delicatessen hindu: March 2013

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Watch out, Harry Potter: New invisibility cloak (mostly) works

Jealous of Harry Potter's invisibility cloak? Yours could be coming soon. A new cloaking device doesn't work on visible light yet, but it makes objects invisible to microwave light.

By Clara Moskowitz,?Live Science / March 26, 2013

Physicists have created a real-life prototype of an invisibility cloak like the one featured in the "Harry Potter" books and films.

Warner Brothers / LiveScience.com

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A miniature version of Harry Potter's invisibility cloak now exists, though it works only in microwave light, and not visible light, so far.

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Still, it's a nifty trick, and the physicists who've created the new cloak say it's a step closer to realizing the kind of invisibility cloak that could hide a person in broad daylight.

The invention is made of a new kind of material called a metascreen, created from strips of copper tape attached to a flexible polycarbonate film. The copper strips are only 66 micrometers (66 millionths of a meter) thick, while the polycarbonate film is 100 micrometers thick, and the two are combined in a diagonal fishnet pattern.

The creation is a departure from previous attempts to create invisibility cloaks, which have aimed to bend light rays around an object so that they don't scatter, or reflect off it, a technique that relies on so-called bulk metamaterials. Instead, the new cloak uses a technique called mantle cloaking to cancel out light waves that bounce off the shielded object so that none survive to reach an observer's eye.?

"When the scattered fields from the cloak and the object interfere, they cancel each other out and the overall effect is transparency and invisibility at all angles of observation," study co-author Andrea Alu, a physicist at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a statement.

In lab tests, Alu and his colleagues successfully hid a 7-inch-long (18 centimeters) cylindrical rod from view in microwave light. They said the same technology should be able to cloak oddly shaped and asymmetrical objects, too.
?
?"The advantages of the mantle cloaking over existing techniques are its conformability, ease of manufacturing and improved bandwidth," Alu said. "We have shown that you don't need a bulk metamaterial to cancel the scattering from an object ? a simple patterned surface that is conformal to the object may be sufficient and, in many regards, even better than a bulk metamaterial."

In principle, the same kind of cloak could be used to hide objects in the visible range of light, as well, though it may work only for teensy-tiny objects, at least at first.
?
?"In fact, metascreens are easier to realize at visible frequencies than bulk metamaterials and this concept could put us closer to a practical realization," Alu said. "However, the size of the objects that can be efficiently cloaked with this method scales with the wavelength of operation, so when applied to optical frequencies we may be able to efficiently stop the scattering of micrometer-sized objects."

The invention isn't just a novelty to thrill Harry Potter fans and aspiring spies. The researchers say it could have practical applications down the line, such as in noninvasive sensing devices or in biomedical instruments. They described their device in a paper published in the March 26 issue of the New Journal of Physics.

Follow Clara Moskowitz on Twitterand Google+. Follow us?@livescience,?Facebook?&?Google+. Original article on?LiveScience.com.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/eSi6RUBsR4E/Watch-out-Harry-Potter-New-invisibility-cloak-mostly-works

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

In Pakistan underworld, a cop is said to be a king

In this Monday, March 18, 2013 photo, Pakistani men play cards in an alley of a neighborhood, in Islamabad, Pakistan. For months, the Supreme Court's Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has been leading special hearings on Karachi's crime, berating the city's top police officers for failing to act. The past week, he demanded they move in to clean up so-called ?no-go? areas _ entire neighborhoods where police fear to tread _ according to local press reports. (AP Photo/Nathalie Bardou)

In this Tuesday, May 8, 2012, photo, Pakistani police officers take position on the rooftop of a building during a crackdown operation against criminals in Karachi, Pakistan. For months, the Supreme Court's Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has been leading special hearings on Karachi's crime, berating the city's top police officers for failing to act. The past week, he demanded they move in to clean up so-called ?no-go? areas _ entire neighborhoods where police fear to tread _ according to local press reports. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)

In this Wednesday, March 20, 2013, photo, Pakistani men play cards in a field in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan. For months, the Supreme Court's Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has been leading special hearings on Karachi's crime, berating the city's top police officers for failing to act. The past week, he demanded they move in to clean up so-called ?no-go? areas _ entire neighborhoods where police fear to tread _ according to local press reports. (AP Photo/Nathalie Bardou)

In this Friday, March 23, 2012, photo, Pakistani police officers during a crackdown operation against criminals in Karachi, Pakistan. For months, the Supreme Court's Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has been leading special hearings on Karachi's crime, berating the city's top police officers for failing to act. The past week, he demanded they move in to clean up so-called ?no-go? areas _ entire neighborhoods where police fear to tread _ according to local press reports.(AP Photo/Shakil Adil)

In this Wednesday, May 2, 2012, photo, a plainclothes Pakistani police officer fires a tear gas canister at a hideout of criminals, during a crackdown operation against criminals in Karachi, Pakistan. For months, the Supreme Court's Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has been leading special hearings on Karachi's crime, berating the city's top police officers for failing to act. The past week, he demanded they move in to clean up so-called ?no-go? areas _ entire neighborhoods where police fear to tread _ according to local press reports. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) ? A corrupt, low-level cop with a healthy dose of street smarts rises to control hundreds of illegal gambling dens in Pakistan's largest city. By doling out millions of dollars in illicit proceeds, he protects his empire and becomes one of the most powerful people in Karachi.

The allegations against Mohammed Waseem Ahmed ? or Waseem "Beater" as he is more commonly known ? emerged recently from surprise testimony by a top police commander before a crusading anti-crime Supreme Court judge. The story has given a rare and colorful glimpse into the vast underworld in Karachi, a chaotic metropolis of 18 million people on Pakistan's southern coast.

The sprawling city has become notorious for violence, from gangland-style killings and kidnappings to militant bombings and sectarian slayings. Further worrying authorities have been signs that the Pakistani Taliban are using the chaos to gain a greater foothold in the city.

For months, the Supreme Court's Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has been leading special hearings on Karachi's crime, berating the city's top police officers for failing to act. This past week, he demanded they move in to clean up so-called "no-go" areas ? entire neighborhoods where police fear to tread ? according to local press reports.

Further fueling the problem is rampant police corruption, undermining efforts to combat the city's violent gangs and extremists. Among the public, the police nationwide are seen as the country's most crooked public sector organization, a high bar given claims of pervasive corruption throughout the government.

The allegations surrounding Ahmed further fuel questions about the overlap between Karachi's underworld and its police forces. After the testimony to the Supreme Court earlier this year, police officials in Karachi provided The Associated Press with additional details over his reported rise.

