Europeans bolster Palestinian bid at the UN

Support from the Europeans for Palestinian non-member 'state' status may derive partly from concern that Palestinians would view missiles, not diplomacy, as the way to sway Israel.

By Christa Case Bryant,?Staff writer / November 29, 2012

A Palestinian gestures during a rally in the West Bank city of Hebron, supporting the resolution that would change the Palestinian Authority's United Nations observer status from "entity" to "non-member state" November 29, 2012.

Ammar Awad/REUTERS

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A week after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas appeared all but forgotten in the wake of the Gaza conflict, his bid to gain a global mandate for statehood at the United Nations today has gained momentum.

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At least 150 of the United Nations?s 193 members, including France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, and possibly even Britain, are expected to vote in favor of upgrading the Palestine Liberation Organization?s status to a non-member ?state,? instead of a mere ?observer.? And Germany, which many expected to be a sure "no" vote, announced today that it would abstain.?

The upgrade, while largely symbolic, could give the PLO firmer footing on the international stage to push for a sovereign state alongside Israel.?

The last-minute tide of international support, particularly from European countries, may have derived in part from concern that Palestinians would walk away from last week?s Gaza conflict with the impression that missiles, not diplomacy, are the way to get Israeli concessions. As part of the Nov. 21 cease-fire agreement, Israel agreed in principle to opening the crossings into Gaza, potentially easing the restrictions on goods and freedom of movement that Israel imposed when Hamas won elections in 2006.

?The cease-fire definitely strengthened Hamas. It looks as if the Hamas managed to get concessions on the siege and this was through missiles ? while [Abbas] is sitting aside quietly,? says veteran Israeli diplomat Alon Liel, now retired. ?So it?s definitely the wish of Europeans to show that through diplomacy you can also gain achievements, not only through missiles.?

This line of reasoning also provided a ?wonderful excuse? for European countries, which have traditionally backed Palestinian statehood but have faced strong pressure from Israel to vote against the UN bid, he adds.

Now they can say, ?What can we do? Your war over there in Gaza isolated ? [Abbas] to the extent that now we have to come to his help,? says Mr. Liel, noting that a number of European countries would have voted in favor of the bid even without such cover.

Symbolic date

Today?s vote comes on the 65th?anniversary of the UN vote to partition historic Palestine into two states, one Israeli and one Palestinian. Israel accepted the offer and declared independence six months later, but Arab leaders in Palestine and the region rejected it and fighting broke out between Zionists and Arabs, which lasted until 1949. The 1949 armistice lines, also referred to as the Green Line or the 1967 borders, prevailed up until the 1967 war between Israel and its neighbors.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/gGWOq7b0GjE/Europeans-bolster-Palestinian-bid-at-the-UN

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Analysis: At peak of powers, Merkel sets sights on third term

BERLIN (Reuters) - In Germany, election campaigns are supposed to be all about parties, policies and platforms, most definitely not personalities. Now that is about to change.

Angela Merkel, at the peak of her political powers, is gearing up to run for a third term and what she hopes will be a place in the history books alongside towering post-war German leaders like Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl.

Next week, her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will informally kick off the campaign with a two-day congress in the northern city of Hanover that is shaping up as a very un-German affair -- a Merkel-centered love-fest similar in style and spectacle to a U.S. presidential convention.

Seven years into her chancellorship, a point when her predecessors Gerhard Schroeder and Kohl were struggling with poor poll ratings, the 58-year-old Lutheran pastor's daughter from East Germany is as popular as ever.

Two in three Germans say she is doing a good job, according to surveys, and many now applaud her handling of the euro zone crisis, where she has performed a stunning feat -- keeping the single currency intact with one policy concession after another, yet still managing to be seen as a staunch defender of German interests.

Criticized early on for her cautious leadership style, Merkel's low-key approach is now hailed by many as positive in a time of turmoil.

"The CDU's main asset in this election is Frau Merkel," said Environment Minister and party ally Peter Altmaier. "She enjoys a huge amount of trust. She has no rivals and is the most popular politician in the country."

A close aide to Merkel who will have a role in shaping her re-election strategy was even more clear: "Of course we will focus this campaign on the chancellor. We'd be stupid not to."

A heavy dose of adulation has been programmed into the congress in Hanover. Delegates have only one main task, a member of the CDU executive committee told German weekly Der Spiegel: "They are to give Angela Merkel a standing ovation of at least seven minutes after her speech."

KINDER, KUECHE, KIRCHE

Still, it would be wrong to assume total harmony within the party, even if that is the message Merkel and her allies are trying to send.

Since taking power in 2005, the chancellor has pushed her party in an entirely new direction. Not all in the CDU are happy about that.

After fighting for years against a minimum wage, the party now officially supports one. And after condemning the nuclear power phase-out introduced by Schroeder's centre-left government, Merkel now says it did not go far or fast enough. Last year she shocked her party with her "Energiewende", or energy revolution, that pushes Germany out of nuclear and into renewables at alarming speed.

On social issues there is also grumbling. The CDU's approach towards women used to be summed up with three simple words: "Kinder, Kueche, Kirche", or children, kitchen, church. Now it is pushing for more childcare spots so that mothers can work and is debating the idea of imposing quotas on businesses to boost the number of women in top positions.

"We need to watch out that in our search for two new voters, we don't lose three old ones," says Wolfgang Bosbach, a senior CDU lawmaker who has clashed with Merkel in recent years.

Other controversial social issues, including a divisive debate about tax treatment of gay couples, are being swept under the table in Hanover in the name of unity.

"The truth is that Merkel has no interest in seeing a big debate on the issues. This congress is supposed to show that the party is fully behind the chancellor and her government," said Frank Decker, a political scientist at Bonn University.

"The CDU is having to appeal to a broader base, to adapt to a changed reality in society, new family structures and a bigger role for women," he added. "A traditional conservative, Christian party must find answers, it must debate these things. But Merkel is refusing to allow this debate to happen, and that breeds resentment."

NO GUARANTEES

In modernizing the CDU, Merkel has made it all but indistinguishable from the other big parties, the Social Democrats and Greens. By design or not, this has made the party even more dependent on Merkel for its identity.

So far that has not been a problem. The CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), have a comfortable 10 point lead over the next biggest party, the SPD, 10 months before the federal vote.

Working in Merkel and her party's favor has been the disastrous start of her SPD challenger Peer Steinbrueck, who has been dogged by a row over lucrative speaking engagements since he was anointed two months ago.

Still, it would be wrong to assume Merkel's re-election is guaranteed.

The euro zone crisis remains perhaps the biggest risk, as the domestic backlash against her latest aid deal for Greece showed this week.

If Greece's financial problems flare up again before the German election, she is bound to come under fire for cynically delaying a lasting solution to the country's debt woes until after the vote out of fears for her own political future.

An economic slowdown at home could also weigh on her popularity. Hit by weakness in its trading partners, the German economy is expected to contract in the fourth quarter of 2012 and data on Thursday showed unemployment rising for the eighth month in a row.

