The Daily Roundup for 07.03.2013

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/-T2lZrrFkGA/

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Scientists help explain visual system's remarkable ability to recognize complex objects

July 2, 2013 ? How is it possible for a human eye to figure out letters that are twisted and looped in crazy directions, like those in the little security test internet users are often given on websites?

It seems easy to us -- the human brain just does it. But the apparent simplicity of this task is an illusion. The task is actually so complex, no one has been able to write computer code that translates these distorted letters the same way that neural networks can. That's why this test, called a CAPTCHA, is used to distinguish a human response from computer bots that try to steal sensitive information.

Now, a team of neuroscientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has taken on the challenge of exploring how the brain accomplishes this remarkable task. Two studies published within days of each other demonstrate how complex a visual task decoding a CAPTCHA, or any image made of simple and intricate elements, actually is to the brain.

The findings of the two studies, published June 19 in Neuron and June 24 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), take two important steps forward in understanding vision, and rewrite what was believed to be established science. The results show that what neuroscientists thought they knew about one piece of the puzzle was too simple to be true.

Their deep and detailed research -- -involving recordings from hundreds of neurons -- -may also have future clinical and practical implications, says the study's senior co-authors, Salk neuroscientists Tatyana Sharpee and John Reynolds.

"Understanding how the brain creates a visual image can help humans whose brains are malfunctioning in various different ways -- -such as people who have lost the ability to see," says Sharpee, an associate professor in the Computational Neurobiology Laboratory. "One way of solving that problem is to figure out how the brain -- -not the eye, but the cortex -- -- processes information about the world. If you have that code then you can directly stimulate neurons in the cortex and allow people to see."

Reynolds, a professor in the Systems Neurobiology Laboratory, says an indirect benefit of understanding the way the brain works is the possibility of building computer systems that can act like humans.

"The reason that machines are limited in their capacity to recognize things in the world around us is that we don't really understand how the brain does it as well as it does," he says.

The scientists emphasize that these are long-term goals that they are striving to reach, a step at a time.

Integrating parts into wholes

In these studies, Salk neurobiologists sought to figure out how a part of the visual cortex known as area V4 is able to distinguish between different visual stimuli even as the stimuli move around in space. V4 is responsible for an intermediate step in neural processing of images.

"Neurons in the visual system are sensitive to regions of space -- -- they are like little windows into the world," says Reynolds. "In the earliest stages of processing, these windows -- -known as receptive fields -- -are small. They only have access to information within a restricted region of space. Each of these neurons sends brain signals that encode the contents of a little region of space -- -they respond to tiny, simple elements of an object such as edge oriented in space, or a little patch of color."

Neurons in V4 have a larger receptive field that can also compute more complex shapes such as contours. They accomplishes this by integrating inputs from earlier visual areas in the cortex -- -that is, areas nearer the retina, which provides the input to the visual system, which have small receptive fields, and sends on that information for higher level processing that allow us to see complex images, such as faces, he says.

Both new studies investigated the issue of translation invariance -- -- the ability of a neuron to recognize the same stimulus within its receptive field no matter where it is in space, where it happens to fall within the receptive field.

The Neuron paper looked at translation invariance by analyzing the response of 93 individual neurons in V4 to images of lines and shapes like curves, while the PNAS study looked at responses of V4 neurons to natural scenes full of complex contours.

Dogma in the field is that V4 neurons all exhibit translation invariance.

"The accepted understanding is that individuals neurons are tuned to recognize the same stimulus no matter where it was in their receptive field," says Sharpee.

For example, a neuron might respond to a bit of the curve in the number 5 in a CAPTCHA image, no matter how the 5 is situated within its receptive field. Researchers believed that neuronal translation invariance -- -the ability to recognize any stimulus, no matter where it is in space -- -increases as an image moves up through the visual processing hierarchy.

"But what both studies show is that there is more to the story," she says. "There is a trade off between the complexity of the stimulus and the degree to which the cell can recognize it as it moves from place to place."

A deeper mystery to be solved

The Salk researchers found that neurons that respond to more complicated shapes -- -like the curve in 5 or in a rock -- -- demonstrated decreased translation invariance. "They need that complicated curve to be in a more restricted range for them to detect it and understand its meaning," Reynolds says. "Cells that prefer that complex shape don't yet have the capacity to recognize that shape everywhere."

On the other hand, neurons in V4 tuned to recognize simpler shapes, like a straight line in the number 5, have increased translation invariance. "They don't care where the stimuli they are tuned to is, as long as it is within their receptive field," Sharpee says.

"Previous studies of object recognition have assumed that neuronal responses at later stages in visual processing remain the same regardless of basic visual transformations to the object's image. Our study highlights where this assumption breaks down, and suggests simple mechanisms that could give rise to object selectivity," says Jude Mitchell, a Salk research scientist who was the senior author on the Neuron paper.

"It is important that results from the two studies are quite compatible with one another, that what we find studying just lines and curves in one first experiment matches what we see when the brain experiences the real world," says Sharpee, who is well known for developing a computational method to extract neural responses from natural images.

"What this tells us is that there is a deeper mystery here to be solved," Reynolds says. "We have not figured out how translation invariance is achieved. What we have done is unpacked part of the machinery for achieving integration of parts into wholes."

Minjoon Kouh, a former postdoctoral fellow at Salk, participated in the PNAS study. Salk postdoctoral researcher Anirvan Nandy and senior staff scientist Jude Mitchell, of the Salk Systems Neurobiology Laboratory, were co-authors of the Neuron paper.

Both studies were funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01EY019493), the McKnight Scholarship and the Ray Thomas Edwards and W. M. Keck Foundations. In addition, the PNAS study received a grant from the Searle Funds. The Neuron study was additionally funded by grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the National Institutes of Health (EY0113802), the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and the Schwartz Foundation, and a Pioneer Fund postdoctoral fellowship.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/2LE5bjYHJGc/130702100008.htm

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Romney Voted Against Running in Family Poll (Taegan Goddard's Political Wire)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/316628509?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Paint Made From People: The Fascinating History Behind Extinct Colors

You?d think a paint named ?mummy brown? would be the product of good marketing. In fact, it dates back to the 16th century, when actual mummies were ground up and sold as paint. On Hyperallergic today, Allison Meier takes a look at the surprisingly riveting history of extinct pigments.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/lhszyPmDxOg/paint-made-from-people-the-fascinating-history-behind-650844628

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Ruben Studdard to compete on 'Biggest Loser'

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Anna Chan TODAY

16 hours ago

Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images file

Ruben Studdard is competing in "The Biggest Loser" this fall.

