AdvSecret.com Sports Watch: Your Personal Trainer, Work Out ...

By Mack Goodwin

The sports timepiece is a real symbol in the realm of men and athletics. These watches are filled with great features, such as being water resistant even at deep-sea levels, being super smash-proof, or becoming simply the ideal object to represent a person?s extremely energetic, ultra-charged and awesomely adventurous lifestyle.

But the development of the modern sports watch can put all these already remarkable qualities to distress. Today?s sports timepieces can keep track of your heartbeat, calculate your calories, measure the distance you?ve run, design your fitness program and more. The top designs are so efficient at assisting you achieve your fitness goals that it?s almost as if you have an individual instructor, a fitness advisor and a fitness program guide all in one-and on your wrist.

The new sports watches today has innovative functions, it is not just designed for pros as its forefathers. It is easy to use and very useful to people across different fitness stages, from gym buffs to people wanting to slim down to professional sportsmen working out for their upcoming competition. They have feature like the STAR Training Program, which tells users the best training program according to their personal fitness goals. It creates training targets each week depending on your intent, such as to shed weight, improve your fitness level, or improve your fitness. In addition, it gives you reviews on how your exercising had gone, as well as advice on the way to further enhance your working out plan.

The sports watch training feature is based on tested and scientific training frameworks; as with every fitness plan, the watch will calculate your level of fitness regularly to observe the development you?ve achieved. Seeing the level you have improved is definitely a great motivator for you to continue. Other functions include body statistic, training intensity guide and calorie counter.

On the other hand, other people think that they won?t have all of the functions; what they want is a simple gadget to assist them to keep track of their fitness improvement. There are other sports watches that give a convenient system that helps you evaluate the basics: the number of calories you?ve burned and your fitness level based on your heart rate. There?s even sports watches with easy-to-use features built to assist you attain two basic goals: improve your health or burn fat.

With regards to fitness, these timepieces prove that what you put on your wrist can mean when considering winning the fitness battle. Choose the right sports timepiece according to your own fitness objectives and ensure that you achieve your fitness goals right on time.

OutdoorGearStore.com.au creates a place where individuals could choose from as many top products as possible in every price point.

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Source: http://www.advsecret.com/sports-watch-your-personal-trainer-work-out-advisor-and-training-guide-on-your-wrist/

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Big Risk? Try This Strategy

Thursday, February 28th, 2013
By George Leong, B.Comm. for Profit Confidential

In technical analysis, the chart tells a story. On Monday, the S&P 500 closed below 1,500 for the first time since February 4, driving fears of a multi-year topping, which I have discussed in the past. (Read ?Alert: Bulls Should Be Careful Despite an Impressive January.?) The Dow Jones failed to hold above 14,000 for the third time over the past several weeks. With the decline, the NASDAQ, Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Russell 2000 are back in negative territory for February, with the final trading session taking place today. The trading is similar to what we saw in 2012 following a positive start, and 2012 turned out to be a year of caution, so you need a prudent investment strategy.

Currently, we have the sequestration budgetary cuts set to take effect tomorrow. The automatic $85.0 billion in annual budget cuts (the planned sequester will total $1.2 trillion over the next decade), could have a widespread impact on the country and the economy, including program cuts, job losses, and chaos. (Source: Cowan, R. and Lawder, D., ?U.S. government won?t fall apart on ?sequester? day of reckoning,? Reuters, February 20, 2013.)

Face it; the country?s money printing presses are stopping. The Federal Reserve suggested the possibility of needing to reduce or stop its $85.0 billion in monthly bond purchases. The Fed?s bond buying has added further liquidity into the economy to keep it going. This has also been the case with numerous central banks around the world. The problem is that the monetary easing has created an artificial economy that?s supported by the printing of money.

Then there?s the political uncertainty in Italy, where the outcome of the national election could determine which path the country takes as far as economic reform. The concern is that Italy is the third-largest member of the eurozone, and problems here could cause more havoc.

Given all of these uncertainties, there is ample risk in stocks, and you need a good investment strategy.

You can buy into new positions and assume the risk of a market correction, but a much safer and more prudent investment strategy alternative is to play the upside via the use of call options. This would allow you to take advantage of any upward move in the equities market, while also managing the maximum risk you have via this option investment strategy.

Let?s say you feel the economic renewal will continue to drive auto sales, but you are worried about a possible economic downfall given sequestration and Europe?s economic mess.

You like what Ford Motor Company (NYSE/F) is doing and feel the stock may be heading higher. But instead of buying the stock outright, you can play Ford via call options to add leverage and also limit the loss to the premium paid, which is a good investment strategy.

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

Let?s take a look at Ford and assume you want an option investment strategy that equates to 1,000 shares of Ford. You feel Ford could rally to $15.00 by December 2013.

Assuming this, you buy 10 call contracts of Ford, equal to 1,000 shares of the underlying stock. You are looking at the December 2013 expiry for the Ford in-the-money $12.00 call for a premium of $133.00. The cost per contract of $133.00 equates to $1,333 per 10 contracts, which is the maximum risk under this investment strategy. If Ford fails to hold at $12.00 by the December 20, 2013 expiry, the premium you paid is lost in this investment strategy. The upside breakeven is $13.33, which is pretty good, given there?s a good chance Ford will trade above this level by the expiry.

Now, say Ford jumps to $15.00 by the expiry; you would make $1.67 per share, or $1,670 for the 10 contracts, for a leveraged return of 125% in less than a year under this investment strategy.

The maximum risk is $1,333, but you more than double your money if Ford moves up to $15.00 by the expiry, which is a good risk-to-reward investment strategy.

You can apply this Ford example to many stocks that may interest you as a lower-risk investment strategy alternative to buying the stock, especially given the current market risk.

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Source: http://www.profitconfidential.com/stock-market/big-risk-try-this-strategy/

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Key Building Indicators & How to Read Them :: Building Moxie

Built By LGI Homes for Building Moxie & Published February 27, 2013.
.

What key building indicators should you be watching and what do they mean?

The media has been highlighting a surge in new construction and return of big home builders and developers to the real estate market. There are even sensational new stories of home buyers sleeping in their car just for the hope of getting a chance to bid on new homes and new developments selling out in hours.

Whether investor, home buyer looking for a new residence, or an individual looking to get into either building homes or buying builder stocks, it pays to have a grasp on the real data and fundamentals of the industry.

So what building indicators should you be paying attention to and how do you interpret them?