Perhaps a bigger risk is the shifting party landscape in Germany, notably the collapse of the CDU's traditional partner, the Free Democrats (FDP), with whom Merkel rules in Berlin.

The consequences of this could be felt as soon as January, when Lower Saxony, the German swing-state equivalent of Ohio, holds an election.

Loyal Merkel ally David McAllister, a half-Scot who runs the state, is expected to come out on top in the vote, but may still be booted out of office by a coalition of the SPD and Greens if the FDP fails to make it into the state assembly.

That result would send a worrying signal to the CDU faithful.

"Lower Saxony will help shape the mood for the election year," Michael Meister, a senior CDU lawmaker told Reuters. "There will be a result, and it will carry a message."

Regardless of what happens in Lower Saxony, people close to the chancellor say she cannot rest on her laurels, but must make a convincing case about where she wants to take Germany.

"The big question will be, why again?" her close aide said. "People vote for the future not the past."

Asked what she hoped to accomplish in a third term, the aide pointed to four areas: bringing stability to the euro zone; bedding down her energy revolution; consolidating the budget; and ensuring continued growth and prosperity.

Gero Neugebauer, a political scientist at Berlin's Free University, puts Merkel's chances of winning re-election next year at just 50-50 because the FDP's slide has left her without a "Machtoption", or hope of a majority with her current partner.

Others see it differently. By moving ever closer to the SPD and Greens on policy, Merkel has given the CDU more coalition options, notes Josef Joffe, publisher-editor of German weekly Die Zeit.

"She can go with a revived FDP, with Steinbrueck's SPD and, if the Greens are hungry enough, with them as well," he says, putting her chances at "close to 100 percent".

"She represents the 'good shepherd' in turbulent times. Somehow, people believe, she will get them through the mess safe and sound."

(Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by Noah Barkin; editing by Janet McBride)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-peak-powers-merkel-sets-sights-third-term-124210675--business.html

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Chromatin remodeling: Activating ACL1 with a little help from 'friends'

ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2012) ? Chromatin remodeling -- the packaging and unpackaging of genomic DNA and its associated proteins -- regulates a host of fundamental cellular processes including gene transcription, DNA repair, programmed cell death as well as cell fate. In their latest study, scientists at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research are continuing to unravel the finicky details of how these architectural alterations are controlled.

Through a series of biochemical experiments, Stowers Investigators Ron Conaway, Ph.D., and Joan Conaway, Ph.D., and their team discovered that chromatin remodeling enzyme and suspected oncogene ALC1 (short for Amplified in Liver Cancer 1) is activated through an unusual mechanism: Its shape shifts in the presence of its activators. Their finding identifies a new instrument in cells' molecular repertoire of chromatin-remodeling tools and a potential cancer therapeutic target.

One of the main tasks of chromatin remodeling enzymes, Ron Conaway explains, is "to make DNA accessible so events like repair and gene transcription can occur." Postdoctoral research associate and first author Aaron Gottschalk, Ph.D., previously figured out that ALC1 required protein partners to activate its remodeling function. Publishing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, he dissects the mechanism by which this occurs.

ALC1 and its ilk have a common protein domain, SNF2, that uses the energy of ATP hydrolysis to move nucleosomes -- the basic repeating units of chromatin -- around, in a process called nucleosome sliding.

"I was intrigued because ALC1 has a unique macrodomain not found on any other SNF2 family member," Gottschalk says. His interest was further piqued when he found that while most ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers function as large multi-protein complexes, ALC1 appeared to work by itself. At the same time, where most of its group-happy family members readily demonstrated nucleosome sliding activity in vitro, ALC1 was not only a lone ranger but also "completely dead on its own."

Gottschalk deduced that ALC1 may function independently, but it needs a boost from a couple of sidekicks: PARP1, an enzyme that responds to several kinds of DNA damage; and NAD+, the substrate by which PARP1 transfers chains of poly (ADP-ribose) onto itself and other target proteins, in a process called PARylation.

Only when PARP1 and NAD+ are on the scene does ALC1 spring into action, altering the accessibility of DNA by shifting nucleosomes around. Gottschalk's earlier findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in June 2009.

"We then extended this research," Conaway says, "and the upshot of our recent JBC paper is that ALC1 is likely activated through a series of physical interactions. ALC1's unique macrodomain can bind PAR, and protein-protein interactions also occur between ALC1 and PARP1." Gottschalk and coauthor Rushi Trivedi, a graduate student in the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology department at KU Medical Center, developed a novel footprinting assay that enabled this observation. Rather than merely activating ALC1 and moving on, the researchers found that the trio of PARP1, NAD+ and ALC1 hangs out in a stable complex.

"So PARylated PARP1 and NAD+ are allosteric effectors -- by binding to ALC1, they alter its state from dormant to active," Conaway says. "It's an interesting mechanism that's different from how most other chromatin remodelers work. It may also help explain other evidence that PARP1 has the ability to rearrange nucleosomes and reorganize chromatin; this could be one way by which PARP1 exerts its influence."

Apart from its role in modifying chromatin structure, not much is currently known about ALC1. It's regarded as a possible oncogene, being found in excess in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and because overexpression of ALC1 in mice induces spontaneous tumors.

PARP1, on the other hand, has attracted plenty of interest as a potential anticancer drug target, due to its importance in maintaining genomic integrity. For example, in breast cancer cells lacking BRCA1 or BRCA2 function, blocking PARP could effectively remove the cells' last line of defense against DNA-damaging chemotherapy agents. To date, no PARP inhibitor has made it past phase III clinical trials, but pharmaceutical companies continue to chip away at the challenges around optimizing this form of targeted cancer therapy.

"A better understanding of the in-depth biochemistry we're uncovering on ALC1 and PARP1 may, in the long term, ultimately lead to new or more refined therapeutic strategies," Gottschalk says.

Meanwhile, having observed that ALC1 comes to life upon interacting with friends, Gottschalk now wants to understand precisely how this activation happens. With a knockout ALC1 mouse model handy, plans are afoot to extend his studies to an in vivo characterization of a chromatin remodeler that boasts an illustrious family pedigree, yet stands apart in the crowd.

Funding for this study came from a National Institute of General Medical Sciences grant (GM41628), and a grant to the Stowers Institute from the Helen Nelson Medical Research Fund at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Stowers Institute for Medical Research.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. A. J. Gottschalk, R. D. Trivedi, J. W. Conaway, R. C. Conaway. Activation of the SNF2 Family ATPase ALC1 by Poly(ADP-ribose) in a Stable Nucleosome-PARP1-ALC1 Intermediate. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2012; DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M112.401141

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/miSQ5ef0V9Y/121129151918.htm

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Cuba says jailed American doesn't have cancer

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Cuban government says a test shows an American imprisoned in Cuba doesn't have cancer, countering a previous statement by a U.S. doctor that a mass on the man's shoulder should be assumed cancerous unless proven harmless.

Cuban and U.S. officials met Monday to discuss Alan Gross' health, Cuban officials said in a statement to The Associated Press on Wednesday. Officials discussed an Oct. 24 biopsy that confirmed that a lump on Gross' right shoulder is not cancerous. The one-page statement from Cuba's Ministry for Foreign Affairs said the test "could not be performed before due to Mr. Gross' refusal" and that Gross' wife was given the test results during a meeting Monday in Washington, where she lives.

