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Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Eat Away Your Carbon Footprint With This Eco-Friendly Edible Spoon
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Kebede wins London Marathon amid tight security
LONDON (AP) ? Tsegaye Kebede claimed a second London Marathon title on Sunday, cheered through the streets by thousands of spectators reassured by enhanced security at the first major race since the twin bombings at the Boston event.
A race that started with tributes to the Boston victims with a moment of silence ended with a thrilling conclusion under clear blue skies.
With a black ribbon pinned to his chest, Kebede chased down Emmanuel Mutai in the closing stages, and overtook the tiring Kenyan to cross the line first in front of Buckingham Palace.
Kebede clocked 2 hours, 6 minutes and 15 seconds to emulate his 2010 triumph in London, while compatriot Ayele Abshero was third.
The victory in the British capital came after Kebede was denied a shot at glory here at the Olympics last year after being overlooked by Ethiopian selectors.
The women's race saw Olympic silver medalist Priscah Jeptoo go one better in the annual London race.
The Kenyan cruised over the line in 2:20:15 seconds, the fastest time this year, ahead of compatriot Edna Kiplagat, while Yukiko Akaba of Japan was third.
"Today I'm very, very happy, I couldn't believe I could be the winner," Jeptoo told the BBC. "It is a very tough race because everybody who comes here is really prepared."
It was a miserable day for Olympic champion Tiki Gelana, who finished 16th after seeing her hopes thwarted by a collision about a third of the way in.
The Ethiopian collided with Canadian wheelchair racer Josh Cassidy as she went to get a drink.
"Every year we come to overtake the women, there's 10 chairs going at 20 mph and the poor women are scrambling to find their feet," said Cassidy, who finished 20th. "I have a brand new $2,000 pair of wheels that are damaged, who's going to pay for them? Things have to change."
It was the one blot on a day marked by the defiance of athletes and spectators in the bright London sunshine in a difficult week for the athletics community.
The specter of the bombings near to the Boston Marathon finish line, which killed three people and injured more than 180, loomed in London.
And it was apt that Tatyana McFadden, who won the wheelchair race in Boston just before the explosions, shrugged off security concerns in London to win her second title in a week.
London organizers pledged to donate 2 pounds ($3) for every finisher to The One Fund Boston set up to raise money for the bomb victims.
Before a minute's silence at the start of the marathon, event commentator Geoff Wightman urged athletes to "remember our friends and colleagues for whom a day of joy turned into a day of sadness."
Prince Harry mingled with the crowds and said he had never thought about canceling his visit following the bombings.
"It's fantastic, typically British," he said. "People are saying they haven't seen crowds like this for eight years around the route. It's remarkable to see."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kebede-wins-london-marathon-amid-tight-security-112244397--spt.html
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Saturday, April 20, 2013
3 Places to Know to Understand the Boston Bombing
Chechnya
The two brothers identified as the Boston marathon bombing suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his brother Dzhokhar, are ethnic Chechens who probably lived in nearby areas in Central Asia before immigrating legally to the United States. Because the region is known as a breeding ground for radical Islamic terrorists?Chechens have been connected with terrorist attacks in Russia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Africa?this connection will be a focal point of the investigation into their motives, if indeed the brothers are confirmed as the Boston bombers.
The brutal Russian suppression of Chechnya in 1995 and 2000 did two things: radicalize a generation of Chechans and spread hundreds of thousands of refugees across the globe. It would appear that these two were among the young diaspora from that conflict. Would the brothers have taken their grievances with them, or were they radicalized here in the United States? It's impossible to know, but it's probably a mix of both. The connectedness of the globe has ensured that anyone with interest can hear a terrorist message, become involved, research bomb making, and learn evasion tactics. You don't need to travel overseas to get terrorist training.
The brothers have been in the United States for many years, including their most formative ones. Dzhokhar, 19-year-old resident of Cambridge, Mass., immigrated legally to the United States as a child. He was on the high school wrestling team; one classmate told a local NESS station, "We didn't think he was anywhere near capable of anything like this?He wasn't a loner or anything." His older brother Tamerlan was 26 and may have had more direct experience with the refugee experience; fewer people are rushing forward to describe him and he has fewer public records.
It's easy to suppose that the older brother was not as well adjusted, and may have led his younger sibling into a radical path. That is all guesswork for now, but the reason this theory is easy to swallow is that it's familiar. Many terrorists are motivated by family ties, and cells routinely recruit family members because they are trustworthy and reliable.
Boston
The homeland security debate will be reinvigorated, and much of the talk will center on Boston. One area of interest is the use of video cameras, and this event showcases the uses and limits of current video technology. In short, camera are great for solving crimes but, as currently used, inefficient at preventing them. The pro-camera side will argue for even more cameras, possibly imbued with algorithms that employ facial recognition, or can alert law enforcement to anomalies like a backpack that has not moved for a while. In fact, the ACLU says, the camera network in Boston was installed with such upgrades.
But those enhancements would not have prevented the Boston bombing. Big crowds make smart video ineffective, and the brothers were not on a terrorist watch list (that we know of). The use of explosive-sniffing dogs, a more observant police presence, and a hyper-aware population are more obvious improvements.
Another part of the security debate is guns. The pair had access to firearms, killed at least one person with them, and got in a shootout with police. This could cast a national security shadow on the current gun control debate?however, these two would have cleared any gun checks that exist or are proposed. Expect the pro-gun advocates to argue that when terrorists run amok through the streets, carjacking vehicles, holding up convenience stores, and killing people, an armed populace could make soft targets a little harder.
Mumbai
The Boston bombings are reminiscent of the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India. And that's bad news. The Mumbai attacks involved bombings followed by a shooting spree. The attackers had no exit strategy except a violent death. It was a new way of pulling off terrorist acts, as opposed to hijackings and assassinations.
Terrorist attacks that come in waves are more complex to plan and require pretty steely discipline to execute. A suicide bomber is scary because he can infiltrate anywhere, but after that singe act, their part is over. In an odd way it's an easier attack to pull off, psychologically. A spree terrorist has a more aggressive, damaging outlook. These kinds of attackers will spread the chaos and fear as long and far as possible. The antidote for Mumbai-style attacks are heavily armed, quick reaction teams of police officers. The way to bust a cell before it strikes is a local police intelligence network of informants and surveillance. Neither of these are comfortable for the public in a democracy.
