Black Voters Are Key to a Colbert Busch Win in South Carolina

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. ? South Carolina?s First Congressional District is known for the churning Port of Charleston, growing suburbs to the north, and stately homes with wrap-around porches from Beaufort to Mount Pleasant. The white, well-heeled voters who dominate the district favored Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney by 18 percentage points.

RELATED: Stephen Colbert's Sister Is Polling Pretty Well Against Mark Sanford

This coastal strip is also home to a more blue-collar, solidly Democratic population; about one out of five of the district?s residents are African-American. Their turnout in the May 7 special congressional election is key to an upset by the Democratic nominee, Elizabeth Colbert Busch.

RELATED: Mark Sanford Is One Step Closer to Redemption

Inside her campaign office here, having come straight from church in their Sunday best, Dot Brown and Ethel Campbell are planning an afternoon of phone banking and door knocking. Local television stations aren?t carrying the only debate pitting Colbert Busch against Sanford on Monday night.

RELATED: Who Is Stephen Colbert's Sister? (Aside from Being Stephen Colbert's Sister)

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?Most people we come across tend not to understand the importance of a special election, so you have got to get out and let them know,? said Brown, 67 years old, dressed in a marigold suit and bright pink scarf.

RELATED: The Appalachian Trail Ad Democrats Were Waiting to Air

Campbell, 62, who immediately kicked off her pumps once she sat down, said she tries to explain to voters that electing another Democrat to Congress will help President Obama. ?I say, ?You had his back in 2012. Do you have his back in 2013?? "

RELATED: Mark Sanford's Bare-All Apology Tour Isn't Working

But Colbert Busch has flaunted her independence from a president unpopular in most of the district, assailing his budget plan for raising taxes, not cutting enough spending and meddling with Social Security. ?Not only does President Obama?s plan fail to put our finances back in order, it would cut benefits for our seniors, which is wrong,? she said in a statement. Colbert Busch also declined to say whether she would have supported Obama's economic stimulus plan in his first term.? ?She?s trying to be all things to all people,?? said Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer.

Interviews with black voters on Sunday found few knew much about the businesswoman and political novice -- beyond the fact that she?s the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert. ?If they vote, disgust with her Republican opponent, former Gov. Mark Sanford, is more likely to be the driving force. The governor left office in 2011, over a year?after admitting he disappeared from public view for several days to visit his girlfriend in Argentina.

?We don?t need people like him who set a bad example,? said 78-year-old Virginia Rosemond, her wide-brimmed, red hat shielding her from a drizzly rain as left the Baum Temple AME Zion Church. Will she vote for Colbert Busch? ??If I get a ride,? she responded.

Fellow churchgoer Charles Logan, 67, said he ?might? vote for Colbert Busch. ??I?m not messing with him,? he said of Sanford. ?He left his wife. He left his office. What makes you think he won?t go to Washington and do the same thing??

Colbert Busch?s campaign did not respond to e-mails and phone calls about its outreach to African-American voters. Appealing to moderate Republicans and independents is also crucial to her success, so there is a political risk in appearing eager to court black Democrats. When she campaigned at historically black Burke High School in Charleston last week, the event was billed as a rally for women voters.

But the campaign?s radio ad linking Sanford to allegations of voter suppression makes her intentions clear. With Isaac Hayes? soundtrack from the 1971 movie about a black private detective as backdrop, the ad assails a new South Carolina law that requires voters to show photo identification.? A federal court blocked the law from going into effect until after the 2012 election. ?Somebody doesn?t want African Americans to vote, and it doesn?t take Shaft to figure out who,? a narrator says in the radio spot. ?Tuesday May 7^th is your chance to show them they can?t get away with it.?

The spot doesn?t mention that the ID law was signed after Sanford left office by Gov. Nikki Haley. A spokesman for the Sanford campaign, Joel Sawyer, released a written statement when the ad first aired earlier this month that called it a ?negative radio ad with some very unfortunate overtones.?

Jaime Harrison, vice chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, defended the spot.

?Voter ID has been a very hot button issue in the African-American community,? said Harrison, who if elected chairman next month would be the first black to lead the party in South Carolina. ?Many folks who grew up in the civil rights movement have called it modern-day Jim Crow. The ad will help to pique the awareness of African-Americans in that district.?

Sanford is not opposed to the law, Sawyer said, but he did not recall the ex-governor ever speaking publicly about it. Sawyer also noted that Sanford appointed a record number of African-Americans to his Cabinet and joined the state Supreme Court?s chief justice in 2006 in calling for more diverse appointments to the bench. In 2003, Sanford offered an official apology for the ?Orangeburg Massacre,? the 1968 shootings by South Carolina highway patrol officers that killed three black students ?protesting a segregated bowling alley.

The uncertainty of black turnout in the May 7 special election comes on the heels of an Associated Press analysis that found blacks voted at a higher rate than other minority groups in 2012 and largely surpassed white turnout for the first time. If black turnout had matched 2004, Romney would have won in 2012.

In one of Colbert Busch?s only campaign events aimed at African-Americans, she spoke at a black history celebration in February at Summerville High school. ?I give her credit for that,? said Ava Graham, a 44-year-old child care worker whose daughter sang with her church choir at the event. Colbert Bush spoke about the impact of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy on her life. ?I hope the black community comes out,? Graham said, ?because the Republicans want this seat and are going to do what they have to do.??

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/black-voters-key-colbert-busch-win-south-carolina-163341352.html

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Celtics hoping revived offense has life in Game 5

BOSTON (AP) ? It started with a 3-pointer by Avery Bradley 16 seconds into the game. It ended with a layup by Jason Terry with 6.5 seconds left.

Yes, the Boston Celtics finally got their offense going.

"It's coming," Terry said. "You can feel it."

It was there on Sunday ? for much of the game, anyway ? when the Celtics beat the New York Knicks 97-90 in overtime to avoid being swept in the opening round of the playoffs.

But if it's not there on Wednesday night in New York, the Celtics will have a very tough time forcing a sixth game Friday night in Boston.

The Celtics scored fewer than 20 points in six of the first 10 quarters in the series. They managed a meager eight points in the fourth quarter of the opener ? one less than Terry scored by himself in the last 1:32 of overtime on Sunday. They scored 78, 71 and 76 points in the first three games after scoring fewer than 80 just five times during the regular season.

"We've got a lot of basketball in us," Terry said, "but there's always something like one quarter that holds us back. So if we can put together four quarters of great Celtics basketball, ball movement, getting out in transition, then this series is going to be a long one."

The Celtics made 51.3 percent of their shots in the first half Sunday after averaging 39.5 during the first three games. But they dropped to 25 percent (4 for 16) in the third quarter when the Knicks cut a 59-39 deficit to 68-65 entering the fourth.

And they finished with just three offensive rebounds ? and only two second-chance points ? in 53 minutes. The Knicks got five offensive rebounds from Tyson Chandler and four from Iman Shumpert.

But Boston managed to win when New York's own shooting woes continued in overtime with only two field goals in eight attempts. Carmelo Anthony hit just one of four shots in overtime and finished at 10 for 25, despite leading all scorers with 36 points.

"We didn't shoot the ball well," Anthony said, "and we still put ourselves in a position to win the basketball game. There's an upside to that."

