 1.59 mark walking three and striking out 18 in 17 innings.
?He?s always loved to be challenged, there wasn?t anything magical when he went to Altoona,? Mike said. ?You become more accountable the higher you go.
?They did take handcuffs off, he threw his two-seamer at double-A, in Bradenton they wanted him to work on his four-seamer. The good things about the Pirates system is that they bump you up when they think you are ready. That was behind it.?
Starting a 21-year-old, with three starts above class-A against Team USA?
Adam Loewen was 22, with zero starts at double-A, when he pitched 3 2/3 scoreless as Canada upset Team USA in 2006.
?I hope,? said the father of the son, ?he?s on his game. That?s not a lineup you can have a lot of rest against.?
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Source: http://www.torontosun.com/2013/02/23/pirates-prospect-proud-to-play-for-canada-at-wbc
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Infographic: College Students Need Food, Sleep, and Wi-Fi
Alongside textbooks, pizza, and shower shoes, wireless Internet access is at the top of the college students' necessities list.
According to Online Colleges, a whopping 90 percent of university attendees consider Wi-Fi essential to their educational success ? just as much as classrooms and computers.
So important, they said, that they would be willing to abstain from alcohol consumption or wear their school's rival team colors than be without wireless access. Most won't even consider a school that doesn't offer free and fast Wi-Fi.
An Online Colleges infographic breaks down the reasons students say the love Wi-Fi: because it makes school easier (79 percent) and helps them earn better grades (75 percent). In-classroom access gives 44 percent of students an added push to begin research for an assignment before the class has ended.
The Web is important outside of the lecture hall, too. When searching for a place to hang out with friends, work on a paper, or grab some grub, many students remain on the hunt for free Wi-Fi.
But powerful and portable Internet access is more than another luxury of higher education; it offers American universities a means to retain their preeminence in international research, Online Colleges said. Losing out to academic communities in other countries could have "profound implications for the American economy and society," the site said.
According to ABI Research, an increasing number of universities worldwide are investing more in Wi-Fi access points and controllers than ever before. In 2007, colleges collectively dropped $137 million for wireless Internet. This year, ABI projected upwards of $837 million ? a 611 percent increase in six years.
The Gig.U, or University Community Next Generation Innovation Project, consists of more than 30 leading research universities working with local communities to strengthen the U.S.'s role as a leader in next-generation high-speed network services. A number of colleges participate in the Gig.U program, including Stanford University, where students and faculty have gained free access to the ultra-high-speed Google Fiber network, and the University of Maine, which will build a mega high-speed Gigabit Main Street Internet Network in the communities surrounding the campus.
For a closer look at college students' relationship with Wi-Fi, check out the full infographic below.
Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2415721,00.asp?kc=PCRSS05079TX1K0000993
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Sunday, February 24, 2013
China's Leadership Transition Discussed at Council on Foreign Relations
Cheng Li and Elizabeth Economy discuss China's leadership transition at the Council on Foreign Relations in NYC on Friday February 22nd 2013. They debate the power balance within the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, which recently decreased in size from nine to seven members.
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?Bel Ami?Theaters In Japan [Tokyo] Human Trust Cinema Shibuya ?March 9? [Hokkaid...
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Oscars 2013 Predictions: Best Screenplay Categories
With 'Zero Dark Thirty' and 'Django Unchained' packing heat, who will win for Original Screenplay?
By Kevin P. Sullivan
"Zero Dark Thirty"
Photo: Columbia Pictures
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702486/oscar-2013-best-screenplay-prediction.jhtml
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Source: http://askubuntu.com/questions/260167/ubuntu-touch-four-samsung-galaxy-mini-s5570
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