The AP made repeated attempts to contact Ahmed, who has been removed from the force and fled to Dubai, but was not successful.

Ahmed came from a poor family in Karachi's old city and joined the police force in the 1990s. He soon started working as a "beater," a low-level thug who works for more senior cops to collect a cut from illegal activities in their area, such as gambling, prostitution and drug dealing, said half a dozen police officers who knew him personally at the time. They all spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.

Ahmed, who sports a bushy black mustache and usually dresses in a simple, white shalwar kameez, earned a reputation for carrying out his illicit work efficiently, said two police officers who have known him ever since he joined the force. That reputation helped him forge relationships with more senior figures, and eventually he was collecting money for some of the top police officers and civilian security officials in Karachi, they said.

The heavyset 40-year-old also attracted the attention of a local boss who controlled the largest concentration of illegal gambling dens in Karachi, located in the city's rough and tumble Ghas Mandi area, where Ahmed worked, said the policemen and a local journalist. The two teamed up to expand their gambling empire to other parts of Karachi and surrounding Sindh province.

Gambling was not always illegal in Pakistan, a nation of 180 million people that gained independence from Britain in 1947 as a sanctuary for Muslims who did not believe they could thrive as part of what is now India, a majority Hindu state. Despite the religious undertones of Pakistan's founding, the country's major cities, such as Karachi and Lahore, were relatively liberal places in the first few decades after independence. Alcohol flowed freely in nightclubs filled with dancing girls.

But in 1977, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto banned gambling and alcohol for Muslims in an attempt to appease Islamic hard-liners. Drinking and gambling, which are forbidden in Islam, didn't stop, but much of it was driven underground.

The gambling dens in Ghas Mandi are hidden behind nondescript facades down dark alleyways with tangled electrical wires hanging overhead in one of the oldest and densest populated parts of Karachi.

In one den, a dozen men dressed in shalwar kameez sat in a semicircle on the floor playing a local card game, mang patta, beneath bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The men sipped tea and tossed 100 rupee ($1) poker chips at the dealer.

In an adjacent room, a handful of men played chakka, a game that involved guessing the numbers that would appear when the dealer rolled three dice out of what looked like an old leather Yahtzee cup. Rupee notes were placed on a table as bets and held in place by a large metal washer. Everyone stopped their games when the Muslim call to prayer came over a loudspeaker from a nearby mosque ? and they promptly resumed the dice and cards once the prayer ended.

Ahmed earned tens of thousands of dollars each day from hundreds of such gambling dens, said the policemen and journalist who knew him. He also collected extortion money from drug dealers and brothels and smuggled diesel fuel into Karachi from neighboring Iran, where it is much cheaper, they said.

He distributed cash to senior officials, and the pay-outs made him one of the most powerful people in Karachi's police force, said his acquaintances. He won significant influence over who was posted to senior positions, thus providing him with protection, they said. Known as a man of few words who rarely loses his cool, Ahmed also handed out money to Karachi's powerful criminal gangs and traveled with roughly a dozen armed guards as an insurance policy.

He was sailing smoothly through the underworld until one of the Supreme Court sessions in January.

A petitioner outlined to the court allegations of Ahmed's illicit activities and his power in the police force. Chief Justice Chaudhry then asked senior police officers and civilian officials who were present about the allegations. They all expressed ignorance.

But Deputy Inspector General Bashir Memon spoke up and backed the petitioner's claims.

"I said yes, Waseem 'Beater' is present among the ranks of the Karachi police. He controls the gambling business in Karachi," Memon told The Associated Press. "I also confirmed that he is involved in the transfer and posting of junior and senior police officers."

Another senior police officer in Sindh province, Sanaullah Abbasi, also testified that he knew Ahmed and that he controlled gambling dens in Karachi.

Chaudhry lambasted the senior officials for not going after Ahmed and asked Memon whether he was concerned about contradicting his colleagues.

"I replied, 'I only told you the truth,'" Memon told the AP.

As a sign of Ahmed's power, Memon said he was told the same day he would be transferred out of Karachi, but the Supreme Court canceled the transfer order.

Ahmed was dismissed from the police force after the Supreme Court hearing, according to two senior police officers, and government records indicate he flew to Dubai and has not returned.

Hassan Abbas, an expert on the Pakistani police at the New York-based Asia Society, said Ahmed's case provides a stark illustration of the level of corruption in the Karachi police force, which he described as the worst in any of Pakistan's major cities. Criminal cases are currently pending against 400 police officers serving in Karachi, said Abbas.

Civilian officials, who also benefit from corruption, have shown no willingness to reform the system, making the force relatively ineffective in cracking down on criminal gangs and Islamist militants in the city, said Abbas.

"The chaos in Karachi provides criminal gangs with the cover they need to operate," said Abbas. "Corruption provides an incentive to continue that chaos."

____

Follow Sebastian Abbot on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sebabbot

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-30-AS-Pakistan-Police-Corruption-/id-a9af3c52254a4f29978b4e68f821ae24

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Lawmakers tighten belts amid automatic budget cuts

FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2011 file photo, House Budget Committee member Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are having to deal with longer lines and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the people who brought the country $85 billion in automatic government spending cuts this month. "We've drastically reduced travel both for myself and my staff," said Campbell, who must go cross-country to visit his southern California district (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

FILE - In this March 7, 2103 file photo, a seagull flies as the sun breaks through dark clouds at dawn over Capitol Hill in Washington. Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are having to deal with longer lines and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the people who brought the country $85 billion in automatic government spending cuts this month. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - In this May 4, 2010 file photo, then-Indiana Congressional candidate Luke Messer arriving at a polling place in Carmel, Ind. Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are having to deal with longer lines and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the people who brought the country $85 billion in automatic government spending cuts this month. Messer, a freshman Republican from Indiana, said he hired fewer people when he came to Washington because "we essentially began the term knowing there was a high possibility of a sequester". (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2011 file photo, House Administration Committee Chair Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich. speaks on Mackinac Island, Mich. Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are having to deal with longer lines and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the people who brought the country $85 billion in automatic government spending cuts this month. Miller has promoted a bill to slash the budgets of House committee by 11 percent. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are contending with long lines to get inside their offices and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the men and women who brought the country $85 billion in government spending cuts this month.

There probably won't be much sympathy for a senator or congressman making $174,000 a year who is in no danger of being furloughed or laid off, at least until the next election. Still, there has been an effort, especially in the Republican-led House, to show that no one should be exempt from sacrifice.

"As those who are charged with the care of taxpayers' dollars, we need to lead by example," Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., who chairs the House Administration Committee, said last week in promoting a bill to slash the budgets of House committees by 11 percent.

