Sunday, June 30, 2013

Nanny cam home invasion video leads to arrest

Nanny cam home invasion video captured the burglary and assault of a New Jersey mother. Footage from the nanny cam led to the arrest of a suspect in the home invasion case Friday.

By Associated Press / June 29, 2013

This image taken from nanny cam video footage provided by the Millburn, N.J. police shows a man who forced his way into a home in Millburn on Friday, June 21, 2013, and attacked a woman.

(AP Photo/Millburn Police)

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Authorities have arrested a man wanted in a New Jersey home invasion that left a mother beaten, an attack that was captured on a nanny cam.

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The Essex County prosecutor's office said 42-year-old Shawn?Custis was arrested Friday in Manhattan by the prosecutor's office and the FBI. Custis faces charges of attempted murder, robbery, burglary and child endangerment.

The attack last Friday in Millburn was captured on a hidden camera in the woman's home. A man can be seen bursting into the home, punching and kicking the woman and throwing her down stairs while her 3-year-old daughter cowered on a couch. Police withheld the names of the woman and child.

County chief of detectives Anthony Ambrose said Friday that Custis was being transported to an undisclosed location in New Jersey.

Public groups and private individuals offered $20,000 for information leading to the arrest of the man who was seen punching and kicking the Millburn woman last Friday. Essex County Sheriff's Department spokesman Kevin Lynch tells The Star-Ledger of Newark the donors were outraged by the attack.

Portions of the nanny?cam footage were aired on television Tuesday as police sought the public's help in identifying the man responsible for the attack, which occurred Friday morning in Millburn, a suburb of about 20,000 residents just west of New York.

Police Capt. Michael Palardy said he was revolted by what he saw the man do to the woman on the video.

"There was no reason for him to touch her at all because she would have willingly gave him what he wanted," Palardy said. "I've probably gone through this video 20 times, and it still sickens me every time I see it. He had no regard for her life. He didn't care if she lived or died."

Police withheld the woman's name to protect her identity and requested the faces of her and her child be blurred when the video was aired.

The woman suffered a concussion, bruises, chipped teeth and cuts around the mouth that required stitches, police said. It's believed she was knocked unconscious when tossed down the stairs, then awoke and called police. She was treated at a hospital and was released.

The nanny?cam footage shows the woman sitting next to her child in front of the TV, then getting up to check out a noise out of the frame. It then shows her backing up and being attacked by a man who rushes her.

The burglar made three trips upstairs to rifle through the family's belongings, police said, assaulting the woman on the trips back to the first floor, kicking her, punching her and yanking her by the hair.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Byqv8hOFUL8/Nanny-cam-home-invasion-video-leads-to-arrest

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Discovery's 'Shark Week' Tops Itself: 11 New Episodes, Adds Late-Night Talk Show

By Jethro Nededog

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Discovery's annual "Shark Week" begins Sunday, August 4 and boasts its most new premiere hours this summer over its 26 year run.

This year, the cable network adds a late night show to the mix: "Shark After Dark." The show will air each evening of "Shark Week" with highlights from the days' programming and guests, including shark experts and shark attack survivors.

A highly watched event for Discovery, last year brought in 21.4 million viewers for the week and made it the No. 1 non-scripted cable network among the advertiser-coveted Adults 18-49 demographic.

Here's a rundown of this summer's new "Shark Week" episodes:

"Sharkpocalypse": Following a year of shark encounters closely followed by the media, the program examines the trend of sharks moving in closer to shorelines, and debates whether there is a connection between declining shark populations and the increase in shark attacks.

"Return of Jaws": Shark Cam is a robot submarine that is used to track sharks in a new and exciting way. Return of Jaws includes spectacular footage of Shark Cam following Great White Sharks living and hunting off the shores of Cape Cod. Footage of a 17-foot Great White is seen at close range over a five hour period as the shark hunts seal colonies, comes close to shore in less than four feet of water, and takes a chilling interest in one specific area.

"In Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives (WT)": Discovery brings SHARK WEEK viewers on a search for a massive killer great white shark responsible for a rash of fatalities off the coast of South Africa. One controversial scientist believes that the shark responsible could be Megalodon, a 60-foot relative of the great white that is one of the largest and most powerful predators in history. Our oceans remain 95% unexplored, and this massive prehistoric predator has always been shrouded in secrecy, but after a rash of newly discovered evidence, authorities are forced to investigate whether this predator, long thought to be extinct, could still be lurking in our deepest oceans.

"I Escaped Jaws": Program features yet another SHARK WEEK first as we utilize for the first time real shark attack footage captured by eyewitnesses. Viewers experience harrowing first-hand accounts from everyday people who stared into the jaws of a shark and survived. Some used their wits; some relied on experience, and all lived to share their chilling stories.

"Voodoo Sharks": A lesser-known shark "hot spot" is explored in Voodoo Sharks, where Bull Shark populations have moved beyond oceans and U.S. coasts to the bayous of Louisiana. Nicknamed ?Voodoo Sharks' by local shrimp fishermen, these Bull Sharks have the extraordinary ability to live in both salt and fresh water environments. They show up by the hundreds in the bayous of Louisiana and create more than just confusion for those who encounter them for the first time.

"Great White Serial Killer": Natural history producer Jeff Kurr returns to SHARK WEEK after 2011's Emmy?-nominated Ultimate Air Jaws and 2012's Air Jaws Apocalypse. In Great White Serial Killer, Kurr sets out to examine two fatal shark attacks near Vandenberg Air force base in California, using evidence found at both sites to try to determine if one shark was responsible for both attacks.

"Air Jaws: Beyond the Breach": Air Jaws programming has pushed and expanded our understanding of Great Whites sharks, becoming one of the iconic SHARK WEEK programs. In Air Jaws: Beyond the Breach, a documentary crew goes behind the scenes to see how Air Jaws has changed what we know about these incredible creatures, and gives viewers a sneak peek into the next Air Jaws special, Finding Colossus, which will air during SHARK WEEK 2014.

"Spawn of Jaws": Program follows a scientist on the brink of a breakthrough as he reveals the life cycle of the Great White Shark for the first time, including mating and pupping.

"The Great White Gauntlet (WT)": Program explores the dangers of abalone diving, which can be both lucrative and dangerous as it happens in one of the deadliest shark feeding grounds in the world - one that is regularly frequented by Great White Sharks.

"Sharks Behaving Badly (WT)": Program is a humorous look at fishermen, surfers, and bathers who have encountered sharks and lived to laugh about it. We'll take a close look at the multiple shark encounter videos on YouTube, using forensic analysis and other elements to demonstrate the best behaviors when encountering a shark.

"Top 10 Sharkdown": Program updates the international shark attack files for the 21st century, taking a closer look at the sharks you don't want to meet this summer -- and the ones you're most likely to encounter.

