Obama wants to boost aid to Egypt quickly

By msnbc.com staff and news services

DAVOS, Switzerland -- President Barack Obama plans to accelerate the pace of American aid to Egypt by redirecting non-urgent aid slated for other countries, a top U.S. diplomat said Wednesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the annual World Economic Forum, Undersecretary of State Robert Hormats said Washington wants to provide more immediate benefits to the most populous Arab nation, which earlier this month conducted its?first democratic elections in decades.

Besides redirecting some foreign aid, funding in the pipeline for long-term programs in Egypt would be shifted to quick-impact projects, Hormats said.

Related: Huge crowd gathers in Cairo

Congress approved $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt for the current fiscal year, but with conditions attached. It also approved $250 million in economic aid, as well as an "enterprise fund" of up to $60 million.

It was unclear whether the total amount of U.S. aid to Egypt would be increased.

"Whether it's an increase or whether it's reprioritizing existing assistance, we're still working this out," Hormats said.

Also, he said,?the White House had not made any?decisions and that he was providing Washington's "broad thinking" on the subject.

The United States wants to be seen as doing more to assist a hoped-for democratic evolution in Egypt, where the military still holds ultimate power on the first anniversary of protests that ousted President Hosni Mubarak, Hormats said.

Photos: One year on, Egyptians fill Tahrir Square again

In his State of the Union address Tuesday, Obama said the United States had a "huge stake in the outcome" of the revolutions that have swept the Arab world?but offered no concrete proposals for additional assistance.

Retuers contributed to this report.

Get instant updates from NBC News correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin on Twitter:

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10235860-obama-wants-to-boost-aid-to-egypt-quickly

mists of pandaria 20 20 gunner kiel gunner kiel baby lisa baby lisa paranormal activity

Obama turns attention to energy in key states (AP)

LAS VEGAS ? President Barack Obama is announcing the sale of oil and gas drilling leases for nearly 38 million acres in the Gulf Coast and promoting the completion of a highway corridor for vehicles that run on liquefied natural gas, a response to critics who say his policies have stifled domestic energy production.

Obama was making his announcements in Nevada Thursday, just days after drawing Republican criticism for rejecting a cross-country oil pipeline that would have delivered Canadian tar sands oil to refineries in Texas.

Obama was to speak at a Las Vegas UPS center to showcase a refueling station that will permit vehicles that use liquefied natural gas to travel from the Port of Long Beach to Salt Lake City. The station was built with help from Obama's 2009 economic stimulus plan.

By highlighting the natural gas refueling station and the sale of energy leases on the Gulf, Obama is drawing attention to two aspects of his energy policy ? greater domestic energy production and investment in cleaner energy sources.

The nearly 38-million-acre parcel the Obama administration is putting up for lease is part of an offshore drilling plan for 2007-12 put in place by President George W. Bush. But after the massive BP oil spill led to an overhaul of the government's oversight of offshore exploration and production, some of those areas had to be re-evaluated for the environmental risks associated with drilling.

Combined with other parts of Obama's "all-of-the-above" energy pitch, the White House is portraying the president as willing to seek the middle ground on energy after Republicans and the industry criticized him for the moratorium put in place after the Gulf disaster, the rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada, and other policies they say have hampered production, jobs and national energy security.

The lease proposal includes Obama administration measures designed to encourage oil and gas exploration companies to develop the leases. The Interior Department has increased the minimum bid for deepwater leases to $100 an acre from $37.50. Administration officials said Wednesday that the increase was designed to give leaseholders incentives to invest in acreage they would be more likely to explore. Escalating rental rates are also designed to encourage faster exploration and development.

Later, speaking at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado, Obama was expected to highlight the expanded use of clean energy by the Defense Department. The Air Force is installing a one-megawatt solar array on the base and it tested jets last year that are powered by advanced biofuels.

In choosing Nevada and Colorado, Obama is returning to two states that are important to his re-election.

Obama last visited both states in late October, using that trip to launch a phase of his campaign to jumpstart the economy. With economic indicators improving, Obama this time visits on a higher note.

Both states hold their presidential caucuses within the next two weeks ? events that have grown in importance since the Republican contest for the White House continues to shift and narrow to a choice between former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

On Wednesday, Obama traveled to Iowa and Arizona to push for tax incentives for manufacturers. His three-day, post-State of the Union trip concludes Friday in Michigan.

Offering a preview of his energy agenda, Obama said Wednesday he was pushing for a renewed economy. "It's an economy built on American energy, fueled by homegrown and alternative energy sources that make us more secure and less dependent on foreign oil," he told workers at a Cedar Rapids manufacturing plant that specializes in conveyor screws.

Obama won both Nevada and Colorado in 2008. Nevada has had the nation's highest unemployment, in excess of the national average. But a poll in December by the Las Vegas Review-Journal showed Obama with a 6-percentage-point lead over Romney and a 12 point lead over Gingrich.

Colorado offers an example of a state with a mix of energy programs, from a booming solar-energy industry to natural gas extraction that is a result of a compromise between energy companies and environmentalists.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama

batman arkham city weather orlando winston churchill winston churchill arkham city conjugated linoleic acid world series schedule

International Development - Director Of Finance

Devex-UN Foundation ?innovative finance? campaign wraps up

Over the past month, in a collaboration with the United Nations Foundation, Devex has featured ideas from some of the world?s top thinkers on innovative financing. These guest opinions were full of insight, passion and optimism for a future without extreme poverty and hunger. Here's a look at what we call "Busannovate: Making the Money go Further."

Source: http://www.devex.com/en/jobs/director-of-finance-18713

vanessa paradis vanessa paradis when will ios 5 be released when will ios 5 be released ipod nano watch ipod nano watch dancing with the stars elimination

Slot Machines ? Basic Online Gaming Strategy | Online Gaming Tips

Posted by Admin on January 25th, 2012

Considering that luck plays a main role in these games, a concerted effort has been taken to devise winning techniques that undermine the ?luck factor?. In spite of this, a positive-to-win strategy for slot games is virtually impossible to formulate. 1 of the factors is that slot machines, with out an exception, are pre-programmed. Moreover, the random nature of payouts makes it increasingly difficult to work out a winning formula.

Click here to pay a visit to The Finest On-line Casino

However, there are some strategies that online gamers can adopt to increase their chances of winning. These methods can support you hit a big jackpot or at the least, guarantee returns most of the time.

The ?bankroll? is one of the most efficient strategies in slot games. For online gamers, the rule of the thumb is ? play a machine based on your bankroll. Start off with low denomination machines. In doing so, the possibility of winning is greater since the number of spins you have is greater.
It is crucial that 1 gets acquainted with the payout schedule before playing. The payouts will vary based on the specified quantity of coins you require to play. Normally, jackpots call for gamers to play the highest number of coins. So, the a lot more number of coins you play, larger will your prize income be, in case you win.

A easy way to boost your chances of winning is by selecting a machine that delivers high payback rates. Higher the payback percentage, greater are your chances of realizing returns. There are machines that supply rates in the range of 95%-98%, so it is worthwhile to identify the highest paying machine just before you play your coins.
The next technique is closely connected to bankroll management. It is recommended that you set a limit for yourself just before playing slot machines. With a set amount, you can make certain that you don?t go bankrupt. And by sticking to the very same amount even when you win massive, the experience of playing is enhanced.

