Border security amendment offered in Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) ? An agreement to vastly increase fencing, patrols and high-tech monitoring along the U.S.-Mexico border was formally unveiled in the Senate Friday, providing powerful momentum to a far-reaching immigration bill backed by the White House.

With the border security amendment finalized, the immigration legislation immediately picked up an additional likely Republican supporter: Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who signed on as a co-sponsor of the amendment.

"This amendment will put to rest any remaining credible concerns about the border, about border security," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said on the Senate floor as he filed the measure and announced procedural steps to bring it to a vote early next week. "The opposition of a small group is not going to stop this bill from moving forward," Reid said.

The deal doubling Border Patrol agents and adding hundreds of miles of fencing along the Southwest border had already won support from four other undecided Republican senators who are now likely to back the immigration bill when it comes to a final vote next week. The legislation opening the door to citizenship for millions now appears within reach of securing the broad bipartisan majority that its authors say is needed to ensure serious consideration by the GOP-controlled House.

However, the outcome there remains far from certain because many conservatives are opposed to offering citizenship to people who came to this country illegally.

"We really have tried to secure the border in a way that we hope can get bipartisan support and that Americans want," Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., an author of the amendment, told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday. "We're hopeful to have a good bipartisan majority."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said on Fox News Channel Friday that "if there's anyone who still will argue that the border is not secure after this, then border security is not their reason for opposing a path to citizenship for the people who are in this country illegally."

"Is it more than I would have recommended? Honestly, yes," McCain said. "But we've got to give people confidence."

Hoeven developed the amendment along with Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, in consultation with McCain, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other members of the so-called Gang of Eight senators who wrote the immigration bill. It prevents immigrants now here illegally from attaining permanent resident status until a series of steps have been taken to secure the border.

These include doubling the Border Patrol with 20,000 new agents, 18 new unmanned surveillance drones, 350 miles of new pedestrian fencing to add to 350 miles already in place and an array of fixed and mobile devices to maintain vigilance, including high-tech tools such as infrared ground sensors and airborne radar.

The new provisions would be put in place over a decade, in line with the 10-year path to a permanent resident green card that the bill sets out for immigrants here illegally. During that time, the immigrants could live and work legally in a provisional status.

Hoeven said the 10-year cost of the border security amendment included $25 billion for the additional Border Patrol agents, $3 billion for fencing and $3.2 billion for other measures.

It's "border security on steroids," said Corker, who along with Hoeven had been uncommitted on the immigration bill. Both are now prepared to support it, assuming their amendment is adopted. Sens. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., also announced their support for the deal Thursday.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said the border deal "would constitute a breakthrough" on immigration. "We're pleased that Republicans and Democrats continue to work together toward comprehensive immigration reform," he said.

The deal on border security came together quickly over the past several days after talks had bogged down over Republicans' insistence that green cards be made conditional on catching or turning back 90 percent of would-be border crossers. Schumer, other Democrats and Obama himself rejected this trigger, which they feared could delay the path to citizenship for years. Obama made his objections known in a phone call to Schumer from Air Force One during his trip to Europe for the Group of Eight summit earlier in the week, according to a Senate aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.

The breakthrough came when the Congressional Budget Office released a report Tuesday finding that the bill would cut billions of dollars from the deficit. Schumer's top immigration aide, Leon Fresco, had the idea of devoting some of those billions to a dramatic border buildup.

Graham, who helped run interference between Corker and Hoeven and Democrats in the group, said that with the budget office finding in hand, he sat down with Schumer and Corker and said, "OK, let's go big."

The idea immediately appealed to the left and the right.

For Republicans, it provided concrete assurances that the bill would aim to achieve a secure border. For Democrats, it offered goals that, if dramatic, were achievable and measurable.

Still, not everyone was won over.

Shortly before Corker and Hoeven went to the Senate floor to announce their agreement Thursday afternoon, five leading Republican opponents of the bill held a news conference to denounce the deal as little more than an empty promise.

"In short, I think this amendment is designed to pass the bill but not to fix the bill," Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said.

About 10 Republicans have indicated they will vote for the bill, far more than enough to ensure it will have the 60 votes required to overcome any attempted filibuster by last-ditch opponents. Democrats control 54 seats, and party aides have said they do not expect any defections.

In addition to the border security components and eventual citizenship for the estimated 11 million people living here illegally, the immigration bill would create new work visa programs and expand existing ones to allow tens of thousands of workers into the country to work in high- and low-skilled jobs.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/border-security-amendment-offered-senate-181120237.html

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Debt Management: 5 Reasons Paying Down Your Debt Might Be ...

Debt.

It?s something that we Americans have been eager to pile on and slow to pay off. A 2012 survey by Bankrate.com suggests that 25 percent of Americans carry more credit card debt than emergency savings.? And according to NerdWallet.com, the average amount of credit card debt per indebted household stood at a staggering $15,216 as of June, 2013.

If just looking at those numbers makes you squeamish, you?re not alone. Carrying mass amounts of debt is bad for us in more ways than one and can have severe long-term effects that go well beyond our finances.

Here are 5 ways in which it might be more important than you realized to begin strategizing your debt-reduction plan today?

1.)??? Your health

You know that thing people say when the going gets tough - ?At least you have your health?? Well if you?re in debt, you might not be as healthy as you?re letting on.

