Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Comet just might hit Mars in 2014

Chris Smith / NASA file

An artist's conception shows a comet streaking through Martian skies.

By Nancy Atkinson
Universe Today

There is an outside chance that a newly discovered comet might be on a collision course with Mars. Astronomers are still determining the trajectory of the comet, named C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring), but at the very least, it is going to come fairly close to the Red Planet in October of 2014.

"Even if it doesn?t impact, it will look pretty good from Earth, and spectacular from Mars, probably a magnitude -4 comet as seen from Mars' surface,"?Australian amateur astronomer Ian Musgrave wrote.


The comet was discovered in the beginning of 2013 by comet-hunter Robert McNaught at the Siding Spring Observatory in New South Wales, Australia. According to a?discussion on the IceInSpace amateur astronomy forum,?when the discovery was initially made, astronomers at the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona looked back over their observations to find "pre-recovery" images of the comet dating back to Dec. 8, 2012. These observations placed the orbital trajectory of comet C/2013 A1 right through Mars orbit on Oct. 19, 2014.

However, after 74 days of observations,?comet specialist Leonid Elenin?notes that current calculations put the closest approach of the comet at a distance of 67,853 miles (109,200 kilometers), or 0.00073 AU from Mars in October 2014. That close pass has many wondering if any of the Mars orbiters might be able to acquire high-resolution images of the comet as it passes by.

But as?Ian O?Neill from Discovery Space?points out, since the comet has only been observed for 74 days (so far), so it?s difficult for astronomers to forecast precisely where the comet will be 20 months from now. "Comet C/2013 A1 may fly past at a very safe distance of 0.008 AU (650,000 miles)," O'Neill wrote, "but to the other extreme, its orbital pass could put Mars directly in its path. At time of Mars close approach (or impact), the comet will be barreling along at a breakneck speed of 35 miles per second (126,000 miles per hour)."

Elenin said that since C/2013 A1 is a hyperbolic comet and moves in a retrograde orbit, its velocity with respect to the planet will be very high, approximately 56 kilometers per second (126,000 mph). "With the current estimate of the absolute magnitude of the nucleus M2 = 10.3, which might indicate the diameter up to 50 kilometers [30 miles], the energy of impact might reach the equivalent of staggering 2?10^10 megatons!"

While the massive Comet Shoemaker?Levy 9 (9.3 miles or 15 kilometers in diameter) that crashed into Jupiter in 1994 was spectacular as seen from Earth orbit by the Hubble Space Telescope, the sight of C/2013 A1 slamming into Mars would be off the charts.

Astronomers are certainly keeping an eye on this comet, and they will refine their measurements as more data comes in. You can see the orbital parameters available so far at?JPL?s Solar System Dynamics website.

More about comets:

This report originally appeared on the Universe Today website as "Is a Comet on a Collision Course With Mars?" Copyright 2013 Universe Today. Reprinted with permission.

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/26/17107085-comet-just-might-hit-mars-in-2014?lite

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SC court nixes James Brown estate settlement

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) ? The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned a settlement divvying up the multimillion-dollar estate of James Brown, saying a former attorney general didn't follow the late soul singer's wishes in putting together the deal.

Attorney General Henry McMaster brokered a settlement in 2009 that split Brown's estate, giving nearly half to a charitable trust, a quarter to his widow, Tomi Rae Hynie, and leaving the rest to be split among his adult children.

But the justices ruled that the deal ignored Brown's wishes for most of his money to go to charity. The court also ruled the Godfather of Soul was of sound mind when he made his will before dying of heart failure on Christmas Day 2006 at age 73.

The court sent the estate back to a lower court to be reconsidered.

The justices did agree with the lower court's decision to remove Brown's original trustees. Members of Brown's family said they wanted them gone because the trustees mismanaged the estate until it was almost broke.

The court said it had no idea what the estate was worth, giving an estimate of $5 million to more than $100 million.

The justices harshly criticized McMaster, who stepped in to broker the settlement after the estate floundered in court for years. Under McMaster's deal, a professional manager took control of Brown's assets from the estate's trustees, wiping out crushing debt ? more than $20 million Brown had borrowed for a European comeback tour ? and opening the way for needy students to receive college scholarships. The plan allowed a financial manager to cut lucrative deals that put Brown's music on national and international commercials for products such as Chanel perfume and Gatorade.

Chief Justice Jean Toal suggested Wednesday that, if the settlement was allowed to stand, it could discourage people from leaving most of their estate to charity for fear their wishes could easily be overturned.

The dispute came to the court after the ousted trustees sued.

"The compromise orchestrated by the AG in this case destroys the estate plan Brown had established in favor of an arrangement overseen virtually exclusively by the AG," giving large sums of money to relatives even though they were given little or no control in the singer's original will, Associate Justice John Kittredge wrote.

The fight over Brown's estate even spilled over into what to do with his body. Family members fought over the remains for more than two months, leaving Brown's body, still inside a gold casket, sitting in cold storage in a funeral home. Brown was eventually buried in Beech Island, S.C., at the home of one of his daughters. The family wanted to turn the home into a shrine for Brown similar to Elvis Presley's Graceland, but that idea has not gotten off the ground.

An attorney for Adele Pope ? one of the trustees who appealed ? commended the court for its ruling, which he said would more accurately fulfill Brown's wishes.

"James Brown was certainly devoted to the cause of education," James Richardson said. "Today's decision means that the bulk of his fortune will go to the cause of educating needy children."

McMaster, who left office in 2010, said that he respected the court's decision but stood by the settlement he brokered.

"I believe we took the correct legal steps to make the very best of a bad situation," McMaster said. "We worked hard to see that Mr. Brown's wishes were effectuated to the furthest extent they could be."

Current Attorney General Alan Wilson said he respected the court's decision but felt McMaster had acted legally.

___

Reach Kinnard at http://www.twitter.com/MegKinnardAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sc-court-nixes-james-brown-estate-settlement-153510732.html

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Video: Home Prices on the Rise

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50963699/

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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Dennis Rodman worms his way into North Korea

Flamboyant former NBA star Dennis Rodman, fifth from right, poses with three members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, in red jerseys, and a production crew for the media upon arrival at Pyongyang Airport, North Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. Rodman known as "The Worm" arrived in Pyongyang, becoming an unlikely ambassador for sports diplomacy at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)

Flamboyant former NBA star Dennis Rodman, fifth from right, poses with three members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, in red jerseys, and a production crew for the media upon arrival at Pyongyang Airport, North Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. Rodman known as "The Worm" arrived in Pyongyang, becoming an unlikely ambassador for sports diplomacy at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)

Flamboyant former NBA star Dennis Rodman, right, scratches his face upon arrival at Pyongyang Airport, North Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. The American known as "The Worm" arrived in Pyongyang, becoming an unlikely ambassador for sports diplomacy at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)

Flamboyant former NBA star Dennis Rodman, right, scratches his face upon arrival at Pyongyang Airport, North Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. The American known as "The Worm" arrived in Pyongyang, becoming an unlikely ambassador for sports diplomacy at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)

FILE - In this July, 31, 2012, file photo, former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman appears during a news conference to announce his tour and charity work in Panama City. The American known as ?The Worm? is set to arrive Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, in Pyongyang, becoming an unlikely ambassador for sports diplomacy at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco, File)

(AP) ? Former NBA star Dennis Rodman brought his basketball skills Tuesday and flamboyant style ? tattoos, nose studs and all ? to a country with possibly the world's strictest dress code: North Korea.

