Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Obama administration spied on Fox News reporter James Rosen: Report

President Barack Obama crosses the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, May 19, 2013. (Jonathan Ernst/??The Justice Department spied extensively on Fox News reporter James Rosen in 2010, collecting his telephone records, tracking his movements in and out of the State Department, and seizing two days of Rosen?s personal emails, the Washington Post reported on Monday.

In a chilling move sure to rile defenders of civil liberties, an FBI agent also accused Rosen of breaking the law with behavior that?at least as described?falls inside the bounds of traditional news reporting. (Disclosure: This reporter counts Rosen among his friends.)

The revelations surfaced with President Barack Obama?s administration already under fire for seizing two months of telephone records of reporters and editors at the Associated Press. Obama last week said he makes ?no apologies? for investigations into national security-related leaks. The AP's CEO, Gray Pruitt, said Sunday that the seizure was "unconstitutional."

The Obama administration has prosecuted twice as many leakers as all previous administrations combined.

?The president is a strong defender of the First Amendment and a firm believer in the need for the press to be unfettered in its ability to conduct investigative reporting and facilitate a free flow of information,? White House press secretary Jay Carney insisted last week. ?He also, of course, recognizes the need for the Justice Department to investigate alleged criminal activity without undue influence.?

The details of the government's strategy against Rosen sound like something out of a spy novel.

Investigators looking into disclosures of sensitive information about North Korea got Rosen?s telephone records and a warrant for his personal emails but also used his State Department security badge to track his movements in and out of that building, the Post reported, citing court documents.

The case began when Rosen reported on June 11, 2009, that U.S. intelligence believed North Korea might respond to tighter United Nations sanctions with new nuclear tests. Rosen reported that the information came from CIA sources inside the hermetic Stalinist state.

Investigators zeroed in on State Department arms expert Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, who was among a small group of intelligence officials to receive a top-secret report on the issue the same day that Rosen's piece ran online.

But FBI agent Reginald Reyes wrote that there was evidence Rosen had broken the law, ?at the very least, either as an aider, abettor and/or co-conspirator,? the Post said.

Here is how the Post described Reyes' report:

Using italics for emphasis, Reyes explained how Rosen allegedly used a ?covert communications plan? and quoted from an e-mail exchange between Rosen and Kim that seems to describe a secret system for passing along information.

In the exchange, Rosen used the alias ?Leo? to address Kim and called himself ?Alex,? an apparent reference to Alexander Butterfield, the man best known for running the secret recording system in the Nixon White House, according to the affidavit.

Rosen instructed Kim to send him coded signals on his Google account, according to a quote from his e-mail in the affidavit: ?One asterisk means to contact them, or that previously suggested plans for communication are to proceed as agreed; two asterisks means the opposite.?

He also wrote, according to the affidavit: ?What I am interested in, as you might expect, is breaking news ahead of my competitors? including ?what intelligence is picking up.? And: ?I?d love to see some internal State Department analyses.?

The communications system is a bit cloak-and-dagger, but it's not clear from the Washington Post report whether Rosen did anything outside the bounds of traditional reporting. People who know Rosen will smile at the Butterfield reference: The tenacious Fox News reporter is known as a Beatles fanatic, Tom Wolfe devotee and Watergate obsessive.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-admin-spied-fox-news-reporter-james-rosen-134204299.html

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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Egyptian army blocks Sinai roads in hunt for kidnappers

By Yousri Mohamed

SHEIKH ZUWAID, Egypt (Reuters) - Egyptian army and police forces stepped up roadblocks in north Sinai in a hunt for militant Islamists who kidnapped seven security officers last week, a security source said on Tuesday.

The militants seized the men on a road between the towns of el-Arish and Rafah near the border with Gaza on Thursday in the latest setback for the Cairo government's efforts to reinstate law and order in the Sinai Peninsula.

The desert region along Egypt's border with Israel has slipped into anarchy since autocratic president Hosni Mubarak was toppled by a popular uprising in 2011.

His elected successor, Mohammed Mursi, ordered security forces almost a year ago to bring Sinai militants to heel after a deadly assault on a border post by Islamist gunmen.

But the militants have proved resilient and the new hostage crisis has added to a pile of challenges confronting his government, including a financial crisis and street unrest.

The security source said army and police forces had set up new roadblocks and reinforced existing ones in a zone running from the north Sinai town of Sheikh Zuwaid towards al-Jura further south. The goal was to choke off supplies and reinforcements for the kidnappers, the source said.

Witnesses saw a military aircraft flying over a convoy of armored personnel carriers in the region.

The state-run Al-Ahram newspaper said the security forces were seeking to surround the kidnappers but indicated they would first try to free the hostages without violence.

One militant was killed late on Tuesday, in the first death since the operation began, when a mine that he was trying to plant in an area south of Rafah exploded, security sources said.

Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, in remarks published on state media on Tuesday, said the Sinai militants belonged to various jihadist groups including one based on Mount al-Halal that aimed to re-establish a mediaeval Islamic caliphate.

He said that group had recruited members of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement that rules Gaza and had received training in using heavy weapons such as rocket launchers and anti-aircraft missiles. Those weapons were smuggled through tunnels from the Palestinian territory, Ibrahim said.

The kidnappers had SAM-7 missiles as well as anti-tank weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, he added.

The kidnappers are demanding the release of jailed Islamists. Mursi has ruled out talks with what he called "criminals" and vowed not to submit to blackmail.

Cairo's 1979 peace treaty with Israel limits the number of troops it can deploy in Sinai, but Israel agreed to Egypt's request to send in more troops as security unraveled there in 2011. Israel has not commented on the new deployment.

(Reporting by Yousri Mohamed and Ali Abdelatti; Writing by Alexander Dziadosz; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egyptian-army-blocks-sinai-roads-hunt-kidnappers-232847930.html

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Kevin Jonas to serve as Social Media Ambassador for Raw

Kevin Jonas to serve as Raw Social Media Ambassador

Prepare yourselves, WWE Universe: A JoBro is coming to Monday Night Raw.

Jonas Brothers rocker and E! reality TV star Kevin Jonas will be lending his social media savvy to WWE?s flagship show when he serves as Social Media Ambassador for tonight's edition of Raw. As one-third of the multiplatinum sibling group, Jonas has topped the charts and toured the world, and he?ll be hitting the road with his brothers once again starting July 10. In the meantime, he can be seen on E!?s reality show ?Married to Jonas,? which airs its season finale this Sunday, May 26.

In the meantime, however, the WWE Universe can get their Jonas fix by following Kevin on Twitter throughout tonight?s show at @KevinJonas. It?s sure to be burnin? up with unique insight from the WWE Universe?s newest member.

Follow Kevin Jonas on Twitter now

View Comments

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2013-05-20/kevin-jonas-social-media-ambassador

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Illinois Considers Stricter Liability Insurance Requirements ? CBS St ...

SPRINGFIELD, IL (IRN) - Illinois is low on many lists and a state lawmaker points out the state has the lowest requirements for car insurance in the Midwest. State Rep. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) wants to increase the minimum liability coverage required.

?(The General Assembly) set the rate, at that time, of $20,000 for bodily injury and $15,000 for property damage. That has not changed in 24 years,? Fine said.