*******

New Home Sales

US Census New Homes Sold

Perhaps the most prominent figure that attracts the most attention is new home sales volume via the US Census. This shows what?s actually moving. The good news is that the Commerce Department reports new single family home sales rising 20%? last year, while the National Association of Realtors? (NAR) February 2013 U.S. Economic Outlook calls for this number to more than double by 2014. However, when reviewing this data on a monthly basis, individuals need to be aware of the potential for significant revisions in figures later on.

New Home Prices

Obviously sales volume alone doesn?t necessarily reflect strength and could at times be a result of dramatic widespread discounts or stimulus. However, the U.S. Commerce Department also reveals the median home prices of new homes sold in December 2012 show a 9.6% lift from a year earlier.

Builder Confidence

Those looking for indicators of the real underlying soundness of the industry will perhaps find the National Association of Home Builders/ Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) the most telling. This gauges home builder confidence, or how the insiders really feel about the strength of the market. After rising for 8 straight months, the index remained at a 6-year high in January 2013. However, while this is portrayed as a monumental improvement, it is wise to recognize that the HMI stands at only 50, the midpoint on the scale. Also note regional differences in the index currently at a low of 36 in the Northeast and high of 51 in the West.

Wells Fargo National and Regional Market Index

Housing Starts

Building on the above, the number of housing starts shows a combination of home builders putting their money where their confidence really is, as well as movement in orders for new homes. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reports that gains in multifamily and single family housing starts pushed up the rate by 12.1% in December 2012, to the highest level in 4 years. A precursor to starts and a figure often confused with this is the number of permits being issued. This rate edged up slightly at the end of last year, though could blossom significantly now that the holidays are out of the way.

Construction Jobs

Another key indicator of whether home builders are actually putting shovels in the ground is construction jobs and hiring. New data from the JOLTS report and Bureau of Labor Statistics show construction job openings rising, with 92,000 positions open at the beginning of the year. However, it is interesting to note residential trade contractors adding employees faster than direct hiring by residential builders. The media also reports the construction industry regaining 34,000 jobs that were lost in the recent downturn.

Other Key Building Indicators to Watch

Other indicators to watch include pending sales of new homes. While generally a wishy-washy data set to bet on in the real estate sector, it can provide a general indicator of market sentiment.

The financial strength of home builders and their financial performance is also something to watch. Bloomberg News has recently reported on multiple major U.S. home builders realizing around 50% increases in revenues; a good sign of stability.

Finally, keeping an eye on the level of new home inventory on the market shows the strength of the market in real time and the likelihood of prices increasing or decreasing in the immediate future. As of November there were 149,000 units available; the equivalent of a 4.7 months? supply at the current pace.

*******

LGI Homes is The Leader in Affordable New Homes offering entry-level new houses and communities in Arizona, Texas, Florida and Georgia. Learn more about LGI Homes by visiting them online at www.lgihomes.com.

Source: http://www.buildingmoxie.com/2013/02/home-to-read-hom-building-indicators/

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Midday Fix: Pet care tips for travellers | WGN-TV

Paradise 4 Paws

O?Hare
10510 United Parkway
Schiller Park

Midway
5262 S. Kolmar Avenue
Chicago

(847) 678-1200
www.paradise4paws.com ?

Tips:

Maintain a vaccine and medication log.
Keep a record of your pet?s vaccines and medications and set? a reminder one month before each vaccine or medication is due to expire so you can make an appointment with your vet ahead of time.? Most pet care facilities and dog walking services require for dogs: Bordatella either every 6 months or annually, Rabies? ? one or three year protocol, Distemper combination -one or three year protocol, negative fecal test every six months or annually, and should be on heartworm and flea/tick preventative year round; for cats: Rabies ? one or three year protocol, Feline Distemper combination (FVCRP) ? one or three year protocol, Feline Leukemia, a negative fecal test every six months or annually, and should be on flea/tick preventative year round.? Scan all of the forms so you always have them on-hand when those last-minute trips arise.? Dogs should also be on heartworm preventative year-round and all pets who will be exposed to other pets, should be on flea/tick preventative year round.

Research your options.
There are in-home sitters, dog-walkers, vet boarding, and boarding facilities. In-home sitters can come in the professional variety or in the form of friends and neighbors and this can be the best option for certain types of pets.? With friends and neighbors, while this can be the most cost-effective, it can also be the least reliable as friends may change plans or not realize the extent of the care needed, so always have a back-up option. For professional in-home care and dog walkers, make sure you do your research and check references and perhaps even perform a background check as you are giving this person or group access to your home.? If you do hire a dog walker and your pet is otherwise left home alone, make sure you have a friend or neighbor who can check periodically on them in case of an emergency.? If your pet has a serious medical condition, vet boarding can be a good option but make sure you inquire as to whether someone is on site 24 hours and what type of exercise and accommodations your pet will have.? Lastly, pet boarding is an option many pet parents turn to.? As for all of these providers, do your research, take a tour, talk to other clients, and ask a lot of questions.? Are they staffed 24 hours, do they have emergency plans in place, how are employees trained, how do they assign play groups, what would a typical day be like, what can you bring from home, and any questions specific to your pet.

Be honest about your pet.
Some pet parents have a tendency to fib about their furry children ? ?oh, my Muffy is just an angel. She never growls at anyone.?- but it is better to be honest.? If your dog has a fear men, for example, the service provider can send a woman or the facility can have women care for your pet.? If dog is leash aggressive, the dog walker or other service provider needs to know. Some will customize their services based on these special needs of your pet.? Others won?t. But it is best to know ahead of time who can accommodate your pet?s special needs, rather than getting a call from across the country that you need to come pick up your pet immediately.

Make it easy for the care givers.
Leave detailed instructions regarding feeding and medications to in-home caregivers. Separate food by meal into individual baggies for boarding facilities and label all of your pet?s belongings.

Create a smooth transition.
Leave your pet with something that smells like you (like a dirty sock) or something that smells of home (like a blanket) or both if you opt to take your pet to a vet boarding or boarding facility. Make your good-byes short and not dramatic.? The less stressed you are, the less stressed your pet will be.? Give your pet a peanut butter stuffed toy or something to distract them.? For pets with separation anxiety, there are special apparel and aromatherapy options available.

Source: http://wgntv.com/2013/02/26/midday-fix-pet-care-tips-for-travellers-from-paradise-4-paws/

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Superbugs may have a soft spot, after all

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The overuse of antibiotics has created strains of bacteria resistant to medication, making the diseases they cause difficult to treat, or even deadly. But now a research team at the University of Rochester has identified a weakness in at least one superbug that scientists may be able to medically exploit.

Biologists Gloria Culver at Rochester and Keith Connolly, now at Harvard University, thought one key to stopping the bacteria may lie with proteins, so they studied the mechanism behind the development of bacterial ribosomes?the cell's protein-manufacturing machine.

