Green Blog: A Discovery, Marooned in Libya's Revolution

As Adam Nagourney reports in The Times, Death Valley is experiencing a burst of civic pride over reclaiming a world temperature record: a 134-degree reading registered on July 10, 1913, at Greenland Ranch in California.

The World Meteorological Organization announced in September that it was throwing out what had previously been thought to be the global record: a reading of 136.4 degrees recorded in the Libyan settlement of Al Aziziya on Sept. 13, 1922. The revised record made headlines around the world.

Yet the back story is even more interesting. Khalid el-Fadli, a Libyan member of the meteorological team that investigated the record, found the original 1922 temperature reading in a logbook at the Libyan National Meteorological Center, where he works, on Feb. 15, 2011, when a revolution had just broken out in the capital.

Working from the logbook, the international team would eventually discover that the reading was taken by an untrained observer with an instrument that was outmoded even for its time. What is more, the temperature did not jibe with other temperatures measured in the area on Sept. 13, 1922, and it differed markedly from readings taken later at Azizia.

Yet it took it took the team six months to pursue those findings, given that Mr. Fadli got sucked into a war immediately after reporting the discovery of the notebook. ?During the revolution, it was very dangerous to call anyone outside,? he said in a telephone interview from Tripoli, the Libyan capital. And ?international calls were shut down by the government? in any case, he said.

Mr. Fadli recalled: ?From March until July, I would go to my office ? not regularly, not every day. Because there was no fuel, our life was very hard.?

He recalls reading the e-mails flooding in from international colleagues, at first curious in tone and then deeply concerned as weeks passed by. For a full six months he resisted the urge to reply lest he be accused of corresponding with the enemy.

Given the level of government monitoring, any knowledge that he was communicating with an international committee ?would have been a death sentence for him,? said Chris Burt, a member of the international meteorological team.

Then came a television pronouncement by Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, Libya?s longtime dictator, that NATO was using climate data relayed from Libyan scientists to plot its aerial attacks on Libyan government forces. The scientists on the meteorological team assumed the worst. ?My fear was that they had found out that el-Fadli was part of this committee,? Mr. Burt said.

But Mr. Fadli remained below the radar, and when the violence tapered off that August, he resumed communications with his distant colleagues, and together,?they were able to move on with their work.

He continues to work at the Libyan National Meteorological Center. ?It?s not completely normal yet,? Mr. Fadli said of his country?s situation. But a semblance of calm has returned, he added.

His international colleagues remain grateful. ?The records he found were really the smoking gun,? Mr. Burt said. ??He?s really ?the guy? in this investigation ? it never could have happened without him.?

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/29/a-discovery-marooned-in-libyas-revolution/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Tiramis? Mom: #2013Resolutions - Fitness and Health - Get Back on ...

One of my #2013Resolutions is to get back on track with yoga.

The most difficult part of yoga for me is... getting my butt to yoga class. I have no excuses: my yoga studio is literally just around the corner from our home - a three-minute walk from my front porch - and the wonderful teacher is patient, always pushes me just far enough, always reminds me to breathe.?

As usual this morning, I hemmed and hawed, looking for every excuse to not get my butt to the yoga studio. And though I did manage to get my butt over to the studio, as always, I unfurled my yoga mat down with the most unenthusiastic look upon my face and begrudgingly got into lotus pose. ? Ten minutes into the session, as usual, I felt my creaky body stretch back to where it belongs. And by the end of the hour, I felt refreshed, rejuvenated, more energetic, and less like the Tin Man I was when I entered the dimly lit room. I do hot yoga, so I feel like I've sweated out some toxins with a side of negativity. I feel my feet a bit more firmly planted into the ground, and I feel lighter.? I suppose I can consider myself a bicyclist by default, and I'm big on walking, everywhere. What I need more than anything is a lot of stretching. I want to be strong, lean, and limber. ?

So for 2013, I am going to make a point of getting my butt out the door and into yoga class, at least twice per week. I will unfurl my yoga mat with a smile knowing that in one hour, I will feel so much better.?

What are your 2013 fitness and health resolutions?

Source: http://www.tiramisumom.com/2012/12/2013resolutions-fitness-and-health-get.html

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Notification Weather: an elegant way to check the forecast

The release of Android 4.1 and 4.2 Jelly Bean brought several improvements to the handling and functionality of notifications. With expandable, actionable and prioritized notifications, developers can manage their apps and take control of what goes on when a notification is presented to the user. Notification Weather, as the name implies, takes advantage of the new notification options in Jelly Bean to elegantly present the weather to you when you drop down the pane.

It seems like everyone's got a favorite weather app loaded on their device already, so does Notification Weather have what it takes to become your new favorite? Read on past the break and see what this one has to offer.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/MWhD_E7HhYE/story01.htm

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Road trip on tap for NASA's Mars rover in new year

FILE - This Dec. 12, 2012 file image provided by NASA shows the Mars rover Curiosity at a pit stop, a shallow depression called "Yellowknife Bay." It took the image on the 125th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (Dec. 12, 2012), just after finishing that sol's drive. The Sol 125 drive entered Yellowknife Bay and covered about 86 feet (26.1 meters). The descent into the basin crossed a step about 2 feet (half a meter) high, visible in the upper half of this image. Curiosity will now head for Mount Sharp in mid-February after it drills into its first rock. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL-Caltech, File)

FILE - This Dec. 12, 2012 file image provided by NASA shows the Mars rover Curiosity at a pit stop, a shallow depression called "Yellowknife Bay." It took the image on the 125th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (Dec. 12, 2012), just after finishing that sol's drive. The Sol 125 drive entered Yellowknife Bay and covered about 86 feet (26.1 meters). The descent into the basin crossed a step about 2 feet (half a meter) high, visible in the upper half of this image. Curiosity will now head for Mount Sharp in mid-February after it drills into its first rock. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL-Caltech, File)

FILE - This file image provided by NASA shows the base of Mount Sharp on Mars. The Curiosity rover is set to drive toward the mountain in mid-February after drilling into a rock. The image was taken by Curiosity's 100-millimeter Mast Camera on Aug. 23, 2012. Scientists enhanced the color in one version to show the Martian scene under the lighting conditions we have on Earth, which helps in analyzing the terrain. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS, File)

FILE - This file image provided by NASA shows a color self-portrait of the Mars rover Curiosity. It is set to drive toward a Martian mountain in mid-February after drilling into a rock. On the 84th and 85th Martian days of the NASA Mars rover Curiosity's mission on Mars (Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 2012), NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) to capture dozens of high-resolution images to be combined into self-portrait images of the rover. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS, File)

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) ? Since captivating the world with its acrobatic landing, the Mars rover Curiosity has fallen into a rhythm: Drive, snap pictures, zap at boulders, scoop up dirt. Repeat.

