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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Daily deal: Ballistic Shell Gel (SG) Series Case for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 only $18.95
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Experts: US ill-prepared for oil spill off Cuba (AP)
MIAMI ? The U.S. is not ready to handle an oil spill if drilling off the Cuban coast goes awry but can be better prepared with monitoring systems and other basic steps, experts told government officials Monday.
The comments at a congressional subcommittee hearing in the Miami Beach suburb of Sunny Isles come more than a week after a huge oil rig arrived in Cuban waters to begin drilling a deepwater exploratory well.
Similar development is expected off the Bahamas next year, but decades of tense relations between the U.S. and Cuba makes cooperation in protecting the Florida Straits particularly tricky. With memories of the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico still fresh, state and federal officials fear even the perception of oil flowing toward Florida beaches could devastate an economy that claims about $57 billion from tourism.
Florida International University Professor John Proni told officials to be proactive. He is leading a consortium of researchers on U.S. readiness to handle a spill.
"For the last few years, my colleagues and I have been visiting Washington to say the best time to start preparing for an oil spell is before it happens," Proni told leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, in a hotel-turned-hearing room overlooking the turquoise waters the group convened to protect. Proni said he has seen little action from officials in Washington, though they responded positively.
U.S. officials have turned their attention to preventing future spills since the Deepwater Horizon rig leased by BP blew up in April 2010, causing the well to blow out and unleashing millions of gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Crude washed up on pristine shoreline, soiled wildlife and left a region dependent on tourist dollars scrambling to rebuild its image.
Coast Guard officials said Monday they did not know if Cuba had started drilling. Experts testified current estimates have surface oil from a spill moving as quickly as 3 miles an hour due to the Gulfstream, but that the fast-moving current would make it difficult for the oil to quickly cross the Florida Straits.
Rear Adm. William Baumgartner, commander of the Coast Guard region that covers the Florida Straits, said a likely scenario would have the oil spreading and reaching U.S. waters in six to 10 days.
Proni said that lack of specificity is the problem. He wants a system that can monitor changes in underwater sounds to immediately alert U.S. officials to a spill or other unusual activity. He also wants the U.S. to invest in developing better computer models to predict oil movement and to do an assessment of the existing ecosystem and the type of oil Cuba possesses. That way, experts can better pinpoint any damage and find out if it came from Cuban wells.
Proni said the fast-moving water would make it difficult to burn the oil or strain it, as was done to halt the spread of the Deepwater Horizon spill. He added that more research is needed on the risks of using chemicals that break down the oil into tiny droplets.
Baumgartner said his agency has been working to develop a response plan. The Coast Guard and private response teams have been granted the required visas under the U.S. embargo to work with the Cuban government and its partners should a problem arise. Since March 2011, the agency has been working with Repsol RDF, the Spanish company leasing the rig off Cuba, and inspected the rig earlier this month.
The rig was given a good bill of health. Asked Monday about the rig's readiness, though, Baumgartner said inspectors found some minor problems with the safety systems that would have kept the ship from being allowed to drill in U.S. waters. He said it was unclear whether the required repairs had been made.
U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, one of three South Florida Cuban-American lawmakers who attended the hearing, said he hopes the Obama administration will quickly respond to the consortium's concerns. He added that Proni's proposals could be applied to the Gulf of Mexico, where many more rigs are already drilling for oil in U.S. waters.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, has authored a bill that would sanction those who help Cuba develop its oil reserves.
"We can't stop Repsol from drilling now, but we can act to deter future leaders to avoid the Castro brothers becoming the oil tycoons of the Caribbean," she told the committee.
Fellow South Floridian U.S. Rep. David Rivera is proposing to expand the 1990 Oil Pollution Act to fully cover companies operating outside U.S. waters, in the event oil reaches U.S. territory. The 1990 law requires oil companies to repay government agencies for any cleanup costs for spills; it also requires that companies have plans for preventing and cleaning up spills.
But Chairman John Micah, R-Fla., questioned whether the U.S. could enforce any law outside its own waters.
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Around the Web?
Kick off your week with Monday’s afternoon reads: Katherine Heigl is no fan of Dance Moms ? iVillage.com Parents are more lax about booster seats when carpooling ? USA Today Brad Pitt admits to giving the kids soda for breakfast ? CBSNews.com Books vs. electronic devises: where will your child learn to read? ? SheKnows.com [...]
Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/bG0VxZVMCwI/
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Monday, January 30, 2012
[OOC] Lockwood Integrated Defense Industries
Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.
Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!
This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Blood on the Thames?. Anything posted here will also show up there.Topic Tags:
Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.This thread to be added upon at a later time.
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Knights of Fortune OOC
It is medieval Europe, and chaos is everywhere. Religion and politics are the hot topics of the day. The black plague and witchcraft scare the people, and war kills those who the wielders of the black arts do not. No one king or knight can rid the land of evil and quell the political chaos at the same time. The King of England has decreed that he will settle all political problems, and has summoned six of his best knights to deal with domestic problems. The children of these six knights, who are all knights-errant, have been chosen to form a mercenary band of knights that anyone with enough coin can call upon. They are skillful and talented warriors, and all are ready to cleave a witch or a bandit in twain. They are the Knights of Fortune.
