Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/11/taylor-swift-wonders-what-is-love/
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Monday, November 26, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Human Biology and Health | NotesPal.com
Chapter 1 : Nutrition
Chapter 2 : The Digestive System
Chapter 3 : The respiratory System
Chapter 4: The Circulatory System
Chapter 5 :?Excretion, Osmoregulation and Homeostasis
Chapter 6 :?The Nervous System
Chapter 7 :?The Endocrine System
Chapter 8 :?Sense Organs
Chapter 9 :?The Reproductive System
Chapter 10 :?Human Population Growth and problems
Chapter 11 :?Human Diseases : Socially Significant Diseases
Chapter 12 :?Communicable Diseases
Chapter 13 :?Non-Communicable Disease : Cancer
Source: http://www.notespal.com/human-biology-and-health/
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112 killed in fire at Bangladesh garment factory
Bangladeshi firefighters douse last of the smoke at the garment factory outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday Nov. 25, 2012. At least 112 people were killed in a late Saturday night fire that raced through the multi-story garment factory just outside of Bangladesh's capital, an official said Sunday. (AP Photo/ khurshed Rinku)
Bangladeshi firefighters douse last of the smoke at the garment factory outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday Nov. 25, 2012. At least 112 people were killed in a late Saturday night fire that raced through the multi-story garment factory just outside of Bangladesh's capital, an official said Sunday. (AP Photo/ khurshed Rinku)
Bangladeshi firefighters battle a fire at a garment factory in the Savar neighborhood in Dhaka, Bangladesh, late Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. At least 112 people were killed in a fire that raced through the multi-story garment factory just outside of Bangladesh's capital, an official said Sunday. (AP Photo/Hasan Raza)
Relatives of garment factory workers killed in a fire cry as they come to collect bodies from a mortuary in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. At least 112 people were killed in a late Saturday night fire that raced through the multi-story garment factory just outside of Bangladesh's capital, an official said Sunday. (AP Photo/Khurshed Rinku)
Bangladeshi police officers stand guard outside a burnt garment factory outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. At least 112 people were killed in a late Saturday night fire that raced through the multi-story garment factory just outside of Bangladesh's capital, an official said Sunday. (AP Photo/Khurshed Rinku)
A Bangladeshi police official inspects the burnt garment factory in the Savar neighborhood outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday Nov. 25, 2012. At least 112 people were killed in a late Saturday night fire that raced through the multi-story garment factory just outside of Bangladesh's capital, an official said Sunday.(AP Photo/ khurshed Rinku)
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) ? Fire raced through a garment factory that supplies major retailers in the West, killing at least 112 people, many of whom were trapped by the flames because the eight-story building lacked emergency exits, an official said Sunday.
The blaze broke out late Saturday at a factory operated just outside Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka by Tazreen Fashions Ltd., a subsidiary of the Tuba Group, which makes products for Wal-Mart and other companies in the U.S. and Europe.
Firefighters recovered at least 100 bodies from the factory, Maj. Mohammad Mahbub, fire department operations director, told The Associated Press. He said 12 other people who were injured after they jumped from the building to escape died at hospitals.
Local media reported that up to 124 people were killed. The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear, and authorities ordered an investigation.
Army soldiers and border guards were sent to help police keep order as thousands of onlookers and anxious relatives of the factory workers gathered, Mahbub said.
Tazreen was given a "high risk" safety rating after a May 16, 2011, audit conducted by an "ethical sourcing" assessor for Wal-Mart, according to a document posted on the Tuba Group's website. It did not specify what led to the rating.
Wal-Mart spokesman Kevin Gardner said online documents indicating an orange or "high risk" assessment after the May 2011 inspection and a yellow or "medium risk" report after an inspection in August 2011 appeared to pertain to the factory where the fire broke out. The August 2011 letter said Wal-Mart would conduct another inspection within one year.
Gardner said it was not clear if that inspection had been conducted or whether the factory was still making products for Wal-Mart.
If a factory is rated "orange" three times in a two-year period, Wal-Mart won't place any orders for one year. The May 2011 report was the first orange rating for the factory.
Neither Tazreen's owner nor Tuba Group officials could be reached for comment.
The Tuba Group is a major Bangladeshi garment exporter whose clients also include Carrefour and IKEA, according to its website. Its factories export garments to the U.S., Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, among other countries. The Tazreen factory, which opened in 2009 and employed about 1,700 people, made polo shirts, fleece jackets and T-shirts.
Bangladesh has some 4,000 garment factories, many without proper safety measures. The country annually earns about $20 billion from exports of garment products, mainly to the U.S. and Europe.
In its 2012 Global Responsibility report, Wal-Mart said that "fire safety continues to be a key focus for brands and retailers sourcing from Bangladesh." Wal-Mart said it ceased working with 49 factories in Bangladesh in 2011 because of fire safety issues, and was working with its supplier factories to phase out production from buildings deemed high risk.
At the factory, relatives of the workers frantically looked for their loved ones. Sabina Yasmine said she saw the body of her daughter-in-law, but had seen no trace of her son, who also worked there.
"Oh, Allah, where's my soul? Where's my son?" wailed Yasmine, who works at another factory in the area. "I want the factory owner to be hanged. For him, many have died, many have gone."
Mahbub said the fire broke out on the ground floor, which was used as a warehouse, and spread quickly to the upper floors. Many workers who retreated to the roof were rescued, he said. But he said that with no emergency exits leading outside the building, many victims were trapped, and firefighters recovered 69 bodies from the second floor alone.
"The factory had three staircases, and all of them were down through the ground floor," Mahbub said. "So the workers could not come out when the fire engulfed the building."
"Had there been at least one emergency exit through outside the factory, the casualties would have been much lower," he said.
Many victims were burned beyond recognition. The bodies were laid out in rows at a school nearby. Many of them were handed over to families; unclaimed victims were taken to Dhaka Medical College for identification.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed shock at the loss of so many lives.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said it would stand by the victims' families.
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Sharing with Writers and Readers: Bling Your Virtual Book Tour
Yvonne Wu is helping me with two great guest posts this week while I take some inspiration and writing time. She is an expert at helping authors market so learn more about book tours today and come up tomorrow and learn how to let them keep working for you after the fact. (-:?
Creating the Bling during your Virtual?Book?Tour
Since the mid 1990s, the Internet has been a powerful way to advertise your products or services to a global market. Virtual book tours?or virtual product tours?is a popular online promotional campaign for authors, speakers, entrepreneurs and coaches and about anyone who uses a book penned by them to advance their careers. Virtual book tours date back as early as2000. Virtual tours are commonly used to promote DVDs, CDs, ebooks, audio ebooks, downloads, memberships, community sites, training webinars, and train-the-training?programs and many of these marketing tools are used by authors.
These campaigns provide opportunities for interaction with readers and potential buyers. The virtual tour has a specific timeframe for the tour, which is usually a month.? Appearances are scheduled in advance. These scheduled online experiences create awareness about your products and services.