"Alien Monster Sharks": Program follows American and Japanese scientists as they descend into the deepest and darkest unexplored oceans on earth in search of some of the more incredible and bizarre sharks on the planet, from the Goblin shark to the elusive, giant Megamouth shark.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/discoverys-shark-week-tops-itself-11-episodes-adds-004654393.html

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Murray, Robson keep British happy at Wimbledon

Andy Murray of Britain reacts after defeating Tommy Robredo of Spain during their Men's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Friday, June 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Andy Murray of Britain reacts after defeating Tommy Robredo of Spain during their Men's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Friday, June 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Andy Murray of Britain reacts after winning a point against Tommy Robredo of Spain in their Men's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Friday, June 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Andy Murray of Britain returns to Tommy Robredo of Spain during their Men's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Friday, June 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Tommy Robredo of Spain, left, grimaces after losing a point to Andy Murray of Britain during their Men's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Friday, June 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Andy Murray of Britain is solicited for autographs after defeating Tommy Robredo of Spain during their Men's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Friday, June 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

(AP) ? When a 19-stroke exchange ended with Andy Murray's Wimbledon opponent slapping a forehand into the net, thousands of Centre Court spectators rose in unison.

They applauded Murray's first service break. They screamed for joy. They waved their Union Jacks and Scottish flags. It was only a third-round match, merely 12 minutes and three games old, yet to some that tiny early edge seemed massively meaningful.

So imagine the reaction, louder and livelier, when the second-seeded Murray finished off his 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 victory over 32nd-seeded Tommy Robredo of Spain less than two hours later Friday to advance to Week 2. And then, for a moment, try to fathom what would happen if Murray ever were to win the final point of The Championships, as the Grand Slam tournament is known around here, and become the first British man in 77 years to hoist the trophy.

"You need to be professional enough to not let that stuff bother you and just concentrate on each match," said Murray, who has won 20 of his past 21 contests on grass, including runs to last year's final at the All England Club and a London Olympics gold medal. "I did a good job of that today. I played well. My best match of the tournament, so far."

The locals' hopes that Murray will follow up his 2012 U.S. Open victory with another major title, this time at Wimbledon, only increased in the aftermath of surprisingly early losses this week by seven-time champion Roger Federer, two-time winner Rafael Nadal and two-time semifinalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

All were seeded in the top six, and all were on Murray's half of the draw. Their departures mean the most daunting obstacle in Murray's path ? until a potential final against No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic, anyway ? might very well be surging expectations.

"There's a lot more pressure on me now, with them being out," Murray acknowledged after compiling 40 winners and only 14 unforced errors against Robredo, taking advantage of the zero-wind conditions under the closed retractable roof.

"I mean, I don't read the papers and stuff. But there are papers in the locker room," Murray continued with a chuckle, "so you see some of the headlines and stuff. It's not that helpful."

Nadal's stunning first-round exit, for example, was viewed mainly through the prism of how that result helped Murray, who could have faced the 12-time major champion in the semifinals. "Adios Rafa. Hello Andy. Wimbledon dreams again," read a headline in The Times of London. The Daily Mail's take: "Great start for Andy ? Rafa's out."

All in all, then, Friday was a perfectly British day, and not simply because Murray won his third straight-set match in a row. The lone other remaining singles player from the host country, 19-year-old Laura Robson, made her way into the third round at Wimbledon for the first time, defeating 117th-ranked qualifier Mariana Duque-Marino of Colombia 6-4, 6-1.

That match, like Murray's, was played with the Centre Court covered because of rain that played havoc with the schedule, and Robson heard her share of rowdy support, too. She also was serenaded with the "Awwwwwww" that often accompanies a mistake by a player the crowd really cares about.

"I love when people get involved," Robson said. "Sometimes they do, like, a massive groan if I hit a double-fault, but I'm doing it as well. So, yeah, we're just living it together."

A few hours after Robson's match ended, putting her in Wimbledon's third round for the first time, a bookmaker sent out a release noting that her odds of winning the tournament went from 80-1 to 33-1.

Robson eliminated 10th-seeded Maria Kirilenko in the first round, part of a wild first week. All told, four top-10 men (each on Murray's half, coincidentally) and six top-10 women lost already, equaling the worst performance by the highest seeds at any Grand Slam tournament in the 45-year history of the Open era.

Speaking about the anyone-can-beat-anyone feel, 37th-ranked Jurgen Melzer of Austria said: "There has been so much talk about it, you cannot ignore it."

He did manage to put a stop to it, however, at least as far as Sergiy Stakhovsky was concerned. Two days after serving-and-volleying his way past defending champion Federer, Stakhovsky played like a guy ranked 116th, losing 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 to Melzer.

"I think," Stakhovsky said, "I just played stupid."

It's a common sight at major tournaments: An unknown player knocks out a big name, then fails to follow it up with another victory.

The same thing happened to 66th-ranked Eugenie Bouchard of Canada, who went from beating 12th-seeded Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open titlist, on Wednesday to losing to No. 19 Carla Suarez Navarro 7-5, 6-2 on Friday. And 131st-ranked qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal, who eliminated four-time major champion Maria Sharapova in the second round, then bowed out 7-5, 6-2 against 104th-ranked Karin Knapp of Italy in the third.

"That was a huge win for me," Larcher de Brito said. "But it was tough for me to hang in there today."

Among Friday's noteworthy results: Grega Zemlja became the first Slovenian man to reach Wimbledon's third round by edging No. 29 Grigor Dimitrov 11-9 in the fifth set of a match suspended by rain Thursday night and interrupted again Friday; No. 24 Jerzy Janowicz's serves reached 140 mph and he delivered 30 aces in a straight-set victory over No. 15 Nicolas Almagro; No. 4 David Ferrer, the runner-up to Nadal at the French Open, also won, as did 35-year-old Tommy Haas.

In women's play, wild-card entry Alison Riske gave the U.S. a fourth woman in the round of 32 ? no American men made it that far for the first time in 101 years ? and plays Saturday against Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, who defeated No. 7 Angelique Kerber 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3.

Riske joins countrywomen Serena Williams, the defending champion; No. 17 Sloane Stephens; and Madison Keys. Stephens' third-round match against Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic was suspended Friday night because of fading light after they split the first two sets. Two other matches were halted in progress, one with 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova trailing No. 25 Ekaterina Makarova 2-1 in the third set.

Showers delayed play on a start-and-stop day, and four scheduled men's matches never even got going.

Even though he was able to face Robredo thanks only to the roof that was installed in 2009, Murray said he's not a big fan.

"It's an outdoor tournament," Murray said. "It's better if we get to play outside."

That said, he likes the way the indoor conditions allow him to swing away, and Murray was on-target throughout ? with his serves, his returns, his volleys, his groundstrokes. He won 60 of 80 points on his serve, including 14 of 15 in one stretch. He broke Robredo four straight times, then again in the next-to-last game.

Robredo, mind you, is no slouch. He's been ranked as high as No. 5, albeit back in 2006. He's been a major quarterfinalist a half-dozen times. At this year's French Open, he became the first man in 86 years to erase two-set deficits in three consecutive Grand Slam matches. And he entered Friday with a 2-2 record against Murray in tour-level events.