The final technique is based on an unethical practice observed among slot machine operators. Numerous instances in the past, gamers discovered that the machines run out of funds. Regardless of winning, they had to return empty-handed. Much more usually than not, this was a ploy adopted by operators, wherein the machines were programmed to provide no cash to the winners. Nonetheless, this is not the case any more. Stringent rules and regulations have ensured that slot machine loopholes are not leveraged by operators. A Random Number Generator ? RNG ? program is utilised to guarantee that each and every spin is not preprogrammed. However, it is important that you play in portals with a excellent reputation to rule out any possibility of becoming conned. And whenever you win, do not forget to collect your payout.

?

http://www.onlinecasinosgames-onlinegambling.com/online-slots/slot-machines-fundamental-online-gaming-strategy.html

Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Source: http://www.coscn.org/slot-machines-basic-online-gaming-strategy.html

fullerton police beating fullerton police beating ron artest name change pat boone psn down rem typhoon

Gaddafi supporters seize control of Libyan town (Reuters)

TRIPOLI (Reuters) ? Supporters of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi seized control of the town of Bani Walid on Monday after clashes with a militia loyal to the new government in which four people were killed, witnesses told Reuters.

A resident of Bani Walid, about 200 km (120 miles) south-east of Tripoli, said the sides fought using heavy weaponry, including 106 mm anti-tank weapons, and that 20 people were wounded.

Another witness told Reuters the fighting had now stopped but that Gaddafi loyalists were in control of the town centre, where they were flying green flags, a symbol of allegiance to the ousted administration.

"They control the town now. They are roaming the town," said the witness, a fighter with the 28th May militia which was fighting the Gaddafi loyalists.

Bani Walid, base of the powerful Warfallah tribe, was one of the last towns in Libya to surrender to the anti-Gaddafi rebellion last year. Many people there oppose the country's new leadership.

The uprising in Bani Walid could not come at a worse time for the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC). It is already reeling from violent protests in the eastern city of Benghazi and the resignation of its second most senior official.

An air force official told Reuters that jets were being mobilized to fly to Bani Walid. In Tripoli, there were signs of security being tightened, Reuters reporters in the city said.

FIGHTERS "MASSACRED"

The violence in Bani Walid was sparked when members of the May 28 militia arrested some Gaddafi loyalists.

That prompted other supporters of the former leader, who was captured and killed in October, to attack the militia's garrison in the town, said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"They massacred men at the doors of the militia headquarters," said the resident.

During Libya's nine-month civil war, anti-Gaddafi rebels fought for months to take Bani Walid.

Local tribal elders eventually agreed to let NTC fighters enter the town, but relations have been uneasy since and there have been occasional flare-ups of violence.

In November last year, several people were killed in Bani Walid when a militia group from Tripoli's Souq al-Juma district arrived in the town to try to arrest some local men.

Taking back control of the town will be challenging because it has natural defenses. Anyone approaching from the north has to descend into a deep valley and then climb up the other side, giving defenders an advantage.

It was this landscape, in part, that prevented anti-Gaddafi militias from taking the town during the civil war, despite the fact they were heavily armed and had superior numbers.

(Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/wl_nm/us_libya_fighting

jo paterno dead south carolina tuskegee airmen mike james cbs red tails red tails

Ship search finds 12th body, captain's documents

An Italian fireman descends from an helicopter to the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. The cruise captain who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information either to the company or crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise ship owner's CEO said as the search resumed for 21 missing passengers. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

An Italian fireman descends from an helicopter to the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. The cruise captain who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information either to the company or crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise ship owner's CEO said as the search resumed for 21 missing passengers. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

A woman checks if her clothes are dry as the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia is seen in background, off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. The cruise captain, Capt. Francesco Schettino, who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information either to the company or crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise ship owner's CEO said as the search resumed for 21 missing passengers. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

The grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia lays off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. The cruise captain who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information either to the company or crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise ship owner's CEO said as the search resumed for 21 missing passengers. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

An Italian Coast Guard boat patrols the area around the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. The cruise captain who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information either to the company or crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise ship owner's CEO said as the search resumed for 21 missing passengers. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

Fuel spilling experts work on the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. The cruise captain who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information either to the company or crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise ship owner's CEO said as the search resumed for 21 missing passengers. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

GIGLIO, Italy (AP) ? Divers plumbing the capsized Costa Concordia's murky depths pulled out the body of a woman in a life vest Saturday, while scuba-diving police swam through the captain's cabin to retrieve a safe and documents belonging to the man who abandoned the cruise liner after it was gashed by a rocky reef on the Tuscan coast.

Hoping for a miracle ? or at least for the recovery of bodies from the ship that has become an underwater tomb ? relatives of some of the 20 missing appealed to survivors of the Jan. 13 shipwreck to offer details that could help divers reach loved ones while it is still possible to search the luxury liner. The clock is ticking because the craft is perched precariously on a rocky ledge of seabed near Giglio island.

"We are asking the 4,000 persons who were on board to give any information they can about any of the persons still missing," said Alain Litzler, a Frenchman who is the father of missing passenger Mylene Litzler. "We need precise information to help the search and rescue teams find them."

Early Sunday, instruments monitoring any movement of the Concordia indicated that vessel had shifted slightly, so search efforts were suspended for the night, Italian state radio reported.

The death toll rose to at least 12 Saturday after a water-logged body was extracted from a passageway near a gathering point for evacuation by lifeboats in the rear of the vessel, Coast Guard Cmdr. Filippo Marini said. It was not immediately clear if the woman was a passenger or crew member. A female Peruvian bartender and several adult female passengers were among the 21 people listed as missing before the latest corpse was found.

Relatives of the bartender and of an Indian crewman, along with two children of an elderly couple from Minnesota who are among the missing, boarded a boat Saturday to view the wrecked Concordia Saturday, said a maritime official, Fabrizio Palombo.

Family members tossed flowers near the site while islanders standing on the rocky edge of the island also strew bouquets on the water in a tribute to the victims.

Another Coast Guard official, Cosimo Nicastro, said the woman's body was found during a particularly risky inspection.

"The corridor was very narrow, and the divers' lines risked snagging" on furniture and objects floating in the passageway, Nicastro said. To help the coast guard divers reach the area, Italian navy divers had preceded them, setting off charges to blast holes for easier entrance and exit.

Meanwhile, police divers, carrying out orders from prosecutors investigating Captain Francesco Schettino for suspected manslaughter and abandoning the ship, swam through the cold, dark waters to reach his cabin. State TV and the Italian news agency ANSA reported that the divers located and remove his safe and two suitcases. His passport and several documents were also pulled out, state media said.

Searchers inspecting the bridge Saturday also found a hard disk containing data of the voyage, Sky TG24 TV reported.

Three bodies were found in waters around the ship in the first hours after the accident. Since then, divers have gone inside the Concordia to recover all the remaining victims, who were apparently unable to escape the lurching ship during a chaotic evacuation launched almost an hour after the liner hit a reef.

Some survivors who couldn't board lifeboats waited for hours aboard the capsizing craft for rescue by helicopters while others jumped into the water and swam to safety.

The last survivor, found aboard 36 hours after the crash, was an Italian crewman who broke his leg in the confusion and couldn't leave the ship.

The Concordia hit the reef, well-marked on maritime and even tourist maps, while most of the passengers sat down to dinner in the main restaurant, about two hours after the ship had set sail from the port of Civitavecchia on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Costa Crociere, the ship's operator and subsidiary of U.S.-based Carnival Cruise Lines, has said the captain had deviated without permission from the vessel's route in an apparent maneuver to sail close to the island of Giglio and impress passengers.

Schettino, despite audiotapes of his defying Coast Guard orders to scramble back aboard, has denied he abandoned ship while hundreds of passengers were desperately trying to get off the capsizing vessel. He has said he coordinated the rescue from aboard a lifeboat and then from the shore.

