Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/314854711?client_source=feed&format=rss
leslie varez ward solar storms uganda the parent trap invisible children kony 2012 space weather
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Smithsonian Folklife Festival Gets Back To Its Roots
The Dalai Lama speaks during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival
The Dalai Lama speaks July 2, 2000 during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington. Approximately 40,000 people came to listen to the Nobel Peace Prize winner speak near the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Alex Wong/Newsmakers)
Dancers who are part of UNUKUPUKUPU, a community dance group out of Hawai?i Community College, perform at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, Friday, July 6, 2012. In the midst of an all-consuming Civil War, Congress was able to pass legislation signed by President Abraham Lincoln that would transform public education in the United States. The Morrill Act in 1862 established the nation?s network of public land-grant universities so that working class people could study agriculture, military tactics, mechanics and classical studies to obtain a liberal and practical college education. Today these 217 schools across the country enroll more than 3.5 million undergraduates and 1.1 million graduate students. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
People visit the AIDS Memorial Quilt on display as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, Thursday, July 5, 2012. An AIDS-free generation: It seems an audacious goal, considering how the HIV epidemic still is raging around the world. Yet more than 20,000 international HIV researchers and activists will gather in the nation's capital later this month with a sense of optimism not seen in many years _ hope that it finally may be possible to stem the spread of the AIDS virus. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
People visit the Campus and Community section of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, Friday, July 6, 2012. In the midst of an all-consuming Civil War, Congress was able to pass legislation signed by President Abraham Lincoln that would transform public education in the United States. The Morrill Act in 1862 established the nation?s network of public land-grant universities so that working class people could study agriculture, military tactics, mechanics and classical studies to obtain a liberal and practical college education. Today these 217 schools across the country enroll more than 3.5 million undergraduates and 1.1 million graduate students. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Cory Arcak
Cory Arcak, with Texas A&M University, right, works on a water filtration mold of clay and sawdust at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, Friday, July 6, 2012. In the midst of an all-consuming Civil War, Congress was able to pass legislation signed by President Abraham Lincoln that would transform public education in the United States. The Morrill Act in 1862 established the nation?s network of public land-grant universities so that working class people could study agriculture, military tactics, mechanics and classical studies to obtain a liberal and practical college education. Today these 217 schools across the country enroll more than 3.5 million undergraduates and 1.1 million graduate students. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Bhutanese monks play instruments in a te
Bhutanese monks play instruments in a temple built for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on July 3, 2008 at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Situated in the eastern Himalayas and bordered by China and India, Bhutan rises in just a few hundred miles from steamy jungles to some of the world's highest peaks.The Festival will celebrate Bhutan's special approach towards life in the 21st century. AFP PHOTO / TIM SLOAN (Photo credit should read TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images)
A Bhutanese archer cheers after shooting
A Bhutanese archer cheers after shooting a near bulls eye during an archery demonstration at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on July 3, 2008 at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Situated in the eastern Himalayas and bordered by China and India, Bhutan rises in just a few hundred miles from steamy jungles to some of the world's highest peaks.The Festival will celebrate Bhutan's special approach towards life in the 21st century, which, as national policy, is described as the pursuit of 'Gross National Happiness.' AFP PHOTO / TIM SLOAN (Photo credit should read TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Smithsonian Folklife Festival Celebrates World Cultures
WASHINGTON - JULY 2: A cyclist looks at a collection of photos during the 2006 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall July 2, 2006 in Washington, DC. The yearly event, which started in 1967, presents contemporary culture and encourages visitors to learn through participation in song, dance, conversation and eating. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
Smithsonian Folklife Festival Celebrates World Cultures
WASHINGTON - JULY 2: Zacki Ghuo, a graphic designer, works on painting in a mural by Gamaliel Ramirez during the 2006 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall July 2, 2006 in Washington, DC. The yearly event, which started in 1967, presents contemporary culture and encourages visitors to learn through participation in song, dance, conversation and eating. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
Smithsonian Folklife Festival Celebrates World Cultures
WASHINGTON - JULY 2: A dancer performs Latino dance during a performance at the 2006 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall July 2, 2006 in Washington, DC. The yearly event, which started in 1967, presents contemporary culture and encourages visitors to learn through participation in song, dance, conversation and eating. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
Smithsonian Folklife Festival Celebrates World Cultures
WASHINGTON - JULY 2: Children practice uncovering fossils at an exhibit on paleontology during the 2006 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall July 2, 2006 in Washington, DC. The yearly event, which started in 1967, presents contemporary culture and encourages visitors to learn through participation in song, dance, conversation and eating. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
Washington, UNITED STATES: A camel walks through the Mall near the US Capitol building during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washignton, DC, 30 June 2005. The festival is a special annual event sponsored each June-July by the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage celebrating cultural traditions around the world. The festival includes daily and evening music and dance performances, crafts and cooking demonstrations, storytelling and discussions of cultural issues. AFP PHOTO/Jim WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)
Smithsonian Folklife Festival Celebrates Heritage
WASHINGTON - JUNE 26: Different kinds of spices are displayed during the 39th annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival at the National Mall June 26, 2005 in Washington, DC. This year's folklife festival features a total of four programs -- 'Oman: Desert, Oasis and Sea,' 'Forest Service, Culture and Community,' 'Nuestra Musica,' and 'Food Culture USA.' (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, : Workers and tourists brave heat and humidity 25 June 2002 as final touches are put on the exhibits at the 2002 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall in Washington, DC. Exhibits feature life on the Silk Road. AFP PHOTO/ Shawn THEW (Photo credit should read SHAWN THEW/AFP/Getty Images)
Washington, UNITED STATES: People watch an Omani coppersmith at work at an exhibition on Oman at the 39th annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall in Washington 26 June 2005. Some 110 Omanis arrived in Washington to showcase the country's music, dance, textiles, perfumes, metalwork and pottery, all under Folklife's mission of presenting the aesthetics of people around the world. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Three teenagers play a street game called 'Ace, King, Queen,' also known as Chinese Handball, July 5, 2001 during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival at the National Mall in Washington, DC. The Smithsonian Institution held its annual Folklife Festival with New York City lifestyles as one of the themes of the Festival. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Paul Noone of Washington, DC observes the interior of a Checker Cab July 5, 2001 during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival at the National Mall in Washington, DC. The Smithsonian Institution held its annual Folklife Festival with the New York City lifestyle as one of the themes. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/smithsonian-folklife-festival-2013_n_3490707.html
george clooney Zero Dark Thirty Academy Awards 2013 Django Unchained jennifer hudson jennifer garner jennifer garner
Rare giant catfish faces new threat in Southeast Asia's Mekong
Laos' controversial Xayaburi dam could bring the Giant Catfish to extinction, as well as devastate the Mekong River's other fisheries. The challenge: How to build a dam that allows a 600-pound fish to swim up stream?