The downside for him was the Celtics' defense, particularly that of Brandon Bass. Before fouling out with 4:27 left in the fourth quarter, he guarded Anthony tightly, contested shots and kept the NBA's leading playoff scorer from getting hot. Anthony missed all seven of his 3-pointers and got 16 of his 36 points on free throws.

Boston coach Doc Rivers praised Bass' performance.

"He was the star of the game," Rivers said. "He just defended and did it over and over and over again."

The Knicks got back in the game after Anthony picked up his fourth foul with New York trailing 65-51 with 3:35 left in the third quarter. With Anthony on the bench, Raymond Felton scored 11 points in a 14-3 run that cut the deficit to 68-65.

"The fact that we came back from a 20-point deficit in that building shows a lot about our team," Felton said.

When they get to their own building, they'll have their second leading scorer back. J.R. Smith, the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, was suspended for Sunday's game for hitting Terry with an elbow in New York's 90-76 win in Game 3. Smith is averaging 16.3 points per game in the series.

Felton helped take up the slack with 27 points, but Smith's perimeter shooting will put more pressure on the Celtics' defense and, perhaps, open up the lane for the Knicks' offense.

"You just don't know what the impact was" of Smith's absence, Rivers said, "but guarding one less guy can't hurt."

Smith's return may be too much for the Celtics, especially after their best players put in a very long day with 35-year-old Paul Pierce playing 49 minutes, 51 seconds and 36-year-old Kevin Garnett going 36:57. They're hoping that two days between games will be enough time for them to recover.

But the Celtics need a lot more than their veteran stars. Terry proved that on Sunday.

"He's got to be our X-factor," Pierce said. "Guys are going to load up to me, load up to Kevin, and he's got to be our X-factor and we depend on him for that."

On Sunday, the Celtics played beneath 17 NBA championship banners hanging from the rafters. Before the game, the video board above the court showed past Celtics greats ? Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Larry Bird and others.

Getting swept would have tarnished that tradition.

"There's just so much pride when you look around," Pierce said, "the banners, the crowd and everything going on with the Boston Celtics history."

That will be missing in Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.

Just one more victory and the Knicks will celebrate their first playoff series win since 2000, when they reached the Eastern Conference finals. And no NBA team has ever won a series after losing the first three games.

"We played all year to get homecourt advantage and if you get one (win) on the road, that's a major plus," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "We just have to go home and handle our business."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/celtics-hoping-revived-offense-life-game-5-202628630.html

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Benchmark's Bill Gurley Says New York Has The Engineers And Entrepreneurs, Now It Needs Big Iconic Companies

What are the challenges that the New York tech scene needs to address? This topic kicked off the conversation this morning between TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington and venture capitalist Bill Gurley?at TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2013. Gurley’s?VC firm, Benchmark, has invested in some of the most disruptive technology companies over the past 10 years, including Dropbox, Zillow, Uber, Twitter and Snapchat. He says that New York needs more iconic companies, and worries about the Wall Street influence on the New York tech community. Gurley noted that what really put Seattle on the map were companies he described as “four pillars” of the Seattle market ?- companies that people identify as being associated with Seattle: specifically, Microsoft, Starbucks, Amazon, and Costco. He says that all of these were originally venture-backed and have remained ?throughout the years. New York has the?entrepreneurs?and the engineers, says Gurley. Now the city needs its own “iconic” companies to put it on the map, as well. There’s no?precedent?for that here just yet, he adds. But when pressed on whether or not New York didn’t have “big” companies, Gurley admitted that VC’s think of DoubleClick as one of the big exits here, and more recently, he says, there was the exit of Connecticut-based job site Indeed. “[Indeed] had a great business model, a huge consumer brand…and they sold it,” scoffed Gurley. “I think in general, in the venture business we have this problem – this kind of anti-IPO attitude – that I think prohibits companies from hitting the long ball, but it seems like maybe that’s even more acute here.” Venture capitalists are dependent on huge home runs – big wins. He said the system dynamic in New York prevent companies from reaching that point. The mentality in New York is one that’s still associated with that found on Wall Street, Gurley said. That is, Wall Street is not loyal to companies, but is more focused on the dollars and bottom line. This can prevent companies from growing large, turning into the kind of iconic firms that could one day become pillars of the New York tech community, the way that Microsoft et al. have become?synonymous with Seattle. Earlier this morning,?Andreessen Horowitz’s Chris Dixon spoke?of other, but somewhat similar,?concerns, when?comparing the general climate for startups in New York to those in San Francisco.??There are plenty of great investors here and attracts lot of entrepreneurs,” he had. But he saw

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/yHxRwTh2HS0/

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Bangladesh owner is at nexus of politics, business

SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) ? When the cracks in the building appeared early Tuesday afternoon, a stocky man in his early 30s, a feared political operative who a neighbor says dropped out of school in seventh grade, quickly arrived at the scene in this crowded industrial suburb of the capital.

By then, fear had spread through the 3,200 people who worked in the five clothing factories that jammed the upper floors of Rana Plaza, and the handful of shops on the lower ones. Most of the workers had gathered in the street out front. Few wanted to go back in. Inspectors said the eight-story building should be closed until it could be inspected.

But Mohammed Sohel Rana scoffed.

"The building has minor damages," Rana, the building's owner, told gathering reporters. "There is nothing serious."

The next morning, many of the building's shops and a first-floor bank remained closed. But the factories' 8 a.m. shift began as usual. About 45 minutes into the shift, the building suddenly collapsed, killing at least 350 people in a fury of falling concrete. It was the worst industrial accident in the history of Bangladesh. More than three days later, rescuers are still crawling through the wreckage, hoping to find anyone who has managed to survive so long. By Saturday, nearly all the people being carried out were dead.

Rana, though, has disappeared. He hasn't been seen, according to local media reports, since he left his basement office in Rana Plaza and drove away, just before the collapse. Today, his political patron has abandoned him and authorities want to arrest him.

Rana sits at the nexus of party politics and the powerful $20 billion garment industry that drives the economy of this deeply impoverished nation. Experts say this intersection of politics and business, combined with a minimum wage of $9.50 a week that has made Bangladesh the go-to nation for many of the world's largest clothing brands, has created a predictable danger for factory workers.

Government officials, labor activists, manufacturers and retailers all called for improved safety standards after a November fire in the same suburb, when locked emergency exits trapped hundreds of garment workers inside amid spreading flames and 112 people died. But almost nothing has changed.

"Successive Bangladeshi governments have paid lip service to worker safety but in reality it is only the factory owners who have the ear of policymakers," Brad Adams, the Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "How many factory tragedies will it take before the Bangladeshi government ends its cozy relationship with powerful company owners and prioritizes worker safety?"

Before the collapse, Rana was little known outside of the few blocks of his tiny empire, a grid of poorly paved streets in the crowded industrial suburb of Savar, built up over the past decade or so around hundreds of garment factories.

The son of a local businessman with political connections, Rana became a neighborhood force by working as an organizer for the two political parties that have competed for power for decades in Bangladesh, according to local politicians, as well as someone who grew up near Rana and still lives in the area.

While Rana is currently a leader of the youth group of the ruling Awami League, he has also worked for that party's archrival, the Bangladesh National Party.

