Projections of sea level rise are vast underestimates

Expect more water to lap at your shores. That's the take-home message from two studies out this week that look at the latest data on sea level rise due to climate change.

The first shows that current projections for the end of the century may seriously underestimate the rise in global sea levels. The other, on the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, looks at just how much of the water stored up there has been moving into the oceans.

Both demonstrate that global warming is a real and imminent threat.

What mechanisms could lead to a rise in global sea level as climate change warms the planet?
There are four major mechanisms: the thermal expansion of oceans in a warming world; the loss of ice from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets; the melting of mountain glaciers and ice caps (such as those in the Himalayas); and the extraction and discharge of groundwater.

What is the latest on sea level rise?
One of the two new studies shows that last report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published in 2007, vastly underestimated actual sea level rise. That's because the IPCC's fourth assessment report (AR4) did not include contributions from the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.

So, for the years 1993-2011, the IPCC estimated that sea level would rise by about 2 millimetres a year. But the satellite data from that period now tell a different story.

Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany and colleagues compared IPCC AR4 projections with actual measurements and found the projections lagging behind what was happening in the real world. Global sea level has been rising at about 3.2 millimetres a year over the past two decades (Environmental Research Letters, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/044035).

Why the discrepancy?
The likely culprits are continental ice sheets. "[In IPCC models], the two big ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica contribute nothing to future sea level rise, because they assume that the mass loss from Greenland is balanced by ice gain in Antarctica due to higher snowfall rates," says Rahmstorf.

But satellite data show that the ice sheets are losing ice to the oceans.

If the models have not accurately reproduced what happened in recent years, it is likely that their projections for the future are not correct either. Since 2007, the IPCC has recognised this. Its initial projection of a maximum sea level rise of 60 centimetres by 2100 has been upped to include an additional 20-centimetre rise due to ice sheets melting. This effect comes from simplified models of what the ice sheets are doing, however, so even the updated projections could be off the mark and sea level rise could potentially be greater still.

So, what do the latest satellite readings tell us about ice sheets?
They tell us that the melting in Greenland is not offset by gain of ice in Antarctica. Andrew Shepherd of the University of Leeds, UK, and colleagues combined data from three independent types of satellite studies to lessen uncertainties and remove year-to-year variability.

"It's probably now the best overall and most comprehensive estimate of what the ice sheets are doing and what they have been doing for the last 20 years," says team member Ian Joughin of the University of Washington in Seattle.

And the data are clear: from 1990 to 2000, the melting of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets added about 0.25?millimetres a year to global sea level rise. For 2005-2010, that number has increased to about 1?millimetre a year (Science, http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1228102"

This is a concern, says Joughin. "It shows an accelerating increase of mass loss."

Is there a difference in how Greenland and Antarctica are reacting to global warming?
Yes. Greenland is losing the most ice, causing sea level to rise by about 0.75?millimetres per year. What's happening in Antarctica is more nuanced. East Antarctica is gaining mass because of increased snowfall, but this is more than offset by the loss of ice from West Antarctica, particularly along the Amundsen Coast, where warm water is melting ice shelves from beneath. This is leading to thinning and speed-up of glaciers, such the Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers.

How much will the extraction of groundwater for irrigation add to the sea level?
Until now, sea level rise from the extraction of groundwater (which eventually ends up in the sea) has been countered by dams built on rivers over the last century, which hold water back on land. But the best sites for dams have now been utilised, so we can't expect to store more water on land.

As we extract more groundwater for irrigation ? a trend that could increase as climate change causes droughts ? it could add up to 10 centimetres to the sea level by 2100, according to Rahmstorf. "This will become a net contribution to sea level rise in the future," he says. "Not big, but not negligible."

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

Have your say

Only subscribers may leave comments on this article. Please log in.

Only personal subscribers may leave comments on this article

Subscribe now to comment.

All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.

If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/261abbf9/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn225610Eprojections0Eof0Esea0Elevel0Erise0Eare0Evast0Eunderestimates0Bhtml0Dcmpid0FRSS0QNSNS0Q20A120EGLOBAL0Qonline0Enews/story01.htm

burmese python national signing day ferris bueller god bless america earned income credit super bowl commercials florida primary 2012

Surfline Photo Gallery of Coldwater Classic | Surfing Visions | dsadnal

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://dsadnal.blogspot.com/2012/11/surfline-photo-gallery-of-coldwater.html

dre kirkpatrick mls superdraft school cancellations bald barbie peoples choice awards deplorable mls draft

Hope Solo Defends Her Husband Jerramy Stevens

With Hope Solo's new husband Jerramy Stevens in jail for a possible probation violation following his domestic violence arrest, the women's soccer star is speaking out to declare that her husband has never hit her.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/hope-solo-defends-her-husband-jerramy-stevens/1-a-505579?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Ahope-solo-defends-her-husband-jerramy-stevens-505579

stan van gundy navy jet crash virginia beach crash stephen hawking marion barry virginia beach jet crash ridiculously photogenic guy

What I Learned At The Joomla World Conference | Breaking Even ...

Last week, I got back from San Jose, California where I attended the Joomla World Conference. To those people who are not nerdy about websites, Joomla is one of the largest open source softwares used to create websites today (the other two ?big? ones are Drupal and WordPress). The conference was held at eBay headquarters, which is one of the largest companies in the world that uses Joomla to run its site.

The conference was three packed days of keynote speakers, seminars, and networking from early in the morning until after dinner. The day after the conference and before my plane took off, some of us had time to do a nerdy area tour: lunch at In-n-Out Burger (my first time); tour of Mozilla headquarters; drive-bys of Google and Facebook; and finally a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and some Vietnamese food nearby.

Around 300 people attended the conference. I?m near one of the umbrellas if you can pick me out!

So what were some of the biggest takeaways from the conference? What are some very smart people talking about in terms to what?s next in website development?

Responsive design is big but most of our clients aren?t asking for it yet.
Have you ever visited someplace where you ate a new food or saw a cool fashion trend that you tried to bring back home? only to have everyone look at you weird? Currently responsive design is kind of like that for me. Developers all talk about it at conferences and on blogs because it is changing how we think about making a website but most regular people just shrug when I bring it up.

As people who want to keep up with what?s new/cool and also want to serve our clients with services they are actually asking for, when/how do we bring up a new technology like this? Do we wait a couple years until clients start hearing about it and asking questions or do we start educating people about this option now?

After hearing four talks on responsive design at this conference, clients in larger markets are already asking for this technology. Also, there are ways that as the person creating the site, you can communicate with a client about the process without being overwhelming or ridiculous. While the? conference answered some technical questions about responsive design, it was mainly a ?How do we present this to clients?? question that I was looking for an answer for? and got here.