Landing in Pyongyang with VICE television, the American athlete and showman known as "The Worm" became an unlikely ambassador for sports diplomacy at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea.

Rodman is joining three members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team and a VICE correspondent for a news show on North Korea that will air on HBO later this year, VICE told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview Tuesday before they landed.

Rodman and VICE said the Americans hope to engage in a little "basketball diplomacy" by running a basketball camp for children and playing with North Korea's top basketball stars ? and, they hope, drawing leader Kim Jong Un to a game. Kim is said to be a huge basketball fan.

"Is sending the Harlem Globetrotters and Dennis Rodman to the DPRK strange? In a word, yes," said Shane Smith, the VICE founder who is host of the upcoming series, referring to North Korea by the initials of its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "But finding common ground on the basketball court is a beautiful thing.

Rodman might seem an odd fit for North Korea, where men's fashion rarely ventures beyond military khaki and where growing facial hair is forbidden. Though there's a burgeoning fashion sense among the women of Pyongyang, the men in this conservative society still tend dress austerely: khaki work suits, military uniforms, dark blue Mao-style suits or Western-style suit jackets.

In contract, Rodman was a poster boy for flashy excess during his heyday in the 1990s. He called his 1996 autobiography "Bad as I Wanna Be" ? and showed up wearing a wedding dress to promote it.

Shown a photo of a snarling Rodman, piercings dangling from his lower lip and two massive tattoos emblazoned on his chest, one North Korean in Pyongyang recoiled and said: "He looks like a monster!"

But Rodman is also a Hall of Fame basketball player and one of the best defenders and rebounders to ever play the game. During a storied, often controversial career, he won five NBA championships.

On Tuesday, Rodman, now 51, was low-key and soft-spoken in cobalt blue sweatpants and a Polo Ralph Lauren cap. There was a bit of flash: white-rimmed sunglasses and studs in his nose and lower lip. But he told AP he was there to teach basketball and talk to people, not to stir up trouble.

Showier were three Harlem Globetrotters dressed in fire-engine red. Rookie Moose Weekes flashed the crowd a huge smile as he made his way off the Air Koryo plane.

"We use the basketball as a tool to build cultural ties, build bridges among countries," said Buckets Blakes, a Globetrotters veteran. "We're all about happiness and joy and making people smile."

It's the second high-profile American visit this year to North Korea, a country that remains in a state of war with the U.S. It also comes two weeks after North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test in defiance of U.N. bans against atomic and missile activity.

Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, made a surprise four-day trip to Pyongyang, where he met with officials and toured computer labs in January, just weeks after North Korea launched a satellite into space on the back of a long-range rocket.

Washington, Tokyo, Seoul and others consider both the rocket launch and the nuclear test provocative acts that threaten regional security.

North Korea characterizes the satellite launch as a peaceful bid to explore space, but says the nuclear test was meant as a deliberate warning to Washington. Pyongyang says it needs to build nuclear weapons to defend itself against the U.S., and is believed to be trying to build an atomic bomb small enough to mount on a missile capable of reaching the mainland U.S.

VICE, known for its sometimes irreverent journalism, has made two previous visits to North Korea, coming out with the "VICE Guide to North Korea." The HBO series, which will air weekly starting April 5, features documentary-style news reports from around the world.

The U.S. State Department hasn't been contacted about travel to North Korea by this group, a senior administration official said, requesting anonymity to comment before any trip had been made public. The official said the department does not vet U.S. citizens' private travel to North Korea.

Promoting technology and sports are two major policy priorities of Kim Jong Un, who took power in December 2011 following the death of his father, Kim Jong Il.

Along with soccer, basketball is enormously popular in North Korea, where it's not uncommon to see basketball hoops set up in hotel parking lots or in schoolyards. It's a game that doesn't require much equipment or upkeep.

The U.S. remains Enemy No. 1 in North Korea, and North Koreans have limited exposure to American pop culture. But they know Michael Jordan, a former teammate of Rodman's when they both played for the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.

During a historic visit to North Korea in 2000, then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright presented Kim Jong Il, famously an NBA fan, with a basketball signed by Jordan that later went on display in the huge cave at Mount Myohyang that holds gifts to the leaders.

North Korea even had its own Jordan wannabe: Ri Myong Hun, a 7-foot-9 star player who is said to have renamed himself "Michael" after his favorite player and moved to Canada for a few years in the 1990s in hopes of making it into the NBA.

Even today, Jordan remains well-loved here. At the Mansudae Art Studio, which produces the country's top art, a portrait of Jordan spotted last week, complete with a replica of his signature and "NBA" painted in one corner, seemed an odd inclusion among the propaganda posters and celadon vases on display.

An informal poll of North Koreans revealed that "The Worm" isn't quite as much a household name in Pyongyang.

But Kim Jong Un, also said to be a basketball fanatic, would have been an adolescent when Rodman, now 51, was with the Bulls, and when the Harlem Globetrotters, an exhibition basketball team, kept up a frenetic travel schedule worldwide.

In a memoir about his decade serving as Kim Jong Il's personal sushi chef, a man who goes by the pen name Kenji Fujimoto recalled that basketball was the young Kim Jong Un's biggest passion, and that the Chicago Bulls were his favorite.

The notoriously unpredictable and irrepressible Rodman said he has no special antics up his sleeve for making his mark on one of the world's most regimented and militarized societies, a place where order and conformity are enforced with Stalinist fervor.

But he said he isn't leaving any of his piercings behind. "They shouldn't be scared of a few piercings."

__

Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington contributed to this report from Washington. Follow AP's bureau chief for Pyongyang and Seoul at www.twitter.com/newsjean.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-26-NKorea-Rodman/id-1dbab4ea684d41ee900a0a5cb3b3d520

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Gun laws in selected countries

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? In South Africa, where Oscar Pistorius is charged with premeditated murder in the Feb. 14 shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, gun owners can only use lethal force in stringently regulated circumstances. Here is a brief look at gun laws in selected countries:

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RUSSIA: For self-defense, Russians can only use hunting rifles and non-lethal weapons, such as devices that spray irritants or pistols that fire rubber bullets. Russian law is extremely vague on when such weapons can be used. The law doesn't, for example, spell out when people can shoot at intruders. Courts have handed prison sentences to people for "exceeding the limits of admissible self-defense," even when they used weapons in response to a clear threat to life.