Here are five tips to create and keep the bling during your virtual product tour:
Look for bonus providers. Look for thought leaders, collaborators that can provide you with downloadable bonuses or premiums that enhance your product offerings. These products can be included when they purchase your products. The advantage to you is that bonus providers will advertise your tour to their mailing list or Social Media Contacts and you will do the same.
Make your contests shine.? Holding contests (eg. scavenger hunts, free downloads and free products) throughout your tour is a quick way to attract traffic to your sales page on your website, create interaction, and expand your mailing list. The contest participants may be asked specific questions or asked to join a mailing list to enter into the contest that is held for a short period of time.
Yvonne is a internet publicist, certified author and speaker assistant. She works with individuals who wish to share their message with a global market. Yvonne loves to see authors and speakers attract more clients and sell more products.? Visit http://theyppublishing.com to learn practical marketing tips.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer?s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Creating the Bling during your Virtual?Book?Tour
Since the mid 1990s, the Internet has been a powerful way to advertise your products or services to a global market. Virtual book tours?or virtual product tours?is a popular online promotional campaign for authors, speakers, entrepreneurs and coaches and about anyone who uses a book penned by them to advance their careers. Virtual book tours date back as early as2000. Virtual tours are commonly used to promote DVDs, CDs, ebooks, audio ebooks, downloads, memberships, community sites, training webinars, and train-the-training?programs and many of these marketing tools are used by authors.
These campaigns provide opportunities for interaction with readers and potential buyers. The virtual tour has a specific timeframe for the tour, which is usually a month.? Appearances are scheduled in advance. These scheduled online experiences create awareness about your products and services.
Here are five tips to create and keep the bling during your virtual product tour:
Approach sites for reviews, interviews and guest blogging opportunities, whose readership would have a specific interest in your product.
For example, CD?s that talk about relationship advice would be ideal on relationship sites or sites whose target market is?women or families. Write articles that reach your target audience by having them posted on sites that have a similar readership. Make sure that your articles share enough information that directly relates to the product you are selling. This will entice the reader into buying your book.Spice up your sales page.?
Your squeeze page?or sales page?can be on your homepage or anywhere on your site. Create content about your?book to draw your readership in, create a buzz but not overwhelm them.? For example, Apple products have branded themselves to represent quality, that you are part of a club, and you are cool.? Create trust, make sure that you show your expertise by including a sell sheet or flyer and endorsements.? Provide links to press releases and scheduled speaking events that relate to the product. Social Media share buttons help visitors spread the word with pertinent information such as how to purchase your product, and pictures and dates of your scheduled tour.Create the loving feeling with flashy videos.
When creating your tour page, consider having a video on the sales page that shows the features and benefits of using your products?a video that gives a feel for the product so that the user can imagine how it feels to own the product. Or a video that solves a problem and fulfills a need for the potential buyer. This www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/mQOQX2V7KT9ZY?>Kindle video is a great example.Look for bonus providers. Look for thought leaders, collaborators that can provide you with downloadable bonuses or premiums that enhance your product offerings. These products can be included when they purchase your products. The advantage to you is that bonus providers will advertise your tour to their mailing list or Social Media Contacts and you will do the same.
Make your contests shine.? Holding contests (eg. scavenger hunts, free downloads and free products) throughout your tour is a quick way to attract traffic to your sales page on your website, create interaction, and expand your mailing list. The contest participants may be asked specific questions or asked to join a mailing list to enter into the contest that is held for a short period of time.
Yvonne is a internet publicist, certified author and speaker assistant. She works with individuals who wish to share their message with a global market. Yvonne loves to see authors and speakers attract more clients and sell more products.? Visit http://theyppublishing.com to learn practical marketing tips.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer?s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Source: http://sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com/2012/11/bling-your-virtual-book-tour.html
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Sunday, November 18, 2012
Dallying in college can cost Utah students
Education ? New policy language could double tuition for students with excess credit hours.
Orem ? A sixth or seventh year of college could double the tuition bill for Utah students, under changes adopted by the state Board of Regents on Friday.
Last year, legislative auditors faulted Utah colleges and universities for failing to enforce a long-standing policy to impose a stiff surcharge on students whose credits exceed 135 percent of that required for completing their degrees. The purpose of the original rule was not simply to raise revenue, but to give students a financial incentive to stay on track for timely graduation.
"There were assumptions that we have all these students overloading on courses. It was a tiny minority," said Teddi Safman, assistant commissioner for academic affairs.
In the past, administrators have been loath to punish students whose intellectual curiosity, double majors or credits earned elsewhere inflate their bag of credit hours beyond the 120 needed for a bachelor?s degree.
To address lawmakers? concerns, college and university provosts spent a year drafting policy language that is hoped will balance the competing values at stake. It was approved Friday by the Regents, meeting at Utah Valley University.
The new policy lowers the threshold to 125 percent, which still allows for a fifth year of school at low in-state tuition, and requires schools to notify students of the policy when enrolling.
"It says to us, ?You need to get the advising straight.? Start it early on so students are making good choices," said Martha Bradley, the U.?s associate vice president for academic affairs.
The new policy also carves out numerous exemptions. Credits that won?t count toward the threshold include those earned in high school through concurrent enrollment and advanced placement exams; those needed to complete dual majors, one minor and double degrees; and those associated with a "defensible" switch in major.
Administrators cautioned that the policy may not raise much revenue, if any, due to the staff time needed to determine which of a tarrying student?s credits are exempt. This is because most Utah students have acquired credits in high school or at institutions other than the one where they are completing their degree.
Nor does the policy mandate schools to impose the surcharge ? which would raise an in-state U. student?s tuition from $6,200 to $12,400. Schools will have discretion in deciding who to penalize. The main goal of the policy is to encourage school procedures that will minimize the amount of class time students take up on their way to graduation.
story continues below
"Some of these things are out of our control," Safman added. She pointed to family hardships, students leaving school to have children or serve a church mission, and the malleability of a 20-year-old?s mind. Schools should allow some leeway for students to explore the academic landscape and expand their world views, Safman said.
"Their brains aren?t fully formed until they are 22 and we expect them to know exactly what they want to do with very little experience," Safman said.
bmaffly@sltrib.com
Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55295371-78/students-policy-tuition-utah.html.csp
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Sunday, November 11, 2012
Video: More on November 9: Why Romney lost
Statue of Liberty relit for first time after storm
??You still can?t visit the Statue of Liberty in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, but you will once again be able to see the beloved American icon shining bright after sunset in New York Harbor.The storm knocked out power on Liberty Island, so Lady Liberty has been enveloped in darkness at night for almost two weeks now. But starting Friday, the statue will be re-lit by a temporary, generator-powered system donated to the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America?s national parks.Musco Lighting, a company that specializes in lighting sports stadiums and arenas, is providing the equipment and services that will illuminate the statue, while the National Park Service evaluates the damage to the attraction?s permanent lighting system.?While we work to do everything necessary to reopen the statue and every other national park damaged by the hurricane, we are grateful to Musco and the National Park Foundation for turning the lights on Lady Liberty, another step forward in the recovery of this region,? said National Park Service Director Jonathan B.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/49765631#49765631
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Thursday, November 8, 2012
Edwards leads Ball State past No. 23 Toledo, 34-27
Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning asses the ball against Toledo during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)
Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning asses the ball against Toledo during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)
Toledo quarterback Terrance Owens (2) receives congratulations from wide receiver Zach Rogers (88) after throwing a pass for a touchdown against Ball State in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)
Toledo quarterback Terrance Owens passes against Ball State during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)
Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning (10) passes against Toledo during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)
Toledo cornerback Byron Best (6) receives congratulations from defensive end Christian Smith (9) after intercepting a pass against Ball State in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) ? On a night when Toledo was ready to celebrate a national ranking and charmed season, Ball State ruined everything.