Want to know more about responsive design? Here?s what you need to know about it from a business owner?s point of view and if you really want to geek out, check out this video about The Boston Globe?s responsive design development. I embedded a basic video below for a short, basic definition about responsive design if you are less nerdy but curious enough to watch a 60 second video:

Open source software is the way to go since people participate in it and constantly improve it.

One of my favorite parts of the conference was the stressing of open source software and open communication within the community.

What does ?open source? mean? It means not only having your product available for free but also being very open about your processes. This includes having your source code out in the open and making other things in the company public, including how you do business. This spirit of openness was not always common in the tech community but is becoming increasingly so.

Joomla is open source software. Actually its tagline is ?Open source matters?. People create websites by taking this free software, installing it on their web server, and modifying it for their uses. From this, people have developed programs that work with Joomla (called ?extensions?) or build entire Joomla design or support businesses. The Joomla community was very open and collaborative, which is refreshing to see since I myself prefer collaboration to competition.

One of my favorite talks was a keynote by Pascal Finette, the CEO of Mozilla, another open source software. You can visit their offices, they have Monday company meetings that are broadcasted so anyone can attend, and their products are all available for free to download.? In the open source community, instead of being technology consumers, we become participants, which improves the software more quickly and makes it more meaningful to everyone who uses it.

If you want to see what a Pascal Finette keynote is like, check out this video about the participant culture of being online:

In building a website, we can?t just think of ourselves.

Part of when we build a website is thinking about how we?d use it, but that can?t be all. Two presenters drove this point home for me.

One was Tito Alvarez whose talk ?Lighter Joomla for The Third World? talked about what challenges the third world has related to website technology and how we can develop websites that meet those challenges. For example he pays about $100/month to have 1/4 of the download speed that I take for granted every day. Helping sites load faster is not just something cool in the first world, it?s something essential for website visitors in the third world.

Cade working on his website. He?s awesome and this photo is courtesy of JoomlaShack.

The other speaker was Cade Reynolds, who was the youngest person at the conference (15) and also happened to be a presenter. Cade is a 4H participant from Missouri who, along with other people his age, took a Joomla training over the summer with Dr. Amy Patillo. Both Amy and Cade came to the conference to talk about website building with Joomla.

With both Tito and Cade, it was nice to see that Joomla users weren?t just technology nerds in Silicon Valley. They are a bit more like the rest of us, though probably a little smarter.

On a personal note, Cade gave me hope for our future. If 15 year old boys are half this great, our world is going to be ok when they run it!

Overall, I was impressed not only with what I learned but the kind of people I met. I hope to get to Joomla Day Boston if not another event soon. Thanks to Jeremy Wilken and the rest of the team who organized this great event.

I?d like to thank my client CNP Integrations who funded part of this trip. It was great to meet other people on your team in real life! Thanks!

Related posts:

1. Some Non-Nerdy Thoughts On Joomla Day New England
2. The California Women?s Conference: It?s On Video
3. Marketing Monday: The Juice 2.0 Conference
4. A New Website For Me!
5. Marketing Monday: World Of Warcraft

Source: http://breakingeveninc.com/web-tech/what-i-learned-at-the-joomla-world-conference/

bowl game schedule katy perry and russell brand katy perry divorce brock lesnar retires new years wake forest wake forest

Study helps resolve debate about how tumors spread

Public release date: 29-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Scott LaFee
slafee@ucsd.edu
619-543-6163
University of California - San Diego

A team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has shown for the first time how cancer cells control the ON/OFF switch of a program used by developing embryos to effectively metastasize in vivo, breaking free and spreading to other parts of the body, where they can proliferate and grow into secondary tumors.

The findings are published in the December 11 issue of the journal Cancer Cell.

In 90 percent of cancer deaths, it is the spreading of cancer, known as metastasis, which ultimately kills the patient by impacting ever-more tissues and functions until the body fails. Ten years ago, a French cancer researcher named Jean Paul Thiery hypothesized that tumor cells metastasized by exploiting a developmental process known as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT.

EMT is seen in developing embryos whose cells transform from stationary epithelial cells into more mobile mesenchymal cells, the latter able to migrate to new locations and create new types of tissue and organs. Thiery proposed that cancer cells also switch "ON" EMT, temporarily changing attributes so that they can detach from primary tumors, enter the bloodstream and seed new tumors elsewhere. After arriving at a new location, the cancer cells then turn "OFF" the EMT program and grow into carcinoma metastases or tumors.

Thiery's hypothesis was controversial because researchers haven't been able to find supporting evidential proof in vivo. "Although this model was proposed in 2002, there have been no experiments done to attest to it in a spontaneous tumor model," said Jing Yang, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology and pediatrics and senior author of the Cancer Cell paper. "Our new study provides an in vivo demonstration of the reversible EMT in metastasis and helps to resolve the controversy on this leading theory in metastasis."

Using a mouse squamous cell carcinoma model, Jeff Tsai, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Yang's lab and first author of the study, with help from collaborators at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, MA and The Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla, showed that activation of an EMT-inducing gene called Twist1 is sufficient to turn "ON" the EMT switch and promote carcinoma cells to disseminate into blood circulation. Equally importantly, the researchers found that turning "OFF" the EMT switch at distant sites is essential for disseminated tumor cells to proliferate and form metastases. Their findings indicate that reversible EMT likely represents a key driving force in human carcinoma metastasis.

"There are many similarities between developmental EMT and EMT in metastasis," Yang said. "Both processes seem to use the same cellular machineries and signaling pathways to activate the EMT program. During embryogenesis, the EMT program tends to be more permanent and epithelial cells commit to a mesenchymal fate. Our study shows that carcinoma cells need a reversible EMT to achieve efficient metastasis. It suggests that EMT reversion could be a critical step to wake up tumor cells from dormancy, a phenomenon in which cancer patients develop metastasis years after the initial primary tumor diagnosis and removal."

It's not entirely known how Twist1 becomes active in primary tumors, though previous studies have pointed to factors like hypoxia and inflammation in the tumor microenvironment. Researchers do not know exactly how Twist1 is "turned off at distant organs." Yang said these are subjects of current experiments.

More broadly, the published findings suggest that more research is needed to determine how to target EMT to combat cancer metastasis. Several pharmaceuticals and research institutes are already pursuing EMT inhibitors as possible cancer treatments.

"Since reversion of EMT promotes colonization and growth of metastases, this study actually cautions that therapies inhibiting EMT could be counterproductive in preventing distant metastases when patients already present circulating tumor cells. Instead, blocking EMT reversion may prevent dormant tumor cells from establishing metastases."

###

Co-authors of the paper include Sandra Chau, Department of Pharmacology, UCSD School of Medicine; Joana Liu Donaher, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research; and Danielle A. Murphy, The Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute.