Fine experienced the situation first-hand when he husband was hit by a distracted driver, and had to have his arm amputated. The driver?s liability insurance covered only $20,000 of the $500,000 cost.

?The insurance companies say the yearly increase (in premiums) will be minimal. I can?t put a figure on it but somebody threw around maybe $75 a year,? Fine said.

S.B. 1898 increases coverage of injury or death for one person from $20,000 to $25,000, two or more people from $40,000 to $50,000, and property damage from $15,000 to $20,000. The bill has passed the House Judiciary Committee.

Source: http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2013/05/20/illinois-considers-stricter-liability-insurance-requirements/

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Monday, May 20, 2013

NBC hires news division chief from Britain

This undated image released by NBC shows newly named President of NBC News, Deborah Turness. She will be based at the NBC News headquarters in New York and begin her new role on August 5. (AP Photo/NBC)

This undated image released by NBC shows newly named President of NBC News, Deborah Turness. She will be based at the NBC News headquarters in New York and begin her new role on August 5. (AP Photo/NBC)

NEW YORK (AP) ? NBC went out of the company and out of the country to find a president for its news division, on Monday naming the first woman to hold the top job.

Deborah Turness, former editor of ITV News in Britain, replaces Steve Capus, who resigned earlier this year, and will begin her new job in August.

Turness will take over a news division bruised by the "Today" show losing its long-held dominant position in the morning to ABC's "Good Morning America." NBC's flagship "Nightly News" broadcast still tops the evening news ratings, but anchor Brian Williams recently saw his "Rock Center" newsmagazine abruptly canceled after less than two years on the air.

"It is quite simply the greatest imaginable honor to be named as the next president of NBC News," Turness said.

In NBC's new management structure, she reports to Pat Fili-Krushel, head of the NBC Universal News Group, as do MSNBC President Phil Griffin and CNBC President Mark Hoffman.

Fili-Krushel was not immediately available for comment. She said in a statement that Turness is "very familiar" with NBC News through a partnership the two networks have.

Turness, who is 46, became editor of ITV News in 2004, the first woman and youngest person to hold that job. Often overshadowed by the state-funded BBC, ITV is Britain's largest commercial television network. ITN, which is 40 percent owned by ITV, is Britain's top commercial news producer. Turness joined the company in 1988 as a news producer and worked for four years during the 1990s in the company's Washington bureau.

"Deborah epitomizes everything that is best about ITN, inspiring our newsrooms with her ideas, enthusiasm and energy," said John Hardie, CEO of ITN. As editor of ITV News, Turness was in charge of news coverage and business operations.

The morning will no doubt be her top priority upon joining NBC. The decline of "Today" is a major blow to the company's pride and bottom line. Women dominate the show's viewership and the ham-fisted replacement of anchor Ann Curry with Savannah Guthrie last year tore at the show's popularity. It has not gone unnoticed that men supervised the show during its turnover.

Within the next two years, Turness will likely be responsible for choosing Matt Lauer's successor on "Today" should the long-running anchor decide to leave.

"Nightly News" still has a comfortable lead in evening news ratings over ABC and CBS. But Turness will probably face lingering morale issues related to the cancellation of "Rock Center" after being bounced around the network's prime-time schedule.

___

Associated Press writer Raphael Satter in London contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-05-20-TV-NBC-Turness/id-3e3560791b154ade9456797128ded864

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UFC on FX 8?s Three Stars: Vitor Belfort, Ronaldo Souza and Fabio Maldonado

Who stood out in Saturday night's fights?

No. 1 star -- Vitor Belfort*: We will be watching highlights of that knockout for years to come. The timing, explosion and landing spot of the kick were just perfect. The knockout was so great the UFC didn't even have to say who they were talking about when they announced who the $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus was awarded to.

Then why the asterisk? Because it's hard to look at what Belfort did and not wonder if the testosterone replacement therapy he used throughout his camp played a part. His late-career resurgence doesn't pass the smell test.

No. 2 star -- Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza: Did Chris Camozzi even realize he was in the arm triangle choke that Souza so expertly applied? Souza's performance on Saturday night served notice to the UFC middleweights. It also earned him a $50,000 Submission of the Night bonus. All in all, it was a pretty good start in the UFC for the Strikeforce veteran.

No. 3 star -- Fabio Maldonado: Perhaps it wasn't the prettiest win of the night, but it got the job done against some tough odds. Maldonado withstood a kick to the groin that made even me wince and came back to win by decision. That's more than enough to earn a star.

Who stood out for you? Speak up on Facebook or Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fx-8-three-stars-vitor-belfort-ronaldo-134021008.html

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Leaked Memo Shows Barnes & Noble Bringing Web Browser And Email To Simple Touch eReaders In June

kindle-updateAn upcoming update will bring a web browser, email and update store app to Barnes & Noble's super affordable Nook Simple Touch line of eReaders, which will begin rolling out June 1 according to a source close to the matter who wishes to remain anonymous. The 1.5.0 update was created in response to the positive critical and customer response to the recent Nook tablet update that brought Google Play to B&N's Android-powered devices.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/NdLxmAB71e0/

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Sunday, May 19, 2013

Friday Fourplay: A Cheese Grater Business Card, A Drinkable Tea ...

Flavorful World?s Friday Fourplay offers up a bite-sized tidbit of info on each of the four food- and drink-related things we found most interesting each week.

Photo credit: Foodbeast.com

Photo credit: Bon Vivant

Cheese grater business card

So, in the almost 40 years that I?ve been kicking around this place and others, I?ve amassed a fair collection of business cards from various establishments with the expectation that having their info would facilitate my continued patronage. However, I?ve never once encountered a business card of such unmitigated awesomeness that I felt compelled to snag more than one, or been barred by store policy from doing so.? Having said that, I?ve never visited Brazilian cheese shop Bon Vivant, or had one of their cheese-grating business cards offered to me.? I might feel differently then, because these light metal graters printed with the store?s contact info double as functional cheese graters with the dimensions of a standard-sized business card.? The limited 1,000 produced by JWT ad agency proved so popular that bon Vivant was forced to limit the frequency with which customers could return to receive another one.? Hopefully there are more on the way, because Brazil is very near the top of my list of desired vacation destinations and when I arrive, my cheese ain?t gonna shred itself.

Via Huffington Post

Photo credit: Foodbeast.com

Photo credit: Foodbeast.com

The Tea Calendar You Can Drink

German tea manufacturer H?lssen & Lyon is out to make sure each new day is a good one for tea drinkers.? The product they?re using to accomplish this is a 365-day calendar made up of date-bearing tear-away tabs composed of pressed, dried tea leaves.? How it works is simple: you heat water for tea, then tear off the respective date, put it into your cup of hot water, and let it steep.? Minutes later, savor the flavor, fullness, and aroma of a brand new day.? Savor it!