Jahwan Edwards scored untouched on a 15-yard run around left end with 1:43 left to propel the Cardinals to a 34-27 victory over the 23rd-ranked Rockets on Tuesday night, ending Toledo's eight-game winning streak.
"This is a tremendous win," Edwards exulted in the chill while his smiling teammates were filing out of the locker room. "Going 6-6 last year and barely scratching the surface of going to a bowl game. Now we're bowl eligible ? plus one. And this is not the end."
Edwards' run capped an 86-yard drive after Ball State's beleaguered defense had stopped the Rockets (8-2, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) a yard short on David Fluellen's run on fourth-and-2 at the Cardinals 15.
Edwards finished with 105 yards on 16 carries.
Mocked and belittled all season for allowing an average of 33 points per game, the defense came up big Tuesday night.
"It's a great feeling. I wouldn't have my senior year any other way," said linebacker Tony Martin, who set up a field goal with a 54-yard fumble return and also was in on the play that stopped Fluellen. "This is the first time we've beaten Toledo. It's been kind of a wild game the first three years and we finally came in here, national TV, and they were ranked and we got them. I couldn't have drawn a better picture."
Keith Wenning completed 29 of 42 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns, but was intercepted three times for Ball State (7-3, 4-2).
Second-year coach Pete Lembo grinned at the thought that his team was outgained, had three turnovers (to the Rockets' one) and still came out on top.
"It's significant, there's no question," he said of the victory. "We've come a long way in two years. We've done some special things this year, and this is as special as anything else we've done. And it's neat that we still have two games left ? hopefully now, three."
The Cardinals were already bowl eligible. Now they're hoping that the big win might assure them an attractive postseason berth.
Meanwhile, the Rockets were inconsolable.
"We played behind the football most of the night," first-year Toledo coach Matt Campbell said. "Critical errors in critical situations cost us the football game."
Fluellen ran for at least 200 yards for the third game this season, carrying 34 times for 200 yards and a touchdown.
Toledo jumped into The Associated Press Top 25 this week for the first time since 2001. Three days later, they are likely on their way out.
The loss dropped Toledo a game back of first-place Northern Illinois in the MAC's West Division. The Rockets and Huskies meet Nov. 14 in DeKalb, Ill.
Toledo's only previous loss this season came in its opener, a 24-17 setback in overtime at Arizona.
It was the 38th meeting in the series ? an annual occurrence since 1975 ? with Toledo now holding a 19-18-1 upper hand.
The game, back and forth all night, tilted on two late drives.
With the score tied at 27, Toledo drove to a fourth-and-2 at the Cardinals 15 with 6:02 left. Campbell passed up an almost certain 32-yard field goal with the accurate Jeremiah Detmer warming up on the sideline that would have given his team the lead.
Instead, the Rockets went for it. Fluellen carried up the middle and was stacked up, running into the back of one of his own blockers before being snowed under by defenders. He came up a foot short.
"Hindsight is 20/20," Campbell said. "I really felt we were in a groove. We had just made a fourth-and-1 (on their final touchdown). Was it the right decision? Obviously not."
Lembo wasn't a bit surprised. He said he would have gone for it, too.
"They have a lot of confidence in their offense," he said. "And they should, with those players."
With Edwards picking up good yardage on the ground and Wenning hitting timely passes, the Cardinals drove from their own 14. They converted a third-and-19 on Wenning's 19-yard completion to Connor Ryan and later Wenning hooked up with Zane Fakes on a 4-yard gain on third-and-3 at the Toledo 19.
Two plays later, Edwards took a handoff and outraced one tackler at the edge to score the pivotal TD.
"We came up to the line and five linemen were in the box so I just stuck with it and picked my speed up and turned the corner and tried to get to the end zone," he said.
The only thing that worried Lembo was that the Cardinals might have scored too soon.
But the defense made the lead stand.
Toledo quarterback Terrance Owens, who was 14 of 27 for 215 yards with no interceptions and a 24-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Reedy, gained seven yards on first down but was sacked for a 5-yard loss by Nathan Ollie. Two incompletions, both while being pressured, sent a smallish crowd of 18,211 home unhappy from the Glass Bowl.
Lembo said his defense has improved steadily.
"We've played a lot better in the last four or five games," he said. "We're not perfect. Obviously we still gave up some big plays tonight. But we are getting enough stops."
___
Follow Rusty Miller on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rustymillerap
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Voting booth hoax spreads on Facebook
1 day
A hoax telling voters?what to do while in the?voting booth?is spreading on Facebook; the best thing you can do is ignore it and whatever you do,?don't pass it on.
The post that's being shared says for those voters who are Democrats to "not select the button 'all Democrats' first, because Barack Obama will be excluded from the vote. However, if we choose 'Barack Obama' first, and then 'all Democrats' he will earn our votes!!!"
The trouble is, this is the opposite of what voters should be doing, at least?in certain very specific?cases.?
In some states, "choosing the party first on a voting machine can lead to all of the candidates of your preferred political party being chosen ? including the presidential candiate," wrote Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos Security, on the company's Naked Security blog.
"That could mean if you get confused and subsequently make a presidential selection for a second time, you could uncheck your vote for the president."?
A "typical" message Facebook users might see is this one, said Cluley:
Despite the stress-inducing all-caps warning ??"PLEASE PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO THIS!" ??voters should in fact?pay no attention at all.?
Facebook, contacted by NBC News, declined to comment on the ruse.?
It's likely to be only one of many digital?attempts to confuse voters on Tuesday, so keep an extra wary eye on any emails or text messages you receive, as well as on?the social media sites, like Facebook, that you visit. And when you're in the voting booth itself, take your time,?follow the instructions, and double-check your choices as you go.
Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on?Facebook,?and on?Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.
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HTTPS, SSL No Match for PASSTEAL Malware ...
Since?information is the new currency, cybercriminals are constantly formulating schemes to steal precious data from users.?PASSTEAL, their latest attempt at information-stealing, incorporates a password recovery tool that effectively gathers login credentials ? even for websites with secured connection.
We have noted several infostealing malware in the past, including TSPY_PIXSTEAL.A that collects image files and sending these to remote FTP servers. PASSTEAL exhibits certain behavior similar to PIXSSTEAL, but?this malware steals information quite differently.
TSPY_PASSTEAL.A Gathers Info Stored in Browsers
Detected as TSPY_PASSTEAL.A, this infostealer sniffs out accounts from different online services and applications to steal login credentials and stores these in a .TXT file named {Computer name}.txt.