Funding came, in part, from the American Cancer Society, the National Institutes of Health, the Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research, California Breast Cancer Research program, University of California Cancer Research Coordinating Committee, UCSD Cancer Center Training Program in Drug Development and UCSD Cancer Center Specialized Support Grant.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Public release date: 29-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Scott LaFee
slafee@ucsd.edu
619-543-6163
University of California - San Diego

A team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has shown for the first time how cancer cells control the ON/OFF switch of a program used by developing embryos to effectively metastasize in vivo, breaking free and spreading to other parts of the body, where they can proliferate and grow into secondary tumors.

The findings are published in the December 11 issue of the journal Cancer Cell.

In 90 percent of cancer deaths, it is the spreading of cancer, known as metastasis, which ultimately kills the patient by impacting ever-more tissues and functions until the body fails. Ten years ago, a French cancer researcher named Jean Paul Thiery hypothesized that tumor cells metastasized by exploiting a developmental process known as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT.

EMT is seen in developing embryos whose cells transform from stationary epithelial cells into more mobile mesenchymal cells, the latter able to migrate to new locations and create new types of tissue and organs. Thiery proposed that cancer cells also switch "ON" EMT, temporarily changing attributes so that they can detach from primary tumors, enter the bloodstream and seed new tumors elsewhere. After arriving at a new location, the cancer cells then turn "OFF" the EMT program and grow into carcinoma metastases or tumors.

Thiery's hypothesis was controversial because researchers haven't been able to find supporting evidential proof in vivo. "Although this model was proposed in 2002, there have been no experiments done to attest to it in a spontaneous tumor model," said Jing Yang, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology and pediatrics and senior author of the Cancer Cell paper. "Our new study provides an in vivo demonstration of the reversible EMT in metastasis and helps to resolve the controversy on this leading theory in metastasis."

Using a mouse squamous cell carcinoma model, Jeff Tsai, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Yang's lab and first author of the study, with help from collaborators at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, MA and The Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla, showed that activation of an EMT-inducing gene called Twist1 is sufficient to turn "ON" the EMT switch and promote carcinoma cells to disseminate into blood circulation. Equally importantly, the researchers found that turning "OFF" the EMT switch at distant sites is essential for disseminated tumor cells to proliferate and form metastases. Their findings indicate that reversible EMT likely represents a key driving force in human carcinoma metastasis.

"There are many similarities between developmental EMT and EMT in metastasis," Yang said. "Both processes seem to use the same cellular machineries and signaling pathways to activate the EMT program. During embryogenesis, the EMT program tends to be more permanent and epithelial cells commit to a mesenchymal fate. Our study shows that carcinoma cells need a reversible EMT to achieve efficient metastasis. It suggests that EMT reversion could be a critical step to wake up tumor cells from dormancy, a phenomenon in which cancer patients develop metastasis years after the initial primary tumor diagnosis and removal."

It's not entirely known how Twist1 becomes active in primary tumors, though previous studies have pointed to factors like hypoxia and inflammation in the tumor microenvironment. Researchers do not know exactly how Twist1 is "turned off at distant organs." Yang said these are subjects of current experiments.

More broadly, the published findings suggest that more research is needed to determine how to target EMT to combat cancer metastasis. Several pharmaceuticals and research institutes are already pursuing EMT inhibitors as possible cancer treatments.

"Since reversion of EMT promotes colonization and growth of metastases, this study actually cautions that therapies inhibiting EMT could be counterproductive in preventing distant metastases when patients already present circulating tumor cells. Instead, blocking EMT reversion may prevent dormant tumor cells from establishing metastases."

###

Co-authors of the paper include Sandra Chau, Department of Pharmacology, UCSD School of Medicine; Joana Liu Donaher, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research; and Danielle A. Murphy, The Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute.

Funding came, in part, from the American Cancer Society, the National Institutes of Health, the Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research, California Breast Cancer Research program, University of California Cancer Research Coordinating Committee, UCSD Cancer Center Training Program in Drug Development and UCSD Cancer Center Specialized Support Grant.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/uoc--shr112612.php

Electoral College obama chuck pagano A Gay Lesbian daylight savings time 2012 Where To Vote james harden

Scientists discover water ice on Mercury: Ice and organic material may have been carried to the planet by passing comets

ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2012) ? Mercury, the smallest and innermost planet in our solar system, revolves around the sun in a mere 88 days, making a tight orbit that keeps the planet incredibly toasty. Surface temperatures on Mercury can reach a blistering 800 degrees Fahrenheit -- hot enough to liquefy lead.

Now researchers from NASA, MIT, the University of California at Los Angeles and elsewhere have discovered evidence that the scorching planet may harbor pockets of water ice, along with organic material, in several permanently shadowed craters near Mercury's north pole.

The surprising discovery suggests to scientists that both ice and organic material, such as carbon, may have been deposited on Mercury's surface by impacts from comets or asteroids. Over time, this volatile material could then have migrated to the planet's poles.

"We thought the most exciting finding could be that this really was water ice," says Maria Zuber, the E.A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, and a member of the research team. "But the identification of darker, insulating material that may indicate complex organics makes the story even more thrilling."

Zuber and her colleagues published their results this week in the journal Science.

Mounting evidence for ice

The possibility that water ice might exist on Mercury is not new: In the 1990s, radar observations detected bright regions near Mercury's poles that scientists believed could be signs of either water ice or a rough planetary surface. However, the evidence was inconclusive for either scenario.

To get a clearer picture of Mercury's polar regions, Zuber and her colleagues analyzed observations taken by NASA's MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) mission, a probe that has been orbiting the planet and mapping its topography since April 2011.

Mapping the planet's surface is a challenging task, as the craft must weather the sun's intense radiation, which can "play havoc with electronics," Zuber says. What's more, the probe moves from pole to pole in an elliptical orbit, making for an extremely tricky mapping mission, both dynamically and thermally. Despite these challenges, MESSENGER's onboard laser altimeter has amassed more than 10 laser pulses that have been used to map topography and measure the near-infrared reflectance of the surface.

Last year, researchers analyzed the probe's topographic observations and created a high-resolution map of Mercury; they then overlaid previous radar observations. They found that the bright regions detected in radar lined up with permanently shadowed craters at the planet's north pole -- regions that never see the sun, and which are potentially ideal places for ice to survive. This finding was one more piece of evidence that Mercury might harbor water ice.

Revealing shadows

In this latest analysis of MESSENGER's observations, scientists believe they have found conclusive evidence for water ice on Mercury, although the data was at first puzzling.

The team found that the probe's reflectance measurements, taken via laser altimetry, matched up well with previously mapped radar-bright regions in Mercury's high northern latitudes. Two craters in particular were bright, both in radar and at laser wavelengths, indicating the possible presence of reflective ice. However, just south of these craters, others appeared dark with laser altimetry, but bright in radar.

