Sunday, March 31, 2013

Egypt's 'Jon Stewart' questioned for insulting Mursi

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian prosecutors questioned Egypt's most prominent television satirist on Sunday over allegations he insulted the president and Islam, a case that has increased opposition fears of a crackdown on dissent.

Bassem Youssef turned himself in after the prosecutor general issued an arrest warrant for him on Saturday. He was released on bail of 15,000 Egyptian pounds ($2,200), an official in the prosecutor's office said.

Youssef rose to fame after the uprising that swept Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011, with a satirical online show. His program, that has been compared to the Daily Show of U.S. satirist Jon Stewart, is now broadcast on Egyptian TV.

The comedian is accused, among other things, of undermining the standing of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. The prosecutor general issued the arrest warrant after at least four legal complaints filed by Mursi supporters.

Arriving at the prosecutor general's office, Youssef was wearing an oversized version of a graduation hat modeled on one donned by the president when he was awarded an honorary degree in Pakistan earlier in March.

Youssef has worn the hat on his widely-watched show, one of many satirical jabs at the president. Last year, he poked fun of Mursi's repeated use of the word "love" by singing a love song to a red pillow with the president's face printed on it.

The questioning of the comedian has raised fears over freedom expression in the post-Mubarak Egypt.

"It is an escalation in an attempt to restrict space for critical expression," said Heba Morayef, Egypt director at Human Rights Watch.

Prominent liberal politician Mohamed ElBaradei said it was the kind action only seen in "fascist regimes". "It is the continuation of the failed and ugly moves to thwart the revolution," he said.

Youssef's questioning came after the prosecutor general issued five arrest warrants for prominent political activists accused of inciting violence against the Muslim Brotherhood, the group that propelled Mursi to power in last year's election.

The prosecutor's office has also summoned several other prominent media figures for questioning over accusations they insulted the president.

Opposition figures say the prosecutor, Talaat Ibrahim, is biased towards Mursi, who appointed him last November, and they want him removed from office.

A court ruled last week that Ibrahim's appointment was illegal and that he must step down. Ibrahim, who denies any bias, plans to appeal the ruling.

(Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-satirist-questioned-insulting-mursi-124223025.html

geraldo rivera supreme court health care joe oliver joba chamberlain new york mega millions jetblue jetblue

3 of 4 reptiles stolen from Calif. museum found

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) ? Three of four reptiles that were swiped from a science museum and thrown together into a garbage bag during a heist were recovered Friday, though a 3-foot-long ball python remained at large, officials said.

The 3?-foot savannah monitor lizard, a 7-foot-long red-tailed boa constrictor and another 3-foot-long ball python were in good condition, said Mary Ellen Wright, the director of the Fresno Discovery Center. Authorities were searching for the missing python in an area frequented by a suspect, who has been arrested.

Wright had been worried about the reptiles' confinement together in the bag "because they are mortal enemies," she said.

"It would be like throwing two pit bulls in a locked room," she added, noting that the monitor lizard has sharp, 2-inch claws.

The reptiles were taken in a robbery that has perplexed museum officials and authorities, who have not released a motive.

Fresno Police Lt. Donald Gross said Friday Devin Michael Madej, 20, was arrested on suspicion of burglary and possession of stolen property.

The museum's education coordinator, Ian Goudelock, said the burglar didn't appear to be out to intentionally hurt the animals though the museum planned to have the reptiles checked by a veterinarian.

"It's just a strange theft. We're still trying to figure out why," he said. "It does kind of more or less have a happy ending."

Surveillance video showed the burglar broke into the Central California museum sometime late Wednesday or early Thursday, smashed the tanks that held the four reptiles ? worth hundreds of dollars ? and popped them into a garbage bag.

He also went into the center's gift shop and stole children's toys, the phone system and the security monitor, the Fresno Bee reported.

___

Information from: The Fresno Bee, http://www.fresnobee.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/3-4-reptiles-stolen-calif-museum-found-232302632.html

rob dyrdek oberon donald driver donald driver robin thicke mariana trench transcendental meditation

Barca welcomes back coach Vilanova, Xavi and Alba

Associated Press Sports

updated 8:53 a.m. ET March 31, 2013

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -Barcelona will have midfielder Xavi Hernandez and defender Jordi Alba available for Tuesday's Champions League quarterfinal at Paris Saint-Germain, and the club says coach Tito Vilanova plans to be on the touchline.

Barcelona said on Sunday that Xavi had recovered from a right leg muscle injury, while Alba's right leg had also healed in time.

The Spanish leader also said that "it is foreseen that coach Tito Vilanova will travel to Paris."

Vilanova returned Tuesday from a 10-week medical stay in New York, where he received treatment after the removal of a throat tumor in December. Assistant Jordi Roura has been in charge in the interim.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


advertisement

More news
Late equalizer boosts LA

PST: Teenager Jose Villarreal hit a spectacular bicycle kick in stoppage time to salvage a 2-2 draw for the Galaxy in Toronto.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45595112/ns/sports-soccer/

odd fellows eli whitney blake griffin dunk on kendrick perkins kendrick perkins steve jones emily maynard kola boof

Skin cancer awareness and prevention

Posted: Fri 9:34 PM, Mar 29, 2013

').addClass('pl-'+video.id).append( $('').append(''+video.title+'').find('a').click(function() { if($(document).data('first')) { $(document).data('second', true); } var ts = Math.round((new Date()).getTime() / 1000); g_anvato_objects['playlistembed'].config.dfp = {adtag:'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x480&iu=/301721715/KKCO&ciu_szs&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=xml_vast2&ad_rule=1&unviewed_position_start=1&correlator='+ts+'&cmsid=2675&vid=ANV_GRTV_'+video.id}; g_anvato_objects['playlistembed'].config.canonical_url="http://www.nbc11news.com/video?videoid="+video.id; g_anvato_objects['playlistembed'].loadVideo(video.id,28, 'GRTV'); $('.playlist_list').removeClass('current'); $('.pl-'+video.id).addClass('current'); $('.rec-'+video.id).addClass('current'); }) ) ); } else { var ts = Math.round((new Date()).getTime() / 1000); g_anvato_objects['playlistembed'].config.dfp = {adtag:'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x480&iu=/301721715/KKCO&ciu_szs&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=xml_vast2&ad_rule=1&unviewed_position_start=1&correlator='+ts+'&cmsid=2675&vid=ANV_GRTV_'+initVideo}; g_anvato_objects['playlistembed'].config.canonical_url="http://www.nbc11news.com/video?videoid="+video.id; g_anvato_objects['playlistembed'].loadVideo(video.id,28, 'GRTV'); $('#playlist').addClass('hidePlaylist'); }; }; }); $('.pl-'+id+' a').click(); $(document).data('first', true); var ts = Math.round((new Date()).getTime() / 1000); g_anvato_objects['playlistembed'].config.dfp = {adtag:'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x480&iu=/301721715/KKCO&ciu_szs&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=xml_vast2&ad_rule=1&unviewed_position_start=1&correlator='+ts+'&cmsid=2675&vid=ANV_GRTV_'+initVideo}; g_anvato_objects['playlistembed'].config.canonical_url="http://www.nbc11news.com/video?videoid="+initVideo; g_anvato_objects['playlistembed'].loadVideo(initVideo,28, 'GRTV'); $('.playlist_list').removeClass('current'); $('.pl-'+initVideo).addClass('current'); $('.rec-'+initVideo).addClass('current'); } function load_tabbed_playlist(data) { var videos = data.videos; var id = ''; $('#tabbed_playlist').html(''); jQuery.each( videos, function(key, video) { if (key == 0) id = video.id; $('#tabbed_playlist').append( $('').addClass('pl-'+video.id).addClass('row-fluid').attr('style', 'padding-bottom:4px; margin:0px;').append( $('').append( $('').append( '' ).find('a').click(function() { if($(document).data('first')) { $(document).data('second', true); } g_anvato_objects['tabbedplayerembed'].loadVideo(video.id, 28, 'GRTV'); $('.playlist_item').removeClass('current'); $('.pl-'+video.id).addClass('current'); $('.rec-'+video.id).addClass('current'); }).append( $('').attr('src', video.thumbnail).attr('height', '55px') ) ), $('').append( $('').append( $('').text(video.title) ) ) ) ) }); $('#tabbed-vod-player').attr('style', ''); $('#tabbed-vod-player').removeClass(); $('.pl-'+id+' a').click(); $(document).data('first', true); } function change_video(vidid,playerid,mcpid) { g_anvato_objects['playerembed'].loadVideo(vidid,playerid,mcpid); }