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COLOMBIA: Citizens have the right to defend themselves with a deadly weapon against "unjust aggression." The response must be proportional to the aggression, the criminal code says. This sanctions deadly force during home invasions. Attorney Jaime Granados said the issue of proportionality is crucial. One cannot, for example, shoot someone simply for petty theft.

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FRANCE: Firearms can be used for "legitimate defense," said national police spokesman Laurent Ricard. This is only when people face "immediate attack." An armed response must be proportional to the attack. For example, a person cannot use a gun against an attacker who comes at them with a chair.

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SOUTH AFRICA: Licensed gun owners are allowed to use lethal force only if they believe they are facing an immediate, serious and direct attack or threat of attack that could either be deadly or cause grievous injury, said Johannesburg attorney Martin Hood, who specializes in firearm law.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gun-laws-selected-countries-173714384--oly.html

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Google introduces the Chromebook Pixel

Google has released its Chromebook Pixel, which looks like the nicest in the Chromebook series yet! It has a 12.85″ display with a 3:2 aspect ratio and super high pixel density – about 239 pixels/inch. They say this is more than the average 118 pixel/inch on other leading laptops, which will give us an ultra [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/02/25/google-introduces-the-chromebook-pixel/

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Monday, February 25, 2013

Love & Relationship | Barely Supermommy

Hi all!!

I?ve changed my blog?s theme. Big or not?? Easy to read, right?? ;)

Anyway, this time I?m reposting this write-up I found on a FB page. It?s about relationship. Since I?m only married for 2 years plus, nothing much I can write on my own. Even if I wrote it, you wouldn?t believe me.. I know!! Haha..

This article is from an FB page Beautiful [Me]

Beautifully written to remind us about appreciating our partner. Love is more than a feeling, it?s a decision. I have many youngsters writing to me about wanting to get married and build a family after reading my blog!!?(Homaigawd!!! What have I done??!!) Sustaining a relationship / marriage is a lot of hard work. Trust me!! Trying to change your partner is definitely not an option. Looking for a perfect person will take you forever. But learning to accept the other person as-he-is saves you from a lot of heart ache.

AM I WITH THE RIGHT PARTNER?

During a seminar, a woman asked,? How do I know if I am with the right person??

The author then noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so he said, ?It depends. Is that your partner?? In all seriousness, she answered ?How do you know?? Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it?s weighing on your mind replied the author.

Here?s the answer?

Every relationship has a cycle? In the beginning; you fall in love with your partner. You anticipate their calls, want their touch, and like their idiosyncrasies. Falling in love wasn?t hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn?t have to DO anything. That?s why it?s called ?falling? in love.

People in love sometimes say, ?I was swept of my feet.?Picture the expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something happened TO YOU.

Falling in love is a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few months or years of being together, the euphoria of love fades. It?s a natural cycle of EVERY relationship.

Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse?s idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts. The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship; you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.

At this point, you and/or your partner might start asking, ?Am I with the right person?? And as you reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when relationships breakdown.

The key to succeeding in a relationship is not finding the right person; it?s learning to love the person you found.

People blame their partners for their unhappiness and look outside for fulfillment. Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes.

Infidelity is the most common. But sometimes people turn to work, a hobby, friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances. But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your relationship. It lies within it.

I?m not saying that you couldn?t fall in love with someone else. You could. And TEMPORARILY you?d feel better. But you?d be in the same situation a few years later.

Because:

The key to succeeding in a Relationship is not finding the right person; it?s learning to love the Person you found.

SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. You have to work on it day in and day out. It takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it demands WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make it work. Make no mistake about it.

Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your partner), Just as there are physical laws Of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. If you know how to apply these laws, the results are predictable.

Love is therefore a ?decision?. Not just a feeling.

Remember this always: God determines who walks into your life. It is up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let GO..

Much love.. XOXO

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Source: http://barelysupermommy.com/2013/02/25/1101/

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Nokia Lumia 520 hands-on (update: video!)

Nokia Lumia 520 handson

Did you think the Nokia Lumia 620 was a solid enough smartphone to shake up emerging markets, thanks to its low cost? Say hello to the Lumia 520, which at an estimated cost of $183 will be one of the (if not the) least expensive Windows Phone 8 devices once it comes out later this quarter. It's attracted a commitment from T-Mobile in the US (timeframe not yet specified) and other carriers around the world, so we're likely going to see a lot more of this little beaut in the future. Naturally, it's time for a face-to-face introduction.

The Lumia brand as a whole is very consistent in its overall design language, so it's not difficult to tell that the 520 fits perfectly in the lineup. It will be offered in five of Nokia's usual colors: cyan, red, black, yellow and white. If you're interested in swapping covers, snap-on backs will be available -- but beware, the actual back of the device itself isn't removable. The right side of the phone houses three buttons: the volume rocker, power and the dedicated shutter button. A 3.5mm jack sits on top, whereas the micro-USB charger is on the bottom.

While it felt a little cheaper (as one would expect with such a low-end handset), it still seemed to be held together quite solidly. Interestingly, the phone's weight wasn't distributed across the device like we saw on the 720, but instead the middle of the device seemed pretty hollow, even though it held its fair share of circuitry and other components. Take a peek below if you're interested in a full photo tour of the 520, and continue reading for more impressions and specs.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/vJokCIYvWY0/

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Green Blog: Import Ban Sought on Asian Crabs

In another twist in the long-running debate over how to manage the population of horseshoe crabs along the East Coast, fisheries officials are calling for a ban on imports of three Asian species of the ancient anthropods.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, an interstate body that oversees marine resources along the coast, urged 14 member states to outlaw imports of the crabs because they carry parasites and pathogens that could harm local fisheries and endanger human health.

?The importation of Asian native horseshoe crabs poses a significant threat to the welfare and survival of the wildlife resources of the United States? ? even if they are already dead when used as bait in United States waters, it said.

The Asian species have been imported since 2011 to meet the demand from commercial fishermen. Restrictions on the harvest of domestic horseshoe crabs along the East Coast have driven up the price of horseshoe crabs, which are used as bait for eels and whelks.

Thirteen states have already taken steps at the commission?s urging to limit the crab harvest in an attempt to protect the red knot, an imperiled shorebird that relies on the eggs of horseshoe crabs in places like Cape May and Delaware Bay to refuel during its migration from southern Argentina to breeding grounds in Arctic Canada each spring.

The red knot population has plummeted because of overfishing of the horseshoe crabs, and the bird is a candidate for designation as an endangered species by the federal Fish and Wildlife Service. Biologists say the red knot is at risk of extinction.

Only New Jersey has placed a complete moratorium on the harvesting of horseshoe crabs, although a bill has been introduced in the state assembly that would lift it in a bid to protect the livelihoods of local fishermen.