The observations "threw us off track for a long time," Zuber says, until another team member, David Paige of UCLA, developed a thermal model of the planet. Using MESSENGER observations of Mercury's topography, reflectance and rotational characteristics, the model simulated the sun's illumination of the planet, enabling precise determination of Mercury's temperature at and below the surface.

Results indicated that the unusually bright deposits corresponded to regions where water ice was stable at the surface; in dark regions, ice was stable within a meter of the surface. The dark insulating material is consistent with complex organics that would already be dark but may have been darkened further by the intense radiation at Mercury's surface.

In addition, MESSENGER's neutron spectrometer detected elemental hydrogen in the vicinity of Mercury's north pole. The combination of the compositional, spectral and geometric observations and the thermal models provided a strong, self-consistent explanation for the unusual radar backscatter observations.

Paul Lucey, a professor of geophysics and planetology at the University of Hawaii, points out that MESSENGER has also revealed a number of regions where surfaces were much darker than in previous radar measurements. Lucey interprets these results as possible evidence of receding ice on Mercury's surface.

"This suggests that in the past, ice was more extensive on Mercury, and retreated to its current state," says Lucey, who was not involved in the research. "Even Mercury experiences global warming."

MESSENGER will continue to orbit Mercury, and Zuber says future data may reveal information beyond the planet's surface. "There are still some really good questions to answer about the interior," Zuber says. "I'll tell you, we're not done."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The original article was written by Jennifer Chu.

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

---

Journal References:

1. David A. Paige, Matthew A. Siegler, John K. Harmon, Gregory A. Neumann, Erwan M. Mazarico, David E. Smith, Maria T. Zuber, Ellen Harju, Mona L. Delitsky, and Sean C. Solomon. Thermal Stability of Volatiles in the North Polar Region of Mercury. Science, 29 November 2012 DOI: 10.1126/science.1231106
2. Gregory A. Neumann, John F. Cavanaugh, Xiaoli Sun, Erwan M. Mazarico, David E. Smith, Maria T. Zuber, Dandan Mao, David A. Paige, Sean C. Solomon, Carolyn M. Ernst, and Olivier S. Barnouin. Bright and Dark Polar Deposits on Mercury: Evidence for Surface Volatiles. Science, 29 November 2012 DOI: 10.1126/science.1229764

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/dIp6jTJsncs/121129151336.htm

valentines day cards hallmark grammy winners obama budget woolly mammoth belize resorts nikki minaj grammy performance

Turn an Empty Milk Jug Into an Emergency Dustpan

If you don't have a dustpan on hand and need one right away?like if you broke some glass?you can make a quick one by cutting into a milk jug.

All you need to do is cut the bottom of the milk jug out, at an angle, so you have room to sweep in the debris. It isn't as good as a real dustpan (which are cheap, so just buy one already!) but it'll work if you're in a bind and need to sweep up a mess. Hit the link to see more.

How to Make a Soda Bottle Broom and Milk Jug Dustpan | WonderHowTo

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/yE-RHBVFZIE/turn-an-empty-milk-jug-into-an-emergency-dustpan

king arthur there will be blood there will be blood nigel barker 420 secret service fenway park

Advice From Your Personal Injury Attorney : Legal Information

You are here: Home / General / Advice From Your Personal Injury Attorney

Many individuals ask a car accident lawyer why their insurance company should spend for their medical bills rather than the insurance company of the individual who had been the main cause of the accident. This has often been a cause of misunderstanding and misconception among individuals and that is why it is worth discussing on this section.

Subjugation is the main concept. Only a few individuals have known of this but it?s a concept which states that the individual responsible doesn?t have to pay for the finances and wages of the injured personinjured individual} through his insurance provider unless a final release of your claims can be signed. There?s also a sense in this since people have been having a hard time wanting to convince their insurance firm that they?ve been harmed and it would spare them the trouble of having the person responsible for the accident deal with the task instead.

We?ve heard over time about how people tell lawyers what the insurance agent promise to pay these bills. But then if you give them a call up to send the payments, they won?t pay you the commission. This can be partly because under the regulations they are not demanded to until you are ready to sign a full and final release of your claims. This is just how matters go and you?ll have to learn how to deal with it.

So what becomes of the medical bills? The doctors are not going to delay until you have paid them and this is where an auto or medical health insurance coverage can be really useful. Again, you may sit with your lawyer inside his office and talk about your position. It is possible to discuss about how the whole process works and some information on why the law and its procedures work in such a manner. There could be a lot of twist and turns while submitting your case or opting for compensation but a skilled lawyer will take you through the procedures.

It?s a crucial method and you should contact a personal injury lawyer on the notion of subjugation, what it is all about and how you can utilize such concept for your own personal advantage. You do not want to waste time because you must recover from your injuries and get back to the world as soon as you can.

Source: http://www.theyellowads.com/legal/advice-from-your-personal-injury-attorney

ides of march elizabeth smart nick young south dakota state long beach state beasley trailblazers

Motorola Electrify 2 - US Cellular's best budget-friendly holiday pick

We’re officially in the thick of the holiday season, and carriers are hoping now is the time you’ll sign away your wireless soul for the next two years for the promise of a shiny new device. But before you head to the mall, take a deep breath and weigh your options closely — just because it’s that time of year doesn’t mean you have to do anything rash.

For U.S. Cellular customers, 2012 just may be the best holiday season so far. Over the past year, the carrier has been steadily adding more high-end devices to its portfolio. If you’re ready to sign a two-year contract, you’ve got plenty of solid choices: The Galaxy Note 2, the Galaxy S3, and the new Motorola Electrify M are all good devices with best-in-class specs. But at $300, $100, and $100 respectively, these three heavyweights might be just a bit too rich for your blood, especially if you’ve got to fill more than a couple stockings this year. But fear not, USC has some budget-friendly options, the best of which being the Motorola Electrify 2.

read more

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

black panther party frank martin pink slime eagle cam trayvon martin case affordable care act the line

Youth mean business in B.C.

?

?

For Immediate Release 2012JTST0060-001898 Nov. 27, 2012

Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour ?

?

Youth mean business in B.C.

?

VANCOUVER Athena Theny often dreamed of being able to make and sell her jewellery, leather handbags and other creations in her own store. Now her dream has been realized through Athena Atelier, her boutique in Gastown.

?

Athena Atelier is the result of Athenas participation in the Youth Mean Business program, along with her extensive collaboration with business advisors, professors and social entrepreneurs in the community. Athenas success is one of the reasons government is extending the Youth Mean Business pilot project through to March 31, 2013.

?

Funded through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement (LMA), the B.C. government is investing a total of nearly $2 million for the Youth Mean Business program, which helps youth (aged 18 to 29 years) work with business advisors to create sound business proposals that they can then develop into formal business plans. The program provides up to $5,000 for each participant, some of which can be used as seed money for launching their business. The pilot initially launched in June 2011, with an investment of $1.65 million through to October 2012. Government is investing an additional $337,900 to extend the program to the end of the fiscal year.