Colorado has the highest ultra violet index in the U.S.

Just one blistering sun burn can double your risk of developing melanoma, and Coloradans are at the greatest risk.

Cancer survivor Debra Hess spent a lot of time under the sun in her youth but now she's the lady at baseball games with a hat and an umbrella handing out sunscreen by the handfuls to anyone who needs it.

"As a young lady we laid out with baby oil and iodine on our skin because we didn't know any better and now I have malignant melanoma," said Hess.
Now Hess works at the St. Mary's cancer center and does community outreach for cancer survivors and cancer prevention.

Hess said sunscreen is really your last resort against sun damage and its better to cover up with clothes, but if you are going to be outside apply it 30 minutes before going outdoors and re-apply every two hours.

It's important to be aware of your body as well and there are 5 things to look out for:
A- Asymmetry- Is one side symmetrical to the other?
B- Boarder- Is the boarder irregular?
C- Color- Does the mole have multiple colors?
D- Diameter- Melanomas are usually greater than the size of a pencil eraser.
E- Evolving- Does it look different from the rest or is it changing in size, shape or color?


Source: http://www.nbc11news.com/home/headlines/Skin-cancer-awareness-and-prevention-200686871.html

tcu football westminster bonnaroo 2012 lineup twisted metal sea lion si swimsuit 2012 westminster dog show

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Gervinho helps Arsenal thrash Reading 4-1

Associated Press Sports

updated 2:01 p.m. ET March 30, 2013

LONDON (AP) -Gervinho scored one goal and set up two others as Arsenal beat Reading 4-1 on Saturday, boosting its chances of Champions League football next season and ruining Nigel Adkins' return to managerial life in the Premier League.

The Ivory Coast forward set Arsenal on its way with the opener in the 11th minute and then provided assists for Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud to net in the second half.

Hal Robson-Kanu pulled a goal back for Reading, but Mikel Arteta ended the struggling visitors' hopes of an unlikely comeback by slotting home a penalty 13 minutes from time.

The victory lifts Arsenal to within two points of fourth-place Chelsea and drops Reading provisionally bottom of the table after Adkins' first game in charge of the club.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


advertisement

More newsGetty Images
Must-win matches? Maybe

PST: It may be a little early for "must-win" matches. But four MLS clubs could really use wins this weekend, starting with the Red Bulls (3:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN).

Beckham relishing chance to play against Barcelona

??PARIS (AP) - David Beckham says he feels fit enough to start the biggest game in Paris Saint-Germain's recent history when the club takes on Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51380868/ns/sports-soccer/

brad paisley zac brown band aubrey born to run pranks pregnancy test april fools day 2012

Business: Avoid Complacency: Employ Change Management Now

Any time that your business undergoes a change, it is important to utilize proper change management in order to ensure that the change goes through smoothly. This is becoming more and more important over time, as change becomes the norm rather than the exception. Once management identifies the need for change, it can be helpful to hire a change manager to assist them through the process. They can then be expected to undergo some of the following changes.

First of all, the change needs to be effectively communicated to all affected parties. It needs to be made perfectly clear what changes are going to be made. Affected parties should understand why the changes are taking place. Just as important, they should understand what would happen if the change were not to take place. Finally, they need to understand what training will be undergone in order for the change to take place. This communication process is one of the most important aspects of change management. If it is not utilized properly, a company will be met with a great deal of resistance from employees.

Managers and employees must then become heavily involved in the process of change. Management must effectively teach the necessary skills to the employees that they need in order to do their job properly.

The next step is to incentivise the training process so that it works more effectively. The target goals should be divided into several smaller goals so that the change does not seem as large or as insurmountable. When short-term goals are met, employees should be rewarded accordingly. This helps motivate the work force, allowing it to work more effectively. This process also helps subdue critics and negative thinkers who hinder the transition process.

Employees feel more comfortable and motivated when they are kept in touch with the results of the changes that they are making. When success is achieved it should be congratulated. Analysis of performance should be used to encourage continued improvement.

Ultimately, the changes should be included in a new organizational culture. This means that the change should be recognized for the additional changes that it creates. When one aspect of business is changed, it has effects on all other aspects of business. This should be properly recognized and dealt with through structural changes. Both managers and employees will require regular encouragement for the transmission to be completed. Old habits can take quite some time to reverse. A change manager is highly recommended for this process to run smoothly.

Source: http://themakingsofanotsograndescape.blogspot.com/2013/03/avoid-complacency-employ-change.html

willie nelson khloe kardashian Wreck It Ralph Hunter Hayes Movember USC shooting halloween

Friday, March 29, 2013

The Secret Republican Plan to Repeal 'Obamacare'

A few minutes after the Supreme Court issued its landmark decision upholding President Obama?s health care law last summer, a senior adviser to Mitch McConnell walked into the Senate Republican leader?s office to gauge his reaction.

McConnell was clearly disappointed, and for good reason. For many conservatives, the decision was the death knell in a three-year fight to defeat reforms that epitomized everything they thought was wrong with Obama?s governing philosophy. But where some saw finality, McConnell saw opportunity ? and still does.

Sitting at his desk a stone?s throw from the Senate chamber, McConnell turned to the aide and, with characteristic directness, said: ?This decision is too cute. But I think we got something with this tax issue.?