Earlier in March ? after Congress and the White House failed to come up with an alternative to across-the-board cuts in most federal programs ? the House imposed an 8.2 percent reduction in lawmakers' personal office budgets. That came on top of 11 percent cuts to members' office budgets during 2011-2012.

"We've drastically reduced travel both for myself and my staff," said Republican Rep. John Campbell, who must cross the country to visit his southern California district. He said he tends to stay in Washington on two-day weekends rather than return home. "I'm more productive here when I'm not rushing to get home," he added.

Campbell said other "little things" he is doing to economize include reducing the office phone bill, cutting off magazine and newspaper subscriptions and using email rather than letters to communicate with voters.

Rep. Luke Messer, a freshman Republican from Indiana, said he hired fewer people when he came to Washington because "we essentially began the term knowing there was a high possibility of a sequester"? Washington-speak for the automatic spending cuts.

So far, congressional staffers appear to have escaped the furloughs that are likely to send thousands of public servants home without pay for several workdays over the next six months and disrupt some government services. "I hope to avoid that," said Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., "but we will take any steps to ensure we don't exceed our budget." Under House rules, a lawmaker must pay for excess spending out of his or her own pocket.

The fiscal pressures are weaker in the Senate, where senators have staff budgets about double the amount of the $1.3 million average in the House and where the office cuts ordered because of the sequester were limited to 5 percent.

While staffers still have their jobs, they may have a harder time getting to them. Security officials have cut costs by closing 10 entrances and several side streets around the Capitol complex, creating long lines to get through screening stations. People "have started to adjust to those changes at the entrances," although it is still a challenge on busy days, said Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer.

Gainer, who oversees nearly 1,000 security and administrative employees, said he hopes to abide by the 5 percent sequester cut without layoffs by enlisting 70 or 80 people for a voluntary retirement program.

Some House members also are feeling the pinch during the two-week Easter break, a prime time for foreign "fact-finding" tours. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced last month that members must book commercial flights rather than make use of more convenient but more expensive military aircraft.

Some Democrats have complained the GOP enthusiasm for frugality has come at too high a cost.

"At a time when most members of this body are representing newly formed congressional districts with a need to open new offices or move to new locations, we find ourselves with an 8.2 percent decrease in the very operating budgets that support constituent services," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.

Wasserman Schultz, who also is the Democratic Party's chairwoman, criticized House Republicans for cutting budgets while spending some $3 million for the legal defense of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages.

"We are past the point of cutting what we want, and we are now into cutting what we need ? our ability to attract and retain expert staff," said Rep. Robert Brady of Pennsylvania, the senior Democrat on the House Administration Committee.

Brad Fitch, president and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to improve congressional operations, said it's still possible that House members will have to resort to furloughs or layoffs. So far, he said, they have been able to cope with the cuts of the past three years with less drastic steps, such as reducing the size of their staffs through attrition, making more use of interns and using email rather than mass mailings.

At the end of 2011, Fitch's group recommended 46 possible ways for members to cut $90,000 from their 2012 budgets, ranging from pay freezes, holding more town hall meetings by telephone, delaying purchases of new computers, eliminating Washington staffers' visits to district offices, closing district offices, eliminating bottled water from offices and reviewing spending on food and beverages for constituents.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-30-Cutting%20Congress/id-45f55b061b3340f592aae790b4abf37d

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Astrophile: Mighty Trojan found marching with Uranus

Astrophile is our weekly column on curious cosmic objects, from the solar system to the far reaches of the multiverse

Object: A 60-kilometre-wide asteroid

Location: 3 billion kilometres ahead of Uranus, in the planet's L4 Lagrange point

Uranus has a forbidden friend. The first asteroid to share the planet's orbit has been found, despite claims that Jupiter's mighty gravity should steal such companions away.

The finding hints that more of these asteroids, called Trojans, lurk around unexpected worlds. Since Trojans don't always stay in place, finding new ones improves our picture of how space rocks migrate around the solar system. It also means there may be super-sized Trojans sharing orbits with massive exoplanets.

Mike Alexandersen of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and colleagues discovered the 60-kilometre-wide Trojan, named 2011 QF99, from an observatory in Hawaii. It lives in a Lagrange point, where the gravitational tugs from the sun and Uranus balance out.

There are five possible Lagrange points around two massive bodies, such as the sun and a planet. The ones called L4 and L5 sit ahead of and behind the planet, respectively, in its orbital path. These points have long been known to act as dust-gathering niches. Jupiter's L4 and L5 points host more than 3000 asteroids of various sizes. They are the original cosmic Trojans, named after the legendary fighters of ancient Troy.

Exo-Trojans

Since the Jovian discoveries, Trojan asteroids have also been spotted near Neptune, Mars and even Earth. But they were thought to be extremely unlikely for Saturn and Uranus, because massive Jupiter would have sucked in any space rocks leftover as the solar system formed.

Uranus's Trojan is probably a temporary companion captured later in the planet's history. The asteroid should jitter around the L4 region for about 70,000 years before becoming unstable enough to be ejected.

The discovery means that many more Trojans may lurk near other unexpected worlds, says Rudolf Dvorak of the University of Vienna in Austria. Such an array of Trojans in our solar neighbourhood strengthens the case that other star systems host larger versions of these orbital companions. "There could be planets in this Trojan configuration like our Earth," he says, perhaps even in the habitable zone, the region around a star in which a planet could support life.

Journal reference: arxiv.org/abs/1303.5774

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Thoughts on investing in Fracking stocks. - The Hull Truth - Boating ...

My company is deep into supplying products to the Fracking industry and this is a new emerging market that has huge upside potential. I'm just learning about the financial/investment side of this industry. Does anyone know much about investing in Fracking companies?

Here is some information I've found regarding companies involved in this new industry. Looking for some conversation on investment opportunity, risk, etc.

************************************************** *****

For this, you'll want to look into companies that hold stakes in some of the major shale plays or are otherwise involved in fracking activities. Here are a couple fracking stocks worth looking into:
Continental Resources (NYSE: CLR), for example, is involved in drilling activities in a number of U.S. shale plays, including the Bakken and Niobrara.
Rosetta Resources (NASDAQ: ROSE) also has shale assets in Eagle Ford and the Southern Alberta Basin.
Encana (NYSE: ECA) is a solid, conservative natural gas producer who will benefit considerably from large

FRAK currently has holdings in 48 companies in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Companies involved must receive 50% of their revenue from unconventional energy or own properties that could give them that capability in the future.
Here are its top 5 holdings, with the percentage of net assets:

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) ? 8.47%
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (APC) ? 8.14%
EOG Resources (EOG) ? 7.12%
Devon Energy Corporation (DVN) ? 5.53%
Noble Energy Inc (NBL) ? 4.98%

Source: http://www.thehulltruth.com/dockside-chat/496229-thoughts-investing-fracking-stocks.html

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Newtown Families in Bloomberg Anti-Gun Ads

Mayors Against Illegal Guns

The families of four victims from the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary appear in two new anti-gun TV ads out this morning, part of an effort to reinvigorate a lagging campaign for new gun controls.