Ruben Studdard is getting back into the reality TV game! The season two champ of ?American Idol? is joining the 15th season of ?The Biggest Loser? as one of its contestants when the weight-loss competition returns this fall.

This isn?t the Velvet Teddy Bear?s first attempt at shedding weight. According to People.com, the singer packed on an extra 100 pounds onto his already big frame after winning ?Idol.? He later teamed up with ?Extra? and a trainer to get in shape, but that lasted just two weeks. In 2006, he participated in a weight-loss program at Duke University in North Carolina and lost his post-?Idol? pounds.

?On both sides of my family, I have a family history of diabetes and high blood pressure and things of that nature,? a slimmer Studdard told TODAY host Meredith Vieira in an October 2006 interview about his inspiration for getting healthy. ?I just wanted to basically combat those issues at an early age. They?ve never been an issue for me, but I wanted to do it while I was still young, and felt like working out and looking great.?

The singer told Vieira that exercising was never an issue, especially since he went to college on a football scholarship. Instead, it was food that was the root of his weight issues.

?We?re from Alabama, we love to eat!? he said. ?So I basically had to change my thinking and as it pertains to the foods I wanted to eat. (Duke) put me on a 1,200 to 1,500 calorie diet a day. It ended up being pretty easy.?

He said that after leaving the Duke program, he even switched to a vegetarian diet to clean out his system.

But eventually, the weight came back.

He explained on ?The Wendy Williams Show? last June while promoting his fifth album that between the demise of his three-year marriage and the stress of owing hundreds of thousands in back taxes, he turned to food for comfort.

?I just started going out and kickin? it,? he told the talk-show host.

Now, Studdard?s ready to get back in shape with help from ?The Biggest Loser.?

?The Biggest Loser? kicks off season 15 on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. on NBC.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/american-idol-winner-ruben-studdard-compete-biggest-loser-6C10488682

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Genomes of cholera bacteria from Haiti confirm epidemic originated from single source

Public release date: 2-Jul-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Sliwa
jsliwa@asmusa.org
202-942-9297
American Society for Microbiology

The strain of cholera that has sickened thousands in Haiti came from a single source and was not repeatedly introduced to the island over the past three years as some have thought, according to a new study published in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

The results of this latest study are consistent with earlier findings that indicate Vibrio cholerae bacteria were introduced to Haiti by United nations soldiers between July and October 2010, when Nepalese soldiers arrived to assist recovery efforts after the January 2010 earthquake in that country. The genome sequences of V. cholerae strains from Haiti reveal they have not gained any new genetic material since their introduction and that they have a limited ability to acquire genes from other organisms through a process called transformation.

This new information may help public health authorities understand future cholera outbreaks in Haiti and elsewhere, according to the authors. "The use of high resolution sequence data that is amenable to evolutionary analysis will greatly enhance our ability to discern transmission pathways of virulent clones such as the one implicated in this epidemic," write the authors.

The earthquake in January 2010 killed tens of thousands of Haitians, and it was followed several months later by an outbreak of cholera, a disease that had never before been documented in Haiti. Studies of the outbreak indicate that poor sanitation at a United Nations camp resulted in sewage contamination of local water supplies, and phylogenetic analysis of the Haiti V. cholerae strains and strains from around the globe indicate the strain was most likely accidentally brought to the camp by U.N. troops from Nepal.

Earlier "fingerprinting" of Haiti's V. cholerae isolates using pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) has shown the bacterium has changed somewhat since the epidemic began in October 2010, but because of the nature of PFGE, the significance of those changes was not known. Were the changes meaningful? Were the bacteria gaining or losing genes that could impact the course of disease? Did they gain genes from other bacteria in the environment? Are their genomes rearranged? The answers could make a difference in the severity of future outbreaks.

The authors of the study in mBio set out to study in greater detail how V. cholerae may have evolved since its introduction to the island nation, and whether it has acquired genes that bestow new abilities. They sequenced the genomes of 23 different V. cholerae isolates from Haiti that represent multiple PFGE "fingerprint" patterns and were taken from a variety of locations and at various time points during the epidemic.

When compared with the genome sequences of V. cholerae strains from around the world, the Haiti isolates and three Nepal isolates are tightly related, forming a monophyletic group to which no other genome sequences belong.

This result indicates that "Nepalese isolates are the closest relatives to the Haiti strain identified to date, even when placed into a phylogeny with a larger collection of isolates representing recent cholera epidemics," write the authors. This means that the outbreak originated from a single introduction of bacteria, and PFGE variants arose from gradual evolution of the organisms, not from any secondary introduction.

The Haiti strains also have a limited ability to acquire new genes through the process of transformation, by which genetic material is picked up from other bacteria or from the environment. There is some evidence that transformation is an important mechanism for bacteria to acquire the necessary abilities to adapt to a particular environment, so the fact that the Haiti strains are deficient in this respect raises the question of whether they will be able to adapt to life in Haiti or if they might go extinct once the epidemic has ended.

The Haiti isolates belong to a type of V. cholerae called "Atypical El Tor" strains, a group that, in locations in Asia and Africa, has managed to acquire multidrug resistance and enhanced virulence traits that result in higher infection rates and harsher symptoms. The authors argue that to avert larger and more difficult to treat outbreaks of cholera, it is necessary to track the ongoing and unpredictable evolution of the organism in Haiti and elsewhere with surveillance of V. cholerae via tools like whole genome sequencing.

###

mBio is an open access online journal published by the American Society for Microbiology to make microbiology research broadly accessible. The focus of the journal is on rapid publication of cutting-edge research spanning the entire spectrum of microbiology and related fields. It can be found online at http://mbio.asm.org.

The American Society for Microbiology is the largest single life science society, composed of over 39,000 scientists and health professionals. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 2-Jul-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Sliwa
jsliwa@asmusa.org
202-942-9297
American Society for Microbiology

The strain of cholera that has sickened thousands in Haiti came from a single source and was not repeatedly introduced to the island over the past three years as some have thought, according to a new study published in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

The results of this latest study are consistent with earlier findings that indicate Vibrio cholerae bacteria were introduced to Haiti by United nations soldiers between July and October 2010, when Nepalese soldiers arrived to assist recovery efforts after the January 2010 earthquake in that country. The genome sequences of V. cholerae strains from Haiti reveal they have not gained any new genetic material since their introduction and that they have a limited ability to acquire genes from other organisms through a process called transformation.