Use this CS:
Full Name: Sir James Nier, Knight Commander
Preferred Name: Jimmy
Age/DOB: 20
Gender: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Human. English.
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 200 lbs. of muscle
Build: Muscular.
Eyes: light brown
Hair: blonde
Clothes: White suit of armor when in battle, though he rarely wears the helmet. Black braided outfit and black shoes with gold trim when not.
Appearance: N/A
Born: Gloucester, England
Special abilities: Though it is top secret, James has been experimenting with magic. Through it, he can call upon increased speed or strength, shoot fireballs, and increase the sharpness of his sword, but only one at a time and only for a limited time.
Personality: Courageous, heroic, bold, friendly.
Background: James is the son of Richard Nier, the Captain of the King's Knights. James has trained since boyhood to be a knight, starting out as a page for his father and then later becoming his squire. There was no favoritism shown, and he earned every bit of his success. When he was knighted at nineteen, he prepared to take on the duties of a knight for His Majesty, King Phillip II. He did his job earnestly, but much responsibility was assigned to him when the Knights of Fortune was established. James was promoted two full ranks to Knight Commander, and given charge over five other knights, who are the children of other celebrated knights in the service of His Majesty. Since then, he has taken to his new role with gusto. He is as good a leader as you can find, and would die to defend his knights, family, kingdom or country.
Extra: Like his father before him, James lives by the creed "For King and Country".
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/S0PsVKQ7e6c/viewtopic.php
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Blues singer Etta James remembered in Los Angeles (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Hundreds of mourners gathered at a Los Angeles-area church on Saturday to remember rhythm-and-blues singer Etta James, saying she overcame great personal and professional hurdles to sing "the times that she lived."
During a two-hour service that featured performances by pop stars Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera, the Rev. Al Sharpton eulogized James as a woman who rose from a tough childhood and poured her pain into her music.
Aguilera performed a version of "At Last," James' show-stopping hit and best-known song.
James died at 73 at a Riverside, California, hospital on January 20 from complications of leukemia, prompting numerous tributes from artists and musicians who were influenced by her work, including Mariah Carey and Aretha Franklin.
"People need to understand that when they hear the music Etta James sang, she sang the times that she lived," Sharpton told friends and family at Greater Bethany Church City of Refuge church in the Los Angeles suburb of Gardena.
"She put our pain and our dreams and our love and our need for one another in her vocal chords, but the difference between her and other artists is somehow you felt she meant what she was saying."
James, who was born to a teenage single mother, won wide acclaim and three Grammys, but saw numerous ups-and-downs in her career and personal life. She struggled with obesity and heroin addiction, ran a hot-check scheme and had troubled relationships with men.
But, Sharpton said, James should be remembered for blazing a trail for the entertainers who followed her.
"Etta was the one that brought class ... generations behind will try but never quite have the strut and swagger and talent of Etta James," he said.
"At last you (Etta) can get the gratitude of the savior now. Go on home Etta. Get your reward now ... you beat them Etta. You won Etta. Get your reward Etta. At last. At last. At last."
James won her first Grammy in 1995 for her album, "Mystery Lady: The Songs of Billie Holiday." She also won Grammys in 2003 and 2005, and a lifetime achievement award in 2003 from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Grammys.
James is survived by her husband, Artis Mills, two sons Donto and Sametto who played in James' backing band, and four grandchildren.
(Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by David Bailey)
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Freed Egypt activist says will not stay silent (Reuters)
CAIRO (Reuters) ? An Egyptian activist who became a symbol of resistance to the army's trials of civilians said Saturday he would not be silenced and denounced the army for detaining and mistreating "prisoners of conscience."
Maikel Nabil has been jailed twice since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled from power last February on charges of defaming the army, but was pardoned by the head of the ruling army council earlier this month along with almost 2,000 others.
In his first public appearance since his release from military jail, the 25-year-old said the army had tortured him in prison but he remained defiant.
"We cannot be silent about any violation against us," said Nabil, whose staged a hunger strike during his imprisonment.
Nabil, a Coptic Christian by birth, was jailed after using his blog (www.maikelnabil.com) to accuse the army of attempting to quell the uprising against Mubarak. At the time, most Egyptians saw the army as a neutral force, admired for their role in defending the nation, in contrast to the hated police.
But many Egyptians have since been horrified by images of soldiers dragging, beating and firing tear gas at protesters who were demanding a swift end to military rule.
Nabil said that during his detention he was given drugs that blurred his mind and was also kept in a psychiatric hospital for some of the time, despite being mentally sound.
"This was a tactic to affect my psychological state, to create a kind of hysteria and panic," Nabil told a news conference in Cairo. "It is unthinkable that such tactics are used in 2011."
He said he was confined for some of the time in a cell one meter by one meter in which a lamp continually flickered.
Army sources could not be immediately reached to respond to Nabil's comments.
The rights group 'No To Military Trials' estimates 12,000 people have been referred to military courts since Mubarak's fall, many more than in the whole of Mubarak's 30-year rule when security courts were the favored venue for emergency trials.
When he appeared before a military court, Nabil said he was barred from calling witnesses. He said he had received messages of support from junior army officers who opposed the army's crackdown on dissent, but did not give details.
Nabil described seeing two prisoners being stripped naked and beaten. "It was the first torture incident I witnessed with my own eyes," he said.