He was referring to the court?s ruling that the heart of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the so-called individual mandate that requires everyone in the country to buy health insurance or pay a penalty, was a tax. And while McConnell thought calling the mandate a tax was ?a rather creative way? to uphold the law, it also opened a new front in his battle to repeal it.

McConnell, a master of byzantine Senate procedure, immediately realized that, as a tax, the individual mandate would be subject to the budget reconciliation process, which exempted it from the filibuster. In other words, McConnell had just struck upon how to repeal Obamacare with a simple majority vote.

The Kentucky Republican called a handful of top aides into his office and told them, ?Figure out how to repeal this through reconciliation. I want to do this.? McConnell ordered a repeal plan ready in the event the GOP took back control of the Senate in November ? ironic considering Democrats used the same process more than two years earlier in a successful, last-shot effort to muscle the reforms into law.

In the months that followed, top GOP Senate aides held regular strategy meetings to plot a path forward. Using the reconciliation process would be complicated and contentious. Senate rules would require Republicans to demonstrate to the parliamentarian that their repeal provisions would affect spending or revenue and Democrats were sure to challenge them every step of the way. So the meetings were small and secret.

?You?re going in to make an argument. You don?t want to preview your entire argument to the other side ahead of time,? said a McConnell aide who participated in the planning. ?There was concern that all of this would leak out.?

By Election Day, Senate Republicans were ready to, as McConnell put it, ?take this monstrosity down.?

?We were prepared to do that had we had the votes to do it after the election. Well, the election didn?t turn out the way we wanted it to,? McConnell told National Journal in an interview. ?The monstrosity has ... begun to be implemented and we?re not giving up the fight.?

Indeed, when it comes to legislative strategy, McConnell plays long ball. Beginning in 2009, the Republican leader led the push to unify his colleagues against Democrats? health care plans, an effort that almost derailed Obamacare. In 2010, Republicans, helped in part by public opposition to the law, won back the House and picked up seats in the Senate. Last year, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney?s embrace of the individual mandate while Massachusetts governor largely neutralized what had been a potent political issue.

But, in the next two years, Republicans are looking to bring the issue back in a big way. And they?ll start by trying to brand the law as one that costs too much and is not working as promised.

Democrats will be tempted to continue to write off the incoming fire as the empty rhetoric of a party fighting old battles. But that would be a mistake. During the health care debate, the GOP?s coordinated attacks helped turn public opinion against reform. And in the past two years, no more than 45 percent of the public has viewed Obamacare favorably, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation?s tracking polls. Perhaps even more dangerous for Democrats, now-debunked myths spread by Republicans and conservative media remain lodged in the public consciousness. For instance, 40 percent of the public still believes the law includes ?death panels.?

During the legislative debate over the law, Democrats promised Obamacare would create jobs, lower health care costs, and allow people to keep their current plans if they chose to. Those vows, Republicans argue, are already being broken.

The Congressional Budget Office, the Hill?s nonpartisan scorekeeper, estimated that the health care law would reduce employment by about 800,000 workers and result in about 7 million people losing their employer-sponsored health care over a decade. The CBO also estimated that Obamacare during that period would raise health care spending by roughly $580 billion.

McConnell?s office has assembled the law?s 19,842 new regulations into a stack that is 7 feet high and wheeled around on a dolly. The prop even has it?s own Twitter account, @TheRedTapeTower.

?All you got to do is look at that high stack of regulation and you think, ?How in the world is anybody going to be able to comply with all this stuff?? ? GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch, told National Journal. ?And I?m confident that the more the American people know of the costs, the consequences, the problems with this law, then someday there are going to be some Democrats who are going to join us in taking apart some of its most egregious parts.?

In fact, just a few hours after that interview last week, 34 Democrats joined Hatch on the Senate floor to support repealing Obamacare?s medical-device tax. Though the provision passed overwhelmingly, it doesn?t have a shot at becoming law because the budget bill it was attached to is nonbinding. Still, Republicans see it as a harbinger of things to come.

?Constituent pressure is overriding the view that virtually all Democrats have had that Obamacare is sort of like the Ten Commandments, handed down and every piece of it is sacred and you can?t possibly change any of it ever,? McConnell said. ?When you see that begin to crack then you know the facade is breaking up.?

Of course, Republicans are doing their best to highlight and stoke the kind of constituent anger that would force Democrats to tweak the law. In fact, if Democrats come under enough pressure, Republicans believe they might be able to inject Obamacare into the broader entitlement-reform discussion they are planning to tie to the debt-limit debate this summer.

But that is a long shot. If Republicans hope to completely repeal the health care law, they have to start by taking back the Senate in 2014 and would likely need to win the White House two years later. Still, some Republicans think the politics are on their side.

?I?m not one of those folks who ... because I didn?t support something, I want it to be bad. I want good things for Americans. But I do think this is going to create a lot of issues and ? affect things throughout 2014 as it relates to politics,? Republican Sen. Bob Corker said. ?The outcome likely will create a better atmosphere for us.?

Republicans will need to win half a dozen seats to retake the chamber. So, what are the chances??

?There are six really good opportunities in really red states: West Virginia, North Carolina, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Dakota, and Alaska,? McConnell said last week. ?And some other places where you have open seats like Michigan and Iowa. And other states that frequently vote Republican, an example of that would be New Hampshire. So, we?re hopeful.?

And earlier this week, Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson put his home state of South Dakota in play when he announced he will not be running for reelection in 2014.

In addition to trying to win back the Senate, McConnell will have to protect his own seat in two years. McConnell has made moves to shore up his right flank to fend off conservative challengers. He?s hired fellow Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul?s campaign manager, who helped Paul defeat the establishment candidate McConnell backed in the primary. ?

In the meantime, Republicans will continue to, as GOP Sen. John Barrasso put it, ?try to tear (Obamacare) apart.? And the GOP suspects it might get some help from moderate Democrats less concerned about protecting Obama?s legacy than winning reelection.

It?s just the latest act in a play that saw McConnell give more than 100 floor speeches critical of Democratic reforms and paper Capitol Hill with more 225 messaging documents in the 10 months before Obamacare?s passage. Away from the public spotlight, McConnell worked his caucus hard to convince them to unite against the law, holding a health care meeting every Wednesday afternoon. GOP aides said they could not remember a time before, or since, when a Republican leader held a weekly meeting with members that focused solely on one subject.

?What I tried to do is just guide the discussion to the point where everybody realized there wasn?t any part of this we wanted to have any ownership of,? McConnell recounted. ?That was a nine-month long discussion that finally culminated with Olympia Snowe?s decision in the fall not to support it. She was the last one they had a shot at.?

Indeed, some Republicans remember opposition forming organically as it became clearer where Democrats were headed, crediting McConnell for crystallizing the issue. Asked who unified Senate Republicans against Obamacare, Corker recalled, ?I think it happened over time.? As time moved on, it just seemed that this train was going to a place that was going to be hard to support.?

McConnell had finally won his long-fought battle to unite the conference against Obamcare. And some Republicans credit McConnell with being first to that fight.