"He doesn't belong to any particular political party," said Ashrafuddin Khan Imu, an Awami League leader and longtime Rana rival. "Whatever party is in power, he is there."

In essence, these people say, Rana is a neighborhood political enforcer, regularly ordering thousands of people into the streets for rallies. Most recently, Imu said, he has been working for Awami League lawmaker Talukder Touhid Jang Murad. When Murad was asked about Rana after the collapse, Murad denied any connections. The next day, Dhaka newspapers printed photographs of Murad kissing Rana on the forehead after a successful rally earlier this year.

"He used to intimidate people whenever he needed them, like bringing people out for street marches in support of the lawmaker," said the neighbor, who spoke on condition he not be named, fearing Rana's wrath. "Neighbors would avoid him ... No one wanted to upset him."

Money came with his political connections, with wealth built upon a string of government-owned properties he acquired at reduced prices, according to local media reports. He built a small apartment building and a small commercial building, where a Bata shoe store is now on the ground floor. In 2010 he built Rana Plaza on land that had once been a swamp. He had a permit to erect a five-story building, but built three additional stories illegally.

Until Wednesday, he lived just a few blocks from Rana Plaza, in a five-story red-brick building he owns at the end of a narrow alley. The ground floor has a hand-painted medieval scene, with an aristocratic woman, or perhaps a bride, being carried by scowling bearers in a covered palanquin. The neighbor says he is married, and has two children. The buildings indicate he is a man of considerable stature locally, but is almost certainly not a member of the country's tiny elite.

After the cracks appeared in the building, witnesses say Rana quickly went to work. On Wednesday morning, he and a number of factory managers ordered nervous workers into the building shortly before the collapse, according to the neighbor, who was present at the scene, and local press reports.

"I was too afraid to go inside the building. But the factory officials assured us they would also be in the factory, so there should not be any problem," said Kohinoor Begum, a factory worker who survived but whose hands were injured.

By Saturday night, Rana was still nowhere to be found. Authorities say they detained his wife on Friday, apparently as a way to convince him to surrender.

What will happen to him? At first glance, the situation doesn't look good: He's on the run, his political allies have publicly abandoned him, Bangladesh's most powerful garment industry association says he ignored their warnings to shut the building, the prime minister has called for his arrest.

But in the streets of Savar, many people note that while three managers have been arrested in connection with the Tazreen fire, the factory owner remains free.

___

Sullivan reported from New Delhi, India. Julhas Alam in Dhaka contributed to the report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bangladesh-owner-nexus-politics-business-051832391.html

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FAA: Air traffic system soon at full operation

A United Airlines jet departs in view of the air traffic control tower at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Seattle. A day after flight delays plagued much of the U.S., air travel is smoother Tuesday. But the government is warning passengers that the situation can change by the hour as it runs the nation's air traffic control system with a smaller staff. Airlines and members of Congress urged the Federal Aviation Administration to find other ways to make mandatory budget cuts besides furloughing controllers. While delays haven't been terrible yet, the airlines are worried about the long-term impact late flights will have on their budgets and on fliers. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

A United Airlines jet departs in view of the air traffic control tower at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Seattle. A day after flight delays plagued much of the U.S., air travel is smoother Tuesday. But the government is warning passengers that the situation can change by the hour as it runs the nation's air traffic control system with a smaller staff. Airlines and members of Congress urged the Federal Aviation Administration to find other ways to make mandatory budget cuts besides furloughing controllers. While delays haven't been terrible yet, the airlines are worried about the long-term impact late flights will have on their budgets and on fliers. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

The control tower stands in the background as a passenger lays on the pavement outside the international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, Friday, April 26, 2013, in Atlanta. Congress easily approved legislation Friday ending furloughs of air traffic controllers that have delayed hundreds of flights daily, infuriating travelers and causing political headaches for lawmakers.(AP Photo/David Goldman)

A passenger sits at right in the international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, Friday, April 26, 2013, in Atlanta. Congress easily approved legislation Friday ending furloughs of air traffic controllers that have delayed hundreds of flights daily, infuriating travelers and causing political headaches for lawmakers.(AP Photo/David Goldman)

The control tower stands in the background as a passenger paces while on the phone outside the international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, Friday, April 26, 2013, in Atlanta. Congress easily approved legislation Friday ending furloughs of air traffic controllers that have delayed hundreds of flights daily, infuriating travelers and causing political headaches for lawmakers.(AP Photo/David Goldman)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Federal Aviation Administration said that the U.S. air traffic system will resume normal operations by Sunday evening after lawmakers rushed a bill through Congress allowing the agency to withdraw furloughs of air traffic controllers and other workers.

The FAA said Saturday that it has suspended all employee furloughs and that traffic facilities will begin returning to regular staffing levels over the next 24 hours. The furloughs were fallout from the $85 billion in automatic-across-the-board spending cuts this spring.

The furloughs started to hit air traffic controllers this past week, causing flight delays that left thousands of travelers frustrated and furious. Planes were forced to take off and land less frequently, so as not to overload the remaining controllers on duty.

The FAA had no choice but to cut $637 million as its share of $85 billion in automatic, government-wide spending cuts that must be achieved by the end of the federal budget year on Sept. 30.

Flight delays piled up across the country Sunday and Monday of this week as the FAA kept planes on the ground because there weren't enough controllers to monitor busy air corridors. Cascading delays held up flights at some of nation's busiest airports, including New York, Baltimore and Washington. Delta Air Lines canceled about 90 flights Monday because of worries about delays. Just about every passenger was rebooked on another Delta flight within a couple of hours. Air travel was smoother Tuesday.

Things could have been worse. A lot of people who had planned to fly this week changed their plans when they heard that air travel might be difficult, according to longtime aviation consultant Daniel Kasper of Compass Lexicon.

"Essentially what happened from an airline's perspective is that people who were going to travel didn't travel," he said. But canceled flights likely led to lost revenue for airlines. Even if they didn't have to incur some of costs of fueling up planes and getting them off the ground, crews that were already scheduled to work still had to paid.

"One week isn't going to kill them, but had it gone on much longer, it would have been a significant hit on their revenues and profits," Kasper said.

The challenges this week probably cost airlines less than disruptions from a typical winter storm, said John F. Thomas, an aviation consultant with L.E.K. Consulting.

"I think the fact that it got resolved this week has minimized the cost as it was more the inconvenience factor," Thomas said.

The budget cuts at the FAA were required under a law enacted two years ago as the government was approaching its debt limit. Democrats were in favor of raising the debt limit without strings attached so as not to provoke an economic crisis, but Republicans insisted on substantial cuts in exchange. The compromise was to require that every government "program, project and activity" ? with some exceptions, like Medicare ? be cut equally.

The FAA had reduced the work schedules of nearly all of its 47,000 employees by one day every two weeks, including 15,000 air traffic controllers, as well as thousands of air traffic supervisors, managers and technicians who keep airport towers and radar facility equipment working. That amounted to a 10 percent cut in hours and pay.

Republicans accused the Obama administration of forcing the furloughs to raise public pressure on Congress to roll back the budget cuts. Critics of the FAA insist the agency could have reduce its budget in other ways that would not have inconvenience travelers including diverting money from other accounts, such as those devoted to research, commercial space transportation and modernization of the air traffic control computers.