"We targeted the ribosomes in our research because cells and organisms can't live if they don't make proteins, and they can't make proteins if their ribosomes aren't functioning properly." said Culver.

Culver and Connolly specifically worked with cultures of E. coli, a bacteria commonly found in the intestines. While E. coli is usually harmless, some strains are resistant to antibiotics and can cause serious food poisoning.

They discovered that two proteins already present in E. coli cells?RbfA and KsgA?need to be in balance with each other in order for ribosomes to function. If those proteins are present in the wrong concentrations, the ribosomes will not mature properly and will be unable to produce proteins, leading to the death of the cells. Their findings are being published this week in the journal Molecular Microbiology.

Culver said with the discovery that KsgA and RbfA.must be balanced for the cells to function properly, the next goal is to determine an effective way to disrupt that balance.

Crucially, RbfA does not exist in humans. "That may make it possible," Culver said," to kill E. coli without having a harmful effect on people."

Eric Brown, a professor of biochemistry and biomedical sciences at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., calls their work creative and scholarly. "Ribosome assembly represents a rich target for much needed antibacterial drugs to treat drug-resistant infections," said Brown, "and this work offers new and important insights into the process."

Culver explained the role the proteins play in ribosome maturation. A healthy ribosome is made up of two compartments?or subunits?that must come together only when each one is mature. An overabundance of RbfA hurries the process along, which could result in an ineffective structure. The job of the KsgA is to bind with the smaller of the compartments, preventing the formation of the ribosome until both parts are ready.

Culver says RbfA and KsgA belong to "the chicken or the egg" category of microbiology. While they're essential to the development of ribosomes, the ribosomes themselves are needed to create proteins, including the RbfA and KsgA. She calls it an ongoing and intriguing question for biologists.

###

University of Rochester: http://www.rochester.edu

Thanks to University of Rochester 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.

This press release has been viewed 41 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127026/Superbugs_may_have_a_soft_spot__after_all

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James Brown Estate: South Carolina Supreme Court Nixes Estate Settlement

COLUMBIA, S.C. ? 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, did not immediately comment on the ruling. However, he said in 2011 that "the settlement was a very good one for ... the education of the poor children, because there was a danger that they would get nothing."

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

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/27/james-brown-south-carolina-supreme-court-estate-settlement_n_2774055.html

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What We Read- WSA Reading List | Web Success Agency Blog

You?re not just going to wake up one day and magically know everything there is to know about building a strong social media presence for your brand. Besides, even if you did, it?s an ever-evolving game and changes almost daily.

So, you will have to learn about social media and its trends to truly stay on top of your game. But how do you that? The same way you learn about any other topic: you study from people who know more about it than you. And those people have blogs and websites.

Get your bookmark button ready because I?m going to share what we read here at Web Success Agency to stay in the know.

KISSmetrics Blog

Just as the name would imply, Kissmetrics is all about analytics. It?s not just about the numbers, it?s the message hidden behind the numbers. ?Google Analytics tells you what happened. KISSmetrics tells you who did it.?

Its blog focuses on analytics, marketing and testing. They?re known for their infographics. They break down the information for even common folks like us to understand. Though its focus is on social media, they also keep an eye trained on web trends. If you?re only going to bookmark one, make it this one.

Check ?em out: blog.kissmetrics.com

Hubspot Blog

Covering all things inbound internet marketing, Hubspot boasts 145,000 subscribers to its blog. Hubspot asserts that inbound marketing is a collection of SEO, blogging, social media, lead generation, email marketing, lead nurturing and management. Oh, and don?t forget analytics. Yes, the blog covers a lot of ground.

Check ?em out: blog.hubspot.com

Copyblogger

Content is king with Copyblogger. By now, as a reader of our blog, you know that content is SEO fuel. Without fresh and original copy, you?re not going to get far with SEO. Copyblogger offers tutorials on copywriting, content marketing, SEO copywriting and keyword research, and how it all plays into Internet marketing.

Its blog ? Online Marketing Advice ? covers a wide range of topics, from Google+ optimization to tips on blogging.

Check ?em out: copyblogger.com

Search Engine Land

The site acts more like a news site. It calls itself a ?must-read hub? for news and information about search engines. There are features and analysis as well as search news briefs.? The site also has several bloggers who delve deeper into search engine topics.

It also has a great how-to section. There, you can learn about SEO, SEM/paid search, analytics, link building and social media marketing.

Check ?em out: searchengineland.com

Search Engine Journal

The site offers news on search marketing, blogs and Web 2.0. It?s full of contributing editors who are experts in their field, whether they?re in-house or independent Internet marketers themselves. They discuss topics ranging from social media/Internet news, SEO, link building, search marketing, and more.

Check ?em out: searchenginejournal.com

Mashable

Just as its name would imply, Mashable is a little bit of everything. It?s almost sensory overload when you first log on. From social media to tech news to business to entertainment to lifestyle news, Mashable covers just about every base there is.

For our purposes, we?ll obviously stick to social media. Two items worth keeping an eye out for are ?The Next Big Thing? and ?What?s Hot.?

Check ?em out: mashable.com

Unmarketing

?Stop marketing. Start engaging.? From the homepage, you instantly know what you?re getting into with this site. Unmarketing, from the mind of best-selling author Scott Stratten, is a site that tells it like it is.

There?s a lot of bad marketing out there, and Stratten is more than happy to point it out to you, especially if you?re the one producing it. It?s a lot of good information, and if nothing else, it?s a great read.

Check ?em out: www.unmarketing.com

A final thought

Constantly reading about social media will keep you fresh in your own efforts. You now have plenty of homework to do.

Thanks for reading,

-Drew Larison

Source: http://www.websuccessagency.com/blog/2013/02/25/what-we-read-wsa-reading-list/

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Are we human? Or are we cankers? (Unqualified Offerings)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287309609?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Sequester cuts will impact homeland security, Napolitano says (cbsnews)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287341274?client_source=feed&format=rss

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NVIDIA Tegra 4 benchmarked, breaks all sorts of speed records (video)

When NVIDIA unveiled Tegra 4 back at CES, we scrambled to get hands-on with a reference device. And though our initial performance impressions were positive -- it runs 1080p video and games smoothly -- there was only so much we could say to illustrate how fast the performance is. After all, Tegra 3 already does a fine job handling games and full HD movies. What we really needed were benchmarks, some quantitative data to help show the difference between Tegra 4 devices and whatever's currently on the market. Fortunately for all of you, we just got our chance: here at Mobile World Congress, the company has reference tablets set up expressly for the purpose of running tests. So, we did just that... over and over and over until we had a long list of scores. Meet us after the break to see how it fared.

Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, NVIDIA

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/24/nvidia-tegra-4-benchmarked/

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Chinese Arts Festival at the New Haven Museum ? March 2 & 3rd ? live snakes, paper lantern making & more!

The?Chinese Arts Festival in New Haven?is a celebration of the Lunar New Year, Year of the Snake, now rescheduled to March 2-3, 2013. Kick off with the Lion Dance Parade down Whitney Avenue at 10AM on Saturday, March 2. (Rain location: New Haven Museum)

The Chinese Arts Festival has been rescheduled for March 2-3, 2013.

Please register at this link.

See the revised schedule here.

Thank you for your patience, and we are excited to prolong the celebration of the Chinese New Year into the spring!

About the Chinese Arts Festival in New Haven
The Chinese Arts Festival in New Haven is a day-long event offering arts and cultural programs for adults and children of all ages in celebration of the Year of the Snake.

The Chinese Arts Festival in New Haven kicks off at 10:00AM with a traditional lion dance on Whitney Avenue between Grove Street and Trumbull Street. Celebrate alongside the Wan Chi Ming Hung Gar Institute?s lion dance troupe as they bring good luck and prosperity to the New Haven merchants and community members. Join us again from 1:00PM ? 5:00PM for a series of Chinese arts and culture workshops and demonstrations, including presentations and performances of traditional Chinese instruments by the EastRiver Ensemble, a Peacock Dance demonstration by Dai ethnic tribe dancer Xi Wang, a snake petting zoo, a Tai Chi workshop with Grandmaster Aiping Cheng, opportunities to learn traditional Chinese dances with Yale dance troupes, a master painting demonstration with Chinese landscape artist Sun Dawei, Chinese calligraphy and papercutting sessions, a Yale-China Fireside Chat with Beijing-based culinary author Audra Ang, and opportunities to learn about Chinese New Year celebrations. Each of the twelve exhibits and workshops presents an opportunity to engage in some of the classic Chinese arts.

The Snake is one of twelve designated animals celebrated as part of the Chinese calendar based on the lunar calendar. The Year of the Snake begins on February 10, 2013 and ends on January 30, 2014.

The venue locations for the Chinese Arts Festival in New Haven are: Henry R. Luce Hall at Yale University (34 Hillhouse Avenue), New Haven Museum (114 Whitney Avenue), and Yale-China Association (442 Temple Street). All events are free and open to the public, but registration is required.?To register, click here.?You can also download a?full schedule of events. For questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at?ChineseArtsFestival@yalechina.org?or call (203) 432-3427.

This event is sponsored by the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University,
New Haven Museum, and Yale-China Association.

Special thanks to Yale Programs in International Educational Resources.

Source: http://robbinslist.com/?p=29000

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How dinosaurs grew the world's longest necks

rancisco Gasc? under the direction of Mike Taylor and Matt Wedel

Plant-eating dinosaurs called sauropods had the longest necks in the animal kingdom. Here an adult Brontomerus mother.

By Charles Choi, LiveScience

How did the largest of all dinosaurs evolve necks longer than any other creature that has ever lived? One secret: mostly hollow neck bones, researchers say.

The largest creatures to ever walk the Earth were the long-necked, long-tailed dinosaurs known as the sauropods. These vegetarians had by far the longest necks of any known animal. The dinosaurs' necks reached up to 50 feet (15 meters) in length, six times longer than that of the current world-record holder, the giraffe, and at least five times longer than those of any other animal that has lived on land.

"They were really stupidly, absurdly oversized," said researcher Michael Taylor, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Bristol in England. "In our feeble, modern world, we're used to thinking of elephants as big, but sauropods reached 10 times the size elephants do. They were the size of walking whales."

Amazing necks

To find out how sauropod necks could get so long, scientists analyzed other long-necked creatures and compared sauropod anatomy with that of the dinosaurs' nearest living relatives, the birds and crocodilians.

"Extinct animals ? and living animals, too, for that matter ? are much more amazing than we realize," Taylor told LiveScience. "Time and again, people have proposed limits to possible animal sizes, like the five-meter (16-foot) wingspan that was supposed to be the limit for flying animals. And time and again, they've been blown away. We now know of flying pterosaurs with 10-meter (33-foot) wingspans. And these extremes are achieved by a startling array of anatomical innovations." [ Image Gallery: 25 Amazing Ancient Beasts ]

Among living animals, adult bull giraffes have the longest necks, capable of reaching about 8 feet (2.4 m) long. No other living creature exceeds half this length. For instance, ostriches typically have necks only about 3 feet (1 m) long.

When it comes to extinct animals, the largest land-living mammal of all time was the rhino-like creature Paraceratherium, which had a neck maybe 8.2 feet (2.5 m) long. The flying reptiles known as pterosaurs could also have surprisingly long necks, such as Arambourgiania, whose neck may have exceeded 10 feet (3 m).

The necks of the Loch Ness Monster-like marine reptiles known as plesiosaurs could reach an impressive 23 feet (7 m), probably because the water they lived in could support their weight. But these necks were still less than half the lengths of the longest-necked sauropods.

Sauropod secrets

In their study, Taylor and his colleagues found that the neck bones of sauropods possessed a number of traits that supported such long necks. For instance, air often made up 60 percent of these animals' necks, with some as light as birds' bones, making it easier to support long chains of the bones. The muscles, tendons and ligaments were also positioned around these vertebrae in a way that helped maximize leverage, making neck movements more efficient.

In addition, the dinosaurs' giant torsos and four-legged stances helped provide a stable platform for their necks. In contrast, giraffes have relatively small torsos, while ostriches have two-legged stances. [ Image Gallery: Animals' Amazing Headgear ]

Sauropods also had plenty of neck vertebrae, up to 19. In contrast, nearly all mammals have no more than seven, from mice to whales to giraffes, limiting how long their necks can get. (The only exceptions among mammals are sloths and aquatic mammals known as sirenians, such as manatees.)

Moreover, while pterosaur Arambourgiania had a relatively giant head with long, spear-like jaws that it likely used to help capture prey, sauropods had small, light heads that were easy to support. These dinosaurs did not chew their meals, lacking even cheeks to store food in their mouths; they merely swallowed it, letting their guts break it down.

"Sauropod heads are essentially all mouth. The jaw joint is at the very back of the skull, and they didn't have cheeks, so they came pretty close to having Pac Man-Cookie Monster flip-top heads," researcher Mathew Wedel at the Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif., told LiveScience.