This new information may help public health authorities understand future cholera outbreaks in Haiti and elsewhere, according to the authors. "The use of high resolution sequence data that is amenable to evolutionary analysis will greatly enhance our ability to discern transmission pathways of virulent clones such as the one implicated in this epidemic," write the authors.

The earthquake in January 2010 killed tens of thousands of Haitians, and it was followed several months later by an outbreak of cholera, a disease that had never before been documented in Haiti. Studies of the outbreak indicate that poor sanitation at a United Nations camp resulted in sewage contamination of local water supplies, and phylogenetic analysis of the Haiti V. cholerae strains and strains from around the globe indicate the strain was most likely accidentally brought to the camp by U.N. troops from Nepal.

Earlier "fingerprinting" of Haiti's V. cholerae isolates using pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) has shown the bacterium has changed somewhat since the epidemic began in October 2010, but because of the nature of PFGE, the significance of those changes was not known. Were the changes meaningful? Were the bacteria gaining or losing genes that could impact the course of disease? Did they gain genes from other bacteria in the environment? Are their genomes rearranged? The answers could make a difference in the severity of future outbreaks.

The authors of the study in mBio set out to study in greater detail how V. cholerae may have evolved since its introduction to the island nation, and whether it has acquired genes that bestow new abilities. They sequenced the genomes of 23 different V. cholerae isolates from Haiti that represent multiple PFGE "fingerprint" patterns and were taken from a variety of locations and at various time points during the epidemic.

When compared with the genome sequences of V. cholerae strains from around the world, the Haiti isolates and three Nepal isolates are tightly related, forming a monophyletic group to which no other genome sequences belong.

This result indicates that "Nepalese isolates are the closest relatives to the Haiti strain identified to date, even when placed into a phylogeny with a larger collection of isolates representing recent cholera epidemics," write the authors. This means that the outbreak originated from a single introduction of bacteria, and PFGE variants arose from gradual evolution of the organisms, not from any secondary introduction.

The Haiti strains also have a limited ability to acquire new genes through the process of transformation, by which genetic material is picked up from other bacteria or from the environment. There is some evidence that transformation is an important mechanism for bacteria to acquire the necessary abilities to adapt to a particular environment, so the fact that the Haiti strains are deficient in this respect raises the question of whether they will be able to adapt to life in Haiti or if they might go extinct once the epidemic has ended.

The Haiti isolates belong to a type of V. cholerae called "Atypical El Tor" strains, a group that, in locations in Asia and Africa, has managed to acquire multidrug resistance and enhanced virulence traits that result in higher infection rates and harsher symptoms. The authors argue that to avert larger and more difficult to treat outbreaks of cholera, it is necessary to track the ongoing and unpredictable evolution of the organism in Haiti and elsewhere with surveillance of V. cholerae via tools like whole genome sequencing.

###

mBio is an open access online journal published by the American Society for Microbiology to make microbiology research broadly accessible. The focus of the journal is on rapid publication of cutting-edge research spanning the entire spectrum of microbiology and related fields. It can be found online at http://mbio.asm.org.

The American Society for Microbiology is the largest single life science society, composed of over 39,000 scientists and health professionals. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/asfm-goc062813.php

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Portable shelters couldn't save 19 firefighters

Prescott and other area department firefighters embrace during a memorial service, Monday, July 1, 2013 in Prescott, Ariz., The service was held for the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew firefighters who were killed Sunday, when an out-of-control blaze overtook the elite group. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Prescott and other area department firefighters embrace during a memorial service, Monday, July 1, 2013 in Prescott, Ariz., The service was held for the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew firefighters who were killed Sunday, when an out-of-control blaze overtook the elite group. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Mayer fire department chaplain Rev. Bob Ossler, reacts during a memorial service for 19 wildland firefighters, Monday, July 1, 2013 in Prescott, Ariz. Nineteen Hotshot firefighters were killed on Sunday when when an out-of-control blaze overtook the elite group near Yarnell, Ariz. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Mourners bow their heads in prayer during a memorial service, Monday, July 1, 2013 in Prescott, Ariz. The service was held for the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew firefighters who were killed Sunday, when an out-of-control blaze overtook the elite group. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

A woman reacts as the national anthem is sung at the start of a memorial service, Monday, July 1, 2013 in Prescott, Ariz. The service was held for the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew firefighters who were killed Sunday, when an out-of-control blaze overtook the elite group. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

A woman hugs a firefighter before the start of a memorial service, Monday, July 1, 2013 in Prescott, Ariz. The service was held for the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew firefighters who were killed Sunday, when an out-of-control blaze overtook the elite group. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) ? In a heartbreaking sight, a long line of vans from a coroner's office carried the bodies of 19 elite firefighters out of the tiny mountain town of Yarnell on Monday, as the wind-driven wildfire that claimed the men's lives burned out of control.

About 200 more firefighters arrived to the scorching mountains, doubling the number of firefighters battling the blaze, ignited by lightning.

Many of them were wildfire specialists like the 19 fatally trapped Sunday ? a group of firefighters known as Hotshots called to face the nation's fiercest wildfires.

With no way out, the Prescott-based crew did what they were trained to do: They unfurled their foil-lined, heat-resistant tarps and rushed to cover themselves. But that last, desperate line of defense couldn't save them.

The deaths of the Granite Mountain Hotshots marked the nation's biggest loss of firefighters in a wildfire in 80 years. Only one member of the 20-person crew survived, and that was because he was moving the unit's truck at the time.

Arizona's governor called it "as dark a day as I can remember" and ordered flags flown at half-staff.

"I know that it is unbearable for many of you, but it also is unbearable for me. I know the pain that everyone is trying to overcome and deal with today," said Gov. Jan Brewer, her voice catching several times as she addressed reporters and residents at Prescott High School in the town of 40,000.

President Barack Obama called Brewer on Monday from Africa and reinforced his commitment to providing necessary federal support to battle the fire that spread to 13 square miles after destroying 50 homes. More than 200 homes were threatened in the town of 700 people.

Obama also offered his administration's help to state officials investigating the tragedy, and predicted it will force government leaders to answer broader questions about how they handle increasingly destructive and deadly wildfires.