?

Before participating in Youth Mean Business, Athena was working in the mental-health field as a group facilitator and making jewellery and accessories on the side. She sold some of her designs on consignment at local boutiques, but thought of her passion for design as a hobby rather than as something she could run as a business. Through working with business advisors and using some seed funding from the program, she gained the tools necessary to put a plan into action and become the designer she always wanted to be.

?

From June 2011 to October 31, 2012, about 185 young people have participated in the Youth Mean Business program throughout the province, and have worked with business advisors to develop proposals to gain traction on their own business ideas. The goal is to get to at least 226 by the end of March 2013. The YMCA of Greater Vancouver administers the Youth Mean Business program in Greater Vancouver, ETHOS Career Management Group in Victoria, and Community Futures in both Kelowna and Prince George.

?

Quotes:

?

Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour Pat Bell

?

Our government is committed to supporting young people to be successful. Thats why were investing in skills training and in programs like Youth Mean Business to ensure they have the tools they need to fulfil their goals.

?

Minister of State for Small Business Naomi Yamamoto

?

Starting your own business takes a lot of hard work, courage and planning. The Youth Mean Business program plays a vital role in helping young British Columbians get the head start they need to put their plan into action and be successful.

?

Athena Theny, former program participant and owner of Athena Atelier

?

I have always dreamed of being a designer, but I didn't know how to make it financially viable or where to focus my time and energy in order to be successful in this creative landscape. The Youth Mean Business program afforded me the opportunity to focus on my designs and to make a sound business plan. The mentorship that the program provided supported me in shaping my vision and in knowing how I can confidently make my dream a reality.

?

Stephen Butz, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Vancouver

?

When young people grow up healthy, it makes our whole community stronger. Thats why the Youth Mean Business program is so importantit helps young people fulfil their dreams by providing them with the skills and resources needed to reach their full potential. ?

?

Quick Facts:

?

???????? The Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement (LMA) funds programs and services for employed people who are low-skilled and for unemployed individuals who are not eligible for Employment Insurance.

???????? As a direct result of federal LMA funding, thousands of British Columbians are receiving training that will advance their careers, assist in securing new employment and ultimately improve the social and economic outcomes of individuals in B.C. and Canada.

???????? Between 2008 and 2012, the LMA has provided training to approximately 74,000 individuals across the province.

???????? The current agreement will expire on March 31, 2014, and B.C. is preparing to enter discussions with the federal government to renew this important agreement and ensure our province has the skilled workforce required to support long-term labour market needs and economic growth.

???????? During the month of November, the B.C. government is asking for ideas from citizens on the topic of building a skilled workforce. You can contribute your ideas, comment or make a suggestion at: www.bcjobsplan.ca/

?

Learn More:

?

???????? Youth Mean Business in Vancouver: www.vanymca.org/cs/youthmeanbusiness.html

???????? Youth Mean Business in Victoria: www.ethoscmg.com/ymb.html

???????? Youth Mean Business in Prince George: http://cfdc.bc.ca/youth-mean-business/

???????? Youth Mean Business in Kelowna: www.cfdcco.com/youth-means-business.html

???????? Athena Atelier: http://athenaatelier.com/

???????? WorkBC skills training programs:

www.workbc.ca/Education-Training/Programs/Pages/Employment-Programs.aspx

???????? Industry Training Authority: www.itabc.ca

???????? Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement information: www.jtst.gov.bc.ca/labourmarketagreement/

?

Contacts:

?

Media Relations Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour 250 356-8177 ? ?

Kelly Walker Manager, Marketing and Communications YMCA of Greater Vancouver 778 918-5863 ????

?

Connect with the Province of B.C. at: www.gov.bc.ca/connect

?

Source: http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2012JTST0060-001898.htm

pi white lion mike d antoni resigns holes ncaa brackets 2012 odd lamar

Nook app packs new features on iOS and Android, makes UK debut

Barnes & Noble's Nook app has reached version 3.3 on iOS and Android, bringing a handful of new features in tow. Headlining the iOS update are screen magnification and support for Apple's VoiceOver feature, which can assist the blind and visually impaired by reading content aloud. The app has also been gussied up for the iPhone 5's additional screen real estate. Both Android and iOS flavors of the application pack language support for French, Italian, German, Spanish and British English -- and indeed they've now cozied up to the Nook's UK storefront following the arrival of the latest hardware in that land a few days back. If you're fixing to download the spruced up app, Barnes & Noble recommends syncing your library before making the leap.

Continue reading Nook app packs new features on iOS and Android, makes UK debut

Filed under: Software

Comments

Via: Maccessibility, Daring Fireball

Source: iTunes, Google Play

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/27/nook-app-ios-android-update-uk/

netanyahu aipac vanessa minnillo super tuesday epidemiology total eclipse of the heart jionni lavalle

Kitchen Remodeling ? Your Kitchen Lighting | Voooz.com

Kitchen remodeling each and every year millions of home owners do it. Are you hunting to turn out to be a single of those homeowners? Whether you are searching to remodel each square inch of your kitchen or just element of it, there is a decent chance that you may be in the marketplace for new kitchen lights. The lighting located in a kitchen has a considerable impact on the rooms general environment. That is why many property owners, when remodeling their kitchens, make the choice to change their kitchen light fixtures.

If you are interested in replacing your kitchen lights, you will uncover that you, actually, have an unlimited quantity of diverse options. Kitchen lights, as effectively as their fixtures, come in a quantity of distinct sizes, shapes, and styles. Honestly, there are some several distinct kitchen light fixtures to decide on from, you may possibly have a hard time producing up your mind. Regardless of getting a difficult time producing a selection, it is essential that you do. As previously pointed out, the lighting in a space has a significant influence on the all round quality of that space, as effectively as how you may feel whilst inside of it. That is why it is critical that you take time to analysis all of your alternatives, so that you can make the best choice.

1 of the most common varieties of lights for the kitchen are ceiling lights. Ceiling lights are light fixtures that are attached appropriate to the ceiling. Although they are often recognized as the most traditional kind of lighting for the kitchen, they can be anything but conventional. Whether or not you are purchasing online or at a single of your nearby retail shops, you really should have access to hundreds of diverse light fixtures, numerous of which are ceiling lights. The price of a ceiling light will all depend on which style you select, but, in most circumstances, you will locate that ceiling lights are the most inexpensive of all kitchen lights. If you are remodeling your kitchen on a budget, these kinds of lights might be very best.

In addition to ceiling fans, hanging kitchen lights are fairly common. Hanging kitchen lights comes in two major styles, chandeliers or pendants. Pendant lighting fixtures are lights that hang down from the ceiling, typically about a foot or far more. Chandelier lights are a normally a collection of hanging lights that are all grouped together. When it comes to chandelier lights and pendant lights for the kitchen, you will frequently discover that they are referred to as mini lights. This is because the greater size light fixtures are usually also big to use in most standard kitchens.