"It's natural to wonder if the lack of chewing didn't, well, come back to bite them, in terms of digestive efficiency. But some recent work on digestion in large animals has shown that after about 3 days, animals have gotten all the nutrition they can from their food, regardless of particle size.

"And sauropods were so big that the food would have spent that long going through them anyway," Wedel said. "They could stop chewing entirely, with no loss of digestive efficiency."

What's a long neck good for?

Furthermore, sauropods and other dinosaurs probably could breathe like birds, drawing fresh air through their lungs continuously, instead of having to breathe out before breathing in to fill their lungs with fresh air like mammals do. This may have helped sauropods get vital oxygen down their long necks to their lungs.

"The problem of breathing through a long tube is something that's very hard for mammals to do. Just try it with a length of garden hose," Taylor said.

As to why sauropods evolved such long necks, there are currently three theories. Some of the dinosaurs may have used their long necks to feed on high leaves, like giraffes do. Others may have used their necks to graze on large swaths of vegetation by sweeping the ground side to side like geese do. This helped them make the most out of every step, which would be a big deal for such heavy creatures.

Scientists have also suggested that long necks may have been sexually attractive, therefore driving the evolution of ever-longer necks; however, Taylor and his colleagues have found no evidence this was the case.

In the future, the researchers plan to delve even deeper into the mysteries of sauropod necks. For instance, Apatosaurus , formerly known as Brontosaurus, had "really sensationally strange neck vertebrae," Taylor said. The scientists suspect the necks of Apatosaurus were used for "combat between males ? fighting over women, of course."

Taylor and Wedel detailed their findings online Feb. 12 in the journal PeerJ.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook ?& Google+.?

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/24/17076293-how-dinosaurs-grew-the-worlds-longest-necks?lite

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Obama Asks Supreme Court to Overturn Gay Marriage Ban (Voice Of America)

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ZTE Open, the company's first Firefox OS phone, gets a spec sheet at MWC

Remember that ZTE teased the MWC debut of its upcoming Firefox OS phone? Well, according to this spec sheet spotted by a tipster at ZTE's MWC booth, said device will be appropriately named ZTE Open, and it'll come with a moderate set of components: a Cortex-A5-based Qualcomm MSM7225A (which is known to clock at either 600MHz or 800MHz), a 3.5-inch HVGA TFT display with capacitive touchscreen, 256MB DDR SDRAM, 512MB NAND storage and the usual set of radios like WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 (with EDR3), GPS and FM radio. Interestingly, there will be a 3.2-megapixel front-facing camera, but it appears that there'll be none on the back. The Open will be available in three SKUs with different UMTS bands: 850/1900, 850/2100 and 900/2100. As always, we'll be sharing the full announcement and hands-on once we see the phone at MWC, though we have a feeling that we've already played with it before.

Update: As some of you have pointed out, yes, the "FF" may actually mean "fixed focus" instead of "front-facing," and the former seems more likely.

[Thanks, anonymous]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/23/zte-open-firefox-os-mwc-leak/

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Deal of the Day: Mobi Desktop Cradle w/ Spare Battery Slot for Galaxy Nexus

The Feb. 22 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Mobi Desktop Cradle w/ Spare Battery Slot for Galaxy Nexus. This convenient cradle let's you easily charge your Galaxy Nexus and a spare battery at the same time. Easily synchronize and charge your device with any USB-enabled computer, and use the supplied wall charger to power up a spare battery. Perfect for the office or at your bedside.
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Source: http://www.theandroider.com/2013/02/22/deal-of-the-day-mobi-desktop-cradle-w-spare-battery-slot-for-galaxy-nexus/

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Play the Slate News Quiz?Special Oscars Edition!

It's Oscar weekend, which is pretty much Super Bowl weekend for people who don't go outside much, or played an instrument in high school, or are women. (Or some perfect-storm combination of the three!) How closely have you been following the run-up to the 85th annual Academy Awards? You'll be able to find out with this special Oscars edition of the Slate News Quiz. Make sure to answer each one as quickly as you can, before the orchestra starts playing you off.

Question 1 of 12

What is the age difference between the youngest and oldest nominees in the Best Actress category this year?

Quvenzhan? Wallis, of Beasts of the Southern Wild, is 9, while Emmanuelle Riva of Amour is 85. They are, respectively, the youngest and oldest nominees ever in the category.

Question 2 of 12

If Argo wins Best Picture, as many have predicted, it will be the first Best Picture winner since Driving Miss Daisy ...

Ben Affleck was shut out of the category, in one of the most surprising upsets of the nominations.

Question 3 of 12

Les Mis?rables is the second movie of that title to be nominated for Best Picture. (The first was in 1935.) Which of these movie titles has also been the name of two different Best Picture nominees?

There have been four other twice-nominated titles: Cleopatra, Heaven Can Wait, Moulin Rouge, and Romeo and Juliet.

Question 4 of 12

The title character of which nominated film faces opponents with names like Taffyta Muttonfudge, Jubileena Bing Bing, and Rancis Fluggerbutter?

In Wreck-It Ralph, Taffyta and friends are among the not-very-nice racers in the fictional go-kart game Sugar Rush.

Question 5 of 12

What was "grossly inaccurate and misleading," according to a controversial Dec. 19 letter sent by three U.S. senators to Sony Pictures?

The film was seen as a Best Picture front-runner in December, but the torture blowback seems to have dimmed its chances.

Question 6 of 12

Until this year, longtime Academy Awards musical conductor Bill Conti was also the last person to be Oscar-nominated?31 years ago?for what?

Before Skyfall's five nominations, Conti received the last nod for a 007 film, for his 1981 title tune for For Your Eyes Only.

Question 7 of 12

Oscar host Seth MacFarlane is also a nominee this year?in which category?

MacFarlane wrote the lyrics to "Everybody Needs a Best Friend," from his directorial debut, Ted.

Question 8 of 12

How many Oscar statuettes' worth of weight did Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway lose, in total, for their parts in Les Mis?rables?

Oscar weighs 81/2 pounds. Hathaway says she lost 25 pounds for Les Mis while Jackman lost 15.

Question 9 of 12

Which film is nominated in all four acting categories, the first time this has happened since Reds in 1981?

The four nominees are Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Jacki Weaver.

Question 10 of 12

Which of these is true about Daniel Day-Lewis' immersive preparation for his role as Abraham Lincoln?

Question 11 of 12

Amour is nominated for both Best Picture and Best Foreign Language film. Which film last accomplished this?

Question 12 of 12

Which of this year's nominees actually submitted a script back in 1979 to Studio Six, the phony CIA-backed production company depicted in Argo?