Two Thai fishermen show a 293-kilogram (646-pound) giant catfish they caught from the Mekong River in Chiang Khong district of Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand in 2005.
Suthep Kritsanavarin/AP
EnlargeThe Giant Catfish is an enormous fish with thin, down-turned lips that give it a lonely look. And such a "mournful" visage is not unwarranted.
Skip to next paragraph' +
google_ads[0].line2 + '
' +
google_ads[0].line3 + '
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
Already one of the most endangered fish in the world, a new study has found that a dam underway in Laos could push it to extinction.?
So rare that it is nearly a legend of the Mekong River?s depths, the Giant Catfish belongs to the?shark catfish family and reach upwards of 600 pounds and some 10 feet in length. The brobdingnagian?fish has dwindled in number an estimated 90 percent over the past 20 years ???possibly to just a few hundred animals, though tracking the elusive fish is difficult. It is now found only in the lower Mekong, which runs like a mud-colored vein carrying the economic lifeblood of Southeast Asia through Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In recent years, though, progress had been made in rescuing Giant Catfish fish from extinction, as those five countries introduced new protections that banned fishing it.
Now, Laos's controversial Xayaburi dam threatens to undo that.
?The Giant Catfish is endangered, but there?s still a chance for it, and all the countries involved have gotten on board to restrict fishing ? but just when we solved one problem we?re now facing this new one,? says Zeb Hogan, the?study?s author and associate research professor at the University of Nevada,?in a telephone interview.
The Xayabari, the first dam in the lower Mekong, will if finished block the Giant Catfish from making its lifecycle migration from the floodplain rearing areas to upstream spawning sites in northern Laos and Thailand, the study said. The dam could also alter Mekong flows, disrupting the natural cues the fish needs to spawn.
This is not the first warning that the Xayabari project could mean the end for the Giant Catfish. Two years ago, the Mekong River Commission???an advisory body established in 1995 as part of an agreement between five Southeast Asian countries on the development of the Mekong ??convened a panel of experts who concluded that the dam would obstruct the migrations of some 23 to 100 species of fish, including the Great Catfish. The panel recommended a 10-year hold on the Xayaburi project, pending more information on how the dam would affect the river?s ecology.
"The gaps in knowledge on the number of migratory fish species, their biomass and their ability to successfully pass a dam and reservoir leads to considerable uncertainty about the scale of impact on fisheries and associated livelihoods, both locally and in a transboundary context," the report said.
But in November 2012, Laos officially began what is expected to be seven years of construction of the Xayabari dam, the first in several controversial dams planned for the lower Mekong.?
free ecards flying car masters golf tournament the replacements how to hard boil eggs new nfl uniforms derbyshire
Bomb attacks in Syrian capital kill 8 people
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) ? Suicide bombers targeted security compounds in Damascus and a car bomb exploded in a pro-regime district there Sunday, killing at least eight people, the latest in a surge of civil war violence in the capital.
In northern Syria, a car bomb killed 12 soldiers in Aleppo, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists in Syria for information. It had no other details, and the government did not comment.
In neighboring Lebanon, meanwhile, fierce clashes erupted between the Lebanese military and supporters of a hard-line Sunni Muslim cleric, in the latest spillover from Syria. Six Lebanese soldiers were killed, according to the army, which vowed to hit back with an "iron hand."
Heavy fighting with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades in Sidon caused panic in the southern coastal city, which until recently had been largely spared the violence hitting other areas. Many people who were spending the day on the beach hurried home, while others living on high floors came down or fled to safer areas. Gray smoke billowed over parts of the city and residents caught in the fire appealed for help.
The fighting broke out in the predominantly Sunni city after supporters of Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir, a virulent critic of the powerful Shiite militant Hezbollah group, opened fire on an army checkpoint.
The military issued a statement confirming that six soldiers died in the shooting, including three officers. It said the shooting was unprovoked.
Syria's state-run news agency SANA said three suicide bombers blew themselves up while trying to break into the Rukneddine police station in northern Damascus, killing five people and wounding several others. SANA said three would-be suicide bombers also tried to break into the Criminal Security Branch in the southern Bab Mousalla area but were caught by security forces before they could detonate their explosives.