In addition to the above mentioned kitchen light fixtures, you could also want to purchase lights that are known as below cabinet lights. Below cabinet lights are ideal for those who are hunting for a speedy snack in the middle of the night. If you are acquiring new kitchen cabinets, as element of your kitchen remodeling project, an under the cabinet light could be the ideal addition to your new cupboards.

Regardless of whether you have decided that you would like to purchase a mini pendant light, a ceiling light, or a mini chandelier kitchen light, you will nonetheless need to select the light that looks best in your kitchen. As previously talked about, it may be an excellent concept to commence buying at a single of your regional home improvement shops, but if you are seeking for a light fixture with a certain style, it may be best to shop on the internet.

To check out more, please go to: cosplay wigs

Source: http://voooz.com/2012/11/27/kitchen-remodeling-your-kitchen-lighting/

the walking dead Walking Dead Season 3 vampire diaries miley cyrus miley cyrus derek jeter Red Bull Stratos

Your First Pony Purchase | Article Directory

If you are making plans to get a pony, have you made adequate budgetary provisions? Don?t commit the blunder of assuming that your expenses are over after you have paid for the horse. A pony might be the largest item on your agenda of costs, but in no way is it the sole item.

Before you set out to get a pony, you ought to have identified, quantified and made allowance for all items that are a part of purchasing, riding and caring for your pony. These include accommodation for your horse, feeding and watering him, medical care, riding gear and riding clothes for yourself. All of these items need to be attended to before it?s possible to even sit in the saddle for the first time. Making your budgetary provisions means making decisions about several aspects of horse ownership. You want to decide on the type of riding you wish to do, the quality and style of riding gear you want to use, the type and quality of riding clothes you want to wear.

If your financial position does not make allowances for new gear, you might want to visit pony shows, farm sales and used gear shops to buy less expensive tack which has been well kept. If you do buy new stuff, do so as far as possible from outlets that are within easy reach, to enable replacement of gear that doesn?t fit or is other wise unsuited for your specific purposes. Naturally, you need to make sure that refunds or replacements are permitted before purchasing. If you?re completely certain of your requirements, you can buy from online outlets. There are numerous great purchase options online, but you need to be very sure of yourself, because returning goods bought online could be a very pricey business. Whether online or off line, buy only once you?ve made certain of the seller?s refund or replacement policies.

The most basic of gear you absolutely have to buy are a halter and lead rope, 2 items essential to bring your horse home to begin with. Note that if you?re purchasing a young horse, you want to get yourself a suitable halter and keep replacing it as the pony grows older. If you buy a mature pony, you need a halter for adult horses you can use for a long time. Nylon halters are not very pricey and even leather ones that aren?t intricate show pieces won?t cost too much.

For riding the pony, you will require a saddle, blankets or pads, a bit, a bridle and one or perhaps 2 sets of reins depending what type kind of riding interests you. Tack comes in two broad categories: western and English. Both western and English tack items are used for the same purposes, but differ broadly in size, shape and appearance. Usually, English tack is lighter and smaller, the saddles are minimalist, short of frills. They don?t have horns, deep seats or high forks. The stirrups don?t come with wide fenders. Comparatively, western saddles are heavy, with distinct horns, deep seats and tall, rigid cantles at the rear. Stirrup fenders and saddle skirts might be impressively carved or may come with gold accents or silver ones. Both English and western style tack come in many variations, and thus it is very important that if you are planning to participate in specific disciplines you research the right kind of tack to acquire.

Horses are Heather Toms
passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of
articles with other horse lovers visit HorseHorses

Source: http://articledirectoryhere.com/recreation-sports/your-first-pony-purchase/

john l smith apple earnings the glass castle jennifer hudson trial north korea threat brandon jacobs brandon jacobs

Twin Epidemics: Childhood Obesity and Diabetes, Part 2

When generalized statements are made about diabetes, it pretty much means Type 2, because 9/10ths (maybe more) of the patients are afflicted by Type 2. A recently released study by the Centers for Disease Control found that in some American cities, diabetes has doubled.

If that sounds alarming, try this: ?China Diabetes Triples Creating $3.2 Billion Drug Market.? So says Bloomberg News, which gets its information from the corporations that profit, and why should they lie? The pharmaceutical industry figures to be pulling an annual $165 billion per year out of China by 2016.

The chief medical officer of Merck & Co., Michael Rosenblatt, says China has become the ?world?s capital? for diabetes. It contains 90 million diabetics, or four times as many as the U.S. Up until now, they have mainly been treated with metformin, which inhibits the liver from producing glucose. The formula used to belong to Bristol-Myers Squibb, but has gone generic. Other companies claim to now stock superior drugs that minimize the risk of hypoglycemia. Daryl Loo writes:

Prevalence of Type 2 diabetes, a disease linked to inactivity and excess calories, has more than tripled in China over the past decade, fueling 20 percent-a-year growth in drug sales and straining health services. It?s also stoking need for newer, costlier medications from Merck & Co. (MRK), Novo Nordisk A/S (NOVOB) and Sanofi that help avoid blood-sugar spikes and complications such as heart attack and stroke.

The symptoms of low blood sugar are particularly unacceptable in China because its victims seem to be drunk. Chairman Mao would surely frown, and also be mad enough to bite himself, at the idea of so much wealth flowing to the capitalist pharmaceutical mongerers. Still, for some reason, it only costs the Chinese government medical establishment $194 per year to treat a diabetic patient, versus $5,000 in the U.S. and other developed nations.

The American CDC study collected information between 1995 and 2010. Meanwhile, other events have taken ?place, and other societal trends have had the opportunity to impact the behavior, the weight, and the blood sugar level of many more Americans.

Most studies do not produce the kind of definitive answers that are hoped for. With luck, they might be able to point the way to the next stop on a continuum of discovery. Hopefully, they can identify which question might be the most productive to ask next. It?s no accident that every summary of a childhood obesity study or a diabetes study ends with a recommendation to do more research.

What direction should additional research take? The competition for funding is an arduous process, and there are more grant proposals than available dollars to pay for statisticians and mice. The people who decide which avenues to pursue by financially backing the science have to keep several things in mind. One is the lag time. No matter how relevant and promising an avenue of investigation might seem, the information is from data collected up until two or three years ago.

Something could have happened in the meantime that invalidates whatever result this study produced, but nobody knows about it yet or, if the information is available, no one recognizes the significance of it yet, and how it might relate to the problem at hand.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: ?Big rise in Americans with diabetes, especially in South,? Reuters, 11/15/12
Source: ?China Diabetes Triples Creating $3.2 Billion Drug Market,? Bloomberg News, 11/05/12
Image by JMR_Photography (JR).