It was not possible to independently confirm his account.
Generals who have ruled Egypt since Mubarak's fall have pledged to hand over to civilian rule by July. They routinely deny charges of abuses or of trying anyone because of their opinions.
International rights groups have accused the army of using heavy-handed tactics, reminiscent of techniques use during Mubarak's era, to stifle dissent.
(Editing by Edmund Blair)
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
Zimbabwe doctors report 800 typhoid cases (AP)
HARARE,Zimbabwe ? An independent doctors' group in Zimbabwe is reporting 800 cases of the bacterial disease typhoid in a recent outbreak.
No deaths have been reported in the past three weeks. The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights said Sunday that the nation's troubled coalition government lacked urgency in dealing with public health woes.
In a statement, the group said that amid heavy rains clean water supplies were still irregular or "completely absent" in most impoverished townships in Harare. It said burst sewers were left unattended and meat and fish were sold on streets nearby.
A cholera outbreak in 2009 blamed on the collapse of water, sanitation and prevention services in Zimbabwe killed more than 4,000 people.
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Shakil Afridi, Pakistani Doctor, Provided Key Information To U.S. In Advance Of Bin Laden Raid: Defense Secretary
In this Jan. 5, 2012 file photo, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta speaks at the Pentagon. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
| Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/27/google-earth-upgrade/
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
SwRI-led RAD measures radiation from solar storm
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 27-Jan-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Deb Schmid
dschmid@swri.org
210-522-2254
Southwest Research Institute
Data will provide valuable information for future human space exploration
The largest solar particle event since 2005 hit the Earth, Mars and the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft travelling in-between, allowing the onboard Radiation Assessment Detector to measure the radiation a human astronaut could be exposed to en route to the Red Planet.
On Sunday, a huge coronal mass ejection erupted from the surface of the sun, spewing a cloud of charged particles in our direction, causing a strong "S3" solar storm. A NASA Goddard Space Weather Lab animation of the CME illustrates how the disturbance impacts Earth, Mars and several spacecraft. Solar storms can affect the Earth's aurorae, satellites, air travel and GPS systems; no harmful effects to the Mars Science Laboratory have been detected from this solar event.
We only have a few hours of data downloaded from the RAD so far, but we clearly see the event, said RAD Principal Investigator Don Hassler, science program director in the Space Studies Department at Southwest Research Institute. The Mars Science Laboratory, launched Nov. 26, will land a sophisticated car-sized rover called Curiosity on the surface of the planet in August. Loaded with 10 instruments including RAD, Curiosity will traverse the landing site looking for the building blocks of life and characterizing factors that may influence life, such as the harsh radiation environment expected on Mars. "This SPE encounter is particularly exciting in light of the alignment between the Earth, MSL and Mars right now and for the next few months. It will be very interesting to compare the RAD data, collected from inside the capsule, with the data from other spacecraft."
This event has also been seen by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, Geostationary Operational Environment Satellites, the Advanced Composition Explorer, and the twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory spacecraft in Earth orbit as well as the Solar Heliospheric Observatory flying between Earth and the sun.
"RAD was designed to characterize radiation levels on the surface of Mars, but an important secondary objective is measuring the radiation during the almost nine-month journey through interplanetary space to prepare for future human exploration," said Hassler. "RAD is an important bridge between the science and exploration sides of NASA.
"Not only will this give us insight into the physics of these giant clouds, but like an astronaut, RAD is tucked inside the MSL 'spacecraft,'" Hassler continued. "Measurements from RAD will give us insight about the shielding provided by spacecraft for future manned missions in deep space."
RAD will collect data nearly continuously during cruise and will downlink data every 24 hours. Positioned in the front-left corner of the rover, the instrument is about the size of a coffee can and weighs about three pounds, but has capabilities of an Earth-bound instrument nearly 10 times its size. When MSL arrives at Mars, RAD will detect charged particles arriving from space and will measure neutrons and gamma rays coming from Mars' atmosphere above, or the surface material below, the rover.
###
SwRI, together with Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany, built RAD with funding from the NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate and Germany's national aerospace research center, Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt.
The Mars Science Laboratory is a project of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech. The mission's rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 27-Jan-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Deb Schmid
dschmid@swri.org
210-522-2254
Southwest Research Institute
Data will provide valuable information for future human space exploration
The largest solar particle event since 2005 hit the Earth, Mars and the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft travelling in-between, allowing the onboard Radiation Assessment Detector to measure the radiation a human astronaut could be exposed to en route to the Red Planet.
On Sunday, a huge coronal mass ejection erupted from the surface of the sun, spewing a cloud of charged particles in our direction, causing a strong "S3" solar storm. A NASA Goddard Space Weather Lab animation of the CME illustrates how the disturbance impacts Earth, Mars and several spacecraft. Solar storms can affect the Earth's aurorae, satellites, air travel and GPS systems; no harmful effects to the Mars Science Laboratory have been detected from this solar event.
We only have a few hours of data downloaded from the RAD so far, but we clearly see the event, said RAD Principal Investigator Don Hassler, science program director in the Space Studies Department at Southwest Research Institute. The Mars Science Laboratory, launched Nov. 26, will land a sophisticated car-sized rover called Curiosity on the surface of the planet in August. Loaded with 10 instruments including RAD, Curiosity will traverse the landing site looking for the building blocks of life and characterizing factors that may influence life, such as the harsh radiation environment expected on Mars. "This SPE encounter is particularly exciting in light of the alignment between the Earth, MSL and Mars right now and for the next few months. It will be very interesting to compare the RAD data, collected from inside the capsule, with the data from other spacecraft."