Activists confirmed the death toll.
SANA said a car bomb exploded in Mazzeh 86 district in the capital, killing three people, including a 3-year-old boy. Residents of the district are mostly Alawites, an offshoot Shiite sect that President Bashar Assad's family belongs to. The opposition forces fighting against Assad's regime are mostly Sunni Muslims.
Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the Damascus explosions, but they bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida-linked groups that have joined forces with rebels fighting to oust Assad.
The attacks in Syria's two largest cities came as government forces pressed an offensive on the outskirts of the capital.
SANA carried a statement by the Interior Ministry saying that the Damascus attacks were a "new escalation by terrorist groups," a term used by the government to refer to the rebels.
More than 93,000 people have been killed in Syrian conflict that started in March 2011 as peaceful protest against Assad's rule. In the past year, the war has taken on sectarian overtones.
The conflict has increasingly spilled across Syria's borders.
The clashes in Sidon centered on the Bilal bin Rabbah Mosque, where al-Assir preaches. The cleric is believed to have hundreds of armed supporters in Sidon who fought back Sunday. Dozens of al-Assir's gunmen also partially shut down the main highway linking south Lebanon with Beirut.
By Sunday evening, the army had besieged the mosque, sealing off access to it from all directions, and was going after al-Assir and his supporters, who have been agitating for months.
The NNA report said Assir was believed to be hiding inside the mosque with several of his followers.
The cleric and his followers support Sunni rebels in the Syria conflict, and he has threatened to clear apartments in Sidon where Hezbollah supporters live.
Sunday's clashes in Sidon deepened tensions in Lebanon. on edge since the Syrian conflict began more than two years ago.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman called an emergency meeting of the security cabinet for Monday. NNA also reported sporadic shooting in the volatile city of Tripoli in the north, and the army announced additional force deployments in around Beirut.
The violence came a day after an 11-nation group that includes the U.S. met in the Qatari capital of Doha to coordinate military aid and other forms of assistance to the rebels.
Syria's al-Thawra newspaper, the mouthpiece of the government, assailed the Friends of Syria meeting.
"It's clear that the enemies of Syria are rushing to arm the terrorists to kill the chances for holding the Geneva conference," the newspaper said, referring to a U.S.-Russia initiative for bringing Assad's government and rebels together to negotiate an end to the crisis.
The Syrian paper pledged that the army would "continue the showdown to eliminate terrorism and restore security and stability."
____
Surk reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Jamal Halaby in Amman, Jordan contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bomb-attacks-syrian-capital-kill-8-people-182829771.html
charlie st cloud young jeezy world wildlife fund rosario dawson keith olbermann gsa andrew bynum
Google's Waze acquisition catches FTC's investigative eyes
Google officially acquired the crowd-sourced mapping and traffic app Waze earlier this month, but the $1.1 billion deal is hitting a last-minute jam. The search giant has confirmed with Reuters that the Federal Trade Commission recently opened an antitrust investigation into the purchase, even though Waze will mostly operate independently. According to the New York Post, Google didn't file a review with the FTC because Waze makes less than $70 million annually, which is below the bar for an "automatic review." Reuters notes that the FTC can put a magnifying glass to any closed deals at its discretion, namely to ensure there was no prior intent simply to stifle competition. These latest happenings might make for a temporary roadblock between the integration of certain data between Waze and Maps, notes the Post -- assuming the deal indeed gets an okay from The Man. Either way, we'd imagine concessions will be made if needed, as Google's no a stranger to these types of proceedings.
Filed under: GPS, Transportation, Software
Source: Reuters, New York Post
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/VUW5-d13gZ8/
ups Aj Mccarron Girlfriend CES 2013 joe budden notre dame notre dame football Bcs Bowl
Biking With Growlers Just Got Easier
There are always problems when you're trying to balance a lot of stuff on a bike. It either all in bags on the handlebars, or in one of your arms or in a backpack. It messes with your center of gravity. But at least with these Growler Cages you can transport your growlers (as you often do) from point A to point B without having to worry about anything.
     |
Michelle Jenneke batman Colorado Shooting News joe paterno British Open MC Chris Colorado shooting suspect
10 Things to Know for Monday
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday:
1. EDWARD SNOWDEN IS ON THE RUN
The NSA leaker flees Hong Kong for a layover in Moscow before he'll to fly to Cuba and then seek asylum in Ecuador, WikiLeaks says.
2. NELSON MANDELA IN CRITICAL CONDITION
"The doctors are doing everything possible to get his condition to improve," South African President Jacob Zuma says.
3. WHY THE TALIBAN KILLED 11 MOUNTAIN CLMBERS
The Pakistani group said the deaths of the 10 tourists and their guide are revenge for a U.S. drone strike that killed a Taliban leader.
4. DAREDEVIL CROSSES GORGE ON TIGHTROPE
Nik Wallenda walked on a 2-inch-thick steel cable, 1,500 feet above a river near the Grand Canyon.
6. KERRY PRESSES INDIA ON GLOBAL WARMING
"The irreversible climate challenge is speeding toward us, crying out for a global solution," the U.S. secretary of state says.
6. SUPREME COURT'S OPTIONS ON GAY MARRIAGE
The justices could strike down state laws that limit marriage to heterosexual couples, uphold gay marriage bans, or say nothing meaningful on the issue.