Source: http://childhoodobesitynews.com/2012/11/26/twin-epidemics-childhood-obesity-and-diabetes-part-2/

words with friends words with friends phlebotomy dog show best in show bret michaels bret michaels

Is Quantum Reality Analog after All? (preview)

See Inside

Quantum theorists often speak of the world as being pointillist at the smallest scales. Yet a closer look at the laws of nature suggests that the physical world is actually continuous?more analog than digital

By David Tong

Image: Kenn Brown, Mondolithic Studios

In Brief

• Quantum mechanics is usually thought of as inherently discrete, yet its equations are formulated in terms of continuous quantities. Discrete values emerge depending on how a system is set up.
• Digital partisans insist that the continuous quantities are, on closer inspection, discrete: they lie on a tightly spaced grid that gives the illusion of a continuum, like the pixels on a computer screen.
• This idea of pixilated, discrete space contradicts at least one feature of nature, however: the asymmetry between left- and right-handed versions of elementary particles of matter.

?

Editors' note: Last year the Foundational Questions Institute's third essay contest posed the following question to physicists and philosophers: ?Is Reality Digital or Analog?? The organizers expected entrants to come down on the side of digital. After all, the word ?quantum? in quantum physics connotes ?discrete? ?hence, ?digital?. Many of the best essays held, however, that the world is analog. Among them was the entry by David Tong, who shared the second-place prize. The article here is a version of his essay.

In the late 1800s the famous german mathematician Leopold Kronecker proclaimed, ?God made the integers, all else is the work of man.? He believed that whole numbers play a fundamental role in mathematics. For today's physicists, the quote has a different resonance. It ties in with a belief that has become increasingly common over the past several decades: that nature is, at heart, discrete?that the building blocks of matter and of spacetime can be counted out, one by one. This idea goes back to the ancient Greek atomists but has extra potency in the digital age. Many physicists have come to think of the natural world as a vast computer described by discrete bits of information, with the laws of physics an algorithm, like the green digital rain seen by Neo at the end of the 1999 film The Matrix.

This article was originally published with the title The Unquantum Quantum.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=ff441d8b6b030fe62ee1110881f7ed20

oikos kentucky wildcats oakland school shooting nike nfl jerseys katie couric barista university of kentucky

Egypt stocks plunge after Mursi power grab

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's stock market plunged on Sunday in its first day open since Islamist President Mohamed Mursi's seizure of new powers set off street violence and a political crisis, unraveling efforts to restore stability after last year's revolution.

More than 500 people have been injured in protests since Friday, when Egyptians awoke to news Mursi had issued a decree temporarily widening his powers and shielding his decisions from judicial review.

Mursi and the judiciary hinted at compromise to avert a full-scale political crisis.

The Supreme Judicial Council said Mursi's decree should apply only to "sovereign matters". Although it did not specify what that meant, its statement, read on television, suggested it did not reject his decree outright. It called on judges and prosecutors who have called for a strike to return to work.

Mursi's office repeated assurances that the measures would be temporary, and said he wanted dialogue with political groups.

"This declaration is deemed necessary in order to hold accountable those responsible for corruption as well as other crimes during the previous regime and the transitional period," the presidency said in a statement.

Justice minister Ahmed Mekky, who has said he has some reservations over Mursi's decree, launched an effort to mediate between Mursi and judges.

Sunday's stock market fall of nearly 10 percent - halted only by automatic curbs - was the worst since the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak in February, 2011.

Images of protesters clashing with riot police and tear gas wafting through Cairo's Tahrir Square were an unsettling reminder of that uprising. Activists were camped in the square for a third day, blocking traffic with makeshift barricades. Nearby, riot police and protesters clashed intermittently.

Mursi's supporters and opponents plan big demonstrations on Tuesday that could be a trigger for more street violence.

"We are back to square one, politically, socially," said Mohamed Radwan of Pharos Securities, an Egyptian brokerage firm.

Mursi's late Thursday decree marks an effort to consolidate his influence after he successfully sidelined Mubarak-era generals in August. It reflects his suspicions of a judiciary little reformed since the Mubarak era.

Issued just a day after Mursi received glowing tributes from Washington for his work brokering a deal to end eight days of violence between Israel and Hamas, the decree drew warnings from the West to uphold democracy. Washington has leverage because of billions of dollars it sends in annual military aid.

"The United States should be saying this is unacceptable," former presidential nominee John McCain, ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Fox News.

"We thank Mr. Mursi for his efforts in brokering the cease fire with Hamas.... But this is not what the United States of America's taxpayers expect. Our dollars will be directly related to progress toward democracy."

Forged out of the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood, the Mursi administration has defended his decree as an effort to speed up reforms that will complete Egypt's democratic transformation.

Yet leftists, liberals, socialists and others say it has exposed the autocratic impulses of a man once jailed by Mubarak.

"There is no room for dialogue when a dictator imposes the most oppressive, abhorrent measures and then says 'let us split the difference'," prominent opposition leader ElBaradei said on Saturday in an interview with Reuters and the Associated Press.

Floating one possible way out of the crisis, political scientist Moataz Abdelfattah said he had told Mursi's advisors that the president should issue an "explanatory memo" outlining what he would and would not do with the decree.

WARNINGS FROM WEST

Investors had grown more confident in recent months that a legitimately elected government would help Egypt put its economic and political problems behind it. The stock market's main index had risen 35 percent since Mursi's victory. It closed on Sunday at its lowest level since July 31.

Political turmoil also raised the cost of government borrowing at a treasury bill auction on Sunday.

"Investors know that Mursi's decisions will not be accepted and that there will be clashes on the street," said Osama Mourad of Arab Financial Brokerage.

Just last week, investor confidence was helped by a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund over a $4.8 billion loan needed to shore up state finances.

Mursi's decree removes judicial review of decisions he takes until a new parliament is elected, expected early next year.

It also shields the Islamist-dominated assembly writing Egypt's new constitution from a raft of legal challenges that have threatened it with dissolution, and offers the same protection to the Islamist-controlled upper house of parliament.

"I am really afraid that the two camps are paving the way for violence," said Hassan Nafaa, a professor of political science at Cairo University. "Mursi has misjudged this, very much so. But forcing him again to relinquish what he has done will appear a defeat."

Many of Mursi's political opponents share the view that Egypt's judiciary needs reform. Mursi's new powers allowed him to sack the prosecutor general, a holdover from the Mubarak era who is unpopular among reformists of all stripes. But his liberal critics see the decree as a threat to democracy.

"What is confusing is that it seems the revolutionaries are meshing with the remnants of the old regime," said Nafaa.