The commission said it was seeking the introduction of state bans because the Fish and Wildlife Service can take up to a year to add species to a list of ?injurious wildlife? that are subject to federal regulation.

If the domestic population of horseshoe crabs is damaged, the food supply of shorebirds could be further reduced at a time when the red knot is struggling to recover from years of overfishing of the crabs, the commission warned.

In 2012, seafood dealers in New York State imported 16,280 pounds of Asian horseshoe crabs in response to the domestic bait shortage, the commission said, noting that the imported species themselves are in decline in Asia.

Horseshoe crab bait sells for as much as five times what it cost a decade ago, said Stewart Michels, the fisheries program manager at the Division of Fish and Wildlife in Delaware, which is represented on the commission. He said a female crab could now fetch as much as $5.

Delaware backs the proposed import ban and plans to implement one, Mr. Michels said. Currently Delaware fishermen are allowed to harvest about 162,000 horseshoe crabs a year, but only males and only after June 7, when red knots and other shorebirds have resumed their northward migration.

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/import-ban-sought-on-asian-crabs/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Sunday, February 24, 2013

N. Korea warns US general of 'miserable destruction'

Kns / AFP - Getty Images

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (second right) waves to a crowd of military officials in this undated photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency Saturday.

PYONGYANG, North Korea -- North Korea warned the top American commander in South Korea on Saturday of "miserable destruction" if the U.S. military presses ahead with routine joint drills with South Korea set to begin next month.

Pak Rim Su, chief of North Korea's military delegation to the truce village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone, sent the warning Saturday morning to Gen. James Thurman, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said, in a rare direct message to the U.S. commander.

South Korea and the U.S. regularly conduct joint drills such as the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises slated to take place next month.

North Korea calls the drills proof of U.S. hostility, and accuses Washington of practicing for an invasion.

North Korea releases a new propaganda video calling the U.S. hostile and showing images of President Obama superimposed with flames. Meanwhile, residents line the streets of Pyongyang celebrating the country's recent nuclear test. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

"You had better bear in mind that those igniting a war are destined to meet a miserable destruction," KCNA quoted Pak as saying in his message to Thurman. He called the drills "reckless."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, meanwhile, has been making a round of visits to military units guiding troops in drills and exercises since the nuclear test, KCNA said.

The threat comes as the U.S. and other nations discuss how to punish North Korea for conducting an underground nuclear test on Feb. 12 in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions banning Pyongyang from nuclear and missile activity.

North Korea has characterized the nuclear test, its third since 2006, as a defensive act against U.S. aggression.

Pyongyang accuses Washington of "hostility" for leading the charge to punish North Korea for a December rocket launch that the U.S. considers a covert missile test.

The U.S. and North Korea fought on opposite sides of the three-year Korean War, which ended in a truce in 1953, not a peace treaty, and left the Korean Peninsula divided by a heavily fortified border monitored by the U.S.-led U.N. Command.

Washington also stations 28,500 American troops in South Korea to protect its ally against North Korean aggression.

The Associated Press

Related:

Nuclear test protects country from 'hostile' US, North Korea says

North Korea propaganda video shows an?American city in flames

North Korea's propaganda poets stay true to their muse despite world's laughter

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/23/17066495-north-korea-warns-us-commander-of-miserable-destruction-over-military-drills?lite

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Fragments of continents hidden under lava in the Indian Ocean

Fragments of continents hidden under lava in the Indian Ocean [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 24-Feb-2013
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Contact: F. Ossing
ossing@gfz-potsdam.de
49-331-288-1040
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

The islands Reunion and Mauritius, both well-known tourist destinations, are hiding a micro-continent, which has now been discovered. The continent fragment known as Mauritia detached about 60 million years ago while Madagascar and India drifted apart, and had been hidden under huge masses of lava. Such micro-continents in the oceans seem to occur more frequently than previously thought, says a study in the latest issue of Nature Geoscience ("A Precambrian microcontinent in the Indian Ocean," Nature Geoscience, Vol 6, doi: 10.1038/NGEO1736).

The break-up of continents is often associated with mantle plumes: These giant bubbles of hot rock rise from the deep mantle and soften the tectonic plates from below, until the plates break apart at the hotspots. This is how Eastern Gondwana broke apart about 170 million years ago. At first, one part was separated, which in turn fragmented into Madagascar, India, Australia and Antarctica, which then migrated to their present position.

Plumes currently situated underneath the islands Marion and Reunion appear to have played a role in the emergence of the Indian Ocean. If the zone of the rupture lies at the edge of a land mass (in this case Madagascar / India), fragments of this land mass may be separated off. The Seychelles are a well-known example of such a continental fragment.

A group of geoscientists from Norway, South Africa, Britain and Germany have now published a study that suggests, based on the study of lava sand grains from the beach of Mauritius, the existence of further fragments. The sand grains contain semi-precious zircons aged between 660 and 1970 million years, which is explained by the fact that the zircons were carried by the lava as it pushed through subjacent continental crust of this age.

This dating method was supplemented by a recalculation of plate tectonics, which explains exactly how and where the fragments ended up in the Indian Ocean. Dr. Bernhard Steinberger of the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences and Dr. Pavel Doubrovine of Oslo University calculated the hotspot trail: "On the one hand, it shows the position of the plates relative to the two hotspots at the time of the rupture, which points towards a causal relation," says

Steinberger. "On the other hand, we were able to show that the continent fragments continued to wander almost exactly over the Reunion plume, which explains how they were covered by volcanic rock." So what was previously interpreted only as the trail of the Reunion hotspot, are continental fragments which were previously not recognized as such because they were covered by the volcanic rocks of the Reunion plume. It therefore appears that such micro-continents in the ocean occur more frequently than previously thought.

###

Torsvik, T.H., Amundsen, H., Hartz, E.H., Corfu, F., Kusznir, N., Gaina, C., Doubrovine, P.V., Steinberger B., Ashwal, L.D. & Jamtveit, B., A Precambrian microcontinent in the Indian Ocean", Nature Geoscience, Vol. 6, doi:10.1038/NGEO1736.

A picture in printable resolution can be found here: http://www.gfz-potsdam.de/portal/gfz/Public+Relations/M40-Bildarchiv/Bildergalerie+Mauritia/130222_Reunion_Hotspot


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Fragments of continents hidden under lava in the Indian Ocean [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 24-Feb-2013
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Contact: F. Ossing
ossing@gfz-potsdam.de
49-331-288-1040
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

The islands Reunion and Mauritius, both well-known tourist destinations, are hiding a micro-continent, which has now been discovered. The continent fragment known as Mauritia detached about 60 million years ago while Madagascar and India drifted apart, and had been hidden under huge masses of lava. Such micro-continents in the oceans seem to occur more frequently than previously thought, says a study in the latest issue of Nature Geoscience ("A Precambrian microcontinent in the Indian Ocean," Nature Geoscience, Vol 6, doi: 10.1038/NGEO1736).