"Don't let the memory of Newtown fade without doing something real," Terri Rousseau, the mother of slain teacher Lauren Rousseau, says in an emotionally charged appeal.

The ads also feature personal testimonials from Neil Heslin, father of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis; Chris and Lynn McDonnell, parents of 7-year-old Grace McDonnell; and Jillian Soto, sister of teacher Vicki Soto, 27. All talk about their loved ones and what it was like to learn the tragic news on Dec. 14, 2012.

You can see the spots HERE and HERE.

The ads, which will run only in Connecticut, come as that state's legislature considers state-level gun control measures. They were produced by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" and released in conjunction with a "National Day to Demand Action" taking place today across the country.

President Obama's outside advocacy group - Organizing for Action - is also part of the effort. More than 100 events are planned, organizers said.

At the White House later this morning, Obama will surround himself by victims of gun violence, their families and law enforcement officials to add his voice to the campaign. The Newtown families appearing in the ads are expected to attend.

The president and other advocates are still calling for legislation to impose comprehensive background checks; limits on high-capacity ammunition magazines; and an assault-weapons ban. But such measures face increasingly tough odds of passage in Congress.

Earlier this week, three Republican senators threatened to filibuster next month's expected Senate debate on a package of gun-control measures. That package does not include an assault-weapons ban, although Senate Democrats say it will get a vote as a separate amendment to the bill.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The Case for Investing in Campus Sustainability | Association for the ...

By Mark Orlowski
Founder & Executive Director
Sustainable Endowments Institute

Whether your college is striving to reach its carbon-reduction goals or is considering divesting from fossil fuel companies, green revolving funds (GRFs) offer a compelling investment opportunity. With a median annual return (ROI) of 28 percent, GRFs are transforming campus energy efficiency improvements from perceived expenses to high-return investments. One of many GRF examples documented in Greening the Bottom Line 2012 is a project at George Washington University. GW is generating $100,000 per year in savings since investing $141,000 in 2010 to upgrade the lighting in their academic center. This project has already more than paid for itself and, over its projected eight-year lifespan, the original $141,000 investment will realize at least $800,000 in total savings (even more, if energy prices rise).

With more secure benefits than a volatile stock market, GRF investments provide your school?s trustees with a new sustainable path for fiduciary responsibility. In addition, many other sources of funding--ranging from cash reserves to utility rebates to alumni donations--offer additional options for capitalizing your GRF.

Green revolving funds are not only investing in energy efficiency projects, but also in renewable energy installations and waste reduction programs. To access information on 84 green revolving loan funds at 80 institutions containing more than $118 million, see AASHE's Campus Sustainability Revolving Loans Fund Database. While the GRF size, structure and project priorities vary considerably, by connecting the dots, we see that these investments not only advance sustainability, but also have financial benefits and educational advantages.

Financial Benefits
As reported in Greening the Bottom Line 2012, schools are using a variety of creative approaches to invest in and benefit from green revolving funds. Examples include:

Innovative Endowment Investment: California Institute of Technology (Caltech) reports a 24 percent return on investment (excluding utility incentives) on their green revolving fund, the Caltech Energy Conservation Investment Program. The GRF capitalization was structured as an endowment investment, not as a payout from the endowment. This enables Caltech to avoid any issues related to donor restrictions on endowment gifts.
Higher ROI on Cash Reserves: Financial payoff and functional flexibility are encouraging new commitments such as the University of Vermont?s board of trustees creating the Energy Revolving Fund with $13 million invested from the university?s cash reserves. With a 5 percent interest rate, the UVM revolving fund currently generates double the return on investment of other existing cash reserve investments. In addition, by investing in campus energy efficiency projects, the university is helping to generate on-site jobs that have a multiplier effect in the local economy.
New Fundraising Opportunities: Agnes Scott College is in the forefront of showing how GRFs can offer a winning fundraising strategy. President Elizabeth Kiss and her development team at the Georgia college, raised over $400,000 in seed capital from both alumni and foundation donors within a few months. The successful method emphasized their fund?s strong ROI and its potential to turn the campus into a living laboratory for sustainability. ?For me, it was critical that our GRF linked up with these broader themes of what kind of college and learning community we aspire to be,? said Elizabeth Kiss, President of Agnes Scott College. ?The most powerful teaching you do is by being a role model.?

Educational Advantages
By connecting the dots, we can see how green revolving funds engage members of the campus community by advancing not only budget and climate goals, but also offering exciting educational opportunities. Examples include different dimensions of experiential education:

Social Entrepreneurship: Just as business entrepreneurs identify opportunities to create for-profit ventures, social entrepreneurs envision and implement innovative approaches to meeting social and environmental needs. For example, in a class at Dartmouth College, students researched and developed a proposal for the Dartmouth Revolving Green Fund. After submitting the proposal to the administration, they received feedback. In response, two students working as independent consultants spent the summer improving the proposal to address the administrators? concerns. The final version was favorably received and the students' efforts resulted in Dartmouth establishing a $1 million green revolving fund. Along with the academic benefits, students gained valuable skills to apply to future jobs or to starting their own organizations.
Job Skills: In some cases, green revolving funds offer job skill opportunities by having students actually undertake the work to install the needed improvements with supervision by professors and/or facilities managers. For example, at Whitman College in Washington State, students spearheaded, and did the hands-on work, to create a rooftop garden funded by a loan from the college?s Sustainability Revolving Loan Fund. The loan was paid back in less than a year by selling the garden crops to Bon App?tit, which provides food service at the college.
Leadership Opportunities: At many schools, students are invited to submit project proposals for consideration and selection by a GRF committee. Students even serve on the decision-making committee that selects and prioritizes project investments. In some cases, students can play even a larger leadership role in selecting projects for GRF funding. For example, at Bethany College in Kansas, six students join with the director of facilities, the vice president for finance and operations, a professor, a campus pastor and a local business owner to form the GRF Committee. Serving on the committee offers students a unique voice in setting sustainability priorities and allocating investment of limited financial resources.

What?s Next?
If you want to make the case to connect the dots and put green revolving funds to work at your school, two resources are already available and two upcoming events are planned to expand access and learn from GRF leaders and experts.