The effort to find survivors and bodies has postponed an operation to remove heavy fuel in the Concordia's tanks; specialized equipment has been standing by for days.

Light fuel, apparently from machinery aboard the capsized ship, was spotted in nearby waters, authorities said Saturday.

But Nicastro said there was no indication that any of the nearly 500,000 gallons (2,200 metric tons) of heavy fuel oil has leaked from the ship's double-bottomed tanks, seen as a risk if the ship's position changes. He said the leaked substance appears to be diesel, which is used to fuel rescue boats and dinghies and as a lubricant for ship machinery.

There are 185 tons of diesel and lubricants on board the crippled vessel, which is lying on its side just outside Giglio's port. Nicastro described the fuel in the sea as "very light, very superficial" and appearing to be under control.

But an official leading rescue, search and anti-pollution efforts for the ship suggested that the luxury liner would have leaked contaminants on board when it tipped over.

"We must not forget that on that ship there are oils, solvents, detergents, everything that a city of 4,000 people needs," Franco Gabrielli, the head of Italy's civil protection agency, told reporters in Giglio.

Gabrielli was referring to the roughly 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew who were aboard the cruise liner when it ran into the reef and, with seawater rushing into a 230-foot (70-meter) gash in its hull, listed and fell onto its side. "Contamination of the environment, ladies and gentlemen, already occurred" when the liner capsized, Gabrelli said.

Vessels equipped with machinery to suck out the light fuel oil were in the area. Earlier on Saturday, crews removed oil-absorbing booms used to prevent environmental damage in case of a leak. Originally white, the booms were grayish.

Schettino, is under house arrest for investigation of alleged manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship before all were evacuated.

The search had been suspended Friday after the Concordia shifted, prompting fears the ship could roll off a rocky ledge of sea bed and plunge deeper into the pristine waters around Giglio, part of a seven-island Tuscan archipelago.

___

D'Emilio reported from Rome. Colleen Barry contributed from Milan and Andrea Foa from Giglio.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-21-EU-Italy-Cruise-Aground/id-5babbe3aff9048afa65f7d6befb715f5

jcole jcole j cole j. cole j. cole joe namath austin weather

Lawmakers ponder major repairs to UK's Parliament

The Palace of Westminster including St Stephen's Tower housing the famous Big Ben clock in London, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. British lawmakers are considering whether they will need to abandon the House of Commons for the first time since World War II. Legislators were meeting Monday to discuss if future maintenance work to the Palace of Westminster _ home to the Commons and the House of Lords _ would need the two chambers to briefly move out. Consideration of possible repairs follows the disclosure in October that Parliament's clock tower _ often known as Big Ben _ is nearly 18 inches (nearly half a meter) out of line. The palace, which was rebuilt in the mid-19th Century, is expected to need major repairs in the coming years. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

The Palace of Westminster including St Stephen's Tower housing the famous Big Ben clock in London, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012. British lawmakers are considering whether they will need to abandon the House of Commons for the first time since World War II. Legislators were meeting Monday to discuss if future maintenance work to the Palace of Westminster _ home to the Commons and the House of Lords _ would need the two chambers to briefly move out. Consideration of possible repairs follows the disclosure in October that Parliament's clock tower _ often known as Big Ben _ is nearly 18 inches (nearly half a meter) out of line. The palace, which was rebuilt in the mid-19th Century, is expected to need major repairs in the coming years. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

LONDON (AP) ? British lawmakers are considering whether they will need to abandon the House of Commons for the first time since World War II.

Legislators were meeting Monday to discuss if future maintenance work to the Palace of Westminster ? home to the Commons and the House of Lords ? would need the two chambers to briefly move out.

Between 1940 and 1941, both Houses of Parliament met in London's Church House, after bombs destroyed the Commons chamber and damaged the Lords.

Consideration of possible repairs follows the disclosure in October that Parliament's clock tower ? known as Big Ben ? is nearly 18 inches (nearly half a meter) out of line.

The palace, which was rebuilt in the mid-19th Century, is expected to need major repairs in the coming years.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-23-EU-Britain-Parliament/id-9564fe33bed445e0a57a41d86af8e2a2

portland trailblazers casey anthony leann rimes dakota fanning joseph kennedy iii casey anthony video diary lamarcus aldridge

The Smart Way to Play God with Earth's Limited Land

Features | Energy & Sustainability

Can humans grow enough food, produce enough energy and still preserve some of the last refuges of other species--both plant and animal--on the planet?

By Mark Lynas ?| January 20, 2012?|

OIL PALM: Transforming tropical forests into oil palm plantations, as seen here in Indonesia, and other land use changes are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity. Image: ? iStockphoto.com / Vaara

Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from Mark Lynas's book, The God Species: Saving the Planet in the Age of Humans.?

The vast majority of the planet?s ice-free land surface ? 83 per cent according to one study (pdf)?? is now influenced by humans in some way or another. Where I live, in the British Isles, no part of the landscape is totally unaltered by people. The Lake District, for example, if left ungrazed by sheep, would revert to dense woodland on all but the highest peaks. Throughout the entire United Kingdom, the only species that have survived into the modern era are those that are able to coexist with human domination of the land: others, from beavers to wolves, have been extirpated entirely.

Human impacts on land may be much greater than is obvious at first sight. Roads, for example, appear to directly affect only a relatively small strip of land, but they also cut ecosystems in half, altering the survival prospects of species living on either side of them. With an estimated 1 million animals killed every day on America?s road network, the effect of this constant removal of predators and prey is felt over much wider areas.?A seminal 2002 study of the ecological effects of a busy four-lane highway in Massachusetts found impacts ? varying from wetland drainage to noise ? across a broad 600-metre corridor. The consequent nationwide effects over the United States? entire 6.2-million-kilometre road network can only be guessed at.

Whilst busy paved roads are a recent phenomenon, general human transformation of the land surface has been accelerating for millennia. The Roman empire deforested large areas around the Mediterranean, contributing to soil erosion and declining fertility. The European continent?s landscape changed dramatically between ad 500, when it was still four-fifths covered by swamp and woodland, and ad 1300, when half of this natural land had already been converted to agriculture. This transformative process fluctuated in lockstep with human population growth: when the Black Death killed a third of Europe?s population in the early fifteenth century, forests stopped their decline and began to regrow. To this day, many of Germany?s most valued ?natural? woodlands owe their existence to the depopulation wrought by the medieval plague.

With so little of the Earth?s land still pristine and unaffected by humans, the idea of the ?wilderness? has less and less meaning in the modern world. Indeed, if pollution and climate change are taken into account, no part of the planet?s surface is any longer truly wild. This does not mean that we must gloomily accept the continuing diminution of semi-wild areas and the erosion of the vital ecosystem services they provide. It does mean though that we need to challenge some orthodoxies that are no longer useful in this new era of near-total human planetary dominance. ?Getting close to nature? or going ?back to the land? will generally not be good for the environment, however psychologically fulfilling these objectives may be to individuals seeking escape from industrial living. Instead, we need to intensify agriculture and other human land uses in existing areas as much as possible, and encourage as an environmental boon the growth of the world?s major cities that already successfully concentrate today?s enormous human population onto only a tiny proportion of the world?s land. The most positive trend of all in allowing us to minimise our impact on the planet?s surface is one more often bemoaned than celebrated: urbanisation.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=137b136b22acec22d5f509e73d6756fe

nelson mandela champions online

Generation 88 activists back Myanmar's reform path (AP)

YANGON, Myanmar ? Prominent student activists recently released from prison in Myanmar said Saturday they will work with political reformers and support pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in upcoming by-elections.