(Additional reporting by Yasmine Saleh in Cairo and Philip Barbara in Washington; Editing by Peter Graff)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-mursi-faces-judicial-revolt-over-decree-092225969.html

cincinnati bengals bengals the stand josh mcdaniels cotton bowl wizards of waverly place cedric benson

Kurdish militant leader wields influence from island prison

ANKARA (Reuters) - Snatched by Turkish commandos in Nairobi, Kurdish rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan looked resigned and bewildered as he was flown back to Ankara, the gallows beckoning. A decade later, on his island prison, he appears to have the ear of a Turkish government eager to end a devastating conflict.

It seems an unlikely comeback. Reviled in most of Turkey but commanding fierce loyalty from Kurdish nationalists, Ocalan has been held in virtual isolation on the barren island of Imrali, 50 km (30 miles) south of Istanbul, since his capture in 1999.

Even his lawyers haven't seen him for 15 months.

But after the bloodiest summer for years in Turkey's conflict with Kurdish militants, and with fears over the spread of Kurdish insurrection in neighboring Syria, Ocalan is emerging from the virtual oblivion of Imrali.

When hundreds of Kurdish militants on hunger strike in jails across Turkey drew close to death this month, Turkish authorities turned to the man reviled by newspapers after his capture as "Butcher" and "Baby Killer".

A message through his brother to call off the strike was immediately obeyed, an apparent sign of the authority generally supposed to have drifted from the man, known by allies as "Apo", over his years on Imrali.

"He proved that he is still the boss, that he has the last word," said Turkish journalist Mehmet Ali Birand, who met Ocalan twice in Lebanon and Syria in the 1980s.

"He is not a fighter or a guerrilla war expert, he is more the thinking man trying to shape the Kurdish problem. He wants to be the leader of all Kurds, that is the image he gives."

Turkish MIT intelligence officials took the ferry to Imrali at least three times over the past two months and their talks with Ocalan paved the way for his appeal, according to the liberal daily Radikal, which did not identify its sources.

Few men stir such hatred in Turkey as Ocalan, who founded the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebel group and led the armed struggle for Kurdish home rule for 15 years before his capture, a conflict which burns at the heart of the country.

Many hold him responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people since the PKK - designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union - took up arms in 1984.

Its campaign has included bombings in major cities such as Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, and has stirred anger with images of soldiers' coffins returning, although most of those killed in almost three decades of conflict have been PKK fighters.

His brother Mehmet said more than a decade on the tiny island of Imrali, where military coup leaders hanged a prime minister along with two other ministers five decades ago, appeared to have taken only a limited toll.

"Psychologically he's fine. He's able to analyze the world, Turkey and the region very well. He doesn't have any health problem," he told reporters after visiting Ocalan.

"He was in good shape, physically and psychologically."

"HANG, HANG, HANG"

Many Turks rejoiced when Ocalan was hounded from a series of Middle East hideouts, denied refuge in Europe and finally tracked to Kenya by Turkish special forces in 1999. Television showed footage at the time of him strapped into the seat of a plane transporting him to Ankara, flanked by masked soldiers.

He appeared weary and at times bemused talking with his captors, who had seized him at Nairobi airport in a secret operation as he attempted to flee his refuge in Kenya.

After a televised trial, he was sentenced to death, the sentence upheld while crowds chanted "hang, hang, hang" outside the court.

Ocalan would have become the first prisoner executed in Turkey for 25 years had the country not abolished capital punishment a few years later, part of a wave of reforms aimed at gaining membership of the European Union, which still eludes it.

Ocalan's solitary confinement was eased in 2009 when five more inmates were brought to Imrali. Only a handful of people have seen him in recent years. Lawyers say he has no access to a telephone or television and his newspapers are censored.

Pictures released by the government in 2009 to demonstrate that his living conditions complied with international norms showed a mattress on a grey metal bed frame in a narrow cell, a small plastic table and chair under a barred window.

Before his capture, Ocalan, now 64, cut a portly figure, with beady eyes and a thick, bushy moustache.

A drop-out from Ankara University's political science faculty, he forged his political ideas among violent street battles between left- and right-wing gangs in the 1970s. He then split from the left, raising the Kurdish nationalist banner to found the PKK in 1978. His goal was an independent state for Kurds living in Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran.

Those who met him in the 1980s say he ran his campaign from luxury villas in Syria rather than fighting on the front lines.

"I can't say he gave an image of a very strong character," said Birand, describing his fear after he was apprehended and held for two days by the Syrian secret police in Damascus.

He was forced to flee Syria in 1998 when Turkish troops massed on the border and threatened intervention. The PKK's base then moved to northern Iraq, where Turkey has carried out air strikes against its camps as recently as this month.

Ocalan himself fled to Rome before moving around Europe looking in vain for a new host to shelter him, ultimately going to Kenya as the snare closed, seeking refuge in the Greek embassy there under close observation by Turkish and western intelligence services.

RENEWED PROMINENCE

Erdogan, who publicly refused to negotiate with the hunger strikers and dismissed their protest as blackmail supported by "merchants of death", said no promises had been made to Ocalan in exchange for his intervention.

"There was no such thing," he told reporters on the way back from a trip to Egypt last week.

But the government has also suggested more talks between the intelligence agencies and the PKK were a possibility.

"This is Ocalan's second comeback," said Koray Caliskan, a political scientist at Istanbul's Bosphorus University who also writes for the Radikal.

"What people saw with the hunger strike was that peaceful disobedience can achieve something, that you do not have to kill Turkish soldiers. It will be more and more difficult for the PKK to convince Kurds that their methods are valid," he said.

Negotiations with the PKK were unthinkable until only a few years ago and more recent contacts have proved politically fraught. Recordings leaked last year showed senior intelligence officials had held secret meetings with the group in Oslo, leading to condemnation by parts of the nationalist opposition.

Erdogan's government has widened cultural and language rights for Kurds, who make up around 20 percent of Turkey's 75-million strong population, since taking power a decade ago and has sent to parliament a bill allowing defendants to use Kurdish in court, another demand of the hunger strikers.

But Kurdish politicians, who have called for Ocalan's release, are seeking greater political reform, including steps towards autonomy for the mainly Kurdish southeast, which borders Syria, Iran and Iraq.

"In principle, we're not against talking to PKK or to Ocalan, but under the right circumstances, for the right purposes," said Faruk Logoglu, vice chairman of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).

"The primary purpose would be to specify the conditions under which they give up arms, not the overall solution of the Kurdish problem, which is not their domain," he told Reuters.

"They have ideas, we know those already. We don't need to hear them from Mr. Ocalan's mouth."

(Editing by Ralph Boulton)

(Additional reporting by Ece Toksabay and Daren Butler in Istanbul; Writing by Nick Tattersall; editing by Ralph Boulton)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kurdish-militant-leader-wields-influence-island-prison-085424954.html

new york giants hot wings recipe 7 layer dip recipe chris carter superbowl 2012 kickoff time what time is the super bowl 2012 nfl mvp