This event has also been seen by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, Geostationary Operational Environment Satellites, the Advanced Composition Explorer, and the twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory spacecraft in Earth orbit as well as the Solar Heliospheric Observatory flying between Earth and the sun.
"RAD was designed to characterize radiation levels on the surface of Mars, but an important secondary objective is measuring the radiation during the almost nine-month journey through interplanetary space to prepare for future human exploration," said Hassler. "RAD is an important bridge between the science and exploration sides of NASA.
"Not only will this give us insight into the physics of these giant clouds, but like an astronaut, RAD is tucked inside the MSL 'spacecraft,'" Hassler continued. "Measurements from RAD will give us insight about the shielding provided by spacecraft for future manned missions in deep space."
RAD will collect data nearly continuously during cruise and will downlink data every 24 hours. Positioned in the front-left corner of the rover, the instrument is about the size of a coffee can and weighs about three pounds, but has capabilities of an Earth-bound instrument nearly 10 times its size. When MSL arrives at Mars, RAD will detect charged particles arriving from space and will measure neutrons and gamma rays coming from Mars' atmosphere above, or the surface material below, the rover.
###
SwRI, together with Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany, built RAD with funding from the NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate and Germany's national aerospace research center, Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt.
The Mars Science Laboratory is a project of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech. The mission's rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/sri-srm012712.php
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Winslet to receive honorary French 'Cesar'
FILE- In this Jan. 15, 2012, file photo showing Kate Winslet arrives on the red carpet before the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles, USA. It is announced Friday Jan. 27, 2012, that British actress Kate Winslet is to receive an honorary Cesar award next month from organizers of the French equivalent of the Academy Awards, for her body of work.(AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)
FILE- In this Jan. 15, 2012, file photo showing Kate Winslet arrives on the red carpet before the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles, USA. It is announced Friday Jan. 27, 2012, that British actress Kate Winslet is to receive an honorary Cesar award next month from organizers of the French equivalent of the Academy Awards, for her body of work.(AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)
FILE- In this Jan. 15, 2012, File photo showing Kate Winslet arrives on the red carpet before the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles, USA. British actress Kate Winslet is to receive an honorary Cesar award next month from organizers of the French equivalent of the Academy Awards, for her body of work.(AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)
PARIS (AP) ? British actress Kate Winslet is to receive an honorary award next month from organizers of the French equivalent of the Academy Awards.
The versatile 36-year-old now on French screens in Roman Polanski's clashing-couples film "Carnage" will receive the honorary Cesar at the ceremony on Feb. 24.
France's Academy of Cinematic Arts and Techniques presented nominations for the 37th Cesar Awards ceremony on Friday.
Child-protection drama "Polisse" led with 13 nominations, while silent, black-and-white film "The Artist" garnered 11.
France's National Cinematic Center has said French movie theaters sold 211 million tickets last year ? a 45-year high, and a 4-percent increase from 2010.
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Man gets car ban after 4 children found in trunk (AP)
LONDON ? A British court has banned a man from driving for a year after he was caught traveling with four children in the trunk of his car.
Britain's Press Association news agency said Thursday that police found a total of 11 people in Zoltan Lakatos' Audi A4 when they stopped him in the English city of Leicester last year.
One passenger was in the driver's seat, three adults and two children were squeezed into the back, and officers discovered four more children in the trunk.
The news agency says Lakatos was convicted of endangering his passengers and of driving without insurance earlier this week at Leicester Magistrates' Court. He also was fined 1,325 pounds (about $2,080).
The agency said the 38-year-old was not in court for the ruling.
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Cruise ship victims mull $14,460 compensation deal (AP)
ROME ? How much is it worth to suffer through a terrifying cruise ship grounding?
Italian ship operator Costa Crociere SpA on Friday put the figure at euro11,000 ($14,460) plus reimbursement for the cost of cruise tickets and extra travel expenses, seeking to cut a deal with as many passengers as possible to take the wind out of class-action lawsuits stemming from the Jan. 13 grounding of its Costa Concordia cruise liner off Tuscany.
But many passengers are refusing to accept the deal, saying they can't yet put a figure on the costs of the trauma they endured. And lawyers are backing them up, telling passengers it's far too soon to know how people's lives and livelihoods might be affected by the experience.
"We're very worried about the children," said Claudia Urru of Cagliari, Sardinia, who was on the Concordia with her husband and two sons, aged three and 12, when it capsized.
Her elder son is seeing a psychiatrist: He won't speak about the incident or even look at television footage of the grounding.
"He's terrorized at night," she told The Associated Press. "He can't go to the bathroom alone. We're all sleeping together, except my husband, who has gone into another room because we don't all fit."
As a result, she said, her family retained a lawyer because they don't know what the real impact ? financial or otherwise ? of the trauma will be. She said her family simply isn't able to make such decisions now.
"We are having a very, very hard time," she said.