But they hadn't played in an official tournament since 2009, and they'd never met on grass or at a major, two categories where Murray is excelling lately.

After lingering on court to sign autographs ? one excited boy hugged an oversized tennis ball adorned with his man's signature as though it were the most precious thing he'd ever held ? Murray was asked whether last year's success at the Summer Games and Flushing Meadows alleviated Britain's intense desire for him to win it all at the All England Club.

"Uh, no, from what I've heard," he replied. "People are putting even more pressure on me because of the nature of how the draw's worked out. I've just got to try and stay focused, not worry about that stuff. But it's hard."

___

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-06-28-Wimbledon/id-a61f64f1450244d18e077de325c4c6ca

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Saturday, June 29, 2013

Apple reportedly clinches TSMC chip manufacturing deal

Apple reportedly clinches longsought TSMC manufacturing deal

Rumors of Apple switching its chip manufacturing from Samsung to TSMC have persisted for a long, long time. However, they may be more substantial this time around: the Wall Street Journal claims that Apple quietly signed a deal with TSMC earlier this month. The agreement reportedly has TSMC take over some of Apple's chip production in 2014. Technical setbacks kept the agreement from happening any sooner, according to the sources. Neither company is commenting on the accuracy of the story, although few would doubt Apple's incentives to reduce its dependency on Samsung-made silicon -- it's not keen on funding a primary competitor.

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Source: Wall Street Journal

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Friday, June 28, 2013

Boehner strikes a blow against amnesty (Powerlineblog)

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

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Obama pledges to help Africa, pays tribute to Mandela

By Mark Felsenthal and Jeff Mason

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama paid tribute to anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela as he flew to South Africa on Friday but played down expectations of a meeting with the ailing black leader during an Africa tour promoting democracy and food security.

White House officials hope Obama's three-nation tour of Africa - his first substantial visit to the continent since taking office in 2009 - will compensate for what some view as years of neglect by America's first black president.

The health of Mandela, the 94-year-old former South African president clinging to life in a Pretoria hospital, dominated Obama's day even before he arrived in Johannesburg.

"I don't need a photo op," Obama told reporters aboard Air Force One after leaving Senegal. "The last thing I want to do is to be in any way obtrusive at a time when the family is concerned with Nelson Mandela's condition."

Mandela's ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, said his condition had improved in the past few days.

Nearly 1,000 trade unionists, Muslim activists and South African Communist Party members marched through the capital to the U.S. Embassy, where they burned an American flag and called Obama's foreign policy "arrogant and oppressive.

Muslim activists held prayers in a car park outside the embassy. Leader Imam Sayeed Mohammed told the group: "We hope that Mandela feels better and that Obama can learn from him."

MANDELA A "PERSONAL HERO"

Obama sees Mandela, also known as Madiba, as a hero. Whether they are able to meet or not, officials said his trip would serve largely as a tribute to the anti-apartheid leader.

Like Mandela, Obama has received the Nobel Peace Prize and both men were the first black presidents of their nations.

Air Force One departed Senegal's coastal capital, Dakar, just before 1100 GMT (0700 ET) and was due to arrive in South Africa around eight hours later. On Friday evening, Obama has no public events scheduled and could go to the hospital then.

"When we get there, we'll gauge the situation," Obama told reporters.

Obama was scheduled to visit Robben Island, where Mandela spent years in prison under South Africa's former white minority regime.

He told reporters his message in South Africa would draw from the lessons of Mandela's life.

"If we focus on what Africa as a continent can do together and what these countries can do when they're unified, as opposed to when they're divided by tribe or race or religion, then Africa's rise will continue," Obama said.

White House officials said Obama would hold a "town hall" on Saturday with youth leaders in Soweto, the Johannesburg township known for 1976 student protests against apartheid.

He will discuss a new exchange program for African students with U.S. colleges and universities. The event will include youth in Uganda, Nigeria and Kenya participating through video conference, and will be televised in those countries, White House officials said.

JAB AT CHINA

Obama's only previous visit to the African continent was a one-day stopover in Ghana at the beginning of his first term.

While acknowledging that Obama has not spent as much time in Africa as people hoped, the White House is eager to highlight what it has done, in part to end unflattering comparisons to accomplishments of predecessors George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

"Given the budget constraints, for us to try to get the kind of money that President Bush was able to get out of the Republican House for massively scaled new foreign aid programs is very difficult," Obama said.

Obama and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives have fought bitterly over government spending. U.S. foreign aid is a perennial target for lawmakers who want more budget cuts.

Before departing Senegal, Obama met farmers and local entrepreneurs to discuss new technologies helping to raise agricultural output in West Africa, one of the world's most under-developed and drought-prone regions. The technical aid in the U.S. government's "Feed the Future" program leverages money from the private sector and aid groups to help small farmers.

Obama said he would announce an initiative to use the same strategies for the power sector, a model he said makes the most of the shrinking U.S. foreign aid budget.

"I think everything we do is designed to make sure that Africa is not viewed as a dependent, as a charity case, but is instead viewed as a partner," he said.

Obama acknowledged that China, Brazil, India and other countries have been increasingly active in Africa and said the United States risks being left behind. But he said the U.S. approach to development is preferred by African leaders.

"They recognize that China's primary interest is being able to obtain access for natural resources in Africa to feed the manufacturers in export-driven policies of the Chinese economy," Obama said.

"Oftentimes that leaves Africa as simply an exporter of raw goods" as opposed to creating long-term jobs, he said.

(Writing by Daniel Flynn, Jeff Mason, Roberta Rampton; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-heads-south-africa-mandela-mind-020643222.html

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Thursday, June 27, 2013

Cruise cancelled after blaze - Captain Greybeard - Travel Advice ...

All 1,672 passengers who were on board cruise ship Zenith when it was crippled by a small electrical fire on Monday have now arrived home in Spain.

Operators Pullmantur chartered 40 buses and laid on six aircraft to greet the ship when it was towed into Venice. The last plane arrived in Madrid yesterday.

Zenith was sailing from Ravenna to Venice when the fire, which was quickly extinguished, broke out on Monday morning. There were no casualties.

The vessel is now in the Marghera shipyard, where engineers are assessing the damage caused by the blaze, in an engine room electrical switchboard. The next cruise, due to depart on July 1 for the Greek islands and Turkey, has been cancelled.

Passengers have been offered alternative cruises on board sister ship Horizon.

Spanish operator Pullmantur is a subsidiary of cruise giant Royal Caribbean. Zenith, built in 1992 for Celebrity Cruises, is scheduled to be transferred to another RCI-owned company, Croisieres de France, next year.

In August 2009, the ship was damaged when a fire broke out while it was moored in Stockholm, Sweden.

All Leisure Group has issued a Stock Exchange warning about the costs it will incur as a result of the generator failure on board its cruise ship mv Voyager. The expense of replacement crankshafts should be covered by insurance, but the company is faced with paying out for the ship's stay in dry dock, and compensation to passengers whose cruises were cancelled.