Gross' case has become a source of tension in U.S.-Cuba relations. Both sides have spent months going back and forth with statements about the growth on his shoulder. His lawyer and family want Gross to be examined by a doctor of their choosing. The Cuban government has said his health is fine.

The Cuban medical team treating Gross said "the general health condition of Mr. Gross is normal," though he is being treated for "chronic illnesses that are typical of his age."

Gross, 63, was arrested in Cuba in late 2009 while on a USAID-funded democracy-building program and sentenced to 15 years for crimes against the state. He says he was only trying to help the island's small Jewish community gain Internet access.

On Wednesday, one of Gross' U.S. lawyers, Jared Genser, questioned the results of the biopsy and repeated requests that Gross be allowed to choose a doctor to examine him. Genser said in a statement that the biopsy removed fluid, but it wasn't clear that it removed tissue, a recommendation of doctors. Genser also questioned the public release of medical records without Gross' consent.

"We urge the Cuban government to allow this to happen promptly so we can put questions about Mr. Gross's health to rest," Genser said in a statement.

A New York rabbi who saw Gross on Tuesday also said the growth was not cancerous. Rabbi Elie Abadie told The Associated Press in an interview that he had examined Gross and received a lengthy briefing from the team of Cuban physicians who have attended him.

Genser said the value of Abadie's assessment is limited because he is a gastroenterologist. But, he added, if the Cuban government is now allowing American doctors to examine Gross they will have an oncologist apply for a visa to see him.

A U.S. doctor who previously reviewed tests performed on Gross in Cuba and said they were inadequate said in a letter released to reporters that the results of the biopsy were "hopeful but not definitive." Dr. Alan A. Cohen, a radiologist, repeated his suggestion of having an MRI and suggested a biopsy using a larger needle.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Wednesday the department has continued to express concerns about his deteriorating health. Nuland noted he has lost more than 100 pounds since he was arrested.

"He's got severe degenerative arthritis which affects his mobility, and he has other health problems that require treatment and that cause him quite a bit of pain," Nuland said. "He has not been allowed to see a doctor of his own choosing, let alone be released on humanitarian grounds, which is what we've been calling for, for a very long time now."

___

Associated Press Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cuba-says-jailed-american-doesnt-cancer-234243626.html

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GOP Rep. Pridemore Running for State Superintendent

UPDATE Wednesday, November 28, 2012 --- 12:46 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Conservative Republican state Rep. Don Pridemore has registered to run for state superintendent of schools.

Pridemore says in a statement that the filing doesn't mean he will definitely enter the race, but he will make a decision soon.

Pridemore is required to submit the required signatures to get on the ballot by Jan. 2.

Incumbent Department of Public Instruction Secretary Tony Evers is the only other candidate in the race.

Pridemore says in his statement that the status quo is not working on "it's time for a fresh set of ideas."

Evers did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Pridemore was first elected to the Assembly in 2004. He was unopposed when he was re-elected to a two-year term in November.

Copyright 2012: Associated Press

__________________________________________

POSTED: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 --- 9:30 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Republican state Rep. Don Pridemore of Hartford is running for Wisconsin state schools superintendent.

Pridemore registered his campaign committee with the state elections board on Wednesday. He joins incumbent state superintendent Tony Evers as the only announced candidates so far seeking the post.

The 66-year-old Pridemore was re-elected to his fifth term in the Assembly in November. He was not contested.

Candidates seeking to become secretary of the Department of Public Instruction can begin circulating nomination papers on Saturday. They are due to be returned on Jan. 2.

The election is April 2 but if more than two candidates run there will be a Feb. 19 primary.

The post is officially nonpartisan and the term runs for four years.

Copyright 2012: Associated Press

Source: http://www.nbc15.com/election/headlines/GOP-Rep-Pridemore-Running-for-State-Superintendent-181186851.html

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Environmentalists seek increased focus on renewable energy plans

Lansing ? A Michigan environmentalist group is calling for increased focus on renewable energy when Gov. Rick Snyder rolls out his plan for energy and the environment in a special message to the Legislature today.

The Michigan Energy, Michigan Jobs coalition, which backed the failed Proposal 3 ballot initiative this month, said Tuesday it's continuing the push to increase the renewable energy standard. Proposal 3 called for Michigan utilities to purchase 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025.

Snyder presentation this morning at Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners near Battle Creek is the next in a series of special messages he's had. Other topics included education, health care, worker development and public safety.

Tourists flock to Michigan's woods and waterways for recreation and sports. Supporters say the state's environment, highlighted by a highly successful Pure Michigan advertising campaign, is the foundation for a thriving tourism industry and plays an important role in attracting job-creating industries and professionals.

The Michigan Public Service Commission reported this year the state's major utilities are on track to meet the 10 percent by 2015 renewable energy standard. More than 30 other states ? including Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota ? have stronger renewable energy standards than Michigan, according to the group.

Mark Fisk, spokesman for Michigan Energy, Michigan jobs, said Snyder should keep up the pressure on utilities to continue increasing their use of energy from wind, solar and other renewable sources.

"We think the governor has a very important opportunity to lay out a road map (for renewable energy)," Fisk said at a news conference Tuesday.

Millions in advertising revenue was spent on both sides of Proposal 3. More than $10 million in mostly out-of-state money was raised in support of the measure, which proponents said would accelerate Michigan's move away from environmentally damaging fossil fuels while attracting investment and creating jobs.

The proposal was opposed by the Clean Affordable Renewable Energy for Michigan Coalition, which raised more than double that amount from major utility companies. Opponents said the renewable energy standard should not be included in the state constitution, and disputed supporters' job creation claims.

"As we've said all along, we strongly support renewable energy in a reasonable, responsible, affordable fashion," said Megan Brown, spokeswoman for the opponents. "However, the voters spoke at the polls on Nov. 6 and it is clear that the 2008 law is still working."

kbouffard@detnews.com

(517) 371-3660

Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121128/POLITICS02/211280361/1022/rss10

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Projected sea-level rise may be underestimated

Public release date: 27-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sarah Messina
press@pik-potsdam.de
49-331-288-2507
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)

That sea level is rising faster than expected could mean that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) sea-level rise projections for the future may be biased low as well, their results suggest.

Sea-level rise potentially affects millions of people all around the world in coastal areas as well as megacities like Tokyo.

"Global temperature continues to rise at the rate that was projected in the last two IPCC Reports. This shows again that global warming has not slowed down or is lagging behind the projections," Rahmstorf says. Five global land and ocean temperature series were averaged and compared to IPCC projections by the scientists from Potsdam, the Laboratoire d'Etudes en Gophysique et Ocanographie Spatiales (LEGOS) in France and the US based Tempo Analytics. To allow for a more accurate comparison with projections, the scientists accounted for short-term temperature variations due to El Nio events, solar variability and volcanic eruptions. The results confirm that global warming, which was predicted by scientists in the 1960s and 1970s as a consequence of increasing greenhouse concentrations, continues unabated at a rate of 0.16 C per decade and follows IPCC projections closely.