Brewer said the blaze "exploded into a firestorm" that overran the crew.

The blaze grew from 200 acres to about 2,000 in a matter of hours.

Southwest incident team leader Clay Templin said the crew and its commanders were following safety protocols, and it appears the fire's erratic nature simply overwhelmed them.

The Hotshot team had spent recent weeks fighting fires in New Mexico and Prescott before being called to Yarnell, entering the smoky wilderness over the weekend with backpacks, chainsaws and other heavy gear to remove brush and trees as a heat wave across the Southwest sent temperatures into the triple digits.

Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said he feared the worst when he received a call Sunday afternoon from someone assigned to the fire.

"All he said was, 'We might have bad news. The entire Hotshot crew deployed their shelters,'" Fraijo said. "When we talk about deploying the shelters, that's an automatic fear, absolutely. That's a last-ditch effort to save yourself when you deploy your shelter."

Arizona Forestry Division spokesman Mike Reichling said all 19 victims had deployed their emergency shelters as they were trained to do.

As a last resort, firefighters are supposed to step into the shelters, lie face down on the ground and pull the fire-resistant fabric completely over themselves. The shelter is designed to reflect heat and trap cool, breathable air inside for a few minutes while a wildfire burns over a person.

But its success depends on firefighters being in a cleared area away from fuels and not in the direct path of a raging inferno of heat and hot gases.

The glue holding the layers of the shelter together begins to come apart at about 500 degrees, well above the 300 degrees that would almost immediately kill a person.

"It'll protect you, but only for a short amount of time. If the fire quickly burns over you, you'll probably survive that," said Prescott Fire Capt. Jeff Knotek. But "if it burns intensely for any amount of time while you're in that thing, there's nothing that's going to save you from that."

Fire officials gave no further details about the shelters being deployed. The bodies were taken to Phoenix for autopsies to determine exactly how the firefighters died.

The U.S. has 110 Hotshot crews, according to the U.S. Forest Service website. They typically have about 20 members each and go through specialized training.

Many of those killed were graduates of Prescott High, including 28-year-old Clayton Whitted, who as a firefighter would work out on the same campus where he played football for the Prescott Badgers from 2000 to 2004.

The school's football coach, Lou Beneitone, said Whitted was the type of athlete who "worked his fanny off."

"He wasn't a big kid, and many times in the game, he was overpowered by big men, and he still got after it. He knew, 'This man in front of me is a lot bigger and stronger than me,' but he'd try it and he'd smile trying it," Beneitone said.

He and Whitted had talked a few months ago about how this year's fire season could be a "rough one."

"I shook his hand, gave him a hug, and said, 'Be safe out there,'" Beneitone recalled. "He said, 'I will, Coach.'"

Hundreds of people were evacuated from the Yarnell area. In addition to the flames, downed power lines and exploding propane tanks continued to threaten what was left of the town, said fire information officer Steve Skurja. A light rain fell over the area but did little to slow the fire.

"It's a very hazardous situation right now," Skurja said.

Arizona is in the midst of a historic drought that has left large parts of the state highly flammable.

"Until we get a significant showing of the monsoons, it's showtime, and it's dangerous, really dangerous," incident commander Roy Hall said.

The National Fire Protection Association website lists the last wildfire to kill more firefighters as the 1933 Griffith Park blaze in Los Angeles, which killed 29. The biggest loss of firefighters in U.S. history was 343, killed in the 9/11 attack on New York.

In 1994, the Storm King Fire near Glenwood Springs, Colo., killed 14 firefighters who were overtaken by an explosion of flames.

A makeshift memorial of flower bouquets and American flags formed at the Prescott fire station where the crew was based.

More than 1,000 people turned out Monday to a gym at the Prescott campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to honor those killed.

At the end of the ceremony, dozens of wildfire fighters sporting Hotshot shirts and uniforms from other jurisdictions marched down the bleachers to the front of the auditorium, their heavy work boots drumming a march on the wooden steps.

They bowed their heads for a moment of silence in memory of their fallen comrades as slides bearing each man's name and age were projected behind them.

___

Associated Press writers Bob Christie in Phoenix, Brian Skoloff in Yarnell, Tami Abdollah in Prescott, and Martin Di Caro in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-07-02-Firefighters%20Killed/id-773a4759fc9c4351a4dbbd61fb8c67d7

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Jobs Report Dominates Holiday-Shortened Week

By Kathleen Madigan

Investors and economy watchers will have many reports to digest in the coming week. The main course will be Friday?s employment report, served up after U.S. financial markets close Thursday to observe Independence Day.

The payrolls report has been a focus not just for what it says about the state of the economy but also for what it suggests about future Federal Reserve policy decisions. Stronger job growth would probably nudge the Fed closer to discussing tapering its bond-buying program.

Economists don?t think ?stronger? will describe the June employment numbers, which should allay taper fears. The median forecast of economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires expects nonfarm payrolls grew by 155,000 slots in June, less than the 175,000 slots added in May.

The June unemployment rate is forecast to slip to 7.5% from 7.6% in May.

Two readings on June business activity are also on tap for the trading week ending July 5. The Institute for Supply Management will release its factory survey Monday. Economists think the top-line purchasing managers? index will increase to 50.0 from 49.0. The 50 mark would mean manufacturing is in neutral. A reading below 50 indicates contraction, and a reading above means expansion.

The ISM?s nonmanufacturing report is on the calendar for Wednesday. The median forecast calls for a June PMI of 54.0, compared with 53.7 in May.

Another June data point will be vehicle sales. Auto makers will report sales Tuesday. Economists think car buying picked up to an annual rate of 15.5 million, from 15.2 million in May.

 
  DATE     TIME  RELEASE                PERIOD  CONSENSUS  PREVIOUS 
           (ET) 
 Monday    1000  ISM Mfg PMI             Jun     50.0  (12)  49.0 
           1000  Construction Spending   May     +0.6% (10)  +0.4% 
 Tuesday   1000  Factory Orders          May     +2.0% (9)   +1.0% 
            N/A  Vehicle Sales           Jun     15.5mln (9) 15.2mln 
 Wednesday 0815  ADP Jobs Svy            Jun     +160K (7)   +135K 
           0830  Jobless Claims         Jun 29   350K  (8)   346K 
           0830  US Trade Deficit        May     $40.3B (12) $40.3B 
           1000  ISM Non-Mfg PMI         Jun     54.0  (11)  53.7 
 Friday    0830  Nonfarm Payrolls        Jun     +155K (13)  +175K 
           0830  Unemployment Rate       Jun     7.5%  (13)  7.6% 
           0830  Avg Hrly Wages          Jun     +0.2% (11)  Unch 
 
   (Figures in parentheses refer to number of economists surveyed.)