Min Ko Naing, a top member of the 88 Generation Students Group, said it would always side with those who strive for "fairness, freedom and equality" and join hands with supporters of President Thein Sein's reforms.

The group's name refers to a failed democracy uprising in 1988 that resulted in long prison terms for the activists. They were at the cutting edge of that rebellion and are widely admired for their perseverance and dedication despite the threat of re-arrest always hanging over them.

At least four 88 Generation members spoke at the news conference, attended by about 500 people, including many of their supporters. It was their first joint public appearance since being released from prison on Jan. 13.

Thein Sein took office last year as chief executive of a military-backed but elected government after two decades of military repression made Myanmar a pariah state. Reforms he has initiated include starting a dialogue with Suu Kyi, legalizing labor unions and signing a cease-fire agreement in a long-running campaign against Karen insurgents.

An 88 Generation statement said the group "will participate to the fullest extent with the government led by the President, the parliament, military, political parties and ethnic minority groups for the emergence of democracy, peace and development."

"There are those who want to carry out reforms and those who are averse to reforms. We promise that the 88 Generation Students will side with the reformists," said Min Ko Naing.

Suu Kyi has expressed cautious optimism in the reform movement and lent her support by having her National League for Democracy reregister as a legal political party, and contest all 48 seats at stake in an April 1 by-election. The NLD had boycotted the November 2010 general election, saying it was conducted in an unfair and undemocratic manner.

Another Generation 88 member, Ko Ko Gyi, said the group would not run in the upcoming polls but "will support ... Aung San Suu Kyi who has made a risky and practical choice in order to achieve national reconciliation."

Some critics fear the military is using Suu Kyi as window-dressing to promote Myanmar as democratic while the countries constitution ensures army dominance over politics. For more than two decades, the military had kept the upper hand despite Suu Kyi's nonviolent resistance, armed conflict with ethnic minority groups, and political and economic sanctions by Western nations.

Another Generation 88 member, Mya Aye said that many political prisoners remain in prison.

"The fact is that the government's denial to acknowledge the existence of political prisoners amounts to ignoring the reality," he said.

After the initial euphoria over this month's release of about 500 political prisoners, it became evident that many convicts who are political detainees by most definitions remain behind bars because they were convicted of crimes not regarded by the government as political offenses.

The number of those still held is nearly impossible to determine because of the various crimes under which they are held and the limited information available about the detainees.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), based in neighboring Thailand, welcomed the releases, but pointed out that they are conditional and can be withdrawn, putting practical limits on those freed.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_as/as_myanmar_politics

playoffs kelly clarkson empty nest braveheart nbc sports bengals vs texans nfl playoffs

Should couples share passwords?

Live Poll

Should couples share passwords?

• 173871

  ABSOLUTELY. Those that have nothing to hide, hide nothing.

  51%

• 173872

  NO. We're still individuals entitled to privacy and we trust each other.

  49%

VoteTotal Votes: 1030

By Athima Chansanchai

Just how much do you trust your spouse or partner? Enough to share passwords? For some, passwords are the final frontier of privacy not only in financial matters, but in social media and email correspondence. But for others, there are no secrets when you're in a relationship?? even risking the potential payback should a break-up sever the happy union.

The New York Times tells us about an "intimate custom" writer Matt Ritchel says is happening between teens in love: "sharing their passwords to email,?Facebook?and other accounts." The desire to be one even extends, the article claims, to couples creating identical passwords and letting each other read private emails and texts.?

For some, it takes a court order to share so much.

But for others, it's imperative to know each other's passwords as part of an open, healthy and fully functioning relationship. Sometimes this comes after a loss of trust, as when one partner has cheated on the other. On the Surviving Infidelity website, where more than 34,000 members have exchanged stories of betrayal and support one another in the forums, there is a saying that becomes a mantra for many of them: "Those who have nothing to hide, hide nothing." To that end, nothing is private anymore in order to facilitate healing for the offended party.?

In this philosophy, those who have been unfaithful should share (or make open and available) not only passwords to their email accounts and Facebook, but also the contents of their text messages, phone logs, work and travel itineraries "without qualms."

Many in those forums mention how finding secret Facebook and email correspondences led to the big reveal of infidelity in their marriages and relationships, and we've seen surveys that attribute at least some fault in Facebook, though an informal poll we took at the end of year showed that nearly half of the 876 votes attributed the demise of their marriages with other factors. But 34 percent did blame Facebook.

Some of the teens in the New York Times article who opened themselves up were dealt a nasty lesson in human nature when their not-so-better halves decided to use the passwords in retaliation for perceived wrongs. The Times listed some examples:

The stories of fallout include a spurned boyfriend in junior high who tries to humiliate his ex-girlfriend by spreading her e-mail secrets; tensions between significant others over scouring each other?s private messages for clues of disloyalty or infidelity; or grabbing a cellphone from a former best friend, unlocking it with a password and sending threatening texts to someone else.

Take our poll and let us know if couples should share passwords.

More stories:

Check out Technolog on?Facebook, and on Twitter, follow?Athima Chansanchai, who is also trying to keep her head above water in the?Google+?stream.

Source: http://digitallife.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/20/10199414-should-couples-share-passwords

tebowing washington wizards rudy zynga free shipping free shipping esophageal cancer

Fundamental malaria discovery

ScienceDaily (Jan. 20, 2012) ? A team of researchers led by Kasturi Haldar and Souvik Bhattacharjee of the University of Notre Dame's Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases has made a fundamental discovery in understanding how malaria parasites cause deadly disease.

The researchers show how parasites target proteins to the surface of the red blood cell that enables sticking to and blocking blood vessels. Strategies that prevent this host-targeting process will block disease.

The research findings appear in the Jan. 20 edition of the journal Cell. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Malaria is a blood disease that kills nearly 1 million people each year. It is caused by a parasite that infects red cells in the blood. Once inside the cell, the parasite exports proteins beyond its own plasma membrane border into the blood cell. These proteins function as adhesins that help the infected red blood cells stick to the walls of blood vessels in the brain and cause cerebral malaria, a deadly form of the disease that kills over half a million children each year.

In all cells, proteins are made in a specialized cell compartment called the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) from where they are delivered to other parts of the cell. Haldar and Bhattacharjee and collaborators Robert Stahelin at the Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend (who also is an adjunct faculty member in Notre Dame's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry), and David and Kaye Speicher at the University of Pennsylvania's Wistar Institute discovered that for host-targeted malaria proteins the very first step is binding to the lipid phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate, PIP, in the ER.

This was surprising for two reasons. Previous studies suggested an enzyme called Plasmepsin V that released the proteins into the ER was also the export mechanism. However, Haldar, Bhattacharjee and colleagues discovered that binding to PIP lipid which occurs first is the gate keeper to control export and that export can occur without Plasmepsin V action. Further, in higher eukaryotic cells (such as in humans), the lipid PIP is not usually found within the ER membrane but rather is exposed to the cellular cytoplasm.

Haldar and Bhattacharjee are experts in malaria parasite biology and pathogenesis. Stahelin is an expert in PIP lipid biology, and David and Kaye Speicher are experts in proteomics and a method called mass spectrometry.

Their interdisciplinary collaboration reveals a fundamental, novel cellular function, whose disruption can provide new therapies that are urgently needed for malaria.