Costa's offer, which covers compensation for lost baggage and psychological trauma, was the result of negotiations with several consumer groups who say they are representing 3,206 passengers from 61 countries who suffered no physical harm when the massive cruise ship hit a reef off the island of Giglio.
It's not clear, though, how many of those passengers will take the deal, even though they're guaranteed payment within a week of signing on.
In addition to the lump-sum indemnity, Costa, a unit of the world's biggest cruise operator, Miami-based Carnival Corp., said it would reimburse uninjured passengers the full costs of their cruise, their return travel expenses and any medical expenses they sustained after the grounding.
Costa said the euro11,000 figure is higher than current indemnification limits provided for by law, and added that it wouldn't deduct anything that insurance companies might kick in.
The deal does not apply to the hundreds of crew on the ship, many of whom have lost their jobs, the roughly 100 people who were injured in the chaotic evacuation, or the families who lost loved ones.
Sixteen bodies have already been recovered from the disaster and another 16 people who were on board are missing and presumed dead.
On Friday, the first known lawsuit was filed against Costa and Carnival by one of the Concordia's crew members, Gary Lobaton of Peru. The suit, filed in Chicago federal court, accuses Carnival and Costa of negligence because of an unsafe evacuation and is seeking class-action status.
In Italy, some consumer groups have already signed on as injured parties in the criminal case against the Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino, who is accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship before all those aboard were evacuated.
Schettino, who is under house arrest, deviated from the ship's charted course to bring the Concordia closer to Giglio, gashing the hull on a reef a few hundred meters offshore. He has said the reef wasn't on his nautical charts.
In addition, Codacons, one of Italy's best-known consumer groups, has teamed up with two U.S. law firms to launch a class-action lawsuit against Costa and Carnival in Miami, claiming that it expects to get anywhere from euro125,000 ($164,000) to euro1 million ($1.3 million) per passenger.
German attorney Hans Reinhardt, who currently represents 15 Germans who survived the accident and is in talks to represent families who lost loved ones, said he is advising his clients not to take the settlement.
Instead, he along with Codacons is working with one of the U.S. law firms to pursue the class-action suit in Miami.
"What they have lost is much more than euro11,000," he said of his clients.
But Roberto Corbella, who represented Costa in the negotiations with consumer groups that led to the offer, said the deal provides passengers with quick and "generous" restitution that with all the reimbursements could amount to some euro14,000 ($18,500) per passenger, even non-paying children.
"The big advantage that they have is an immediate response, no legal expenses, and they can put this whole thing behind them," he told AP.
Melissa Goduti, of Wallingford, Connecticut, is trying to do just that but hasn't quite been able to. The 28-year-old, who was traveling with her mother aboard the Concordia, says she can't sleep at night ? "nothing works, even meds" ? and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
She said Costa had offered to pay for three to five counseling sessions for the PTSD, but that she'll need more.
"That will not fix my problem," she said in an email. "No one is going to get over this tragic event in 3-5 counseling sessions."
Passenger Ophelie Gondelle of Marseille, France, said euro11,000 was paltry "especially considering the psychological" trauma she endured. She said she and her boyfriend are taking part in a French class-action effort underway instead.
Urru, the Sardinian mother of two, said her family was so traumatized by the grounding that when it came time to go home the day after, they flew to Sardinia from Rome rather than take the ferry because everyone was too terrified to go near a ship.
"It was impossible," to go by boat, she said.
For the past several days, she has kept busy by preparing a box of goods to send to a resident on the island of Giglio who let her family and their friends ? a total of 10 people ? stay in a holiday apartment the night of the grounding.
Urru said she was sending seven sweaters and two blankets to make up for the things that her family took from the apartment, since they had nothing to guard against the freezing Tuscan chill. She said she was also sending the homeowner some cheese and salami and typical Sardinian sweets.
"Inside this apartment, it was so warm, so welcoming. They gave us everything that was inside the house," Urru said. "They were truly, truly wonderful."
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Ne-Yo wants to integrate music as new Motown VP (AP)
NEW YORK ? Ne-Yo has a dream: He believes the record industry is segregated, and has hopes of changing that as the new senior vice president of artists and repertoire for Motown Records.
Even though Motown's legend is rooted in black music, it was music that appealed to everyone, helping to unite a nation in sometimes divisive times. As a top exec at Motown, Ne-Yo wants to unite people musically once again.
"I want to get back to a place where everybody's listening to the same thing no matter what race, color, creed you are," the Grammy-winning singer said in an interview Wednesday after Universal Music made the announcement. "(Now) there's music that's specifically for black people and there's music that's specifically for white people, and I feel like the essence of ... music is lost when you do that."
The 32-year-old Grammy winner, who has multiple hits of his own and has also written smashes for others like Rihanna and Beyonce, says he is looking to sign artists that have a drive and a tremendous work ethic, not just one-hit wonders.
"I definitely plan on making sure the people I bring to the industry are going to be an asset to the industry as opposed to a liability," said Ne-Yo, who also has his own label imprint called Compound Entertainment. "It's more than `She looks good in a short skirt' or `He looks good with his shirt off' ? it's about somebody that has a talent."
Ne-Yo, who is planning to release his fifth album this summer, will also move to the Motown Records roster. He has released his four albums on Island Def Jam Music Group; both Motown and Def Jam are subsidiaries of Universal Music.