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2013/06/30/jobs-report-dominates-holiday-shortened-week/?mod=WSJBlog

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California gay-opponents want reversal of court order

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

On the face of it, Edward Snowden broke US law when he revealed details of its international eavesdropping programme. However, the benefits of his actions to Americans and the international community, by most accounts, outweigh the cost even in terms of national security. The US should give up its efforts to capture and prosecute him; it should grant him a pardon. If Snowden and ...

St Petersburg gays bashed as they launch kiss-in

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

A peaceful protest that had been called for gay rights in Russia turned violent on Saturday as homosexual activists embarked on a kissing protest. Anti-gay protesters threw smoke flares and stones into the small crowd of activists as they demonstrated their sexuality. Police became quickly involved and had to detain people from both sides. City officials later said the protest had ...

Gay ambassador banned from office in Dominican Republic

Bombay News.Net - Saturday 29th June, 2013

The Dominican Republic's Catholic Church has rejected a new US ambassador. The church has opposed Washington's nomination of gay rights activist, James "Wally" Brewster, with Vicar Pablo Cedano, the archbishop of the capital Santo Domingo, criticizing the nomination as "a lack of respect." He said the US president, Barack Obama, had shown disrespect by sending "that kind of person as ...

US general says he wishes there had been talks with Taliban

Bombay News.Net - Saturday 29th June, 2013

The deputy commander of the foreign forces in Afghanistan has told the Guardian newspaper that the Western allies should have tried holding talks with the Taliban a decade ago, just after they had been thrown from power. British officer, General Nick Carter, in an interview published on Friday, said a political solution with the Taliban could have been reached at the time forces had them "on ...

Climate change on the minds of most people

Bombay News.Net - Saturday 29th June, 2013

The effect of global climate change and international financial instability have become the key talking points around the world, according to Politico. Another major issue is Islamic extremism, particularly in the United States, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. Majorities of people in nations surveyed have said they are more worried about Islamic extremism than American or Chinese power and ...

Appelas Court gives OK for Californian gay marriages

Bombay News.Net - Saturday 29th June, 2013

An appeals court in California has lifted the state's ban on same-sex marriage. The order lifting the ban was issued Friday by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. It was only days after the US Supreme Court allowed the appeal to take place. The order came following opinion which was published on Wednesday by the US Supreme Court, which effectively killed a voter-approved ban on same-sex ...

Mandela to get visit from Barack Obama

Bombay News.Net - Saturday 29th June, 2013

US President Barack Obama has arrived in Johannesburg as part of his three-country tour of Africa. While in the country, he will have talks with President Jacob Zuma on trade, economic co-operation and other issues. The health of Nelson Mandela is also expected to be high on the agenda. While Nelson Mandela's health issues have captured attention around the world, the US president had ...

Britain set to approve three-person fertilization method

Bombay News.Net - Friday 28th June, 2013

LONDON - In a significant development that will help in eliminating serious genetic disorders, the United Kingdom is all set to become the first country in the world to allow the creation of babies using DNA from three people. The controversial procedure is called mitochondrial transfer that uses three-person in vitro fertilization (IVF) to eliminate debilitating and potentially fatal ...

EU demands explanation after reports of US spying

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

A media report claiming that the US National Security Agency spied on EU offices may have tremendous repercussions, the European Union (EU) said Sunday, and asked for immediate explanation from Washington. German magazine Der Spiegel reported that "the US placed bugs in the EU representation in Washington and infiltrated its computer network. Cyberattacks were also perpetrated against Brussels ...

EU questions U.S. over alleged spying Media

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Brussels, June 30, (Xinhua-ANI): The European Union (EU) said it has questioned U.S. authorities about alleged spying on EU offices, media reports said on Sunday. The EU has contacted with U.S. authorities immediately and demands "full clarification" after a report made by German weekly Der Spiegel claimed that Washington bugged EU offices in Brussels and the U.S., an EU statement was quoted as ...

Rolling Stones already planning 60th anniversary tour

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

'Rolling Stones' band members, who are currently on their '50 and Counting' world tour to mark their 50th wedding anniversary, have already started thinking about the 60th anniversary tour. During a chat with Classic Rock magazine, team member Keith Richards said that he has been hooked on everything once or twice in his life, but the one thing he can't kick is playing with the band, ...

Two ICC Womens World Cups and four ICC Womens World Twenty20 tournaments to be staged from 2016-2023

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Chair of the ICC Women's Committee Clare Connor has hailed the decision by the IDI Board which approved six global women's tournaments in the next ICC events calendar from 2016-2023. The schedule will see two ICC Women's World Cups as well as four ICC World Twenty20 events, including the continuation of the highly successful joint men's and women's events of the ICC World Twenty20 in 2016 and ...

McEnroe launches No.1 coffee-table book

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Tennis great John McEnroe has launched ATP's commemorative coffee table book 'No.1' celebrating all year-end ATP World Tour No.1s over the past 40 years. "I first became World No.1 at Memphis in March 1980. I got goosebumps thinking that I was ranked ahead of Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors. I didn't think I quite deserved it yet. I thought I had more work to do. It was inspiring to hit that mark ...

Interesting seeing new faces at Wimbledon second week Djokovic

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

World No.1 tennis player Novak Djokovic says seeing new faces break through to the second week at Wimbledon is positive for the sport. A total of seven players who will contest the pre-quarterfinals Monday are unseeded. "It is a surprise, there's no question about it. It's a strange feeling not to have (Roger) Federer or (Rafael) Nadal at the second week of a major. There are some players who ...

Over 568000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon UN

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Beirut, June 30 (Xinhua-ANI): The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said Sunday that over 65,000 Syrian refugees registered with its office in Lebanon in June, bringing the total number to 568,000 since the Syrian crisis that began over two years ago. The UNHCR said in a report that the refugees are benefiting from aid provided by the UN, the Lebanese government and various non-governmental aiding ...