Topping its to-do list in the new year: Set off toward a Martian mountain ? a trek that will take up a good chunk of the year.

The original itinerary called for starting the drive before the Times Square ball drop, but Curiosity lingered longer than planned at a pit stop, delaying the trip.

Curiosity will now head for Mount Sharp in mid-February after it drills into its first rock.

"We'll probably be ready to hit the pedal to the metal and give the keys back to the rover drivers," mission chief scientist John Grotzinger said in a recent interview at his office on the sprawling NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory campus 15 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

The road trip comes amid great expectations. After all, it's the reason the $2.5 billion mission targeted Gale Crater near the Martian equator. Soaring from the center of the ancient crater is a 3-mile-high peak with intriguing layers of rocks.

Curiosity's job is to figure out whether the landing site ever had the right environmental conditions to support microbes. Scientists already know water flowed in the past thanks to the rover's discovery of an old streambed. Besides water, life as we know it also needs energy, the sun.

What's missing are the chemical building blocks of life: complex carbon-based molecules. If they're preserved on Mars, scientists figure the best place to hunt for them is at the base of Mount Sharp where images from space reveal hints of interesting geology.

It's a six-month journey if Curiosity drives nonstop. But since scientists will want to command the six-wheel rover to rest and examine rocky outcrops along the way, it'll turn into a nine-month odyssey.

Before Curiosity can tackle a mountain, there's unfinished business to tend to. After spending the holiday taking measurements of the Martian atmosphere, Curiosity gears up for the first task of the new year: Finding the perfect rock to bore into.

The exercise ? from picking a rock to drilling to deciphering its chemical makeup ? is expected to last more than a month.

"We have promised everybody that we're going to go slowly," said Grotzinger, a geologist at the California Institute of Technology.

Curiosity's low-key adventures thus far are in contrast to the drama-filled touchdown that entranced the world in August. Since the car-size rover was too heavy to land using a parachute and airbags, engineers invented a daring new way that involved lowering it to the surface by cables. The risky arrival proved so successful and popular that NASA is planning an encore in 2020.

Curiosity joined another NASA rover, Opportunity, which has been exploring the Martian southern hemisphere since 2004. Opportunity's twin, Spirit, stopped communicating in 2010.

After nailing the landing, Curiosity fell into a routine. The first month was dominated by health checkups ? a tedious but essential prerequisite before driving. A chemistry laboratory on wheels, it's the most high-tech spacecraft to land on another planet so extra care was taken to ensure its tools, including its rock-zapping laser and robotic arm, worked.

Once it got the green light, it trundled to a waypoint that's home to three unique types of terrain to perform science experiments. Every time Curiosity roves, it leaves Morse code tracks in the soil, providing a visual signal between drives. The message spells out JPL, short for Jet Propulsion Lab, which built the rover.

So far, its odometer has logged less than a mile. Despite the slow going, scientists have been smitten with the postcards it beamed home, including a stylish self-portrait and tantalizing glimpses of Mount Sharp.

Huge expectations weigh on the mission with NASA balancing the need to feed the public's appetite while pursuing discoveries at its own pace. Last month, the space agency quashed Internet speculation that Curiosity had detected complex carbon compounds in a pinch of Martian soil by issuing a statement ahead of a science meeting where the team was due to present the latest findings.

American University space policy professor Howard McCurdy said Curiosity is currently in a transition, caught between the viral landing and the scientific payoff expected at Mount Sharp.

"It is interesting, but slow," he said in an email. "I expect public interest will rise as the rover gets closer to its destination."

Curiosity's prime mission lasts two years, but NASA expects the plutonium-powered rover to live far longer. A priority for its human handlers is to learn to operate it more efficiently so that it becomes second nature. Before heading to Mount Sharp, engineers plan a software update to Curiosity's computers to fix remaining bugs.

"We'll need to be pretty careful," project manager Richard Cook said of the upcoming drive. "We may find terrain that we're not comfortable driving in and we'll have to spend time driving around stuff."

___

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

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-29-Mars%20Curiosity/id-b6ca6fc0cb924506b9ffe1ba1093c348

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Self Improvement Times: Time Management Tips - 3 Essential Time ...

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Source: http://mimshah.blogspot.com/2012/12/self-improvement-times-time-management.html

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Source: http://ellaabellaa.posterous.com/self-improvement-times-time-management-tips-3

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Source: http://ukinymabt.posterous.com/self-improvement-times-time-management-tips-3

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UFC 155?s Derek Brunson was a cheerleader before he started fighting

Long before he put together a 9-2 record and earned a spot against Chris Leben at UFC 155, Derek Brunson was a cheerleader. As he shows in his audition video for "The Ultimate Fighter," Brunson was an accomplished tumbler and stunter. Skip to the 2:10 mark to see him toss his partner up into one-handed stunts and throw a double-twisting flip.

He talked about his cheerleading past with MMA Fighting, and pointed out how difficult cheerleading can be.

"I can do flips, and I was like tossing girls in the air. That's where I got my strength from, just controlling girls in the air. You get core strength, your chest gets all big. It makes you really strong, like you look on steroids, but you don't have to take steroids because of cheerleading."

Though Brunson wrestled in college, he said he did have scholarship offers for cheerleading. Wrestling and eventually MMA won out. Brunson admitted that MMA is more dangerous than cheerleading, but it's still tough.

"Cheerleading is definitely hard on your body. That's why I decided to wrestle in college, not cheerlead."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-155-derek-brunson-cheerleader-started-fighting-145151565--mma.html

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South Africa president prefers people over pets

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? South Africa's president says a dog should not be man's best friend.

President Jacob Zuma made critical remarks about pet care that touch on sensitive race relations in South Africa, which was dominated by whites until apartheid was dismantled almost two decades ago, The Star newspaper reported Thursday.

The newspaper cited Zuma as saying in a speech Wednesday that the idea of having a pet is part of "white culture" and that people should focus on family welfare. The president's office sought to clarify his remarks, saying he was encouraging "the previously oppressed African majority" to uphold its own culture. It also suggested the way in which the comments were reported, rather than the comments themselves, was divisive.