Multiple studies over the years suggest a correlation between indebtedness and stress. Depression, anxiety, panic attacks and ulcers have all been linked to debt-related stress by medical experts at WebMD, among other online resources.

If you?re stressing out about your debt, there?s a good chance that your health is taking a direct toll as well.

2.)??? Your dating life

As the New York Times reported on late last year, a question that comes up more and more on first and second dates is, ?What?s your credit score??

No, seriously.

High debt can lead to a bad credit score in more ways than one ? minimum payments too big to pay off each month, or sky-high amounts owed that make you look like a high risk in the eyes of creditors ? but you probably didn?t think it would hurt your dating life, too.

With the Great Recession hardly in our rearview mirror, a frugal and responsible spender is considered by many these days a must in a mate.? Don?t let debt derail your dating life.

3.)??? Your career

Not only can a poor credit score derail your hopes of getting hired for your dream job (it can), but the debt often associated with such credit woes can lead to a lack of productivity in the workplace.

As reported by The Guardian, two-thirds of those polled by the Consumer Credit Counseling Service said that, ?Work has become difficult due to the constant worry about debt?. How you make your living can suffer from debt problems at home as well, yet another reason why formulating a debt-reduction plan is one of the most important things you can do for your well-being.

4.)??? Your future financial goals

Obviously, carrying a high amount of debt puts future ?milestone purchases? in jeopardy, since big-ticket items like a car and a home require good credit for reasonable loan interest rates.

Carrying a high amounts of debt ? especially credit card debt ? raises a red flag to lenders that you?re unwilling or unable to pay off your debts. Naturally, this could mean high interest rates on the above items that might nudge them out of your price range; that is if you?re approved at all.

Finally?

5.)??? Your estate

Let?s assume that you already own your own home and have moved into your retirement years. The estate you?ve worked to build upon and maintain for your financial well-being as well as the well-being of your benefactors (i.e. your spouse, your kids, your grandchildren, etc.) relies considerably on how much debt you carry when you pass on.

While the children of a parent who has passed isn?t liable to pick up the tab on unpaid debts at the time of their debt, creditors are ultimately the ones paid off first in an estate sale. That is to say, your benefactors won?t receive a dime of your sold estate until your creditors have been paid in full.

Carrying an unsustainable amount of debt has negative impacts in both the future and the present. Consider your financial situation, ask yourself if it is making your life stressful, and begin to strategize on how you plan to pay down your debt as soon as possible.

We recommend making a budget, setting realistic but aggressive financial goals, and even telling your friends and loved ones about your plan to pay down your debt to nothing. A support system is helpful when paying down debt and you might even rally a few of your debt-stricken friends to join you on the wagon as well.

Whatever it takes, just know that devising a plan today is the first step to gaining a better dating life, a better career and ? perhaps most importantly ? the ability to finally get some sleep at night.

Photo Credit: Images Money

Source: http://www.dumblittleman.com/2013/06/debt-management-5-reasons-paying-down.html

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Zimmerman jury of peers is jury of (mostly white) women (+video)

Zimmerman jury selection was completed in the racially charged case. Six women, five of them white, will decide whether the shooting death of Trayvon Martin constituted second-degree murder.

By Patrik Jonsson,?Staff Writer / June 20, 2013

Attorney Don West (l.) and jury consultant Robert Hirschhorn (r.) stand with George Zimmerman as potential jurors enter the courtroom for Zimmerman's trial in Seminole circuit court in Sanford, Fla., Thursday. An all-female and mostly white jury will decide whether the shooting death of Trayvon Martin constituted second-degree murder.

Gary Green/Orlando Sentinel/AP

Enlarge

An all-female and mostly white jury will decide whether volunteer watchman George Zimmerman committed second-degree murder when he shot and killed an unarmed black teenager, Trayvon Martin, on a rainy Florida evening in February 2012.

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Debate around the high-profile case has swirled around the stereotyping of young black men, defense strategies to raise questions about Martin's character, crime scene photos that suggest a violent struggle took place, and furious courtroom arguments over whether to allow testimony by audio experts regarding who emitted a brief shriek in the background of a 911 call the moment before a shot rang out.

But now the mostly middle age and older female jury ? all white, except one Hispanic woman ? have to attempt to set aside what they have heard about the case and move beyond their own attitudes and beliefs in order to zero in on whether the killing constituted murder, as the state contends, or was a tragic result of legitimate self-defense.

The gender equation could become a major factor in a case that, at its core, touches on the lengths to which people can go to defend themselves, their homes, and their neighborhoods against threatening strangers ? and on whether defensive impulses sometimes simply hide racism.

?Women tend to be more reflexively opposed to the use of violence generally, and also be aware that most violence is perpetrated by men, for just or unjust reasons,? says Doug Keene, a jury consultant in Austin, Texas, who has been following the case.

The jurors include one woman who has been a victim of a crime and one woman who has previously been arrested. Some know intimate details of the case, another one claims to have barely heard about it before being picked for jury duty. The jury includes one young woman, several middle-aged women, and several retirees. While there were seven potential black jurors in the final round of 40 possible jurors, none were picked.

One of the women, the youngest, says she used the shooting in Sanford, Fla., as an example to her two adolescent kids not to go out at night.