Danish favourites disappoint in Speedway World Cup Grand Prix

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Top Danish drivers Nicki Petersen and Niels-Kristian Iversen failed to make it to the semifinals in the Danish Grand Prix for the Speedway World Cup 2013 contest at national stadium Parken here. Australian rider Darcy Ward won the Danish Grand Prix Saturday night. He is now ranked 12 with 44 points in the overall standings in the Speedway World Cup 2013, reports Xinhua. Petersen is placed ...

India U-19 beat Papua New Guinea by 71 runs

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

India comprehensively defeated Papua New Guinea by 71 runs at Tracy Village here Sunday in a friendly Under-19 International Series match. Papua New Guinea bowler Sakavai Charlie Gebai (4/26) restricted India to 136 all out from 43.1 overs with Indian opener and captain Vijay Zol top scoring with 48 runs. In reply, Papua New Guinea were no match with the bat against the experienced Indian ...

Nike laying off workers to avoid criticism over factory working conditions Report

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Nike is slashing on its international workforce in an aim to cut down on labour costs. However, the move by the American sportswear giant could even be to cut down on criticism over the way it treats its workers. According to the Huffington Post, Don Blair, Nike's chief financial officer, said the company is engineering the labour out of some of its products by replacing workers with ...

Australia beat New Zealand in U-19 series

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

An impressive five-wicket haul by pacer Matt Fotia saw Australia off to a flying start in the U-19 International Series with a 19-run win over New Zealand at the Marrara Oval here Sunday. The Australian bowlers built up pressure and snatched five wickets in five overs to win the game. New Zealand had been cruising in their chase of Australia's total of 225/6 from 50 overs but fell short thanks ...

Poland to host FIVB Beach Volleyball World meet

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Poland will host the ninth edition of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships starting from July 1. There are 48 teams in each gender taking part in the seven-day championships from July 1 to 7, including Chinese women's pair of Xue Chen and Zhang Xi, reports Xinhua. The championships will be played in Stare Jablonkia, a small village in the Mazury lake region (northeastern Poland). ...

Bahrain calls for EU support to stop Hezbollah interference in Syria

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

Manama, June 30 (Xinhua-ANI): Bahrain, along with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, on Sunday called for the European Union (EU)'s support to stop Hezbollah's increasing " interference" in Syria. Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa made the call during the opening of the 23rd EU-GCC ministerial meeting which is currently held in the kingdom. "Foreign ...

Pakistani paramilitary accused of killing boxer

Bombay News.Net - Sunday 30th June, 2013

The Pakistan Rangers paramilitary force has been accused of killing an international boxer in a staged shooting incident, media reports said Sunday. The boxer, identified only as Saqib, was an international boxer and represented Pakistan in several tournaments held abroad, according to the Dawn and News International dailies. The Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Karachi chapter termed the ...

Source: http://www.bombaynews.net/index.php/sid/215533427/scat/b8de8e630faf3631

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The Most Reliable Denver Life Insurance Companies

In a recently available segment of "The David Pakman Show" it is reported that 4 states happen to be proposing bills to require gun proprietors to buy gun liability insurance. For example, the State of New York Insurance Department prescribes an incredibly technical statement that have to be included on all personal automobile applications and claim forms. You ought to preserve PIP together with PDL in force so long as your car is in fact registered and accredited inside Fl.

If Americans usually are not all stupid enough to willingly stop trying their guns, let's just force them to buy yet another kind of insurance. This is because in the event the area by which the individual lives or even the area in which the auto owned by you is parked is susceptible to vandalism or features a history of grand theft auto, then this quote price will be much higher. Another driver is on its way up behind the initial vehicle and sees the junction is obvious and assumes that this other driver will move off.

You won't find this with other insurance firms, for example State Farm Insurance, Allstate Insurance, progressive Insurance , aaa automobile insurance or farmers Insurance. Now, move your right foot on the gas and slowly depress the gas and release the clutch at a similar time. In the present scenario, people owning cars must get themselves insured.

Did you know that you simply have the legal to cancel your insurance at any time throughout the policy period? However these are the two which might be mandated. However, as New York is really a heavily populated state, with both big towns and big suburban areas, the report could be considered a great representation of insurance company performance nationwide.

Specialized %anchor_text covers similarly as what Fully Comprehensive car insurance coverage does. So in case you have a classic car, consider the stipulations of the auto insurance policy first. He was presented with two citations, which the three police acknowledge he won't pay because his facts are probably false and once you he could have disappeared to the woodwork like the majority of illegal aliens do.

Here's some info on how to read your auto insurance policy. Saving your hard earned money on your insurance policy is possible should you possess a safe car. If you are certainly not at fault for a major accident and have suffered a personal injury and vehicle damage, you need to make a claim.

To change into second gear, again depress the clutch and take your foot in the gas, move the stick shift into second gear after which apply the gas and release the clutch simultaneously. However, the seems and simplicity with possessing it integrated for the radio will probably be worth the added cost. Even more true now, considering the state of our own economy as well as the need for website visitors to cut corners.

The vehicle is priced new at $30,000 and it is 1 year old. Car owners of most ages often tend to upgrade their unique stereo initial. This, however, might not exactly be the same because the total price tag to the damages.

About the Author:
Vivan Murillo is how she's called however she doesn't such as when individuals utilize her complete name.
One of things she enjoys most is astrology and she is trying to make it a career. Minnesota is the location she likes the majority of. In her professional life she is a bookkeeper.Greetings! I am Allyn Seagle although it is not the name on my birth certificate.
My spouse doesn't like it the means I do however what I really like doing is running and I would never provide it up. Iowa has actually constantly been my living place. I am a bookkeeper.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Most-Reliable-Denver-Life-Insurance-Companies/5211555

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New system uses low-power Wi-Fi signal to track moving humans -- even behind walls

June 28, 2013 ? The comic-book hero Superman uses his X-ray vision to spot bad guys lurking behind walls and other objects. Now we could all have X-ray vision, thanks to researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

Researchers have long attempted to build a device capable of seeing people through walls. However, previous efforts to develop such a system have involved the use of expensive and bulky radar technology that uses a part of the electromagnetic spectrum only available to the military.

Now a system being developed by Dina Katabi, a professor in MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and her graduate student Fadel Adib, could give all of us the ability to spot people in different rooms using low-cost Wi-Fi technology. "We wanted to create a device that is low-power, portable and simple enough for anyone to use, to give people the ability to see through walls and closed doors," Katabi says.