Unlike most info stealing malware that logs keystrokes to gather data, PASSTEAL uses a password recovery app to extract passwords stored in the browser. The particular sample we analyzed contains compressed data, which is the app ?PasswordFox? designed for Firefox.
Once PASSTEAL extracts the data, it executes the command-line switch ?/sxml? to save the stolen credentials in an .XML file, which the malware also uses to create a .TXT file. PASSTEAL then connects to a remote FTP server to store the collected information.
In effect, the password recovery tool enables PASSTEAL to acquire all login credentials stored in the browser- even from websites using secured connections (SSL or HTTPS). Some sites that use this connection includes Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Amazon, EBay, Dropbox and online banking sites.
PASSTEAL also doesn?t restrict itself to browser applications. Certain variants are designed to log information from applications such as Steam and JDownloader.
During our research, we found out that the malware has already infected more than 400 systems. Because of similarity in data extraction routine (FTP upload), PASSTEAL and PIXSTEAL were possibly created by the same cybercriminals.
Once login credentials are stolen, cybercriminals may incorporate these into their illegal schemes such as identity fraud. To gain profit, they can also sell the stolen email addresses to spammers or other cybercriminals groups.
Once they gain access to victims? online banking account, these crooks may also conduct illegal fund transfers and transactions, leaving users with actual monetary loss.
Secure Your Passwords
Clear your cache. Change passwords regularly. Security tips we often hear but rarely taken to heart. But with PASSTEAL?s capability to extract data from browsers, users may need to observe these best practices routinely to reduce risk of data theft. Instead of storing passwords in browsers, another option is for users to utilize password managing tools like Trend Micro DirectPass to effectively handle and store their multiple passwords.
To know more about how to protect numerous passwords from cybercrime, you may read our Digital Life e-Guide How to Secure Your Multiple Online Accounts.
Online services like Google, Dropbox, and Facebook offers two-factor authentication (TFA) that provides an additional layer of security. This method generates a code that users need to access their accounts, aside from username and password. This code is sent to a user?s mobile phone as an SMS or voice message. With this measure in place, we can make it harder for online criminals to access our online account.
Trend Micro Smart Protection Network detects and deletes TSPY_PASSTEAL.A and blocks access to the aforementioned FTP server.
Source: http://www.dataprotectioncenter.com/antivirus/trendmicro/https-ssl-no-match-for-passteal-malware/
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Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Halo 4 Walkthrough - Video Games Blogger
Our Halo 4 walkthrough will guide you through the beginning to ending moments of gameplay with strategy tips for this First-Person Shooter on Xbox 360 exclusively.
The Master Chief returns to battle an ancient evil bent on vengeance and annihilation of the human race. Shipwrecked on a mysterious Forerunner world called Requiem, faced with new enemies and deadly technology, the universe will never be the same.
Let?s start the Halo 4 walkthrough with the ?Do Not Underestimate Him? introduction!
Please note that viewers must be at least 16-18 to watch, so no harm comes to those with innocent eyes. This game includes Blood and Violence.
Table of Contents
[Work-In-Progress - Please check back daily for new Mission video guides]
The first Halo 4 disc is the Campaign.
Halo 4 takes the series in a bold new direction and sets the stage for an epic new sci-fi saga, officially named the Reclaimer Trilogy. The first in a trilogy of new games, Halo 4 promises not only a deep campaign mode with a rich story, but will also introduce a groundbreaking new multiplayer mode ? Halo Infinity Multiplayer ? that will redefine the way people think about storytelling and multiplayer experiences.
Taking the reins from franchise forebears Bungie, 343 Industries will expand upon the success they found with Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary to bring their own unique vision to the Halo universe, creating a game that reaches beyond the series? traditional FPS roots to offer a more diverse gameplay experience that incorporates elements of exploration and discovery.
Key Game Features:
- The Reclaimer Saga Begins: Experience the dawn of an epic new Halo adventure, solo or split screen with up to three friends.
- Go Beyond the Story: Halo 4?s Infinity Multiplayer features a vastly expanded suite of multiplayer modes, weapons, vehicles, armor abilities, a new loadout and Spartan-IV player progression system.
- Spartan Ops: Extend your campaign experience in a massive-scale adventure that builds upon the ?Halo 4? Campaign. Receive a weekly series of cinematic episodes on Xbox LIVE followed by new game play missions, played solo or cooperatively with up to three friends ? effectively delivering two campaign experiences in one game!
- War Games: Battle the competition in fresh, immersive new game modes and strategies.
- Track your groups, stats and scores on HaloWaypoint.com.
- Edge-of-your-seat Entertainment: Immerse yourself in Halo 4?s graphics, sound and epic game play including a mysterious and deadly new class of enemies.
What?s the best Xbox 360 controller button layout for me?
Default: This is the recommended default button layout.
Bumper Jumper: Jump and Melee are on the Left and Right Bumpers.
Fishstick: Zoom is moved to the Left Trigger. ? It?s a lot like the Call of Duty settings.
Green Thumb: Melee is on the Right Stick click. Zoom moves to the Right Bumper.
Recon: Reload is moved to the Right Bumper.
Southpaw: Left and Right Triggers and Bumpers are flipped.
Boxer: Melee and Throw Grenade are swapped. Sprint and Crouch are also swapped.
This video guide shows the finalized different control schemes / settings / layouts / configurations available for Halo 4.
Bumper Jumper is fixed, Default has ?B? to crouch, and Fishstick is now an option. Which will you choose?
What?s the story of the Halo games so far in a nutshell?
After thirty years of war with the Covenant, humanity finally found victory. The Master Chief, a SPARTAN-II super-soldier, and Cortana, a smart AI construct of unmatched technical sophistication, put an end to the Covenant, the Flood, and the threat of the Halo Array on a remote installation known as the Ark. Now, in the wake of the conflict, the Chief and Cortana drift through space aboard the remains of Forward Unto Dawn, slowly approaching a mysterious artificial world they will soon come to call Requiem.
What are these new SPARTAN-IV teams in Halo 4?
With the SPARTAN-II and SPARTAN-III projects widely considered a success, the Office of Naval Intelligence secretly commissioned the activation of yet another project under the direction of CINCONI Admiral Margaret Parangosky: the SPARTAN-IV program. Most of these assets are now allocated to the UNSC military branch simply dubbed ?Spartan,? and were handpicked from the field as extremely competent military veterans who were capable of tolerating the physical augmentation necessary in order to wear the powerful Mjolnir GEN2 armor. Many SPARTAN-IV personnel reside on the UNSC Infinity* and are an integral component of its infantry operations.
*A warship unparalleled in human innovation, the UNSC Infinity is easily the largest and most powerful vessel ever employed by Earth. Although it was originally designed to contend with the Covenant, the war?s end recommissioned Infinity for peaceful exploration and research?until it discovered the Forerunner world of Requiem and was mercilessly pulled into the maw of the planet. Now, the fate of Infinity and its crew is inexorably tied to that of the Master Chief, as the ending of a 100,000-year story finally takes shape.