Data of sea-level rise provided a different picture though. The oceans are rising 60 per cent faster than the IPCC's latest best estimates, according to the new research. The researchers compared those estimates to satellite data of observed sea-level rise. "Satellites have a much better coverage of the globe than tide gauges and are able to measure much more accurately by using radar waves and their reflection from the sea surface," Anny Cazenave from LEGOS explains. While the IPCC projected sea-level rise to be at a rate of 2 mm per year, satellite data recorded a rate of 3.2 mm per year. The increased rate of sea-level rise is unlikely to be caused by a temporary episode of ice discharge from the ice sheets in Greenland or Antarctica or other internal variabilities in the climate system, according to the study, because it correlates very well with the increase in global temperature.

"In contrast to the physics of global warming itself, sea-level rise is much more complex," Rahmstorf says. "To improve future projections it is very important to keep track of how well past projections match observational data." Rahmstorf stresses that "the new findings highlight that the IPCC is far from being alarmist and in fact in some cases rather underestimates possible risks."

###

Article: Rahmstorf, S, Foster, G., Cazenave, A. (2012): Comparing climate projections to observations up to 2011. Environmental Research Letters 7 044035 (doi:10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/044035)

Weblink to the article once it is published: http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/4/044035/article

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Public release date: 27-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sarah Messina
press@pik-potsdam.de
49-331-288-2507
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)

That sea level is rising faster than expected could mean that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) sea-level rise projections for the future may be biased low as well, their results suggest.

Sea-level rise potentially affects millions of people all around the world in coastal areas as well as megacities like Tokyo.

"Global temperature continues to rise at the rate that was projected in the last two IPCC Reports. This shows again that global warming has not slowed down or is lagging behind the projections," Rahmstorf says. Five global land and ocean temperature series were averaged and compared to IPCC projections by the scientists from Potsdam, the Laboratoire d'Etudes en Gophysique et Ocanographie Spatiales (LEGOS) in France and the US based Tempo Analytics. To allow for a more accurate comparison with projections, the scientists accounted for short-term temperature variations due to El Nio events, solar variability and volcanic eruptions. The results confirm that global warming, which was predicted by scientists in the 1960s and 1970s as a consequence of increasing greenhouse concentrations, continues unabated at a rate of 0.16 C per decade and follows IPCC projections closely.

Data of sea-level rise provided a different picture though. The oceans are rising 60 per cent faster than the IPCC's latest best estimates, according to the new research. The researchers compared those estimates to satellite data of observed sea-level rise. "Satellites have a much better coverage of the globe than tide gauges and are able to measure much more accurately by using radar waves and their reflection from the sea surface," Anny Cazenave from LEGOS explains. While the IPCC projected sea-level rise to be at a rate of 2 mm per year, satellite data recorded a rate of 3.2 mm per year. The increased rate of sea-level rise is unlikely to be caused by a temporary episode of ice discharge from the ice sheets in Greenland or Antarctica or other internal variabilities in the climate system, according to the study, because it correlates very well with the increase in global temperature.

"In contrast to the physics of global warming itself, sea-level rise is much more complex," Rahmstorf says. "To improve future projections it is very important to keep track of how well past projections match observational data." Rahmstorf stresses that "the new findings highlight that the IPCC is far from being alarmist and in fact in some cases rather underestimates possible risks."

###

Article: Rahmstorf, S, Foster, G., Cazenave, A. (2012): Comparing climate projections to observations up to 2011. Environmental Research Letters 7 044035 (doi:10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/044035)

Weblink to the article once it is published: http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/4/044035/article

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/pifc-psr112712.php

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Angus T. Jones Apologizes for 'Two and a Half Men' Slam

Spoke to soon? Perhaps Angus T. Jones had a change of heart or maybe he realized that you shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you -- either way, the 19-year old star has issued an apology for encouraging people to stop watching Two and a Half Men. Yes, the very show that pays him a reported $350,000 per episode.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/angus-t-jones-apologizes-slamming-two-and-half-men/1-a-504821?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aangus-t-jones-apologizes-slamming-two-and-half-men-504821

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Women use Twitter to expose video game industry sexism

10 hrs.

Winda Benedetti , NBC News

If you want a look at what it's like to be a woman working in the video game industry, then take a look at?the #1ReasonWhy hashtag that's been?trending on Twitter this week.

Hundreds of female game?developers, designers, publicists, journalists and other professionals are in the midst of?detailing the sexism they've experienced?in the workplace, encountered?while playing video?games?and found in the gaming community at large.

After Luke Crane,?Games Project Specialist?at Kickstarter,?tweeted the question?"Why are there so few lady game creators?"?the #1ReasonWhy hashtag became the launching point for not only answering that question, but for outlining exactly why?women don't feel comfortable or welcome?in the video game industry in the year 2012.

And this is the ugly truth as laid out by?those who do work in the industry:

"#1reasonwhy because when I tell people I'm a designer, I without fail get 'Really? You don't look like you play games. Guys must love you,'?" tweeted game designer?Alexis De Girolami.?

"#1reasonwhy b/c when my desk was nr the door, most clients thought I was the receptionist. This didn't happen to male dev after desk swap," writes developer?Helen Smailes. ?

"Because?I got blank stares when I asked why a female soldier in a game I worked on looked like a porn star," tweeted designer?Caryn Vainio.

Stephanie Harvey, a?game designer at Ubisoft and professional "Counter Strike" player,?tweeted?"Here is what I get everyday," as she shared?a link to a collection of screenshots she's captured revealing the insults (most of them unprintable)?leveled?at her when she's gaming.

Meanwhile,?Tara J. Brannigan, community marketing manager for PopCap Games, tweeted that she?has "been groped by strangers at least once at nearly every major (game)?conference." And she's not alone. Wrote?Filamena Young,?"Because conventions, where designers are celebrated, are unsafe places for me. Really. I've been groped."?

And that's just the beginning. The hashtag has spawned an outpouring of tweets about unequal pay (which?Lindsay Morgan Lockhart, "Halo 4's"?narrative designer, calls?"staggering")?uncomfortable working environments and an industry where women gamers are little more than an afterthought.

As a lifelong gamer and a?game journalist for more than a decade, I can say that I have learned to expect that vicious, sexist comments will be?hurled my way should?I dare write about the preposterous outfits?female game characters are put in. I've learned that using a female avatar or female-sounding gamertag in an online game means dealing with?unwelcome and unwanted advances. And I've grown used to trolls who question whether I really play hardcore games or who deride me for writing about casual "women's" games. (Apparently I'm not capable of the former and am not a "real gamer" if I enjoy the latter).

Clearly,?this is not about one reason why ... this is about hundreds, even thousands of reasons why.

Of course, the Twitter?uprising hasn't been without its detractors and trolls???these are the men?who basically prove the point that the #1reasonwhy hashtag is so elegantly making.

"I look at #1ReasonWhy and I laugh at all the feminists who think they matter. If you were good in your field, you wouldn't be misrepresented," tweeted Dillon Paradis.