?He had the Obama administration?s number before almost anyone else,? Hatch recalled. ?He began laying the groundwork for this fight very early, in private meetings and so forth, and really was the first one on our side in the ring, throwing punches just about how bad it was for families, businesses, and our economy.?

?There?s been no stronger fighter against this disastrous law than Mitch McConnell,? he added.

And as McConnell?s war continues, Democrats have begun positioning themselves for the next battle. Leading up to last week?s three-year anniversary of the law?s passage, Democrats held press events touting its benefits, claiming more than 100 million people have received free preventive services; 17 million children with preexisting conditions have been protected from being denied coverage; and 6.6 million young adults under 26 have been covered by their parents' plan.

Democrats wisely rolled out many of the easiest, most-popular Obamacare benefits first. The next few years will see the implementation of provisions that are both more complicated and controversial, like creating state-based insurance exchanges where people can buy coverage. Asked about the political ramifications of possible implementation problems, Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, a chief architect of Obamacare, sidestepped the question saying, "My job is to do my best to make sure this statute works to help provide health care for people at the lowest possible cost."

Far from a full-throated assurance that everything will run smoothly, Baucus?s answer hints at the dangers Democrats face as Obamacare comes online.

And with the law moving from the largely theoretical to the demonstrable, the health care debate is poised to return to intensity levels not seen since before the law passed.

For congressional Republicans, it?s probably their last, best chance to turn opposition into political gain.

And much of that job falls to McConnell, a brilliant defensive coordinator who will have to play flawless offense if he hopes to take control of the Senate next year.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/secret-republican-plan-repeal-obamacare-200403420--politics.html

lyme disease symptoms esperanza spalding jessica sanchez robert kennedy cardinals san diego weather frances bean cobain

The Fix's Sweet 2016 Bracket Competition: The Elite 8! (Washington Post)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295442360?client_source=feed&format=rss

Katie Ledecky Aaron Ross Sikh temple Nastia Liukin Gabby Douglas hair Kayla Harrison Mars landing

Swarming robots could be the servants of the future

Mar. 28, 2013 ? Swarms of robots acting together to carry out jobs could provide new opportunities for humans to harness the power of machines.

Researchers in the Sheffield Centre for Robotics, jointly established by the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University, have been working to program a group of 40 robots, and say the ability to control robot swarms could prove hugely beneficial in a range of contexts, from military to medical.

The researchers have demonstrated that the swarm can carry out simple fetching and carrying tasks, by grouping around an object and working together to push it across a surface.

The robots can also group themselves together into a single cluster after being scattered across a room, and organize themselves by order of priority.

Dr Roderich Gross, head of the Natural Robotics Lab, in the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering at the University of Sheffield, says swarming robots could have important roles to play in the future of micromedicine, as 'nanobots' are developed for non-invasive treatment of humans. On a larger scale, they could play a part in military, or search and rescue operations, acting together in areas where it would be too dangerous or impractical for humans to go. In industry too, robot swarms could be put to use, improving manufacturing processes and workplace safety.

The programming that the University of Sheffield team has developed to control the robots is deceptively simple. For example, if the robots are being asked to group together, each robot only needs to be able to work out if there is another robot in front of it. If there is, it turns on the spot; if there isn't, it moves in a wider circle until it finds one.

Dr Gross said: "We are developing Artificial Intelligence to control robots in a variety of ways. The key is to work out what is the minimum amount of information needed by the robot to accomplish its task. That's important because it means the robot may not need any memory, and possibly not even a processing unit, so this technology could work for nanoscale robots, for example in medical applications."

This research is funded by a Marie Curie European Reintegration Grant within the 7th European Community Framework Programme. Additional support has been provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e12RicAy1Q

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 University of Sheffield, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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


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/~3/t0u6bm1TWas/130328125325.htm

Caleb Moore House of Cards Warm Bodies Colin Kaepernick Chris Culliver Atlanta school shooting Superbowl Kickoff Time 2013

Thursday, March 28, 2013

'Skim Milk Marriage' is the New 'Broccoli'

During today's oral arguments before the Supreme Court, concerning the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg remarked ? to the delight of Twitter ? that the lack of federal benefits for same-sex couples in states that gay marriage had created a tiered system for straights and gays, which she compared to the grades of milk one can purchase at a grocery store:

JUSTICE GINSBURG: They're not -- they're not a question of additional benefits. I mean, they touch every aspect of life. Your partner is sick. Social Security. I mean, it's pervasive. It's not as though, well, there's this little Federal sphere and it's only a tax question. It's -- it's -- as Justice Kennedy said, 1100 statutes, and it affects every area of life. And so he was really diminishing what the State has said is marriage. You're saying, no, State said two kinds of marriage; the full marriage, and then this sort of skim milk marriage. (Laughter.)

This isn't the first time Ginsburg has latched onto a food metaphor during proceedings for a high-profile Supreme Court decision. Last June, in the Supreme Court's ruling on the Affordable Care Act, Ginsburg flayed her Supreme Court Colleague for suggesting that the individual mandate, the Act's key?mechanism, would establish a precedent under which the U.S. government could force Americans to consume broccoli. Witness her response (bolding ours):

As an example of the type of regulation he fears, THE CHIEF JUSTICE cites a Government mandate to purchase green vegetables. Ante, at 22?23. One could call this concern ?the broccoli horrible.? Congress, THE CHIEF JUSTICE posits, might adopt such a mandate, reasoning that an individual?s failure to eat a healthy diet, like the failure to purchase health insurance, imposes costs on others. See ibid.

Consider the chain of inferences the Court would have to accept to conclude that a vegetable-purchase mandate was likely to have a substantial effect on the health-care costs borne by lithe Americans. The Court would have to believe that individuals forced to buy vegetables would then eat them (instead of throwing or giving them away), would prepare the vegetables in a healthy way (steamed or raw, not deep-fried), would cut back on unhealthy foods, and would not allow other factors (such as lack of exercise or little sleep) to trump the improved diet.9 Such ?pil[ing of] inference upon inference? is just what the Court re? fused to do in Lopez and Morrison.?

As we all know, the Supreme Court held up the Affordable Care Act ? and thus the individual mandate ? as constitutional, ending the long, Republican-led fight to overturn President Obama's biggest legislative accomplishment, at least using the courts. Still, conservative groups in Washington have put up less of a fight over the Defense of Marriage Act, and nobody really considers Obama's evolution on gay marriage a significant feat, so the presence of?this?food metaphor is probably less a portent of the Court's June ruling and, like so many things on Twitter, more of a silly coincidence.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/skim-milk-marriage-broccoli-183314663.html

Stevie J mothers day 2012 cinco de mayo osama bin laden death spinal muscular atrophy brooklyn nets may day protests

FBI comes clean on top X-File: 'We never investigated' Hottel UFO memo

FBI

The FBI says a 1950 flying-saucer memo rates as the most popular file in its online document repository.