President Barack Obama chided lawmakers Saturday over their fix for widespread flight delays, deeming it an irresponsible way to govern, dubbing it a "Band-Aid" and a quick fix, rather than a lasting solution to the spending cuts known as the sequester.

"Republicans claimed victory when the sequester first took effect, and now they've decided it was a bad idea all along," Obama said, singling out the GOP even though the bill passed with overwhelming Democratic support in both chambers.

He scolded lawmakers for helping the Federal Aviation Administration while doing nothing to replace other cuts that he said harm federal employees, unemployed workers and preschoolers in Head Start.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-27-US-FAA-Furloughs/id-ff266ec5f2524584b286063a61123c2e

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92% Jurassic Park: An IMAX 3D Experience

All Critics (96) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (97) | Rotten (8) | DVD (39)

The enthralling man-vs.-nature parable based on the late Michael Crichton's best-selling novel hasn't aged one bit.

The 3-D process adds not just dimension but depth - a technological extension of cinematographer Gregg Toland's deep-focus innovations in The Grapes of Wrath and Citizen Kane. The change in perspective creates greater intensity.

I'm a fan of this movie. It is thrilling, and the 3-D treatment is a nice enhancement.

This movie doesn't just stand the test of time, it transcends it.

"Jurassic Park" remains an absolute thrill from a Spielberg in top form: Funny, scary, fast-moving and full of just-right details.

"Jurassic Park" was impressive in 1993. Twenty years later, it's flawless.

A classic gets even better.

Steven Spielbeg's 1993 tale of an island plagued dinosaurs running amok holds up surprisingly well in the special effects category.

The film is a classic and the chance to see it on the big screen again (or for the first time) should not be missed

Sentiment is explained by science as the family impulse that motivates so many Steven Spielberg stories is revealed to be an evolutionary imperative in this near-perfect action-adventure.

[Looks] better not only than effects-driven movies of the same period, but better, frankly, than half of what gets released nowadays.

Kids who love dinosaurs will love it. And who doesn't?

confirms both Spielberg's mastery of cinematic thrills and the comparatively empty bombast of today's summer tentpole movies, even the better ones.

Jurassic Park shows us a director in transition, and the film captures his transformation in its own kind of cinematic amber.

[The] 3D [conversion] provides the definitive version of this classic film. Jurassic Park has been transformed with with artistry, nuance and sophistication, and it's an absolute must-see during this brief run.

The 3D effects had me nearly jumping out of my seat. Some say Hollywood is converting too many old films to 3D. But, "Jurassic Park" was the perfect choice. There's nothing more fun than sharing a seat with a snapping dinosaur.

Spielberg treats us as he does his characters, leading us into a strange land and expecting us to make it out with all our faculties intact; it's a tall order, given the heart-stopping, bloodcurdling, limbs-numbing excitement packed into the second hour.

It is as if time has passed the movie by. "Jurassic Park" remains solid entertainment, but the awe and wonder have faded.

The thrill of seeing live dinosaurs on screen is not as acute today as it was 20 years ago admittedly, but there is still some 3D awe left in the creations that roared 65 billion years ago...

The 3D isn't pushed on the audience, but it does reveal the amount of depth that Spielberg actually put into the film 20 years ago.

While it's not the most profound of Spielberg's works or the most entertaining from a popcorn perspective, it's one of the most technically flawless movies he's ever produced.

Jurassic Park 3D is like being reunited with an old friend; an old friend that wants to eat you and maul you to death, but still. A classic is reborn in glorious IMAX with a vibrantly stunning use of 3D.

If releasing the film in 3-D is the only way to get it back in theaters, then the gimmick is an acceptable addition. The 3-D is good. But when a movie is this near flawless, nothing is needed to make it better.

The 3D conversion ruins everything, like the comet that killed the dinosaurs, making Jurassic Park the rare amusement I'd prefer to revisit at home.

A beast of a movie is gifted a superfluous-but-superb rouging of the cheeks, offering fanatics something new to study while newcomers will be ruined for any future television airings.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jurassic_park_an_imax_3d_experience_1993/

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Useful Health And Beauty Tips For Young Teenage Girls | Tips on ...

Posted by Sean on Apr 28, 2013 in Beauty, Health & FitnessGoogle+

Almost every person in this world especially young teenage girls love to look stunning and gorgeous. Therefore, we bring some good health and beauty tips for girls.

? Make it a habit to consume plenty of water every day. Mixing honey with water and drinking it every day and help attain a shine on your skin and help to keep it smooth.

? Also try to eat food rich in vitamin A and C and it will surely help you look good.

? In order to moisturize your skin use some milk to massage into your skin. This will bring a glow on your skin and will help avoid dryness.

? Good and healthy eatables are essential to attain a clean and good looking skin. Include plenty of fresh fruits and raw vegetables in your diet. Try to use natural products for your face such as cucumber and milk.

? When using make up for your eyes make sure that it matches with your overall appearance. A little mascara on the tips of the eye lashes can make the eyes look beautiful and attractive. To attain a wide eyed look use a small amount of orange shadow at the corner of the eyes.

? To prevent chapping use a good quality lip balm.

? In order to brighten up your looks and appearance make sure to use mineral make up.

? Prefer sleeping only on silk or satin pillow cases to avoid creases on the facial area.

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Source: http://www.foodfitnesslifelove.com/beauty/useful-health-and-beauty-tips-for-young-teenage-girls/

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Theravance to split into two listed companies

(Reuters) - Biopharmaceutical company Theravance Inc said it plans to split into two publicly traded companies, one of which would independently manage the development of the respiratory drugs it is working on with GlaxoSmithKline Plc.

The split plan comes after weeks of speculation that the company could be bought by Glaxo, Theravance's largest shareholder with a stake of about 27 percent.

Theravance shares were up about 10 percent at $33.50 in after-hours trading on Thursday.

The other company to result from the split will focus on development of small-molecule compounds in rare disease areas.

Theravance Chief Executive Rick Winningham said the split would unlock potential value from two disparate sets of assets, better align employee incentives and provide a consistent return of capital to stockholders of the Glaxo partner, to be called Royalty Management Co.

The second company will be called Theravance Biopharma.

Theravance's shares rose sharply in early March after Piper Jaffray said in a research report that Glaxo could take over Theravance if U.S. health regulators ruled positively on the companies' respiratory drugs, Breo Ellipta and Anoro.

An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended earlier this month that the agency approve Breo Ellipta to treat smoking-related lung damage.

Theravance's shares have risen more than 10 percent since then up to Thursday close of $30.92. The stock was trading at $33.50 after hours.

Theravance also reported a first-quarter net loss of $37.4 million, or 39 cents per share, compared with a profit of $84.6 million, or $1.01 per share, a year earlier.

Revenue fell by $125.8 million to $1.3 million. The steep fall in revenue reflected the scrapping in January of Theravance's global deal with Japan's Astellas Pharma Inc to develop and market its antibiotic Vibativ.