The break-up of continents is often associated with mantle plumes: These giant bubbles of hot rock rise from the deep mantle and soften the tectonic plates from below, until the plates break apart at the hotspots. This is how Eastern Gondwana broke apart about 170 million years ago. At first, one part was separated, which in turn fragmented into Madagascar, India, Australia and Antarctica, which then migrated to their present position.

Plumes currently situated underneath the islands Marion and Reunion appear to have played a role in the emergence of the Indian Ocean. If the zone of the rupture lies at the edge of a land mass (in this case Madagascar / India), fragments of this land mass may be separated off. The Seychelles are a well-known example of such a continental fragment.

A group of geoscientists from Norway, South Africa, Britain and Germany have now published a study that suggests, based on the study of lava sand grains from the beach of Mauritius, the existence of further fragments. The sand grains contain semi-precious zircons aged between 660 and 1970 million years, which is explained by the fact that the zircons were carried by the lava as it pushed through subjacent continental crust of this age.

This dating method was supplemented by a recalculation of plate tectonics, which explains exactly how and where the fragments ended up in the Indian Ocean. Dr. Bernhard Steinberger of the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences and Dr. Pavel Doubrovine of Oslo University calculated the hotspot trail: "On the one hand, it shows the position of the plates relative to the two hotspots at the time of the rupture, which points towards a causal relation," says

Steinberger. "On the other hand, we were able to show that the continent fragments continued to wander almost exactly over the Reunion plume, which explains how they were covered by volcanic rock." So what was previously interpreted only as the trail of the Reunion hotspot, are continental fragments which were previously not recognized as such because they were covered by the volcanic rocks of the Reunion plume. It therefore appears that such micro-continents in the ocean occur more frequently than previously thought.

###

Torsvik, T.H., Amundsen, H., Hartz, E.H., Corfu, F., Kusznir, N., Gaina, C., Doubrovine, P.V., Steinberger B., Ashwal, L.D. & Jamtveit, B., A Precambrian microcontinent in the Indian Ocean", Nature Geoscience, Vol. 6, doi:10.1038/NGEO1736.

A picture in printable resolution can be found here: http://www.gfz-potsdam.de/portal/gfz/Public+Relations/M40-Bildarchiv/Bildergalerie+Mauritia/130222_Reunion_Hotspot


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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/haog-foc022213.php

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Oil and Gas Pipelines in Middle East

Now in its 13th edition, MEPIPES is the place to be for pipeline operators, technology providers and R&D experts from the region and beyond. Over 30 speakers will be joining us to share their 20+ years of experience.

From technical papers to debates: 4 days of networking and sharing among key professionals from both the pipeline and corrosion industries.

Disclaimer:

The information listed in the AMEinfo.com Event directory is updated continuously and the above details are accurate to the best of our knowledge. AMEinfo.com is not to be held responsible for the accuracy of the information listed nor can AMEinfo.com be held liable for any loss as a result of inacurate information.

If you are aware of any inaccurate information, please report errors to our editors and provide them with the updated details. You may also claim ownership of this record by clicking the 'Edit' option at the top of the page - this will allow you to edit the current entry in our database, provided you are granted ownership of the entry.

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Source: http://www.ameinfo.com/events-492459.html

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Saturday, February 23, 2013

HP shares jump after strong results, analysts raise targets

(Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co shares are set to open more than 4 percent higher after better-than-expected quarterly results that prompted at least six brokerages to raise price targets on the stock, although analysts said problems at the world's No.1 PC maker were far from over.

HP on Thursday reported second-quarter results and forecasts above Wall Street expectations as it cut costs under Chief Executive Meg Whitman's turnaround plan in the face of falling PC sales and slowing corporate IT spending.

"Although a number of businesses remain under pressure, the company's blocking and tackling is improving, and the likelihood of the bottom falling out appears diminished," UBS Investment Research analyst Steven Milunovich said in a note.

Milunovich upgraded his rating on the company to "neutral" and raised the price target on the stock to $17 from $12.

HP, like other PC makers, has been hammered as consumers turn to tablets and other mobile devices. In addition, the company has suffered internal turmoil with a failed spin-off attempt, a botched acquisition and two CEOs losing their jobs.

HP shares, trading at $17.90 before the bell on Friday, have gained around 20 percent since the beginning of the year, helped partly by a buyout offer for rival Dell Inc . They closed at $17.1 on Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.

J.P. Morgan Securities analyst Mark Moskowitz, who raised his price target on HP stock by $1 to $22, said the company's results and outlook signaled that the worst may be over, but added that there was room for plenty of work to be done.

Whitman, who took over the reins at HP over a year ago, plans to cut an estimated 29,000 jobs, or about 10 percent of the workforce, over the next two years. She has also reversed a decision to spin off HP's PC division.

Jefferies & Co, RBC Capital Markets, Evercore Partners and BMO Capital Markets also increased their price targets on the PC maker's stock.

(Reporting by Himank Sharma in Bangalore; Editing by Rodney Joyce and Ted Kerr)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hp-shares-jump-strong-results-analysts-raise-targets-132850037--finance.html

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Rapper, cabbie meet violent end together in Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? Kenny Cherry was an aspiring rapper who moved from the Bay Area to Las Vegas to pursue his career. His music videos online show him cruising the Strip in his Maserati.

Michael Boldon was a family man and taxi driver who hailed from Michigan and loved fast cars.

The two men's lives ? along with that of an unidentified passenger in Boldon's cab ? ended in violence normally seen only in movies: gunfire, a fiery crash and an explosion before dawn Thursday on the neon-lit Las Vegas Strip.

As investigators Friday tried to find the gunman in a black Range Rover SUV who triggered the shocking chain of events, families and friends tried to grasp the blink-of-an-eye finality of it all.

"Right now my heart is breaking," said Cherry's great aunt, Patricia Sims, of Oakland, Calif. "This has really been a tragedy. Kenny was just a delightful kid."

Sims, 75, said Cherry moved to Las Vegas from Northern California, though she didn't know her nephew was a rapper using the name Kenny Clutch.

Cherry's parents were traveling to Las Vegas on Friday to claim his body. The 27-year-old, whose full name is Kenneth Wayne Cherry Jr., was driving a Maserati that was peppered by gunfire before it sped through a red light and smashed into Boldon's taxi.

The taxi exploded into flames, killing Boldon and female passenger Sandra Sutton-Wasmund, as four other vehicles crashed like pinballs at an intersection overlooked by some of Las Vegas' most famous hotel-casinos: Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Bally's and the Flamingo.

Police think an argument at the valet area of the upscale Aria resort-casino led to the shooting, but they haven't shared details. The shooting happened the same night that Morocco-born rapper French Montana was playing at Aria's signature nightclub, Haze.