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Notre Dame.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Souvik Bhattacharjee, Robert?V. Stahelin, Kaye?D. Speicher, David?W. Speicher, Kasturi Haldar. Endoplasmic Reticulum PI(3)P Lipid Binding Targets Malaria Proteins to the Host Cell. Cell, 2012; 148 (1-2): 201 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.10.051

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/0ITSbQ2FgwQ/120120184532.htm

snow day snow day neti pot iron chef bath and body works coupons jeff probst jeff probst

Poll Numbers Show Daunting Re-election Task for Obama (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Around my small town, very few people talk about being better off than they were when President Barack Obama was elected. In fact, amongst the boarded up buildings of businesses that have folded over the last year, there are the business that are operating on shortened hours. Business owners trying to hold on. Customers struggling to pay for the items they need. According to poll numbers reported by ABC News, my town isn't alone. And that isn't good news for anyone, including Obama.

ABC News reports that the ABC News/Washington Post poll results show about half the nation (51 percent) disapproves of how the president is handling jobs. Sixty-eight percent said the country is "headed seriously off on the wrong track." Only 45 percent of respondents think that the much-reported economic recovery is underway. Thirty percent say they're worse off financially under this president. Of all the presidents since 1940 who have started their re-election year, like Obama, with lower than a 50 percent job approval rating, only Richard Nixon has been successful in being reelected.

There is a bright side for Obama, however. The president's overall job approval rating is rising, up from 42 percent in October to 48 percent now. Those who approve of the job he's doing at handling the economy has increased by six points in recent months. Roughly eight in 10 of the Democrats who responded to the poll continued to blame George W. Bush for the nation's bleak economic outlook.

But looking out across my town, there's not much of a bright side these days. Whatever economic recovery there is doesn't seem to have reached this rural place yet, and I can't help but wonder how many of us will still be here when it does. Gas prices are rising again, and CBS News reports that the increase is fueled on hopes for the economic recovery. AAA puts the average price at $3.378 for regular gasoline, up from $3.22 a month ago. That's a tough pill to swallow for those of us who haven't seen the economic recovery yet. Jobs remain low. Things aren't getting any easier, and -- whether it's his fault or not -- that's no help to Obama as the days draw closer to the next election.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120118/cm_ac/10851345_poll_numbers_show_daunting_reelection_task_for_obama

ios 5 release date ios 5 update joojoo joseph addai joseph addai michael jackson autopsy michael jackson autopsy

Video: Preview: 'The Bathtub Mystery'

Dateline NBC

'Dateline NBC,' the signature broadcast for NBC News in primetime, premiered in 1992. Since then, it has been pioneering a new approach to primetime news programming. The multi-night franchise, supplemented by frequent specials, allows NBC to consistently and comprehensively present the highest-quality reporting, investigative features, breaking news coverage and newsmaker profiles.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032600/vp/46042394#46042394

miranda lambert kim kardashian divorce generators generators lesean mccoy while you were sleeping while you were sleeping

Nintendo bringing free game demos to 3DS eShop (Digital Trends)

Launching nearly ten months after the Nintendo 3DS hit North American shores, Nintendo is rolling out support for demos that can be downloaded through the Nintendo eShop. As of January 19, Nintendo 3DS owners can download a trial version of Capcom?s Resident Evil: Revelations, a title that?s launching in North America in approximately three weeks. During the following week, 3DS owners will be able to check out?Sega?s?Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.?Other demos included on the docket are?Konami?s?Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D?and Ubisoft?s?Rayman Origins, however no date has been announced on the availability of either demo.?

Nintendo of America?s senior director?Tony Elison stated ?The demo program allows Nintendo 3DS players to be among the first to test-drive select games.?Players can try out new genres or series, often weeks before the full versions are available in stores.??However, Nintendo has remained silent on the?availability of any first party demos for previously released titles such as?Super Mario 3D Land or Mario Kart 7. Nintendo fans are also likely interested in potential demos for upcoming Nintendo 3DS titles such as Kid Icarus: Uprising and Animal Crossing. With the launch of demo support, Nintendo could potentially branch out into older titles currently being sold on the eShop. For instance, Nintendo could?provide short demos for some of the previous Legend of Zelda titles.?

Previous to this announcement, Nintendo touted that 3DS sales crossed the four million mark after the busy shopping season at the end of 2011. It?s also outpacing the Nintendo Wii in sales according to the gaming company. Sales of the PlayStation Vita have slowed considerably in Japan since launch according to Media Create?s most recent report. As of last week, Vita sales dropped to less than 20,000 units sold and trailed sales of the Nintendo 3DS by over 80,000 units.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

More from Digital Trends

Sony PlayStation Vita sales fall sharply after Japanese launch

Best Wii Games of 2011

Nintendo releases early 2012 software lineup for 3DS and Wii

Report: Android and iOS mobile gaming revenue now beats that of Sony and Nintendo

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20120118/tc_digitaltrends/nintendobringingfreegamedemosto3dseshop

nfl odds indeed indeed pink yvette vickers yvette vickers ronald reagan

MEMC Struggles to Shine in a Gloomy Solar Market (The Motley Fool)

MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE: WFR - News), a supplier of silicon wafers to solar and semiconductor manufacturers, is planning to restructure its business, which would involve slashing its workforce by 20%, or 1,300 jobs. In addition, the company plans to put some of its facilities on hold in order to ride the slump in the renewable-energy sector.

Weak demand along with painfully low silicon prices in the semiconductor and solar industry are driving the changes. The restructuring would help the company trim its operating costs and strengthen its operating cash flows for the near term. Let's take a look at the company's latest third-quarter figures.

Woeful figures
The latest quarterly results were highly disappointing, with a 31% sequential fall in MEMC's top line and a net loss of $94.4 million.

But it's not just MEMC that's facing the heat. Industry peers like LDK Solar and ReneSola have also witnessed sharp falls in revenue as well as profitability margins. This is forcing them to either cut capacity or close up shop altogether.

MEMC's restructuring process is expected to cost the company $700 million in the fourth quarter. As part of its restructuring plan, it will also cut the capacity of its Portland, Ore., crystal facility and leave idle its polysilicon facility in Merano, Italy.

Apart from this, MEMC would also combine its solar material facility, which is struggling at present, with its SunEdison solar development unit. The hope is to improve efficiency and expand in the solar sector, which is considered less vulnerable to price swings, barring the present slowdown.

Facing the heat
Polysilicon prices have witnessed a tremendous crash since manufacturers raced to raise their production capacity when prices were at loftier levels of $500 per kilogram. Since then, the price has plunged over the years to as little as $25.

To make matters worse, the solar energy market in Europe is facing sunstroke as subsidies have started to shrink, thus adversely affecting demand. Moreover, Chinese competitors are relentlessly dumping their cheap products, causing prices to go southward.

The Foolish bottom line
After MEMC burned its hands with falling polysilicon prices, its restructuring initiative is definitely a welcome change. With its exit from the bottomless pit of solar materials, the company can now focus on restoring the stability of its margins and its business as a whole. So what do you Fools think about the company? Leave your comments in the box below.

Keki Fatakia does not hold shares in any of the companies mentioned in this article. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personalfinance/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/fool/20120118/bs_fool_fool/rx174512

gwar guitarist gwar guitarist tower heist daylight savings time humpback whale humpback whale barrel roll

Influential military vote in South Carolina split (Reuters)

SUMTER, South Carolina (Reuters) ? South Carolina's current and former military personnel form an influential voting bloc but they are split over which Republican to back in the state's presidential primary on Saturday.

Thousands of military retirees and active duty personnel helped Vietnam War hero John McCain win the state's primary in 2008. But, much like the split evangelical vote in South Carolina, the military vote does not appear to have settled en masse on a candidate this time around.

"I don't see anybody that's a clear veteran candidate right now," said Republican strategist Wesley Donehue, who advised Michele Bachmann's campaign in South Carolina before she quit the race.