Via Foodbeast

Photo credit: EXPbar.ca

Photo credit: EXPbar.ca

Canada?s Video Game Restaurant

Vancouver, British Columbia is the site of shiny new gamers? food paradise, EXP Restaurant and Bar. Old schoolers will come for the Super Smash Nachos, and likely will stay for the Triforce Burger (branded with the mystical Legend of Zelda insignia) and for the general air of merriment one would rightly expect of an establishment boasting an extensive menu of drinks named after various Pokemon (and possibly for main course menu items bearing names like ?Epic Shrimp and Crab Battle for Righteousness.?) Failing that, the large screen televisions positioned throughout the place for gamers to get their Goldeneye on tournament-style between bites should do the trick.

Via Kotaku

Photo credit: Cool Material

Photo credit: Cool Material

The Cocktail Chart of Film and Literature

This one?s exactly what it sounds like: a chart of the forty-nine most iconic mixed drinks in all of literature and filmdom, with instructions on how to craft a perfect rendering of each one.? Removing the guesswork as you attempt to drink like your favorite fictional characters?that will free up all sorts of time you?ll be able to spend reading and watching your favorite films (and calling it mixology research.)

Via Cool Material

*Mention of a product, good, or service in a Friday Fourplay posting should not be interpreted as an endorsement either from Anthony Beal or Flavorful World food and drink blog. Vendors are not notified ahead of time that their products/services will be featured, thus Flavorful World will at the time of posting have had no related interactions with said vendors or any sample of their products/services by which to judge them. As such, we have no idea what these vendors are like to work with, or about the quality of their merchandise and are unqualified to vouch for them as reputable. Our Friday Fourplay lists are posted in the simple spirit of our having come across something that looks and sounds engaging, and thinking that perhaps our readers will think so too; no more, no less. With that in mind, patronize these establishments and vendors at your own risk.

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Source: http://flavorfulworld.com/2013/05/17/friday-fourplay-a-cheese-grater-business-card-a-drinkable-tea-calendar-canadas-new-restaurant-for-gamers-and-the-filmlit-cocktail-chart/

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Rugby%$$$%$# Watch%%$#@ Asm Clermont Auvergne vs.Rc ...

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Saturday, May 18, 2013

Hangout Music Festival: Go Behind The Beach With Vinny!

'Jersey Shore' star talks to Ra Ra Riot and photobombs just about everyone in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
By Michael Ayers


Vinny Guadagnino at the Hangout Festival
Photo: MTV

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1707616/hangout-festival-vinny-guadagnino.jhtml

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Fitbit app updated with Bluetooth 4.0 sync support for Galaxy S4

Fitbit appSamsung's latest now syncs with your Fitbit

We might have to wait a while for native Bluetooth 4.0 support to make it into the Android code base, but while OEMs are shipping phones with their own implementation of the wireless standard, app developers seem more than willing to hop onboard.

As such, the Fitbit app for Android has today been updated to take advantage of Bluetooth 4.0 syncing on the Samsung Galaxy S4, with all the improvements in efficiency that it brings. As Bluetooth 4.0 support isn't yet standardized in Android, Fitbit says custom development work is required for each new handset. Naturally, Samsung's big-selling flagship was an early priority.

Here's hoping support will follow for other BT 4.0 handsets like the HTC One. In the meantime, you can grab the latest version of Fitbit for Android over at the Google Play link above.

Source: Fitbit Blog

    


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/6U5yeHooNGM/story01.htm

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Tornado-ravaged Texas town to start recovery

GRANBURY, Texas (AP) ? Residents whose homes were torn apart or blown away by a North Texas deadly tornado can soon return to retrieve what belongings may be left and start cleaning up, authorities said Friday.

In Granbury, the area hardest hit by Wednesday night's exceptionally strong tornado, workers are trying to restore water service, raise electrical lines and clear debris piles filled with insulation, roof tiles, pieces of carpet, a shoe, a teddy bear, a woman's purse.

Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said authorities will only allow residents of the Rancho Brazos Estates neighborhood back in to survey things starting Saturday morning.

But Jerry Shuttlesworth won't be one of them. He doesn't know where his mobile home ended up, but he finally has his only treasured possession: his bull-terrier mix, Junior, who had been missing since the tornado that left six people dead swept through the city 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

Shuttlesworth, 53, broke three bones in one of his feet and suffered a 2-inch gash in his forehead.

Friends helped spread the word about his dog through social media. On Friday, someone found Junior and took him to a shelter, where a worker called Shuttlesworth.

"You could call it a miracle," he said. "He's scratched up and a little traumatized, but he's eating. He's my baby. I don't care about anything else."

Gov. Rick Perry and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Friday toured Granbury, which bore the brunt of the damage during Wednesday's outbreak of 16 tornadoes in North Texas.

Perry said the devastation is almost incomprehensible. Abbott urged residents to be cautious of those who might try to scam them as they rebuild.

The National Weather Service said Friday that the Granbury tornado was an EF-4, based on the Fujita tornado damage scale. Winds in an EF-4 tornado are between 166 and 200 mph. An EF-5 is the most severe.

Earlier Friday, the Hood County Sheriff's Office said the death toll is unlikely to change, as those who were reported missing were with relatives or friends and are safe.

Workers on Friday cleared debris in nearby Cleburne, where a tornado cut a mile-wide path through part of the city Wednesday and damaged about 600 homes. The weather service said it was an EF-3, which has winds between 136 and 165 mph. No deaths or severe injuries were reported.

___

Associated Press writer Jamie Stengle in Granbury also contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tornado-ravaged-texas-town-start-recovery-225022484.html

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Friday, May 17, 2013

aphasic pestilent: Truth About Homeless Statistics: Astrologers Just ...

We live at an interesting time of scientific knowledge. Scientists say that you cannot gain an advantage over the Casino, since the odds are stacked against you. Scientists also say that Astrology does not seem feasible, since it does not fit in with known scientific laws. However, it is estimated that approximately 100 million people in the world either follow Astrology or see that there is some truth in it.

Are all these people gullible or stupid? Do people just follow something in their millions, century after century, if there is nothing there? Are humans really this fickle, or is it because each of them has had personal experiences or discoveries that have made them see that something very real and valid is going on? Avoid being too fickle yourself when answering this question!

Why this is an interesting time is because of this disparity in scientific and common knowledge. One day, probably in the not-too-distant future, when science has begun to unravel t he causes and effects of Astrology in more detail, several areas of life will change form or lose their appeal. Can you imagine a world where Insurance companies would work out your motor vehicle premiums based on how accident-prone your birth-chart was? Or where police would be able to short-list you with regards to having committed a crime on a specific date? Or where employers would first look at your Astrological compatibility with the existing staff-members? Or where mothers would choose the time of their child's Caesarian birth so as to avoid a Scorpio moon, a Saturn opposition or whatever? Can you imagine a world of Astrological discrimination? Are you beginning to appreciate why Astrology is known as 'secret' or 'hidden' knowledge? Why it is 'protected'? Why you can argue with someone or spell it out to them until you are blue in the face, and they still won't see it? They are not thick. They are just excluded.

Astrology is a gift. It 'forces open' your Third E ye. Certain aspects in a person's natal chart, especially to or from Mercury and Uranus, enable (or permit) them to see its truth. For the rest, it is simply blocked. They just don't get it, or are not interested. They cannot, or may not, take advantage of the influences affecting their lives. Without a doubt, there are times which are favorable for one to undertake various tasks or activities, and times when it is extremely unadvisable to undertake these same activities. The sterile world of scientists, insurance companies, criminal investigators, psychiatrists, and... yes, casinos, is still mostly unaware of these hugely deterministic influences that affect our lives and fortunes.