Two of the four alternate jurors, however, are men, including a white man who says his teenage son wears hoodies, and a Hispanic man who is passionate about arm-wrestling.

The case has been portrayed as a tragic prism for the state of US race relations. One widely held suspicion is that the Sanford police would not have released, as they did Zimmerman, a black man who shot an unarmed white teenager in the same manner.

A special prosecutor indicted Zimmerman 44 days after the shooting in the wake of nationwide rallies by hoodie-wearing protesters. Martin was wearing a gray hoodie as he returned from a store with a bag of Skittles, an outfit that apparently helped Zimmerman peg the boy as ?suspicious? in a neighborhood that had endured a spate of petty thefts, carried out largely by young, black perpetrators.

Another potential legacy of this particular jury, experts say, could be how it comes down on the use of guns in self-defense outside the home, and how that principle applies to a situation in which a volunteer watchman follows someone they believe to be suspicious, as Zimmerman did. Lawyers questioned the jurors extensively about their views on guns and gun ownership.

One of the jurors said she used to have a concealed weapons permit, but let it lapse. Another one said her husband owns a gun. Prosecutors attempted to strike both jurors, but were denied.

No matter the age, race, gender or beliefs of the jurors, however, jury experts like Mr. Keene believe the panel will set aside the political and policy debates in order to focus on the last moments of Trayvon Martin?s life.

?I talk to a couple of thousand jurors a year, and 99 percent of them show an astonishing determination to discern the truth of a dispute,? Keene says. ?Their commitment to separate the wheat from the chaff is amazingly impressive, whether it?s a straightforward matter or the most incredibly complex and arcane dispute.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/mVWNgmMpOp4/Zimmerman-jury-of-peers-is-jury-of-mostly-white-women-video

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Senate immigration deal would double number of U.S. border agents (reuters)

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Feel Like A Spider In This New Steel Wire Web

My Modern Met:

His largest and most ambitious work to date, In Orbit by Argentinian artist Tomas Saraceno is the closest one may ever come to feeling like a spider. Working with a team of architects, engineers and biologists over a three year period, Saraceno is finally ready to debut this monumental mesh construction that suspends over 25 meters above the piazza of the K21 Standehaus museum in Dusseldorf, Germany. On June 22, visitors will be able to climb on the gigantic steel wire construction that spans three levels.

The mesh net alone weighs three tons and there are half a dozen "spheres" or inflated PVC balloons positioned within it. No joke, for this installation, the artist studied the methods of various spiders to see how they constructed their intricate webs. Just like them, visitors coordinate their activities with one another, perceiving space through the medium of vibration.

Read the whole story at My Modern Met

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/feel-like-a-spider-in-this-new-steel-wire-web_n_3478310.html

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Feds: Nuclear waste may be leaking into soil from Hanford site

Mark Ralston / AFP - Getty Images file

Government officials said radioactive waste might be leaking into the soil from a nuclear site in Hanford, Washington state. Governor Jay Inslee said the situation should be treated with the "utmost seriousness."

By Shannon Dininny, The Associated Press

An underground tank holding some of the worst radioactive waste at the nation's most contaminated nuclear site might be leaking into the soil.

The U.S. Energy Department said workers at Washington state's Hanford Nuclear Reservation detected higher radioactivity levels under tank AY-102 during a routine inspection Thursday.

Spokeswoman Lori Gamache said the department has notified Washington officials and is investigating the leak further. An engineering analysis team will conduct additional sampling and video inspection to determine the source of the contamination, she said.

State and federal officials have long said leaking tanks at Hanford do not pose an immediate threat to the environment or public health.

The largest waterway in the Pacific Northwest ? the Columbia River ? is still at least 5 miles away and the closest communities are several miles downstream.

However, if this dangerous waste escapes the tank into the soil, it raises concerns about it traveling to the groundwater and someday potentially reaching the river.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement that the situation "must be treated with the utmost seriousness."

Inslee said additional testing is expected to take several days.

"Our state experts confirm that there is no immediate public health threat. Given the relatively early detection of this potential leak, the river is not at immediate risk of contamination should it be determined that a leak has occurred outside the tank," he said.

Tom Carpenter, executive director of the Seattle-based advocacy group Hanford Challenge, said, "this is really, really bad. They are going to pollute the ground and the groundwater with some of the nastiest stuff, and they don't have a solution for it."

AY-102 is one of Hanford's 28 tanks with two walls, which were installed years ago when single-shell tanks began leaking. Some of the worst liquid in those tanks was pumped into the sturdier double-shell tanks.

The tanks are now beyond their intended life span. The Energy Department announced last year that AY-102 was leaking between its two walls, but it said then that no waste had escaped.

Two radionuclides comprise much of the radioactivity in Hanford's tanks: cesium-137 and strontium-90. Both take hundreds of years to decay, and exposure to either would increase a person's risk of developing cancer.

At the height of World War II, the federal government created Hanford in the remote sagebrush of eastern Washington as part of a hush-hush project to build the atomic bomb. The site ultimately produced plutonium for the world's first atomic blast and for one of two atomic bombs dropped on Japan, and it continued production through the Cold War.

Today, it is the nation's most contaminated nuclear site, with cleanup expected to last decades. The effort ? with a price tag of about $2 billion annually ? has cost taxpayers $40 billion to date and is estimated will cost $115 billion more.