A quarter of voters in the state's 2008 Republican primary said they had served in the military, exit polls showed. McCain, the eventual nominee, won 36 percent of those votes.

South Carolina's nearly 407,000 veterans comprise close to 9 percent of its overall population. Thousands more active-duty and civilian personnel are employed at the state's eight military bases, with approximately 21,000 military members reporting South Carolina as their state of residence for tax purposes.

Rick Santorum touts his eight years on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and Newt Gingrich often talks of a boyhood growing up in a military family.

But libertarian Ron Paul may struggle getting votes from veterans because of his isolationist foreign policy.

Front-runner Mitt Romney has made an overt push for military votes in the past week. He held one campaign event at an American Legion post and at another shared the stage with several dozen veterans and McCain, who has endorsed Romney and is a former Navy pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam.

A new CNN poll said Romney's lead over Gingrich had shrunk to 10 percentage points, 33 percent to 23 percent, down from a 19-point lead two weeks ago, as the former private equity firm executive faced increasing pressure to reveal more about his vast financial holdings.

Romney has mixed criticism of Obama's plan to cut $487 billion in projected defense spending over the next decade with anecdotes of his own interactions with service members when he was the governor of Massachusetts.

He told a story of watching a soldier's casket arrive home from war. It brought tears to the eyes of a recently retired Air Force member who attended the campaign event in Sumter, South Carolina.

"He's got my vote," Peter St. Onge, 41, said afterward. "You can't fake that."

ADDING MILITARY MUSCLE

Romney says he wants to increase the Navy's shipbuilding rate from nine to 15 ships a year, have at least 11 aircraft carrier task forces and add at least 100,000 additional active duty troops to the military.

In contrast, the Obama administration plans to reduce the overall size of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps as the Pentagon seeks to cut spending after a decade of war and under pressure to reduce federal budget deficits.

"I don't think this is a time that justifies reigning in the capacity of America's military," Romney said to a crowd of hundreds on Hilton Head Island.

Longtime Republican strategist Chip Felkel said that stance should play well with South Carolina's pro-defense, pro-military voters, particularly at a time when the state's unemployment rate is above the national average at 9.9 percent.

"I think that gets a better response here than what Obama wants to do," said Felkel, who is not affiliated with any of the candidates. "When there are not great private-sector opportunities and the economy's not doing well, the military is an option for some people."

Santorum, a conservative U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, has sought to set himself apart with a vow not to reduce military spending.

"I'm the only Republican candidate that said I would not cut the military," Santorum told voters in Florence. "Everybody else says that is on the table."

Of the five major candidates, only Texas Governor Rick Perry and U.S. Representative Paul have served in the military, both in the Air Force. During a debate Monday night in Myrtle Beach, Paul said he receives twice as much money from active-duty military members as all the other candidates combined.

"The military's behind me more than the others," Paul said. "They're sick and tired of those wars."

Donehue said some of his friends who question the purpose of their current deployments are drawn to the Texas congressman's opposition to most U.S. military involvement overseas, but the strategist predicted those views would hurt Paul's chances with older veterans.

Felkel said he thought Paul "did himself in" during Monday's debate when he defended U.S. isolationism.

"You can't come into South Carolina and start talking about military cuts," Felkel said. "The people I've talked to that have come back from Afghanistan and Iraq think he's way out of touch with the realities of the world we live in."

(Editing by Philip Barbara)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/usmilitary/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120119/pl_nm/us_usa_campaign_military

kennedy assassination jfk assassination pie crust recipe heritage foundation dancing with the stars results 2011 ali fedotowsky ali fedotowsky

Improving Giants loom large as Super Bowl contenders (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? With a revitalized defense, The New York Giants have become a complete team and a force to be reckoned with in the NFL playoffs, a point they drove home in Sunday's 37-20 trouncing of the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

The Giants relied on a potent passing attack to squeeze into the postseason, but with the return from injury of defensive end Osi Umenyiora and his point-stopping colleagues, the Giants are firing on all cylinders and one win away from the Super Bowl.

"We know we're a good football team and we're a great defense," said Umenyiora after posting two sacks and stripping the ball from Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers's hand for a turnover in the NFC divisional round upset at Lambeau Field.

"We might not have showed most of it during the regular season but that doesn't matter. This is the postseason and we're playing the way we're supposed to be playing right now."

The victory was the fourth in a row for the Giants, who had to beat the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys in their last two regular season games just to qualify for the playoffs with a mediocre 9-7 record.

A 38-35 loss to then-undefeated Packers on December 4 convinced the Giants they could go toe-to-toe with last year's NFL champions, who finished the season a league-best 15-1.

Umenyiora missed that game because of an ankle injury and linebacker Michael Boley played sparingly due to a damaged hamstring.

One key moment in Sunday's game came in the fourth quarter from Boley, who led the team with nine tackles and notched his second sack on a key fourth-down stop.

The Packers, trailing 20-13, drove into Giants' territory to start the fourth quarter but faced a fourth-and-five at New York's 40-yard line.

Green Bay decided to go for it, but Boley sacked Rodgers, turning the ball over on downs. On the ensuing drive, Lawrence Tynes kicked a 35-yard field goal to give the Giants a 23-13 lead with under eight minutes to play.

"They've done some great things on offense, and they have a lot of confidence in it," Boley said about the Packers going on fourth down. "So for us, we stepped up, we made a big play."

The Giants defense forced four turnovers from the NFL's top-scoring team, recovering three fumbles and making an interception.

After a Packers' fumble that linebacker Chase Blackburn returned all the way to the four-yard line, Giants quarterback Eli Manning fired a four-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham to ice it at 30-13.

"Aaron (Rodgers) and that offense have had a remarkable year. For us to come in here and win, we knew we would have to play one of our best games and I think we did that," defensive end Justin Tuck said.

"I don't think they have anything to hang their heads about. I just think it just seems like our time."

(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by John O'Brien)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120116/sp_nm/us_nfl_playoffs_giants_defense

tiger woods eddie long ncaa bowl schedule ncaa bowl schedule occupy dc trisomy 18 farrah abraham

Hackers disrupt Israel airline, stock market sites

A security guard stands at the entrance of the national Israeli air carrier El Al sales offices in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. Hackers disrupted the websites of Israel's stock exchange and El Al on Monday in a deepening cyber war launched earlier this month by a group claiming to be Saudis. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A security guard stands at the entrance of the national Israeli air carrier El Al sales offices in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. Hackers disrupted the websites of Israel's stock exchange and El Al on Monday in a deepening cyber war launched earlier this month by a group claiming to be Saudis. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A security guard, right, stands at the entrance of the national Israeli air carrier El Al sales offices in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. Hackers disrupted the websites of Israel's stock exchange and El Al on Monday in a deepening cyber war launched earlier this month by a group claiming to be Saudis. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

JERUSALEM (AP) ? A hacker network that claims to be based in Saudi Arabia paralyzed the websites of Israel's stock exchange and national airline on Monday, escalating an international cyber war that has jolted this security-obsessed country.

Neither website contains sensitive information and trading and flights were not affected. But the ongoing salvos by hackers who use anti-Israel language in their posts has revealed how vulnerable Israel is to cyber warfare, despite its sophisticated computer security units in the military and advanced high-tech sector.

The attacks began earlier this month when hackers identifying themselves as group-xp, a known Saudi hacking group, claimed on an Israeli sports website to have gained access to 400,000 Israeli credit card accounts. The group called it a "gift to the world for the New Year" designed to "hurt the Zionist pocket."