Co-published by the Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI) and AASHE, Green Revolving Funds: An Introductory Guide to Implementation and Management provides practical guidance for designing, implementing, and managing a college or university GRF. Based on interviews with presidents, facility managers, sustainability directors, and chief financial officers, the 27-page publication features a 10-step road map for a successful fund, a section on the "anatomy" of a GRF, solutions to common obstacles and resources available through the Billion Dollar Green Challenge.

Once established, GRFs can benefit from the Green Revolving Investment Tracking System (GRITS) developed by the Sustainable Endowments Institute. This secure, account-based web tool is designed to manage every aspect of an institution?s green revolving fund including aggregate and project-specific energy, financial, and carbon data. The GRITS project library allows institutions to view completed GRF projects from other colleges, inspiring staff, students and administrators to both share best practices and adapt relevant projects for their own campus.

In order to extend access to green revolving fund benefits, the Sustainable Endowments Institute is convening a gathering in April at the Pocantico Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Inspirational leaders from the nonprofit, government and foundation communities will develop collaborative strategies to provide low-cost capital for under-resourced institutions (such as community colleges and minority-serving institutions) to seed their own green revolving funds.

On April 17, the Sustainable Endowments Institute in partnership with AASHE is hosting the Financing the Future of Energy Efficiency Summit at the University of San Diego. Featuring a keynote address by Rip Rapson, President of the Kresge Foundation, the Summit will bring together leaders in financing sustainability with presidents, trustees, and senior officials in finance, facilities and sustainability at colleges, universities, foundations and other nonprofit institutions. Breakout sessions will meet needs of institutions just starting to consider their options as well as advanced strategies for those already leading GRF initiatives. We welcome your participation!

Source: http://www.aashe.org/blog/case-investing-campus-sustainability

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Monday, March 11, 2013

Man?tries to return printer ... with fake money still inside

Suzanne Choney , NBC News ? ? ? 3 hrs.

Pop quiz: If you are trying to print counterfeit bills and your printer breaks down, do you:

a) Try to return the broken printer, with parts missing, to the nearest Walmart?

b) Play dumb when one of your sheets of fake $100s is still in the disputed printer?

c) Pick a fight with the Walmart staff when they refuse to give you the refund, prompting them to call the police?

d) All of the above

e) None of the above

Chances are, you'd choose "e." But failed mega-money printer Jarad S. Carr went with "d."

Yes, when Carr went to Walmart to return the printer last week, he didn't have a receipt. Not only was it missing the paper tray and installer CD, there was a sheet of paper in it ? with two $100 bills printed on it.

The employees at the store in the Village of Lake Hallie, Wis. were trying to help Carr as best they could, but he wasn't doing much to help himself, insisting on a refund even after the fake bills were discovered.

When a clerk handed him the piece of paper he crumpled it up, asked another clerk to throw it away, and then kept pushing for a refund, even trying to get half price for the printer, Lake Hallie Police Chief Cal D. Smokowicz told NBC News Monday. Walmart employees called police after Carr became even more insistent when the store said it would not take back the printer, and he refused to leave.

"He continues to stay there to try to barter with Walmart employees, saying he was willling to accept a lower price," Smokowicz said.

Smokowicz and another officer responded to the call, and when they got there and tried to arrest Carr, 37, he resisted and then tried to leave the store, the only Walmart in the town of 6,700 residents.

"A further search at the jail revealed three additional counterfeit $100 bills on the subject?s person," the police said in a statement. Carr was charged with attempted theft by fraud, forgery and resisting arrest. Turned out, he was already wanted on two felony warrants for armed robbery and burglary from nearby St. Croix County.

The police chief said the piece of paper left in the printer had a hole cut in it where it was obvious a third fake $100 bill had been "cut out very carefully."

The fakes weren't great. "I've seen much better," Smokowicz said.

The paper used to print the fakes was a heavy-weight printer paper, and the colors, "were just a little bit off," a little too blue.

"In a dark bar-type setting, they probably would have passed, but under the bright lights of a bank or a convenience store, somebody would have caught it," the chief said.

U.S. bills are printed on paper made from a special fiber that uses cotton, silk and linen.

Counterfeiting is no laughing matter, despite this inept effort. The Secret Service, which investigates counterfeiting, notes on its website, that "new forms of counterfeiting are on the rise. One reason for this is the ease and speed with which large quantities of counterfeit currency can be produced using modern photographic, printing and computer equipment."

The Secret Service is interviewing a man who had accompanied Carr to the store, Smokowicz told NBC News, but the man is not believed to be involved in counterfeiting, and is cooperating with law enforcement.

Whether Carr makes a "dumbest criminals" list remains to be seen.

"You go to a Walmart with a printer to return and no receipt, with your counterfeit bills still lodged in it, and you want to dicker with the clerks to get half price back, when you have warrants out for you," Smokowicz said. "There are a few lessons here about not drawing attention to yourself."

? via Gizmodo

Check out Technology, GadgetBox, TODAY Tech and In-Game on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/would-be-counterfeiter-tries-return-printer-fake-money-still-inside-1C8793604

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Dee Snider: Fired on Celebrity Apprentice!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/dee-snider-fired-on-celebrity-apprentice/

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Sunday, March 10, 2013

Daylight Saving Time 2013: Everything You Need to Know!

Source:

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Jobs Upturn Isn't Enough to Satisfy Fed (WSJ)

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| Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/290160047?client_source=feed&format=rss

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IF a real estate agent says that he is a boss player, ... - Zillow Real ...

This is a reference to Boss Hogg, a character based on the unethical sleazy greedy stereotype that haunts real estate agents.

I don't think saying you are like Boss Hogg means you are a really good agent, at least not in Chicago, which considers itself proudly in the Union.

However, if the buyer agent's English was not entirely comprehensible, then perhaps he said that he is a bass player, perhaps in a country band. There surely must be bass players who are real estate agents. That is why it is the one member of a band who is considered disposable.

The real estate agent may also be fond of Hugo Boss, or perhaps he is in the local theatre, and plays a boss.

He may just be a giant Springsteen fan.