7. AFGHAN BOMB SCHOOL FIGHTS WAR'S LEADING KILLER
Hundreds of soldiers train to disarm Taliban-planted bombs that kill and maim thousands each year.
8. GIRL SCOUTS NEED MORE THAN A FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE
Their woes include declining membership and revenues, a dearth of volunteers, and rifts between leadership and members.
9. WHAT MEDICS LEARNED FROM GETTYSBURG
A Union Army doctor introduced the ideas of an ambulance corps and three tiers of field hospitals.
10. TWINKIES TO MAKE A SWEET COMEBACK
Hostess reopens its factory and plans to have the snack cakes back on shelves July 15.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/10-things-know-monday-104352258.html
Game Of Thrones Season 3 campfire Kordell Stewart cesar chavez Wichita State hbo Buckwild
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Death toll in Indian monsoon flooding exceeds 500
JOSHIMATH, India (AP) ? A top official in a northern Indian state hit by heavy monsoon rains says more than 500 people died in the flooding and landslides.
Uttrakhand's Chief Minister Vijay Bahguna says 556 bodies have been noticed buried deep in slush and the army was trying to recover them. He spoke to CNN-IBN television channel on Friday.
Rescuers also Friday found 40 bodies floating in the River Ganges near Haridwar, a Hindu holy city. The heavy rains caused by the annual monsoon have also stranded tens of thousands, mostly pilgrims, in the mountainous region.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/death-toll-indian-monsoon-flooding-exceeds-500-134837737.html
hoya casa de mi padre corned beef and cabbage diners drive ins and dives jeff who lives at home 49ers news saint louis university
Friday, June 21, 2013
More Than Honey: A New Documentary Offers Spectacular Close-Ups of Bees Mid-Flight and Perspective on the Worldwide Honey Bee Crisis
Source: Maciej Czy?ewsk, via Wikimedia Commons
A male honey bee is essentially a winged penis doomed to die immediately after losing his virginity. On summer afternoons, male bees?known as drones?emerge from many different hives and gather in a small swarm. No one is sure exactly how drones pick their ?congregation areas? or why they are often in exactly the same place year after year, but the answer likely has something to do with fragrant chemical messages known as pheromones. The drones wait for a virgin queen from a nearby colony to make an appearance and compete for the chance to mate with her mid-flight, crashing into one another as they race after her alluring perfume. If a drone is successful, the act of copulation rips his penis and entrails from his abdomen, so he falls to the ground and dies. The queen mates with as many as 20 drones in a single flight and stores millions of their sperm in an internal pouch called a spermatheca?sufficient supplies for a lifetime of egg-laying.
Imagining what a mating flight might look like is all well and good; watching it happen as though you were a drone flying alongside the queen is so much better. The fascinating and gorgeous new documentary ?More Than Honey? offers just such a bee?s-eye view.
To capture the 36 breathtaking seconds of high-definition macro footage, director Markus Imhoof, cinematographers J?rg Jeshel and Attila Boa and their teammates visited a drone congregation site in Austria near hives owned by Heidruin Singer and her daughter Liane, who breed queens and sell them to beekeepers. Every afternoon for more than a week, Imhoof?s team perched in a 10-meter tall scaffolding tower that they erected across from the drone congregation area. By scenting weather balloons with queen bee pheromones, Imhoof?s team lured drones from 30 meters in the air down to 10 meters in order to capture their behavior with a camera that shoots 300 frames per second. Then it was a matter of patience, skill and luck: waiting for queens to appear and hoping to get the right shot. ?That was one of most challenging macro-shooting scenes,? Imhoof says.
But it was by no means the only one. ?More Than Honey? features plenty of eye-widening and awe-inspiring close-ups of bees that would make David Attenborough and the BBC buzz with jealousy. In one scene, we fly in tandem with a honey bee saddled with a GPS tracker that is comically large in comparison to its unlikely porter?like a tall Dr. Seuss hat. In a later section of the film, we follow individual killer bees searching for a new home. For some of these shots, Imhoof attached cameras to tiny remote control helicopters and hired pilots to maneuver the copters alongside bees in flight. It?s hard not to empathize with the insects when you spend so much time right next to them as they work tirelessly to help the hive thrive; when you can see individual golden hairs on their bodies; when watching a queen emerge from her wax cell tongue-first?her sisters already attending to her every need?is more enthralling than any royal coronation, and the painfully granular image of a dying bee, its legs twitching for the last time, is truly pitiful. ?More Than Honey? almost merges the audience with the hive mind.
Imhoof doesn?t want to reveal all of the cinematic tricks he and his team used to get up close and personal with the bees?at least not yet. But he emphasizes that all of the bees in the film are real living insects, not animated or computer graphic critters. I suspect that some scenes involve photo-shopping of some kind, perhaps to superimpose footage of flying bees onto different backgrounds?but I do not know for sure. Upcoming bonus material will explain how Imhoof and his crew managed to film bees inside their hives without riling them up too much. Bees like to keep their hives dark and warm?but not too warm?and do not take kindly to filmmakers with intrusive cameras and bright hot lights. Beekeepers have long used smoke to calm down bees, as it interferes with alarm pheromones and preoccupies the insects with slurping up honey rather than stinging, in case a fire is about to destroy their home. Smoke was not a viable option for Imhoof, however: billowing grey plumes would have concealed the bees from the camera. So he and his team tried a combination of elaborate in-studio setups?with turntables, mirrors and uniquely designed hives?as well as some as-of-yet undisclosed strategies to film inside living crawling colonies.