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

The FBI says it never followed up on the most popular file in its online reading room ? a one-page UFO memo that passes along a second- or third-hand report about flying saucers and alien passengers that were supposedly recovered in New Mexico.

The memo, dated March 22, 1950, has been viewed almost a million times over the past two years, the FBI said this week in a blog posting. It was written by Guy Hottel, who was the head of the FBI's field office in Washington at the time, and addressed to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.


In the memo, Hottel discusses an account provided to an FBI agent ... that was attributed to an informant ... who purportedly heard from an Air Force investigator ... that "three so-called flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico."

"They were described as being circular in shape with raised centers, approximately 50 feet in diameter," the memo read. "Each one was occupied by three bodies of human shape but only three feet tall, dressed in metallic cloth of a very fine texture. Each body was bandaged in a manner similar to the blackout suits used by speed fliers and test pilots."

Hottel said he was told that the saucers' control systems might have been disrupted by interference from "a very high-powered radar set-up" that the government had in the area. But he admitted in the memo that "no further evaluation was attempted" by the informant, whose name is blacked out in the online document.

The Hottel memo has been in the public record since the 1970s, but it created a huge splash in 2011 when it was added to the FBI Vault, an online repository of public records. Here's how The Sun, a British tabloid, characterized the memo in a headline from those days: "Aliens Exist, Say Real-Life X-Files."

Monday's posting was written to counter such characterizations. The FBI denied that the memo constituted evidence for the existence of extraterrestrial spacecraft ? and?said Hottel's report was never taken all that seriously. Instead, it was considered "an unconfirmed report that the FBI never even followed up on."

The FBI said there was no reason to believe that the memo referred to another famous UFO saga, the purported discovery of a crashed alien spaceship in Roswell, N.M., in 1947. "The Hottel memo is dated nearly three years after the infamous events in Roswell," it said.?

July 9, 2008: NBC's Willie Geist has a little fun with New Mexico flying saucers to mark the anniversary of the 1947 Roswell UFO incident.

The bureau acknowledged that for a few years after the Roswell incident, Hoover followed up on an Air Force request by ordering his agents to verify any UFO sightings. "That practice ended in July 1950, four months after the Hottel memo, suggesting that our Washington Field Office didn't think enough of that flying saucer story to look into it," the posting said.

There's an alternate explanation for the Hottel memo that makes a lot more sense. Two years ago, when the memo was added to the Vault, paranormal investigator Ben Radford noted that the informant's story matched the description of a UFO hoax that was concocted by a man named Silas Newton. In 1950, Newton was telling tales about flying saucers that had crashed at a radar station near the Arizona-New Mexico border. Newton was later convicted of fraud, and died in 1972.

Ironically, there's a whole different section of the FBI Vault that's devoted to Newton, whom the bureau described as "a wealthy oil producer and con man." To get the story about the connections between Newton's tales and the Hottel memos, check out this thorough debunking on the Above Top Secret forum.

Even though the FBI says the memo "does not prove the existence of UFOs," it's not confirming the Silas Newton story, either. "Some people believe the memo repeats a hoax that was circulating at that time, but the Bureau's files have no information to verify that story," it said.

What do you think FBI Agent Fox Mulder would say? "The truth is out there"? Or "Trust no one"? Feel free to weigh in with your own verdict in the comment section below. ?

Update for 6:35 p.m.: Mark Allin, chief operating officer for The Above Network, says the truth is out there, in the form of the Above Top Secret analysis that I mentioned earlier. "The short story is, without a doubt, 'Case Closed,'" Allin said today in an email. "The memo is based on a hoax that was carried out by a convicted con man named Silas Newton, and it was debunked years ago. It's a pretty good and interesting hoax story, to be certain, but there is no value in it beyond that."

More about UFOs:


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 stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2a114e78/l/0Lcosmiclog0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C270C174894410Efbi0Ecomes0Eclean0Eon0Etop0Ex0Efile0Ewe0Enever0Einvestigated0Ehottel0Eufo0Ememo0Dlite/story01.htm

notre dame football Bcs Bowl Chuck Hagel ncaa football CES russell wilson Pokemon

Iran's support for Syria still appears strong - but is it hedging its bets?

Even as it continues to provide military support to the Syrian regime, staunch ally Iran is making preparations for life after President Assad.?

By Scott Peterson,?Staff writer / March 28, 2013

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, welcomes Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, for their meeting, in Tehran, Iran, March 2.

Mahdi Marizad, Fars News Agency/AP

Enlarge

When the Arab League handed Syria?s long-vacant seat to the Syrian opposition on March 26 and endorsed military aid for anti-regime rebels, the first and loudest complaints came from Iran.?

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Despite a two-year rebellion that has seen 70,000 deaths and 1 million refugees, Iran has not veered from its staunch support for Syria?s embattled President Bashar al-Assad, whose?regime it considers a critical piece of its anti-US, anti-Israel "axis of resistance."

The Arab League's decision set a ?dangerous precedent? that would only ?add to the problems,? warned Iran?s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi. It would even ?bring an end to the [Arab League?s] role in the region,? asserted his deputy, Hossein Amir?Abdollahian.

The Iranian complaints are the diplomatic side of an on-the-battlefield proxy war in Syria, with both sides reportedly receiving a surge of weapons from outside powers in recent months.?Iranian military and financial support for Mr. Assad has been stepped up with near-weekly flights?(and Russia still continues normal sales to its ally). Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, meanwhile, have ferried fresh weaponry to the rebels, with CIA support.

United Nations envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi says the Syrian conflict is becoming a ?playground for competing regional forces.?

As the mish-mash of rebel forces capture more ground, more regime military bases and hardware, and key civilian targets, few analysts predict that Assad?s regime will survive in its current form, or that Syria?s longstanding ruler will be alive when it is over. Even Iran, despite its unbending public support for Assad, appears?to be preparing for a post-Assad world.

"Iran so far was successful; without Iran's money and strategic help, Assad would have fallen much earlier," says Mehdi Khalaji, an Iran specialist at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "But in terms of policy, they have a Plan B?. So even if Assad falls, to some extent Iran would be able to protect its interests."

'Plan B'?

That plan may hinge on a pro-regime militia Iran helped to create called Jaysh al-Shabi. The militia could protect Syria's Alawites ? the Shiite Muslim offshoot to which Assad and much of his regime belong ? if they are relegated to only a portion of the country?in northwest Syria, along the coast to the border with Lebanon.?

It's possible that no side will gain a decisive advantage and, with all sides backed by powerful international friends, the country will break along sectarian and ethnic fault lines, with Alawite and Kurdish sections, and a larger Sunni portion.?

Since its 1979 Islamic revolution,?Iran has used Syria as a conduit for weapons, cash, and support for the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah,?and later?Hamas and Islamic Jihad,?all of which form a frontline against Israel. If Assad falls, Iran could lose that channel.?