The most challenging task so far has been the removal of highly radioactive waste from the 177 aging, underground tanks and construction of a plant to treat that waste.

The Energy Department recently notified Washington and Oregon that it may miss two upcoming deadlines to empty some tanks and to complete a key part of the plant to handle some of the worst waste.

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz visited the site Wednesday for the first time since being confirmed by the Senate in May. He said he intends to have a new plan by the end of the summer for resolving the technical problems with the waste treatment plant.

Related:

Head of company overseeing leaking nuclear tanks at Hanford to step down

Six tanks now said to be leaking at contaminated Hanford nuclear site

Tank at Hanford nuclear site leaking radioactive liquids, Washington governor says

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Exbel, Video for Instagram, and More

Instagram's new video feature may have been the most hyped app to hit the market this week, but that doesn't mean there's not a whole world of awesome iOS just waiting to be downloaded. And this week's set all do a little something to make your life easier?now doesn't that sound nice?

---

Exbel: Video for Instagram may have been the talk of the photo app world this week, but let's not forget the smaller guys doing some incredible work. And Exbel from indie developer Yaser Almajed is one of them. Lets you combine two different photos, one you've taken and one of Exbel's extensive collections of "masks," which you paint over any part of the photo you'd like in varying intensities. The masks are essentially just various textures and backgrounds that you'll find nearly every day, but combined with your own photo, they can turn into a fantastical unique creation. You can then use a filter over your combined image, meaning you'll never run out of various combinations. [$1]

---

Video for Instagram: Although not an entirely new app, Facebook did finally unveil their Vine-like competitor this week by adding video to the phenomenally popular Instagram. Essentially, you have a maximum of 15 seconds to work with, and the shortest your clips can be is three seconds. The video plays once and then pauses itself; it autoplays when you pause to look at it in the stream, and can be replayed by tapping on it. Audio is on by default. Instagram for Video seems pretty smart. Photos and videos built into the same feed mean you don't have to remember to look at another app. Fifteen seconds is just long enough to sing happy birthday. And filters? Who doesn't like filters! [Free]

---

Three: Ugh, you'll say, another beautiful, gradient-hued, minimalist iOS weather app. Thanks?I've already got five. But Three is different, we promise. Sure you get just the basic weather info without tons of bells and whistles, but the one bell and/or whistle you do have is a phenomenal one. Three has made it so you'll never be caught chilly at night without the proper layers, because it tells you exactly what to wear. [$2]

---

Simple: Existing Simple users will grasp the concept of Goals pretty seamlessly but for the uninitiated Goals is basically a digital version of stashing cash in the fridge or in envelopes for specific things you want. Couple that with "Safe-to-Spend" and you'll always have an accurate and up to date dollar figure of what you can actually spend that hasn't already been allocated towards bills or Goals. [Free]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/exbel-video-for-instagram-and-more-535264802

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Making Ice Brewed Coffee - A Craftsy Food & Cooking Tutorial

We?ve already talked about the intricacies of the right procedure for crafting the perfect cup of pour over coffee. We spoke of freshly roasted beans, the perfect grind and water temperature. Perhaps I even scared some of you away with all the scales, talk of grams and timers. For those of you who are still with me, I?m back with more coffee talk. This time we?re brewing the perfect cup of iced coffee.

Origins

From what I found, New Orleans was the initiator of iced coffee. Although I imagine some Italian might want to argue against that. In their version they?d let coffee grounds along with ground chicory steep in water for at least 12 hours at room temperature before they strained it, and served a tall glass over ice with a healthy amount of milk or cream. Many people continue to drink it in this way and lucky for us, iced Toddy (as this method is referred to) or cold-brew coffee has made its way all over country. Some say this method eliminates some of the unwanted acidic or bright taste in coffee and gives a smooth, rich and full flavor.

Others scoff at this method urging that the iced method (I?ll explain in a second) is the only way to go. I?d take either but today we?re talking about brewing over ice.

The Iced Method

This method was originally created in Japan, and is favored by many as it allows the natural brightness and subtleties of the coffee to come through. Since we?ve already discussed the intricacies of the pour-over method, making iced coffee will be very easy. The basic idea is that you prepare the grounds in the same way as you would a pour over but you use half the amount of water as you would preparing a cup of hot coffee. The other half of the water is in the cup below in the form of ice. So when you are finished you have a perfectly chilled and balanced cup of iced coffee with all the same nuances and flavors that you would have gotten out of a hot cup of coffee.

The Recipe

The basic iced coffee recipe is as follows:

• 1 ounce of freshly ground medium-fine coffee
• 7 ounces ice
• 8 ounces of nearly boiling water

Place the ice in the bottom of your Chemex or cup ? depending on which method you are using. Then proceed as you would the pour over method. The resulting cup of coffee is perfectly chilled, bright, clean and completely refreshing. I like a splash of cream in mine and perhaps some agave or simple syrup but if you?re a purist forget I said that.

If you?re like me and you like the idea of crafting a simple syrup to sweeten your coffee, check out this post for a recipe and variations on that recipe.

Source: http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/06/how-to-make-ice-brewed-coffee/

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Instagram announces new video service

Today at Facebook HQ, Instagram announced a new video service. The focus is on simplicity, beauty and community. You get 15 seconds of video to work with, though you can stitch together multiple clips. There are 13 different video-exclusive filters to apply, and you can pick which frame is the thumbnail. Sounds like a serious Vine competitor, though it doesn't loop in the same obnoxious way; just tap and hold to play videos. They're also going to be including some really great stabilization software called Cinema.