Of course, the film crew couldn?t keep the bees perfectly happy for the entire six years the project took to complete. ?How many times were you stung on average?? I asked Imhoof. ?We stopped counting,? he says. His film has already won several awards in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Ain?t It Cool News even called the film the ?Citizen Kane of bee documentaries.?
As its name implies, Imhoof?s documentary?and bees themselves?are about so much more than honey. One in three crops we eat?including apples, almonds, squashes, blueberries, cranberries, some citrus fruits and broccoli?depend on honey bee pollination. Around 1,600 migratory beekeepers truck millions of colonies around the U.S. every year, traveling from one blooming crop to another and renting their hives to farmers to pollinate their fields and orchards. Approximately 1.5 million colonies converge in Central Valley, California every February to pollinate nearly 800,000 acres of almond trees. When so many honey bees gather in the same place at the same time, they easily spread diseases and parasites to each other. And that?s just contagion within a single country. We send bees all over the place: we stuff them in boxes and ship them like parcels; we take them on boats and planes; we smuggle them through airports and across country borders. In the wild, any one colony would not likely have the opportunity to mingle with members of more than a dozen or so nearby hives. We have flung together different species of bees from different continents with entirely different diseases. Wherever we go, we bring the bees. Sickness eagerly follows.
Bees have always battled numerous pathogens, but never before have they had to combat so many unremitting threats all at once. There are familiar enemies like mice, birds and ants. There?s foulbrood?a bacteria that rots bee larvae?and wax moth, the larvae of which feeds on beeswax and honey. Perhaps the worst of all pathogens is Varroa destructor?a nasty ruddy tick-like creature that lodges itself between bees? abdominal plates, sucks out their vital fluids and transmits wing-deforming viruses. In the past, miticides killed varroa rather effectively, but the tenacious creatures evolved resistance. To the already daunting list of living enemies, add external forces over which the bees have no control and no evolved defenses: the use of highly toxic insecticides like neonicotinoids that plants absorb in all their tissues, including pollen and nectar; the stress of being trapped inside their hives while zipping down the highway at 65 miles per hour, on the way to another bloom; and the fact that our monoculture-based agricultural system has replaced the wildflowers that once offered bees a diverse diet with vast swaths of a single crop. When a bloom is over, bees often have little to eat; beekeepers supplement their diets with protein patties and high-fructose corn syrup, which are certainly better than nothing but nowhere near as nourishing as real pollen and nectar.
No wonder, Imhoof says, that bees are dying all over the world. When winter comes, bees stay in their hives and live off of their honey stores. It?s always been a time of hardship and beekeepers through the ages have expected to lose a small percentage of their colonies over winter. For the past five years, however, beekeepers have lost 20, 30, 50, even 90 percent of their colonies each and every winter. Sometimes they open the hives in the spring only to discover that the colony has vanished. A queen and a few stragglers may remain; there?s plenty of honey and larvae; but everyone else is gone without a trace. The term Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) originally referred to such vanishings. Other times beekeepers discover piles of dead bees at the bottom of a hive. Newspaper headlines over the years have blamed many different potential culprits for these mysterious deaths and disappearances?mites, fungi, pesticides. But it?s not any one malady, Imhoof says, it?s the overwhelming combination of so many different kinds of stress and illness.
Perhaps the most fundamental problem is our attitude toward the bees. We want our bees to be vigorous, resilient and productive, but we breed them for complacence. We design an agricultural system that is both dependent on honey bees and killing them at the same time. We know that letting sick and healthy bees routinely rub bristles only makes things worse, but we keep doing it anyways. As a people, we ask so much of the bees and give them so little respect. The bees? caretakers and the scientists who study the insects are among the few that truly see the honey bee crisis for what it is. Hopefully Imhoof?s film will help spread the word, like a chemical alarm rippling through a hive. ?Everyone spoke about the crisis as though it was a mystery,? Imhoof says, ?but it didn?t seem like such a mystery to me.?
?More Than Honey? is currently playing in New York City?s Film Forum. You can view the complete schedule here.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Efficient and inexpensive: Researchers develop catalyst material for fuel cells
June 17, 2013 ? Efficient, robust and economic catalyst materials hold the key to achieving a breakthrough in fuel cell technology. Scientists from J?lich and Berlin have developed a material for converting hydrogen and oxygen to water using a tenth of the typical amount of platinum that was previously required. With the aid of state-of-the-art electron microscopy, the researchers discovered that the function of the nanometre-scale catalyst particles is decisively determined by their geometric shape and atomic structure. This discovery opens up new paths for further improving catalysts for energy conversion and storage.
The results have been published in the current issue of the journal Nature Materials.
Hydrogen-powered fuel cells are regarded as a clean alternative to conventional combustion engines, as, aside from electric energy, the only substance produced during operation is water. At present, the implementation of hydrogen fuel cells is being hindered by the high material costs of platinum. Large quantities of the expensive noble metal are still required for the electrodes in the fuel cells at which the chemical conversion processes take place. Without the catalytic effect of the platinum, it is not currently possible to achieve the necessary conversion rates.
As catalysis takes place at the surface of the platinum only, material can be saved and, simultaneously, the efficiency of the electrodes improved by using platinum nanoparticles, thus increasing the ratio of platinum surface to material required. Although the tiny particles are around ten thousand times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, the surface area of a kilogram of such particles is equivalent to that of several football fields.