Iran?s Revolutionary Guard commander has been quoted as saying that the?Jaysh al-Shabi, a mix of Shiite and Alawite groups, is modeled after Iran?s ideological Basij militia,?a large volunteer force that has been used to quell street unrest. Senior US officials, who added Jaysh al-Shabi to its list of sanctioned groups last December,?have described it as ?an Iran-Hezbollah joint venture.?

?In terms of propaganda, no, I think the Iranians in the near future would not admit this possibility [of Assad falling],? says Mr. Khalaji.

But Iran's Plan B with the pro-regime militia means that even if Assad is removed, as long as an Alawite enclave continues to exist in Syria, Iran may still manage to maintain direct links with militant groups. "By helping them, [Iran would] make sure that some part of Syria can be used as a bridge to reach Lebanon and the Palestinian territories," adds Khalaji."

Gulf, West come together

At the Arab League meeting in Doha, Qatar, countering any Iranian support for the Assad regime may have been behind the readiness to recognize the anti-government coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

?We demand ? all forms of support from our friends and brothers, including our full right for self-defense,? said Syrian opposition chief Moaz al-Khatib after taking Syria's seat at the Arab League meeting.?

That has reportedly?been happening already. The airlifting of military aid?by?Arab governments and Turkey to Syrian rebels?with CIA help??expanded into a steady and much heavier flow late last year,? The New York Times reported on March 24. According to the Times, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar ??Sunni Muslim nations wary of Iranian influence in the region ? have carried out?160 military-style cargo flights?bringing weaponry to Turkey and Jordan, from which the weapons are smuggled into Syria.?

?The intensity and frequency of these [weapons] flights are suggestive of a well-planned and coordinated clandestine military logistics operation,? Hugh Griffiths of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute told the Times.?

Not enough

Likewise, Iran has ?significantly stepped up? military support for Assad, according to a mid-March report by Reuters.?

The Iranian effort ?suggests the Syrian war is entering a new phase in which Iran may be trying to end the battlefield stalemate by redoubling its commitment to Assad? and giving the regime a ?crucial lifeline,? Reuters reported, citing Western diplomats and a Western intelligence report from last September.

The intelligence report described shipments, primarily through Iraqi airspace, ranging from communications gear and drone parts to ?advanced strategic weapons? such as shore-to-sea missiles and ballistic missiles.

?None of this will be decisive; Assad will lose,? says Kenneth Katzman, an analyst for the Congressional Research Service in Washington. ?You?re not going to change the outcome unless you are shipping big-ticket items, which I don?t think anybody is.?

Assad?s military stores are slowly being eroded: Helicopters and planes have been shot down, and many tanks have been taken out?and some captured by rebels and turned against government forces.?

The Iranians "can?t do much more, because to do more would risk getting things captured and exposed," says Mr. Katzman.??To some extent the [Iranian] mentality is the same as Assad?s mentality: Just be tough, show as much strength as possible, and you?re going to be able to?power through it. I think they?ve?overestimated their ability to save Assad.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/VsdYlkY-mfg/Iran-s-support-for-Syria-still-appears-strong-but-is-it-hedging-its-bets

ben gazzara nfl hall of fame 2012 ufc diaz vs condit josephine baker super bowl start time target jason wu gi joe

Nintendo video shows off Wii U speed improvement coming in April ...

Nintendo video shows off Wii U speed improvement coming in April update

Nintendo's Wii U has faced complaints over slow loading and switching between menus since launch, but the company has promised a pair of updates will help the situation. Tonight it posted a video on YouTube (embedded after the break) that shows off the difference before and after the April update side by side. Showing off how quickly it can return to the home menu from a game of New Super Mario Bros. U, the updated console is ready to go in eight seconds, compared to the current software's 20-second delay. There's no mention of the other update to improve the speed of launching software, but hopefully that will be shown off soon as well. More than halving the main menu's load time is nothing to sneeze at, although it's still not exactly a snappy experience. We'll see if these tweaks -- once they arrive -- do anything to improve the console's position while it waits for the improved software lineup President Satoru Iwata is expecting.


Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/26/nintendo-video-shows-off-wii-u-speed-improvement-coming-in-april/

big ten tournament 2012 dennis quaid bruce weber fired notorious big biggie smalls lyrics azores emmylou harris

Sony's PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 controller and Eye found at GDC 2013, we go eyes-on

Sony's PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 controller and Eye found at GDC 2013, we go eyeson

Sony's next-gen console, the PlayStation 4, is getting an updated DualShock controller when it arrives at retail this holiday. It's also getting an updated PlayStation Eye camera, which brings the camera much more in line with Microsoft's Kinect than any previous versions. We found the PS4 peripherals trapped under a glass box on the Game Developers Conference show floor, and Sony sadly wouldn't let us free them. We of course snapped a mess of pictures regardless, which you can see just below in the gallery. We anticipate the first hands-on opportunity with the DualShock 4 and PS4 Eye at E3 2013 in June, so hang tight for a few months!

Filed under: , , , ,

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/27/dualshock-4-ps4eye-eyes-on/

barney frank barney frank kim richards robert hegyes mary louise parker mary louise parker cher

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Scientists image deep magma beneath Pacific seafloor volcano

Mar. 27, 2013 ? Since the plate tectonics revolution of the 1960s, scientists have known that new seafloor is created throughout the major ocean basins at linear chains of volcanoes known as mid-ocean ridges. But where exactly does the erupted magma come from?

Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego now have a better idea after capturing a unique image of a site deep in the Earth where magma is generated.

Using electromagnetic technology developed and advanced at Scripps, the researchers mapped a large area beneath the seafloor off Central America at the northern East Pacific Rise, a seafloor volcano located on a section of the global mid-ocean ridges that together form the largest and most active chain of volcanoes in the solar system. By comparison, the researchers say the cross-section area of the melting region they mapped would rival the size of San Diego County.

Details of the image and the methods used to capture it are published in the March 28 issue of the journal Nature.

"Our data show that mantle upwelling beneath the mid-ocean ridge creates a deeper and broader melting region than previously thought," said Kerry Key, lead author of the study and an associate research geophysicist at Scripps. "This was the largest project of its kind, enabling us to image the mantle with a level of detail not possible with previous studies."

The northern East Pacific Rise is an area where two of the planet's tectonic plates are spreading apart from each another. Mantle rising between the plates melts to generate the magma that forms fresh seafloor when it erupts or freezes in the crust.

Data for the study was obtained during a 2004 field study conducted aboard the research vessel Roger Revelle, a ship operated by Scripps and owned by the U.S. Navy.

The marine electromagnetic technology behind the study was originally developed in the 1960s by Charles "Chip" Cox, an emeritus professor of oceanography at Scripps, and his student Jean Filloux. In recent years the technology was further advanced by Steven Constable and Key. Since 1995 Scripps researchers have been working with the energy industry to apply this technology to map offshore geology as an aid to exploring for oil and gas reservoirs.

"We have been working on developing our instruments and interpretation software for decades, and it is really exciting to see it all come together to provide insights into the fundamental processes of plate tectonics," said Constable, a coauthor of the paper and a professor in the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Scripps. "It was really a surprise to discover that melting started so deep in the mantle -- much deeper than was expected."