Thank goodness! Would you rather be one of the first people to take advantage of a gold rush, or only get in when the millions in their hordes were frantically trying to make their fortunes? Be grateful for your your knowledge, your 'gift', and things as they stand. Take advantage of esoter ic knowledge, before it becomes common knowledge.

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About The Author

27 years habitual gambler, studied Astrology for 15 years and believes he has found a way to predict lucky days based on planetary transit shapes.


Author:: Adrian Fourie
Keywords:: Astrology,Arts,Entertainment,Stars,Universe,Spirituality,Belief,Humanities,Zodiac,Tarot,Signs,Horosc
Post by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips

Source: http://humanities-computer4u.blogspot.com/2013/05/astrologers-just-plain-stupid.html

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Syria ex-minister leads rebuilding plan

In this picture taken on Friday May 10, 2013, Syrian economist Abdullah al-Dardari, a chief economist at the Beirut-based U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and a former deputy prime minister in President Bashar Assad's government, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press, In Beirut, Lebanon. Al-Dardari tells The Associated Press in a rare interview that his six-member expert team has been overwhelmed with requests for the reconstruction plan to support the Kerry-Lavrov initiative on the off chance it would succeed. A group of economists led by one of Syria's top reformists are feverishly drawing up a comprehensive post-war reconstruction plan, even as the country's civil war rages on with no apparent end in sight. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

In this picture taken on Friday May 10, 2013, Syrian economist Abdullah al-Dardari, a chief economist at the Beirut-based U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and a former deputy prime minister in President Bashar Assad's government, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press, In Beirut, Lebanon. Al-Dardari tells The Associated Press in a rare interview that his six-member expert team has been overwhelmed with requests for the reconstruction plan to support the Kerry-Lavrov initiative on the off chance it would succeed. A group of economists led by one of Syria's top reformists are feverishly drawing up a comprehensive post-war reconstruction plan, even as the country's civil war rages on with no apparent end in sight. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

(AP) ? A six-member U.N. team led by a former Syrian planning minister is drawing up a comprehensive postwar reconstruction plan even as the country's civil war rages on with no apparent end in sight.

A joint U.S.-Russian push to bring together Syria's political opposition and representatives of President Bashar Assad's regime to negotiate a peaceful transition has given their work new urgency.

In a rare interview, the U.S.-educated economist, Abdullah al-Dardari, told The Associated Press that more than two years of fighting have cost Syria at least $60 billion and caused the vital oil industry to crumble. A quarter of all homes have been destroyed or severely damaged, and much of the medical system is in ruins.

Now, he says, the Syrians have to be ready to rebuild when the fighting ends. He says his team has been overwhelmed with requests for a reconstruction plan to support the U.S.-Russian initiative on the off chance it succeeds.

"I see a glimmer of hope," said al-Dardari, who now works for a Beirut-based U.N. development agency. "There appears to be more readiness for a political compromise by different groups in the opposition and by officials in the government."

Earlier this month, the U.S. and Russia agreed on a joint push to get Syria's political opposition and representatives of the Assad regime to negotiate a political transition in Syria. An international conference, possibly to be held in early June, would help launch talks.

Despite much skepticism, the initiative, announced by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week in Moscow, is the first serious attempt in a year to end Syria's civil war, which has killed more than 70,000 people and displaced more than 5 million.

The two sides remain far apart on the terms for negotiations, with the opposition insisting Assad must step down first and the regime unwilling to commit to an open-ended cease-fire. Both say they want to hear more about the agenda and participants before agreeing to talks.

Al-Dardari's plan, known as the National Agenda for the Future of Syria, is being drafted on the assumption that the conflict, now in its third year, will end by 2015 and that Syria will remain territorially united with a central government based in Damascus, regardless of who ends up ruling the country.

"Is that possible? If one looks at the situation today, then the immediate reaction is, 'No, it's not possible,'" al-Dardari said.

"However, I think the human losses and the catastrophic destruction should create sufficient moral pressure on the parties of this conflict ? internal and external, since this has become a proxy war ? to think seriously of a political compromise."

Syria's vicious civil war, in which the government has relied heavily on its air power to crush the rebels, has destroyed towns and wiped out entire blocks of apartment buildings. Centuries-old markets and archaeological treasures ? once a major tourist draw and source of revenue ? have been gutted by flames and gunfire in places like Aleppo and Homs ? an irreplaceable chapter of history wiped out in a few hours of battle.

Factories, oil pipelines, schools, hospitals, mosques and churches have been systematically destroyed.

The fighting has devastated the Syrian economy, halting the country's oil exports and destroying much of its manufacturing industry and infrastructure.

Deep divisions among Syria's opposition and rebel groups are likely to complicate any international effort to help in reconstruction. Syrians also are convinced they will get little outside help to rebuild.

Al-Dardari appears well placed to be a leading figure in postwar reconstruction plans.

A Sunni Muslim who served as Syria's minister of planning for two years until Assad named him deputy prime minister for economic affairs in 2005, al-Dardari has been credited with masterminding the opening up of Syria's socialist-style economy into a free market enterprise, courting foreign investors and advocating political reforms to accompany the country's economic transformation.

He quietly left his government post in the summer of 2011, a few months after the uprising erupted against Assad's regime, which is dominated by Syria's minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. He joined the U.N soon after and remains a neutral figure who meets with opposition representatives and government officials.

Since August, he has been working as chief economist at the Beirut-based U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), heading a team of six economists and 30 experts inside and outside Syria.

Al-Dardari knows he faces a monumental task in any reconstruction effort.

He estimates the overall damage to Syria's economy three years into the conflict at $60-$80 billion. The economy has shrunk by about 35 percent, compared to the 6 percent annual growth Syria marked in the five years before the conflict began in March 2011. The economy has lost almost 40 percent of its GDP, and foreign reserves have been extensively depleted. Unemployment has shot up from 500,000 before the crisis to at least 2.5 million this year.

The fighting has destroyed or damaged 1.2 million homes nationwide, a quarter of all Syrian houses, al-Dardari said. In addition, around 3,000 schools and 2,000 factories have been destroyed, and almost half of the medical system ? including hospitals and health centers ? is in ruins.

To rebuild the 1.2 million homes, Syria needs $22 billion, plus an additional $6 billion to provide electricity, water, gas and other infrastructure, he estimates.

"The projections are sobering, if not scary," al-Dardari said, adding that fighting needs to end to strengthen the chance of Syria remaining a unified country, not a collection of self-ruled, sect-based entities.

"The fighting needs to stop soon, very soon, and it needs to end with a political solution that will preserve national sovereignty and territorial integrity, or there will be no economic reconstruction, and we'll lose Syria as a country altogether," he warned.

His team has put the reconstruction of the country's energy sector as a top priority. "It will provide a major source of cash for a country that will be stripped of cash," al-Dardari said.