Source: http://www.zillow.com/advice-thread/IF-a-real-estate-agent-says-that-he-is-a-boss-player-does-that-mean-he-is-really-good-agent/482014/

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Saturday, March 9, 2013

Leading candidate in Kenya vote hovers at 50 pct

With a poster of presidential candidate Raila Odinga behind him, a supporter of the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) sits outside his house and listens to the results of Kenya's election on his radio in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, March 7, 2013. Uhuru Kenyatta, presidential candidate of The National Alliance (TNA) is leading in early polls. The coalition of Kenya's prime minister Raila Odinga says the vote tallying process now under way to determine the winner of the country's presidential election "lacks integrity", should be stopped, and the counting process should be restarted using primary documents from polling stations(AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

Young men listen to others debating elections in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, March 7, 2013. Kenyans on Monday held their first presidential vote since the nation's disputed election in 2007 spawned violence that killed more than 1,000 people. The coalition of Kenya's prime minister Raila Odinga says the vote tallying process now under way to determine the winner of the country's presidential election "lacks integrity", should be stopped, and the counting process should be restarted using primary documents from polling stations. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

A nurse and well wishers offload Benedeta Mueni, from the ambulance at the Coast General Hospital, Mombasa, Kenya, Thursday, March 7, 2013. She was transfered from Kinango District Hospital, 120km south west of Mombasa town, for specialized treatment after she was attacked by suspected members of the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) at their Miamba village in Mkongani location within Kinango District, The woman was attacked jointly with her husband after more than twenty suspected members of the MRC surrounded their home and slashed them several times with pangas. The other villagers were treated at the Kinango District Hospital with minor panga cuts and discharged. (AP Photo)

In an attempt to fill the long stretches of time without briefings to the media or announcement of electoral results, a choir sings songs in front of electoral results boards at the National Tallying Center, in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, March 7, 2013. Kenyan media members told The Associated Press on Thursday that the Media Owners Association agreed not to sensationalize headlines or even put political press conferences live on the air, to avoid airing hate speech or political attacks that could incite violence. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) ? Kenya's drawn-out race for president was coming down to the wire on Friday, with the leading candidate hovering right at the 50 percent mark needed to avoid a run-off with his top challenger.

As the last third of votes came in, the percentage held by Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta flipped and flopped over the 50 percent mark. His opponent, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, needed a strong performance in the remaining ballots to force a second round run-off.

Eight candidates ran for presidents, so if any of the bottom six candidates captures a significant portion of the outstanding ballots, that could also push Kenyatta below 50 percent.

A Kenyatta win could have far-reaching consequences with Western relations. The son of Kenya's founding father, Kenyatta faces charges at the International Criminal Court for his role in directing some of the vicious postelection violence that followed Kenya's 2007 presidential vote, when tribe-on-tribe attacks killed more than 1,000 people.

The U.S. has warned of "consequences" if Kenyatta is to win, as have several European countries. Britain, which ruled Kenya up until the early 1960s, has said they would only have essential contact with a President Kenyatta.

The U.S. Embassy in Kenya is larger than any American mission in Africa, underscoring Kenya's strong role in U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. also has military forces stationed here near the border with Somalia. Kenya, the lynchpin of East Africa's economy, plays a vital security role in the fight against Somali militants.

Kenyatta's ICC trial is set to begin in July and could take years, meaning that if he wins he may have to rule Kenya from The Hague for the first half of his presidency. Another option is, as president, to decide not to go. But that decision would have even more damaging effects for Kenya's standing with the West, and Kenyatta has promised he will go even if he wins.

Whether or not Kenyatta finishes with over half of the votes, most observers expected legal challenges to be launched after a myriad of failures in the systems Kenya's electoral commission set up.

The first problems were evident right as the voting began early Monday. An electronic voter ID system intended to prevent fraud failed across the country for lack of electricity in some cases and overheating computers in others. Vote officials instead used manual voter rolls.

After the polls closed, results were to be sent electronically to Nairobi, where officials would quickly tabulate a preliminary vote count in order to maximize transparency after rigging accusations following the 2007 vote. But that system failed too. Election officials have indicated that computer servers overloaded but have yet to fully explain the problem.

On Tuesday, as the early count system was still being used, election results showed more than 330,000 rejected ballots, an unusually high number. But after the count resumed with the arrival in Nairobi of manual tallies, the number of rejected ballots had dropped to almost nothing, and the election commission on Thursday gave the head-scratching explanation that the computer was mistakenly multiplying the number of rejected ballots by a factor of eight.

Odinga's camp on Thursday said some votes had been doctored and called for a halt to the tallying process. It said the tallying process "lacked integrity." A day earlier, Kenyatta's camp accused the British high commissioner of meddling in the election and asked aloud why there were an unusually high number of British troops in the country.

The election commission said it expected to have final results by the end of Friday, though observers said it was still possible the count would go into the weekend.

There were fears going into the election that the violence that rocked Kenya five years ago would return. A separatist group on the coast launched attacks on Monday that ended in the deaths of 19 people, but the vote and its aftermath has otherwise been largely peaceful.

However, it's the announcement of results that could stir protests, especially if the supporters of either Odinga or Kenyatta feel robbed. Diplomats say that the public reaction to an election loss by the losing candidate will set the tone for whether violence breaks out.

The political battle between the families of Kenyatta and Odinga goes back to the 1960s and to the two candidates' fathers. Jomo Kenyatta was Kenya's first president after the end of British colonial rule. Jaramogi Oginga Odinga served as the country's first vice president then. The two later had a falling out.

If a runoff is declared, it would be most likely held in late April, depending on how long legal challenges take.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-08-Kenya-Election/id-28c9c6e9b455489884b951455e380e0b

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Brazil: police puzzle over 7 gift-wrapped skulls

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ? Police in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo are baffled by a macabre puzzle: someone has been leaving gift-wrapped human skulls around town.

Investigator Paul Henry Bozon Verduraz described the case to the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper in a story published Thursday.

The first skull in cherry-red wrapping was found on February 20 in a planter near a residential building downtown. Since then, seven others have been found near Mormon temples or consulates, including those for Russia, the Czech Republic and South Africa. The skulls are old, with traces of dirt.

Verduraz says security cameras captured images of a woman in an ankle-length skirt leaving the skulls, which seem old, with traces of dirt. He thinks this may be part of some sort of ritual.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-03-07-Brazil-Gift-Wrapped%20Skulls/id-97dfa36c9c9b4e7b845099d5a7aebd01

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Europe?s ?Square? iZettle Now Powers Mobile Payments In Third-Party Apps, Sees First Rollout Of API With BookingBug

iZettle, one of the many mobile payment companies vying for the title of the "Square of Europe," is taking one more step to cover the market ahead of U.S. rivals like PayPal's here and Intuit's European commercial launches. Today, iZettle chalked up its first full API partner in the UK, the appointment platform BookingBug. First announced last June, the API effectively makes the company's mobile payment service usable from within other, non-iZettle apps -- giving iZettle a jump on this kind of functionality ahead of companies like Square, which as yet to launch an API of its own.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/GLJQ7gLCBWA/

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Thursday, March 7, 2013

Sony Xperia L gets detailed some more, has 4.3-inch display and 8 MP camera

With only two phone launches in the first couple of months of 2013, Sony?s alphabet soup was starting to get stale. Fortunately, the Xperia makers seem to have caught that right on time and are now prepping to add some spices with a new L.