Israeli authorities said 15,000 accounts were hacked in that episode and credit card information about 6,000 other Israelis was disclosed online a few days later by the same network.

Last week, an Israeli hacker identifying himself as a soldier in an Israeli intelligence unit retaliated by posting information online about hundreds of Saudis, Egyptians, Syrians and others.

On Monday, El Al Israel Airlines took down its website after hacker OxOmar, who has been linked to the Saudi group, warned that both sites would be targeted by allied pro-Palestinian hackers, a person close to the company said. The source was not authorized to speak to the media and requested anonymity.

The company said in a statement that it was taking security measures to protect the website and that disruptions on the site were to be expected.

Orna Goren, a spokeswoman for the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, said the site was overwhelmed by electronic requests that slowed it down dramatically but it was still operating. Trading was not affected, she said.

Cyber experts say Israel is a common target for online attackers who oppose the Jewish state and its policies toward the Palestinians, but there have been no confirmed reports of sensitive Israeli government sites being hacked.

"Right now, we're not seeing anything that's especially interesting or especially dangerous," said Gadi Evron, former head of Internet security for the Israeli government.

News of the hacking led to a linguistic counterattack at Israel's state radio. Continuing its decades-long battle against the use of English words in its Hebrew broadcasts, the radio's linguist insisted that reporters use a Hebrew word, "patzchan," meaning a person who cracks something open, instead of "hacker."

______________

Additional reporting by Ian Deitch.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-16-ML-Israel-Hackers/id-ca14f71f007e4b94992bc3e7ae129daa

thanksgiving appetizers greg jennings thanksgiving recipes thanksgiving recipes mashed potato recipe mashed potato recipe cranberry sauce

Laura Kaeppeler Crowned Miss America: Most Memorable Show Moments (omg!)

Thoroughly modern Miss America!

Saturday's Miss America Pageant 2012, broadcast live on NBC from Las Vegas, was definitely a 21st-century production -- with surprising frankness from the bikini-clad contestants, bizarre twists and even a Kardashian (judge Kris Jenner) in the midst. (Dancing with the Stars' Mark Ballas, reality show heavyweight Mike Fleiss, actress Teri Polo and Good Morning America's Lara Spencer joined Jenner at the judges' table.)

PHOTOS: Hollywood's hottest bikini bodies

Winning the year-long crown and $50,000 in scholarship cash was Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler of Kenosha, Wisc. -- a trained opera singer who initially wanted to become a speech therapist but will now use her winnings to earn a law degree. Here, Us looks back on some of the buzziest moments from the night.

Miss America's painful past. Kaeppeler, 23, bravely shared her checkered family history with hosts Chris Harrison (The Bachelor) and DWTS' Brooke Burke-Charvet and millions of viewers: Her dad, Jeff Kaeppeler, served 18 months in a federal prison for mail fraud while she was a young college coed.Now free, Jeff, her "best friend," watched his daughter win in the wings. Her related career goal: To become a lawyer specializing in aiding and mentoring kids of incarcerated adults.

PHOTOS: Most shocking reality show bombshells ever

Two reality show twists! Soon after the show began, 38 out of 53 total contenders were eliminated, with one woman, Miss Oklahoma Betty Thompson, chosen by fans online to continue. But co-host Burke-Charvet announced that the eliminated women would vote to rescue one of the semi-finalists later on. After the sexy swimsuit competition, 12 women were left -- plus Miss Alabama Courtney Porter, who got a last-minute reprieve thanks to votes from her competitors.

PHOTOS: Most talked-about bodies of 2011

A weight-loss winner in the midst! Among the top 12 was Miss South Carolina Bree Boyce, who lost over 100 pounds before the competition. "I have a lot of TV shows offering me jobs and I have a book in the works," she said after her elimination.

Paging Natalie Portman! Miss California Noelle Freeman (who has 800 Twitter followers) danced a chilling "Black Swan" variation from Swan Lake.

PHOTOS: Natalie Portman's gorgeous pregnancy

What's the 411? During the talent competition segment, random facts about the ten remaining women were flashed up on the screen. Performing an Irish step dance, Miss Oklahoma, for instance, "knows how to give a cow a pedicure." Miss New York Kaitlin Monte (singing "Disneyland") "wishes to visit outer space." Miss Illinois Hannah Smith, performing a ballet piece, is "afraid of windmills." Miss Florida Kristina Janolo was the first Filipino-American to be crowned Miss Florida.

PHOTOS: Most ridiculous celeb quotes ever

Be Kardashian-esque! Kris Jenner was upfront about what she was looking for as a judge. "Somebody that's really got confidence, who's passionate, who has worked really hard. These girls are applying for a job," she said. "I think somebody who's got an amazing work ethic really impresses me, too."

Tell Us: What was your fave moment from the pageant? Did the right woman win?

Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook, Subscribe to Us Weekly

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_laura_kaeppeler_crowned_miss_america_most_memorable_show160505277/44186545/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/laura-kaeppeler-crowned-miss-america-most-memorable-show-160505277.html

michael buble michael buble teddy roosevelt rita hayworth rita hayworth lakers rumors kellie pickler

Geothermal Project to Tap into Volcano for Energy Production (ContributorNetwork)

According to USA Today, Seattle-based geothermal energy developer AltaRock Energy is planning on pumping 24 million gallons of water into Newberry Volcano, a dormant volcano near Bend, Ore., this summer. The project looks to tap into a new green energy source with the hopes that the water will return to the surface hot enough to generate energy.

So far, several investors, including $6.3 million from Google and $21.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, have stepped up to the promising energy project. Here are some facts about geothermal energy in the U.S., current projects, and other major plans to expand production from geothermal sources:

* Geothermal energy originates from the Earth's core, which heats the surrounding layers of rock, including the Earth's crust where it can be tapped into for energy production, according to the University of Wisconsin.

* In numerous cases, underground reservoirs of hot water or steam can be drawn for electricity use while some energy projects include injecting water into geologic deposits to be heated.

* The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that U.S. energy consumption from geothermal sources has continued to increase, including a 5 percent increase between 2004 and 2008.

* In 2008, energy consumption from geothermal sources was greater than solar, but still trumped by both hydroelectric and wind energy.

* A report from the Geothermal Energy Association noted that as of March, energy production from geothermal sources was underway in nine states with the U.S. having a total installed capacity of 3,102 megawatts.

* Additionally, in 2011, a total of 123 geothermal projects were confirmed as being under development in 15 different states with Nevada leading the way followed by California, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Alaska.

* These types of projects are often eligible for federal incentives and funding through the Production Tax Credit and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

* Pacific Gas and Electric began drawing energy from the Geysers Geothermal Field, just 75 miles north of San Francisco, back in 1960 and continues to do so today.

* PG&E sought approval for a brand new geothermal energy agreement with Calpine Corporation in February of 2008, a project that would generate 175 megawatts of power.

* Ball State University's geothermal initiative is one of the largest in the nation, which includes drilling 3,600 boreholes around the campus, and aims to help save the school $2 million a year in operating costs.

* Similarly, the project cuts Ball State's carbon footprint in half and provides heating and cooling to 47 different buildings on the Indiana-based campus.

Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120114/tc_ac/10835703_geothermal_project_to_tap_into_volcano_for_energy_production

verlander justin verlander pepper spraying cop

Irene Monroe: MLK Day Reflection for LGBTQ Justice in the Black Church

Today is MLK Day, and I am proud to count myself among the many people working for social justice today who stand on the shoulders of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Too many people think King's statements regarding justice are only about race and the African-American community, thus excluding the LGBTQ community. But King said, "[T]he revolution for human rights is opening up unhealthy areas in American life and permitting a new and wholesome healing to take place. Eventually the civil rights movement will have contributed infinitely more to the nation than the eradication of racial justice."