Key believes the insights that electromagnetics provides will continue to grow as the technology matures and data analysis techniques improve (last week Key and his colleagues announced the use of electromagnetics in discovering a magma lubricant for the planet's tectonic plates).

"Electromagnetics is really coming of age as a tool for imaging the earth," said Key. "Much of what we know about the crust and mantle is a result of using seismic techniques. Now electromagnetic technology is offering promise for further discoveries."

Key also has future plans to apply electromagnetic technology to map subglacial lakes and groundwater in the polar regions.

In addition to Key and Constable, coauthors of the paper include Lijun Liu of the University of Illinois and Anne Pommier of Arizona State University.

The study was supported by the National Science Foundation and the Seafloor Electromagnetic Methods Consortium at Scripps.

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 University of California - San Diego.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Kerry Key, Steven Constable, Lijun Liu, Anne Pommier. Electrical image of passive mantle upwelling beneath the northern East Pacific Rise. Nature, 2013; 495 (7442): 499 DOI: 10.1038/nature11932

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/T6Jk5OU8X88/130327144127.htm

colbert report legionnaires disease underwear bomber unclaimed money godspell media matters hana

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

?The Korean Zombie? asks Georges St-Pierre to stop wearing ?Rising Sun? symbol at fights

UFC featherweight Chan Sung Jung has a fight with Ricardo Lamas coming up in July. The fight will likely have title implications, and will give "The Korean Zombie" a chance to prove he belongs at the top of the UFC's 145-lb. class. But the upcoming fight didn't keep Jung from speaking up to one of the UFC's biggest stars.

Jung posted a letter on his Facebook page to UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre about the Rising Sun symbol GSP wore to his fight with Nick Diaz.

Dear Mr. Georges St. Pierre
Hi, My name is Chan Sung Jung from South Korea. As one of many Koreans who like you as an incredible athlete, I feel like I should tell you that many Korean fans, including myself, were shocked to see you in your gi designed after the Japanese 'Rising Sun Flag'. For Asians, this flag is a symbol of war crimes, much like the German Hakenkreuzflagge. Did you know that? I hope not.

Just like Nazis, the Japanese also committed atrocities under the name of 'Militarism'. You can easily learn what they've done by googling (please do), although it's only the tiny tip of an enormous iceberg.

Furthermore, the Japanese Government never gave a sincere apology, and still to this day, so many victims are dying in pain, heartbroken, without being compensated. But many westerners like to wear clothes designed after the symbol under which so many war crimes and so much tragedy happened, which is ridiculous.

I know most of them are not militarists. I know most of them do not approve unjustified invasion, torture, massacre, etc. They're just ignorant. It's such a shame that many westerners are not aware of this tragic fact. Wearing Rising Sun outfits is as bad as wearing clothes with the Nazi mark on it, if not worse.

Since you're influenced by Japanese Martial Arts, your wearing a headband designed after Japanese flag is understandable. But again, that huge 'Rising Sun' on your Gi means something else.

Many people say GSP is the best Welterweight fighter throughout history, to which I totally agree. This means you have a great influence on every single fan of yours all around the world. And I do believe your wearing 'the symbol of War Crime' is a very bad example for them, not to mention for yourself.

So, what do you reckon? Do you want to wear the same Gi next time as well?

The Rising Sun flag was used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II, and it was banned by the United Nations in 1945. Jung is not the only person to have an issue with seeing it used by an athlete. During the 2012 Olympics, Japanese gymnasts wore a leotard that was inspired by the Rising Sun, and some South Koreans were not happy about it.

When one-time MMA sponsor Hoelzer Reich used Nazi imagery on the gear UFC and WEC fighters wore into the cage, the promotions banned their items from the cage. Jung has the courage to speak up to a fighter he admittedly admires. GSP and the UFC owe him a response.

UPDATE: Both GSP and Hayabusa, the company who made GSP's gi, have apologized. GSP posted a statement from Hayabusa:

Since Georges St-Pierre wore our walkout gi at UFC 158 we have received attention surrounding the negative connotation of the rising sun graphic used. The last thing we want is to offend or alienate anyone with the choice of design on our products.

We at Hayabusa have the utmost respect for culture and history and appreciate all of our customers worldwide. As such, we accept full responsibility for this design and are taking all complaints and comments very seriously.

The gi worn by GSP will not be brought to market. In addition, we will be very conscious of this specific design element when developing future communication materials and products.

Please accept our sincerest apology for any offence this has caused. If you have any questions or comments regarding this matter, please feel free to discuss it with us at customerservice@hayabusafightwear.com. One of our representatives will be happy to assist you.

And GSP added:

I'd like to also personally apologize to anyone who was offended by this. I am very sorry, that was never my intention.

Both GSP and Hayabusa acted quickly to apologize. Though it would have been better if the symbol was never used, Jung used the moment to educate others on the issues with the symbol. For that, he should be commended.

Thanks, Bloody Elbow.

Memorable Moments on Yahoo! Sports:

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Tiger Woods wins at Bay Hill, regains world No. 1 ranking | Slideshow
? Pat Forde: Breaking down the Sweet 16
? Dan Wetzel: Jerry Sandusky's prison interview clips were pointless, creepy
? K.D. follows LeBron's lead, bear hugs fan who hits half-court shot

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/korean-zombie-asks-georges-st-pierre-stop-wearing-164004367--mma.html

barbra streisand hugh jackman Aly Raisman Oscar Results Jennifer Lawrence Fall Ang Lee les miserables

US training Syrian moderates in Jordan: officials

In this image taken from video obtained from the Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Free Syrian Army fighters aim their weapons during clashes, in Damascus countryside, Syria on Monday, March 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)

In this image taken from video obtained from the Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Free Syrian Army fighters aim their weapons during clashes, in Damascus countryside, Syria on Monday, March 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)

In this Sunday, March 24, 2013 image taken from video obtained from the Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Free Syrian Army fighters drops a shell into a firing tube, in Damascus countryside, Syria. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? For months now, the United States has been training secular Syrian fighters in Jordan with the goal of bolstering the array of forces battling President Bashar Assad's regime while at the same time strengthening the hand of moderates among the country's fractured opposition, American and foreign officials said. They said the effort is ongoing.

The training has been taking place since late last year at an unspecified location, concentrating largely on Sunnis and tribal Bedouins who formerly served as members of the Syrian army, officials told The Associated Press. The forces aren't members of the leading rebel group, the Free Syrian Army, they said. The U.S. and others fear the growing role of extremist militia groups in the rebel ranks, including some linked to al-Qaida.

Officials said the operation is being run by U.S. intelligence. But those in Washington stressed that the U.S. was only providing nonlethal aid at this point, stopping short of a step that is being increasingly advocated by lawmakers in Congress but which the Obama administration opposes.

Others such as Britain and France are involved, officials added, though it's unclear whether any Western government is providing materiel or other direct military support after two years of civil war that, according to the United Nations, already has killed more than 70,000 people.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the program.