It may be that the Tsarnaev brothers had a poor plan, or none at all, for after the marathon bombing. But security forces must prepare for these organized waves of attacks.
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G20 gathers for debate on debt, monetary stimulus
By Jan Strupczewski and Anna Yukhananov
(Reuters) - Finance leaders of the G20 economies gathered on Friday to debate how best to rein in debt levels and the potential dangers from the latest round of aggressive easing of monetary policy from the world's biggest central banks.
They were also poised to demand swifter resolution to setting guidelines for financial benchmarks like the Libor interest rate in the wake of a global rate-rigging scandal.
But a rethinking of the austerity push among the world's biggest economies loomed as the biggest talking point. Advanced economies, particularly in Europe, have undertaken sharp austerity drives in recent years to curb growing debt, but those efforts have at times damaged economies already suffering from capital flight and under-investment from the private sector.
EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn told Reuters in an interview on Thursday that a period of reduced spending and borrowing was necessary to calm markets concerned about out-of-control debt levels, particularly in peripheral European countries. That time has passed, he said.
"Decisive action was taken. Now as we have restored the credibility in the short-term, that gives us the possibility of having a smoother path of fiscal adjustment in the medium-term," he said.
Among the topics finance officials from the G20 were debating was whether or not numerical targets should be set for debt reduction.
The United States and Japan have opposed committing to any targeted level of public debt, but Russia - this year's G20 chair - has hoped to secure an agreement on targets by the time G20 leaders meet in St. Petersburg in September.
Arriving for a second and final day of talks among G20 finance officials, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told reporters on Friday that the discussion was revolving a "general goal" for deficit reduction rather a specific target.
"Colleagues said that if we make strict targets for fiscal consolidation, it reduces the room for maneuver for fiscal policy," he said. "I believe we will find a compromise about the formulation, that it should be a general goal we'll all be striving for, and not a strict parameter. ... All countries will have different ones."
In a 2010 study frequently cited by policymakers, Harvard professors Kenneth Rogoff and Carmen Reinhart found that on average, economies contract when the debt-to-GDP ratio surpasses 90 percent - a level G20 officials were discussing.
However, the study's results were disputed by researchers at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, who said growth for countries with those ratios was actually 2.2 percent.
The austerity argument has also been undercut by weakness in economies that undertook the most severe measures to cut deficits, including Britain, which is suffering its third recession in the last five years.
SPILLOVER CONCERNS
The unprecedented level of monetary stimulus designed to reinvigorate struggling large economies, including the United States, the euro zone and Japan, has raised concerns about excessive capital flight to developing nations.
In a communique on Thursday, the Group of 24 developing nations, whose ranks include Brazil, India, South Africa and Mexico, called on the advanced economies to "take into account the negative spillover effects ... of prolonged unconventional monetary policies including on inflation and the volatility of capital flows and commodity prices."
The Bank of Japan is attempting to end decades of stagnation by pumping $1.4 trillion into its economy, some of which is expected to find its way into emerging markets. Local currency funds have pulled in $16.7 billion in the first quarter of 2013 worldwide, the most in more than two years, according to Lipper, a unit of Thomson Reuters.
"There is a call from the G24 members to have clear coordination and better communication between advanced economies and emerging markets ... towards using coordination as a way to mitigate these potential asset appreciation bubbles. The consensus is that this is something that has to be closely monitored," said Mexican Finance Minister Luis Videgaray.
Videgaray has cause for concern.
In the days following the Bank of Japan's announcement, for example, the Mexican peso jumped 2.5 percent against the dollar to its strongest in 20 months. Against the yen, the peso surged over 9 percent.
But delegates to the gathering, including Siluanov, said the BOJ did not face criticism during a dinner meeting on Thursday. "Everyone was understanding about Japan's policies," Siluanov said. "After 15 years of deflation, 15 years of no growth, they need to kickstart" the economy.
Nevertheless, officials held to their previous line that the BOJ program must stick to domestic targets.
Jens Weidmann, president of Germany's Bundesbank central bank, said Japan should not use its monetary policy to manipulate exchange rates and set off a round of competitive devaluations.
The G20 finance ministers and central bankers are due to release their formal communique around midday on Friday. They plan to task the Financial Stability Board, a coordinating body of global financial regulators, with overseeing the reform of financial benchmarks such as Libor, two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters on Thursday.
An early draft of a communique G20 asks the FSB to take on the role after a global interest rate-rigging scandal that involved some of the world's largest banks.
The International Organization of Securities Commissions came out with a report this week saying that financial benchmarks should be based on actual transactions rather than estimates, such as is the case with Libor.
(Additional reporting by Louise Egan, Krista Hughes and Douwe Midema; Writing by David Gaffen; Editing by Dan Burns and Tim Ahmann)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/debt-levels-big-monetary-stimulus-tap-g20-051914375--business.html
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Friday, April 19, 2013
Pink Floyd album cover designer dies at 69
By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY
Storm Thorgerson, the Engish album-cover designer most famous for his iconic work with Pink Floyd, died Thursday after battling cancer, his family announced. He was 69.
Yui Mok / AP file
Storm Thorgerson stands next to his album cover artwork for Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" at a 2008 art exhibit.
"His ending was peaceful and he was surrounded by family and friends," Thorgerson's family said in a statement. "He had been ill for some time with cancer though he had made a remarkable recovery from his stroke in 2003."
Pink Floyd members remembered him on the band's official website. Drummer Nick Mason described Thorgerson as a "scourge of management, record companies and album sleeve printers; champion of bands, music, great ideas and high, sometimes infuriatingly high, standards."
Mason also described Thorgerson as a "tireless worker?right up to the end," saying, "Two days before he passed away, and by then completely exhausted, he was still demanding approval for art work and haranguing his loyal assistants."
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He went on to praise the designer as a "dear friend to all of us, our children, our wives (and the exes). Endlessly intellectual and questioning. Breathtakingly late for appointments and meetings, but once there invaluable for his ideas, humour, and friendship."
Pink Floyd lead singer David Gilmour wrote on the band's site that he first met Thorgerson when the two were young teenagers.