Still more platinum can be saved by mixing it with other, less valuable metals, such as nickel or copper. Scientists from Forschungszentrum J?lich and Technische Universit?t Berlin have succeeded in developing efficient metallic catalyst particles for converting hydrogen and oxygen to water using only a tenth of the typical amount of platinum that was previously required.
The new catalyst consists not of the round nanoparticles that were previously in widespread use, but of octrahedral-shaped nanoparticles of a platinum-nickel alloy. The researchers discovered that the unique manner in which the platinum and nickel atoms arrange themselves on the surfaces of these particles serves to optimally accelerate the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to form water. Round or cubic particles, on the other hand, have different atomic arrangements at the surface and are therefore less effective catalysts for the chemical reaction, something which would have to be compensated by using increased amounts of noble metal.
The way in which the life-cycle of the catalysts depends on and can be optimized by their atomic composition was the subject of the research team's investigation, which made use of ultrahigh-resolution electron microscopy at the Ernst Ruska-Centre (ER-C), a facility of the J?lich Aachen Research Alliance. "A decisive factor for understanding the life-cycle of the catalysts was the observation that nickel and platinum atoms prefer not to be evenly distributed at the surface of the nano-octahedra," explains Dr. Marc Heggen from ER-C and the Peter Gr?nberg Institute at Forschungszentrum J?lich. "Although this is advantageous for reactivity, it limits lifetime."
To identify the location of each element with atomic precision, the researchers used a method in which the electron beam of one of the world's leading ultrahigh-resolution electron microscopes is finely focused, sent through the specimen and, by interactions with the specimen, loses part of its energy. Each element in the specimen can thus be identified like a fingerprint. Conventional electron microscopes are not capable of detecting such chemical signatures with atomic resolution.
"This pioneering experimental work provides direct evidence for the fact that the choice of the correct geometric shape for the catalyst particles is as important for optimizing their function as the choice of their composition and size," says Prof. Peter Strasser from Technische Universit?t Berlin. "This provides researchers with new possibilities for further improving functional materials, especially catalysts, for energy storage." The latest experiments from Strasser's research group indicate that substantial increases in efficiency may also be possible for the reaction splitting water to produce oxygen in electrolysers, for which the even more expensive noble metal iridium is used.
human nature arkansas football howard johnson levon helm firelight world peace elbow kevin love
Monday, June 17, 2013
Flogging the Issue
Emily Yoffe Photo by Teresa Castracane.
Emily Yoffe, aka Dear Prudence, is on Washingtonpost.com weekly to chat live with readers. An edited?transcript of the chat is below. (Sign up here?to get Dear Prudence delivered to your inbox each week. Read Prudie?s?Slate columns?here. Send questions to Prudence at prudence@slate.com.)
Emily Yoffe: Good afternoon, everyone. I look forward to your questions.
Q. Stepfather Shames My Daughter: A few months ago, my 12-year-old daughter stole a book from a grocery store. A security guard caught her, and because the store (thankfully) decided not to press charges, her mom and I handled her punishment. I do not think my daughter will shoplift again, and while I want my daughter to understand what she did was wrong, I don't think it's productive to continue to shame her for her mistake. Her stepfather thinks differently. My ex-wife's husband used to be in the military and is now a cop, and he thinks very poorly of criminals. He continually brings up the shoplifting incident to his friends and his family, and he will discuss the moral demerits of my daughter's behavior. My daughter feels humiliated each time he discusses her crime, and she has begun to think of herself as a bad person. My ex-wife claims she has spoken to her husband about how much he discusses the shoplifting incident, but by and large, nothing has changed. I have deep concerns about my children's stepfather, and I'm not sure how to let my ex-wife know how serious I am about this without starting a major feud. What steps should I take next?
A: It sounds as if you and your ex handled this situation very well, but it can't be put to rest because the Great Santini of a stepfather keeps psychologically bashing your daughter. I'm wondering if the incident itself wasn't your daughter's way of acting out against this judgmental, punitive person in her life. I agree you're in a delicate situation since attacking the person your wife has married is bound to not go over well with her. I think you should discuss this with a counselor who specializes in stepfamilies. You need some strategy for dealing with the stepfather and particularly for helping your daughter. She likely could use her own counselor to help her sort through this situation. If things get bad enough, you may need a legal strategy for getting primary custody. You need to make clear to your daughter that you don't like what her stepfather is doing and saying, you want her to be able to talk this out with you, and you will do your best to try to bring this up with her mother. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone is being bullied by the new stepdad.
Dear Prudence: 7-Year-Old Holy Terror
Q. Unwanted Comments: I have a skin condition that causes me to look really red, like a bad sunburn. I've talked with my dermatologist, but unfortunately it's incurable with no treatment options. Sometimes if I'm really stressed or if I've been physically exerting myself, it flares up, and I'm loathe to go out in public. I've had complete strangers go up to me and trumpet, "Wow! Your face is really red! I mean, REALLY red!" I try to brush it off by saying, "Well, that's what I get for taking a cruise ... " However, last weekend I was shopping with a friend when an older man came up to me to (loudly) comment about how red I was. He even called his wife over to look! I uncharacteristically snapped and swore at him, calling him things I can't type here and getting in his space until he quickly slunk off. To be honest, it felt good to let him know what I really thought of all of these awful comments! My friend was shocked at how rude I was and told me that I shouldn't have done that. She knows about my skin condition and has heard the comments before, but when I told her he deserved it and I was sick of being polite, she told me she had to go and left the store. Prudie, I'm so sick and tired of these comments. I'm also upset that my friend doesn't understand how embarrassing and frustrating it is to have people constantly commenting on my appearance. What should I do?