What do we know about this new planet Requiem?
A fortress world once held by Warrior-Servants, Requiem was a critical site during the Forerunner campaign against the Flood. While the Forerunners maintain a variety of shield world facilities across the galaxy, Requiem is easily one of the most resilient, composed of a series of concentric planetary bodies enclosed within each other beneath a vast armored surface. Home to the Promothean class of Warrior-Servants as a centralized hub for all Forerunner warring efforts, Requiem was sealed up during the course of the Flood War, though the events around this dark mystery remain hidden.
Over four years after the end of the Covenant War (after the events of Halo 3), Cortana has awoken the legendary Master Chief within the battered and stranded remains of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn. In front of them looms Requiem, a Forerunner world unlike any other, home to a power far greater than anything humanity has ever faced before. The Chief must now fight his way through enemies, both new and familiar, to uncover secrets one hundred thousand years old.
In this first mission your objective is to figure out what?s going on by following Cortana?s on-screen waypoints to make your way through the battle-battered ship and then make your way off by fighting through Covenant troops that have boarded the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn.
Your final objective here is to manually launch a missile at the Covenant fleet by following more of Cortana?s instructions. What happens afterwards is on-rails as you make your way to an escape pod.
Optional Objective: In Mission 1, find and access Chief?s record. Successfully doing this will unlock the ?Digging up the Past? Achievement worth 20 Gamerscore Points.
Location: Master Chief?s records can be found on a computer at the start of Mission 1: Dawn.
At the beginning, after Cortana?s hologram is done talking, walk straight ahead until you see stairs going down on your left side. Go down the stairs and turn right until you can see the computer console with a light shining above it. Walk up to the computer and when you stand in front of it hold the B button on your Xbox 360 controller to view the records.
As you can see at the start of the video walkthrough above, when the audio file with imagery is played the Achievement will unlock.
Tip: When you?re weapons come up empty in the middle of battle, you can scavenge new weapons on the battlefield from fallen foes (or allies).
Halo 4 Walkthrough continues on Page 2 with Mission 2.
About the author
Source: http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2012/11/05/halo-4-walkthrough.htm
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Wreck it Ralph: Biggest box-office opening ever for Disney animation
Wreck it Ralph sold $49.1 worth of tickets this weekend. Wreck-It Ralph is a 3-D animated family film about a video game villain who tries to break free of his role.
Ralph, left, voiced by John C. Reilly in a scene from "Wreck-It Ralph." The new Walt Disney Animation Studios film took in nearly $50 million in its first weekend in theaters.
(AP Photo/Disney, File)
EnlargeThe weekend box office was not only undeterred by the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, it was buoyed by it.
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Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" opened strongly with $49.1 million and Robert Zemeckis' "Flight," starring Denzel Washington, soared to a $25 million debut. Both opened above expectations, capitalizing on East Coast audiences looking for distraction amid the recovery from the storm.
"Wreck-It Ralph," a 3-D animated family film about a video game villain who tries to break free of his role, is the largest box-office opening ever for Walt Disney Animation, which has produced countless cartoon classics (though doesn't include Disney's lucrative Pixar Animation).
RECOMMENDED: 50 best movies of all time
Though the storm had forced the closure of hundreds of movie theaters in the New York, New Jersey area, most were open for business by the weekend. As many as 100 theaters were still closed on Friday, but many of those were restored during the weekend.
"We didn't really have a playbook for this," said Hollywood.com box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "But the numbers show that audiences across the country, and particularly in the Northeast, wanted to go to the movies and they did."
With many East Coast children out of school on Friday, Disney saw an uptick of business for Friday matinees to the well-reviewed "Wreck-It Ralph."
"'Wreck-It Ralph' became something of a distraction and an opportunity for families to do something separate of the storm," said Dave Hollis, Disney's head of distribution. "Schools being shut down on Friday also played a role as parents were looking for things to entertain the kids and keep them out of the cold."
Paramount's "Flight," which had a smaller opening ? 1,884 theaters, or about half the number of "Wreck-It Ralph" ? might have been expected to be more harmed by Sandy, considering adult dramas generally depend heavily on the New York City market. But the film, which has found critical raves and Oscar buzz, proved particularly enticing to moviegoers, many of whom were surely pulled in by the star power of Washington, who plays an airline pilot of both heroic skill and debilitating alcoholism.
"When you look up his filmography ? it doesn't matter whether it was yesterday or 20 years ago ? Denzel opens movies," said Paramount distribution head Don Harris.
Harris said the studio counted only about 15 theaters lost to "Flight" due to power outages.
Aside from the draw of Washington, "Flight" is also the first live-action film in 12 years for Zemeckis. The director, whose films include the "Back to the Future" trilogy and "Cast Away," had spent the last decade on performance-capture animated films like "The Polar Express" and "A Christmas Carol." Harris called the return "spectacular" and said: "It's almost like: Where have you been?"
Ben Affleck's Iran hostage tale "Argo," in its fourth week of release, expanded to 2,774 theaters. The Warner Bros. film added $10.2 million, bringing its cumulative gross to $75.9 million ? a healthy haul for a film expected to be in the thick of the Oscar hunt.
The Universal kung fu flick "The Man With the Iron Fists," directed by RZA of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, opened with a debut of $8.2 million.
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Monday, November 5, 2012
Late rallies target tiny pool of voters in campaign
FAIRFAX, Virginia (Reuters) - Presidential elections typically end with a flurry of late rallies, as candidates hopscotch across the country to make last-minute appeals, in person, to as many voters as possible.
But there is little evidence to show that the frenzied late campaigning pays off - especially this year, when millions of Americans have already cast their ballots for President Barack Obama or Republican challenger Mitt Romney well before Election Day on Tuesday.
"They've never mattered less," said Jeremy Mayer, a political scientist at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where Romney held one of five rallies on Monday.
"Early voting really takes away the importance of getting out the vote," Mayer said.
Obama was on a campaign schedule similar to Romney's. Between them, the two candidates will have held dozens of rallies - drawing hundreds of thousands of voters - in the last few days of campaigning.
Their days start before dawn and end well after midnight. They fly across the country with an army of staffers, press and security, shored up by hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising.
Still there is little chance that either candidate would opt out of the frenetic last-minute schedule. Romney's campaign even added another last-minute trip - on Election Day - to the swing state of Ohio as well as to Pennsylvania, where the Republican has seen his poll numbers surge in recent weeks.
Polls show the race for the presidency is too close to call and campaign strategists are convinced the last-minute rallies are worth it, saying that late rallies could determine the victor, even if they draw only a couple of thousand new supporters.
"We go where the votes are," a Romney aide told reporters.
Besides, noted Mayer, neither Obama nor Romney wants to end up like candidates who have lost close elections in the past.
In 1976, Republican President Gerald Ford lost to Democratic challenger Jimmy Carter after his campaign decided not to campaign hard in New York. If Ford had pushed there, he might have won the 1976 election.