The system, called "Wi-Vi," is based on a concept similar to radar and sonar imaging. But in contrast to radar and sonar, it transmits a low-power Wi-Fi signal and uses its reflections to track moving humans. It can do so even if the humans are in closed rooms or hiding behind a wall.

As a Wi-Fi signal is transmitted at a wall, a portion of the signal penetrates through it, reflecting off any humans on the other side. However, only a tiny fraction of the signal makes it through to the other room, with the rest being reflected by the wall, or by other objects. "So we had to come up with a technology that could cancel out all these other reflections, and keep only those from the moving human body," Katabi says.

Motion detector

To do this, the system uses two transmit antennas and a single receiver. The two antennas transmit almost identical signals, except that the signal from the second receiver is the inverse of the first. As a result, the two signals interfere with each other in such a way as to cancel each other out. Since any static objects that the signals hit -- including the wall -- create identical reflections, they too are cancelled out by this nulling effect.

In this way, only those reflections that change between the two signals, such as those from a moving object, arrive back at the receiver, Adib says. "So, if the person moves behind the wall, all reflections from static objects are cancelled out, and the only thing registered by the device is the moving human."

Once the system has cancelled out all of the reflections from static objects, it can then concentrate on tracking the person as he or she moves around the room. Most previous attempts to track moving targets through walls have done so using an array of spaced antennas, which each capture the signal reflected off a person moving through the environment. But this would be too expensive and bulky for use in a handheld device.

So instead Wi-Vi uses just one receiver. As the person moves through the room, his or her distance from the receiver changes, meaning the time it takes for the reflected signal to make its way back to the receiver changes too. The system then uses this information to calculate where the person is at any one time.

Possible uses in disaster recovery, personal safety, gaming

Wi-Vi, being presented at the Sigcomm conference in Hong Kong in August, could be used to help search-and-rescue teams to find survivors trapped in rubble after an earthquake, say, or to allow police officers to identify the number and movement of criminals within a building to avoid walking into an ambush.

It could also be used as a personal safety device, Katabi says: "If you are walking at night and you have the feeling that someone is following you, then you could use it to check if there is someone behind the fence or behind a corner."

The device can also detect gestures or movements by a person standing behind a wall, such as a wave of the arm, Katabi says. This would allow it to be used as a gesture-based interface for controlling lighting or appliances within the home, such as turning off the lights in another room with a wave of the arm.

Venkat Padmanabhan, a principal researcher at Microsoft Research, says the possibility of using Wi-Vi as a gesture-based interface that does not require a line of sight between the user and the device itself is perhaps its most interesting application of all. "Such an interface could alter the face of gaming," he says.

Unlike today's interactive gaming devices, where users must stay in front of the console and its camera at all times, users could still interact with the system while in another room, for example. This could open up the possibility of more complex and interesting games, Katabi says.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/cHF_GAWaRds/130628092149.htm

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WaterField Designs Samsung Galaxy S4 Cases Review

We got a look at a two WaterField Designs Samsung Galaxy S4 Cases. The Hint Wallet and the Suede Jacket each offer no frills, snug fitting sleeve style cases for the Samsung Galaxy S4. Sadly, one doesn?t measure up to what we?ve come to expect from the company, while the other did.

The Suede Jacket sells for $10 or $14, depending on whether the user gets one without or with the external mesh pocket. The versions for the plain Samsung Galaxy S4 will fit either the phone naked or with a bumper. The version we tested, with the pocket, costs $14.

The Suede Jacket looks like little more than a form-fitting sock for the Galaxy S4. When we say form-fitting, we mean it. The case fits snug. We struggled to slide the phone into the Suede Jacket and to remove the phone once?inside. It?s hard to keep from rejecting a call while removing the phone from the case. Who likes calling people back and apologizing for hitting the wrong button when the person calls??In the video below, Gary from?WaterField Designs explains that the case will loosen up after use. We gave up before we got to that point.

We like the back pocket and, thanks to plenty of experience testing WaterField Designs products, we know it will hold up over time. We just wish it started out a little more loose. At only $10, users who like the idea of a sock for their phone can give it a try without giving up too much.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gottabemobile/~3/yAodCm4MeHo/

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Nevada gambling regulator says Macau junkets, triads on the decline

June 28, 2013

Nevada Gaming Control Board chief A.G. Burnett told Congress it was ?common knowledge? that Macau?s VIP gaming rooms have ?long been dominated by Asian organized crime.? Burnett made the comments on Thursday while addressing the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which is investigating alleged money laundering activities in the Asian gambling hot spot. Burnett suggested that since the arrival in Macau of three US-based casino companies ? Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts ? ?much of those triad activities had actually decreased in one fashion or another.?

However, at least two of those operators ? Sands and Wynn ? are currently the subjects of US federal investigations regarding their Asian activities. Asked whether Nevada regulators had ever seen fit to punish a US operator for its activities in Macau, Burnett admitted they hadn?t, but suggested that the operators had nonetheless ?suffered? due to their footing the bill for Burnett and his ilk to fly out to Macau on fact-finding missions. ?Travel to China is not cheap.?

Burnett said he believes US casino operators in Macau are conducting satisfactory due diligence on their junket partners, but Burnett also claimed the junket operators? influence was on the decline thanks to the casinos? new preference for the higher margins offered by so-called ?premium mass? tables, which don?t operate on credit, eliminating the need for junkets. Burnett said there would be no need for junket operators if China would only loosen restrictions on its citizens? ability to take money out of the country. The RMB 20k (US $3,240) limit is ill-suited to the financial needs of China?s high-rollers, leaving them little alternative but to seek out junket operators or engage in some creative dealings with Macau?s pawnshops.

The political appointees conducting Thursday?s hearing were a singularly unimpressed lot. Commission member and former GOP senator Jim Talent said the truth was that ?we really don?t have any idea what?s going on in Macau,? while fellow commissioner Michael Wessel described the casino-junket relationship as ?so complex it reminds me of a Rube Goldberg-style equation.? The Commission strongly suggested that Treasury Department assistant secretary for terrorist financing Daniel Glaser should increase scrutiny of Macau?s casino industry. It?s worth noting that in 2011, the US State Department claimed a direct link between Macau casinos and terrorist financing, only to backtrack when challenged to back up these allegations with, you know, evidence.