Irony and bad food puns aside, the Xperia L is said to be in the works, but it looks fairly unexciting. Initially thought to be coming with a 4-inch display in tow, the L is now rumored to be a slightly bigger 4.3-incher.

Unfortunately, the previously speculated 854 x 480 pixels resolution is almost set in stone, so, again, pretty unexciting. As is the 1 GHz dual-core processor (most likely a Snapdragon S4 Plus unit), the Adreno 305 GPU and 8 GB of on-board storage.

As for the 1,700 mAh battery, that sounds truly pitiful even for what is shaping up to be a budget mid-ranger. On the flip side, the 8 MP camera packed with an Exmor RS sensor could be unexpectedly delicious, while the running of Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean is also nice though fairly standard already.

In a nutshell, the Xperia L (aka C2104, C2105 or ?TaoShan?) will probably be a slightly bumped up J. Which, for once, would actually be a logical move from Sony. You know, given L is two letters after J in the alphabet. And you?d expect in such a naming scheme to see the low-enders at the beginning (like the E, for instance) and the top-tier devices towards the end (the Z and ZL). But what comes after Z?

No idea, but getting back to the L for an instance we have to mention the dimensions of the phone have also leaked. These are said to be 128.7 x 65 x 9.7 mm. Which would make the L a whole mm thinner than last year?s 4.3-inch Xperia S. Not bad!

Naturally, there?s still no word on pricing or release dates, but expect the L to be unveiled next to the higher end SP. Probably sometime this month, but that?s just a guess. Anyone interested?

Adrian Diaconescu

Adrian has an insatiable passion for writing ever since he was in school and found himself writing philosophical essays about the meaning of life and the differences between light and dark beer. Later, he found out that this is pretty much his only marketable skill, so he first created a personal blog and then discovered his true calling, which is writing about technology and gadgets in general and Android in particular.

Source: http://www.androidauthority.com/sony-xperia-l-details-specs-4-3-inch-display-165502/

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Bahrain Airport - Flight Tracker - Travel iPhone App (PAID)

Bahrain Airport - Flight Tracker

Webport

by SkyTrax. This app provides complete information for Bahrain Airport including parking, food and restaurants, terminal maps, directions and more. No other app provides as much information on Bahrain Airport--useful information you need. See restaurants, shops, transportation to and from airport and Wifi. Airport lets you know if your flights delayed or cancelled and gives you the tools needed to quickly find an alternate flight and rebook all in one place. Check-in, flight status, baggage, seats, for your flight all at your fingertips. In addition, you can access information on virtually every airport you fly to from Bahrain. We include Jeddah, Dubai, Doha, Riyadh, Jeddah, Muscat, Beirut, Kuwait, Tel Aviv, Amman, Beirut, Copenhagen, Geneva, Madrid, Rome, Milan, Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, Copenhagen, Singapore, Tokyo, Manila, Jarkarta, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Beijing, Shanghai, Heathrow, Gatwick, Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland, Istanbul, Moscow, Rio, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Lima, Beijing, Hong Kong, and all the small and medium airports of the world. The app also includes Packing Plus--a checklist for travelers. Did you remember everything? No problems with Packing Plus that is included along with a premium flight tracker.

? © Webport

AppStore link to Bahrain Airport - Flight Tracker - Travel iPhone App

Bahrain Airport - Flight Tracker - Travel iPhone App is now available.

How to download Bahrain Airport - Flight Tracker - Travel iPhone App?

You can download Bahrain Airport - Flight Tracker - Travel iPhone App onto your iPhone by following the link below.

Link: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/bahr...3704?mt=8&uo=2

Source: http://forum.iphoneworld.ca/iphone-appstore/bahrain-airport-flight-tracker-travel-iphone-app-paid-284621.html

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Hear That? In A Din Of Voices, Our Brains Can Tune In To One

Scientists say that understanding how the cocktail party effect works could help people who have trouble deciphering sounds in a noisy environment. Guests make it look easy at a Dolce and Gabbana Lounge party in London in 2010.

Paul Jeffers/AP

Scientists are beginning to understand how people tune in to a single voice in a crowded, noisy room.

This ability, known as the "cocktail party effect," appears to rely on areas of the brain that have completely filtered out unwanted sounds, researchers report in the journal Neuron. So when a person decides to focus on a particular speaker, other speakers "have no representation in those [brain] areas," says Elana Zion Golumbic of Columbia University.

The ability to extract sense from auditory chaos has puzzled scientists since the 1950s, Golumbic says. "It's something we do all the time, not only in cocktail parties," she says. "You're on the street, you're in a restaurant, you're in your office. There are a lot of background sounds all the time, and you constantly need to filter them out and focus on the one thing that's important to you."

But until a few years ago, how the brain did this was a mystery. That's changing, Golumbic says, thanks to new technology that allows scientists to monitor many different areas of the brain as they listen to multiple voices.

The technology involves a grid of electrodes placed on the surface of the brain. Experiments have relied on volunteers who already had these electrodes in place: people in the hospital awaiting surgery for severe epilepsy.

"We bring in a cart with a computer and a screen and speakers," Golumbic says. "And we show them movies."

Try The Experiment Yourself

This video shows clips of two people telling stories at the same time. Try focusing on one person, then the other.

One movie, for example, shows a woman telling a brief story about a parrot. Another shows a man telling a story about how he never liked to clean up his room.

To simulate a cocktail party, though, participants watched a third movie in which the man and woman are both on screen telling those stories simultaneously. The researchers asked them to focus on just one of the speakers while they monitored what was going on in their brains.

And the brain monitoring revealed something remarkable. When a person's brain is in cocktail party mode, some areas, like those involved in hearing, continue to respond to both voices. But other parts of the brain, like those devoted to language, appear to respond only to the selected speaker.

Afterward, volunteers who focused on the man had no trouble remembering that he didn't like to clean his room. But they didn't recall anything about the woman's parrot.

The study also found that the brain areas responding only to the selected voice were constantly fine-tuning their reception, says Charles Schroeder, a neuroscientist at Columbia University and New York state's Nathan Kline Institute. "As the sentence unfolds, the brain's tracking of the signal becomes better and better and better," he says.

This suggests that the brain is separating one voice from the rest by identifying its unique characteristics, Schroeder says. It's also likely that the brain is using information from the first words in a sentence to predict which words are likely to come next.