Or in 2000, Vice President Al Gore lost the electoral vote to Republican George W. Bush because of a few hundred votes in Florida. And in 2004, Democratic challenger John Kerry lost the White House race because of a few thousand votes in Ohio.
Mayer said candidates campaign right up until the last moment because they do not want to risk defeat without making one final effort.
"At the individual level, to avoid incredible feelings of remorse from now to the grave, both of these men are going to go all out. Because what else are they going to do?" Mayer said.
"The remorse of the close election loser is so great that you'd do almost anything to avoid it."
(Reporting By Patricia Zengerle; editing by Alistair Bell and Christopher Wilson)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rallies-target-tiny-pool-voters-campaign-221633775.html
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Sunday, November 4, 2012
Rasmus Bonde, Mads Conrad Petersen clear quarter-final round of ...
Rasmus Bonde, Mads Conrad Petersen clear quarter-final round of 2012 Bitburger Badminton Open
Men?s Doubles partners Rasmus Bonde and Mads Conrad Petersen remained invincible in the quarter-final round of Bitburger Badminton Open Grand Prix Gold and powered their way into the semi-finals on November 2, 2012.
They unseated Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki-Hendra Aprida Gunawan in a hard fought tussle which prolonged to 49 minutes before ending with19-21, 21-11 and 21-11.
The Danish pair showed great fighting spirit and saved the honour despite slipping in the opening game.
On the other hand, Yonathan Suryatama and Hendra Aprida could not forge a fruitful chemistry when it was needed the most and frittered away their first set win.
They played according to the game plan in first set and outclassed their spirited rivals in a commendable manner.
Initially, they were bit cautious as the opposing team employed unusual tactics and gained an early advantage but then the Indonesian campaigners showed elevated craft and counter-balanced the situation.
Yonathan Suryatama and Hendra Aprida started the beating after 5-5 and laid the foundation of their supremacy with 11-7 total.
They did not drop this pace and cruised to victory with a decent lead in 21-19 margin.
However, things were not that easy for them in following game as the suppressed duo of previous set managed to rise from the dust.
This time Rasmus Bonde and Mads Conrad did not repeat the previous mistakes and established a strong grip immediately in the beginning.
They unleashed a flurry of power packed strokes and kept their challengers grounded all the way to game point situation.
At the mid-game break, the Danish players were in commanding position with 11-8 score which helped them in later part of the game.
They played with authoritative approach in the second half and avoided a straight-set defeat with 21-11 margin.
The decider became consequential with this development as both teams were looking to pocket this final match point.
However, Rasmus Bonde and Mads Conrad ruled the court throughout this segment and sealed their splendid win with a staggering knock of 21-11.
Now the twosome of Chris Langridge and Peter Mills will be their next hurdle en route to the final round of this event.
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US Air Force struggles with aging fleet
TOKYO (AP) ? For decades, the U.S. Air Force has grown accustomed to such superlatives as unrivaled and unbeatable. These days, some of its key combat aircraft are being described with terms like geriatric, or decrepit.
The aging of the U.S. Air Force, a long-simmering topic in defense circles, made a brief appearance in the presidential debates when Republican nominee Mitt Romney cited it as evidence of the decline of U.S. military readiness. His contention that the Navy is the smallest it's been since 1917 got more attention, thanks to President Barack Obama's quip that the Navy also has fewer "horses and bayonets."
But analysts say the Air Force has a real problem, and it will almost certainly get worse no matter who wins Tuesday's election. It was created in part by a lack of urgency in the post-Cold War era, and by design glitches and cost overruns that have delayed attempts to build next-generation aircraft.
Looming budget cuts limit the force's ability to correct itself, they argue, as China's rise as a world power heightens its need to improve. And though the world's most formidable air force never had much use for bayonets, it's got more than its share of warhorses.
___
IKE'S LEGACY ? THE KC-135 STRATOTANKER
The U.S. probably couldn't have fought the air wars over Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya without the KC-135 Stratotanker, the Air Force's main aerial refueler, which allows fighter jets to remain airborne on long flights.
America has President Dwight Eisenhower to thank for that.
The KC-135 came into service during Eisenhower's watch in 1956. The newest of the roughly 400 Stratotankers in service started flying nearly half a century ago, in 1964.
"We are in unknown territory," said Lt. Col. Brian Zoellner, who has been flying the KC-135 for 15 years and is head of operations for 909th Air Refueling Squadron at Kadena Air Base on Japan's southwestern island of Okinawa. "The unknown is at what point does the KC-135 become unusable."
The KC-46A refueling tanker is being developed as a replacement, but probably won't start delivery for another five years. If Congress has its way, some Stratotankers could still be taking off well into the 2040s.
THAT '70s SHOW ? THE F-15, F-16 AND A-10
The F-15, America's workhorse warplane since the Vietnam War, was designed to have a service life of about 5,000 flight hours. The Air Force has more than tripled that, to 18,000 hours.
The F-16, another key fighter, has been in use since 1979. The Air Force began retiring the oldest ones two years ago.
Another '70s-era fighter is the A-10 Thunderbolt, which provides close air support for ground troops. It's now being rewinged because its old ones were riddled with cracks. The General Accounting Office estimates the cost of upgrading and refurbishing the aircraft will be $2.25 billion through 2013.
The Air Force is revamping its fighter fleet with the stealthy F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, but production of the F-22 was cut short after its price tag swelled to nearly half a billion dollars a pop. Delays and escalating costs have also dogged the F-35, which is now the most expensive Department of Defense procurement program ever.
SPY PLANES FROM THE '50s ? THE U-2
The fabled U-2 "Dragon Lady" spy plane is still being used to keep watch over North Korea and other hot spots. The first U-2 flew in 1955, and the legendary Skunk Works aircraft became a household name for its role in the Cuban missile crisis, not to mention the propaganda bonanza the Soviet Union got by shooting one down in 1960 and capturing its CIA pilot, Francis Gary Powers.
Many analysts argue the unmanned Global Hawk could do the job more effectively, but Congress has nixed that idea for now. More than $1.7 billion has been invested in upgrading the U-2.
MAJOR KONG'S FAVORITE BOMBER ? THE B-52
Iconic, yes. State-of-the-art, no. The venerable B-52, remembered by movie fans for its starring role in the 1964 Cold War comedy "Dr. Strangelove," remains the backbone of the Air Force's strategic bomber force. It dates back to 1954 and was already losing its edge by the end of the Vietnam War, but nearly 100 B-52s remain in service.
The Air Force developed the B-1 in the 1970s as the B-52's replacement. President Jimmy Carter killed it, President Ronald Reagan brought it back, and none have been delivered since 1988.
Next up was the stealth B-2 Spirit, which first flew in 1989. Because only 21 were built, they ended up costing a prohibitive $2 billion each. The Air Force is now hoping to upgrade with what it calls the Long Range Strike Bomber, but it's not clear when it will be ready.
___
To be sure, all of these aircraft have undergone massive overhauls and updates, and most experts agree the U.S. Air Force remains the best-equipped in the world. Its aircraft aren't likely to soon start falling out of the sky, either, thanks to intensive, and expensive, maintenance.