"We would gather at Sheep's Green, a spot by the river in Cambridge, and Storm would always be there holding forth, making the most noise, bursting with ideas and enthusiasm," Gilmour wrote. "Nothing has ever really changed. He has been a constant force in my life, both at work and in private, a shoulder to cry on and a great friend. The artworks that he created for Pink Floyd from 1968 to the present day have been an inseparable part of our work. I will miss him."
His work with Pink Floyd, especially the prism reflecting a rainbow that graces the "Dark Side of the Moon" album cover, was Thorgerson's most famous. But he also created album covers for bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC and Muse.
In 2011, Thorgerson told Rolling Stone that the idea of the prism related to Pink Floyd's traveling light show.
"They hadn?t really celebrated their light show," he told the magazine. "That was one thing. The other thing was the triangle. I think the triangle, which is a symbol of thought and ambition, was very much a subject of Roger (Waters)'s lyrics.?
Thorgerson is survived by?his mother, Vanji, his son Bill, his wife Barbie Antonis and her two children Adam and Georgia.
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Thursday, April 18, 2013
Dick Van Dyke, 87, suffers mysterious disorder
Getty Images file
By Ree Hines, TODAY contributor
Updated at 5:52 p.m. ET: Actor Dick Van Dyke has been forced to cancel an upcoming public appearance due to a suspected neurological problem.
The 87-year-old star was set to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for Bettering Humanity through Comedy from New York's 92Y on April 26, but a rep for Van Dyke told Entertainment Tonight that he wouldn't be able to make it due to "fatigue and lack of sleep resulting from symptoms of a yet-to-be diagnosed neurological disorder.?
92Y confirmed the cancellation in a statement to the New York Post.
"Due to a medical condition, Mr. Van Dyke is unable to travel to New York for the program,? the statement read.
There could be more cancellations in the future for the film and television legend. According to his rep, he's currently unable to attend any events requiring air travel.
"This is a guy that never gets sick. ... He doesn't smoke, drink or pop pills," Bob Palmer, Van Dyke's publicist, told NBC News. "Its very frustrating that doctors cannot find out what is going on."
But Van Dyke isn't leaving all of the comments about his condition to his rep. He's looking for answers about his health and reaching out to fans on Twitter for help.
"My head bangs every time I lay down. I've had every test come back that I'm perfectly healthy. Anybody got any ideas?" he wrote on Wednesday.
He later explained that the problem has been going on for seven years and that he's had "every test you can think of (CAT Scan, MRI, Spinal tap etc)," and that he also has "very low blood pressure."
While he's received plenty of feedback from fans, for now his ailment remains a mystery.
Nbc / Getty Images Contributor
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This story was originally published on Thu Apr 18, 2013 10:30 AM EDT
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How GE is boosting its oil and gas portfolio
GE's acquisition of a Lufkin?significantly boosts GE?s oil and gas portfolio, which was worth $15.2 billion of its total $147 billion in revenues for 2012, Alic writes. Over the past three years, GE?s oil and gas segment has realized annual growth of 16 percent due to an ambitious acquisition drive.?
The General Electric (GE) logo is shown on a microwave oven at Best Buy in Mountain View, Calif. GE announced last week that it would acquire Lufkin, whose primary business is providing artificial lift technology used in almost all oil wells worldwide.
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EnlargeGeneral Electric (NYSE: GE) has announced plans to expand its oil and gas business by acquiring Lufkin Industries (LUFK) in a $3.3 billion deal that boost its market share for oil and gas equipment and strengthen its turbo-machinery supply chain.
Skip to next paragraph OilPrice.comoffers extensive coverage of all energy sectors from crude oil and natural gas to solar energy and environmental issues. To see more opinion pieces and news analysis that cover energy technology, finance and trading, geopolitics, and sector news, please visit?Oilprice.com.
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GE announced last week that it would acquire Lufkin, whose primary business is providing artificial lift technology used in almost all oil wells worldwide, and whose secondary business is industrial gears and bearings used in energy applications.
The acquisition significantly boosts GE?s oil and gas portfolio, which was worth $15.2 billion of its total $147 billion in revenues for 2012. Over the past three years, GE?s oil and gas segment has realized annual growth of 16% due to an ambitious acquisition drive. ?(Related article:?GE to Buy Oil Pump Makers Lufkin for $2.98 Billion)
For Lufkin, we?re looking at $1.3 billion in revenues last year, up 37% from the previous year. The $3.3 billion acquisition price tag on Lufkin represents about 13 times its 2013 estimated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, according to?Forbes.?
Spirited 8-year-old among Boston Marathon victims
This undated photo provided by Bill Richard shows his son, Martin Richard, in Boston. Martin Richard, 8, was among the at least three people killed in the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon Monday, April 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Bill Richard)
This undated photo provided by Bill Richard shows his son, Martin Richard, in Boston. Martin Richard, 8, was among the at least three people killed in the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon Monday, April 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Bill Richard)
This undated photo provided by the family shows Krystle Campbell. Campbell, 29, a restaurant manager from Medford, Mass., was among the people killed in the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, Monday, April 15, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Campbell Family)
Medical responders run an injured man past the finish line the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two explosions shattered the euphoria of the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
This undated photo provided by Bill Richard, shows his son, Martin Richard, in Boston. Martin Richard, 8, was among the at least three people killed in the explosions, Monday, April 15, 2013, at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. (AP Photo/Bill Richard)
"Pray for Martin" is written in chalk at a park near the home of Martin Richard in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston,Tuesday, April 16, 2013. 8-year old Martin was killed in the bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
BOSTON (AP) ? Third-grader Martin Richard had just gotten ice cream and was near the Boston Marathon finish line, eagerly watching for friends to run by. Krystle Campbell was enjoying the race with her best friend, hoping to get a photo of the other woman's boyfriend after he conquered the last mile.
Then the unthinkable struck. The spirited 8-year-old, pictured on Facebook in his classroom holding a sign that read "No more hurting people," was dead, along with the outgoing 29-year-old woman and a graduate student from China ? victims of twin bombs that turned a scene of celebration into chaos.
More than 170 others suffered injuries that included severed limbs, shrapnel wounds, broken bones and head trauma.
Jeff Bauman Jr., a man pictured in an Associated Press photo being rushed from the scene Monday in a wheelchair, lost both legs. Rescuers took the 27-year-old to Boston Medical Center, where doctors found extensive vascular and bone damage.