The backdrop to the dog debate is the legacy of Western colonialism in Africa, as well as the bitter struggle against apartheid in South Africa that culminated in the first democratic elections in 1994. Nelson Mandela, now 94 years old and ailing, became the country's first black president as well as a symbol of reconciliation among all South Africans, though poverty and economic imbalances remain a source of deep strain in the nation of 50 million.

During his speech to an appreciative crowd in KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma's home province, the president said people who love dogs more than people have a "lack of humanity" and that some people are trying in vain to "emulate whiteness," The Star reported.

"Even if you apply any kind of lotion and straighten your hair, you will never be white," he reportedly said.

In a statement, the South African presidency said Zuma was trying to convince Africans to take pride in their heritage and not feel pressure to adopt customs of minority cultures. Animals can be cared for, was the message, but not at the expense of people.

Zuma "referred to what people should guard against, such as loving animals more than other human beings," the statement said. "He made the well-known example of people who sit with their dogs in front in a van or truck with a worker at the back in pouring rain or extremely cold weather. Others do not hesitate to rush their dogs to veterinary surgeons for medical care when they are sick while they ignore workers or relatives who are also sick in the same households."

Zuma has often said he seeks to protect South Africa's diversity and unify its disparate groups, but he has occasionally stirred controversy. In 2006, as deputy president, he said same-sex marriages, which are today protected under South African law, were "a disgrace to the nation and to God."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-africa-president-prefers-people-over-pets-150157216.html

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HBT: Lions' Hanson undecided about return or retirement

AP

A decade ago, Cyrus Mehri and the late Johnnie Cochran demonstrated that the NFL was doing a poor job of giving African-American coaches fair opportunities to progress to the highest levels of the sport.? Mehri and Cochran made such a compelling case that the NFL installed the ?Rooney Rule,? which requires at least one minority candidate to be interviewed for every head-coaching vacancy.

Today, only a minority of head coaching jobs are filled by members of minority groups, with five African-American head coaches (Marvin Lewis, Mike Tomlin, Romeo Crennel, Lovie Smith, Leslie Frazier) and one Hispanic head coach (Ron Rivera).? That?s six, out of 32.

As Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports explains, only one of 32 teams has an offensive play-caller who also is African-American.? And as of a few weeks ago, the number was zero; Jim Caldwell inherited those duties in Baltimore once Cam Cameron was fired.

?We are very, very conscious of this issue, and it?s something that needs to be addressed,? John Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, told Silver. ?We have alluded to it and spoken to it directly, and we feel our only course of action is to push more people up the pipeline.?

And that seems to be the biggest problem.? African-American coaches aren?t being positioned to naturally mature into the role of play-caller on offense.?Really, the reason why there aren?t a lot of guys calling plays is that you have to have people ascending to quarterbacks coach and jobs that lead to coordinator positions.? And that?s simply not happening,? Bengals coach Marvin Lewis told Silver.? ?There are a lot of good coaches who aren?t getting those opportunities.?

As Silver points out, only two NFL quarterbacks coaches are African-American:? Karl Dorrell of the Texans and Craig Johnson of the Vikings.? Curtis Modkins serves as offensive coordinator in Buffalo, but head coach Chan Gailey calls the plays.

?This is the biggest travesty that?s taking place in this league, and every black coach is well aware of it,? an anonymous African-American assistant for an AFC team told Silver.? ?They don?t promote you from running backs coach or receivers coach to offensive coordinator.? When guys do get coordinator titles, they have to be position coaches at the same time, and they don?t get paid as much as other coordinators, because they?re not the play-callers.? And in a lot of cases, guys believe they?re really there for locker-room reasons, to ?take care of? the minority players.?

Eventually, the absence of a pipeline of African-American offensive minds will make it hard to find viable African-American head coaches, since all current minority head coaches have defensive backgrounds.

?The whole thing we have to do in terms of building this pipeline is make teams more conscious of the fact that [position coaches] want to get involved,? Wooten said. ?I tell these running backs, receivers and quarterbacks coaches, ?Go to the head coach and general manager and tell them you want this as an opportunity to learn.?? You learn by being in game plan meetings, when plays are being installed.? You listen and learn.?

Real change may come only if the Rooney Rule, which since its adoption has been extended to G.M. positions, is also applied to coordinator jobs.? However, Wooten isn?t recommending that.

?I just feel that the head coach has to have the right to select his people,? Wooten said.? ?If they can?t see who?s the best out there for them, they?re gonna perish anyway.?

Wooten is right, but the Rooney Rule doesn?t require minority candidates to be hired.? It only requires them to be considered, an important reality given that head coaches immediately tap into their network of friends, cronies, and (sometimes) family members when filling out their staffs.? If nothing else, requiring coaches to interview at least one minority coordinator candidate will help position coaches become better prepared to interview for coordinator positions ? and eventually to get them.

In the end, it?s a simple analysis.? If the NFL believes the Rooney Rule remains viable ten years later when the number of minority head coaches has expanded to six, the NFL should take a hard look at whether the Rooney Rule should be applied one level lower, given that the number of minority play-callers is one and, as of the first of the current month, it was zero.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/27/jason-hanson-unsure-whether-hell-return-to-the-lions-or-retire/related/

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Would You Want to Be Married to You; 6 Questions to Ask Yourself ...

I know the quick and easy response for most people reading this will be a resounding yes. But if we reflected on that question a little bit longer will every part of us really be able to say yes? It is natural to think very highly of ourselves and what we bring to a relationship. However, there is a great benefit in owning up to those not so great habits that show up in our relationship too.

If the roles were reverse in our marriage and we are able to walk in our spouse?s shoes, what are some things we would notice right away? If we were completely honest, I wonder what would work our nerves and what we would enjoy the most. Would we find that we make the relationship a little easier or that we bring most of the drama. If we were our spouse, how would we handle being married to a person like us? ?Consider each of the situations below in order to determine whether or not you are an ideal spouse.