"What the original disagreement was is crucial to the ongoing investigation and the identification of the suspects," said Las Vegas police officer Bill Cassell.

He said investigators were examining surveillance video and enlisting help from federal authorities and agencies in neighboring states to look for the distinctive Range Rover. It had blackout windows and custom black rims and was last seen speeding away from the fiery scene around 4:30 a.m. Thursday.

Police said a passenger in the Maserati was wounded in the arm but was treated at a hospital and released. He was reported to be cooperating with investigators, and his name wasn't made public.

Cherry's father, Kenneth Cherry Sr., of Emeryville, Calif., said he was struggling to handle his grief.

He said his son started a music career in Oakland after attending two Catholic high schools. According to his father, Cherry was recognized by other rappers within a West Coast hip-hop strain called hyphy.

Cherry was not well-known in wider music circles, according to Chuck Creekmur, CEO of AllHipHop.com.

"I had never heard his name before," Creekmur said.

Kenny Clutch's YouTube music video, "Stay Schemin," shows scenes of hotels along the Strip as he sings about paying $120,000 for his Maserati.

"One mistake change lives all in one night," he raps in one verse.

Cherry Sr. said he didn't know how his son made money or if he had any other jobs.

"I want to make it clear that my son was no gangster or nothing like that," he told The Associated Press. "He moved to Vegas about six year ago and he was writing music and rap."

Court records show Cherry had no criminal cases or convictions in Las Vegas, and Cassell said there was no record of arrests.

The police spokesman wouldn't say whether investigators determined if Cherry owned, rented or borrowed the Maserati. Cassell called that information "integral to the investigation."

Meanwhile, Boldon's family struggled to cope with his death.

"It's very devastating for us, for my family," said Tehran Boldon, 50, younger brother of the 62-year-old taxi driver. "Our family has no history of violence or gang membership that would predict losing a family member to such an event."

Boldon's sister, Carolyn Jean Trimble, said Boldon was a father, a grandfather and a car enthusiast. He was one of five children born and raised in Michigan, where he took care of his ailing father, who fought cancer, before moving to Las Vegas to be with his 93-year-old mother.

Bolden had owned a clothing store in Detroit and worked at a car dealership, his sister said. He began driving taxis after moving to Las Vegas about 1 1/2 years ago.

Boldon loved watching IndyCar and NASCAR races and drove a Mercedes when he wasn't in a cab. An avid car enthusiast, he tried to persuade Trimble to buy a Bentley, she said.

"Everybody just loved him," the older sister said. "When that car hit that cab, Mike had to be in there talking and laughing."

The irony that a man with a taste for beautiful cars was killed by a sports car wasn't lost on Trimble.

"He would be tickled to death: 'Damn, of all things, a Maserati hit me, took me out like that,'" she said. "I'm happy he didn't suffer."

The county medical examiner said both Boldon and his passenger, Sutton-Wasmund, died of blunt force injuries and that their deaths were being treated as homicides. The 48-year-old woman was from Maple Valley, Wash.

Besides Cherry's passenger, police said five people were treated for injuries after the six-vehicle crash. No one was said to face life-threatening injuries.

Jogger Eric Lackey snapped a cellphone photo of the blazing scene moments after the crash. Black smoke billowed from the flaming taxi, amid popping sounds from the fire.

The famously glowing, always-open Las Vegas Strip was closed for some 15 hours before reopening Thursday night. One Nevada Highway Patrol sergeant recalled a similarly long closure after the 1996 drive-by slaying of rapper Tupac Shakur.

That shooting ? involving assailants opening fire on Shakur's luxury sedan from a vehicle on Flamingo Road ? happened about a block away from Thursday's crash.

The Shakur killing has never been solved.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writer Garance Burke in San Francisco; AP Music Writer Mesfin Fekadu in New York; and researchers Judith Ausuebel, Jennifer Farrar and Lynn Dombek in New York.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rapper-cabbie-meet-violent-end-together-vegas-230113908.html

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Cold weather hurts Pirelli in Spain

By: Adam Cooper on 2/22/2013

Pirelli officials weren't immediately concerned, as the weather was unseasonably cold.

LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC - Cold and wet weather seemed to hurt Pirelli tires during the Formula 1 test in Barcelona.

Tire degradation was the big talking point at this week?s Barcelona Formula One test, but Pirelli Motorsport boss Paul Hembery says that the cold weather is more extreme than it should be once the season gets under way.

While Pirelli has to create more degradation in 2013, it was worse than anticipated in Spain, and drivers struggled. The low temperatures also led to some graining issues.

?The teams experienced quite high degradation in Barcelona, and that was really down to the weather conditions,? said Hembery. ?The conditions we had in Barcelona are far from typical of the rest of the season, with much cooler ambient and track temperatures than we would normally race in, and even some rain on the final day.

?This put the tires outside of their usual working ranges, which led to problems such as graining. The conditions were particularly unsuited to the supersoft tire, due to the circuit layout and the roughness of the surface, in addition to the cold temperatures. Coupled with the fact that teams are still making big set-up adjustments to their new cars and trying out our complete range of our tires to optimize the package, we saw levels of degradation that are not typical.

?Once we get to Melbourne, the tires should be much more within their intended working range, which will eliminate the unusual amount of degradation that some teams have experienced.?

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Source: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20130222/F1/130229917

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Friday, February 22, 2013

Led By Vine Investor Adam Ludwin, Albumatic Launches A Collaborative Photo Album App That People Might Actually Use

albumaticOne of the startup ideas that I've been hearing about for years is the social photo album ? a service that doesn't just let you share photos with your friends, but also create albums with them. Adam Ludwin and Devon Gundry have seen a lot of those startups, too, but they're trying to crack the problem with their new startup Albumatic. Ludwin (a principal at RRE Ventures, where he led the seed round in Twitter-acquired social video startup Vine) told me that when he and Gundry (a musician who also started a social media company with actor Rainn Wilson) first started thinking about the app, they realized there were a bunch of other products that never got significant consumer traction ? the most high-profile flameout was probably Color. And they decided that the key factor was location.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/6ROHgjGEr6o/

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Texas A&M?s Joeckel works himself toward top of NFL Draft

? Playing football as a youngster, Luke Joeckel was an offensive lineman trapped in a quarterback?s body. He was perhaps the only football player ever who liked throwing blocks more than passes.

In high school, Joeckel?s body began to fill out, allowing him to play the position he truly wanted.

?I love offensive line,? Joeckel, the Texas A&M offensive tackle, said Thursday at the NFL scouting combine. ?Growing up, I thought I was too athletic for the position. I was a quarterback in junior high.

?I ended up on the offensive line just because I was the biggest guy on the team. Offensive line is what I was born to play. I love the position and the physical aspect of it. You finish every single play with a one-on-one block. There aren?t many positions on the field like that.?