But as upsetting?and maddening as it is combing through these experiences and the backlash, one thing is clear: ?This outpouring is just the latest sign that women (and men)?are fed up with the game?business as usual?and?have no intention of quietly putting up with the sexism any longer.

Not only has the website Fat, Ugly or Slutty been outing the online gaming ugliness with humorous flair,?but at the Penny Arcade Expo this summer, the video game?convention?saw a half dozen?panel discussions addressing and looking for?solutions to the harassment and sexism?that not only women gamers, but gay and transgender gamers, face.

Check out this video from the "Harassment and Bullying in Online Games: Technical Solutions" panel for a fascinating look at the problem and some of the proposed solutions.

Meanwhile, women game industry pros are?seizing?this moment,?harnessing the?#1reasonwhy?fervor and turning the ugliness they've revealed into a catalyst for change.

"Tomb Raider" and "Mirror's Edge"?writer?Rhianna Pratchett, started the hashtag?#1reasontobe, highlighting reasons women should work in the game industry.??"#1reasontobe?Because I get to explore my creativity in a rapidly evolving medium, full of unique, exciting challenges," she tweeted.

And even more importantly, women game professionals are using the?movement to start a mentoring program. "Speak up if you're willing to be a mentor to women looking to get into the industry!" tweeted?Ann Lemay, a writer for?BioWare, promoting the new?#1reasonmentors?hashtag.

And many women and men in the industry???from game companies big and small???have responded to the call for mentors, offering their time and advice to women who dare and dream to join this troubled industry. (You can find a list of the mentoring resources compiled?here.)

Artist and animator?Emily Compton, perhaps summed it up best,?"If?#1reasonwhy?made us mad about our industry today,?#1reasonmentors?makes us hopeful and glad. Onward and upward."

Winda Benedetti?writes?about video?games for NBC?News. You can follow her tweets about games and other things?on Twitter?here?@WindaBenedetti?and you can?follow her?on?Google+.?Meanwhile, be sure to check?out the?IN-GAME?FACEBOOK PAGE?to discuss the day's?gaming news and reviews.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/ingame/women-use-twitter-expose-video-game-industry-sexism-1C7283842

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Pippa Middleton Named 'Sinner Of The Year,' Capping Off Less-Than-Stellar Year

We're starting to think that Pippa Middleton isn't having such a good year. The Duchess of Cambridge's sister began the year's downfall with that whole gun scandal mess and spent the rest of it fending off critics of her book, her clothes and even her singleness.

Now, the 29-year-old is facing yet another public dig: earning the title of one of this year's top "sinners." But it's not exactly what you think -- or, at least, what we initially thought. Pips joins a list of ?society offenders" being named in the English National Opera?s production of the Mikado. The so-called sinners are singled out during the production in a rhyming list. Pippa's verse goes a little something like this:

?And the sister of the Duchess who has brought out a new book/ It's not sold well at all but her back cover's worth a look.?

Ouch. To be fair though, Pippa's party planning book didn't exactly live up to the $600,000 advance she reportedly received to write it, selling a mere 2,000 copies in its first week. The new author even felt the need to confront critics by penning an essay for The Telegraph explaining its oft-mocked content. (But to be extra fair, Pippa allegedly nixed a full-blown book tour in light of her sister's topless photo scandal.)

We can only imagine that Kate Middleton's little sis is getting pretty nostalgic for 2011, aka The Year Of Pippa Love. Back then, she was sparking plastic surgery crazes, people were forming fan clubs for her bottom, TLC was creating a movie special about her and even Justin Timberlake was giving Pippa his seal of approval. Now, she has Karl Lagerfeld dissing her face and little girls sassing her about how lame princesses are. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Obviously, we still have a soft spot for Pips -- we even have her so-called "cultural tea bag" of a book taking up prime real estate on our desks. But we can't help but feel that there's been a major descent in public opinion of the almost-royal. What's next? A worst-dressed title? Allegations of a scandalous affair?

Can't we just play nice with Pippa?

See the bottom that put Pippa Middleton on top last year!

• April 29, 2011

  (AFP photos)

• April 30, 2011

  (Getty photos)

• May 19, 2011

  (FilmMagic photos)

• May 20, 2011

  (FilmMagic photos)

• June 9, 2011

  (Getty photos)

• June 23, 2011

  (FilmMagic photos)

• July 1, 2011

  (AFP/Getty photos)

• July 15, 2011

  (FilmMagic photos)

• July 22, 2011

  (FilmMagic photos)

• August 17, 2011

  (FilmMagic photos)

• September 15, 2011

  (FilmMagic photos)

• September 16, 2011

  (FilmMagic photos)

• November 15, 2011

  (FilmMagic photo)

• January 11, 2012

  (FilmMagic photos)

• March 4, 2012

  (AFP photos)

Want more? Be sure to check out HuffPost Style on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram at @HuffPostStyle.
--
Do you have a style story idea or tip? Email us at stylesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com. (PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/26/pippa-middleton-sinner-of-the-year-book-butt_n_2192344.html

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750,000 Xbox 360s sold in one week

Featured

9 days

Video

In-Game

The 'Nintendo Wii U' is a great device now, but it might not hold up over time. NBCNews.com's Todd Kenreck reviews the device. Play video

1 hr.

Video

In-Game

Microsoft managed to sell 750,000 Xbox 360s in the week of Black Friday along with some other impressive numbers. NBCNews.com's Todd Kenreck reports.

Playlist

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/ingame/750-000-xbox-360s-sold-one-week-1C7287683

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Kuwait to allow protest march on eve of election: PM

KUWAIT (Reuters) - Authorities will allow a protest march to go ahead the day before the December 1 parliamentary election in Kuwait, the Gulf Arab state's prime minister said in a move designed to ease tensions ahead of the poll.

Thousands of people have staged regular demonstrations since late October against a decree issued by Kuwait's ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, which reduced the number of votes allowed per citizen to one from four.

The opposition movement, which includes youth groups and former members of parliament, has called for a boycott of the election in the U.S.-allied major oil producer over the changes.

They say the amendments are an attempt to skew the elections in favor of pro-government candidates. Protesters say they seek reform, not an Arab Spring-style revolution like those that have ousted several Arab rulers since early last year.

The emir says the voting system is flawed and that the changes are constitutional and needed for the sake of Kuwait's "security and stability".

Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah said "the organizers got a license from the concerned security services, so the government had nothing against the march," state news agency KUNA reported late on Monday.

Kuwait allows the most dissent among the Gulf Arab states and its citizens often hold rallies in a designated area outside parliament.

But recent unlicensed protest marches in the streets beyond have been broken up by police using teargas and smoke bombs.

Authorities are keen to prevent the kind of unrest Kuwait experienced on October 21, when thousands of demonstrators attempted to reach government headquarters in the largest protest march and were dispersed by police. At least 29 people were injured during that march, according to a medical source.

CORRUPTION, STALLED DEVELOPMENT

Under the new rules, each voter chooses only one candidate instead of four, a move the parliamentary opposition says will prevent its candidates winning the majority they had in the last election.