• Do you make your house a home? Is your home a place both of you look forward to coming back to at the conclusion of a long day? Is it peaceful or cold and filled with commotion? Is there a space to relax and unwind or is there complete chaos in every corner?
• Do you look for reasons to complain? Are you a nagger? Are you known for being able to find what?s wrong in a situation and never miss an opportunity to point it out?
• Is there laughter, spontaneity and fun? Do you focus on ways to bring excitement into the marriage or is it the same thing all the time?
• How often do you and your spouse touch? Is it rare? I don?t mean intercourse, I mean physical connection. Is there daily touching, hugging and kissing?
• Are you easy to talk to? Do you listen to your spouse and make them feel comfortable communicating with you? Do you give honest feedback rooted in love?
• Are you full of excuses? Do you use them as the reason you don?t show up better in your marriage?

As I thought about this question, I think I was able to eventually say yes, but I admit I have some areas I need to work on. But overall, I am confident in the effort that I am putting into my relationship. I want my house to be warm and loving and a place we are both excited to return to. Instead of complaining, I will put in the work to improve what isn?t working. I plan to maintain excitement and consistently look for new ways to share with my love. Physical connection will also be more present in my relationship and I will make it easy for my spouse to communicate with me about anything. I desire to be the type of spouse that I expect my husband to be.

BMWK, would you want to be married to you? Why or why not?

About the author

Tiya Cunningham-Sumter is a Certified Life & Relationship Coach and founder of Life Editing. She helps couples and individuals rewrite their life to reflect their dreams. Tiya was featured in Ebony Magazine in the October 2008 and November 2010 issues. She resides in Chicago with her husband and two children.

Source: http://blackandmarriedwithkids.com/2012/12/would-you-want-to-be-married-to-you-6-questions-to-ask-yourself/

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New Year, New Love: Resolutions for Relationships in 2013 ...

December 28, 2012 ? 7:09 pm

by Sabrina Cohen

New Year?s Eve symbolizes many things?new beginnings, new goals, and my personal favorite?making out with a complete stranger at midnight. As you reflect on all the dating you?ve done this year, consider the following MeetMoi resolutions to get you one step closer to love in 2013.

1- Let go ? Some of us try to swim the sea of love tugging the weight of a heavy heart behind us. The stories we create about ourselves and others are enough to keep us anchored in solitude for all eternity. Break the chain by consciously wiping the slate clean before each and every date.

2- Open up ? If you?re lucky enough to find even a hint of love, be open. It can be scary, but not as scary as letting it pass you by. No one?s ever experienced the wonder of love without being vulnerable. It?s a risk worth taking.

3- Date with integrity ? Even without the universe keeping karmic tabs, it?s in your best interest to treat each interaction with respect, honesty, compassion, and completion. If you?ve made a mess with anyone in your dating past, clean it up.

4- Try something new ? Date against type. Try activities and approaches you?ve never considered before. Stretching your comfort zone is a great way to explore new territory out in the dating world and within yourself. What you find may surprise you.

5- Keep the faith ? Above all else, believe. Believe it?s possible. Believe you deserve it. Believe you?ll find it. And until you do, repeat resolutions 1-4 and have fun!

How will you resolve to date differently in 2013? Share your thoughts below!

Sabrina Cohen is a blogger, copywriter, and creative consultant for MarketSmiths.com.

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Source: http://blog.meetmoi.com/2012/12/28/new-year-new-love-resolutions-for-relationships-in-2013/

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Putin signs anti-US adoptions bill

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the final Cabinet meeting of the year in the government headquarters in Moscow, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Government Press Service)

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the final Cabinet meeting of the year in the government headquarters in Moscow, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Government Press Service)

MOSCOW (AP) ? President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a law banning Americans from adopting Russian children, abruptly terminating the prospects for more than 50 youngsters preparing to join new families and sparking critics to liken him to King Herod.

The move is part of a harsh response to a U.S. law targeting Russians deemed to be human rights violators. Although some top Russian officials including the foreign minister openly opposed the bill, Putin signed it less than 24 hours after receiving it from Parliament, where it passed both houses overwhelmingly.

The law also calls for the closure of non-governmental organizations receiving American funding if their activities are classified as political ? a broad definition many fear could be used to close any NGO that offends the Kremlin.

The law takes effect Jan. 1, the Kremlin said. Children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said 52 children who were in the pipeline for U.S. adoption would remain in Russia.

The ban is in response to a measure signed into law by President Barack Obama this month that calls for sanctions against Russians assessed to be human rights violators.

That stems from the case of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who was arrested after accusing officials of a $230 million tax fraud. He was repeatedly denied medical treatment and died in jail in 2009. Russian rights groups claimed he was severely beaten.

A prison doctor who was the only official charged in the case was acquitted by a Moscow court on Friday. Although there was no demonstrable connection to Putin's signing the law a few hours later, the timing underlines what critics say is Russia's refusal to responsibly pursue the case.

The adoption ban has angered both Americans and Russians who argue it victimizes children to make a political point, cutting off a route out of frequently dismal orphanages for thousands.

"The king is Herod," popular writer Oleg Shargunov said on his Twitter account, referring to the Roman-appointed king of Judea at the time of Jesus Christ's birth, who the Bible says ordered the massacre of Jewish children to avoid being supplanted by a prophesied newborn king of the Jews.

A painting depicting the massacre and captioned "an appropriate response to the Magnitsky act" spread widely on the Internet. The phrase echoed Putin's characterization of the ban while it was under consideration.

U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell expressed regret over Putin's signing the law and urged Russia to "allow those children who have already met and bonded with their future parents to finish the necessary legal procedures so that they can join their families."

Vladimir Lukin, head of the Russian Human Rights Commission and a former ambassador to Washington, said he would challenge the law in the Constitutional Court.

The U.S. law galvanized Russian resentment of the United States, which Putin has claimed funded and encouraged the wave of massive anti-government protests that arose last winter.

The Parliament initially considered a relatively similar retaliatory measure, but amendments have expanded it far beyond a tit-for-tat response.

UNICEF estimates that there are about 740,000 children not in parental custody in Russia while about 18,000 Russians are on the waiting list to adopt a child. The U.S. is the biggest destination for adopted Russian children ? more than 60,000 of them have been taken in by Americans over the past two decades.

Russians historically have been less enthusiastic about adopting children than most Western cultures. Putin, along with signing the adoption ban, on Friday issued an order for the government to develop a program to provide more support for adopted children.

Lev Ponomarev, one of Russia's most prominent human rights activists, hinted at that reluctance when he said Parliament members who voted for the bill should take custody of the children who were about to be adopted.