Zoellner, the KC-135 pilot, bristled at the idea his Stratotankers aren't safe. He said they "fly like a champ."
But Loren Thompson, of the Lexington Institute, a conservative think tank, said the graying Air Force is evidence of how Washington has failed to keep its eye on the ball.
"The reason the fleet is so decrepit is because for the first 10 years after the Cold War ended, policymakers thought the United States was in an era of extended peace," he said. "Then it spent the next 10 years fighting an enemy with no air force and no air defenses. So air power was neglected for 20 years, and today the Air Force reflects that fact."
Former Air Force Col. Robert Haffa, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, added that although ground forces were the primary concern in Iraq and Afghanistan, air power will be a key to future security requirements as the United States turns its attention to the Pacific and a strengthening China.
Unlike America's more recent adversaries, China has a credible air force that could conceivably strike U.S. bases in the region, requiring a deterrent force that is based farther away, out of range. America's bases in Japan ? and possibly Guam ? also are within striking distance of a North Korean missile attack.
"As the nation looks to increased focus in the Pacific, these long-range strike platforms will be especially important," Haffa said. "Planes like the B-52 simply cannot survive."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-air-force-struggles-aging-fleet-050828343.html
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Saturday, November 3, 2012
New Orleans synagogue, Boy Scouts part ways over Scouting's ...
For nearly a decade, hundreds of New Orleans-area Boy Scouts have learned the virtues of the Ten Commandments on an annual Thanksgiving holiday hike to Uptown houses of worship, where Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy and scholars explained their faiths? take on the ancient code. But this year, Touro Synagogue, a major Reform congregation and a longtime partner, has told the organization it?s no longer willing to take part because the Scouts deny membership to gay troop leaders and gay adolescent Scouts.
For Rabbi Alexis Berk, who used to host the Scouts at Touro, it?s a clear justice issue, closely analogous to the civil rights struggle of a generation ago. She sees public dissent to Scouting?s membership policy as a moral duty flowing from her role as a religious leader.
Elsewhere around the country, Jewish organizations are similarly pushing back against Scouting?s membership policy, especially since July, when Scouting reaffirmed it after a two-year study.
Story by
Bruce Nolan,
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
?This position has taxed Scouting?s relationship with the Jewish community,? said A. J. Kreimer, chairman of the National Jewish Committee on Scouting. ?Our committee?s motto since 1926 has been ?Scouting Serves the Jewish Community? -- and that relationship has been strained.?
The decision from Scouting headquarters also distresses Alan Smason, the founder and engine behind the local Ten Commandments hike.
Smason is a former Boy Scout, the father of a former Scout, and an advocate for Scouting.
And he?s Jewish.
?My personal opinion is the Scouting policy in place now is wrong. They?re discriminating, and there?s no way to justify discrimination in this day and age,? Smason said recently.
But he favors changing Scouting from within.
?It?s like protesting Mardi Gras by refusing to catch beads. You?re not going to stop a parade by refusing to catch the beads.?
If this year?s hike goes as planned, on the day after Thanksgiving, 200 or more Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, family and friends will walk along South Carrollton and St. Charles avenues, stopping at houses of worship or other community sites, where clergy or religious laymen will explain their faith?s vision of one of the commandments.
Smason said this year?s event includes a presentation by Orthodox Rabbi David Polsky of Congregation Anshe Sfard, representing Judaism?s traditionalist wing, as well as Christian and Muslim speakers. They will lunch at the Mormon meeting house on St. Charles Avenue. (Islam does not have Ten Commandments, which are found in Hebrew and Christian Scripture, but the Qu?ran enjoins the same sins at various places throughout its text, said Rafiq Nu?man, a frequent project participant as imam of Masjidur Rahim.)
But this year for the first time since 2004, Touro is off the schedule.
Berk said she participated in past years despite her discomfort with the Scouts? membership policy.
That discomfort has been evident across the Reform Jewish landscape for years. Support for qualified gay men and lesbians as Scout leaders was already full-blown in 2001 when the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism recommended that Reform synagogues like Touro refrain from sponsoring Scout packs or troops.
Under internal and external pressure, Scouting reviewed its membership rules last year.
In July it announced that after a two-year internal study it would keep its policy:
?While (Scouting) does not proactively inquire about the sexual orientation of employees, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the (Scouting) mission.?
Deron Smith, the spokesman for Boy Scouts of America, said Scouting was not pursuing an agenda or making ?social commentary.?
Rather, he said Scouting had chosen to defer to what it sensed were the wishes of most Scouting parents.
?The vast majority of parents Scouting serves value their right to address issues of sex and sexual orientation within their family,? Smith said in an email. ?They do not sign their children up for Scouting to expose them to this topic.?
Scouting?s partners are heavily represented by Mormon and Catholic organizations. They hold a strong institutional consensus on traditional sexuality;
Locally there has been no dissent from any of Scouting?s regional partners, said Don Ellis, chief executive of Scouting's Southeast Louisiana Council, which oversees 12,000 Scouts in 11 parishes.
But the decision galvanized Berk.
?Maybe it would be one thing if this were a long-standing policy and they?d never revisited it ? but the fact that they freshly revisited it and a rendered a freshly bigoted opinion, well, I freshly feel like I can?t participate,? she said.
?I can?t participate in religious experience that uses religion as hook on which to hang bigotry.?
?And I don?t want to feel shame when I explain this to my children?s children.?
Berk said she called other Jewish organizations to tell them Touro was pulling out of the Scouts project. And according to Rabbi Uri Topolosky, of Congregation Beth Israel, an Orthodox congregation, Berk made an ?impassioned plea? at a meeting of other local rabbis urging them to come out against the Scouting policy as well.
Scouting?s membership posture disappoints Kreimer, a faculty member at Temple University?s Fox School of Business, because he fears it will deprive many Jewish youth of the benefits of Scouting.
?Scouting has had a profound impact on my life professionally and personally,? he said.
Both Kreimer and Smason believe Scouting should permit a kind of local option on gay membership.
?I believe the Scouting movement should adopt a position to allow each chartering organization, religious or not, to choose their leaders,? Kreimer said.
?Temples could choose gay and lesbian leaders if they wanted. Other groups need not.?
Source: http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2012/11/new_orleans_synagogue_boy_scou.html
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Music in our ears: The science of timbre
Saturday, November 3, 2012
New research, published in PLOS Computational Biology, offers insight into the neural underpinnings of musical timbre. Mounya Elhilali, of Johns Hopkins University and colleagues have used mathematical models based on experiments in both animals and humans to accurately predict sound source recognition and perceptual timbre judgments by human listeners.
A major contributor to our ability to analyze music and recognize instruments is the concept known as 'timbre'. Timbre is a hard-to-quantify concept loosely defined as everything in music that isn't duration, loudness or pitch. For instance, timbre comes into play when we are able to instantly decide whether a sound is coming from a violin or a piano.
The researchers at The John Hopkins University set out to develop a mathematical model that would simulate how the brain works when it receives auditory signals, how it looks for specific features and whether something is there that allows the brain to discern these different qualities.