They say the four-vote system better enabled candidates to form political allegiances during the election campaign by recommending supporters cast additional ballots for their allies. Such allegiances are important because Kuwait bans political parties, opposition politicians say.

Apart from protesting against the new voting rules, activists have rallied against wider issues such as corruption, the accountability of government ministers and elected officials as well as a lack of infrastructure development.

A long-running row between the government and parliament has stalled implementation of major parts of a 30 billion dinar ($107 billion) development plan, including large infrastructure projects.

The December 1 poll will be the fifth since mid-2006.

"The coming government will include decision makers and bold politicians to scale up the combat against corruption," Sheikh Jaber said, according to KUNA.

"The coming stage will see a quantum leap in economic development and the stage set for implementing mega projects, some of which have already been approved," he said.

The 50-member parliament has legislative powers and the right to summon ministers for questioning. But the emir has the final say in state affairs and can veto laws and dissolve the assembly.

Opposition MPs - whose demands have included an elected cabinet including the prime minister, with at least some top posts held by people other than relatives of the emir - held some 35 seats in the 50-seat parliament elected in February 2012.

The opposition bloc put pressure on government ministers, leading to the resignation of two. The parliament was dissolved by a court ruling in June.

Sheikh Jaber said the last parliament "failed to encourage the government to adopt positive steps ... contrary to the spirit of the constitution which favors cooperation between the legislative and executive authorities," KUNA reported.

(Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kuwait-allow-protest-march-eve-election-pm-064404322.html

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features of our broadband satellite internet technology

Native IP with Acceleration

Of all forms of communication, satellite communication is probably the most complex. Our technological expertise in this area of communications is what sets us apart from other satellite communication solution providers. The main difference is that our infrastructure and technology is exclusively built and used for IP communications and has not been adapted from television broadcast.
In order for seamless and efficient communication, satellite data networks have to employ special techniques to deal with the increased distances the packets of data have to travel. Although these packets travel at the speed of light (i.e.186000 miles per second), this still adds extra milliseconds of latency in the network. Latency is not directly related to speed. However, latency can cause performance degradation over satellite links if not handled properly. VSAT Systems deals with latency through the use of the most advanced TCP/IP acceleration technology available.

TCP/IP over satellite, some background

TCP/IP is the "language" of the Internet. TCP functions by sending packets of data, and then waits for acknowledgments of receipt. These acknowledgments signal the sender to transmit more data. When acknowledgments return slowly, TCP slows the speed at which data is sent. This is done to prevent network overloading as TCP assumes it is already congested.
TCP works by starting a TCP/IP session slowly. Speed builds as the networks' capacity to carry traffic is verified by the rate at which acknowledgements are received. In Internet terminology, this effect is known as "slow-start".
TCP was designed for terrestrial networks where packets of data travel shorter distances and not all the way to the geostationary orbit. Larger distances mean greater latency (600 ms or more for satellite links). Thus causes TCP to expect an acknowledgement before the round trip to the remote site is completed. As TCP was originally designed for low-latency terrestrial networks, it does not understand that a satellite is involved. The resulting network operates as if the satellite latency was caused by congestion. If uncorrected, this effect causes all packets over a satellite network to be sent at the slow-start rate.

TCP/IP Spoofing

VSAT Systems employs TCP/IP acceleration also known as TCP Spoofing. This technique compensates for the space-link transit time using state-of-the-art routers, switches and protocol processors which are fine tuned for satellite applications. This equipment appears to TCP as if it were the remote location, while acting as a relay or forwarder for data packets going to and from the remote satellite location. When the spoofing equipment receives Internet traffic destined for a remote satellite location, it acknowledges receipt of the packet immediately on behalf of the remote site. This mitigates the slow-start effects and data packets begin to follow immediately.

In this manner, the latency is "hidden" because the acknowledgments are returned rapidly. As a result, TCP moves out of slow-start mode quickly and builds speed to reach maximum levels.

The VSAT Systems acceleration equipment also watches for real acknowledgements coming back from the remote site and suppresses them. If the acknowledgement is not received from the remote site, the system automatically re-sends the packet from its buffer. Thus, our satellite-connected sites communicate seamlessly with servers on the terrestrial Internet.

Our satellite modems are equipped with Dynamic Tx Power Control

A unique feature of the VSAT Systems modem equipment is the dynamic transmit (Tx) power control technology. This feature automatically adjusts the transmitter power of the VSAT dish in response to a weather condition, particularly during storms. Standard transmitters have pre-set limits for the Tx power and do not possess the capabilities to manage Tx power dynamically. While standard transmitters perform perfectly when the sky is clear, their performance is severely affected on rainy days and during storms. Our systems are well equipped to respond to such weather conditions.

Advanced Satellite Internet Modems

The VSAT Systems indoor unit (IDU) is a single-box broadband satellite Internet modem. The IDU is equipped with onboard TCP optimization and QoS (Quality of Service) capabilities, router and DNS.

The unit is centrally managed from our Network Operations Center (NOC) which frees you and your customers from periodic software and firmware updates. In fact, the IDU can also be managed remotely from our NOC for configuration changes, real-time monitoring and historical reporting.

VSAT Systems satellite Internet service is also available with a software load that can allow it to operate in site-to-site mode as opposed to its normal site-to-Internet mode. With this capability, two sites can be directly connected to each other over a single broadband satellite "hop".

Secure comunications - 3DES Encryption

Satellite Internet provides data transmission through the space link. This medium is extremely secure compared to the typical terrestrial broadband connection. Basic encryption through the space segment is standard for every VSAT Systems customer. For applications requiring end-to-end encryption, optional VSAT Systems 3DES encryption across the satellite Internet space link is the most secure available, allowing the remote site(s) to connect to the VSAT hub over a secure 3DES VPN satellite link.

Enforced Quality of Service (QoS)

VSAT Systems satellite solutions enable our customers to have complete control over the networks they operate by using network-based QoS prioritization. QoS can be based on protocol type, source port number, destination port number, source IP address or destination IP address. This feature also provides class based queuing, which assigns a percentage of bandwidth to each class. The rate limiting allocates only the bandwidth that is needed to be used in the network to maximize resources for all end users.

At VSAT Systems, we can provide QoS levels that are customized to your unique needs, be it VoIP, video conferencing or streaming video. Most importantly, we can provide Committed Information Rates (CIR) - the ability to dedicate bandwidth as required in order to support voice or other bandwidth critical services.

Source: http://twowayinternetsatellitecommunications.blogspot.com/2012/11/features-of-our-broadband-satellite.html

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Pakistani TV anchor survives attempted bombing

Pakistanis gather at the site of a bomb blast, in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. A bomb hidden in a cement construction block exploded in the southern city of Karachi killing at least one person and injuring several others, a police official said. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)

Pakistanis gather at the site of a bomb blast, in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. A bomb hidden in a cement construction block exploded in the southern city of Karachi killing at least one person and injuring several others, a police official said. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)

An unidentified man comforts Ali Mohammad, mourning the death of his father killed in a bomb blast, outside his residence in Karachi, Pakistan on Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. A bomb hidden in a cement construction block exploded in the southern city of Karachi killing at least one person and injuring several others, a police official said. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)

ISLAMABAD (AP) ? Police on Monday found and defused a bomb planted under the car of a prominent Pakistani TV anchor threatened by the Taliban for his coverage of a schoolgirl shot by the militants, police said.