A: It is truly astounding that strangers think they have a right to invade the privacy of those with unusual conditions or disabilities or who have children of a different race, etc. Over the years I've had many questions from these beleaguered troops on how to deflect nosy strangers. The most helpful advice has come from others in the same circumstance, who often advise quick disengagement. Simply walking away can be the best strategy. That way you have underlined the rudeness of the inquiry without the emotional cost to you of engagement. Others have suggested a quick, "Excuse me, I don't talk to strangers." But the key is to have a go-to response that allows you to deflect the inquiry and get on with your day. I totally understand that on this occasion this man was so rude that he flipped a switch in you that caused you to make a scene. However embarrassed your friend was, surely she should have been appalled by the crudeness of the man who insulted you, and she should have understood that sometimes things are just too much and we snap. Of course, you don't want to make a habit of letting fly, but if giving this guy the business this one time gave you a sense of relief, then he sounds like a particularly deserving recipient. Now that things have calmed down, you could reach out to your friend and explain that being pointed at like a circus freak simply made you snap and that you're sorry she had to witness a scene that upset her. If she isn't understanding, then she's not much of a friend. I'm also wondering, however, how much of a doctor your dermatologist is. Of course he or she may be right and there may be simply nothing to do about your condition. But I think this requires a second opinion to make sure you are not missing out on any possible new treatments. I also think you should look into temporary cosmetic fixes. There are skin foundations that are used to cover birthmarks that may be a good solution for you. You say your condition is sometimes so bad you don't want to go out in public, but it's terrible to feel constricted that way. It could be with a few minutes of cosmetic art, you could much more confidently blend into the crowd.
Q. Incest: How do I interact with my brother and the extended family who treat him as a hero (he was in the military) when I recently found out he molested my sister as a child? He was 14 and my sister was 11, I was 10. Long story, but I heard a rumor from another sister and confirmed it with the one who was molested. He brushed it off as "playing doctors." My sister has had a long relationship of fear and strange reactions regarding him, which now make sense. She is 54 and he is 56 now. We are a large close-knit family, share a family camp, gatherings, etc. Funny, but I always kept him at a distance even when younger. I didn't trust him. He always teased us in a way I thought was cruel. He is a nice enough guy now; served his country in the military; has a wife, children, and grandchildren. What do I do with this information? Do I bring this out in the open? Confront him privately?
multiple sclerosis rodney king Webb Simpson Fathers Day Quotes Stevie J mothers day 2012 osama bin laden death
Electronic proof of auto insurance coming - Wish TV 8
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - Indiana drivers will be able to prove they have auto insurance with the click of a smartphone starting July 1 under a new law that signals a shift toward the use of technology in insurance laws.
Indiana is one of 24 states that will allow electronic proof of coverage. Motorists will be able to show a digital image of their insurance card by accessing it through an app provided by their insurer.
Vigo County Chief Deputy Clark Cottom tells the Tribune-Star the change will benefit drivers and police officers. He notes that much of officers' work is already done with the help of technology and says adding in proof of insurance is a natural fit.
Cottom says officers attend training twice a year to discuss statute changes.
Source: http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/indiana/electronic-proof-of-auto-insurance-coming
Hurricane Isaac Path Isaac Hurricane earthquake san diego Hurricane Isaac Sam Claflin Tony Farmer West Nile virus symptoms
Singapore haze hits seven-year high
Singapore haze caused by illegal forest-clearing in Indonesia. Because of Singapore haze, officials urge residents to avoid prolonged activities outdoors.
A hotel guest rests in the pool of the Marina Bay Sands Skypark in front of the hazy skyline of Singapore June 17, 2013. The haze worsened on Monday with a pollution index hitting a nearly seven-year high.
Edgar Su/Reuters
EnlargeAir pollution in?Singapore?and Malaysia rose to unhealthy levels on Monday thanks to illegal forest clearing in Indonesia, prompting?Singapore?to advise people against staying outdoors for long and to urge Indonesia to do something to stop it.
Skip to next paragraph' +
google_ads[0].line2 + '
' +
google_ads[0].line3 + '
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
In usually clear?Singapore, the pollutant standards index hit the highest level in nearly seven years, with the taste of smoke hitting the back of the throat even in air-conditioned offices and the subway.
"Given the current hazy conditions, it is advised that children, the elderly and those with heart or lung diseases reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor activities,"?Singapore's National Environment Agency said in a statement.
"Everyone else should limit prolonged or heavy outdoor activities."
The agency said the?haze?was caused by forest fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and that it was expected to last for a few days.
It said it had "urged the Indonesian authorities to look into urgent measures to mitigate the transboundary?haze?occurrence".
In Malaysia, the air quality reached unhealthy levels in several northeastern states as well as the southern state of Malacca, a UNESCO heritage site popular with tourists, the country's Department of Environment said.
The illegal clearing of forests by burning is a recurrent problem in Indonesia, particularly during the annual dry season that typically stretches from June to September.
In 1997 and 1998, the smog disrupted air and sea traffic, causing an estimated $9 billion in terms of economic, social and environmental losses, according to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a 10-member regional grouping that includes Indonesia, Malaysia and?Singapore.