Former CIA agent Tony Mendez says that Studio Six received 26 scripts before shutting down, including one from Spielberg.

You got 8 out of 12 answers correct in 20 minutes 30 seconds.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=7c169731cf4a1e7e857b035db7ff75bc

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Effort to end Mo. renters tax break gains backing

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- An effort to abolish a Missouri tax break for seniors and disabled residents who live in rental housing is gaining some powerful support.

Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey, a Republican, has filed legislation to end the tax credit that provides up to $750 annually to senior and disabled individuals with incomes below $27,500.

Dempsey's bill would implement a proposal by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon to deposit the savings from the abolished tax credit into a new fund for programs that serve seniors and the disabled.

A commission appointed in 2010 by Nixon recommended ending the tax credit for renters while allowing it to continue for homeowners. Nixon initially had opposed the idea, and Dempsey had voted to keep the tax credit for renters in September 2011.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/effort-end-mo-renters-tax-151738368.html

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Jamaica Debt Exchange Sees 97% Participation Rate So Far

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Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324048904578318133484640580.html?mod=rss_world_markets

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Hotel guests used water with dead body in it

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? British tourist Michael Baugh and his wife said water had only trickled for days as they brushed their teeth, showered and drank from the taps at the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, but they could not have imagined the disturbing reason.

The body of a Canadian woman was later discovered at the bottom of one of four cisterns on the roof of the historic hotel near Skid Row. The tanks provide water for hotel taps and would have been used by guests for washing and drinking.

"The moment we found out, we felt a bit sick to the stomach, quite literally," Baugh said.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials were expected to release the results of tests on the water on Thursday.

When the body was discovered on Tuesday, they issued a do-not-drink order while a lab analyzes the water, said Terrance Powell, a director coordinating the department's response. The disclosure contradicts a previous police statement that the water had been deemed safe.

Powell said the water was also used for cooking in the hotel; a coffee shop in the hotel would remain closed and has been instructed to sanitize its food equipment before reopening.

"Our biggest concern is going to be fecal contamination because of the body in the water," Powell said. He said the likelihood of contamination is "minimal" given the large amount of water the body was found in, but the department is being extra cautious.

Powell said the hotel hired a water treatment specialist after the department required it to do so to disinfect its plumbing lines.

A call to the hotel was not returned.

The remains of Elisa Lam, 21, were found by a maintenance worker at the 600-room hotel that charges $65 a night after guests complained about the low water pressure.

Police detectives were working to determine if her death was the result of foul play or an accident.

LAPD Sgt. Rudy Lopez called it suspicious and said a coroner's investigation will determine Lam's cause of death.

Before she died, hotel surveillance footage showed Lam inside an elevator pushing buttons and sticking her head out the doors, looking in both directions. She was later found in the water tank.

Lam, of Vancouver, British Columbia, traveled alone to Los Angeles on Jan. 26 and was last seen five days later by workers at the hotel.

Lopez said the hotel has four cisterns on its roof that are each about 10 feet tall, 4.5 feet wide and hold at least 1,000 gallons of water pumped up from city pipes.

Lam's body was found Tuesday morning at the bottom of one cistern that was about three-quarters full of water, Lopez said.

The opening at the top of the cistern is too small to accommodate firefighters and equipment, so they had to cut a hole in the storage tank to recover Lam's body.

The cisterns are on a platform at least 10 feet above the roof.

To get to the tanks, someone would have to go to the top floor then take a staircase with a locked door and emergency alarm preventing roof access.

Another ladder would have to be taken to the platform and a person would have to climb the side of the tank.

Lopez said there are no security cameras on the roof.

Lam intended to travel to Santa Cruz, about 350 miles north of Los Angeles. Officials said she tended to use public transportation and had been in touch with her family daily until she disappeared.

The Cecil Hotel was built in the 1920s and refurbished several years ago. The hotel is on Main Street in a part of downtown where efforts at gentrification often conflicts with homelessness and crime. It had once been the occasional home of infamous serial killers such as Richard Ramirez, known as the Night Stalker, and Austrian prison author Jack Unterweger, who was convicted of murdering nine prostitutes in Europe and the U.S., the Los Angeles Times reported.

By noon Wednesday, the Cecil Hotel had relocated 27 rooms used by guests to another hotel, but 11 rooms remained filled, Powell said. Those who chose to remain in the hotel were required to sign a waiver in which they acknowledged being informed of the health risks and were being provided bottled water, Powell said.

Baugh and his wife, who were on their first trip to the U.S., had planned to go to SeaWorld on Wednesday. Instead, they were trying to find a new hotel. Their tour agency placed them in another downtown hotel with a less than sterling reputation, from what they heard.

"We're just going from one dodgy place to another," Baugh said, resigned, "but at least there's water."

___

Tami Abdollah can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/latams. Shaya Tayefe Mohajer contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/water-tested-body-found-la-hotel-tank-083205919.html

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Damascus car bomb kills 35, 18 die in airstrike

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) ? A car bomb near the Damascus headquarters of Syria's ruling party killed 35 people on Thursday, while a government airstrike on a rebel field hospital in southern Daraa left 18 dead, opposition activists and state media reported.

The Damascus car bomb was one of at least three attacks in the heart of the city. A second blast shook another neighborhood and mortar rounds exploded near the Syrian Army General Command.

It was the third day of attacks on the center of Damascus.

For months, rebels have been trying to bring their fight to topple President Bashar Assad into the center of the capital, but have managed little more than brief incursions and frequent skirmishes in outlying neighborhoods.

The latest bombings and the recent mortar attacks suggest they may be shifting to guerrilla tactics to destabilize the seat of Assad's power.

The most deadly attack struck a main street on the edge of the capital's central Mazraa neighborhood, near the headquarters of Assad's Baath party and the Russian Embassy, as well as a mosque, a hospital and a school.

TV footage of the blast site showed firemen dousing a flaming car with hoses and lifeless and dismembered bodies blown into the grass of a nearby park.

Witnesses at the scene said a car had exploded at a security checkpoint between the Russian Embassy and the central headquarters of the ruling party.

"It was huge. Everything in the shop turned upside down," one local resident said. He said three of his employees were injured by flying glass that killed a young girl who was walking by when the blast hit.

"I pulled her inside the shop but she was almost gone. We couldn't save her. She was hit in the stomach and head," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution for speaking with foreign media.

Ambulances rushed to the scene of the blast, which shattered windows and sent up a huge cloud of smoke visible throughout much of the city, witnesses said.

The Britain-based activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 42 people were killed, most of them civilians. Some members of the Syrian security forces were also killed, it said.