Before the uprising, the oil sector was a pillar of Syria's economy, with the country producing about 380,000 barrels a day and exports ? mostly to Europe ? bringing in more than $3 billion in 2010. But the vital industry has buckled as rebels captured many of the country's oil fields, setting wells aflame and looters scooping up crude. Exports have ground practically to a standstill as production has dwindled.

The priority for any postwar government, al-Dardari said, will be repairing the pipelines and wells that were destroyed, rebuilding Syrian refining capacity to its prewar level of 200,000 barrels a day and bringing daily oil exports to 160,000 or 170,000 barrels a day.

His group is also in touch with Syrian industrialists and businessmen who would form the crux of any reconstruction effort.

The prospect of implementing any rebuilding plan hinges on the ability of the country's warring parties to come together, al-Dardari said ? a tall order in the face of the sectarian hatred and brutal revenge killings that have marked the uprising,

But without territorial unity, a central authority and a strong, functioning civil administration across the country's 14 provinces, Syrian investors, who al-Dardari says will provide the bulk of funds for rebuilding, will not return and infuse the needed cash.

"If I were a Syrian businessman or woman who left Syria and took my business with me, and were to fly back into Damascus airport, I would want to see that Syrian customs ? not some sort of other entity ? and Syrian police are there," al-Dardari said.

Al-Dardari's project does not address the political makeup of a postwar government in Damascus.

"We are planning for the rebuilding of Syria after the dust settles," he said. "We don't interfere in the question of who should run Syria."

___

Follow Barbara Surk at http://www.twitter.com/BarbaraSurkAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-05-17-Syria-Reconstruction/id-427e181e8b4343fe8388cde84b31bc92

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Soul singer Candice Glover wins "American Idol"

By Patricia Reaney

(Reuters) - Candice Glover, a soul singer from rural South Carolina, was named "American Idol" on Thursday and become the first female singer to win the television singing competition since 2007.

Glover, 23, defeated country singer Kree Harrison in the popular vote with her powerful voice in what judges deemed a close contest to take the title on season 12 of the popular Fox network show.

"You are officially our American idol," host Ryan Seacrest said as the crowd of 7,000 in Los Angeles cheered. "Three years, persistence, determination and a lot of talent. You deserve it."

It was third time lucky for Glover, who appeared in two earlier seasons of the show, and finally won the crown by making songs like "Somewhere" from the musical "West Side Story," and the jazz tune "You've Changed" all her own.

"Oh, my God," a shocked Glover said with tears streaming down her face after hearing Securest call her name. "Three years."

Seacrest announced Glover as the winner at the end of the two-hour finale show, which featured performances by judges Keith Urban and Mariah Carey, as well as Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Lopez, rapper Pitbull and South Korea's Psy, who sang his new single "Gentleman."

Glover, the first woman to be crowned "Idol" since Jordin Sparks six years ago, won a record deal, which could help propel her to the stardom enjoyed by other women "Idol" winners such as Grammy Award winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

(Reporting by Patricia Reaney in New York; Editing by Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/soul-singer-candice-glover-wins-american-idol-021526684.html

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Stacking 2-D materials produces surprising results

May 16, 2013 ? New experiments reveal previously unseen effects, could lead to new kinds of electronics and optical devices. Graphene has dazzled scientists, ever since its discovery more than a decade ago, with its unequalled electronic properties, its strength and its light weight. But one long-sought goal has proved elusive: how to engineer into graphene a property called a band gap, which would be necessary to use the material to make transistors and other electronic devices.

Now, new findings by researchers at MIT are a major step toward making graphene with this coveted property. The work could also lead to revisions in some theoretical predictions in graphene physics.

The new technique involves placing a sheet of graphene -- a carbon-based material whose structure is just one atom thick -- on top of hexagonal boron nitride, another one-atom-thick material with similar properties. The resulting material shares graphene's amazing ability to conduct electrons, while adding the band gap necessary to form transistors and other semiconductor devices.

The work is described in a paper in the journal Science co-authored by Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, the Mitsui Career Development Assistant Professor of Physics at MIT, Professor of Physics Ray Ashoori, and 10 others.

"By combining two materials," Jarillo-Herrero says, "we created a hybrid material that has different properties than either of the two."

Graphene is an extremely good conductor of electrons, while boron nitride is a good insulator, blocking the passage of electrons. "We made a high-quality semiconductor by putting them together," Jarillo-Herrero explains. Semiconductors, which can switch between conducting and insulating states, are the basis for all modern electronics.

To make the hybrid material work, the researchers had to align, with near perfection, the atomic lattices of the two materials, which both consist of a series of hexagons. The size of the hexagons (known as the lattice constant) in the two materials is almost the same, but not quite: Those in boron nitride are 1.8 percent larger. So while it is possible to line the hexagons up almost perfectly in one place, over a larger area the pattern goes in and out of register.

At this point, the researchers say they must rely on chance to get the angular alignment for the desired electronic properties in the resulting stack. However, the alignment turns out to be correct about one time out of 15, they say.

"The qualities of the boron nitride bleed over into the graphene," Ashoori says. But what's most "spectacular," he adds, is that the properties of the resulting semiconductor can be "tuned" by just slightly rotating one sheet relative to the other, allowing for a spectrum of materials with varied electronic characteristics.

Others have made graphene into a semiconductor by etching the sheets into narrow ribbons, Ashoori says, but such an approach substantially degrades graphene's electrical properties. By contrast, the new method appears to produce no such degradation.

The band gap created so far in the material is smaller than that needed for practical electronic devices; finding ways of increasing it will require further work, the researchers say.

"If ? a large band gap could be engineered, it could have applications in all of digital electronics," Jarillo-Herrero says. But even at its present level, he adds, this approach could be applied to some optoelectronic applications, such as photodetectors.

The results "surprised us pleasantly," Ashoori says, and will require some explanation by theorists. Because of the difference in lattice constants of the two materials, the researchers had predicted that the hybrid's properties would vary from place to place. Instead, they found a constant, and unexpectedly large, band gap across the whole surface.

In addition, Jarillo-Herrero says, the magnitude of the change in electrical properties produced by putting the two materials together "is much larger than theory predicts."

The MIT team also observed an interesting new physical phenomenon. When exposed to a magnetic field, the material exhibits fractal properties -- known as a Hofstadter butterfly energy spectrum -- that were described decades ago by theorists, but thought impossible in the real world. There is intense research in this area; two other research groups also report on these Hofstadter butterfly effects this week in the journal Nature.

The research included postdocs Ben Hunt and Andrea Young and graduate student Javier Sanchez-Yamagishi, as well as six other researchers from the University of Arizona, the National Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba, Japan, and Tohoku University in Japan. The work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/HeXraUY5CA0/130516182025.htm

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Arizona jury finds Arias eligible for death penalty in ex-boyfriend's slaying

By Brad Poole

(Reuters) - An Arizona jury on Wednesday declared Jodi Arias eligible to receive the death penalty for the fatal shooting and stabbing of her ex-boyfriend in 2008, finding that she had acted with extreme cruelty.

The jury was due to return to court on Thursday to weigh additional evidence in deciding whether to actually sentence Arias to death or to life in prison for killing Travis Alexander, 30.

The same jury rejected Arias' claims of self-defense to convict her last week of the first-degree murder of Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home five years ago. He had been stabbed 27 times, had his throat slashed and been shot in the face.