"The moral responsibility lies on them," he told Interfax. "But I don't think that even one child will be taken to be brought up by deputies of the Duma."

Many Russians have been distressed for years by reports of Russian children dying or suffering abuse at the hands of their American adoptive parents. The new Russian law was dubbed the "Dima Yakovlev Bill" after a toddler who died in 2008 when his American adoptive father left him in a car in broiling heat for hours.

In that case, the father was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter and Russia has complained of acquittals or light sentences in other such cases.

The Investigative Committee, Russia's top investigative body, on Friday complained that its attempts to have the acquittals overturned or reconsidered had been ignored by the United States. Under U.S. law, acquittals are final except in rare cases.

Russians also bristled at how the widespread adoptions appeared to show them as hardhearted or too poor to take care of orphans. Astakhov, the children's ombudsman, charged that well-heeled Americans often got priority over Russians who wanted to adopt.

A few lawmakers even claimed that some Russian children were adopted by Americans only to be used for organ transplants or become sex toys or cannon fodder for the U.S. Army. A spokesman for Russia's dominant Orthodox Church said that children adopted by foreigners and raised outside the church will not enter God's kingdom.

___

Mansur Mirovalev and Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-28-Russia-US-Adoption/id-72bcfefa3c2e44ee9e4b85ed0c820156

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Private picture of Mark Zuckerberg's family leaked

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2011 file photo, Randi Zuckerberg, former marketing director of Facebook and founder of RtoZ Media, speaks at the Executive Marketing Summit in New York. A picture Zuckerberg posted on her personal Facebook profile was seen by a marketing director, who then posted the picture to Twitter and her more than 40,000 followers on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. Zuckerberg is the sister of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2011 file photo, Randi Zuckerberg, former marketing director of Facebook and founder of RtoZ Media, speaks at the Executive Marketing Summit in New York. A picture Zuckerberg posted on her personal Facebook profile was seen by a marketing director, who then posted the picture to Twitter and her more than 40,000 followers on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. Zuckerberg is the sister of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

SEATTLE (AP) ? Even Mark Zuckerberg's family can get tripped up by Facebook's privacy settings.

A picture that Zuckerberg's sister posted on her personal Facebook profile was seen by a marketing director, who then posted the picture to Twitter and her more than 40,000 followers Wednesday.

That didn't sit well with Zuckerberg's sister, Randi, who tweeted at Callie Schweitzer that the picture was meant for friends only and that posting the private picture on Twitter was "way uncool." Schweitzer replied by saying the picture popped up on her Facebook news feed.

The picture shows four people standing around a kitchen staring at their phones with their mouths open while Mark Zuckerberg is in the background.

Randi Zuckerberg, who used to run Facebook's marketing department and now produces a reality television show, eventually said Schweitzer was able to see the picture because they had a mutual friend. Those tweets have since been taken down.

Schweitzer declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press. Randi Zuckerberg didn't reply to a message via Twitter seeking comment.

Randi Zuckerberg used the dustup to write about online sharing etiquette.

"Digital etiquette: always ask permission before posting a friend's photo publicly. It's not about privacy settings, it's about human decency," she posted on Twitter.

But Randi Zuckerberg's comments sparked sharp reactions from people who thought the issue wasn't about etiquette, but rather Facebook's often changing and often confusing privacy settings.

"The thing that bugged me about Randi Zuckerberg's response is that she used her name as a bludgeoning device. Not everyone has that. She used her position to get it taken it down," said Eva Galperin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy advocacy group in San Francisco.

While Facebook has made improvements in explaining the social network's privacy settings, Galperin said they remain confusing to most people. She added that with people using Facebook as part of their everyday lives, the consequences of fumbling privacy settings can become serious.

"Even Randi Zuckerberg can get it wrong. That's an illustration of how confusing they can be," she said.

The Menlo Park, Calif., company recently announced it is changing its privacy settings with the aim of making it easier for users to navigate them.

The fine-tuning will include several revisions that will start rolling out to Facebook's more than 1 billion users during the next few weeks and continue into early next year.

The most visible change ? and perhaps the most appreciated ? will be a new "privacy shortcuts" section that appears as a tiny lock at the top right of people's news feeds. This feature offers a drop-down box where users can get answers to common questions such as "Who can see my stuff?"

But Galperin said Wednesday's incident also illustrates a general concern about Internet privacy. Essentially, she said, if you share information or a photo with your social network, people in your network have the ability to share that with whomever else they choose.

The mobile photo-sharing service Instagram, which is owned by Facebook Inc., had to answer to backlash to privacy concerns recently when new terms of service suggested user photos could be used in advertisements. The company later said it would remove the questionable language.

___

Manuel Valdes can be reached at http://twitter.com/ByManuelValdes .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-12-27-Zuckerberg-Sister's%20Photo/id-ab1a182018354a2c84aa1be10c36985d

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Fiscal Cliff Deal Not Happening Due to GOP "Dictatorship," Harry Reid Says

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/12/fiscal-cliff-deal-not-happening-due-to-gop-dictatorship-harry-re/

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Killer Left Chilling Note Before N.Y. Firefighter Shootings

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/12/killer-left-chilling-note-before-ny-firefighter-shootings/

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Vintage car owners seek exhibition spaceAutomotive - Zawya

Sunday, 23 December 2012

DOHA: Vintage car owners in Doha have suggested setting up a permanent place to keep their collections and make it a tourist attraction.

The suggestion has been made as many people have visited the recent vintage car exhibition held in the Corniche to mark the National Day, reported an Arabic daily yesterday.

"I have a collection of 10 vintage cars; I bought the first such car in 1982. Many people visited the exhibition. It is good if there is a specific place to keep and showcase these cars," said Hussain Al Hajiri, a vintage car collector.

Vintage car exhibitions are held in the country at different occasions, and National Day is one such events. Katara, the Cultural Village too held such an exhibition recently.

"It will be a good opportunity to attract more people, if all vintage cars are kept in one place," said Mohamed Al Marri, another vintage car owner, who prefers old cars over new ones. As part of the National Day celebrations, 27 classic vehicles were showcased at the Corniche.