Officially, the Obama administration has been vague on the subject of what type of military training it may be providing, while insisting that it is doing all it can ? short of providing weapons to the rebels or engaging in its own military intervention ? to hasten the demise of the Assad family's four-decade dictatorship.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday the U.S. has "provided some logistical nonlethal support that has also come in handy for the Syrian rebels who are, again, fighting a regime that is not hesitating to use the military might of that regime against its own people.

"That is something we're going to continue to work to bring to an end," he told reporters.

It's unclear what effect the training has had in the conflict. It has become a quagmire, with Assad's regime unable to snuff out the rebellion and Syria's opposition incapable thus far of delivering any serious blow to the ruling government's grip on Damascus and control over much of the country.

Some of the Syrians the U.S. is involved with are in turn training other Syrians inside the country, officials said.

They declined to provide more information because they said that would go too deep into intelligence matters. Defense Department officials insisted the Pentagon isn't involved with any military training or arms provisions to the Syrian rebels, either directly or indirectly. The CIA declined to comment.

The New York Times reported Monday that the CIA helped Arab governments and Turkey sharply increase their military aid to Syria's opposition in recent months, with secret airlifts of arms and equipment. It cited traffic data, officials in several countries and rebel commanders, and said the airlift began on a small scale a year ago but has expanded steadily to more than 160 military cargo flights by Jordanian, Saudi and Qatari planes landing at Turkish and Jordanian airports.

The training in Jordan, however, suggests the U.S. help is aimed somewhat at enhancing the rebels' capacity in southern Syria, the birthplace of the revolution two years ago when teenagers in the sleepy agricultural outpost of Dara'a scribbled graffiti on a wall and were tossed into jail, spurring Syria's own version of an Arab Spring uprising. Much of the violence since, however, has been in the northern part of the country, where rebels have scored several military successes after the Assad regime cracked down brutally on peaceful protesters.

Despite months of U.S. and international support to build a cohesive political movement, Syria's fractured opposition is still struggling to rally Syrians behind a common post-Assad vision. And the opposition coalition appears as much hampered by its political infighting as its military deficiencies against an Assad regime arsenal of tanks, fighter jets and Scud missiles.

The coalition's president, Mouaz al-Khatib, resigned his position Sunday because of what he described as restrictions on his work and frustration with the level of international aid. He said Monday he would still represent the opposition this week in Doha, where the Gulf state of Qatar will host a two-day Arab League summit starting Tuesday.

Al-Khatib's resignation comes only days after the opposition chose Ghassan Hitto, a long-time Texas resident, to head its interim government after intense wrangling over posts and influence that U.S. officials say has strained the opposition's unity and caused friction among its primary benefactors Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

It's also unclear how al-Khatib's departure will affect the U.S. goal of political negotiations with amenable members of the Assad regime to end the civil war, given the moderate preacher's support for talks. Much of the Syrian opposition, including Hitto, rejects such talks.

___

Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Lara Jakes in Washington and Jamal Halaby in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-26-US-US-Syria/id-2cdd5ed8745843229e253d7fec05c73d

Miley Cyrus Twerk ncaa march madness cbs miami heat march madness bracket ncaa basketball scores brian urlacher

Albrecht D?rer watercolors and drawings from the Albertina on loan for exhibition in Washington

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

Source: http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=61509

Super Bowl Winners what time does the superbowl start Kaepernick Tattoos superbowl time what time is the super bowl world war z groundhog day

Monday, March 25, 2013

Three Fun and Simple Arts and Crafts Projects - Ledyard, CT Patch

?

Looking for some fun and easy arts and craft projects for the kids? Angela Antonelli of CreativeWorks for Children in Avon walks us through three simple craft ideas. Photos of the projects are posted above.

Pipe Cleaner Sculpture

Supplies: Styrofoam base, pipe cleaners, beads, buttons, feathers, etc.

Antonelli said that parents love this easy project for two reasons: it's glue free, and the kids can make as many changes to their sculptures as their little hearts desire!

"I hear back from parents that their kids are constantly changing and manipulating their projects," she said.

To build the sculpture, simply assemble the supplies, either from home or from the bargain bins at the craft stores, hand the kids a styrofoam block and let them "go to town," as Antonelli described it.

The materials are all either inserted into the block or threaded onto the pipe cleaners.

Colorful Tissue Paper Leaf

Supplies: Paper leaf, tissue paper, paint brush, water

This super easy craft is a fun project for kids as young as two years, Antonelli said.

To create the leaves, first either buy paper cut into a leaf shape or make your own. Just make sure that the paper is porous and without a finish.

Second, get the paint brush slightly wet and paint a layer of water on the leaf. Then tear up the tissue paper into little pieces and place them on the leaf.

"Mixing up the colors to create new ones is a neat lesson for the kids," Antonelli said.

Once the design is complete, paint the leaf with water one more time, and then put it in a safe place to dry. Antonelli said that most leaves will take about an hour to dry, depending on how "enthusiastic" the crafters were with the water.

Fairy Garden

Garden supplies: styrofoam base at least an inch and a half thick, potpourri, some fake (or real) leaves and flowers

Fairy supplies: pipe cleaners, fake flowers, embroidery floss, wooden bead with a hole in the middle, tacky glue

To create a magical fairy wonderland, Antonelli encourages families to look around the house for supplies. Packaging material can serve as a styrofoam base, and the materials from potpourri can be used to create the "forest."

Antonelli suggests using cinnamon sticks as the trunks of trees and little potpourri acorns or other fragments to populate the woodland ground.

While the cinnamon sticks, or sticks straight from nature, can be inserted into the styrofoam, kids should use the tacky glue (Antonelli recommends Aleene's) to attach the leaves, flowers, moss and other materials to the forest.

To create the fairies, cut two pieces of pipe cleaner, 3-4 inches long and another about 2 inches long.?

Fold over the longer piece and twist it in the middle. Separate the two lower pieces below the twist to create the legs. (See photo above).

Wrap the second, smaller pipe cleaner around the middle of the longer piece to make arms.

Thread the top of the pipe cleaner through the wooden bead. Antonelli said that the beads are available at craft stores, often with a face painted on them already. If not, kids can draw or paint a face on the bead beforehand.

Fold the tip of the pipe cleaner on the top of the bead, and glue it down. Wait for it to dry, then select some embroidery floss to glue onto the head for hair.

Separate the petals from a fake flower to create a skirt. Either thread the pipe cleaner legs through the hole at the center of the bloom, or glue the petals on.

Wings are created using individual petals or with other material like doilies or tissue paper.

For more information on CreativeWorks, which holds music classes, creative play and birthday parties, visit the business' website and Facebook page.?

And for more how-to tips, check out the craft directions page on the CreativeWorks site.

Source: http://ledyard.patch.com/articles/three-fun-and-simple-arts-and-crafts-projects-e2f189e9

the happening black panthers mauritania obama open mic jefferson county colorado extenze tenacious d