You can get downloading the update now at the link below, or you can tune into the live announcement event.

• Free - Download Now

Introducing Video on Instagram from Instagram on Vimeo.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/hWyAwZGP4IU/story01.htm

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Washington Sports Clubs To Offer 'I Am Beach Buff' Telephone Hotline For Summer Exercise Advice

Feel like you're not beach-body ready?

Now there is a hotline for that.

Washington Sports Clubs will be running what they call an "I Am Buff Beach Help Hotline" Friday through Sunday, 6 a.m. through 9 p.m.

No, the hotline is not a way to convince you that you are wonderful just the way you are. Instead the gym chain will be doling out fitness advice, according to Washingtonian:

What sort of help should one expect when calling the Beach Buff hotline? Tips from fitness experts on how to start a summer workout program, how to safely exercise in the heat, and recommendations for calorie-burning exercises.

In addition to feeling better about one?s not-so-killer bod, callers will receive a free one-week pass to a local WSC club and free access to an Ultimate Fitness Experience class.

Why are they doing this?

It isn't to capitalize on people who feel insecure about themselves for monetary gain.

Oh, actually that's exactly what it is.

"This hotline was designed for anyone who was lazy in May, and just realized the 4th of July is two weeks away," said Chris Ruta, the Vice President of Fitness at New York Sports Clubs, in a press release. "We hope to alleviate some of the additional stress that surfaces around the beach season."

I you do feel so inclined to give the hotline a call, the number is 1-855-I-AM-BUFF (4-26-2833). If you're not inclined to phone in and prefer to exercise your fingers instead your ears, you can email the hotline at iambuff@townsports.com.

For those who not inclined to phone in or email, we say, good for you.

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• Kelly Rowland

• Angel McCord

• Kelly Bensimon

• Hayden Panettiere

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/19/washington-sports-clubs-telephone-hotline_n_3467881.html

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Displaced Darfuris live in 'terrible' conditions: U.N. expert

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese people who have fled a recent surge in fighting in the western Darfur region live in terrible conditions and face a "humanitarian disaster," a U.N. human rights expert said after visiting the strife-torn region.

War broke out in the western region of Darfur over a decade ago. Mainly African tribes took up arms against the Arab government in Khartoum, accusing it of marginalization.

Violence is down from a 2004-2005 peak but a new wave of fighting between the army, rebels and competing tribes has displaced since January about 300,000 people who live in camps across the vast arid region.

"The difficult conditions facing the people ... especially women and children, were terrible," Mashood Adebayo Baderin said on Thursday in Khartoum after visiting a camp for displaced people in South Darfur.

Baderin, a Nigerian asked by the United Nations Human Rights Council to assess the situation in Sudan, made his third trip to the African country.

"The tents were inadequate and most of the new IDPs (displaced people) have resorted to using local materials to construct make-shift shelter," he said, adding that urgent action was needed to avoid a "humanitarian disaster."

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Bashir and other Sudanese officials on charges of masterminding war crimes in Darfur. They deny the charges and refuse to recognize the court.

Human rights groups and the United Nations estimate that hundreds of thousands of people have died in Darfur's conflict. The government says around 10,000 people have been killed.

Baderin said the humanitarian situation was worsening in parts of Blue Nile state, where the Sudanese army is also fighting rebels, who accuse the government of neglect.

"I am ... concerned about civilians trapped in rebel-controlled areas as a result of the belligerent activities of government and rebel forces in the region," he said.

"I have been informed that many displaced and vulnerable civilians have been forced to move further south without access to basic necessities such as water and food," he said, adding that access for aid agencies in government-controlled areas had improved.

(Reporting by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/displaced-darfuris-live-terrible-conditions-u-n-expert-000401818.html

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The STEHM Microscope: Finally, Nanoscientists Can See What They're Doing

Your average atom is about 62 to 520 picometers in diameter, but since that's a full factor smaller than the 390 to 700 nanometers human eye can perceive, direct observation using conventional microscopes is physically impossible. But that's where the electron beams come in. The University of Victoria has just installed the most powerful scanning electron microscope in history.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/aq88m1UgUpU/the-stehm-microscope-finally-nanoscientists-can-see-w-514153554

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Length of Applause Not Tied To Quality of Presentation