ASEAN members signed an agreement on transboundary?haze?pollution in June 2002 but Indonesia has yet to ratify the agreement.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/tpjt0AfofHM/Singapore-haze-hits-seven-year-high
eddie murphy Stephanie Bongiovi stanford football guy fieri Jill Kelley hope solo hope solo
UK's Cameron rallies world leaders to N.Ireland
Police patrol the water around the G8 summit venue in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland on Sunday, June 16, 2013. In a two-day meeting, beginning on Monday, global leaders will discuss the economy and exchange views on foreign affairs and security issues. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Police patrol the water around the G8 summit venue in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland on Sunday, June 16, 2013. In a two-day meeting, beginning on Monday, global leaders will discuss the economy and exchange views on foreign affairs and security issues. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
A woman walks between signs resting on the tents of demonstrators in a field outside of the G8 summit venue in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland on Sunday, June 16, 2013. In a two-day meeting global leaders will discuss the economy and exchange views on foreign affairs and security issues. The leaders are expected to be met with protests and demonstrators were already setting up camp outside the venue. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Police patrol the water and bridges around the G8 summit venue in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland on Sunday, June 16, 2013. In a two-day meeting, beginning on Monday, global leaders will discuss the economy and exchange views on foreign affairs and security issues. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron walks with Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers, second right, and Wing Commander Faye Wiseman, left, after arriving to attend the Enniskillen G8 summit, at the 38th Irish Brigade Flying Station Aldergrove near Belfast, Northern Ireland June 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett, Pool)
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron arrives to attend the Enniskillen G8 summit at the 38th Irish Brigade Flying Station Aldergrove near Belfast, Northern Ireland on Sunday, June 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett, Pool)
ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland (AP) ? British Prime Minister David Cameron says leaders gathering Monday for the G-8 summit in Northern Ireland should reach speedy agreement on trade and tax reforms, and draw inspiration from the host country's ability to resolve its own stubborn conflict.
Speaking hours ahead of the summit's official opening at a lakeside golf resort, Cameron said he expects formal agreement to launch negotiations on a European-American free trade agreement. He said a pact to slash tariffs on exports would boost employment and growth on both sides of the Atlantic.
"This will be a summit that will drive growth and prosperity all over the world," Cameron declared as he arrived at the summit venue ahead of leaders from the United States, Canada, Russia, Germany, France, Italy and Japan as well as the 27-nation European Union.
Referring to Northern Ireland's ability to leave behind a four-decade conflict that claimed 3,700 lives, he said leaders of the Group of Eight wealthy nations should be inspired by the setting ? the lush lakelands of County Fermanagh ? to deliver their own economic breakthrough.
"Ten or 20 years ago, a G-8 in Fermanagh would have been unimaginable. But today Northern Ireland is a very different place ... a symbol of hope to the world," Cameron said.
Obama, seizing on that theme, was beginning his trip in the Northern Ireland capital of Belfast, where he's delivering a speech on sustaining Catholic-Protestant reconciliation 15 years on from the U.S.-brokered Good Friday peace accord.
The U.S. leader was scheduled to speak inside Belfast's Waterfront Hall, a glass-fronted building that would never have been built during the city's long era of car bombs that ended with a 1997 Irish Republican Army cease-fire.
But with IRA splinter groups still active today, Northern Ireland's police appear to be leaving little to chance in ensuring security around the Lough Erne resort west of Enniskillen.
More than 3,500 officers from Britain have been imported to double the security detail, and British Army engineers have helped to erect a daunting perimeter of steel fences and coiled razor wire for miles (kilometers) around the resort's lone road entrance.
Air space over much of Northern Ireland is being restricted to summit traffic for the duration of the summit, which concludes Tuesday. And the water around the resort's peninsula has been similarly closed to civilians, with police patrolling by boat, although the public is still free to fish from shore.
And Northern Ireland's riot-savvy police have been deployed in armored vehicles and flame-retardant suits. They're keeping massive mobile water-cannon vehicles in reserve, lest hard-left protesters make any serious bid to breach the security fence.
However the police commander of G-8 security, Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay, says he expects peace to reign when socialist and anti-globalization protesters march Monday night from central Enniskillen to the fence.
Finlay said while officers had trained to manage crowds of more than 10,000 protesters, this was unlikely to materialize Monday, with just 2,000 expected and few anti-G-8 activists traveling from continental Europe for the occasion.
As the protesters march, G-8 leaders are due to hold a working dinner where foreign policy issues ? especially the increasingly opposed positions of the United States and Russia over Syria's civil war ? will be on the menu.
Obama was expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin before that dinner. Obama last week announced that the United States would begin arming rebel groups trying to oust the Russian-backed government of Bashar al-Assad.
Cameron said he also hoped to achieve agreement that no G-8 member should pay ransoms to secure the release of hostages in North Africa, where western and Asian workers are top targets for kidnappers.
Associated Pressgsa scandal kelis dick clark dies ibogaine jamie moyer bone cancer hossa
Monday, June 10, 2013
The Changing And Terrifying Nature Of The New Cyber-Warfare
Vanity Fair:
On the hidden battlefields of history?s first known cyber-war, the casualties are piling up
Read the whole story at Vanity Fair
"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });On the hidden battlefields of history?s first known cyber-war, the casualties are piling up...
On the hidden battlefields of history?s first known cyber-war, the casualties are piling up...
Filed by Alana Horowitz ?|?
? "; var coords = [-5, -78]; if( HPConfig.current_vertical_name == 'homepage' ) { coords = [-5, -70]; } else if( HPConfig.current_vertical_name == 'mapquest' ) { coords = [-5, -68]; } FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });?
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/09/the-changing-and-terrifyi_n_3409891.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)