The penalty phase of the proceedings moved swiftly on its first day on Wednesday. After prosecution and defense presentations, the jury deliberated for about three hours before deciding Arias was eligible for the death penalty and then recessed for the day.

Arias appeared agitated and tearful at times during the proceedings, wiping her eyes and nose with a tissue and mostly keeping her gaze downward. But she was expressionless and kept her composure during the reading of the jury's verdict finding that she had committed the murder in an "especially cruel" manner.

She had been placed on suicide watch in a psychiatric ward following her conviction a week ago after saying in a television interview that she would prefer the death penalty to life in prison, but she was returned to her jail cell on Monday.

The petite, 32-year-old former waitress from California had sought unsuccessfully to convince the jury during her four-month trial that she acted in self-defense.

She admitted shooting Alexander, with whom she was having an on-again, off-again affair, but said she opened fire on him with his own pistol after he attacked her in a rage because she dropped his camera while taking snapshots of him in the shower. She said she did not remember stabbing him.

When the trial enters its final phase on Thursday the defense is expected to revisit its claim that Arias acted out of fear and that her relationship with Alexander was fraught with abuse.

In arguing against the death penalty, the defense can try to establish one of several mitigating factors recognized under Arizona law, the most relevant of which likely would be a claim that Arias acted under "unusual or substantial duress."

The lurid circumstances of the case, which went to trial in January and featured graphic testimony, photographs of the blood-sprayed crime scene and a sex tape, became a sensation on cable television news and unfolded in live Internet telecasts of the proceedings.

On Wednesday, prosecutors focused on the grisly details of Alexander's slaying in their bid to cast the crime as especially cruel - a legal standard for aggravating factors that would qualify Arias for the death sentence.

FIERCE ATTACK

Prosecutor Juan Martinez recounted how Arias attacked Alexander in his own shower, repeatedly stabbing him for two minutes as he tried to escape from the bathroom. She then followed the bleeding victim down a hallway and slashed his throat when he was too weak to get away.

Alexander knew he was going to die and was unable to resist his attacker at that point, Martinez said.

"Each and every time that blade went into his body, it hurt," Martinez told the jury. "It was only death that relieved that pain. It was only death that relieved that anguish, and that is especially cruel."

The defense argued that adrenaline would have prevented Alexander from feeling the pain of the knife blows, thus reducing his suffering. If the bullet wound to his forehead came first, rendering him unconscious in seconds, then Alexander would not have suffered, defense attorney Kirk Nurmi said.

During the trial, Martinez cast Arias as manipulative and prone to jealousy in previous relationships. He said she had meticulously planned to kill Alexander, a businessman and motivational speaker.

In making his case for premeditated murder, Martinez had accused Arias of bringing the pistol used in the killing, which has not been recovered, with her from California home to the scene of the crime. He said she also rented a car, removed its license plate and bought gasoline cans and fuel to conceal her journey to the Phoenix suburbs to kill Alexander.

Martinez said Arias also lied after the killing to deflect any suspicion that she had been involved in his death, leaving a voicemail on Alexander's cellphone, sending flowers to his grandmother and telling detectives she was not at the crime scene before changing her story.

Nurmi, meanwhile, argued that Arias had snapped in the "sudden heat of passion" in the moments between a photograph she took showing Alexander alive and taking a shower, and a subsequent picture of his apparently dead body covered in blood.

(Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Tim Dobbyn and Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arizona-jury-finds-arias-eligible-death-penalty-ex-003206872.html

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Thursday, May 16, 2013

Capitals say Ovechkin played with hurt left foot

Russia's Alexander Ovechkin, left, checks Nate Thompson of team USA during the 2013 Ice Hockey IIHF World Championships Group B Quarterfinal match Russia vs USA in Helsinki, Finland on Thursday May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/LEHTIKUVA / Martti Kainulainen) FINLAND OUT

Russia's Alexander Ovechkin, left, checks Nate Thompson of team USA during the 2013 Ice Hockey IIHF World Championships Group B Quarterfinal match Russia vs USA in Helsinki, Finland on Thursday May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/LEHTIKUVA / Martti Kainulainen) FINLAND OUT

Russia's Alexander Ovechkin rasies his stick to the crowd after the 3-8 loss to USA at the 2013 Ice Hockey IIHF World Championships Group B Quarterfinal match Russia vs USA in Helsinki, Finland on Thursday May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/LEHTIKUVA / Martti Kainulainen) FINLAND OUT

Team Russia's Alexander Ovechkin speaks during a press conference Wednesday, May 15, 2013 held prior to Thursday's Ice Hockey IIHF World Championships Group B Quarter-Final match Russia vs USA in Helsinki, Finland. (AP Photo/Lehtikuva, Jussi Nukari) FINLAND OUT

(AP) ? Alex Ovechkin played the last two games of the Washington Capitals' season with what the team said Thursday is a hairline fracture in his left foot.

Ovechkin was hurt during Game 6 of Washington's first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers, a 1-0 loss on Sunday. The Capitals didn't explain specifically how their captain got injured, but Ovechkin did get up a bit gingerly after dropping to the ice to block a shot in the first period.

He also played in Game 7 on Monday night, getting credited with 13 hits but only one shot, as Washington lost 5-0 at home and was eliminated.

Ovechkin, who led the NHL with 32 goals during the regular season, scored only once against the Rangers, in Game 1.

He played Thursday for Russia in an 8-3 loss to the United States in the world championships in Finland.

Before leaving town for that tournament, Ovechkin met with reporters Tuesday at the Capitals' practice facility and was asked whether he was dealing with any injuries during the playoffs.

"Couple bruises, but nothing major," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-05-16-HKN-Capitals-Ovechkin-Injury/id-8a67681d5b4f4b5b842115d5b1202b3f

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Massachusetts gas prices up 6 cents this week

BOSTON (AP) -- Massachusetts gasoline prices are up six cents this week, but are still below the national average.

AAA Southern New England reports Monday that the average prices for a gallon of self-serve, regular in the state is $3.48 per gallon.

That's 10 cents below the national average, and 23 cents less than at the same time last year.

AAA found self-serve, regular for as low as $3.35 per gallon and as high as $3.69.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/massachusetts-gas-prices-6-cents-135625704.html

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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Finnish researchers to provide solutions for energy-efficient repairs in Moscow

Finnish researchers to provide solutions for energy-efficient repairs in Moscow [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 15-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Satu Paiho
satu.paiho@vtt.fi
358-207-224-908
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

There are many old and decrepit residential buildings in Moscow in need of refurbishment. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed three repair concepts for improving the energy efficiency of both buildings and entire residential districts while also reducing their environmental impact. Calculations show that it would be possible to reduce heating demand in buildings by up to 70%. Even minor repairs can achieve significant energy savings.

Most of the residential buildings in Moscow were built after the Second World War. Many of them are in poor shape and waste a lot of energy. VTT conducted a pilot study in a typical Moscow residential district, with a population of about 14,000.