The vintage car collection reflects the passion of some Qatari individuals who enjoy collecting old cars and encourages Qatari youngsters to take it up as their hobby. The exhibition was an opportunity to promote the motoring heritage and provide an experience to all classic car collectors and fans

The show had one of oldest among the collection such as a Morris 1930 model, the first motorised vehicle in Qatar brought by P T Cox and E W Shaw during a geological survey here from 1932 to 1933. Also on show were 50s models of Humber, Red Dodge Power Wagon, Austin A65, Bedford K and Bedford RL among others which were exclusively used by the Qatar Petroleum company both for employees and visitors.

The exhibition also showcases luxury vehicles used to transport royals such as heads of state, ministers and other high ranking officials during their official visits to the country in the 50s. These cars include Oldsmobile 98, Desoto Fire Flite convertible, Cadillac Series 62, and Ford Galaxy 500.

? The Peninsula 2012

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? Copyright Zawya. All Rights Reserved.

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Source: http://www.zawya.com/story/Vintage_car_owners_seek_exhibition_space-ZAWYA20121223044811/

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Satellites check in on the North Pole

NSIDC

This visualization shows Saturday's extent of Arctic sea ice, as charted by the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The readings have been overlaid on NASA imagery of the Northern Hemisphere. The orange line indicates the median extent of sea ice on the same calendar date for the 1979-2000 time period.

By Alan Boyle

If Santa Claus is getting the feeling that someone's looking over his shoulder as he rushes to make his Christmas deadline, he's not wrong: A succession of satellites is monitoring his North Pole workshop and the rest of the Arctic on a daily basis. Based on the satellite readings, the long-term outlook is worrisome, for Santa and the rest of us as well.

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This image shows the extent of Arctic sea ice, based on the latest microwave data from the Pentagon's DMSP-F17 satellite. Those readings are compared against the average extent for the same date over the 1979-2000 time frame. That average extent is indicated on the photo by the orange lines.

Earlier this month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that Arctic glaciers and sea ice retreated at a record rate this year, and that sea level rice has accelerated in the region. What's more, those changes are affecting ecosystems in the far north ? spurring marine phytoplankton growth?while putting extra pressure on land species such as lemmings and the Arctic fox.

There's also a spillover effect on ecosystems farther south.?"What happens in the Arctic doesn't always stay in the Arctic," NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco said. "We're seeing Arctic changes in the ocean and the atmosphere that affect weather patterns elsewhere."

Keep tabs on those changes by checking in with NBC News' environmental coverage.?For more visualizations of Arctic as well as Antarctic ice data, check out this reference page at the "Watts Up With That" blog. You can also scan NASA's report about this summer's retreat?of the Arctic's ice cover. And for something completely different, here are 10 things you may not have known about the North Pole.

Today's visualization of the North Pole's ice is the latest offering from the Cosmic Log Space Advent Calendar, which features daily images of Earth from space through Christmas. Try these other visual goodies from the calendar:

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Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the?Cosmic Log?community by "liking" the log's?Facebook page, following?@b0yle on Twitter?and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other science and space news coverage,?sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered via email. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about dwarf planets and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/23/16109972-satellites-check-in-on-the-north-pole?lite

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UK doctor stripped of license over death of Iraqi

LONDON (AP) ? A British doctor was stripped of his medical license Friday for misconduct over the death of an Iraqi man who was beaten and killed while in the custody of British troops.

Derek Keilloh treated Baha Mousa, a hotel clerk who died at a British base after being detained in Basra in September 2003 during a sweep for insurgents.

Keilloh, then a 28-year-old captain in the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, tried unsuccessfully to revive Mousa, but denied knowledge of the scale of the man's injuries.

A public inquiry found that Mousa had sustained 93 injuries, including fractured ribs and a broken nose.

Last week the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service ruled that Keilloh knew of the injuries and failed to adequately examine Mousa's body. It said he also failed to inform senior officers of what was going on and protect other detainees from further mistreatment.

The tribunal also ruled that Keilloh engaged in "misleading and dishonest conduct" by maintaining under oath that he had seen no injuries to Mousa's body.

On Friday the tribunal said that even though Keilloh had not harmed Mousa ? and had tried his best to save him in a "highly charged, chaotic, tense and stressful" situation ? the doctor should be barred from practicing medicine for at least five years.

"The panel has identified serious breaches of good medical practice and, given the gravity and nature of the extent and context of your dishonesty, it considers that your misconduct is fundamentally incompatible with continued registration," said Dr. Brian Alderman, a member of the tribunal.

The death of Mousa and mistreatment of other detainees was one of the darkest episodes in Britain's six-year deployment in southern Iraq, which ended in 2009.

Britain's defense authorities eventually apologized for the mistreatment of Mousa and nine other Iraqis and paid a 3-million-pound ($4.9-million) settlement. Six soldiers were cleared of wrongdoing at a court martial, while another pleaded guilty and served a year in jail.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-doctor-stripped-license-over-death-iraqi-113702349.html

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Obama faces backlash on possible Hagel nomination for Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pro-Israel groups, neoconservatives and even some former colleagues on Capitol Hill are confronting President Barack Obama with a growing backlash against Chuck Hagel, the ex-Republican senator tipped as his leading candidate for defense secretary.

Obama's aides have given no sign of dropping Hagel from consideration - even after several American Jewish leaders privately complained about his policy views, most notably on Israel and Iran, at a White House-hosted Hanukkah party last week, according to one attendee.

But what has become clear in recent days is that the Democratic president will have a Senate confirmation fight on his hands if he decides to nominate the former Nebraska lawmaker, regarded as a moderate Republican, to replace Leon Panetta at the Pentagon.

The White House is preparing for a major realignment of Obama's national security team, possibly by the end of this week, sources familiar with the process have said. But the announcement could be delayed by the difficult "fiscal cliff" negotiations with congressional Republicans.

That could provide more time for Hagel's critics to marshal opposition to his nomination, in public and behind the scenes. But even they are skeptical of being able to derail it.

Obama himself has faced questions from American Jewish leaders about his approach to close U.S. ally Israel, especially given his strained relations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and may decide to take a risk with Hagel.

"This is a nomination that could be toxic to some degree for the White House," a Senate Republican foreign policy aide said. "Do they really want this in the first months of a second term?"

Some of Israel's leading U.S. supporters contend that Hagel, who left the Senate in 2008, at times opposed Israel's interests, voting several times against U.S. sanctions on Iran, and made disparaging remarks about the influence of what he called a "Jewish lobby" in Washington.

William Kristol of the conservative Weekly Standard wrote in a recent column that Hagel "has anti-Israel, pro-appeasement-of-Iran bona fides."