Syrian state TV called it a "terrorist" attack by a suicide bomber. It said at least 35 people were killed and more than 200 wounded. The state news agency published photos of two dead bodies lying in the street.

There was no way to immediately reconcile the differing death tolls.

Russia's state owned RIA Novosti news agency quoted a Russian Embassy official as saying the Embassy building had been damaged in the blast but no one was hurt.

In a separate attack, Syrian state TV said mortar shells exploded near the Syrian Army General Command in central Damascus, causing no casualties. The station said the building was empty because it was under renovation.

The Britain-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said two mortar rounds struck near the building but did not report casualties.

On Wednesday, two mortar shells exploded next to a soccer stadium in Damascus, killing one player. The day before, two mortar shells blew up near one of Assad's three palaces in the city, causing only material damage.

Between the car bomb and the mortar attack near the army command, a security official reported another blast in the capital's northeastern Barzeh neighborhood. He had no other information and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

The Observatory, which relies on a network of anti-regime activists inside Syria, said two car bombs had exploded near security centers in Barzeh, followed by intense clashes between rebels and security forces.

Syrian state media also reported that security forces in Damascus had arrested a second, would-be suicide bomber driving a car full of explosives near the site of the Mazraa bombing.

Damascus has so far mostly avoided the large-scale violence that has destroyed other Syrian cities, though deadly car bombings have targeted government buildings in the capital.

In May 2012, twin car bombs exploded outside a military intelligence building, killing 55 people in the deadliest attack against a regime target in the capital since the uprising began 23 months ago.

And in July, rebels detonated explosives inside a high-level crisis meeting in Damascus that killed four top regime officials, including Assad's brother-in-law and the defense minister.

Following that attack, rebel groups who have established footholds in suburbs of the capital pushed in, clashing with government forces for over a week before being routed and pushed out.

Since then, government jets have heavily bombed rebel-held suburbs and rebels have managed only small incursions on the city's south and east sides.

In Daraa, where Syria's uprising began nearly two years ago, the Observatory said the 18 people killed in the airstrike included eight rebel fighters, three medics, one woman and one young girl.

A video posted online said to be of the event showed the bodies of dead and wounded people being loaded in to the back of trucks and moved to another location. Some were bloody and had bandaged heads, while others were carried out on stretchers.

Syria's conflict began in March 2011 with political protests against the government and has since evolved into a civil war between Assad's regime and hundreds of rebel groups seeking to topple it. The U.N. says some 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far.

International diplomacy has failed to slow the fighting.

On Thursday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said his message to Assad is that "it is time to go."

He said the senseless killing must be brought to an end through a credible political process leading to a transition in Syria.

He also called on Assad to respond to a dialogue offer made recently by Syrian opposition chief Mouaz al-Khatib.

"A political settlement, a political agreement on a transition is the way forward in Syria to bring to an end this terrible and unacceptable loss of life."

Al-Khatib has said he is open to talks with the regime that could pave the way for Assad's departure, but that the Syrian leader must first release tens of thousands of detainees. The government has refused.

____

Hubbard reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Zeina Karam contributed reporting from Beirut.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/damascus-car-bomb-kills-35-18-die-airstrike-135042656.html

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Rapid response Marine unit heading to Europe

Win Mcnamee / Getty Images

A V-22 Osprey lands at the Pentagon following a meeting between U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Japanese Minister of Defense Satoshi Morimoto August 3, 2012 in Arlington, Virginia.

By Jim Miklaszewsk, Courtney Kube, and Andrew Rafferty, NBC News

Highlighting the continuing fallout from the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on an American consulate in Libya that took the lives of four Americans, defense officials told NBC News on Wednesday that the U.S. Marine Corps is on the verge of announcing a new group tasked with crisis response in north Africa and eastern Europe.

The group, which will be known as the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, will likely be based at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, Italy.? The team will be capable of rapid deployment for responding to security threats throughout the region ? including a U.S. embassy under attack.

Orders for the new Marine unit will likely go to the secretary of defense for approval late next week. The task force will have around 1,000 Marines and a variety of aircraft, including a half-dozen Ospreys ? a airplane that can take off vertically like a helicopter but once airborne is capable of high-speed flight.

If approved, the land-based task force will deploy from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina early this spring.

The announcement of the new Marine group comes just weeks after Republicans in Congress hounded former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over why the diplomatic mission in Libya was not better protected the night of the deadly attack that took the life of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Hours before the attack, Stevens sent a cable to the State Department warning of deteriorating security conditions. Yet, during hearings on Capitol Hill, Clinton said the warning never came to her attention because the State Department receives more than one million cables each year.

Former Sen. Chuck Hagel could be the one to approve the Marine Air-Ground Task Force ? if he is confirmed as Defense Secretary when Congress returns from recess. Senate Republicans blocked a vote to approve his nomination last week.?

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/20/17035177-in-wake-of-benghazi-rapid-response-marine-unit-heading-to-europe?lite

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How to 'hear' the Russian meteor explosion

By Becky Oskin, OurAmazingPlanet

A new recording lets human ears listen in on the largest infrasound blasts ever recorded, created by the meteor that exploded over Russia last week.

Infrasonic waves from the Russian meteor fireball were picked up by 17 infrasound stations around the world, part of a network for detecting nuclear weapon explosions. Stations as far away as Antarctica tracked the blast's low-frequency waves as they traveled through Earth's atmosphere.

The signal was filtered and sped up 135 times to make it audible to human ears, according to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), which runs the stations. [Listen to the recording]

The meteor blast was not a fixed explosion, Pierrick Mialle, an acoustic scientist for the CTBTO, said in a statement. Instead, the meteor was traveling faster than the speed of sound, burning up as it went. "That's how we distinguish it from mining blasts or volcanic eruptions," he said.

Mialle said that scientists around the world will use the infrasound data to learn more about the meteor's final altitude, how much energy it released and how it disintegrated.

Based on scrutiny of infrasound records, NASA scientists initially concluded the fireball released about 300 kilotons of energy, Bill Cooke, head of the Meteoroid Environments Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., said Feb. 17.

Reach Becky Oskin at boskin@techmedianetwork.com. Follow her on Twitter @beckyoskin. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter?@OAPlanet. We're also on?Facebook?and Google+.