"Unfortunately my son was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," his father, Jeff Bauman, wrote in a Facebook post.
The younger Bauman, who had been at the race to cheer on his girlfriend, had further surgery because of fluid in his abdomen.
"I just can't explain what's wrong with people today, to do this to people," the father wrote. "I'm really starting to lose faith in our country."
While mourning the dead Tuesday, friends and neighbors tried to focus on positive memories of cherished ones whose deaths still seemed unreal to them.
"I just can't get a handle on it," said Jack Cunningham, a longtime friend of little Martin and his family. "In an instant, life changes."
Cunningham recalled how, as a pint-sized preschooler, the boy had insisted on getting out of his stroller during a 5K race in South Boston. As soon as his mom let him out to run with the rest of the family, Martin took off along the rainy race course.
"He was just having a ball, splashing in every puddle," Cunningham said.
The boy's father, Bill Richard, released a statement thanking friends, family and strangers for their support.
Richard's wife, Denise, and the couple's 6-year-old daughter, Jane, suffered serious injuries in the blasts. Their older son, Henry, wasn't hurt. Two neighbors said Jane lost one of her legs in the attack.
"My dear son, Martin, has died from injuries sustained in the attack on Boston," Richard said. "My wife and daughter are both recovering from serious injuries. We thank our family and friends, those we know and those we have never met, for their thoughts and prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for my family as we remember Martin."
U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, a family friend, said Martin and his family were trying to get over the race barriers and into the street after the first blast, when the second bomb struck.
"They were looking in the crowd as the runners were coming to see if they could identify some of their friends when the bomb hit," said Lynch, who has known the Richards for 25 years.
Bill Richard, a runner and cycling enthusiast who did not run the race, had to have several ball bearings removed from his leg, Lynch said.
On Tuesday, a candle burned on the stoop of the family's single-family home in the city's Dorchester section, and the word "Peace" was written in chalk on the front walkway. A child's bicycle helmet lay overturned near the front lawn.
At a nearby park, "Pray for Martin" was written in large block letters on the pavement.
Next-door neighbor Betty Delorey said Martin loved to climb trees and play sports with his brother and sister and the other children in the neighborhood.
"I can just remember his mother calling him, 'Martin!' if he was doing something wrong," the 80-year-old said. "Just a vivacious little kid."
A photo of the three Richard children on Halloween in 2009 showed a smiling Martin dressed as Woody from the "Toy Story" films, complete with cowboy hat and sheriff's badge. Beside him stood Jane, dressed as the film character Jesse, and Henry, dressed as Harry Potter.
"He had that million-dollar smile and you never knew what was going to come out of him," said Judy Tuttle, a family friend. "Denise is the most spectacular mother that you've ever met and Bill is a pillar of the community. It doesn't get any better than these people."
She recalled having tea recently with Denise Richard, a librarian at the children's elementary school, while Martin did his homework.
"What a gift," Tuttle said of Martin. "To know him was to love him."
Kevin Andrews, headmaster at the Neighborhood House Charter School, said the school community was heartbroken by the loss of the third-grader, whom he called "a bright, energetic young boy who had big dreams and high hopes for his future."
Cardinal Sean O'Malley, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Boston, said a Mass on Tuesday in Israel for victims of the bombing, archdiocese officials said. He also called the pastor of St. Ann parish in Dorchester, where the Richards attend church, to say he was praying for them.
Boston University said one of the victims was a graduate student who was watching the race with friends at the finish line, which is not far from the school. The Chinese Consulate in New York said the victim was a Chinese national, though it did not identify the student. A Hong Kong broadcaster reported the student was a woman from Shenyang studying statistics. The official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported her relatives have requested she not be identified.
In nearby Medford, William Campbell described his daughter, Krystle, as the light of his life, "a very caring, very loving person."
"Daddy's little girl," the 56-year-old said.
Her mother, Patty Campbell, her voice breaking into tears, said the couple was "heartbroken at the death of our daughter."
"She was a wonderful person. Everybody that knew her loved her. ... She had a heart of gold. She was always smiling. You couldn't ask for a better daughter," the mother said. "This doesn't make sense."
Their daughter's best friend, Karen Rand, suffered a severe leg injury in the blasts. "She's very badly hurt. She's all messed up," William Campbell said. "Her leg was all destroyed."
A friend and co-worker at the restaurant where Krystle Campbell was a manager described her as hardworking yet fun-loving, someone who knew how to live life to its fullest.
"We'd go out drinking and she'd work a double the next day," Sheba Parent said. "But she was still career-oriented and focused on her goals."
____
Associated Press writers Bob Salsberg, Jay Lindsay and Pat Eaton-Robb in Boston, Katie Zezima in Arlington, Mass., Michelle Smith in Providence, R.I. and Michael Astor in New York contributed to this report.
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Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Bamboo Family Tree mystery finally solved after 5 millenniums ...
For over 5 millenniums, scholars have studied the bamboo plant: its growth patterns, its peculiar flowering cycles, how it interacts with other plants in its environment, its usage and potentials. The relationship among the lineage of bamboo, termed ?tribes?, was not clearly ascertained, until now. But a recent paper published in the journal of Molecular Phylogenetics and?Evolution?unearths the past history of bamboo with the help of DNA analysis, proves the most compelling evidence of the long evolutionary history, to date.
?Higher level phylogenetic relationships within the bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) based on five?plastic?markers,? is the title given to the new paper and is authored by Scot Kelchner; an associate professor of systematic and evolution at the Idaho State University?s. He is also member of a global research unit known as Bamboo Phylogeny group. Albeit the plant being relatively unfamiliar with most American inhabitants, its significance to the sustenance and the economies of the tropical nations globally is difficult to rate. In most third world economies, bamboo stalks offer a sturdy building material for homes, furniture, tools and a plethora of other innovative uses it, in paraphernalia, kitchen utensils and fencing. Bamboo plays a very vital duty in the fragile tropical Eco-systems, more so, the mountainous habitats and the cloud forests where the species is diverse. They have shown central importance philosophical and cultural history and art of china, japan, India and the greater part of Southeast Asia. This recently published paper remonstrate the huge contribution By the Idaho State University to the ken of vital bamboo plant collection, one of close to the heart of many communities in the world.