Source: http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/captain-greybeard/2013/06/cruise-cancelled-after-blaze.html

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Facebook Launches Related Hashtags And #Mobile Site Support

Facebook-Hashtag1Facebook's on a quest to get you involved in real-time global conversations. Today it takes the next step towards challenging Twitter by adding hashtag support to its mobile site and launching related hashtags. Starting this evening, when you click or search for a hashtag, the results will page show other hashtags often posted at the same time. Search #equality and you'll see #lgbt and #pride.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Qa06zykriTE/

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Crisis-hit Athens deeply divided over century-old plan to build mosque

Yorgos Karahalis / Reuters

A view of an old naval base, an area where a mosque is going to be built at Votanikos suburb in Athens on May 28, 2013.

By Karolina Tagaris, Reuters

ATHENS -- Pakistani taxi driver Muhammad Zafeer says he has to look over his shoulder when he goes to pray in Athens, where racist attackers have targeted several of the many makeshift mosques set up in cramped garages or dingy warehouses.

So Greece's plan to build a state-funded mosque in the capital, more than a century in the making, comes as a relief, even if it will be housed in a disused naval base littered with weeds and rubble in a rundown neighborhood.

"This place used to be packed but these days people are scared to even go out to pray," said Zafeer, as Muslim men in long traditional robes and colorful caps prepared for Friday prayers behind the steel-grilled windows of a former factory.

"Greece has to decide if it will be democratic or if it will go back to the Middle Ages," he said with a shrug.

Reviving the long-stalled project during Greece's worst peacetime economic crisis has divided a country that spent four centuries under Turkish Ottoman rule, where the Orthodox Church is powerful and hostility toward immigrants is rising.

Soon after the government launched a tender in May to build the mosque, the far-right Golden Dawn party, which denies accusations of links to attacks on immigrants but says it wants to "rid Greece of their stench", pledged to "fight until the bitter end" to block the plan.

One local bishop, Seraphim, was so furious he took the matter to Greece's highest administrative court, the Council of State. A ruling is not expected for months.

The mosque's critics say Athens, kept afloat by an international bailout, cannot spare the almost one million euros it will cost given that Greece is in a sixth year of recession, with record high unemployment and sinking living standards.

"There's money to build a mosque but there's no money for Greeks to live with dignity," Golden Dawn, which polls show is the third most popular party in Greece, said in a statement.

Yorgos Karahalis / Reuters

Egyptian imam Mohamed Noaman, 32, poses at the entrance of Alsalam makeshift mosque at Neos Kosmos suburb in Athens May 17, 2013.

Plan to 'Islamize' Greece?
Protests have been gathering steam outside the planned site at the naval base in Votanikos, a rundown industrial neighborhood lined with car dealerships and factories.

Led by the far-right National Front movement, flag-waving demonstrators including nuns and men in military-style shirts, chanted "If you want a mosque, build it in parliament!" at the first of the protests at the end of May.

Flyers depicting a mosque in a circle with a line through it were strewn across the floor.

"It's not exactly the best time to go ahead with it right now," said Theodore Couloumbis of the ELIAMEP foreign policy think tank. "The country has plenty of instability of its own due to the economic crisis".

In the port of Piraeus, where hundreds of Greek Orthodox faithful packed the 174-year-old Holy Trinity church to hear Bishop Seraphim deliver Sunday mass, 62-year-old retired naval captain Ioannis Kaniaros called the decision "provocative".

Seraphim, who is challenging the decision in court, says building a mosque is unconstitutional and part of a plan to "Islamize" Greece, a major gateway for Asian immigrants trying to enter the European Union each year.

"I want to emphasize that Athens is the only European capital that went through four centuries of slavery under Islam, and managed to free itself just 200 years ago by spilling rivers of blood," he said in an interview.

Racially motivated attacks
Greece is home to about 1 million immigrants, and groups like Golden Dawn say undocumented workers have pushed up crime and put a burden on state resources at a time of crisis.

Muslim groups estimate more than 200,000 Muslims from countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh live in Athens alone.

Racially motivated attacks have risen to alarming levels during the crisis, according to the United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR, which said the authorities were doing little to tackle the problem.

Yorgos Karahalis / Reuters

A man enters a makeshift mosque where others Muslim faithful pray at Kallithea suburb in Athens on May 22, 2013.

At least one informal mosque has been set on fire. On another, someone has scrawled profanities in black paint.

The city, which has not had a formal mosque since Greece won independence from occupying Ottomans in 1832, has come under fire by human rights groups such as Amnesty International for being one of the few European capitals without one.

Repeated plans for a post-Ottoman mosque in Athens began in earnest in 1880, with an act of parliament, but all fell through, including one timed for the 2004 Olympic Games.

Reports in local media that Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan offered to fund a mosque in Athens to his Greek counterpart Antonis Samaras during talks earlier this year have also angered some Greeks, who feel a mosque would represent a continuing Turkish presence in the country.

Local media say the new mosque, which will hold about 400 worshippers, will not have a minaret so as to blend in with the environment and not resemble a mosque, but the government has provided few details.

The office of architect Alexandros Tombazis, which will design the building next to an existing chapel with a bell-tower, declined to comment, saying it has been advised by officials not to because the issue is "too sensitive".

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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Home-Cooked Challenge Wrap-Up: A Week's Worth of Dinners ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]What does a week's worth of meals look like in your house, and do things always (or ever) go as planned? ... Motherlode - Adventures in Parenting .... More News from The New York Times. Parenting; Families; Children ...

Source: http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/home-cooked-challenge-wrap-up-a-weeks-worth-of-dinners/

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Texas governor renews bid for abortion restrictions

By Corrie MacLaggan

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A marathon speech by a Texas Democrat temporarily frustrated a Republican drive for new state abortion restrictions, but political sources predicted on Wednesday that anti-abortion Governor Rick Perry would quickly revive the proposal.

Senator Wendy Davis, a single mother by the age of 19 who now is a rising star of the Democratic party, drew national attention when she spoke for more than 10 hours to block a measure that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Her filibuster of the Republican supermajority in the Texas legislature was hailed by women's groups and abortion rights advocates, and streamed live on some national media websites.

Republicans managed to stop her about two hours ahead of the midnight end to the special legislative session citing parliamentary procedures, but they were unable to complete voting on the abortion bill before the deadline.

"I pledge to Texas one thing: this fight is far from over," David Dewhurst, the anti-abortion Republican Lieutenant Governor who presides over the Senate, posted on Twitter Wednesday.

Texas Republican political strategist Matt Mackowiak predicted that Perry will call lawmakers back for another special session to pass the abortion bill.

"An abortion bill passed both houses. The votes are there. There's no question the votes are there," he said.

The abortion restrictions passed the House earlier in the week and a version of the proposal that did not include the ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy passed the Senate.

If the measure ultimately passes, Texas would be the 13th state to impose a ban on abortions after 20 weeks and by far the most populous. In addition, the legislation would set strict health standards for abortion clinics and restrict the use of drugs to end pregnancy.