Joeckel at Texas A&M played tackle well enough that he?s considered the best available at his position in this year?s NFL Draft. He?s also one of the top players at any position and could be of interest to the Chiefs with the top pick in the draft.

Their left tackle, Branden Albert, is a potential free agent. Chiefs coach Andy Reid was non-committal about their interest in re-signing Albert.

If Albert signs with another team and the Chiefs don?t replace him in free agency, Joeckel could easily wind up as the number one pick in the draft and play in Kansas City.

?It?s crazy to think about,? Joeckel said. ?Starting football in the second grade, you really don?t think about that stuff.

?It would be a cool place to go. I?ve been to Kansas City once before and I loved the barbecue.?

Reid said his homework on Joeckel had only begun.

?I?d heard he was a good football player,? Reid said. ?I put on the film and he was a good football player.?

Joeckel?s twin brother Matt is a backup quarterback at Texas A&M. Matt Joeckel will be a junior next season. The two are in the same year in school but Matt Joeckel redshirted as a freshman and Luke declared for the draft after his junior season.

For awhile, they were dueling quarterbacks. Then Luke started his growth spurt, leaving his brother and the quarterback position behind.

?I grew up probably fighting multiple times a day with my twin brother,? Luke said. ?When we were little, we were closer in size, only about five or 10 pounds apart. Now, we?re about 70 or 80 pounds, so he doesn?t mess with me much anymore.?

Luke blocked for Matt in high school in Arlington, Texas. Luke recalled a play in which he knocked down the player he was blocking, but sent him flying into Matt, resulting in a sack.

?I got up and instead of him yelling at me, I was yelling at him,? Joeckel said. ?He didn?t chew me out for giving up a sack. I chewed him out once for me giving up a sack.?

That?s the type of player the Chiefs would be getting if they drafted Joeckel. He blocked as a sophomore at Texas A&M for Ryan Tannehill, who was drafted in the first round last year by Miami.

Last season his quarterback was Johnny Manziel, the Heisman Trophy winner. Joeckel said he believed he improved while blocking for Manziel, whose scrambling style allowed him to extend many passing plays.

?Definitely it made me better,? Joeckel said. ?You see how he extends plays and you?ve got to learn quickly how to hold your block longer. That definitely made me a better pass blocker. It made me more conditioned, which I think is huge.?

Another of the draft?s top tackles is Eric Fisher of Central Michigan. He impressed scouts with a strong showing at last month?s Senior Bowl, where he got a chance to play against top competition.

?My goal here is to prove to everybody that I am the number one tackle in the nation,? Fisher said.

Like Joeckel, he is a late bloomer. Fisher weighed only about 235 pounds coming out of high school, so the bigger colleges weren?t interested.

?The only Big Ten schools I talked to were Michigan State and Purdue and neither of them really wanted anything to do with me,? he said. ?It doesn?t matter where you start. It?s where you end up. That?s a big thing I take to heart.

?I think I have a lot of room to improve. I definitely don?t think I?ve played my best football. I still have a lot to grow into my body. Physically, I feel a lot better because I came in and put on over 70 pounds (since going to college). It took a while into develop into that. But I?m finally starting to feel good and getting used to a solid 300, 310 pounds.?

Reid, a former offensive-line coach, said he wasn?t adverse to playing a rookie at left tackle if that?s what it came to for the Chiefs.

?I?m going to play the best players,? Reid said. ?If that?s who it is, I would tell you yes. I?ve got to go through and evaluate those guys and see if any of them are worthy of that spot.

?Can you do that? Yeah, you can do that. You see it throughout the league. Guys do it.?

Source: http://www.kansas.com/2013/02/21/2685754/texas-ams-joeckel-works-himself.html

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GOP senators urge Obama to pull Hagel nomination

Republican Chuck Hagel testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Jan. 31, 2103. (J. Scott Applew??The White House on Thursday afternoon flatly rejected a request made earlier in the day by 15 Republican senators to withdraw Chuck Hagel's nomination as defense secretary.

"This waste of time is not just meaningless political posturing?because we firmly believe that Sen. Hagel will be confirmed?but the waste of time is of consequence," White House press secretary Jay Carney said during Thursday's briefing. His comments came in response to a question about the Republicans' letter.

Carney added that Hagel, a Republican former Nebraska senator and two-time Purple Heart recipient, also received a huge boost on Thursday when Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama announced his support for Hagel's nomination.

"He's probably as good as we're going to get," Shelby told the Decatur Daily of Hagel, who now appears to have the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster?barring some last-minute surprise.

Carney also said at Thursday's briefing that several Republican senators over the weekend had voiced support during TV interviews for an up-or-down vote on Hagel, and that Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah had come out against a Republican filibuster.

"A clear majority in the U.S. Senate supports Sen. Hagel's confirmation, so today's actions ... run against both the majority will of the Senate and against our national interest," Carney said.

Carney stressed the pressing need for a new defense secretary, noting the 66,000 American troops currently in Afghanistan and this week's meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

The White House last week denounced Senate Republicans? unprecedented filibuster of the Hagel nomination (no Cabinet-level post dealing with national security had ever before faced a successful one). In the Republicans' letter on Thursday, the lawmakers argued in effect that this was Hagel's own fault.

?It would be unprecedented for a Secretary of Defense to take office without a broad base of bipartisan support and confidence needed to serve effectively in this critical position,? the senators, led by John Cornyn of Texas, said in the message to Obama. "While we respect Senator Hagel?s honorable military service, in the interest of national security, we respectfully request that you withdraw his nomination."

In addition to Rubio and Cornyn, Republican Sens. James Inhofe, Lindsey Graham, Roger Wicker, David Vitter, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Pat Toomey, Dan Coats, Ron Johnson, James Risch, John Barrasso, Tom Coburn and Tim Scott signed the letter. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but it has flatly dismissed similar calls in the past, noting that Hagel has more than the 51 votes needed for confirmation.

In the letter the senators also denounced Hagel?s ?erratic record and myriad conversions on key national security issues? and openly doubted ?his basic competence to meet the substantial demand of the office.?

They charged that he ?proclaimed the legitimacy of the current regime in Tehran.? During his wobbly confirmation hearing performance, Hagel had said America?s allies consider that regime ?an elected, legitimate government, whether we agree or not.?

They also accused Hagel of showing ?a seeming ambivalence about whether containment or prevention is the best approach, which gives us great concern.?

In the hearing, Hagel mistakenly broke with Obama?s policy of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and suggested he favored ?containment? instead. He tried to correct himself after being handed a note by an aide, but it was ultimately Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., who fixed the gaffe. Hagel also struggled to explain his past opposition to imposing unilateral economic sanctions on Iran.