From http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-548542.html

Here is the quote from Solzhenitsyn: A district Party conference was under way in Moscow Province. It was presided over by a new secretary of the District Party Committee, replacing one recently arrested. At the conclusion of the conference, a tribute to Comrade Stalin was called for. Of course, everyone stood up (just as everyone had leaped to his feet during the conference at every mention of his name). The small hall echoed with ?stormy applause, rising to an ovation.? For three minutes, four minutes, five minutes, the ?stormy applause, rising to an ovation? continued. But palms were getting sore and raised arms were already aching. And the older people were panting from exhaustion. It was becoming insufferably silly even to those who really adored Stalin. However, who would dare be the first to stop? The secretary of the District Party Committee could have done it. He was standing on the platform, and it was he who had just called for the ovation. But he was a newcomer. He had taken the place of a man who?d been arrested. He was afraid! After all, NKVD men were standing in the hall applauding and watching to see who quit first! And in that obscure, small hall, unknown to the Leader, the applause went on?six, seven, eight minutes! They were done for! Their goose was cooked! They couldn?t stop now till they collapsed with heart attacks! At the rear of the hall, which was crowded, they could of course cheat a bit, clap less frequently, less vigorously, not so eagerly?but up there with the presidium where everyone could see them? The director of the local paper factory, an independent and strong-minded man, stood with the presidium. Aware of all the falsity and all the impossibility of the situation, he still kept on applauding! Nine minutes! Ten! In anguish he watched the secretary of the District Party Committee, but the latter dared not stop. Insanity! To the last man! With make-believe enthusiasm on their faces, looking at each other with faint hope, the district leaders were just going to go on and on applauding till they fell where they stood, till they were carried out of the hall on stretchers! And even then those who were left would not falter. . . . Then after eleven minutes, the director of the paper factory assumed a businesslike expression and sat down in his seat. And, oh, a miracle took place! Where had the universal, uninhibited, indescribable enthusiasm gone? To a man, everyone else stopped dead and sat down. They had been saved! The squirrel had been smart enough to jump off his revolving wheel.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/GuS4o0O4GrU/story01.htm

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Nuts and Bolts of a Car Chase: What Goes into Creating a 'Fast and ...

Action sequences have changed quite a bit since James Bond corkscrewed his red AMC Hornet hatchback over the rickety wooden bridge in?The Man With the Golden Gun. Even though that stunt is still impressive according to today?s standards, and has gone down in history as one of the best, action sequences have evolved and complicated over time. Today, many of these adrenaline-filled scenes require millions of dollars and several years to plan and execute. So, how do filmmakers do it? What goes into planning and bringing an action sequence to fruition? Check out how the filmmakers of?Fast and Furious 6?conceptualized, planned, and souped-up their epic car chases after the jump.

The Fast and Furious?franchise is known for action sequences that push beyond the paradigm as well as the laws of physics. It used to be that filmmakers could shoot a car chase relatively cheaply, but after CGI and an audience wanting more of that high-octane good stuff, it seems as though those days are gone.

Independent filmmaker?Justin Lin?signed up to do the Fast and Furious franchise back in 2005 and has directed the last 4 films including the 6th installment. With a budge of $160 million, two years, and scenes that call for tanks and a car driving out of a plane taking off, this is Lin?s most ambitious film yet. Here?s what he had to say in an interview about constructing action sequences and car chases:

I have a little vault of crazy ideas and those are just for my own enjoyment and then I develop the scripts. A lot of times, the example on this one is the tank, almost didn?t make it into the movie. I remember after Fast Five we were talking about the vault and we were kind of joking around about how, ?Wouldn?t it be great if somebody could actually drive the vault and the vault could shoot?? Somebody was like, ?Wait, that?s a tank ? ? But it was just a fun idea. At that point it didn?t belong in the movie, so it wasn?t until development that I?m able to put in these sequences.

Check out this behind-the-scenes video to get an idea of some of Lin?s ?crazy? ideas that were, according to an article in Car and Driver, ?probably the most technically ambitious and expensive car sequences ever filmed.?

So, now that we?ve seen?what?was made, let?s take a look at?how?it was made.

Assuming that most if not all of the car chases in Fast and Furious 6?came from Lin?s little vault, I think it?s safe to say that the first step in creating an action sequence is visualization. Of course, many of us use storyboarding to various degrees to map out and organize our scenes, and Lin is no different ? only he commissioned ?pre-visualization? artists to create digital renderings of stunts.

After you?ve spent a pretty penny on digital renderings of your scenes, or saved a few bucks and drew them yourself on a printed copy of a storyboard template you got online, you?re ready to script it. Chris Morgan was one of the writers for the film, and making decisions on the particularities of the screenplay, like which cars would be involved and locations, was a huge undertaking. Each decision had to coalesce with Lin?s vision and ideas for stunts and make them possible. He describes developing the concept of having a ?vehicle as a weapon,? a path that lead him from the beefy Mercedes G-wagon to a lean F1 racer to use for the ?flip-car.?

Check out a featurette on the ?flip-car? below.

There are also a lot of logistics being worked out outside of the script. For instance, this may sound childish, but Lin often uses toy cars to conceptualize scenes. He even brings them to the set with him. Now that I?m thinking about it ? it?s actually a pretty ingenious move. What better to model a scene with a car chase than with models of the cars themselves. Not only that, but the team draws up a bunch of diagrams of the city streets they?ll be filming in and posts sticky notes on it to help them further understand the mechanics and timing of the scene.

Next, Lin and his team had to evaluate what they were up against in terms of locations. Not every shot in a car chase scene was shot in the same location.

? only small portions of London?s streets can be closed at any one time and Glasgow doesn?t necessarily always look like London, the special-effects department carefully measured every aspect of the filming sites using conventional surveying tools and LIDAR measurement systems. That was done in order to plan the action correctly, and so that scenes can be visually extended using computer graphics.

The VFX for this film was a gargantuan undertaking. 10 special effects companies, as well as Universal?s effects department, worked on the film, which tallied up to more than 1000 people. Seeing as how the cars that were raced, destroyed, blown up, and flung into the air were real, it?s impressive to see how much work the VFX took to create the mood of the film ? the subtle atmospheric touches and strokes of destruction that couldn?t be created in real life. Realizing the talent of these VFX artists was integral to the making of the film, because it allowed the filmmakers to take the story to places it wouldn?t have been able to.