Republican backers said the regulation of abortion clinics would protect women's health and that the ban on late-term abortions would protect fetuses, based on disputed research that suggests fetuses feel pain by 20 weeks of development.

Opponents said it would force nearly all Texas abortion clinics to close or be rebuilt.

"We know this isn't the end of the fight to protect women's access to health care in Texas." said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Davis whittled away chunks of time by reading testimony and messages from women and others decrying the legislation, reciting previously suggested changes to the bill and tapping into her own past as a single mother at 19.

She said the bill would have choked off her own access to a local Planned Parenthood clinic.

"I was a poor, uninsured woman, whose only care was provided through that facility. It was my medical home," said Davis, 50, several hours into her speech.

NATIONWIDE DEBATE

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, but conservative states have enacted laws in recent years that seek to place restrictions on the procedure, especially on abortions performed late in pregnancy.

Twelve states have passed 20-week bans, including two states where the bans take effect later this year, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. Courts have blocked the bans in three of the 12 states - Arizona, Georgia and Idaho.

Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill banning abortions 20 weeks after fertilization. The measure is extremely unlikely to become law because Democrats control the U.S. Senate and the White House.

The Texas proposal would allow exemptions for abortions to save a woman's life, and in cases of severe fetal abnormalities.

"In Texas, we value all life, and we've worked to cultivate a culture that supports the birth of every child," Perry said.

The abortion debate simmers elsewhere in the United States.

North Dakota's only abortion clinic filed a federal challenge on Tuesday to a new state law, the most restrictive in the country, that would ban procedures to end pregnancy once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, as early as six weeks.

A Philadelphia jury last month convicted abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell of murdering three babies during abortions at a clinic in a high-profile case that focused national attention on late term abortions.

(Reporting by Eric Johnson and Corrie MacLaggan; Editing by Greg McCune and Chris Reesea)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/republican-disrupt-texas-state-democrats-filibuster-over-abortion-043413723.html

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Supreme Court halts use of key part of voting law

Ryan P. Haygood, director of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, talks outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, June 25, 2013, about the Shelby County v. Holder, a voting rights case in Alabama. Charles White, the national field director for the NAACP is second from right and Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund is at right. The Supreme Court says a key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act cannot be enforced until Congress comes up with a new way of determining which states and localities require close federal monitoring of elections. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Ryan P. Haygood, director of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, talks outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, June 25, 2013, about the Shelby County v. Holder, a voting rights case in Alabama. Charles White, the national field director for the NAACP is second from right and Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund is at right. The Supreme Court says a key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act cannot be enforced until Congress comes up with a new way of determining which states and localities require close federal monitoring of elections. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley talks with reporters in Montgomery, Ala., Tuesday, June 25, 2013. Bentley applauded a ruling by a deeply divided Supreme Court on Tuesday that halted enforcement of the federal government's most potent tool to stop voting discrimination over the past half century, saying it does not reflect racial progress. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Attorney General Eric Holder expresses disappointment in the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling in the Alabama voting rights case, Shelby County v. Holder, Tuesday, June 25, 2013, at the Justice Department in Washington. The court declared unconstitutional a provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act that determines which states and localities must get Washington's approval for proposed election changes. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Representatives from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund stand outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, June 25, 2013, awaiting a decision in Shelby County v. Holder, a voting rights case in Alabama. The Supreme Court says a key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act cannot be enforced until Congress comes up with a new way of determining which states and localities require close federal monitoring of elections. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Vice President Joe Biden gestures as he talks about the Supreme Court's ruling on the Voting Rights Act as he speaks at the 75th anniversary of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which established the minimum wage in 1938, Tuesday, June 25, 2013, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. Biden said the Obama administration will do everything in its power to ensure fair voting in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling stopping part of the Voting Rights Act enforcement. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

(AP) ? A deeply divided Supreme Court threw out the most powerful part of the landmark Voting Rights Act on Tuesday, a decision deplored by the White House but cheered by mostly Southern states now free from nearly 50 years of intense federal oversight of their elections.

Split along ideological and partisan lines, the justices voted 5-4 to strip the government of its most potent tool to stop voting bias ? the requirement in the Voting Rights Act that all or parts of 15 states with a history of discrimination in voting, mainly in the South, get Washington's approval before changing the way they hold elections.

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for a majority of conservative, Republican-appointed justices, said the law's provision that determines which states are covered is unconstitutional because it relies on 40-year-old data and does not account for racial progress and other changes in U.S. society.

The decision effectively puts an end to the advance approval requirement that has been used to open up polling places to minority voters in the nearly half century since it was first enacted in 1965, unless Congress can come up with a new formula that Roberts said meets "current conditions" in the United States. That seems unlikely to happen any time soon.

President Barack Obama, the nation's first black chief executive, issued a statement saying he was "deeply disappointed" with the ruling and calling on Congress to update the law.

But in the South, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said that, while the requirement was necessary in the 1960s, that was no longer the case. He said, "We have long lived up to what happened then, and we have made sure it's not going to happen again."

The advance approval, or preclearance, requirement shifted the legal burden and required governments that were covered to demonstrate that their proposed election changes would not discriminate.

Going forward, the outcome alters the calculus of passing election-related legislation in the affected states and local jurisdictions. The threat of an objection from Washington has hung over such proposals for nearly a half century. Unless Congress acts, that deterrent now is gone.

That prospect has upset civil rights groups which especially worry that changes on the local level might not get the same scrutiny as the actions of state legislatures.

Tuesday's decision means that a host of state and local laws that have not received Justice Department approval or have not yet been submitted can take effect. Prominent among those are voter identification laws in Alabama and Mississippi.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Republican, said his state's voter ID law, which a panel of federal judges blocked as discriminatory, also would be allowed to take effect.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, dissenting from the ruling along with the court's three other liberal, Democratic appointees, said there was no mistaking the court's action.

"Hubris is a fit word for today's demolition" of the law, she said.

Reaction to the ruling from elected officials generally divided along partisan lines.

Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, said in a news release, "The practice of preclearance unfairly applied to certain states should be eliminated in recognition of the progress Mississippi has made over the past 48 years."

But Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the only black lawmaker in Mississippi's congressional delegation, said the ruling "guts the most critical portion of the most important civil rights legislation of our time."

Alabama Gov. Bentley, a Republican, pointed to his state's legislature ? 27 percent black, similar to Alabama's overall population ? as a sign of the state's progress.

The court challenge came from Shelby County, Ala., a Birmingham suburb.

The prior approval requirement had applied to the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. It also covered certain counties in California, Florida, New York, North Carolina and South Dakota, and some local jurisdictions in Michigan. Coverage was triggered by past discrimination not only against blacks, but also against American Indians, Asian-Americans, Alaska Natives and Hispanics.

Obama, whose historic election was a subtext in the court's consideration of the case, pledged that his administration would continue to fight discrimination in voting. "While today's decision is a setback, it doesn't represent the end of our efforts to end voting discrimination," the president said. "I am calling on Congress to pass legislation to ensure every American has equal access to the polls."