He's also an actor: Ne-Yo appears in the new George Lucas film "Red Tails" about the Tuskegee Airmen, who were the first black fighter pilots to serve in the U.S. military. It debuted at No. 2 with $19.2 million last weekend, despite some concerns that a black-themed film would not appeal to a mainstream audience.
"It always feels good to beat the odds," he said.
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Online:
http://www.neyothegentleman.com/
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Mesfin Fekadu covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/musicmesfin
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UC Merced research project examines South Dos Palos
No jobs, a lack of infrastructure, a delay in fire and law enforcement response and many loose dogs roaming the streets.
Those are among the findings from a research project aimed at gathering information on one of the poorest communities in Merced County.
The needs and challenges of the small unincorporated rural town of South Dos Palos mirror those of other small rural communities in the Central Valley.
South Dos Palos is a community with one of the widest disparities of poverty, said Robin DeLugan, a professor at UC Merced, who led the research, which will be a part of a bigger project. DeLugan said the project confirmed what she and others already knew.
However, there wasn't concrete information using statistics and percentages about the community's specific needs to really represent what's going on, she said.
This project intended to do just that.
"We were waiting for an opportunity to show where research can make a difference," she said.
Talking with residents
Last spring, a group of 30 undergraduate students went door-to-door to try to get information from residents about local conditions. DeLugan said they were able to get information from about 215 households, which represents about 70 percent of the occupied homes in South Dos Palos.
Some of the information was about public safety, how long residents have to travel for groceries and medical services and what they like or dislike about their community. "We are hoping the information becomes useful in shedding light on the community," DeLugan said.
The data can be used for grant writing to help improve the community. "Those are our goals with the data that we collected," DeLugan said.
Some of the problems indicated by residents aren't so hard to solve. For example, one safety issue was an excess of loose dogs, which can be addressed, she said.
Students spent last fall analyzing the data. On Sunday, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., there will be an exhibit of their work at the UC Merced Kolligian Library, Room 355.
The next step will be to disseminate information to the residents and get them involved in making changes.
A portion of the survey used for South Dos Palos residents will be used in other rural unincorporated communities in the Central Valley, which will bring opportunities for comparison, DeLugan said.
DeLugan and her team, along with such other organizations as the Community University Research and Action for Justice, California Rural Legal Assistance and PolicyLink, began to work with the George Washington Carver Center board members to collect the data. The Carver Center is a community center in Dos Palos.
Reporter Yesenia Amaro can be reached at (209) 385-2482 or yamaro@mercedsunstar.com.
Source: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/01/26/2207369/uc-merced-research-project-examines.html
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Will Sunscreen Protect You From the Solar Flares? (SPACE.com)
An explosion in the sun's atmosphere called a "solar flare" sent a huge burst of matter and energy hurtling into space Monday (Jan. 23), and some of the material is now raining down upon Earth. Solar flares are difficult to predict, but they often come in clusters, so more floods of solar radiation are likely to hit Earth soon.
During another recent period of extreme solar activity, Kobus Olckers, a forecaster at the South African Space Weather Office in Cape Town, advised members of the public to avoid going outside and to wear high-SPF sunscreen if they do. But will some SPF 45 really protect you from the extra radiation?
Yes ? sunscreen will block the radiation. But there isn't actually that much extra to worry about.
"Ultraviolet radiation from the sun briefly goes up by factors of thousands during solar flares," said Todd Hoeksema, a solar astronomer at Stanford University. "That's outside the Earth's atmosphere, though. The amount of UV radiation that gets to the ground is about the same as normal," Hoeksema told Life's Little Mysteries.
Most of the high-energy radiation coming from the sun during a solar flare gets absorbed by our atmosphere. "UV light is very energetic so it interacts with the atmosphere , breaking molecules apart and ionizing atoms. As it goes though the air, more and more gets absorbed. Most of it gets absorbed 80 or 100 miles above us," he said.
The extra UV light that does make it through the atmosphere ? and onto your skin ? isn't enough to worry about, Hoeksema said.? "The increase in the amount of UV on the ground is minimal."
These radiation showers are actually fairly common, happening a few times a year during the active part of the sun's 11-year cycle. And while they pose no real risk to Earth-bound humans, the high-velocity protons , gamma rays,? X-rays and other types of ionizing radiation they eject can be hazardous to astronauts in orbit. (In case you're wondering, sunscreen won't block high-velocity protons or the like.)
The normal daily influx of UV light is the real concern. "What matters is the cumulative dose of UV radiation you get, not a small increase here and there," Hoeksema said. Regular exposure to UV radiation causes genetic mutations to occur in skin cells that can lead to skin cancer. "Since the effect is cumulative,? he said, ?I think that people should wear sunscreen all the time."
This story was provided by Life's Little Mysteries, a sister site to SPACE.com. Got a question? nattyover.
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
Stock index futures signal mixed Wall Street open (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stock index futures pointed to a mixed open for equities on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.2 percent, the Dow Jones futures down 0.1 percent and the Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.6 percent.
The U.S. Federal Reserve looks set to keep monetary policy on hold on Wednesday, even as it releases forecasts expected to show interest rates will be near zero for at least two more years.
Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX) is offering $5.7 billion in cash to buy U.S. gene sequencing company Illumina Inc (ILMN.O) in a hostile takeover bid that marks a major play by the Swiss drugmaker into the gene technology field.
Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) quarterly results blew past Wall Street's expectations after U.S. consumers snapped up near-unprecedented numbers of iPhones and iPads, sending its shares up 8 percent into record territory. Apple shares listed in Frankfurt (AAPL.F) rose 6.6 percent.
U.S. President Barack Obama used his last State of the Union speech before the November election to paint himself as the champion of the middle class, by demanding higher taxes for millionaires and tight reins on Wall Street.
The Mortgage Bankers Association releases at 7 a.m. ET Weekly Mortgage Market Index for the week ended January 20, versus the prior week. The mortgage market index read 816.1 and the refinancing index was 4,500.6 in the previous week.
National Association of Realtors issues at 10 a.m. ET Pending Home Sales for December. Economists expect a 1.0 percent fall compared with a 7.3 percent rise in the previous month.
Nordic budget carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle (NWC.OL) ordered 222 narrow-body aircraft worth a total of $21.5 billion at list prices on Wednesday. It split its order between Boeing Corp (BA.N) and Airbus, part of EADS (EAD.PA).
U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) resumed work on Wednesday at its $15.7 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Papua New Guinea, a spokeswoman said, a day after a landslide swept through two nearby villages killing at least four people.
United Technologies (UTX.N) announces results, which Wall Street expects will show profit rose to $1.46 per share from $1.31 per share. Textron (TXT.L) , the world's top maker of corporate aircraft, is expected to post a 3 percent rise in earnings, factoring out one-time items.
Boeing (BA.N), the world's largest aerospace and defense company, is set to report a sharp decline in fourth-quarter profit. Other companies announcing results include Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N), Automatic Data Processing (ADP.O) and Xerox (XRX.N).
European shares (.FTEU3) fell 0.6 percent on Wednesday, weighed by the tech sector after a sharp post-results decline for mobile telecoms network gear maker Ericsson (ERICb.ST).
U.S. stocks edged lower on Tuesday, ending a five-day rally for the S&P 500 (.SPX), as talks to resolve Greece's debt crisis hit a snag and earnings from a number of blue-chips disappointed investors.
The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) finished down 33.07 points, or 0.26 percent, at 12,675.75. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 1.37 points, or 0.10 percent, at 1,314.63. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) rose 2.47 points, or 0.09 percent, to 2,786.64.
(Reporting by Atul Prakash; Editing by Erica Billingham)
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Ind. House Dems return in right-to-work battle (AP)
INDIANAPOLIS ? Indiana Democrats planned to end their off-and-on boycott of the state House Wednesday in a move that could open the way for Republicans to call a final vote on the divisive right-to-work legislation that prompted the walkout.
Democrats will attend the House's 1:30 p.m. session, but have not yet decided if they will stick around if Republicans call for a final vote on the right-to-work bill, said Democratic Rep. Linda Lawson, a member of Democratic House Minority Leader Patrick Bauer's leadership team.
Most House Democrats have been staying away since the start of the 2012 session, denying Republicans a quorum to vote on plans to make Indiana the 23rd state that bans unions from collecting mandatory representation fees.
Republicans have levied $4,000 in fines against each of the boycotting Democrats thus far, although an ongoing legal challenge has blocked them from collecting those penalties.
By boycotting eight out of the 14 days the House has met this year, Democrats have also created a backlog of other priorities, such as a proposed statewide smoking ban and a plan to crack down on human sex-trafficking before the Super Bowl kicks off in Indianapolis Feb. 5.
Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma has said he plans to work on other measures that have been backlogged in the House before taking a final vote on right-to-work. Sticking to that schedule could give the returning Democrats another chance to block the measure.
Bosma spokeswoman Tory Flynn said Wednesday he plans to stick to that schedule.
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Are Some Science Stories Inevitably Political?
RALEIGH, N.C.?Does writing about climate change or childhood vaccinations necessarily mean you?ve got an agenda? That?s one of the questions tackled at last week?s ScienceOnline 2012 meeting, a gathering of some 450 scientists, bloggers, scientist-bloggers, journalists and other communicators on the campus of North Carolina State University.
In this particular session, ?You Got Your Politics in My Science,? attendees related their experiences and their approaches to dealing with perceived advocacy and reactive attacks. Everyone realizes that both scientists and journalists strive for impartiality. Yet certain hot-button topics invite scrutiny. Heather Goldstone, who reports for a public-radio affiliate and hosts Climatetide.org, mentioned that whenever she wrote about climate change or evolution, she was asked if she?s advocating for something, even by her editors.
Science communicators often feel that the facts should speak for themselves. But public-relations firms practice ?strategic communications? for a reason: framing and spin work. David Wescott, who writes the It?s Not a Lecture blog, cited the name change of the private military contractor Blackwater to Academi and the reference to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as ?Obamacare? by opponents. Indeed, business history is full of such moves?how many people recognize that the Altria Group was formerly known as Philip Morris?
But even a nicely framed story would do little to change minds if the message isn?t properly targeted. People who have found their way to the fringe are unlikely to respond to persuasion going the other way. Seth Mnookin, author of The Panic Virus (Simon & Shuster, 2011), which explored the autism fear of childhood vaccines, mentioned he wouldn?t bother writing about celebrity anti-vaccinationist Jenny McCarthy as it wouldn?t advance the story anymore. Of course, if McCarthy gets her own talk show, the vaccine-autism controversy could reenter the public discourse in a big way, demanding responses from more knowledgeable sources.