Kelchner and his professor colleague Lynn Clark, formed the Bamboo Phylogenic Group (BPG) in 2005 at Iowa State University. The group intended to tackle the unrelenting questions about bamboo?s evolution. The group consists of team of 30 research members spread in 12 countries in the world. Kelchner arrived at Idaho state university in 2004 with an experience in bamboo research and a chance to finally tackle his queries concerning the evolutionary process of these wonderful and fascinating grass species. ISU has, with time, become one of the biggest contributor to the world?s bamboo research albeit the harsh climatic conditions in the state, that provides a difficult environment for some bamboo species (none of the bamboo species are originally from this region) to thrive. Nonetheless, Idaho has made a favorable place to carry out the data gathering and analysis part of the project.
The DNA analysis is done using leaf material from the bamboo collected by members from remote distant regions of the planets including Indonesia, Brazil, Africa, India and China. Once the tissues arrives the at the university, Kelchner and Amanda Fisher, his doctoral student, begin to work on them, unveiling a substantial portion of the DNA Sequence and their consequent computational Data analyses from the study. With an elaborate and cautious scientific methods, the contrast of DNA from distinct species can clearly show a ?Family tree? of relationships known as a phylogeny. This newly found phylogeny can be interpreted as the guide to understanding evolutionary history of the Bamboo species. The phylogeny information coupled with more data can help researcher find the region and the period of origin from a given species, the changes that took place to the bamboo bodies with time, and the spread patterns of the bamboo species throughout the tropical regions of the earth.
The two major part of this research was greatly assisted by the Idaho State University?s MRC Facility which handled the DNA Sequencing, and invaluable input from Dr. Michael?s EGG bioinformatics Department, particularly, Dr. Luobin Yang, a bioinfomaticist who played an essential role in starting up and running Kelchner?s project Database. Madagascan sample proved hard to get, but all in all the paper was the first ever to include this species in its analyses. This implies that the paper is first ever paper to include the complete and comprehensive Bamboo genealogical relationship at the most intricate tribal level. They phylogeny includes a few tested stunners. Unexpected or new formed relationship unveiled from the study necessitated altering the scientific names for a number of Bamboo groups. BPG published another paper to accompany the new paper, making a valid scientific note for the new Plant?s nomenclature used globally for the Bamboo plant. For the very first time in a long time, a taxonomical classification that stabilizes the scientific names of the bamboo species at a higher level. This was the principle reason NFS Funded the grants that enabled Kelchner and his partner Clark, to create the (BPG) to conduct the study. There are 1400 species of bamboo that are indigenous to five continents globally, with more than 40% of the species occurring southern and the central America, a surprising fact, especially to us in north America who largely assumed that Bamboo grows mainly in Asian countries mainly japan and china.
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Source: http://newscience.com.au/bamboo-family-tree-mystery-finally-solved-after-5-millenniums.php
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Monday, April 15, 2013
Analysis: Beijing to US on North Korea _ talk
BEIJING (AP) ? Embedded within Chinese leaders' convoluted, yet vague statements to Washington about North Korea is a simple message: Talk with Pyongyang.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's weekend discussions with officials in Beijing offered up the usual encouraging but familiarly noncommittal language on North Korea, emphasizing Beijing's desire to strike a balance between easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula while not appearing to side against its prickly communist ally Pyongyang.
But while neither side offered details of their exchanges, Beijing is communicating its strong desire for some form of direct contact between the U.S. and North Korea as a means of defusing the ongoing crisis over North Korea's nuclear threats that have prompted a massive show of force by the U.S. and South Korea.
"North Korea wants to talk, so why not talk?" said Shen Dingli, a regional security expert and director of the Center for American Studies at Shanghai's Fudan University. The question for China, Shen said, is how to make such discussions come about, adding that China is unlikely to make such calls too explicit for fear of putting either side in an embarrassing quandary.
Highlighting the difficulties of getting North Korea to talk with the U.S., the North rebuffed last week's proposal by Seoul to resolve the tensions through dialogue. North Korea dismissed the proposal as a "crafty trick" to disguise what Pyongyang calls the South's hostility, and said it won't talk unless Seoul abandons its confrontational posture.
Chinese media reports on Kerry's Saturday talks largely downplayed North Korea, and the Foreign Ministry's official statements were predictably blurry. In its account of his meeting with Kerry, the ministry quoted Premier Li Keqiang as referring only to "those who stir up trouble on the peninsula only harm their own interests, like moving a stone only to drop it on one's own foot."
That was a near echo of President Xi Jinping's own comment in a speech earlier this month that "no one should be allowed to throw the region, or even the whole world, into chaos for selfish gains" ? seen as much as a rebuke to the U.S. and its allies as to North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un. The ministry's account of Kerry's meeting with Xi didn't mention the Korean Peninsula even obliquely.
While China has grown more critical of North Korea since the latter's third nuclear test in February, Beijing remains highly wary of pushing the hardline communist regime too far. China says it wants a Korean Peninsula free from nuclear weapons, but that all sides must play a role in that.
The stakes are high for China, with a potential conflict threatening its economic development and stability in the northeast along its long, meandering border with North Korea. Beijing abhors the prospect of a pro-U.S. unified Korean state on its border as well as internal North Korean conflict that could spark an outflow of refugees.
China was already displeased by Kim's lack of outreach and lack of concern for Beijing's interests, and signed on to tighter U.N. sanctions following the North's latest nuclear test in February. It's also stepped up customs checks along their border, slowed some deliveries of equipment to the North and cracked down on suspect financial transactions by North Korean banks.
That's had little apparent effect on Kim's behavior, and he seems emboldened by China's lack of a forceful response to past crises and Pyongyang's perceptions of China's fear of a collapse of the regime. While North Korea's population is starving and impoverished, the leadership gets by on Chinese food and fuel, along with growing investment, and imports of North Korean iron ore and other raw materials.
Despite that, it's not clear what, if any, further pressure China is willing to exert, and if Xi, Li or others offered any further commitments, neither side was saying.
"Theoretically, there is more that China can do, but we're very worried that doing so could stimulate Kim to do even more dangerous things," said Shi Yinhong, an international relations expert at Renmin University in Beijing.