Members of King's family also embrace his words, extending them to the LGBTQ community. For example, in 1998, Coretta Scott King addressed the LGBT group Lambda Legal in Chicago. In her speech, she said queer rights and civil rights were the same: "I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King's dream to make room at the table of brother and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people."

Like her parents' faith, the Kings' eldest daughter Yolanda's faith in the civil rights movement drove her passion for LGBTQ justice. "If you are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you do not have the same rights as other Americans," she said at Chicago's Out & Equal Workplace Summit in 2006. "You cannot marry. ... [Y]ou still face discrimination in the workplace, and in our armed forces. For a nation that prides itself on liberty, justice and equality for all, this is totally unacceptable."

However, I must say that as an African-American minister having pastored churches, and having worked alongside black ministers and their parishioners, I have learned that whom we shout out and pray to on Sunday as an oppressed people does not have any relation to whom we damn, discard, and demonize, thus making us an oppressor to people marginalized and disenfranchised like ourselves. The black church is an unabashed and unapologetic oppressor of its LGBTQ community and, consequently, a hindrance in progressive movement toward LGBTQ civil rights in this country.

While King would undoubtedly shake his head in disbelief concerning his brethren, he would applaud the stance the NAACP took on marriage equality. In quelling the tension between black civil right activists and ministers of the 1960s who still vociferously state that marriage equality for LGBTQ Americans is not a civil right, the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. marked the 40th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia (when the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967 struck down this country's anti-miscegenation laws as unconstitutional) by stating the following concerning same-sex marriage:

It is undeniable that the experience of African Americans differs in many important ways from that of gay men and lesbians; among other things, the legacy of slavery and segregation is profound. But differences in historical experiences should not preclude the application of constitutional provisions to gay men and lesbians who are denied the fight to marry the person of their choice.

But if King were with us today, he would be sad about how homophobia continues within the black church community, which has a profound impact on the mistreatment of its LGBTQ community, and its inattentiveness to the AIDS epidemic ravaging the black community.

Religion has become a peculiar institution in the theater of human life. Just as the Latin root of the word, "religio," means "to bind," it has served as a legitimate power in binding people's shared hatred. But King's teachings taught me how religion plays a profound role in the work of justice. A religion that looks at reality from an involved, committed stance in light of a faith that does justice sees the face of the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected, and the dispossessed -- and that also includes its LGBTQ people.

As a religion columnist, I try to inform the public of the role religion plays in discrimination against LGBTQ people. Because homophobia is both a hatred of the "other" and is usually acted upon "in the name of religion," by reporting religion in the news, I aim to highlight how religious intolerance and fundamentalism not only shatters the goal of American democracy but aids in perpetuating other forms of oppression, such as racism, sexism, classism, and anti-Semitism.

I miss the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I miss the sound of his voice, the things he said with his voice. I miss the choir that resounded within him with his voice. In keeping his dream alive, we must continue to lift our voices. We must speak our truth to power. And those of us who live on the margin must speak out, because our survival as LGBTQ worshippers in our faith communities is predicated upon our voices being lifted.

Each year, I mark the MLK holiday by reexamining King's teachings, remembering that my longing for LGBTQ justice is inextricably tied to my work toward religious tolerance in the black church.

And this is why I continue to speak up.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/irene-monroe/mlk-day-reflection-for-lg_b_1204370.html

greg halman greg halman dancing with the stars results ucla basketball walmart black friday sales walmart black friday sales michelle obama booed at nascar

Texas Senate race exposes Republican tensions (Reuters)

ROUND ROCK, Texas (Reuters) ? The fierce battle between the conservative Tea Party movement and establishment Republicans for control of the party is on full display in the race for a Senate seat in Texas this year and the outcome could have national consequences.

David Dewhurst, the Texas lieutenant governor since 2003, represents the establishment wing of the party in the first open Senate race in Texas in a decade.

He is being challenged by Ted Cruz, a former state solicitor general who is being backed by Tea Party groups around the country. Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is retiring.

No Democrat has won statewide office in Texas since 1994, so the victor in the Texas Republican primary election will likely win in the November general election.

A date for the primary has not yet been finalized because of a separate court battle over how to redraw the electoral district lines in Texas.

Texas is the most populous Republican-leaning, or "red" state, and has one of several U.S. Senate races where Tea Party groups are backing anti-establishment conservatives intent on pushing the Republican Party to the right.

"There is a civil war going on in the heart and soul of the Republican Party," Cruz said at a recent candidate forum in Round Rock, north of Austin. "Texas should lead the fight."

Incumbent Republican Senators Orrin Hatch of Utah and Richard Lugar of Indiana face primary challenges from Tea Party disciples. Tea Party activists are also mounting challenges to establishment candidates in races where no incumbent is running in New Mexico, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Virginia.

In Texas, Cruz has never run for office. But he was hailed by the conservative National Review magazine recently as "the next great conservative hope."

Former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and former ESPN football analyst Craig James are also contenders in the Republican primary race. Democrats command a 53 to 47 majority in the U.S. Senate, so Republicans need to gain four seats to take control of the chamber.

The Texas race has so far received little attention except for political insiders, partly because the national focus is on the Republican presidential nomination race, where Texas Governor Rick Perry is lagging.

"Dewhurst might have a Tea Party problem but it's a label and a moving target," said Jim Henson, who directs the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas. "It's too soon to tell."

A University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll of self-identified Republican primary voters released in November showed Dewhurst with the support of 22 percent of respondents, Cruz with 10 percent and Leppert with 5 percent. James had not yet joined the race. Half the respondents were undecided.

Dewhurst and Leppert, who have given significant amounts to their own campaigns, each had nearly $4.2 million on hand as of the latest filing deadline on September 30. Cruz had about $2.4 million on hand.

Cruz, who was Texas' first Hispanic solicitor general, is the son of a man who came to Texas from Cuba at 18 with $100 sewn into his underpants. Cruz graduated from Harvard Law School and is a partner at a Houston law firm.

He has been endorsed by conservative groups FreedomWorks and Club for Growth - the latter bought advertising casting Dewhurst as a "moderate" - a pejorative term to conservative Republicans.

Cruz also touts the endorsements of Republican senators who back the Tea Party, including Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky. It is unclear what impact Cruz's out-of-state endorsements may have - or whether Tea Party groups can match the influence they had in 2010.

Dozens of Texas groups have endorsed Dewhurst, including the Texas Right to Life Political Action Committee, Texas Alliance for Life and the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas.

He also got a boost last week from Perry, who said in Iowa that "Lord willing," Dewhurst will soon become a member of the U.S. Senate.

Dewhurst, a Houston businessman and rancher, this week also snagged the endorsement of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a former presidential candidate.

Democrats have struggled to field a strong candidate. Former state Representative Paul Sadler is running after fellow Democrat Ricardo Sanchez, a retired Army general, withdrew.

Southern Methodist University Political Scientist Cal Jillson said the race is Dewhurst's to lose, even with the traction Cruz has gained among Tea Party groups.

"The Tea Party enthusiasm has waned," Jillson said. Cruz "is a talented, intelligent, articulate guy, but he has not run for public office ... Plus, campaigning in Texas is an expensive enterprise."

(Additional reporting by Nick Carey; Editing by Greg McCune and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120113/pl_nm/us_usa_campaign_senate_texas

new orleans saints ship aground off italy nfl playoff schedule 2012 nfl live 49 ers vanessa marcil saints vs 49ers