The bomb was made up of half a kilogram (one pound) of explosives stuffed in a tin can, said Bani Amin, the police chief in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, where the incident occurred. It was placed in a bag and attached to the bottom of Mir's car, said Amin.

One of Mir's neighbors noticed the bomb under the car after the TV anchor returned from a local market, and the police were notified, said Rana Jawad, a senior official at Geo TV.

No group has claimed responsibility.

The Pakistani Taliban threatened Mir and other journalists last month over their coverage of an assassination attempt against Malala Yousufzai, a 15-year-old schoolgirl activist who was shot in the head by the militants in the northwest Swat Valley.

The Taliban targeted Malala for criticizing the militant group and promoting secular girls' education, which is opposed by the Islamist extremists. She is recovering in Britain.

Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik offered 50 million rupees ($500,000) for information about those responsible for the attempted attack against Mir.

The anchor said on TV after the incident that it would not deter him from speaking the truth.

"It was proven today that the Protector is more powerful than the attacker," said Mir.

He said he wasn't prepared to blame the Taliban for the attempted bombing, claiming he had received threats from others as well.

Elsewhere in Pakistan, a bomb hidden in a cement construction block exploded in the southern city of Karachi, killing one person, said senior police officer Farooq Awan. Four other people were wounded, he said.

The bomb contained about one kilogram (two pounds) of explosives and was detonated by a mobile phone, Awan said.

Pakistan suspended mobile phone service throughout most of the country on Saturday and Sunday to prevent attacks against Shiite Muslims during a major religious commemoration.

Despite the ban, a pair of bombings over the weekend killed at least 13 people.

Awan said he suspected the bomb in Karachi was meant to target Shiites over the weekend, but militants were not able to detonate it at the time because of the mobile phone cutoff.

Shiites are observing the holy month of Muharram. Pakistani Shiites on Sunday marked Ashoura, the most important day of the month.

Pakistan has a long history of Sunni Muslim extremists targeting Shiites, whom they consider heretics.

Also Monday, police said 16 addicts have died in the eastern city of Lahore after drinking cough syrup suspected of being toxic, said police officer Multan Khan.

Khan said they died at various hospitals in Lahore over the past three days. Two people were still being treated at the city's main hospital.

Police arrested the owners of three drug stores where the cough syrup was sold and sent a sample for analysis to determine whether it was toxic, Khan said.

____

Associated Press writers Adil Jawad in Karachi, Pakistan, and Zaheer Babar in Lahore, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-26-Pakistan/id-ce13324d350a4fcda21ef9bda86397c6

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How to build world's tallest skyscraper in 90 days

A Chinese company thinks it has simplified the construction process so much that it can build the world's tallest skyscraper in 90 days.?

RELATED: Iran Discovers a U.S. Frankenstein Epidemic

Broad Sustainable Building Corporation will lay the foundation for their "Sky City" project this month. The company, famous for building tall buildings in ridiculously short time spans, plans to construct a 220-story skyscraper in 90 days, with construction starting in January and finishing in March. Sky City, if successful, will be 10 meters higher than the current tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.?

RELATED: Bill Clinton, Joe Frazier, and Joaquin Phoenix

How do they plan on doing it? BSB eschews?architectural beauty for simplicity. Their building are tall and block-y. They essentially make buildings out of lego blocks, but in real life. The National Post has a nice graph explaining how they plan on achieving their 90 day goal.?"Traditional construction is chaotic," BSB chairman Zhang Yue?recently told?Wired magazine. "We took construction and moved it into the factory." BSB prepares the pieces offsite and then brings everything together so it slides in easily when construction begins, exactly like Lego blocks. By breaking everything down into simple blocks piled on top of one another, it allows them to build at an amazing pace -- their goal for Sky City is 5 stories a day.?

RELATED: Chinese Censors Prohibit Printing of U.S. Pot Writer's Book

Don't think they're coming out of the woodwork to try this, either. BSB already constructed a 30 story building in 15 days:?

RELATED: Explaining U.S.-China Relations

RELATED: The Dragon in the Room: The Place of China in Obama's Asia Trip

Once completed, Sky City will contain low-income housing, luxury condos, a hospital, a school, ?and retail space. And, BSB claims, it'll be strong enough to resist a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. In theory, if a grocery store moves into one the retail spaces, you could be born in Sky City and never have to leave.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/build-worlds-tallest-skyscraper-90-days-213548067.html

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Turing100 Event Report: Work of Butler Lampson ? Systems ...

(This is a live-blog of Neeran Karnik?s talk on Butler Lampson, as part of the Turing100 Lecture Series happening at Persistent. Since it is being typed during the talk, please forgive the typos and bad structuring of the article. This article is also very incomplete.)

Butler Lampson has contributions in a wide area of computer science fields. Here is the Turing Award Citation:

For contributions to the development of distributed, personal computing environments and the technology for their implementation: workstations, networks, operating systems, programming systems, displays, security and document publishing.

The number of different areas of computer science touched there is breathtaking.

Systems Built

Here is just a sampling of some of the work of Lampson that resulted in entire areas of computer hardware and software:

• The first personal computer:
  • The first personal computer in the world, the Xerox Alto, was conceived in a 1972 memo written by Lampson.
  • Important contributions of the Alto:
    • First ?personal? computer
    • First computer that used a desktop metaphor
    • First computer to use a mouse-driven graphical interface
  • Lampson later work on the follow-up workstation designs Dorado and Wildflower (research products) which later resulted in a successful commercial product (Star).
• The Bravo Editor
  • Lampson designed the first WYSIWYG editor in the world in 1974. This shipped with the Xerox Alto. This work can ultimately be seen to have led to the development of Microsoft Word
• The Xerox 9700 and Dover Laser Printers
  • The first laser printer was designed in 1969 at Xerox Parc and Lampson worked on the electronic design of it.
• The SDS 940 Time-sharing system
  • The first general-purpose time-sharing system.

And those were just the systems he built.

What about more fundamental contributions to computer science? Here is a list:

• The two-phase commit protocol.
  • This is the fundamental building block of all transactional processing in databases that are spread out across machines and/or geographies.
• The CAL time-sharing system
• Programming Languages
  • MESA and SPL: for systems programming. Modern threads developed from here
  • Euclid: first programming language to use verification
• Security:
  • Access matrix model, unifying capabilities and ACLs
  • Theory of principals speaking for other principals
  • Microsoft Palladium
  • Scrubbing disk storage
  • Research on how economic factors affect security
• Networking

How is Systems Research different?

Butler Lampson was one of the few great computer scientists who spent a lot of in the laboratory with actual hardware, getting his hands dirty. This is not the kind of work normally associated with Turing award winners, but it is the kind of work that has really given us the actual hardware that we use in computer science today.