While declining to discuss Hagel's record on Israel, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters last Thursday that "the president thinks very highly of Senator Hagel."

Hagel's office has remain tight-lipped and had no immediate comment.

J Street, a liberal American Jewish group, said it was "appalled by efforts surfacing in recent days to question his commitment to the state of Israel and to Middle East peace."

But The Washington Post weighed in late on Tuesday with an editorial declaring that Hagel was "not the right choice."

It chided him for advocating deep defense cuts and said he was out-of-step on Iran for voicing skepticism that force might eventually be needed to stop its nuclear program.

REPUBLICAN MISGIVINGS

On Tuesday even some of Hagel's former Republican colleagues expressed misgivings about him.

Asked about Hagel's 2006 statement that the "Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people here," Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he would "have to answer for that comment" if he is nominated.

"And he'll have to answer about why he thought it was a good idea to directly negotiate with Hamas and why he objected to the European Union declaring Hezbollah a terrorist organization," said Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "He's been a friend, he has a stellar military record, but these comments disturb a lot of people."

After leaving office, Hagel urged Obama to open talks with Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction

Senator John McCain of Arizona insisted "we would review his entire record" but declined to "make a judgment until he's nominated."

Ironically, a Hagel nomination might be better received by Democrats - though they too might be wary of his contrarian reputation.

Many Republicans consider Hagel suspect. He was an early dissenter on the Iraq war - an issue that helped Obama rise to prominence - and crossed the aisle to endorse the president in his successful re-election bid this year.

On top of that, since leaving the Senate after two terms, he has been a vocal critic of his own party's fiscal policies.

Obama is said to feel comfortable with Hagel. The two traveled together to the Middle East during the 2008 campaign.

He currently co-chairs Obama's Intelligence Advisory Board, and his confirmation would put the Pentagon under a decorated Vietnam War veteran and give Obama's Cabinet a bipartisan cast.

Christopher Preble, vice president of the libertarian Cato Institute, wrote that Hagel would be an excellent choice and would help keep the U.S. military from undertaking further "quixotic nation-building missions."

But high-profile opposition to Hagel's possible nomination is growing. Abe Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League, told The Washington Post that his record "relating to Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship is, at best, disturbing, and at worst, very troubling."

Josh Block, president of The Israel Project, a pro-Israel group that describes itself as a nonpartisan educational organization, said Hagel's positions were "well outside the mainstream Democratic and Republican consensus."

Some of the negative buzz surrounding Hagel has made its way into Israeli media. "Hagel is a Republican with a problematic voting record on Israel," The Jerusalem Post said on Monday.

Also in the mix for the Pentagon job are Michele Flournoy, a former undersecretary of defense for policy, and Ashton Carter, the current deputy defense secretary.

(Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Xavier Briand)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-faces-backlash-possible-hagel-nomination-pentagon-035052232.html

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Snake Eater: Sony celebrates Metal Gear 25th with incredible Bento

Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima visited Sony Computer Entertainment's headquarters to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his much-loved stealth-action series, here's the spread Sony laid out for him...

Click for gallery mode

Via: Hideo Kojima (Twitter)

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Mystery behind ?Indiana Jones? package solved

Indiana Jones is still getting mail. (University of Chicago admissions department)

Last week, a mysterious package arrived at the University of Chicago. Addressed to Henry Walton Jones Jr., the brown-paper-wrapped package featured Egyptian postage and was tied with old-fashioned string. At first, the University's admissions department didn't know what to make of it?there was no Henry Jones on staff. But then a movie buff pointed out that that's the name of the great (and fictional) archaeologist, Dr. Indiana Jones.

So, why the heck was Indiana "Don't call me Junior" Jones getting mail at the University of Chicago? It turns out the package was actually a replica of a journal written by "Raiders of the Lost Ark" character Abner Ravenwood. This particular replica was created by a "Raiders" enthusiast who then sold it online. Apparently the journal fell out of its box at some point (it was supposed to go to a buyer in Italy), and the mail service assumed the decorative package was the real thing. (In the films, Jones attended the University of Chicago, where he met Ravenwood.)

The department's Tumblr account described the book/prop's craftsmanship: "The book itself is a bit dusty, and the cover is teal fabric with a red velvet spine, with weathered inserts and many postcards/pictures of Marion Ravenwood (and some cool old replica money) included. It's clear that it is mostly, but not completely handmade, as although the included paper is weathered all of the 'handwriting' and calligraphy lacks the telltale pressure marks of actual handwriting."

Also included: photos of stars Harrison Ford and Karen Allen (who played Marion Ravenwood, Abner's daughter), maps and a host of other Indiana Jones treasures. University spokesman Garrett Brinker said the props usually sell for around $200. "Apparently, it takes [the creator] two weeks to make one of these replicas, and then he sells them to people all over the world," he said.

Oddly, the package was delivered even though it had no real postage. The stamps were photo-copied replicas. We like to think the U.S. Postal Service could tell the? fate of the Ark of the Covenant was hanging in the balance. And we can't let the Nazis get it now, can we?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/indiana-jones-hates-snakes-loves-mail-215146844.html

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Russia eyes Syria evacuation as rebels take Damascus district

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russia sent warships to the Mediterranean to prepare a potential evacuation of its citizens from Syria, a Russian news agency said on Tuesday, a sign President Bashar al-Assad's key ally is worried about rebel advances now threatening even the capital.

Moscow acted a day after insurgents waging a 21-month-old uprising obtained a possible springboard for a thrust into Damascus by seizing the Yarmouk Palestinian camp, an urban zone just 2 miles from the heart of the city, activists said.

The Syrian opposition has scored significant military and diplomatic gains in recent weeks, capturing several army installations across Syria and securing formal recognition from Western and Arab states for its new coalition.

Despite those rebel successes, bloodshed has been rising with more than 40,000 killed in a movement that began as peaceful street protests but has transformed into civil war.

Assad's pivotal allies have largely stood behind him and Iran, believed to be his main bankroller in the conflict, said there were no signs of Assad was on the verge of being toppled.

"The Syrian army and the state machine are working smoothly," Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in Moscow on Tuesday.

But Russia, Assad's primary arms supplier, has appeared to waver with contradictory statements over the past week stressing opposition to Assad stepping down and airing concerns about a possible rebel victory.