VTT developed three repair concepts for improving the energy efficiency of both buildings and the district as a whole while also reducing their environmental impact. These concepts address not only energy consumption and water consumption solutions but also the processing of waste generated in the district. The findings of the study may be leveraged in determining the goals for repairs. However, impact assessment for repairs will require in-depth financial analyses to be conducted.

The basic concept developed by VTT for residential apartment buildings in Moscow incorporates affordable and easily implemented minimum repairs. Even the simplest of repairs could reduce the heating energy consumption in these buildings by about 40%. The improved repair concept can result in even better energy efficiency or eco-efficiency. The advanced repair concept is the most progressive of the three concepts presented. Calculations show that it would be possible to reduce heating energy consumption in buildings by up to 70%, and of electricity by about 25%. In practice, this involves for example improving heat insulation, installing heat recovery equipment in ventilation systems and improving water systems.

Because improving energy efficiency in individual buildings would not necessarily reduce the energy consumption of the district as a whole, VTT also developed three concepts for improving eco-efficiency in residential districts. In these concepts, the focus is on analysing energy production options, improving energy, water and waste water networks, improving waste management and improving outdoor lighting. Significant energy savings may be achieved at the district level using the repair scenarios presented. These savings may amount to nearly 40% in electricity demand and more than 70% in heating demand. Emissions analyses show that replacing natural gas with biogas in energy production would reduce carbon dioxide emissions but would increase sulphur dioxide and particulate emissions. A better solution would be to produce energy using renewable energy technologies such as geothermal heat pumps, solar panels, solar collectors or wind turbines; all of these would reduce overall emissions.

Currently, water consumption in Moscow is 272 litres per resident per day. Implementing a variety of new solutions would theoretically allow this to be brought down as far as to 100 litres, although this is a tough goal to meet. At present, more than 60% of the community waste generated in residential districts ends up at a landfill, while just under a third is incinerated and about 10% recycled. Developing waste management processes would allow the reuse rate to be increased to more than 75%. This would require not only infrastructure development but active waste recycling procedures adopted by the residents.

Statistics published by Rosstat indicate that there are some 40,000 residential buildings in Moscow, with a total of nearly 4 million homes. Of this residential building stock, 52% was built between 1945 and 1975. The VTT study was funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

###

More information:

VTT
Satu Paiho, Senior Scientist
Tel. +358 20 722 4908
satu.paiho@vtt.fi

Further information on VTT:

Olli Ernvall
Senior Vice President, Communications
358 20 722 6747
olli.ernvall@vtt.fi
http://www.vtt.fi

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is a leading multitechnological applied research organization in Northern Europe. VTT creates new technology and science-based innovations in co-operation with domestic and foreign partners. VTT's turnover is EUR 290 million and its personnel totals 3,100.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


Finnish researchers to provide solutions for energy-efficient repairs in Moscow [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 15-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Satu Paiho
satu.paiho@vtt.fi
358-207-224-908
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

There are many old and decrepit residential buildings in Moscow in need of refurbishment. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed three repair concepts for improving the energy efficiency of both buildings and entire residential districts while also reducing their environmental impact. Calculations show that it would be possible to reduce heating demand in buildings by up to 70%. Even minor repairs can achieve significant energy savings.

Most of the residential buildings in Moscow were built after the Second World War. Many of them are in poor shape and waste a lot of energy. VTT conducted a pilot study in a typical Moscow residential district, with a population of about 14,000.

VTT developed three repair concepts for improving the energy efficiency of both buildings and the district as a whole while also reducing their environmental impact. These concepts address not only energy consumption and water consumption solutions but also the processing of waste generated in the district. The findings of the study may be leveraged in determining the goals for repairs. However, impact assessment for repairs will require in-depth financial analyses to be conducted.

The basic concept developed by VTT for residential apartment buildings in Moscow incorporates affordable and easily implemented minimum repairs. Even the simplest of repairs could reduce the heating energy consumption in these buildings by about 40%. The improved repair concept can result in even better energy efficiency or eco-efficiency. The advanced repair concept is the most progressive of the three concepts presented. Calculations show that it would be possible to reduce heating energy consumption in buildings by up to 70%, and of electricity by about 25%. In practice, this involves for example improving heat insulation, installing heat recovery equipment in ventilation systems and improving water systems.

Because improving energy efficiency in individual buildings would not necessarily reduce the energy consumption of the district as a whole, VTT also developed three concepts for improving eco-efficiency in residential districts. In these concepts, the focus is on analysing energy production options, improving energy, water and waste water networks, improving waste management and improving outdoor lighting. Significant energy savings may be achieved at the district level using the repair scenarios presented. These savings may amount to nearly 40% in electricity demand and more than 70% in heating demand. Emissions analyses show that replacing natural gas with biogas in energy production would reduce carbon dioxide emissions but would increase sulphur dioxide and particulate emissions. A better solution would be to produce energy using renewable energy technologies such as geothermal heat pumps, solar panels, solar collectors or wind turbines; all of these would reduce overall emissions.

Currently, water consumption in Moscow is 272 litres per resident per day. Implementing a variety of new solutions would theoretically allow this to be brought down as far as to 100 litres, although this is a tough goal to meet. At present, more than 60% of the community waste generated in residential districts ends up at a landfill, while just under a third is incinerated and about 10% recycled. Developing waste management processes would allow the reuse rate to be increased to more than 75%. This would require not only infrastructure development but active waste recycling procedures adopted by the residents.

Statistics published by Rosstat indicate that there are some 40,000 residential buildings in Moscow, with a total of nearly 4 million homes. Of this residential building stock, 52% was built between 1945 and 1975. The VTT study was funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

###

More information:

VTT
Satu Paiho, Senior Scientist
Tel. +358 20 722 4908
satu.paiho@vtt.fi

Further information on VTT:

Olli Ernvall
Senior Vice President, Communications
358 20 722 6747
olli.ernvall@vtt.fi
http://www.vtt.fi

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is a leading multitechnological applied research organization in Northern Europe. VTT creates new technology and science-based innovations in co-operation with domestic and foreign partners. VTT's turnover is EUR 290 million and its personnel totals 3,100.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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/2013-05/vtrc-frt051513.php

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Attorney: Calif. boy charged in sister's death

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) ? The attorney for the 12-year-old boy accused in the stabbing death of his 8-year-old sister says murder charges have been filed against the boy.

Attorney Mark Reichel told KTVU-TV (http://bit.ly/10MZE2e ) Tuesday evening that his client has been charged with second degree murder and a special allegation for use of a dangerous weapon.

Reichel had said earlier Tuesday that the boy might have lied about seeing a long-haired intruder fleeing the scene but that doesn't make the boy the killer.

Also on Tuesday, Reichel visited the home where 8-year-old Leila Fowler was found April 27 with knife wounds. Her brother was the only one home.

The boy told police he scared off an intruder.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/attorney-calif-boy-charged-sisters-death-042753947.html

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Netflix Just Made It Harder to Find Out When Movies Expire

Want to find out when Netflix will pull Melancholia so you don't miss it? Too bad. Netflix just decided to stop providing that information through its API, so third-party services like InstantWatcher.com's Expiring Soon on Instant are now pretty much useless.