Analysts on average had expected a loss of 38 cents per share on revenue of $2.3 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

(Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in Bangalore; Editing by Don Sebastian, Maju Samuel)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/theravance-split-two-listed-companies-001415941--finance.html

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Betaworks acquires Instapaper, promises continued development

If you're the sort who likes to catch up on web articles through a dedicated reader app, you're likely familiar with Instapaper and its lone creator, Marco Arment. His solo work makes for a cohesive experience and a great story, but it also involves a lot of strain -- enough so that Arment is selling majority control of the app to Betaworks, the owner of Bitly and Digg. Thankfully, this shouldn't represent a classic acquire-and-absorb deal that ultimately kills the original brand. Arment says he'll remain involved as an advisor, and the takeover is arranged with promises that Betaworks will add staff and continue building the read-it-later tool. While neither side has said just where they'll take Instapaper with more resources, there's a real chance that competitors like Pocket will feel some added pressure.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets

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Via: Marco Arment (Twiter)

Source: Marco.org

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/25/betaworks-acquires-instapaper-promises-continued-development/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Coby MID8065

The MID8065 ($149.99 list) is the tweener of the bunch in?Coby's latest crop of low-cost, Google-certified Android tablets. Sporting an?8-inch screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, like the Apple iPad, the 8065 eschews the more common 16:9 found on most Android tablets. Otherwise, the MID8065 shares the same internal components as the smaller MID7065?and larger MID1065. As such, expect the same so-so performance coupled with a decent selection of ports, and access to Google Play, which you don't always get with bargain-bin tablets.

Editors' Note: The Coby MID8065 is virtually identical to the?MID7065?and?MID1065?except for screen size and price, so we're sharing a lot of material between these three reviews. That said, we're testing each device separately?and comparing it with the competition in its size/price range.

Design and Features
The 8-inch screen and 4:3 aspect ratio may have you thinking iPad mini, but aside from the similar proportions there's really no comparison. The MID8065 is made from nondescript black plastic and is squat and heavy at 8.3 by 6.25 by 0.45 inches (HWD) and 1.07 pounds. It's closer in size to the Amazon Kindle Fire 8.9". Along the right edge are the power plug, 3.5mm headphone jack, micro USB port (for syncing, not charging), and a mini HDMI port. There are Power and Volume buttons along the right side, with a microSD card slot on the left. ?

The 8-inch 1,024-by-768-pixel LCD lies somewhere between the fairly good IPS LCD found on the larger MID1065 and the subpar 7-inch LCD found on the MID7065. It looks reasonably sharp and offers good viewing angles, but like the MID7065, the screen doesn't get all that bright. Colors also tend to show a bluish hue, especially on white backgrounds. It's a much lower quality display than the one found in the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0, but that tablet is in another stratosphere when it comes to price. The 4:3 aspect ratio is pretty rare for Android devices, and while it's good for browsing desktop websites, apps designed for phones look awkwardly stretched and squat. Apps written for tablets look good.

This is a Wi-Fi only tablet that connects to 802.11b/g/n networks on the 2.4GHz frequency, and you get Bluetooth 2.1, which is a nice bonus for a budget-minded tablet. The MID8065 comes in a single 4GB model, and our 32 and 64GB SanDisk cards worked fine in the tablet's card slot. There's also a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera.

Android and Performance
The MID8065 is powered by the same dual-core 1.2GHz Amlogic Cortex A9 processor with 1GB RAM and a MALI 400 GPU found in the larger MID1065. It topped the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1) with its dual-core 1GHz Cortex A9 CPU in our benchmarks, but can't match the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" with its dual-core 1.5GHz TI OMAP4470 CPU.

Coby uses a different touch screen digitizer that doesn't feel quite as imprecise as the one found on the MID1065, so things are less choppy here. Performance is basically equal on all three Coby tablets?there's some occasional lag, but it feels on par with the Galaxy Tab 2. There's a delay between when the Power button is pressed and when the display wakes up.?

Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" is now two versions behind the latest 4.2 "Jelly Bean" build, but Coby at least left it unskinned, which makes it appealing to Android purists. Newcomers, however, might be better served by the more polished, easy-to-use custom Android skins like Samsung's TouchWiz or the heavily modified Android featured on Amazon's Kindle Fire tablets. If you're a fan of pure Android, however, you'd be better served by the Google Nexus 7.

For video support, you get Xvid, DivX, MPEG4, H.264, and AVI at up to 1080p resolution. For audio, MP3, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WAV, and WMA are supported. Screen mirroring worked fine using a mini HDMI cable, and the tablet was able to output video at 720p or 1080p resolution. The 2-megapixel rear-facing camera takes pretty abysmal still images and choppy, noise-ridden video. The 0.3-megapixel camera should be strictly reserved for the occasional Skype call and nothing more.

In our battery rundown test, which loops a video with screen brightness set to max and Wi-Fi on, the MID8065 lasted an unimpressive 3 hours, 11 minutes. The Kindle Fire HD 8.9" turned in 7 hours and 14 minutes, while the Nexus 7 lasted 10 hours, 30 minutes in the same test.

Conclusions
The MID8065 lands in the middle of the pack of Coby's latest tablets, with the same middling performance, but an unorthodox screen size and aspect ratio. As with the larger MID1065 and smaller MID7065, the MID8065 is simply a serviceable Android tablet for the budget constrained. It's got a better screen than the MID7065, so if you're between those two, the MID8065 is the one to get. Spending $50 more can get you a much better tablet, like the Nexus 7, while stepping up $120 will get the vastly superior Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9" that also has four times the internal storage.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/uBQOlANF17w/0,2817,2417902,00.asp

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TechCrunch Giveaway: Last Two Free Tickets To Disrupt NY

TechCrunch Disrupt NY is right around the corner. Everything kicks off this weekend in New York with the Hackathon starting on Saturday and going through the night until Sunday afternoon. The main event kicks off next Monday, where expert speakers and guests will come together to talk with us about the latest in technology. The full agenda is here. Every week we have been giving away a chance to win a free ticket to Disrupt NY. We only have two free tickets left. These tickets will get the two winners into the conference, plus all of the after parties that follow including the screening of Shawn Fanning’s documentary on Napster, DOWNLOADED. To win a ticket all you have to do is follow the steps below. The giveaway will start now and end tomorrow at 12pm PT. Yes, that’s only one day, so be sure to act fast. 1) Become a fan of our TechCrunch Facebook Page: 2) Then do one of the following: - Retweet this post (making sure to include the #TCDisrupt hashtag) - Or leave us a comment below telling us why you want to come Please only tweet the message once or you will be disqualified. We will make sure you follow the steps above and choose our winners tomorrow. Anyone in the world is eligible. Please note each ticket is for one person only and does not include airfare or hotel. Our sponsors help make Disrupt happen. If you are interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact our sponsorship team here?sponsors@techcrunch.com. We’ll see you soon, New York!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/-ythgXbd888/

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Study shows reproductive effects of pesticide exposure span generations

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

North Carolina State University researchers studying aquatic organisms called Daphnia have found that exposure to a chemical pesticide has impacts that span multiple generations ? causing the so-called "water fleas" to produce more male offspring, and causing reproductive problems in female offspring.

"This work supports the hypothesis that exposure to some environmental chemicals during sensitive periods of development can cause significant health problems for those organisms later in life ? and affect their offspring and, possibly, their offspring's offspring," says Dr. Gerald LeBlanc, a professor of environmental and molecular toxicology at NC State and lead author of a paper on the work. "We were looking at a model organism, identified an important pathway for environmental sex determination, and found that there are chemicals that can hijack that pathway."