So, you?ve got your plan, your script, and your VFX artists telling you, ?Yeah, go film shots from a single scene in three completely different places on the globe. We?ll make it all look like London.? Now it?s time to shoot. Just let me ask you this ? do you have a camera car?

Lin and his crew employed up to 12 different cameras for certain action scenes ? some of which were mounted to motorized behemoths (?camera cars?) like the Porche Cayenne, Cadillac Escalade, and Mercedes M-class. Check out the behind-the-scenes video below to get a glimpse of some of the methods they used in filming a chase scene, which include mounting cameras to enormous cranes, what looks like a remote control car, and an elaborate rig on a car. (You can spot one of these ?camera cars? at around the 1:38 mark ? and watch the little remote control car-cam get swallowed by the falling foam rocks at 2:03.)

Even after your footage has been shot there is still plenty of work to do with editing and visual touch-ups in post. The LA Times reports:

Lin was going full throttle, attempting to cram a year and a half?s worth of post-production into 12 weeks. The director had five film editors simultaneously cutting ?Fast 6? together while teams of specialists made visual effects and color timing tweaks elsewhere on the lot. Sound mixing took up two movie-theater-sized stages all by itself.

As far as VFX goes, the ?camera cars? and camera rigs had to be digitally removed from scenes ? as well as their reflections. Some scenes were sped up (for obvious reasons.) Some shots were done in front of a green screen and visual-effects supervisor Kelvin McIlwain explained some aspects of this:

We shoot the cars on stage without windshields or door glass ? you can?t get rid of some reflections. So we have to add in digital glass to those cars, too.

A lot of time and effort went into producing the sound as well ? you can?t have a car chase without sound! Lin?s team decided not to record ?automotive, explosive, or concussive sounds.? Instead, sound editor Peter Brown used sound samples they found in libraries as well as some the made themselves driving around in an airport.

Sound fun? I think so ? but it also sounds expensive (it reportedly cost $20 million for the 7 minute flip-car chase alone.) Maybe not all of us will take this information and go out and try to replicate it, but I know that I personally have a better understanding, and therefore respect, for all that goes into those absurd and impossible action sequences that I roll my eyes at (yes ? admit it ? some go pretty overboard.) At least now I can look at it from a more technical point of view and applaud the filmmakers? artistry and ambition.

What do you think? Do you have any $20 million scenes you?re cooking up ? or have you ever worked on a film that had one? What are some cheap DIY options indie filmmakers can use for their car chases?

Link:?Cut to the Chase: The Making of a Modern-Day Automotive-Action Sequence ? Car and Driver

[via The Verge]

Related Posts

1. Grand Theft Auto: RISE, a Live Action Short Film, Plus a Visual Effects Breakdown
2. Creating the Sounds of a Brutal Beat-Down in 'Killing Them Softly'
3. Learn How Successful Screenwriters Use Action to Define Characters in 'On Story' Season 3

Source: http://nofilmschool.com/2013/06/nuts-bolts-of-car-chase-creating-fast-and-furious-action-sequence/

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Union bring in Oka Nikolov to propel Zac MacMath

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The Union signed Oka Nikolov, from German team Eintracht Frankfurt, to add depth and experience in goal.

By MATTHEW De GEORGE
mdegeorge@delcotimes.com, @sportsdoctormd

Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath makes a save during 3-0 win over the Columbus Crew at PPL Park earlier this month. Coach John Hackworth said MacMath is still the starter despite the acquisition of Oka Nikolov. (Times Staff / ERIC HARTLINE)

CHESTER ? The central theme of Philadelphia Union manager John Hackworth?s roster philosophy is the notion of competition.?

Wednesday, the club shored up one of the major areas in which that level was lagging.?

The Union came to terms with free-agent goalkeeper Oka Nikolov, who has played for the last 22 years with German side Eintracht Frankfurt. Terms of the deal between the club and the 39-year-old ?keeper were not disclosed, per league policy.?

The acquisition is pending receipt of a visa for Nikolov, who holds dual German and Macedonian citizenship and has been capped five times by the latter national team. He?s not available to play for the Union until the MLS summer transfer window formally opens July 9, making the July 12 meeting with Chivas USA the first match he?d be eligible for.?

?He is first and foremost a fantastic person,? Hackworth said Wednesday at his weekly press conference. ?Something we believe very strongly in is the character of the people we bring into our club, and he certainly epitomizes that. I met with him and was impressed with him as a person as much as his playing record. The fact that he was at Eintracht Frankfurt for so long and is in high regard there says volumes about him as a person and as a player.??

The nuts and bolts of Nikolov?s role with the Union aren?t fully clear, but certain aspects are. First and foremost, there?s the effect on No. 1 goalkeeper Zac MacMath.?

?Zac?s absolutely, 100 percent still the starter,? Hackworth said. ?No question about that.?

A large part of Nikolov?s role is also pre-determined, as he?ll come in to serve as a mentor for MacMath, who will turn 22 later this summer and is in his second year as a full-time starter, and backup Chris Konopka, who at age 28 is still in the long-term plans of the Union, according to Hackworth.