?If Senator Hagel becomes Secretary of Defense, the military option will have near zero credibility,? the senators said in the letter. ?This sends a dangerous message to the regime in Tehran, as it seeks to obtain the means necessary to harm both the United States and Israel.? (There?s another possibility: Maybe Hagel means war with Iran is actually more likely.)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/15-republican-senators-obama-withdraw-hagel-162909926--politics.html

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Never-Before-Seen Video Shows Fire Raining On the Sun

"On July 19, 2012, the Sun produced a medium-size solar flare," NASA says on this new video, "what occurred with the flare was amazing." It's true. It's amazing. Fire started to fall down like rain—a hell waterfall many times the size of planet Earth. You have to watch this uncanny document for yourself. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/W5Q6dIJ1OxM/never+before+seen-video-shows-fire-raining-on-the-sun

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NASA rover preps for 1st test of drilled Mars rock

This undated image provided by NASA shows powdered rock in the scoop of the Mars rover Curiosity. The six-wheel rover collected the sample after drilling into a Martian rock. The next step is to transfer a portion to its onboard laboratories for analysis. Curiosity landed in August 2012 to study whether the environment was hospitable for microbes. (AP Photo/NASA)

This undated image provided by NASA shows powdered rock in the scoop of the Mars rover Curiosity. The six-wheel rover collected the sample after drilling into a Martian rock. The next step is to transfer a portion to its onboard laboratories for analysis. Curiosity landed in August 2012 to study whether the environment was hospitable for microbes. (AP Photo/NASA)

(AP) ? Fresh off drilling into a rock for the first time, the Mars rover Curiosity is prepping for the next step: dissecting the pulverized rock to determine what it's made of.

Images beamed back to Earth on Wednesday showed a tablespoon of gray powder in Curiosity's scoop, giving scientists their first glimpse of the sample collected during the drilling nearly two weeks ago. Over the next several days, Curiosity will sieve the powder and deliver a pinch to its onboard laboratories for analysis.

The Martian landscape is stained orange-red by iron-rich dust from the surface that is blown around in the atmosphere. That the drilled rock is gray underneath signals that it probably did not undergo certain chemical changes through surface exposure, scientists said, and it's a good starting point in Curiosity's quest to determine whether the environment was ever favorable for microbes.

"It's pretty exciting to us that you just sort of brush beneath this surface veneer ... and the rocks are a completely different color," said mission scientist Joel Hurowitz at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The car-size Curiosity landed in an ancient crater near the Martian equator last summer after a harrowing plunge through the thin atmosphere. Soon after landing, the six-wheel rover drove to a waypoint where it checked out its high-tech tools.

The drill was last to be tested. Engineers previously said it was the hardest engineering task since the landing, which relied on never-before-tried tricks to lower the rover from its spacecraft with cables.

Depending on how the rock analysis goes, the team may decide to drill again or start heading toward Mount Sharp, the rover's ultimate destination where images from space reveal intriguing layers at the base.

The trip to Mount Sharp has been delayed several times mainly because the instrument check-out has taken longer than expected.

___

Follow Alicia Chang at http://twitter.com/SciWriAlicia .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-02-20-Mars%20Curiosity/id-1553f93dd35d44b09de4d25da0d852d3

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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Watchdog says U.S. banks on track with mortgage relief

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Five top U.S. banks are on track to meet their financial obligations to help struggling homeowners under a 2012 federal-state settlement to resolve mortgage abuses, the watchdog overseeing the agreement said on Thursday.

But the watchdog, former North Carolina Banking Commissioner Joe Smith, said the banks still needed to improve their compliance with the servicing standards laid out in the settlement. Complaints about how the banks deal with problem loans are still coming in, he said.

In February 2012, Bank of America Corp , JPMorgan Chase & Co , Citigroup Inc , Wells Fargo & Co and Ally Financial agreed to fund about $20 billion in consumer relief to resolve allegations of bank misconduct in processing foreclosures and servicing home loans.

The majority of that was earmarked to help distressed borrowers stay in their homes.

In a report released on Thursday, Smith said the banks had said they had given $45.8 billion worth of relief to struggling homeowners, but a large portion of that came in the form of short sales, which only partially count toward the companies' obligations under the agreement.

"I'm encouraged by the consumer relief piece of the settlement," Smith said in an interview. "I'm satisfied we've got a good infrastructure set up to monitor the banks going forward on the servicing standards, and I understand there's still work to do on that."

Bank of America said in a statement on Thursday that it was on track to meet its financial obligations by the end of March.

Wells Fargo said it had met almost 75 percent of its consumer relief target and had completed the loan refinancing it had been required to do.

JPMorgan said it expected to fulfill its settlement requirements within the first year or shortly after that.

Shares of JPMorgan were down 1 percent in midday trading, while Bank of America and Citigroup each fell about 2 percent. Wells Fargo was up 1.1 percent.

SPEEDING THE RELIEF

The banks completed $19.5 billion in short sales and $11.6 billion in second lien modifications and extinguishments, the report said.

In a short sale, a bank accepts less than the total amount a borrower owes on a mortgage in order to avoid foreclosing on the property.

Short sales are generally seen as more favorable to homeowners than foreclosures. They also usually cost the bank less, and critics have asked whether the banks would offer the short sales regardless of the settlement.

Under the agreement, the banks only receive credit for 45 cents of every dollar of a writedown through a short sale and need 30 percent of their credit to come in modifications of first loans.

Slightly more than 320,000 borrowers received some type of assistance that helped them keep their homes, including a loan modification or refinancing help, which totaled about $24.7 billion, or $76,500 per borrower, the report said.

The banks appear to have made some progress in reducing mortgage balances for borrowers in financial trouble, one of the goals of the settlement. They forgave $7.4 billion in first loan principal for about 70,000 borrowers, the report said, with an average of $105,000 shaved off for each borrower.

"We have already surpassed our initial expectations, and the settlement is testament to the fact that large-scale principal reduction can be used an important tool in our efforts to prevent foreclosures without incurring negative results," U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, who helped negotiate the settlement, said in a statement.

Under the settlement, banks were also encouraged to meet their obligations within the first year, to speed relief to the struggling housing sector.

Last week, monitor Smith said Ally had satisfied its requirement to provide $200 million in modifications and other consumer relief under the settlement.

The lender and its subsidiaries were credited with giving $257.4 million in assistance, more than required, but they must still solicit borrowers for the program and provide help if they request it.

In the report, Smith said other banks had also asked him this week to certify that they had met their obligations, but he did not name the companies.

He also said he had received more than 5,700 complaints since last May from consumers whose loans are serviced by the five banks. Most of those complaints stemmed from problems in the loan modification process or with customer service.

Smith said he expected to provide information about the banks' compliance with the servicing standards in a report due this spring.

(Reporting By Aruna Viswanatha and Rick Rothacker; Editing by Alden Bentley and Lisa Von Ahn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mortgage-deal-brought-homeowners-45-billion-relief-145146396--sector.html

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