The authors devised a computer model to accurately mimic how specific brain regions transform sounds into the nerve impulses that allow us to recognize the type of sounds we are listening to. The model was able to correctly identify which instrument was playing (out of a total of 13 instruments) to an accuracy rate of 98.7 percent.
The model mirrored how human listeners make judgment calls regarding timbre. The researchers asked 20 people to listen to two sounds played by different musical instruments. The listeners were then asked to rate how similar the sounds seemed. A violin and a cello are perceived as closer to each other than a violin and a flute. The researchers also found that wind and percussive instruments tend to overall be the most different from each other, followed by strings and percussions, then strings and winds. These subtle judgments of timbre quality were also reproduced by the computer model.
"There is much to be learned from how the human brain processes complex information such as musical timbre and translating this knowledge into improved computer systems and hearing technologies", Elhilali said.
###
Patil K, Pressnitzer D, Shamma S, Elhilali M (2012) Music in Our Ears: The Biological Bases of Musical Timbre Perception. PLoS Comput Biol 8(11):e1002759. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002759
Public Library of Science: http://www.plos.org
Thanks to Public Library of Science for this article.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/125018/Music_in_our_ears__The_science_of_timbre
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Friday, November 2, 2012
Video: NASA's Fermi measures cosmic 'fog' produced by ancient starlight
Friday, November 2, 2012
Astronomers using data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have made the most accurate measurement of starlight in the universe and used it to establish the total amount of light from all of the stars that have ever shone, accomplishing a primary mission goal.
"The optical and ultraviolet light from stars continues to travel throughout the universe even after the stars cease to shine, and this creates a fossil radiation field we can explore using gamma rays from distant sources," said lead scientist Marco Ajello, a postdoctoral researcher at the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford University in California and the Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley.
Gamma rays are the most energetic form of light. Since Fermi's launch in 2008, its Large Area Telescope (LAT) observes the entire sky in high-energy gamma rays every three hours, creating the most detailed map of the universe ever known at these energies.
The total sum of starlight in the cosmos is known to astronomers as the extragalactic background light (EBL). To gamma rays, the EBL functions as a kind of cosmic fog. Ajello and his team investigated the EBL by studying gamma rays from 150 blazars, or galaxies powered by black holes, that were strongly detected at energies greater than 3 billion electron volts (GeV), or more than a billion times the energy of visible light.
"With more than a thousand detected so far, blazars are the most common sources detected by Fermi, but gamma rays at these energies are few and far between, which is why it took four years of data to make this analysis," said team member Justin Finke, an astrophysicist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington.
As matter falls toward a galaxy's supermassive black hole, some of it is accelerated outward at almost the speed of light in jets pointed in opposite directions. When one of the jets happens to be aimed in the direction of Earth, the galaxy appears especially bright and is classified as a blazar.
Gamma rays produced in blazar jets travel across billions of light-years to Earth. During their journey, the gamma rays pass through an increasing fog of visible and ultraviolet light emitted by stars that formed throughout the history of the universe.
Occasionally, a gamma ray collides with starlight and transforms into a pair of particles -- an electron and its antimatter counterpart, a positron. Once this occurs, the gamma ray light is lost. In effect, the process dampens the gamma ray signal in much the same way as fog dims a distant lighthouse.
This animation tracks several gamma rays through space and time, from their emission in the jet of a distant blazar to their arrival in Fermi's Large Area Telescope (LAT). During their journey, the number of randomly moving ultraviolet and optical photons (blue) increases as more and more stars are born in the universe. Eventually, one of the gamma rays encounters a photon of starlight and the gamma ray transforms into an electron and a positron. The remaining gamma-ray photons arrive at Fermi, interact with tungsten plates in the LAT, and produce the electrons and positrons whose paths through the detector allows astronomers to backtrack the gamma rays to their source. (Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Cruz deWilde)
From studies of nearby blazars, scientists have determined how many gamma rays should be emitted at different energies. More distant blazars show fewer gamma rays at higher energies -- especially above 25 GeV -- thanks to absorption by the cosmic fog.
The farthest blazars are missing most of their higher-energy gamma rays.
The researchers then determined the average gamma-ray attenuation across three distance ranges between 9.6 billion years ago and today.
From this measurement, the scientists were able to estimate the fog's thickness. To account for the observations, the average stellar density in the cosmos is about 1.4 stars per 100 billion cubic light-years, which means the average distance between stars in the universe is about 4,150 light-years.
A paper describing the findings was published Thursday on Science Express.
"The Fermi result opens up the exciting possibility of constraining the earliest period of cosmic star formation, thus setting the stage for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope," said Volker Bromm, an astronomer at the University of Texas, Austin, who commented on the findings. "In simple terms, Fermi is providing us with a shadow image of the first stars, whereas Webb will directly detect them."
Measuring the extragalactic background light was one of the primary mission goals for Fermi.
"We're very excited about the prospect of extending this measurement even farther," said Julie McEnery, the mission's project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
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NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center: http://www.nasa.gov/goddard
Thanks to NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center for this article.
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30 Days of Thanksgiving: Printable Gratitude Journal
Recently I started thinking about a post I wrote several years ago called?Cultivating Gratitude in Preschoolers. ?Life has definitely changed since that time ? ?we?ve encountered new seasons with growing children, difficult situations, loss of friends and family members, and various other lessons life would throw our way. ?But in the midst of all this, my initial ideas for growing gratefulness in children have not really changed.
One of the top ways I have found to grow grateful kids is to model a life of thanksgiving! ?
I?m not saying I do it well. ?It definitely doesn?t come easy. ?I find myself grumbling and complaining about my lot in life more than I give thanks. ?And when I do?
I try to remember there is so much we can give thanks for!
Amazing grace, a family, a home, birds that sing, dishwashers that work, toilets, a new morning, a brisk fall day, sunshine, jeans, coffee, chocolate, cleaning supplies, soap, a job, a basket of toys, encouragement from friends, exercise, great books, and on an on.
I want to be the person who finds the good in all situations ? the one with a thankful heart.
To be that women, I need a heart change.
So, here?s what I?m proposing. ?For the next 30 days, I?m making a list. ?And my children are making a list. ?Would you make a list?
It?s not a hard or difficult task. ?I?m simply asking myself and my girls to write down four things we are thankful for each day. ?The idea is to simply get in the habit of saying thanks to God and to those around us.
Would you join us?
I?ll be sharing my thanks once a day over on my Facebook page. ?You?re also welcome to leave your thanks in the comments below!
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If you don?t have a journal or notebook you want to use, I have a printable Thanksgiving Journal available for you! ?Print it out, cut on the lines, bind it together with some ribbon or rope, and add your thanks each day!
If you are having trouble printing the file, I found it to work best when I printed it in Firefox. ?Be sure to check the box that says ?Actual Size?, otherwise the pages do not line up once you?ve cut them apart. ?I also recommend printing these pages on cardstock or some other heavier paper.
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Source: http://www.motherhoodonadime.com/kids/30-days-of-thanksgiving-printable-gratitude-journal/
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