But part of that mentorship will be to push both players on the pitch for playing time. Like anyone else, Hackworth has explained to Nikolov that he will have to prove himself to the team and earn whatever minutes may come his way. But his addition is ultimately as a player, not a coach, and the expectation is that he?ll play some role on the pitch beyond merely sharing his experiences.?

?I wouldn?t bring a guy here just to be a practice player in most situations,? Hackworth said. ?But the reason that Oka is coming here is to prove that he can still play at this level in this league. It?s a challenge that he has set out for himself very clearly, but I also think he understands the role and what this means for our club. If Oka plays so well and he deserves it, he?s going to play. But he?s going to have to do an awful lot in our coaching staff?s opinions to unseat our whole feeling about the potential of Zac MacMath and how good he is and how good he can be given the proper pressure even from within the team to improve and make himself better.? Continued...

Nikolov may have a lot of miles on the odometer, but that doesn?t mean his career is done. The veteran showed that in recent months at Frankfurt, the club he?s been at since 1991 ? the year MacMath was born. After 18 seasons and 379 league appearances in the first team ? including leading the club to the final of the domestic cup, the DFB Pokal, in 2006 ? Nikolov presided over a large part of the 2010-11 campaign in which Frankfurt was relegated from the Bundesliga.?

He helped them return to Germany?s top flight the following year by finishing second in the 2.Bundesliga but was replaced as the starter in 2012-13 by young goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, a rising star in the German youth ranks.?

Nonetheless, the veteran returned to a role on the bench, and when Trapp was injured with eight games left in the season, Nikolov stepped in ably. He went 3-2-3 in Frankfurt?s stretch drive, including results in the last five matches (2-0-3) to cap a Cinderella season that saw the club qualify for the Europa League by finishing sixth in the Bundesliga.?

It?s the kind of quality that has Hackworth thinking that Nikolov can bring out the best from MacMath. The Union manager is quick to point out the difference between this instance and the last time the Union signed an aging goalkeeper from a German club ? then-39-year-old Faryd Mondragon from Cologne to be the No. 1 for the 2011 season.?

While MacMath is the unquestioned starter at this juncture, that could change. The Union are tied for the third-most goals allowed in MLS with 24 and are the only one of the 10 teams in playoff position to have allowed more than 20. Among regular goalkeepers, MacMath ranks third-last in goals against average (1.60) and fifth-worst in save percentage (66).?

Hackworth, though, is confident that by having Nikolov follow the same blueprint as the other veteran arrivals to the youthful core of this team, the pressure on MacMath can be harnessed and kept in check.?

?It?s certainly a concern, but I think our coaching staff has a lot to do with the players? confidence and where they feel they stand,? Hackworth said. ?For instance, if Oka?s first chance is July 12 and I fly him in and the next day I start him, yeah if I were Zac, I?d be pretty rattled about it. But that?s not the way we?re going to approach this at all. ? Zac knows the situation. He knows he?s still No. 1. He knows that we still believe in him, we trust in him and he?s got a long and hopefully as illustrious a career as Oka has.?

l ? ? ? ? ? ?l ? ? ? ? ? ?l

The Union?s lone injury concern for Sunday?s visit from New York Red Bulls (5 p.m., ESPN2) is Kleberson, who is working his way back to fitness after a hamstring injury. Hackworth called it a ?slow process? and listed him as questionable for the match. Fellow midfielder Michael Lahoud is back in full training after a sports hernia injury and is likely ready for selection.?

For more on the Union, visit Matthew?s blog at uniontally.blogspot.com. ?

Source: http://delcotimes.com/articles/2013/06/19/sports/doc51c271b88a8f3748706523.txt

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Erin Burnett Expecting First Child

The Erin Burnett OutFront host is expecting a baby with her husband David Rubulotta in November, her rep confirms to PEOPLE exclusively.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/O1QE0wRd2NI/

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Apple reportedly extending OS X 10.9 and iOS 7 testing beyond developers

Registered Apple developers have been able to test OS X 10.9 Mavericks and iOS 7 since their announcement at WWDC 2013, but reports are now emerging that Apple is widening the reach of both slightly. According to 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman, selected Apple retail employees are now receiving an invitation to test out Mavericks for themselves:

"You are invited to participate in the pre-release OS X Mavericks seed program. Participation, including submitting feedback, is completely voluntary and not an expectation of your job. If you accept, we will provide you with a pre-release version of OS X Mavericks to install and use. You will get to preview all of the exciting new features like iBooks, Maps, Calendar, Safari, iCloud Keychain, Multiple Displays, Notifications, Finder Tabs, Tags, and much more! You should use OS X Mavericks only your personal computer and on your personal time. Apple will provide you with ways to submit feedback on your experiences with OS X Mavericks, should you choose to do so. Apple also asks that you use future builds of OS X Mavericks as they are made available. The responses from prior seed programs have been overwhelmingly positive. Thank you to everyone who participated!"

Sources have also indicated that Apple is turning to the residents of Cupertino to assist with iOS 7 testing. Apple is said to be holding on-campus sessions with the locals in order to garner feedback on the latest version of iOS. It's unclear how people have been selected, but it's said that they are likely relatives of Apple employees.

Source: 9to5Mac

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/CsrERzzbV2o/story01.htm

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