Some thoughts on why systems programming is different more difficult.

Designing and building large computing systems, or complex computing systems or both. Computers (from tablets to supercomputers), networks, storage and other hardware and OS, programming languages, and other infrastructure software.

Systems design is different from other parts of computers science (e.g. algorithm design) because it?s external interface is to the real world (and hence it is imprecise, subject to change, and generally underspecified), lots of moving parts (i.e. more internal structure and more internal interfaces), module-level design choices have wider implications on the end product, and measure of success is less clear than in other fields. There is no such thing as an optimal answer, so avoiding terrible designs is more important than finding the most optimal one.

Hints on Computer System Design

This is a paper written by Lampson giving hints on how to build good systems. He uses hints, because in systems work, there are no infallible rules. So there are just hints which guide your thinking. Werner Vogels, CTO of Amazon, who oversees some of the most complex and scalable computing infrastructure in the world is a fan of this work. He finds these hints very useful, and says that they are more important today because they?ve withstood the test of time

These hints talk about functionality (what you?re doing), speed (are you doing it quickly enough), and fault-tolerance (and will you keep doing it) In systems, the interface design is the most important part. Do this well and other stuff will follow.

Lampson himself suggests that reading the whole hints paper at once might be tiresome, so it is better to read it in small doses at bedtime. And he points out that he himself has ignored most of these hints sometimes, but then has always regretted them.

By Navin Kabra on 24th November, 2012 in Event Report with No comments.

Tags: Events, persistent, systems, turing, turing100

If you liked this post, subscribe for updates by email or via RSS.

Source: http://punetech.com/turing100-event-report-work-of-butler-lampson-systems/

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BAE may close major UK shipyard: paper

LONDON (Reuters) - British defense contractor BAE Systems may close one of its major shipyards in Britain as it looks to balance capacity with future workloads, a top executive has told a newspaper in an interview published on Sunday.

Nigel Whitehead, who is group managing director, programs and support, told the Sunday Telegraph that BAE, which operates a shipyard in Portsmouth and two in Glasgow, "anticipate(s) that there will be a reduction in footprint".

"We anticipate ... that part of that might actually be the cessation of manufacturing at one of the sites," he was quoted as telling the paper. "We will be making decisions this year, so we have a number of weeks in which to do that."

The company is facing a drop in work once work on the two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers are completed.

The paper said industry insiders believe BAE's base at Portsmouth is most at risk, with an estimated loss of 1,500 jobs. It said the Royal Navy's base at Portsmouth, where BAE also does repairs, is not at risk.

The news comes just weeks after talks between BAE and EADS on the world's largest defense and aviation merger collapsed.

"We continue to work closely with the Ministry of Defence to explore all possible options to determine how best to sustain the capability to deliver complex warships in the UK in the future," a spokeswoman for BAE told Reuters.

"This work is ongoing and we are committed to keeping our employees and trade unions informed as it progresses."

(Reporting by Laurence Fletcher and Rhys Jones; Editing by Greg Mahlich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bae-may-close-major-uk-shipyard-paper-144718636--finance.html

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Gas blast injures 18, levels Mass. strip club

Video shows the moment when an explosion goes off in Springfield, Mass., and authorities believe a natural gas leak is to blame. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

By NBC News and wire reports

Eighteen people were hurt when a natural gas leak triggered an explosion that completely leveled a strip club in Springfield, Mass., and damaged 12 other buildings, officials said Friday.

The blast blew out all windows in a three-block radius, and prompted emergency workers to evacuate a six-story apartment building that was buckling.

---

People were knocked off their feet by the blast, NBC affiliate WWLP-TV reported.

Those injured in the blast included nine firefighters, four gas company employees, two police officers, ?one water and sewage employee and two civilians.

Two hospitals treated the injured people, though none were in critical condition, officials said.

"It really was a miracle on Worthington Street that no one was killed," Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray told reporters at a news ?conference in Springfield Friday night.

The blast, which leveled the Scores Gentlemen's Club, was was heard for miles.

Fire Marshall Joe Conan told reporters at the press conference that the call reporting a strong gas odor came in at 4:20 p.m., and the explosion took place at 5:25, about 15 minutes after the gas was shut off.

The club had been evacuated by the time gas leak ignited.?

A dancer at the club told?The Springfield Republican?that?she was on stage?when the evacuation order came.

While she was gathering her clothes, she said, the manager came up and told everyone, "I don?t care if you?re (expletive) naked or not, get out."

Don Treeger / Springfield Republican via AP

Gas company workers stand where a building was leveled by an explosion in downtown Springfield, Mass., on Friday.

"I feel lucky we got out,"?said the dancer, identified only as Debbie. She said all her work clothes were lost.

At a restaurant two blocks away, waitress Stephanie Simmons said the blast shocked customers.

"It rocked us so hard the windows smashed," she told The Springfield Republican. "It felt like an earthquake or a large explosion. There was pretty much chaos."

Officials at the news conference said that teams of inspectors would be sent to look at damaged buildings on Saturday, and there would likely be controlled demolition of those that were badly damaged to make the scene safe.

Meantime, the?Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency was assisting the city to provide shelter for people displaced by the explosion, Lt. Gov. Murray told reporters at the press conference.?

Springfield is the largest city in western Massachusetts with a population of about 150,000.

NBC News' Kari Huus and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/23/15394216-blast-tied-to-natural-gas-rips-through-springfield-mass-buildings-18-hurt?lite

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98% Brooklyn Castle

All Critics (43) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (1)

"Brooklyn Castle" easily checkmates your inner cynic.

Katie Dellamaggiore's lively and affecting documentary introduces us to a cast of characters that's very winning (in both senses of the word).

It's not To Sir, With Love: It's fierce ambition, the channeling of emotion, and hours of drilling.

Enlightening, inspiring and expertly crafted.

An irresistibly uplifting doc.

Castle is suspenseful, funny and, particularly in its depiction of the challenging home lives of some of the kids, moving.

...provides a corrective to the popular image of American schools as obsessed with sports and popularity, and it makes the strongest possible case for funding after-school activities.

Chess, brilliant young students and great teachers potent mix.

The I.S. 318 team? A delightfully motley, vulnerable, multicultural bunch, whose addiction to chess has allowed them higher aspirations for top high schools and, eventually, college and careers. You will root for them like crazy.

We meet five of the team's members and several of their teachers; by its end, you'll be rooting for them all.

"BROOKLYN CASTLE is a compelling, engaging and inspiring Documentary, featuring Junior High kids that you can relate to. Even if you don't know the game of Chess all too well, it won't stop you from enjoying this pleasant film."

Brooklyn Castle provides a snapshot of indomitable American can-do attitude, and gives one hope.

The admirable Brooklyn Castle transcends its formula to become an optimistic look at extracurricular education and young people.

Great story, well-made, what's not to like?

It's clear that chess isn't just a game; for these students, it can also open doors.

The film's structure is routine, but the film doesn't sidestep its more serious issues, while its charming subjects make it a winner both on and off the chessboard.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/brooklyn_castle_2012/

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