"Be prudent, don't go too far" is China's message to Washington and South Korea, Shi said.
While direct Washington-Pyongyang communication may offer a start, the ultimate key to easing tensions long-term lies in involving the other regional players, said Zhang Liangui, a researcher with the ruling Communist Party's main research and training institute in Beijing.
That would mark a return to Beijing's preferred format of six-nation talks involving the two Koreas, China, the U.S., Japan and Russia, a process stalemated since 2009 over how to ensure North Korean compliance with denuclearization measures. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi again communicated Beijing's preference for the Chinese-hosted talks in his Saturday meeting with Kerry.
"This is not an issue for the two sides only," said Zhang, who is close to the Chinese leadership but said he had no direct knowledge of Kerry's meetings. "It concerns the entire region, so all the countries involved should take part."
China is not the only one suggesting a phone conversation between the sides. Flamboyant former NBA player Dennis Rodman made the same point following a bizarre trip to Pyongyang and meetings with Kim in March.
Both Kim and President Barack Obama love basketball "and there is even more they could talk about if Obama would just pick up the phone and call him," Rodman said following the trip.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-beijing-us-north-korea-talk-090502853.html
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At Least the Nanobot Apocalypse Has a Nice Soundtrack
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World military spending dips in 2012, first fall since 1998
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Global military spending dropped in 2012 for the first time in more than a decade thanks to deep cuts in the United States and Europe which made up for increases in countries such as China and Russia, a leading think-tank said on Monday.
Big powers the United States and its European allies face tight budgets in an economic downturn and have scaled back involvement in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The world's second biggest economy China, however, is ramping up spending and registered 7.8 percent growth in 2012 from the year before, up 175 percent from 2003.
Military expenditure as a whole fell 0.5 percent to $1.75 trillion last year in the first decline in real terms since 1998, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which carries out research on international security, armaments and disarmament, said in a statement.
"We are seeing what may be the beginning of a shift in the balance of world military spending from the rich Western countries to emerging regions," said Sam Perlo-Freeman, director of SIPRI's Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme.
Military expenditure in the United States, the world's biggest spender by far with a budget about five times that of China, fell 6 percent and stood below 40 percent of the global total for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than 20 years ago, SIPRI said.
The United States pulled its troops out of Iraq more than a year ago and is winding down its war in Afghanistan under a plan for a pull-out by the end of 2014.
The Pentagon is seeking to cut hundreds of billions of dollars in costs and this month, new Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel warned the U.S. military to brace for a new round of belt-tightening.
In Europe, austerity measures prompted by the financial crisis that started in 2008 have forced NATO members to cut back spending by 10 percent in real terms.
"All the indications are that world military spending is likely to keep falling for the next two to three years ? at least until NATO completes its withdrawal from Afghanistan at the end of 2014," Perlo-Freeman said.
"However, spending in emerging regions will probably go on rising, so the world total will probably bottom out after that."
RISE OF CHINA
Global military spending fell significantly after the Cold War ended, reaching a nadir in the mid-1990s, but picked up pace sharply after the September 11 attacks on the United States.
The global total remains above the Cold War peak.
While the United States and its allies still account for most of the expenditure - NATO members spent more than a trillion dollars last year - regions such as Asia and eastern Europe ramped up outlays, SIPRI said.
In the works for China's military are new submarines, ships, missiles, a stealth fighter and aircraft carrier combat groups.
China has repeatedly said the world has nothing to fear from its military spending, but governments from Tokyo to Mumbai are worried about the capabilities and what appears to be the greater belligerence of China's military.
Over the past six months, China's stand-off with Japan over a series of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea has become more acrimonious, and has already led to calls in Tokyo for Japan to alter its pacifist constitution.
At the same time, Vietnam, the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations have challenged Beijing over claims to swathes of the South China Sea that could be rich in oil and gas.
China is now the world's fifth-largest arms exporter, replacing Britain in the list of the top five arms dealing countries between 2008 and 2012, SIPRI said in a March report. Pakistan was the main recipient of its goods, the report said.
The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama says it is shifting its security focus to the Asia-Pacific region.
Military spending is up around 8 percent in the Middle East and North Africa. In a region transformed by popular uprisings and reeling from a bloody civil war in Syria, Western allies such as Saudi Arabia and Oman have accounted for much of the increase in their efforts to counter the strategic challenge posed by Iran.
In North Africa, countries such as Algeria have bolstered spending in the face of rebel threats, SIPRI said.
Russia's military spending rose 16 percent in 2012, which analysts said reflected President Vladimir Putin's efforts since he returned to power last May to bolster the armed forces and improve weaponry.
(Reporting by Niklas Pollard; Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Sonya Hepinstall)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/world-military-spending-dips-2012-first-fall-since-220456642.html
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Sunday, April 14, 2013
Want Information About Personal Finance? Try These Great Tips!
Money alone will not make you happy, but having it can give you a sense of security. Money can help us get a good night?s rest and reduces stress in our lives. A lot of people have trouble managing their money. In a way, money can buy happiness and to find out how to shape up your personal finances, read this article.
Buying lean protein in various bulk amounts can help you save a lot of time and money. It will always save you money if you can buy in bulk as long as you are able to use all that you purchased. A lot of time will be saved by cooking everything in one day which will leave you with food for the rest of the week.
Avoid excessive fees when investing. Long-term investment comes with a variety of fees. These fees majorly affect your total return. Keep your investing costs down by staying away from funds with pricey management fees and brokers that take large percentages in commissions.
TIP! Don?t waste your money on get-rich-quick schemes or any other instant cash program. Too many Internet marketers let their desire for instant gratification cloud their judgment.
Sometimes your score will actually drop for no good reason. Don?t worry, though, you haven?t done anything wrong. Continue to add positive information to your report and your score will continue to rise.
Some people say that ?if you don?t play the lottery, you won?t win.? In fact, the only way to win the lottery is not to play and put the money in a bank account instead. This will let you save quite a bit of money over time instead of wasting it for no reason.
Find out if anyone in your family or amongst your friends has worked in finance, as they can give you great advice for your business. If one doesn?t know anyone who works in the financial sector, a family member who manages their own money well could be helpful.
