WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Signs of a possible resolution to the standoff over Iran's nuclear enrichment program are generating considerable international enthusiasm, especially among oil companies and consumers anxious to see Iranian oil return to global markets.
But US congressional pressure to tighten sanctions and the reluctance of banks to risk violating sanctions will complicate efforts to achieve normalized relations between Iran and the West, and it is unlikely energy markets will see meaningful benefits soon. This will hold even if negotiators reach agreement, and may diminish Iran's belief in the positive impact of any offered sanctions relief.
Prominent leaders in the US Congress have recently signaled they will hold off on tough economic sanctions intended to completely cut off Iran's oil exports until after talks between Iran and the P5+1 (the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China) in Geneva later this month. But this restraint will be short-lived. Congressional strategy towards Iran is undergirded by the doctrine that major economic pain must be enhanced to exact large political concessions, even if Iran makes initial steps to meet P5+1 demands.
Congress can agree on little these days, but deep skepticism regarding the Islamic Republic enjoys wide bipartisan support. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's recent charm offensive has done little to overcome this dynamic. Even if Tehran agrees to a modest nuclear deal in Geneva, these moves may not be enough for Capitol Hill.
Senate foreign policy leaders Robert Menendez and Lindsey Graham have echoed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent urging to keep up, and, if necessary, strengthen sanctions to exact much more than "cosmetic concessions" from Iran. They called for "the maintenance and toughening of sanctions and a convincing threat of the use of force," indicating an extremely high bar for an accommodation that will meet their approval.
Regardless of the results in Geneva, a stringent sanctions measure could emerge from the Banking committee next month, and Congress may pass final legislation to close remaining Iranian oil export avenues this fall as an aggressive tactical move or response to Iranian backsliding fears.
Another factor ensuring Iran-related upward oil price pressure is the difficulty Tehran faces in transacting oil sales. International sanctions target both the physical and financial sides of Iranian oil deals, exposing to sanctions penalty the purchaser and the financial institutions supporting any arrangement with the Iranian Central Bank - the recipient of Iran's oil receipts.
Even if the European Union (EU) and President Obama waive or temporarily suspend oil sanctions in coming months, international banks will be extremely cautious about exposure to reputational risk and expensive penalties associated with Iranian oil trade. Risk-averse financial institutions will steer clear of transactions that could be quickly brought back under sanction if a possible nuclear agreement with Iran falters, or if the US Congress overrules temporary suspensions.
And then there is the matter of physical supply. Even if sanctions are lifted and financial institutions find a safe harbor for deals, the challenge and slow speed of bringing Iranian oil back online from fields in decline will maintain a pressure factor in the market. Iran now exports roughly 1 million barrels per day (bpd), down from about 2.5 million bpd in 2011, the period before imposition of the harshest US and EU oil sanctions. Unable to sell all its crude, Iran has been forced to store crude and shut in field production.
Restarting operations will require Iran to inject natural gas into oil wells. The industry expects this to further limit the supply of natural gas during cold weather months when domestic demand and export obligations are greater.
The Iranian oil establishment is making noises about new plans, new contracts and foreign investment. European oil giants Total and Shell are socializing the idea of turning up Iranian taps by lauding Iran's role in meeting global demand. But even under the best political circumstances oil exports will be slow to increase.
Iran is likely to remain a key factor putting upward pressure on oil prices for some time to come. A nuclear accommodation between Iran and the P5+1 facilitating a modest increase in the flow of Iranian oil to market would offer some marginal, temporary price relief. But deeply held international concern over Iranian nuclear ambitions, the political sustainability of any nuclear deal, and the challenge of replacing lost Iranian oil supply in the market will sustain a longer-term upward oil price impact.
The U.S. Congress has proved a formidable factor in starving Iran's economy of revenue and access to financial reserves stranded abroad, and most global financial institutions are skittish about getting caught in the crosshairs of US regulators that have not hesitated to impose expensive penalties. These factors are powerful price drivers that will persist until a fundamentally different and vastly more positive relationship between Iran and the international community is articulated, formalized and shown to last.