Instead, the attendees talked about reaching the unconvinced and finding the ?bridge? audience. Mommy bloggers, for instance, are a good group to reach out to for dispelling myths about vaccines. One attendee mentioned trips to pharmaceutical labs as a means of demystifying the industry. The question then came up about who the ?mommy bloggers? are for climate change, evolution and science literacy.
In terms of the climate change issue, the group discussed how contrarians have adopted some of the strategies of the tobacco industry. Big tobacco tried to cast doubt on the science showing the dangers of nicotine use as one way to preserve its hegemony.
Such attacks are not surprising. After all, science is all about change, but change inevitably threatens entrenched interests. (For counterpoints to climate change skeptics, see ?Seven Answers to Climate Contrarian Nonsense.?) In the end, divorcing science from politics may simply be an unrealistic goal.? As moderator John Timmer neatly summed up, if you communicate science at all, you?re an advocate.
See a video of the hour-long session here (very little action?think of it as a podcast):
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=a4a9aa1f13b61fbbe0edab638fc16c06
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Bachelor Ben Flajnik Picks Up Swag at Sundance Film Festival (omg!)
-- Bachelor Ben Flajnik picking up items from Vice Merchants and Sean John at the Talent Resources Suites while listening to Silver Medallion and Mick Boogie deejay during the Sundance Film Festival.
-- Octavia Spencer hanging at Goodnight Gansevoort sponsored by Voli Light Vodka in Park City, Utah.
-- Shailene Woodley listening to live performances at Bing Bar in Park City, Utah.
-- Jordin Sparks celebrating fashion designer Indashio?s birthday at STASH in NYC.?
-- Common performing for an intimate crowd at the official "Luv" After Party hosted by Express at Sugar Lounge in Park City, Utah.
-- Zach Booth sporting his new Superdry USA Regiment Coat on the streets of Park City, Utah.
-- Eliza Dushku checking out the Monster Booth during CES in Las Vegas.
-- Nick Lachey and Rashida Jones stopping by to celebrate the birthday of Chris Masterson and the one year anniversary of Table Manners at Gen Art's Bertolli Meal Soup Chalet in Park City, Utah.
VIDEO: Why Nick and Vanessa wrote their own vows
-- Jason Mraz and Ryan Kwanten getting pampered at the Paul Mitchell MITCH Grooming Bar at the RE:Treat lounge at Sundance.
-- Ashley Greene having her hair styled by Ted Gibson at The Residences at W Fort Lauderdale for the opening of his new salon, then joining her for dinner at Steak 954.
-- Elizabeth Banks talking with friends at a special Blackberry-sponsored Cinema Society party for Haywire at Sons of Essex.
PHOTOS: Get a sneak peek of Elizabeth in The Hunger Games
-- Henry Cavill enjoying a night out with friends hitting up dinner at Katana before throwing back some drinks at Station Hollywood in L.A.
-- Julia Stiles and boyfriend David Harbour reading some books poolside in a cabana at St. Regis Punta Mita Resort in Mexico.
-- Lil' Jon taking shots of Don Julio tequila at his 40th birthday celebration at SL in NYC.
-- Kathy Griffin enjoying a night in with friends while staying at The James Hotel Chicago.
VIDEO: Kathy sets her sights on Justin Bieber
-- Ingrid Michaelson celebrating the release of her new CD, Human Again, with a sold-out performance at Joe's Pub in NYC.
-- Christina Hendricks and her hubby Geoffrey Arend challenging each other in a video game fan at the Nintendo 3DS Experience at Sundance in Park City, Utah.
-- Hugh Jackman enjoying a family night out with pork belly lettuce wraps and samba rolls at SUSHISAMBA 7 in NYC.
-- Elizabeth Olsen picking out a stunning turquoise IceLink six time zone watches -- she also scored a pair of Ryka sneakers at the Element House in Park City, Utah.
-- Kate Bosworth visiting the PUMA Social Lounge at The T-Mobile Google Music Village at the Lift and signing a ping pong table which will be auctioned off to benefit The Boys and Girls Club in Park City, Utah.
-- Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp enjoying a date night at the Palm Steakhouse in Atlanta.
-- Ice-T watching his wife Coco try on Carlo Pazolini shoes and snack on Udi's gluten free cookies at Miami Oasis in Park City, Utah.
VIDEO: Ice-T and Coco keep things hot with "jungle sex"
-- Nick Jonas grabbing a berries and cream shake at Energy Kitchen in NYC.
-- Gilles Marini and wife Carole getting a DNA facial at the Four Seasons Westlake Village in California.
-- AnnaLynne McCord getting her hair styled with UNITE hair products at the 901 Salon in Park City, Utah.
-- Ariel Winter getting her makeup done at Blushington Makeup & Beauty Lounge in West Hollywood.
-- Rufus Wainwright introducing excerpts from his new opera Prima Donna for the New York City Opera at Works & Process at the Guggenheim Museum.
-- Emma Roberts and Elijah Wood partying at The Acura Studio for the premiere of Celeste and Jesse at the Sundance Film Festival.
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