A better understanding of the cocktail party effect could eventually help people who have trouble deciphering a single voice in a noisy environment, says Edward Chang, an assistant professor of neurological surgery and physiology at the University of California, San Francisco.

That's a problem for many people as they get older, he says. It's also a problem for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, Chang says, adding that he saw this problem up close when a person with the disorder volunteered for an experiment that involved trying to focus on just one of two speakers.

"This person had significant problems with the ability to select the correct speaker," Chang says.

Understanding precisely how the brain solves the cocktail party problem could also allow machines to do a better job deciphering human speech, Chang says. That could mean better cellphones and less frustrating conversations with the computers that often answer phone calls to customer service hotlines.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/03/06/173613681/hear-that-in-a-din-of-voices-our-brains-can-tune-to-one?ft=1&f=1007

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Biden on Iran threat: Obama is not bluffing

Vice President Joe Biden, projected on screens, gestures as he addresses the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) 2013 Policy Conference, Monday, March 4, 2013, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. speaks during a foreign policy discussion at the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) 2013 Policy Conference, Monday, March 4, 2013, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Vice President Joe Biden gets a hug from Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak before he addressed the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) 2013 Policy Conference, Monday, March 4, 2013, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. waves before speaking at a foreign policy discussion at the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) 2013 Policy Conference, Monday, March 4, 2013, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Seeking to reassure anxious Israelis and their American supporters, Vice President Joe Biden vowed Monday that the United States won't back down from its pledge to use military action to thwart Iran's nuclear program should all other options fail.

"President Barack Obama is not bluffing," he said.

In a prelude to Obama's upcoming trip to Israel ? his first as president ? Biden told a powerful pro-Israel lobby that the U.S. doesn't want a war with Iran, but that the window for diplomacy is closing. He said prevention, not containment, is the only outcome the U.S. will accept.

But in a sign the U.S. is still reluctant to embroil itself in another Mideast military effort, Biden cautioned more than 13,000 Israel supporters at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual conference that if Israel or the U.S. acts too hastily, without exhausting every other reasonable option, they could risk losing the backing of the international community.

"That matters because God forbid we have to act, it's important that the rest of the world is with us," Biden said to muted applause.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking to the conference by video link from Jerusalem, pushed back against such reluctance, reflecting the tension still present between the U.S. and its closest Mideast ally as they seek a united front to stave off Iran's nuclear program.

"From the bottom of my heart and from the clarity of my brain, words alone will not stop Iran. Sanctions alone will not stop Iran," Netanyahu said.

The U.S. and world nations have imposed crippling sanctions on Iran's oil and financial industries in hopes of forcing Tehran back to the negotiating table and persuading it to give up nuclear ambitions. Netanyahu has warned that the world has until this summer ? at the latest ? to keep Iran from building a bomb, and has repeatedly hinted at Israel's willingness to launch a military strike to stop it, an endeavor the United States likely would be dragged into.

Participants in the conference were struck by Netanyahu's tough talk, which suggested that military action was inevitable.

"I'm afraid there is going to be something drastic that could happen," said Barbara Rogan, a retired librarian from Westport, Conn. "Iran feels, I think, that they have nothing to lose while forging ahead. The sanctions aren't enough to frighten them."

But Natalie Telson, a Columbia University sophomore from Tustin, Calif., suggested that Netanyahu's saber-rattling was driven in part by his audience ? "12,000 of the most pro-Israel active people in the country."

Iran insists that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes such as power generation and medical uses, but the head of the U.N. nuclear agency said this month he cannot guarantee all of Iran's activities are peaceful unless Tehran increases cooperation.

The White House sees Obama's visit later in March to Israel, Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories as an opportunity to reset relations with Netanyahu, who has frequently bumped heads with Obama, and to strengthen ties with Israelis, many of whom bristled at Obama's early efforts to reach out to the Arab world and his decision not to visit Israel during his first term as president.

White House officials say Obama won't be bringing an ambitious new peace plan when he travels to Jerusalem, but improving relations with Israel and its leader could open the door to a stepped up U.S. effort to facilitate negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

"We will continue to oppose any efforts to establish a state of Palestine through unilateral actions," Biden said, referring to Palestinian efforts to seek U.N. recognition that the United States has staunchly opposed. "There is no shortcut to peace."

Obama spoke to pro-Israel group's conference last year while running for re-election, but this year sent Biden, who vowed a nimble and resolute U.S. response to fluctuating threats in Iran, Syria and Egypt. He cast a vote of confidence in incoming Secretary of State John Kerry ? "You're going to be happy with Kerry" ? and said only through engagement would the U.S. navigate the challenges the Arab Spring presents.

Biden made no mention of the newest member of Obama's second-term national security team, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, whom opponents cast as insufficiently supportive of Israel. Hagel also apologized for saying the "Jewish lobby" intimidates members of the Senate into favoring actions contrary to U.S. interests.

Speaking on a panel shortly before Biden's address, Republican Sen. John McCain, a leading foe of Hagel's, said, "we need members of the national security team who are pro-Israel, not anti-Israel."

Logan said she was so upset by the nomination of Hagel that she called the White House to complain. Frank Ponder of Los Angeles said he was reassured by Obama's first-term team of Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

As for Kerry and Hagel, Ponder said both were "brand new" and he would wait and see.

Critical for Hagel's success in winning Senate confirmation was the fact that AIPAC never publicly took a stand on the nomination.

Anna Etra, a Barnard College student from Los Angeles, said that was a "a very strategic move" by AIPAC which typically "reaches out to incumbents and those competing against them."

Days after the U.S. announced a substantial shift in policy in Syria to provide non-lethal aid directly to rebels battling President Bashar Assad, Biden reiterated that Assad must be ousted, but made clear that uncertainty about elements of the Syrian opposition is still keeping the U.S. from arming the rebels.

"We are not signing up for one murderer's gang replacing another in Damascus," Biden said.

Biden expressed a similar degree of skepticism about Egypt, where U.S. hopes that Islamist President Mohammed Morsi could play a powerful leadership role in the Mideast were dampened after anti-Semitic remarks Morsi made in 2010 were publicized and political protesters have questioned his commitment to democracy.

"We're not looking at what's happening in Egypt through rose-colored glasses," Biden said. "Our eyes are wide open. We have no illusions about the challenges that we face, but we also know this: There's no legitimate alternative at this point to engagement."

His comment came just one day after Kerry announced the release of $250 million in U.S. aid to Egypt.

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Follow Josh Lederman on Twitter: http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-04-Biden/id-0b6ce5bc7ef942afaad51aa216c00660

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