Congress essentially ignored the court's threat to upend the voting rights law in a similar case four years ago. Roberts said the "failure to act leaves us today with no choice."

Congressional Democrats said they are eager to make changes, but Republicans were largely noncommittal.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said he expects Republicans to block efforts to revive the law, even though a Republican-led Congress overwhelmingly approved its latest renewal in 2006 and President George W. Bush signed it into law.

"As long as Republicans have a majority in the House and Democrats don't have 60 votes in the Senate, there will be no preclearance. It is confounding that after decades of progress on voting rights, which have become part of the American fabric, the Supreme Court would tear it asunder," Schumer said.

Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice Department "will not hesitate to take swift enforcement action, using every legal tool that remains available to us, against any jurisdiction that seeks to take advantage of the Supreme Court's ruling by hindering eligible citizens' full and free exercise of the franchise."

Those federal tools include other permanent provisions of the Voting Rights Act that prohibit discrimination and apply nationwide. But they place the burden of proof on the government and can be used only one case at a time.

The Obama administration and civil rights groups said there is a continuing need for the federal law and pointed to the Justice Department's efforts to block voter ID laws in South Carolina and Texas last year, as well as a redistricting plan in Texas that a federal court found discriminated against the state's large and growing Hispanic population.

The justices all agreed that discrimination in voting still exists.

But Roberts said that the covered states have largely eradicated the problems that caused them to be included in the first place.

"The coverage formula that Congress reauthorized in 2006 ignores these developments, keeping the focus on decades-old data relevant to decades-old problems, rather than current data reflecting current needs," the chief justice said.

Ginsburg countered that Congress had found that the prior approval provision was necessary "to prevent a return to old ways."

Instead, "the court today terminates the remedy that proved to be best suited to block that discrimination," she said in a dissent that she read aloud in the packed courtroom.

Ginsburg said the law continues to be necessary to protect against what she called subtler, "second-generation" barriers to voting. She identified one such effort as the switch to at-large voting from a district-by-district approach in a city with a sizable black minority. The at-large system allows the majority to "control the election of each city council member, effectively eliminating the potency of the minority's votes," she said.

Justice Clarence Thomas was part of the majority, but wrote separately to say anew that he would have struck down the advance approval requirement itself.

Civil rights lawyers condemned the ruling.

"The Supreme Court has effectively gutted one of the nation's most important and effective civil rights laws. Minority voters in places with a record of discrimination are now at greater risk of being disenfranchised than they have been in decades," said Jon Greenbaum, chief counsel for the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

The decision comes five months after Obama started his second term in the White House, re-elected by a diverse coalition of voters.

The high court is in the midst of a broad re-examination of the ongoing necessity of laws and programs aimed at giving racial minorities access to major areas of American life from which they once were excluded. The justices issued a modest ruling Monday that preserved affirmative action in higher education and will take on cases dealing with anti-discrimination sections of a federal housing law and another affirmative action case from Michigan next term.

The Alabama county's lawsuit acknowledged that the measure's strong medicine was appropriate and necessary to counteract decades of state-sponsored discrimination in voting, despite the Fifteenth Amendment's guarantee of the vote for black Americans.

But it asked whether there was any end in sight for a provision that intrudes on states' rights to conduct elections and was considered an emergency response when first enacted in 1965.

The county noted that the 25-year extension approved in 2006 would keep some places under Washington's oversight until 2031. And, the county said, it seemed not to account for changes that include the elimination of racial disparity in voter registration and turnout or the existence of allegations of race-based discrimination in voting in areas of the country that are not subject to the provision.

___

Associated Press writers Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Miss., and Bob Johnson in Montgomery, Ala. contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-06-25-Supreme%20Court-Voting%20Rights/id-e94eb837595b4026be5d87fc2a3e07ae

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A Bit of Strained Groin and a Dash of Trick Knee

Chris Kluwe of the Minnesota Vikings punts the ball against the New Orleans Saints during the NFC Championship Game at the Louisiana Superdome on January 24, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Chris Kluwe in 2010, as a Minnesota Viking

Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Playing sports all my life has made me quite familiar with the multiple flavors of pain a body can experience. Some hurt worse than others! Here is a tasting guide to all the wonderful sensations I?ve been lucky enough to feel, most of which lasted an entire game or longer (some of them much, much longer).

Strained Groin has a spicy yet long-lasting bouquet filled with aromas of Grimacing and Wince. It starts out with a small gremlin perched right above the hip dancing around on needle-tip claws that gently sink into the tendon with every motion. When the muscles are engaged to punt a ball, the gremlin pulls out a white-hot sword and plunges it into the inner thigh, producing a sharp jolt of burning stabbityness. Thankfully, this lasts only for a brief second; unthankfully, it?s replaced by him spinning the sword around like a high-rpm drill bit when foot hits ball. Then he leaves the sword there, still whirling away. The next time punting is required, he grabs another sword (I have no idea where he keeps all of them) and repeats the process. I recommend Strained Groin for those wishing to experience the joys of castration without the permanency.

Exploded ACL (Nonkicking Leg)

This wonderful selection has a deep, harsher taste ?reminiscent of a piston hammering down on an exposed nerve?that ends with a grinding twist, similar to popping a chicken drumstick away from the thigh. Exploded ACL (Nonkicking Leg) is immediately recognizable to observers by its beautifully rich color of Writhing and Clutch, complemented by a brief flash of Scream. The subsequent six months (postsurgery) are a harmonious medley of dull lead-swollen aching, bright nails-on-chalkboard pain spikes, and absolute-zero icicles spearing under the kneecap when too much pressure is applied. I recommend this vintage for those not wanting to walk for an extended period of time.

Exploded ACL (Kicking Leg)

Similar to Exploded ACL (Nonkicking Leg), Exploded ACL (Kicking Leg) starts off with a buckling wrench, much like stepping down on a surface that is no longer there. Warm stiffness immediately envelops the senses; it?s initially misleading due to its remarkable similarity to Strain or Tweak but recognizable by a true connoisseur as the piquant bursts of weakness and instability creep through. Attempting to kick a football is much like swinging your leg through a cloud of marshmallow?much energy is expended, but the resulting punt is generally slow and less than ideal. Exploded ACL (Kicking Leg) is a longer-lasting vintage, potentially anywhere from three to six weeks, depending on willpower and pertinent information shared by doctors, but it eventually gives way to the familiar taste of Exploded ACL (Nonkicking Leg) (postsurgery). I recommend Exploded ACL (Kicking Leg) for the experienced professional only, as too much exposure can lead to deleterious side effects, including Permanent Dragfoot.