Environmental cues normally determine the sex, male or female, of Daphnia offspring, and researchers have been working to understand the mechanisms involved. As part of that work, LeBlanc's team had previously identified a hormone called methyl farnesoate (Mf) that Daphnia produce under certain environmental conditions.

The researchers have now found that the hormone binds with a protein receptor called the Mf receptor, which can regulate gene transcription and appears to be tied to the production of male offspring.

In experiments, the researchers exposed Daphnia to varying levels of an insecticide called pyriproxyfen, which mimics the Mf hormone. The pyriproxyfen exposure resulted in Daphnia producing more male offspring and fewer offspring in total, with higher doses exacerbating both effects.

"At high concentrations, we were getting only male offspring, which is not good," LeBlanc says. "Producing fewer offspring, specifically fewer female offspring, could significantly limit population numbers for Daphnia."

And low exposure concentrations had significant impacts as well. At pyriproxyfen concentrations as low as 71 nanograms per liter, or 71 parts per trillion, the Daphnia would still produce some female offspring. But those females suffered long-term reproductive health effects, producing significantly smaller numbers of offspring ? despite the fact that they had not been exposed to pyriproxyfen since birth.

"We now want to know specifically which genes are involved in this sex determination process," LeBlanc says. "And, ecologically, it would be important to know the impact of changes in population dynamics for this species. Daphnia are a keystone species ? an important food source for juvenile fish and other organisms."

###

The paper, "A Transgenerational Endocrine Signaling Pathway in Crustacea," was published April 17 in PLOS ONE. The paper was co-authored by Dr. Ying Wang, a research associate at NC State; Charisse Holmes and Elizabeth Medlock, Ph.D. students at NC State; and Gwijun Kwon, a research technician at NC State. The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

North Carolina State University: http://www.ncsu.edu

Thanks to North Carolina State University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127860/Study_shows_reproductive_effects_of_pesticide_exposure_span_generations

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Canada thwarts "al Qaeda-supported" passenger train plot

By Euan Rocha and Alastair Sharp

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian police said on Monday they had arrested and charged two men with plotting to derail a Toronto-area passenger train in an operation they say was backed by al Qaeda elements in Iran.

"Had this plot been carried out, it would have resulted in innocent people being killed or seriously injured," Royal Canadian Mounted Police official James Malizia told reporters.

The RCMP said it had arrested Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, of Montreal, and Raed Jaser, 35, of Toronto in connection with the plot, which authorities said was not linked to last week's Boston Marathon bombings, which killed three and injured more than 200 people last week.

Neither is a Canadian citizen, and police did not reveal their nationalities. Two sources following the investigation said one of the two was Tunisian.

Canada's spy agency has long expressed concern about the possibility that disgruntled and radicalized Canadians could attack targets at home and abroad.

Police gave little detail about the alleged plotters, but said a tip from the Muslim community had helped their year-long investigation.

Esseghaier has been a doctoral student at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique near Montreal since 2010 and was about midway through his degree, the school said.

"He is doing a PhD in the field of energy and materials sciences," Julie Martineau, the school's director of communications, told Reuters.

A bail hearing for the two will take place in Toronto on Tuesday morning.

Malizia said there was no indication that the planned attacks, which police described as the first known al Qaeda- backed plot on Canadian soil, were state-sponsored.

U.S. officials said the attack would have targeted a rail line between New York and Toronto, a route that travels along the Hudson Valley into New York wine country and enters Canada near Niagara Falls.

Canadian police said only that the plot involved a VIA train route in the Toronto area. VIA is Canada's equivalent of Amtrak and operates passenger rail services on track owned primarily by Canadian National Railway Co.

New York Police chief spokesman Paul Browne told Reuters that the NYPD and Commissioner Ray Kelly had been kept informed of the investigation from "early on."

JOINT OPERATIONS

Malizia said the RCMP believed the two had the capacity and intent to carry out the attack, but there was no imminent threat to the public, passengers, or infrastructure.

The plot is one of a handful of terrorism-related investigations involving Canadians or Canadian residents.

Police said earlier this year that Canadians took part in an attack by militants on a gas plant in Algeria in January, while Canadian and Somalia authorities are investigating whether a former University of Toronto student participated in a bomb attack on Mogadishu last week.

And in 2006, police arrested and charged nearly 20 Toronto-area men accused of planning to plant bombs at various Canadian targets. Eleven were eventually convicted.

"Today's arrests demonstrate that terrorism continues to be a real threat to Canada," Public Safety Minister Vic Toews told reporters in Ottawa.

"Canada will not tolerate terrorist activity and we will not be used as a safe haven for terrorists or those who support terrorist activities."

AL QAEDA IN IRAN

The Canadian authorities linked the two to al Qaeda factions in Iran, to the surprise of some security experts.

"The individuals were receiving support from al Qaeda elements located in Iran," Malizia said.

Iran did host some senior al Qaeda figures under a form of house arrest in the years following the September 11 attacks, but there has been little to no evidence to date of joint attempts to execute violence against the West.

However, a U.S. government source said Iran is home to a little-known network of alleged al Qaeda fixers and "facilitators" based in the Iranian city of Zahedan, very close to Iran's borders with both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The source said the operatives serve as go-betweens, travel agents and financial intermediaries for al Qaeda operatives and cells operating in Pakistan and moving through the area.

They do not operate under the protection of the Iranian government, which has a generally hostile attitude towards Sunni al Qaeda militants, and which periodically launches crackdowns on the al Qaeda elements, though at other times appears to turn a blind eye to them.

(Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball in Washington and Louise Egan in Ottawa; writing by Cameron French; editing by Janet Guttsman, Mary Milliken, Eric Walsh and Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-thwarts-al-qaeda-supported-passenger-train-plot-003741856.html

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Finance update passes floor test | EdNewsColorado

The proposed rewrite of Colorado?s school funding system won preliminary House approval Monday, with approval of two amendments intended to assuage the concerns of key interest groups.

Sen. Millie Hamner, D-Dillon

?There is nothing more important to Colorado than a well-educated population,? said prime sponsor Rep. Millie Hamner, D-Dillon. ?Senate Bill 13-213 is a very significant piece of education legislation. ? Our current school finance act is not working. It?s outdated.?

Republican opponents of the bill had a different view.

?The issue is the current school finance system hasn?t been adequately funded, and yet we say it doesn?t work,? argued Rep. Jim Wilson of Salida, a former school superintendent.

Rep Carole Murray, R-Castle Rock, said, ?What we see in this bill is more of the status quo.?

The 3 1/2-hour debate was dominated by enthusiastic but doomed attempts by minority Republicans to amend the bill. Proposed changes included extending the school year, providing more money for charter schools, raising pay for teachers of at-risk students and even adding the contents of a dead parent trigger bill onto SB 13-213.

Of more importance were two Democratic amendments that passed. One would increase funding for at-risk students in some districts where fewer than half of the enrollment is at-risk. The other changes the bill?s provisions relating to principal autonomy in spending some at-risk funding. Those changes had been pushed by some large suburban districts and by the Colorado Association of School Boards.