MACAU CRACKS LOAN SHARK GANG
As if on cue, Macau?s Judiciary Police (JP) have just announced the takedown of what they claim is the biggest loan-sharking gang the city has seen in over a decade. The Macau Post Daily reported that 13 suspects were arrested Tuesday, including six locals, five Hong Kong residents and two from the Chinese mainland, while the JP seized around HKD 500k ($64.5k) in cash. The investigation began in 2010 following a tip-off about loan sharks prowling casino floors looking for gamblers down on their luck. The sharks would offer loans in the form of gambling chips, while collecting commissions of 30% directly off the top, or 10% of every wager or anytime the ?lucky? baccarat gambler hit an eight or nine.

Source: http://calvinayre.com/2013/06/28/casino/nevada-regulator-says-macau-junkets-on-the-decline/

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Spy program gathered Americans' Internet records

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Obama administration gathered U.S. citizens' Internet data until 2011, continuing a spying program started under President George W. Bush that revealed whom Americans exchanged emails with and the Internet Protocol address of their computer, documents disclosed Thursday show.

The National Security Agency ended the program that collected email logs and timing, but not content, in 2011 because it decided it didn't effectively stop terrorist plots, according to the NSA's director, Gen. Keith Alexander, who also heads the U.S. Cyber Command. He said all data was purged in 2011.

Britain's Guardian newspaper on Thursday released documents detailing the collection, though the program was also described earlier this month by The Washington Post.

The latest revelation follows previous leaks from ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who is presumed hiding at a Moscow airport transit area, waiting to hear whether Ecuador, Iceland or another country might grant him asylum. He fled Hong Kong over the weekend and flew to Russia after being charged with violating American espionage laws.

The collection appears similar to the gathering of U.S. phone records, and seems to overlap with the Prism surveillance program of foreigners on U.S. Internet servers, both revealed by Snowden. U.S. officials have said the phone records can only be checked for numbers dialed by a terrorist suspect overseas. According to the documents published by The Guardian on Thursday, the Internet records show whom they exchanged emails with and the specific numeric address assigned to a computer connected to the Internet, known as the IP, or Internet Protocol, address.

The program, described in a top secret draft report from the NSA inspector general, described the efforts of then-NSA Director Gen. Mike Hayden to fill gaps in intelligence gathering after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. One NSA officer quoted in the report described "NSA standing at the U.S. border looking outward for foreign threats" and "the FBI looking within the United States for domestic threats. But no one was looking at the foreign threats coming into the United States. That was the huge gap that NSA wanted to cover."

The draft added that the sweeping phone and Internet data-gathering programs were meant to speed up the process of surveillance of a terrorist suspect overseas, because "the average wait time was between four and six weeks" to get a court order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. "Terrorists could have changed their telephone numbers or Internet addresses" before the NSA received permission to spy on them on U.S.-based phone or Internet systems.

Alexander said at a Baltimore conference on cybersecurity that the NSA decided to kill the Internet data gathering program because "it wasn't meeting what we needed and we thought we could better protect civil liberties and privacy by doing away with it."

He said the program was conducted under provisions of the Patriot Act, and that NSA leaders went to the Obama administration and Congress with the recommendation to shut it down.

Shawn Turner, a spokesman for the director of national intelligence, said the program has not resumed.

The Washington Post had described the Internet surveillance in an earlier report, without publishing the documents or releasing as many details. The Post described it as part of four secret surveillance programs ? two aimed at phone and Internet metadata, while two more target contents of phone and Internet communications.

Alexander, who has been up on Capitol Hill frequently for hearings and meetings since the NSA phone and email surveillance was made public, laid out a broad defense of the programs.

He said he worries that more leaks are coming, adding that "every time a capability is revealed we lose our ability to track those targets."

While never mentioning Snowden by name, Alexander said his irresponsible releases of classified information "will have a long term detrimental impact on the intelligence community's ability to detect future attacks."

He declined to provide more details on what the NSA is doing to prevent such leaks in the future. He has said that the agency is changing passwords and improving its ability to track what system administrators are doing.

On Thursday, he said he was looking at how the leak happened and the people involved. He said the NSA can't do its job without contractors because it doesn't have all the talent or access it needs to do the job.

___

Baldor reported from Baltimore.

___

Follow Kimberly Dozier on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kimberlydozier

Follow Lolita C. Baldor on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lbaldor

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-06-27-US-NSA-Surveillance-Internet-Records/id-b111b28b984e437795b742b1c86c871f

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We'll Fix It In Post: Writers, Editors, And Making The Internet A Better ...

In the film business, the movies, there?s a common saying, ?We?ll fix it in post.? That means that the sound, a visual effect, or some other annoyance will be corrected in post production. That?s easy to do when you have a budget of millions of dollars and teams of talented artists fixing the myriad problems.

It is a less effective, desirable, or useful approach for businesses or individuals publishing online.

Tools like WordPress and Tumblr make it very easy to publish online. They don?t make it easy to publish great content. That takes work. I see a lot of businesses and far too many individuals constantly fixing, updating, and correcting their errors, all in front of an audience who does not forgive or forget.

As a reader, I?ve given up reading a number of potentially interesting people because what they publish online is unreadable. They write poorly and their copy is filled with errors. They might have great ideas, but I don?t have the time or energy to try and figure out what they mean. Errors and poor writing tell me, the reader, that the writer was rushed and didn?t care enough to write, rewrite, and work with an editor.

You are not a lesser writer because you need an editor. ALL writers need editors. I need an editor. Penny, my editor, will tell you exactly how much I need an editor for what I publish here. Our work together is what makes this site effective. The writing AND editing make this site popular.

The hit and run method of online publishing can be exciting. Someone gets an idea, dashes it off, and hits PUBLISH. And it?s there, on the web, for everyone to see. That?s a real rush. And it?s a very bad idea. It will almost certainly result in errors, mistakes, and incomplete communication.

For my part and as a writing professional I?m embarrassed when others do this. I know what they wanted to do, but I know that they could do it better.

Let?s make the Internet safe for reading. For those of us who write, please seek out an editing partner. For those of us who publish, please insist on a publishing workflow that insures clear, error-free, well developed content.

There?s no post production for online publishing. Let?s do what it takes to get it right the first time.

The We?ll Fix It In Post: Writers, Editors, And Making The Internet A Better Read by Randy Murray, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Source: http://whowritesforyou.com/2013/06/27/well-fix-it-in-post-writers-editors-and-making-the-internet-a-better-read/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=well-fix-it-in-post-writers-editors-and-making-the-internet-a-better-read

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Obama Plays Down Expectations of Mandela Visit (Voice Of America)

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