Sprained Ankle (Various Types)

Sprained Ankles come in multiple flavors, but they all share the common theme of sick nausea creeping up the leg intermingled with piercing lightning bolts whenever weight is borne on the affected area. This is a more subtle flavor than the previously mentioned injuries, and one that can sneak up on the palate most surprisingly, oftentimes catching the subject quite unaware and

leaving him breathless. Trying to punt with Sprained Ankle is particularly unique when the sprain is located on the kicking foot. The appendage in question tends to flop around like a gasping fish stranded on the deck of a boat, and the ball acts as a gaff hook that dashes its brains into oblivion, leaving it limp and lifeless. A delicate filigree of acid etches its way up the nervous system and slowly settles in, pulsing gently in time with the rhythm of one?s heartbeat. I recommend Sprained Ankle to novices and experts alike, as it never really loses its initial surge of vivacity, no matter how many times you experience it.

This is one of my personal favorites, as it provides the tight, winding constriction of a barbed-wire boa constrictor along with a passive helplessness infused into its entire core. Trying to accomplish even the simplest of tasks can lead to an overwhelming flurry of sensations coursing throughout the entire body?dominant strains of Gasp and Sob overriding the more earthy tones of Gritted Teeth and Indrawn Breath, with Withered Hunch underlying them all. Wrenched Back can be enhanced by the application of an epidural, which feels like a drainpipe being shoved into your spinal cord. This will quickly drown out and numb the other flavors, though, so beware of using it before you?ve experienced the full suite of Wrenched Back. I recommend this one to anyone wondering what utter frailty feels like.

I?ve had the joy of encountering this delightful m?lange of sensations multiple times, and it always delivers a zesty punch. The first taste concentrates all the senses into a tightly packed knot of jagged steel edges trapped halfway along the back of the leg, like a small caltrop buried tightly within the flesh. Any sort of strenuous motion sets the barbs in deeper and deeper, radiating concentric tremors of spastic fire into the surrounding muscle fibers until a dull flame has engulfed the entire backside. Kicking with Pulled Hamstring is breathtakingly invigorating, and I cannot stress the breathtakingly part enough. I urge anyone who wants to feel the physical snapping of a rubber band within his body to try Pulled Hamstring, but set aside several weeks of quality time to recover from the riotous sense explosion.

Trick Knee is perhaps the most intense of the flavors, not due to its initial impact, but because of its sustained presence. It starts out fairly strong?the kneecap slides over to the side while the meniscus folds itself underneath, producing a sudden contraction of the entire body due to the feeling of dislocation welling up. A surge of tight restriction emanates from the locale as tense muscles quiver like overtuned violin strings, and the feeling of shifting the kneecap back in place is very similar to cracking a knuckle (and in fact can produce an audible pop, adding a delightful aural component to the mix). The brief absence of pain gives a delicious juxtaposition to the grinding of bone on bone when the knee is bent and used once again, much like two pumice stones rubbing against each other. Short, shooting stars of stabbing light randomly flash through the joint for days thereafter, giving the overall sensation a long, dry finish. I recommend Trick Knee for anyone searching for ways to entertain children and horrify medical professionals when they test for ACL stability.

These are but a few of the countless items in my personal reserve. Some vintages are longer lasting than others, some are yet to be discovered, but all of them are unique in their devilish complexity. I recommend pairing any of them with large amounts of morphine.

Excerpted from the book Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies by Chris Kluwe. Copyright ? 2013 by Chris Kluwe. Reprinted with permission of Little, Brown and Company.

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2013/06/beautifully_unique_sparkleponies_excerpt_a_tasting_menu_of_pro_football.html

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Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Transfers Power To Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates ? Qatar's ruler formally handed power Tuesday to his 33-year-old son to cap a carefully crafted transition that puts a younger generation in charge of the Gulf nation's vast energy wealth and rising political influence after the upheavals of the Arab Spring.

The 61-year-old emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, used a televised address to note repeatedly the importance of shifting leadership to more youthful hands ? an indirect acknowledgment of the demands for reforms opened by the uprisings that have swept the region.

The Western-backed Gulf Arab rulers have managed to remain intact, but have displayed their insecurity by launching crackdowns that have included arrests over alleged anti-state plots and social media posts deemed insulting to the leadership.

"The future lies ahead of you, the children of this homeland, as you usher into a new era where young leadership hoists the banner," the emir said as he announced the anticipated transition to the British-educated crown prince, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

As part of taking on the mantle, Sheik Tamim will begin the process of putting together a new government that may be in direct contrast to the old guard leaders across the Gulf. Qatar has given no official explanation on the transition ? which had been widely expected for weeks ? but Sheik Hamad is believed to be suffering from chronic health problems.

Sheik Tamim is not expected to make any immediate policy shifts for Qatar, which has used its riches to become one of the world's most politically ambitious countries. It has served as a powerful player in the Middle East, giving key support to rebels in Libya last year and now in Syria. Qatar also has broken ranks with other Gulf states to offer help to the Muslim Brotherhood, which rose to political dominance in Egypt.

In an important sign of continuity and shared goals, the outgoing emir and Sheik Tamim stood shoulder to shoulder and greeted members of the ruling family and others following the address.

Sheik Tamim has been closely involved in all key decisions since 2003, when Tamim became the next in line to rule after his older brother stepped aside. The outgoing emir is expected to remain a guiding force from the wings.

"Sheik Tamim will be driving his father's car, which is already programmed on where to go," said Mustafa Alani, a political analyst at the Gulf Research Center in Geneva.

But the transition ? a rarity in a region where leadership changes are nearly always triggered by deaths or palace coups ? also sends a message the wider Middle East. It appears a sweeping response to the Arab Spring upheavals and their emphasis on giving voice to the region's youth, and reinforces Qatar's bold-stroke political policies.

"The time has come to turn a new leaf in the history of our nation," the outgoing emir said in his address, "where a new generation steps forward to shoulder the responsibility with their dynamic potential and creative thoughts."

Under Sheik Hamad, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1995, Qatar has been transformed into a political broker and a center for global investment with a sovereign fund estimated to be worth more than $100 billion. Its portfolio includes landmark real estate, luxury brands and a powerful presence in the sporting world. Tiny Qatar also defeated rivals including the U.S. to win the rights to host the 2022 World Cup.

Qatar has played a role as mediator in conflicts such as Sudan's Darfur region and regional disputes including Palestinian political rifts. Qatar this week hosted a Syrian opposition conference attended by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and is the venue for possible U.S.-led peace talks with Afghanistan's Taliban.

In another sign of Qatar's risk-taking policies, it allowed an Israeli trade office ? effectively a diplomatic outpost ? for years before ordering its closure following Israel's incursions into Gaza in late 2008.

But Qatar has faced criticism from rights groups for joining the Gulf-wide crackdowns on perceived dissent since the Arab Spring. In one of the most high-profile cases, Qatari authorities have jailed a poet whose verses included admiration for the uprisings. In February, the sentence for the poet, Muhammad ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami, was reduced from life to 15 years.

Christopher Davidson, an expert in Gulf affairs at Britain's Durham University, believes some of the tough measures by Qatari officials reflect internal squabbles with hardliners trying to exert their influence. Such groups could be among the first housecleaning targets by the new emir, he predicted.

"Tamim is seen as focused on domestic issues first," said Davidson. "One of the main tasks will be to establish a new social contract with the population ... What kind of opposition is allowed and what is not will be part of that."

In Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araghchi told reporters that Iran supports any moves by Qatar that bring "peace and tranquility" for the region. Relations between the two nations have deteriorated over Syria, where Tehran remains strongly on the side of key ally Bashar Assad.

___

Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/25/qatar-emir-transfers-power-to-son_n_3494125.html

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Prize for outstanding research theses

Prize for outstanding research theses [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Jun-2013
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Contact: Monika Weiner
monika.weiner@zv.fraunhofer.de
49-891-205-1307
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Three talented young scientists have been awarded the Hugo Geiger Prize for their outstanding research findings: First place has gone to Andrea Hickisch, who has come up with new ways of naturally preserving fresh foods with hops extracts.

Ren Berlich's ultra-compact microscope has made it possible to examine hundreds of prepared samples simultaneously. Thanks to the microscope's integrated lighting, even non-transparent specimens are easily studied.

Third prize has been awarded to Yannick Bantel, whose research has nipped fungal pathogens in the bud: his protein-protein interaction analysis provides an important basis for the development of potential remedies.

Hops extracts as a natural preservative

From colorful salads to bite-sized pieces of fruit: while fresh ready-to-eat foods are healthy and in high demand, they also spoil easily. In the course of her diploma thesis, Andrea Hickisch of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV exploited the antibacterial effect of hops extracts to make fresh foods "naturally" preservable and safe.

Our nutrition is important to us: on lunch breaks, we like to eat fruits, vegetables, or meals that have been prepared in a healthy manner. The food industry has responded to this trend by offering ready-to-eat foods at every supermarket, such as sliced fruits, salads or meals with fish or meat. But such fresh and minimally processed products present a problem: they spoil easily. And since consumers tend to eat these foods raw or briefly heated, they can pose a health risk.

A young researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV has now found a way to significantly minimize the microbiological risk in the production of fresh and minimally processed foods. As she describes in her diploma thesis, natural hops extracts are a promising alternative to conventional preservatives.

In Europe, we have known that hops preserve beverages since the Middle Ages, and the substance is still used in beer production today. But as Andrea Hickisch has proven, hops are capable of a great deal more. She examined the effects of natural hops extracts on the bacteria and pathogens that spoil different foods.

The results of her research showed that hops open up new ways of providing consumers with naturally preserved fresh foods. Whether they are added to packaging or placed directly on products, hops have an antibacterial effect. The experiments of Andrea Hickisch are likely to have far-reaching consequences for the food industry. After all, consumers of healthy foods are generally critical of synthetic preservatives.

Ultra-compact fluorescence microscope

While insect eyes may appear strange to us because of their small size, insects see a great deal, and their vision is truly multifaceted. In technical terms, an insect's eye is equipped with several lenses arranged next to each other. Each of these lenses transmits individual parts of an image. Taken together, they make up a full view. Thanks to their compact build, micro-optical systems based on this idea provide fascinating new possibilities and insights.

For his master's thesis, Ren Berlich (M. Sc.) of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF not only developed an integrated illumination module for this microscope, which fits comfortably into any trouser pocket. He also enhanced the existing systems: thanks to his work, the microscope's resolution improved, and even smaller structures are now visible. For the first time, it can be used to examine fluorescence signals.

Compared with conventional fluorescence microscopes, which have only one imaging objective, the wide visual field makes it possible to investigate several samples at the same time without the need for sequential scanning. Examining hundreds of prepared samples simultaneously also saves time and money. This marks a significant step toward automating biomedical laboratory experiments.

Berlich's system offers a unique combination: cost-efficient manufacturing, a large image field, and an ultra flat design. With a distance of just 7 mm between the object and detector, the system is ideal for application in mobile medical analysis devices, for instance.

###


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Prize for outstanding research theses [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 25-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Monika Weiner
monika.weiner@zv.fraunhofer.de
49-891-205-1307
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Three talented young scientists have been awarded the Hugo Geiger Prize for their outstanding research findings: First place has gone to Andrea Hickisch, who has come up with new ways of naturally preserving fresh foods with hops extracts.

Ren Berlich's ultra-compact microscope has made it possible to examine hundreds of prepared samples simultaneously. Thanks to the microscope's integrated lighting, even non-transparent specimens are easily studied.

Third prize has been awarded to Yannick Bantel, whose research has nipped fungal pathogens in the bud: his protein-protein interaction analysis provides an important basis for the development of potential remedies.

Hops extracts as a natural preservative

From colorful salads to bite-sized pieces of fruit: while fresh ready-to-eat foods are healthy and in high demand, they also spoil easily. In the course of her diploma thesis, Andrea Hickisch of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV exploited the antibacterial effect of hops extracts to make fresh foods "naturally" preservable and safe.

Our nutrition is important to us: on lunch breaks, we like to eat fruits, vegetables, or meals that have been prepared in a healthy manner. The food industry has responded to this trend by offering ready-to-eat foods at every supermarket, such as sliced fruits, salads or meals with fish or meat. But such fresh and minimally processed products present a problem: they spoil easily. And since consumers tend to eat these foods raw or briefly heated, they can pose a health risk.

A young researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV has now found a way to significantly minimize the microbiological risk in the production of fresh and minimally processed foods. As she describes in her diploma thesis, natural hops extracts are a promising alternative to conventional preservatives.

In Europe, we have known that hops preserve beverages since the Middle Ages, and the substance is still used in beer production today. But as Andrea Hickisch has proven, hops are capable of a great deal more. She examined the effects of natural hops extracts on the bacteria and pathogens that spoil different foods.

The results of her research showed that hops open up new ways of providing consumers with naturally preserved fresh foods. Whether they are added to packaging or placed directly on products, hops have an antibacterial effect. The experiments of Andrea Hickisch are likely to have far-reaching consequences for the food industry. After all, consumers of healthy foods are generally critical of synthetic preservatives.

Ultra-compact fluorescence microscope

While insect eyes may appear strange to us because of their small size, insects see a great deal, and their vision is truly multifaceted. In technical terms, an insect's eye is equipped with several lenses arranged next to each other. Each of these lenses transmits individual parts of an image. Taken together, they make up a full view. Thanks to their compact build, micro-optical systems based on this idea provide fascinating new possibilities and insights.

For his master's thesis, Ren Berlich (M. Sc.) of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF not only developed an integrated illumination module for this microscope, which fits comfortably into any trouser pocket. He also enhanced the existing systems: thanks to his work, the microscope's resolution improved, and even smaller structures are now visible. For the first time, it can be used to examine fluorescence signals.

Compared with conventional fluorescence microscopes, which have only one imaging objective, the wide visual field makes it possible to investigate several samples at the same time without the need for sequential scanning. Examining hundreds of prepared samples simultaneously also saves time and money. This marks a significant step toward automating biomedical laboratory experiments.

Berlich's system offers a unique combination: cost-efficient manufacturing, a large image field, and an ultra flat design. With a distance of just 7 mm between the object and detector, the system is ideal for application in mobile medical analysis devices, for instance.

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/f-pfo062513.php

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