Russia's Interfax news agency quoted unnamed naval sources on Tuesday as saying that two armed landing craft, a tanker and an escort vessel had left a Baltic port for the Mediterranean Sea. Russia has a naval maintenance base in the Syrian port of Tartus, around 250 km (155 miles) northwest of Damascus.

"They are heading to the Syrian coast to assist in a possible evacuation of Russian citizens ... Preparations for the deployment were carried out in a hurry and were heavily classified," the Russian agency quoted the source as saying.

Assad and his minority Alawite sect retain a solid grip on most of the coastal provinces of Tartus and Latakia, where their numbers are high. But the mostly Sunni Muslim rebels now control wide swathes of rural Syria, have seized border zones near Turkey in the north and Iraq to the east, and are pushing hard to advance on Damascus, Assad's fulcrum of power that sits close to the western frontier with Lebanon.

It was not possible to independently verify the Interfax report, which came a day after Russia confirmed that two citizens working in the Latakia province were kidnapped along with an Italian citizen. About 5,3000 Russian citizens are registered with consular authorities in Syria.

YARMOUK A "RED LINE"

In Damascus, activists reported overnight explosions and early morning sniper fire around the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk. The Yarmouk and Palestine refugee "camps" are actually densely populated urban districts home to thousands of impoverished Palestinian refugees and Syrians.

"The rebels control the camp but army forces are gathering in the Palestine camp and snipers can fire in on the southern parts of Yarmouk," rebel spokesman Abu Nidal said by Skype.

"Strategically, this site is very important because it is one of the best doors into central Damascus. The regime normally does not fight to regain areas captured any more because its forces have been drained. But I think they could see Yarmouk as a red line and fight back fiercely."

Syria hosts half a million Palestinian refugees, most living in Yarmouk, descendants of those admitted after the creation of Israel in 1948. Damascus has always cast itself as a champion of the Palestinian struggle, sponsoring several guerrilla factions.

The battle in Yarmouk was one of a series of conflicts on the southern edges of Damascus, as the rebels try to seal off the capital in their campaign to end 42 years of rule over the major Arab state by the Assad family.

Both Assad's government and the rebels have enlisted and armed divided Palestinian factions.

Streams of refugees have fled Yarmouk. Many have headed to central Damascus while hundreds more have crossed into Lebanon.

"We walked out on foot without our belongings until we reached central Damascus. We got in a taxi and drove straight for the border," said 75-year-old Abu Ali, speaking at the Lebanon's Masnaa border crossing.

Abu Ali said around 70 percent of Yarmouk residents had fled and many had slept rough on the streets of Damascus.

MEDICAL SHORTAGES, EXTREME HUNGER

Around 200 people died in Syria on Monday alone, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists across the nation. Violence has risen sharply, and with it humanitarian conditions are deteriorating.

The World Health Organisation said around 100 people were being admitted daily to the main hospital of Damascus and that supplies of medicines and anesthetics were scarce.

It also reported a rise in cases of extreme hunger and malnutrition coming from across Syria, including the insurgent-dominated rural areas outside the capital, where Assad has unleashed warplanes to try to dislodge rebel units.

Aid organizations say fighting has blocked their access into many conflict zones, and residents in rebel-held areas in particular have grappled with severe food and medical shortages.

Fighting raged across Syria on Tuesday, with fighter jets and ground rockets bombarding rebel-controlled eastern suburbs of the capital and army forces shelling a town in Hama province after clashes reignited there over the weekend.

The Syrian government severely restricts media access into the country, making it difficult to report events on the ground.

An news team for the American NBC network who were kidnapped after entering Syria through the rebel-held northern border returned to Turkey on Tuesday after being freed in a gunfight.

NBC chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel said his team was held by an unidentified band for five days, and the men were subjected to psychological torture including mock shootings.

He said he had a "very good idea" who his captors were.

"This was a group known as the shabbiha. This is a government militia. These are people who are loyal to President Bashar Assad," he said on NBC, adding that the kidnappers spoke openly about their allegiance to the Damascus government.

(Additional reporting by Oliver Holmes, Erika Solomon and Dominic Evans in Beirut, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Afif Diab in Masnaa, Lebanon, Susan Heavey in Washington; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-eyes-syria-evacuation-rebels-damascus-district-013505285.html

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Trustonic: a way for mobile apps to benefit from ARM's hardware-level security

This here narrative begins back in April, when ARM, Giesecke & Devrient and Gemalto teamed up and gave themselves precisely nine months in which to find the perfect brand name for their newly merged mobile security platform. Today, we're looking at the fruits of their efforts: Trustonic; a word which snappily captures the essence of what's at stake (trust-onic) and which you may soon encounter in connection with your next-gen smartphone, Mastercard payment app or 20th Century Fox DRM'd media.

What does Trustonic do, exactly? Pretty much what Mobicore already does in the Galaxy S III, or what Trusted Foundation does inside an Tegra-powered tablet: it allows certain pieces of software to tap into hardware-level encryption and authentication, courtesy of the TrustZone silicon that many ARM chips already contain, thereby removing many of the risks associated with malware and other intrusions within the mobile OS. As far as we understand it, the key difference with Trustonic is that it won't require direct input from OEMs like Samsung and NVIDIA, but will instead be more readily accessible to any banking, payment or DRM service that is willing to pay for a key. In return, the service would get enhanced security and faster logins for its users, who'd only need to enter a short, locally-verified PIN rather than wading through cloud-based steps to prove their identity. Indeed, perhaps that's where the tonic comes into it.

Continue reading Trustonic: a way for mobile apps to benefit from ARM's hardware-level security

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

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Sony Vegas Pro (64-bit) v12.0.394

The Vegas Pro 9 collection integrates two powerful applications that work seamlessly together to provide an efficient and intuitive environment for video and broadcast professionals. This comprehensive suite offers the most robust and progressive platform available for content creation and production. With broad format support, superior effects processing, unparalleled audio support, and a full complement of editorial tools, the Vegas Pro 9 collection streamlines your workflow. From acquisition to delivery, from camera to Blu-ray Disc?, the Vegas Pro 9 collection delivers exactly what you need to produce outstanding results.

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License type Shareware¹

Date added 17 Dec 2012

Downloads 2,949

File size 219.06 MB (< 30min @ 1Mbps)

Operating systems Vista / WinXP¹

¹License and operating system information is based on latest version of the software.

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Source: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/audio_video/video_editing/vegas_pro_64.cfm

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