Debate recap

Do your homework

Major elements of the bill would fully fund preschool for at-risk students and full-day kindergarten for all students, provide a substantial increase in financial support for at-risk students and English language learners, give districts more flexibility to raise revenue locally and give principals more autonomy in spending some at-risk and ELL funding from the state.

The bill also would change how enrollment is counted, require more detailed financial reporting by schools and districts and mandate periodic studies of school funding and the effectiveness of the new funding system. The new system would roll out in 2015-16.

The brainchild of Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver, SB 13-213 grew out of nearly two years of study and consultation by a coalition of education and civic groups known as the Colorado School Finance Partnership.

But all those discussions didn?t mean the bill has had a smooth path through the legislature. Some suburban districts were unhappy that they?d receive smaller per-student increases than high-poverty districts like Denver and Aurora. Many charter schools were unhappy with their proposed funding while districts had different concerns about charter provisions. There also was pressure to expand to expand the possible uses of a $100 million innovation fund, which originally was restricted to lengthening of the school year for districts that want to do that.

The bill awaits a final House roll-call vote, and then the House and Senate will have to agree on amendments. That isn?t expected to be a major problem, given that the successful House amendments were carefully monitored and negotiated by Johnston and his staff.

So although the bill now looks likely to pass, the final say will be with the voters. The bill has a price tag of about $1 billion, and funding it requires approval of an income tax increase by voters. Two sets of possible tax-increase ballot measures are pending, and proponents are expected to decide in a few weeks which one to propose to voters.

Rep. Kevin Priola, R-Henderson, proposed many of the unsuccessful GOP amendments on the school finance bill.

Here?s more detail on the key Democratic amendments passed Monday:

??The bill includes a ?concentration? factor that tends to reward districts with very high percentages of at-risk students and English language learners, such as Denver and Aurora. That prompted districts with lower concentrations but significant numbers, such as Jefferson County, to complain. An amendment passed Monday increases per-pupil at-risk funding for 15 districts, including Jefferson County, St. Vrain, Mesa 51, Thompson, Brighton and Pueblo 70. Most districts would realize $274 more per at-risk student.

??The bill originally proposed that principals be given the freedom to decide how to spend state funding for at-risk and ELL students. The Colorado Association of School Boards was adamantly opposed to that, arguing it violated constitutional guarantees of local control. Business groups liked the provision because they like ?backpack? funding. The amendment approved Monday gives school board review power over principals? spending plans.

??The bill?s approach to charter school funding has been a hotly contested issue. An amendment adopted Monday creates a formula for distribution of extra funding to charters to compensate for facilities costs, something that some charters currently havo cover from per-pupil instructional revenues.

Republican amendments covered the waterfront, and proposed, among other things:

• Appending an A-F school and district grading system and a parent trigger provision to the bill. (Both were contained in House Bill 13-1172, killed earlier in the session.
• Adding 10 more days to the school year.
• Increased funding for charter schools.
• Bonus pay for teachers who work with at-risk students.
• Changing the bill?s definition of at-risk and diluting the at-risk and ELL concentration factors.
• A ban on extracurricular and transportation fees.

One Republican amendment, proposed by Murray, R-Castle Rock, was approved. It would provide $1 million for principal training in budgeting, part of the backpack funding issue.

Republicans proposed more than 20 amendments (not counting Murray?s and two that were withdrawn), compared to 18 proposed by Hamner and her Democratic allies. GOP members also tried ?do overs? on eight amendments, as is allowed at the end of preliminary consideration.

Late in the debate, after the initial round of amending was done, Rep. Cheri Gerou, R-Evergreen, came to the microphone to tease Democrats about the complicated algebraic equation ? with square roots ? that?s included in the bill, in the section covering how state and local shares of school funding are to be calculated.

?Nobody can explain this funding formula,? Gerou complained. ?You don?t understand your funding formula.?

Democrats were a little shaky on that issue. Hamner said, ?The only people who will understand the formula are our district chief financial officers.?

One school district lobbyist, watching the proceedings from the House gallery, quipped that maybe even the CFOs don?t grasp everything about SB 13-213.

Source: http://www.ednewscolorado.org/news/capitol-news/finance-update-passes-floor-test

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Philips Q1 profits fall on unfavorable comparison

AMSTERDAM (AP) ? Royal Philips NV, the maker of lights, home appliances and health-care equipment, says first quarter earnings fell on the back of soft sales and unfavorable annual comparisons.

Even so, the company says Monday its underlying margins have improved due to cutting costs.

In the first quarter, Philips made a net profit of 162 million euros ($212 million), down from 183 million euros in the first quarter of 2012 when it enjoyed 119 million euros worth of one-time gains, notably from the sale of its Senseo coffee maker brand. Sales fell 1 percent to 5.26 billion euros.

Chief executive Frans van Houten says the company is reiterating its view of a slow first half to 2013 due to "adverse" market trends, especially in Europe and the U.S.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/philips-q1-profits-fall-unfavorable-comparison-071215907--finance.html

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Hagel on first trip to Mideast as Pentagon chief

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel listens prior to testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 17, 2013, before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Pentagon's budget for fiscal 2014 and beyond. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel listens prior to testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 17, 2013, before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Pentagon's budget for fiscal 2014 and beyond. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 17, 2103, before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Pentagon's budget for fiscal 2014 and beyond. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Saturday began a weeklong trip to the Middle East to consult with Israeli leaders on Syria's civil war and Iran's nuclear program and to discuss a set of U.S. arms deals with Israel and two Arab countries.

On his first Mideast visit as Pentagon chief, Hagel planned stops in Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Each is a longstanding U.S. security partner and each is concerned by the threat of Syria's collapse and Iran's suspected pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

Hagel's focus on Israel comes in light of the criticism he drew from some in Congress who opposed his nomination to be defense secretary. An unusually vigorous public campaign to block his nomination featured claims that he is "anti-Israel," a charge the former Republican senator from Nebraska vehemently denies.

Hagen's bruising Senate confirmation hearing in February raised questions about whether he had been hard enough on Iran, but he repeatedly said he backed U.S. and international penalties against Tehran for its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Some groups slammed Hagel's use of the term "Jewish lobby" to refer to pro-Israel group seeking to influence lawmakers in Washington. He has publicly apologized and said he should have used different wording.

The U.S. is finalizing $10 billion in arms deals with Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that will provide them with a range of weaponry, including aircraft and missiles. During his stop in each of those three countries, Hagel was expected to discuss details of each segment of those arms sales.

Hagel's visit to Israel comes one month after President Barack Obama was in Jerusalem to reassure Israelis of a U.S. commitment to their security and to urge renewed effort to move forward with Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Washington shares Israel's concern about the Syrian conflict posing a direct threat to the Jewish state, especially if Syria loses control of its sizable arsenal of chemical weapons.

Syria also will be at or near the top of Hagel's agenda when he meets with Jordanian officials in the capital, Amman. Earlier this month he approved the deployment of an Army headquarters unit to Jordan to work with Jordanian forces and to prepare for a range of future developments, presumably including a crisis over controlling Syria's chemical weapons.

At the center of the Pentagon's security consultations with Israel in recent years has been the threat of Iran's suspected pursuit of a nuclear bomb. Israel's worry is that Iran's nuclear program will progress technologically to the point where Israeli airstrikes could not stop it. Iranian leaders insist their program is designed to produce electricity from nuclear reactors, not to manufacture an atomic bomb.