So why the change? Netflix says the data isn't always accurate, so it's just going to stop publishing it. But that's just as far as the API is concerned. The good news is, if you're a Netflix member, you'll still see the date listed on Netflix.com as well as the movie's title page. There just won't be third-party tools to help you keep track of the movies you need to peep before they go anymore. [Netflix via Yahoo]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/netflix-just-made-it-harder-to-find-out-when-movies-exp-505557265

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Justice investigating IRS targeting of tea party

Attorney General Eric Holder pauses during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Tuesday, May 14, 2013. Holder said he's ordered a Justice Department investigation into the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups for extra tax scrutiny. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Attorney General Eric Holder pauses during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Tuesday, May 14, 2013. Holder said he's ordered a Justice Department investigation into the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups for extra tax scrutiny. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Gov. Scott Walker says the IRS's targeting of conservative groups for extra scrutiny is a real threat to our freedoms, on Tuesday, May 14, 2013, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)

The John Weld Peck Federal Building, shown Tuesday, May 14, 2013, in Cincinnati, houses the main offices for the Internal Revenue Service in the city. The IRS apologized Friday for what it acknowledged was "inappropriate" targeting of conservative political groups during the 2012 election to see whether they were violating their tax-exempt status. In some cases, the IRS acknowledged, agents inappropriately asked for lists of donors. The agency blamed low-level employees in a Cincinnati office, saying no high-level officials were aware.(AP Photo/Al Behrman)

(AP) ? The Justice Department is investigating the Internal Revenue Service for targeting tea party groups for extra scrutiny when they applied for tax exempt status, Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday, widening a probe that includes investigations by three committees in Congress.

Ineffective management at the IRS allowed agents to improperly target tea party groups for more than 18 months, concluded one investigation, by the Treasury inspector general for tax administration. The inspector general's report, released Tuesday, lays much of the blame on IRS supervisors in Washington who oversaw a group of specialists in Cincinnati who screened applications for tax exempt status.

The report does not indicate that Washington initiated the targeting of conservative groups. But it does say a top supervisor in Washington did not adequately supervise agents in the field even after she learned the agents were acting improperly.

"The report's findings are intolerable and inexcusable," President Barack Obama said in a statement. "The federal government must conduct itself in a way that's worthy of the public's trust, and that's especially true for the IRS. The IRS must apply the law in a fair and impartial way, and its employees must act with utmost integrity. This report shows that some of its employees failed that test."

Holder said he ordered the FBI to investigate Friday ? the day the IRS publicly acknowledged that it had singled out conservative groups.

"Those (actions) were, I think, as everyone can agree, if not criminal, they were certainly outrageous and unacceptable," Holder said. "But we are examining the facts to see if there were criminal violations."

Three congressional committees already are investigating the IRS for singling out tea party and other conservative groups during the 2010 congressional elections and the 2012 presidential election. But Holder's announcement takes the matter to another level, if investigators are able to prove that laws were broken.

Holder said he wasn't sure which laws may have been broken.

The agency started targeting groups with "Tea Party," ''Patriots" or "9/12 Project" in their applications for tax exempt status in March 2010, the inspector general's report said. By August 2010, it was part of the written criteria used to flag groups for additional scrutiny.

Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax exempt organizations, had been briefed on the matter in June 2011. She ordered the initial tea party criteria to be scrapped but it later evolved to include groups that promoted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

IRS agents were trying to determine whether the political activities of such groups disqualified them for tax-exempt status. These groups were claiming tax-exempt status as organizations promoting social welfare. Unlike other charitable groups, they can engage in political activity. But politics cannot be their primary mission.

It is up to the IRS to make the determination.

But by using improper criteria, the IRS targeted some groups, even though there were no indications that they engaged in significant political activities, the report said. Other non-tea party groups that had significant political activities were not screened, the report said.

"The criteria developed by the Determinations Unit gives the appearance that the IRS is not impartial in conducting its mission," the report said.

In all, IRS agents identified 296 applications for additional, sometimes burdensome scrutiny. Ninety-one of them should not have been targeted because they did not indicate they were engaged in significant political activities, investigators concluded.

Of the groups that were not engaged in significant political activities, 17 were tea party, patriot or 9/12 groups, the report said.

The additional screening resulted in long delays as IRS agents asked intrusive, sometimes inappropriate questions, or merely let applications languish, the report said. Inappropriate questions included requests for lists of donors and the political affiliation of officers.

As of December, the delays averaged 574 days, which probably made donors reluctant to contribute, the report said. No group has had their application denied, though about half are still waiting, the IRS said.

"Unfortunately, the report raises more questions than it answers," said House Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif. "What we do know for sure is that the IRS personnel responsible for granting tax exemptions systematically targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny, and thatofficials in Washington, D.C. were aware of this practice, even while publically claiming that it never happened."

Obama said he is ordering Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew to implement all of the inspector general's recommendations to improve oversight at the IRS.

"But regardless of how this conduct was allowed to take place, the bottom line is, it was wrong," Obama said.

The practice of targeting conservative groups ended in May 2012, the report said.

"After seeing issues with particular cases, inappropriate shortcuts were used to determine which cases may be engaging in political activities," the IRS said in a statement Tuesday evening. "It is important to note that the vast majority of these cases would still have been centralized based on the general criteria used for other cases."

"It is also important to understand that the group of centralized cases included organizations of all political views," the statement said.

The IRS has said the improper reviews were limited to a Cincinnati office where a special team was assembled to screen them. The inspector general's report does not contradict the agency on this assertion.

However, documents obtained by The Associated Press suggest the targeting of conservative groups could be more widespread. Documents sent from the IRS to tea party groups show that IRS offices in California and Washington, D.C., also sought extensive information from tea party groups who requested tax-exempt status.

In letters provided by the American Center for Law and Justice, which represents 27 tea party groups that have sought tax exempt status, IRS officials from two cities in California ? El Monte and Laguna Nigel ? as well as officials in Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati contacted groups seeking extensive information.

The law center's chief counsel, Jay Sekulow, said he was astonished the IRS said activity was limited to Cincinnati.

"To me, that was what was mind-boggling, they tried to create a narrative," he said.

On Monday, the IRS said acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller was first informed on May, 3, 2012, that applications for tax-exempt status by tea party groups were inappropriately singled out for extra scrutiny.

At least twice after the briefing, Miller wrote letters to members of Congress to explain the process of reviewing applications for tax-exempt status without disclosing that tea party groups had been targeted. On July 25, 2012, Miller testified before the House Ways and Means oversight subcommittee but again did not mention the additional scrutiny ? despite being asked about it.

On Tuesday, the IRS said, "While flaws in our process were corrected last year based on our own review, we only recently discussed this publicly as there had been a concurrent ongoing (inspector general) audit of the situation. There was no intent to hide this issue, but rather we waited until (the inspector general) completed their fact finding, made recommendations, and we reviewed their findings.

Miller was a deputy commissioner at the time. He became acting commissioner in November, after Commissioner Douglas Shulman completed his five-year term. Shulman had been appointed by President George W. Bush.

Miller is scheduled to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee at a hearing Friday.

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Associated Press writer Pete Yost contributed to this report.

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Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-05-14-IRS-Political%20Groups/id-fb30f38c6cb64d5882a251c30c44d5bb

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