TIP! In order to make your credit situation better, you will need to first get out of debt. You must cut back on your spending, save some money and pay off your loan and credit card debts.
Get the family involved in purchases that may be outside the household budget. If everyone in the family can benefit, like a new tv, you might be able to get your family members to help pay for it!
Use a filing system that is ongoing instead of waiting until the very last second to prepare the financial documents needed for income taxes. Keep all your receipts and other tax documents organized in the same place throughout the year, and you will be ready when tax time rolls around.
Pay Check
TIP! Make sure you always have a small envelope handy. Use it to preserve any receipts or business cards you receive.
It is important to live within your means and never spend more than you make. Those who spend all or most of their earnings will always end up living pay check to pay check, or worse, need to borrow constantly. Figure out how much you make, and spend less than that.
Opt for a spending account that is flexible. You?ll save money by not having to pay taxes on this amount.
Select cheaper and less popular brands. National brands often cost more because they need the money to advertise their brand. You can save money by buying cheaper store brands. There are very little differences in performance, quality, and taste.
TIP! Stay out of debt as much as you can. While you may need to get into debt for mortgages or student loans, try to stay away from things like credit cards.
Take a hard look at how you think about your money and make your financial decisions. If you want your financial situation to improve, you must first be honest with your own financial past. Create a list outlining how you think about materials or money so you can figure this out. By doing this, you can move on and form better feelings about money.
Real Estate
All debt is not bad. Think of some debts as an investment in your future, such as real estate investments. For example, owning a home or commercial real estate is generally tax-deductible in terms of interest on the loans, even without taking future appreciation into consideration. Good debt can include paying for college. There are many loans out there for students that have lower interest rates that don?t have to be reimbursed until graduation.
TIP! A sale at a grocery can be a good deal, but only if you get as much as you know you will be able to use. You will only save by stocking up on groceries if you eat everything before it spoils.
Be sure to stay on top of your credit report. You can look at your credit report absolutely free! Request a free credit report two or three times per year and look for charges you didn?t make, accounts you didn?t open, or other suspicious activity that suggests someone has stolen your identity.
Some people believe that by not doing maintenance on their homes and vehicles they are saving money. Preventative maintenance is necessary in order to take proper care of your possessions. By doing this you will save money in the larger picture.
When it comes to sound personal finance decisions, one of the best things one can do is to avoid debt altogether. It is acceptable to take out a loan for large, necessary purchases, such as a house or a vehicle. When it comes to the smaller, everyday expenses, though, credit is a bad way to meet your needs.
TIP! To make sure your credit cards are paid on time, set up automatic bill pay at your bank. Not being able to pay your credit card bill in full each month is not as important if you are at least paying the minimum on time to establish a good payment history.
Hopefully, you have gained useful information and insight into managing your finances, which will enhance your quality of life. Staying in control of your finances has plenty of long-term gains that make the patience, effort and upheavals required to fix financial problems worth it. These factors will help add to you having improved happiness.
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Want Information About Personal Finance? Try These Great Tips!
Source: http://www.iruka3.net/want-information-about-personal-finance-try-these-great-tips/
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Family Handyman Magazine Subscription for $4.99
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Get a one year subscription to Family Handyman?Magazine for?$4.99. To get this deal, just use coupon code SAVINGWITHSHELLIE at checkout. You can buy up to 4 years at $4.99 per year. This deal is only valid today (4/12). This is valid on new or renewal subscriptions.
About Family Handyman?Magazine:
Family Handyman Magazine is for people who take an active interest in home improvement, yard and garden care, maintenance and repair, and remodeling. Family Handyman also features information on woodworking, auto maintenance, energy efficiency, and decorating.
The editors of Family Handyman Magazine have also put out a book called 101 Saturday Morning Projects. Inside you?ll find easy-to-follow, sensible projects like building a summer lounge chair, installing a dimmer switch and adding extra storage space. All the projects will keep your home and yard in tip-top shape and all can be done in less than 4 hours.
If you already subscribe and want more great ideas, check out 101 Saturday Morning Projects. It has great reviews and might make a nice gift for the project man in your life.
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Saturday, April 13, 2013
North Korea delivers new round of war rhetoric
A South Korean worker, left, who arrives with products from North Korea's Kaesong is helped by a South Korean man who greeted him at the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, that has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 11, 2013. As the world braced for a provocative missile launch by North Korea, with newscasts worldwide playing up tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the center of the storm was strangely calm. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A South Korean worker, left, who arrives with products from North Korea's Kaesong is helped by a South Korean man who greeted him at the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, that has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 11, 2013. As the world braced for a provocative missile launch by North Korea, with newscasts worldwide playing up tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the center of the storm was strangely calm. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
North Koreans visit the Pyongyang Folk Park on the outskirts of Pyongyang Thursday, April 11, 2013. The park, which spans Korean history from prehistoric to modern times, opened in September 2012 after three years of construction by North Korean soldiers. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)
A South Korean worker who arrives from North Korea's Kaesong carries products from his car to another car at the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, that has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 11, 2013. As the world braced for a provocative missile launch by North Korea, with newscasts worldwide playing up tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the center of the storm was strangely calm. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
South Korean vehicles returning home from North Korea's Kaesong are escorted by a South Korean military vehicle upon their arrival at the customs, immigration and quarantine office near the border village of Panmunjom, that has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 11, 2013. As the world braced for a provocative missile launch by North Korea, with newscasts worldwide playing up tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the center of the storm was strangely calm. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
South Korean soldiers guard at Unification Bridge near the border village of Panmunjom, that has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, north of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 11, 2013. As the world braced for a provocative missile launch by North Korea, with newscasts worldwide playing up tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the center of the storm was strangely calm. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ? North Korea delivered a fresh round of rhetoric Thursday with claims it had "powerful striking means" on standby for a launch, while Seoul and Washington speculated that the country is preparing to test a medium-range missile during upcoming national celebrations.
On the streets of Pyongyang, meanwhile, North Koreans celebrated the anniversary of leader Kim Jong Un's appointment to the country's top party post ? one in a slew of titles collected a year ago in the months after father Kim Jong Il's death.
The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, a nonmilitary agency that deals with relations with South Korea, didn't elaborate on its warning of a strike. The statement is the latest in a torrent of warlike threats seen outside Pyongyang as an effort to raise fears and pressure Seoul and Washington into changing their North Korea policy.