Speculation about an Israeli strike on Iran peaked in February 2012 with publication of a Washington Post column that said Leon Panetta, who was Pentagon chief at the time, believed there was a strong likelihood that Israel would launch an attack within a few months. The Obama administration has opposed an Israeli strike, and recently there has been relatively little talk about Israeli unilateral action.

Hagel's visit also coincides with renewed Obama administration interest in reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Secretary of State John Kerry, who was in Israel this month, has put new attention on the long-stalemated process.

On Wednesday, Kerry told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that he believes the "window for a two-state solution is shutting," referring to the notion of forging a deal that would enable Israel and Palestine to exist as separate states, each recognized by its neighbors. In a year or two, he said, that window will close.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-04-20-US-Hagel-Mideast/id-6eb39f2c51d04b9e8474d258b49f2a38

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GoComics app released for iOS, Android and Windows Phone, digitizes the Sunday funnies

If you're an avid reader of the many comic strips on Universal Uclick's GoComics website, you'll be pleased to know the company's recently released its first app for mobile devices. Optimized for tablets and smartphones running Windows Phone, Android and iOS, the company states that the free app serves as the "official home" on mobile for its syndicated comics. Notably, this includes the likes of the full Calvin & Hobbes archives, along with Universal Uclick citing it as the exclusive portal to Dilbert strips on mobile. We won't keep you any longer now that you know, so head over to the appropriate source link if you'd like to download it for yourself.

Filed under: Misc, Software

Comments

Source: Univeral Uclick (App Store), (Google Play), (Windows Store)

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/AQVniolT6b4/

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Rumor: Nokia Is Planning a Galaxy Note Rival and Lighter Aluminum Lumia

The Financial Times is reporting that Nokia is, unfathomably, working on a large-screened smartphone whose size will rival that of Samsung's Galaxy Note series. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ZNlZkMLQbyM/rumor-nokia-is-planning-a-galaxy-note-rival

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Boston blast investigators identify a face

>>> we will find out and we will hold accountable and bring to justice whoever is responsible. but this investigation is now not even 48 hours old and it is important that we maintain the integrity of the investigation.

>> today, the fbi first postponed and then canceled their regular briefing on the investigation into the boston marathon bombing. authorities told ncbc news that authorities have a face but not the name of someone seen on camera. they just have the face. someone dropping a black bag near the second blast site. an official says investigators are zeroing in on some people. joining me now is nbc news national investigative correspondent michael isikoff and agent james calf nau. how did the news media get out of control on this, some of the other networks saying they had an arrest and then how did that in any way possibly lead to the canceling of the regular briefing?

>> we don't know for sure. and it's too bad because it would have been good to clear up what's become a confusing situation but my sense is, some investigators got pretty excited about these surveillance photos, that they were able to identify somebody who they thought had left off a bag at the bomb site that could have been the bomb. they were helped very much by the footage they got in from the camera at the lord & taylor department store , a few hundred yards down the road here. and that led to a lot of excitement and hopes that there had been a major breakthrough. it's not clear how big of a breakthrough it is. clearly it's progress. clearly they've got something to work with. but i'm -- we're reporting tonight that they've distributed -- the fbi is distributing a photo image of the individual to other federal law enforcement agencies asking for them to help in helping to identify this individual. it's a pretty good indication they don't know at this moment who that is. and so this could still be yet quite an arduous task without a name who they are looking for. they don't know who they are looking for and beyond that, they don't know that that person is necessarily connected to the bombing. they know that they've got surveillance photo that is suggestive and raises questions and they want answers. but we're still pretty far off from getting a real breakthrough in this case.

>> james cavanaugh , an asset that the fbi and police do not have is the ability to trace gunpowder. why do they not have that ability now?

>> that was blocked in the '70s. these were little taggants, the size of a period on a piece of paper. i was around at the time, we trained with them, they were magnetic and they would glow in the dark . we would go out with magnets, special gloves, black lights , and we could actually recover these taggants after a bomb detonated and be able to tell us the date shift code, which is basically the lot and serial number of a batch of dynamite. we were very excited about it. we sent some of those explosives into the field, a homicide case was solved in the baltimore division with it but eventually when it got to the hill, gun lobby got involved, basically said, you know, if you let the atf tag explosives, next they are going to tag the powder and then road den drons and whatever. it hurt many bombing cases which is atf is particularly interested in solving 40 years ago and through today.

>> and james , where do you think this investigation would be tonight were it not for the nra's blocking that particular investigative tool?

>> well, in theory, lawrence, it could have given us a lot number. in theory, that's possible. you know, when you're working on a difficult case like this as mike described, every little bit of information can help you build the case. but you just had the governor on and i just want to i sa, this case from afar was being well run. this task force was tight, despite what happened today in the media, this task force is great. you can see the way it's been running. i've been involved in many of these cases. the agencies, boston police , boston police bomb squad , detective bureau right on through the state police , immigration, u.s. attorney , and i've worked with governor patrick. he flew to alabama and worked with me on the church fires. he's a good leader. they are doing a great job and they are going to break the case.

>> james , do you have any insight as to why this briefing would have been canceled today?

>> i think the commanders are probably at a decision point on whether or not they are going to further release the images. meek talked about it and he's exactly right. you know, you have an image, it could be very significant to identify a person or not. let me give you an example. in the eric rudolph case, we had a photograph of eric rudolph with the alice pack , with a backpack, with a bomb in it at olympic park but the photograph was so distant, we could hardly make him out. we used to call them in the command post , blob man, because we could see him threw but couldn't make out the features. we had that image for years but were never able to get an identification from it. so the clarity of the video, is the face available, is the clothes readily recognizable. the commanders are trying to make all of those decisions carefully. and i would say this. i try to release it in a tight circle to see if i can get something first and then start making the decision, i wouldn't want to start holding that too long if i thought i could get to the identity of the guy or perpetrators by releasing to the public. because the main thing is to catch these bombers before they strike again.

>> michael isikoff , it seems that the next fbi briefing will, for some number of minutes anyway, be bogged down in the procedural question of why did you cancel the last briefing. and up until now it's been a flawlessly run system.

>> well, look, they've also got to figure out exactly what they are going to say and exactly how much they are going to release. they are going to be bombarded with questions about what they know about the potential persons of interests. i hesitate to call them suspects. they haven't called them suspects yet. but how much they know, how much they want to release, do they want to solace sit help from the public in identifying who these people are? my sense is they are not there yet. that's why they are showing the photos that i'm told was being distributed tonight involves a white man with a baseball cap about six feet tall or more. now, the first blush is, do you have anything that looks like this guy? do you know anything about this person? if they don't get something fairly quickly, i think they may well go to the public and we may well be seeing this photo asking the public, have you ever seen this person?

>> michael isikoff , james calf nau, thank you both for joining me tonight.

>> thanks, lawrence.

>>> coming up, rand paul's insults to the parents of the children killed at sandy hook elementary school . you will see president obama 's response to that in his own angry words. and the mother of the 9-year-old girl who was killed in the shooting that took down gabby giffords will join me and she will also respond to what rand paul

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clayton kershaw