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/20/17034960-how-to-hear-the-russian-meteor-explosion?lite

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Source: http://www.etsy.com/listing/122942962/locked-ipad-leather-case-in-honey-brown

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Gas leak reported before blast leveled restaurant

Officials inspect a burned out JJ's Restaurant at the Plaza shopping district of Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. Search crews at the site of the massive explosion that destroyed the restaurant, recovered one body Wednesday, and the city's mayor said there was no certainty the rubble wasn't concealing other victims. Mayor Sly James declined to say whether the body belonged to a man or a woman, though authorities have been looking for a woman who worked at JJ's restaurant and was seen there before the Tuesday evening blast and reported missing afterward. A natural gas leak turned into an explosion that leveled the building on Tuesday evening. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Officials inspect a burned out JJ's Restaurant at the Plaza shopping district of Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. Search crews at the site of the massive explosion that destroyed the restaurant, recovered one body Wednesday, and the city's mayor said there was no certainty the rubble wasn't concealing other victims. Mayor Sly James declined to say whether the body belonged to a man or a woman, though authorities have been looking for a woman who worked at JJ's restaurant and was seen there before the Tuesday evening blast and reported missing afterward. A natural gas leak turned into an explosion that leveled the building on Tuesday evening. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Officials inspect a burned out JJ's Restaurant at the Plaza shopping district of Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. Search crews at the site of the massive explosion that destroyed the restaurant, recovered one body Wednesday, and the city's mayor said there was no certainty the rubble wasn't concealing other victims. Mayor Sly James declined to say whether the body belonged to a man or a woman, though authorities have been looking for a woman who worked at JJ's restaurant and was seen there before the Tuesday evening blast and reported missing afterward. A natural gas leak turned into an explosion that leveled the building on Tuesday evening. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Kansas City, Mo. firefighters walk out of the charred wreckage of JJ's Restaurant carrying a stretcher on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 in Kansas City. Search crews at the site of the massive explosion that destroyed the restaurant, recovered one body Wednesday, and the city's mayor said there was no certainty the rubble wasn't concealing other victims. Mayor Sly James declined to say whether the body belonged to a man or a woman, though authorities have been looking for a woman who worked at JJ's restaurant and was seen there before the Tuesday evening blast and reported missing afterward. A natural gas leak turned into an explosion that leveled the building on Tuesday evening. (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, David Eulitt)

Smoke rises from a massive fire Tuesday night, Feb. 19, 2013 at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. A car crashed into a gas main in an upscale Kansas City shopping district, sparking a massive blaze that engulfed an entire block and caused multiple injuries, police said. (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, Allison Long) KANSAS CITY OUT

Map locates fire in Kansas City, Mo., where a car crashed into a gas main

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) ? A day after a natural gas explosion leveled a popular restaurant, investigators raced to search the rubble and tried to understand how the blast happened despite suspicions that flammable fuel had been leaking, maybe for weeks, somewhere in the busy outdoor shopping area.

Hours before the explosion, witnesses reported a strong smell of gas, and firefighters were summoned to the scene at one point but left without ordering an evacuation.

As the cleanup got under way Wednesday, search-and-rescue crews recovered a body. Mayor Sly James declined to identify the victim, but the mother of a missing restaurant server said her family was awaiting confirmation that the remains were those of her daughter.

More than an hour before the blast, a subcontractor working for a cable company hit a gas line with underground boring equipment. Then something inside the restaurant ignited the fuel, authorities said.

Surveillance video from a nearby travel agency shows a fireball erupting from the restaurant's roof, showering the street with debris and throwing up a cloud of dust and smoke. The blast could be felt for a mile and shattered glass in neighboring buildings.

Fifteen people were injured. Six were still hospitalized Wednesday, James said.

People who live and work in the area reported smelling gas for some time before the accident.

Jeff Rogers was waiting at a bus stop down the street from JJ's when the explosion knocked him and another man to the ground.

He said he had smelled gas ? although "not strong" ? at the intersection for the past couple of weeks. Then the odor intensified Tuesday.

William Borregard, who lives with his sister and her fianc? in the apartment building nearest to JJ's, said he too had noticed a strange smell for weeks that had worsened in recent days. On Tuesday, they called the apartment manager.

"We said, it's very pungent and you should come out here and check it out," he said. "He came over and rapped on the door and said there's nothing to worry about. Stay in your apartment." The blast happened five minutes later.

Dr. John Verstraete, a physician who works at a medical practice next to the restaurant, told The Kansas City Star that some office employees smelled gas for several hours Tuesday afternoon. The smell grew stronger through the day.

But no one alerted the Fire Department or utility officials to the possibility of a leak until the subcontractor called 911 shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday to report having ruptured the gas pipe, the mayor said.

Within 20 minutes, a worker for Missouri Gas Energy arrived at the scene, followed later by a backhoe to dig a hole that would allow the gas to vent into the air, MGE Chief Operating Officer Rob Hack said.

Those who remained in the restaurant were urged to leave, Hack said. A gas company employee urged people to evacuate the medical center, too.

The blast happened around 6 p.m. Tuesday, when the dinner crowd would have been filing into JJ's and the many other restaurants in the upscale Country Club Plaza shopping and dining district.

The restaurant was a fixture on the city's culinary scene for more than 27 years. Locals knew it as a prime after-work stop, though it won a broader reputation after receiving consistently high ratings from contributors to Zagat's restaurant guides, both for its food and its long wine list.

The mother of the missing server said fire officials told her that dental records were being used to determine for sure whether the remains found in the rubble are those of 46-year-old Megan Cramer.

Genny Cramer said her daughter wrote poetry and helped establish the first lesbian/gay student group at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Her identity was first reported by the Star.

"We talked on the phone the day she died," Cramer said. "She said she was doing well and was getting ready for work."

When they learned of the leak, firefighters deferred to the utility since it would have more expertise in assessing the situation, Fire Chief Paul Berardi said.

Richard Kuprewicz, a pipeline safety consultant in Redmond, Wash., said federal law holds the utility responsible for deciding whether to evacuate, but assessing the risk isn't always easy.

Sometimes it's difficult to determine how much gas has been built up. And even highly trained people can underestimate the danger.

"I've seen people who work for gas companies and have gas sniffers, and their bodies are found in buildings," Kuprewicz said. "There is some art and some experience and some training in this stuff."

Brad Russell, a lawyer for the subcontractor's company, Heartland Midwest, released a statement late Wednesday expressing sympathy for the victims and saying the company is cooperating with authorities. "We are reserving any public comment until the completion of a thorough investigation," the statement concluded.

The Missouri Public Service Commission, which oversees utilities, launched an investigation into the blast, dispatching five employees to the site.

Commission Chairman Kevin Gunn said preliminary information indicates that gas pipelines had been properly marked. It could take up to six months before a final report is issued.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-20-Kansas%20City-Plaza%20Fire/id-b826918ddeff441a975afb2e842a648d

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