Officials in Seoul and Washington say Pyongyang appears to be preparing to test-fire a medium-range missile designed to reach the U.S. territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.
Such a launch would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibiting North Korea from nuclear and ballistic missile activity, and mark a major escalation in Pyongyang's standoff with neighboring nations and the U.S.
North Korea already has been punished in recent months for launching a long-range rocket in December and conducting an underground nuclear test in February.
Analysts do not believe North Korea will stage an attack similar to the one that started the Korean War in 1950. But there are concerns that the animosity could spark a skirmish that could escalate into a serious conflict.
"North Korea has been, with its bellicose rhetoric, with its actions ... skating very close to a dangerous line," U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in Washington on Wednesday. "Their actions and their words have not helped defuse a combustible situation."
The missile that officials believe Pyongyang is readying has been dubbed the "Musudan" by foreign experts after the northeastern village where North Korea has a launch pad. The missile has a range of 3,500 kilometers (2,180 miles) and is designed to reach U.S. military installments in Guam and Japan, experts say.
Bracing for a launch officials said could take place at any time, Seoul deployed three naval destroyers, an early warning surveillance aircraft and a land-based radar system, a Defense Ministry official said in Seoul, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with department rules. Japan deployed PAC-3 missile interceptors around Tokyo.
But officials in Seoul played down security fears, noting that no foreign government has evacuated its citizens from either Korean capital.
"North Korea has continuously issued provocative threats and made efforts to raise tension on the Korean peninsula ... but the current situation is being managed safely and our and foreign governments have been calmly responding," Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young told reporters Thursday.
The war talk is seen as a way for North Korea to draw attention to the precariousness of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and to boost the military credentials of young leader Kim Jong Un.
The Korean War ended in 1953 with a truce, not a peace treaty, and the U.S. and North Korea do not have diplomatic relations.
For weeks, the U.S. and South Korea have staged annual military drills meant to show the allies' military might. North Korea condemns the drills as rehearsal for an invasion.
Citing the tensions, North Korea on Monday pulled more than 50,000 workers from the Kaesong industrial park, which combines South Korean technology and know-how with cheap North Korean labor. It was the first time that production was stopped at the decade-old factory park, the only remaining symbol of economic cooperation between the Koreas.
South Korea's point man on North Korea, Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae, urged Pyongyang to stop heightening tensions and to discuss the restart operations in Kaesong.
In Pyongyang, meanwhile, there was no sense of panic. Across the city, workers were rolling out sod and preparing the city for a series of April holidays.
North Korean students put on suits and traditional dresses to celebrate Kim Jong Un's appointment as first secretary of the Workers' Party a year ago. The post is one of a slew of top titles he claimed in the months following his father's December 2011 death.
A flower show and art performances are scheduled over the next few days in the lead-up to the nations' biggest holiday, the April 15 birthday of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, grandfather of the current leader.
No military parade or mass events were expected over the coming week, but North Korea historically uses major holidays to show off its military power, and analysts say Pyongyang could well mark the occasion with a provocative missile launch in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions barring the North from nuclear and missile activity.
"However tense the situation is, we will mark the Day of the Sun in a significant way," Kim Kwang Chon, a Pyongyang citizen, told The Associated Press, referring to the April 15 birthday. "We will celebrate the Day of the Sun even if war breaks out tomorrow."
During last year's celebrations, North Korea failed in an attempt to send a satellite into space aboard a long-range rocket. The U.S. and its allies criticized the launch as a covert test of ballistic missile technology.
A subsequent test in December was successful, and that was followed by the country's third underground nuclear test on Feb. 12, possibly taking the regime closer to mastering the technology for mounting an atomic weapon on a missile.
___
Associated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP's Korea bureau chief on Twitter at twitter.com/newsjean.
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Friday, April 12, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Iran earthquake kills dozens, injures hundreds
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? A 6.1 magnitude earthquake killed at least 30 and injured 650 people in a sparsely populated area in southern Iran, state TV reported on Tuesday. Authorities said it did not damage a nuclear plant in the region.
The report said the earthquake struck the town of Kaki some 96 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Bushehr, a town on the Persian Gulf that is home of Iran's first nuclear power plant, built with Russian help.
"No damage was done to Bushehr power plant," Bushehr provincial governor Fereidoun Hasanvand told state TV.
Some 650 people were taken to local hospitals, mostly with slight injuries, and water and electricity were cut to many residents, said Ebrahim Darvishi, governor of the worst-hit district Shonbeh.
Shahpour Rostami, the deputy governor of Bushehr province, told state TV that rescue teams have been deployed to Shonbeh. Three helicopters were sent to survey the damaged area before sunset, said Mohammad Mozaffar, the head of Iran's Red Crescent rescue department.
Kaki resident Mondani Hosseini told The Associated Press that people had run out into the streets out of fear.
Iran also announced three-day mourning in the country.
The quake was felt across the Gulf in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where workers were evacuated from high-rise buildings as a precaution.
Earlier on Sunday a lighter earthquake jolted the nearby area. Iran is located on seismic faults and it experiences frequent earthquakes.
In 2003, some 26,000 people were killed by a 6.6 magnitude quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-says-30-killed-earthquake-south-160047821.html
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Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Timberlake bares his soul, sings for Obamas
PBS
Justin Timberlake performs at the White House on April 9.
By Kurt Schlosser, TODAY
Justin Timberlake left his suit and tie on for a performance at the White House on Tuesday, but he wasn't singing his new hit single.
The pop star offered up a fine cover of Otis Redding's ("Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay" as part of a tribute to Memphis soul music for the White House's continuing "In Performance" series.
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama clearly enjoyed the rendition from the front row as they bobbed their heads and sang along with Timberlake.
"These songs get us on the dance floor," the president said. "They get stuck in our heads. We go back over them again and again. And they've played an important part in our history."
Singers Ben Harper, Mavis Staples, Sam Moore and Queen Latifah were among others who performed. The first lady also led a workshop for students to highlight the importance of Memphis music.
PBS will air a concert special from the event on April 16.
Shawn Thew / EPA
Justin Timberlake, right, fist bumps soul legend Sam Moore along with another legend, Mavis Staples, at the White House on Tuesday.
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