(Elizabeth Rosenberg is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy, Environment and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security and a former senior sanctions advisor at the US Treasury Department. The views expressed are her own.)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A dry ice explosion occurred late Monday at Los Angeles International Airport, but there were no reports of any injuries or evacuations, authorities said.
The incident was reported shortly before 8:30 p.m. at the airport's Tom Bradley International Terminal. There was no immediate word where the dry ice was found or whether there was any significant damage.
Two other devices also were found at the airport but they did not explode, Detective Gus Villanueva said.
Investigators don't believe the incident is linked to terrorism and no threat was called into the airport, Villanueva said.
No flights were affected by the explosion, authorities said.
On Sunday night, someone planted a plastic bottle containing dry ice that exploded in an employee bathroom in LAX's terminal 2. Up to four flights were delayed after airport police halted security screening for more than an hour.
No arrests have been made in either case.
A bomb squad was at the airport late Monday and investigators from the LAPD's criminal conspiracy division were assisting, Villanueva said.
Elsevier launches first video journal in gastrointestinal endoscopyPublic release date: 12-Aug-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dr. Vanessa Quodt v.quodt@elsevier.com 49-895-383-355 Elsevier
New open access title: Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy now available on ScienceDirect
Munich, August 12, 2013 - Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is pleased to announce the launch of Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy (VJGIEN) an open access video journal providing scientists and clinicians with state-of-the-art visual information of gastrointestinal (GI) pathologies and step-by-step demonstrations and the first of its kind in the field of gastrointestinal endoscopy.
Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy offers high-quality video demonstrations of endoscopic findings and procedures, presenting the work of gastrointestinal experts in a new and easy to comprehend format. Additional concise articles added to each video detail the procedures and the findings in a bullet point style. All content - videos and articles - are peer-reviewed.
The unique format of the Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy provides two elements:
(1) An Expert Video Encyclopedia as a clinical reference tool with systematic step-by-step demonstrations of common and rare GI pathologies and up-to-date endoscopic procedures. The video sequences in this section are of high educational impact and allow e.g. endoscopists to recognize a wide array of pathological findings, review existing techniques, and acquire new endoscopic techniques for implementation in their own clinical work.
(2) A Scientific Video Journal for novel findings and techniques, demonstrating cutting edge endoscopic techniques and scientific results as well as clinical cases. In this section of Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy original research will be published reporting latest results in regard to endoscopic procedures used in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.
"GI endoscopy is developing rapidly. Modern endoscopic imaging offers a plethora of detailed visual information and endoscopic procedures are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex," said Professor Jrgen Pohl from Dr. Horst Schmidt Kliniken GmbH, Wiesbaden, Germany, founder and Editor-in-Chief. "Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy aims to be the premium and first choice international reference for endoscopic findings and procedures."
"Since endoscopic procedures are based on visual information the idea of this video publication is simple: why read if you can watch", said Dr. Till Meinert, Executive Publisher at Elsevier. "Together with the highly accredited international editorial board we are clearly focusing on our customers' needs."
###
The Expert Video Encyclopedia will be published in two special issues. Articles regarding Upper GI Tract are available by August 2013; articles regarding Lower GI Tract, by end of August 2013. The first articles of the Scientific Video Journal will be published in fall 2013.
Articles and videos are published open access in Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy and, therefore, freely available to readers on ScienceDirect.
About the Editorial Team
Professor Jrgen Pohl (Dr. Horst Schmidt Kliniken GmbH, Wiesbaden, Germany) founded Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy as Editor-in-Chief together with associate editor Professor Shou-jiang Tang (University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA) and the editors Professor Friedrich Hagenmller (Asklepios Klinik Altona, Hamburg, Germany), Professor Prateek Sharma (University of Kansas, USA), and Professor Hironori Yamamoto (Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan), in cooperation with the highly accredited international Editorial Board.
About Open Access Publishing at Elsevier
Elsevier has been providing open access publishing options since 2005. Today, researchers can choose to publish open access in over 1,600 established peer-reviewed journals as well as 46 full open access journals and these numbers will continue to grow rapidly. All of Elsevier's open access publications have been peer reviewed, ensuring that the broader community not only reads the latest research but that it is factual, original and of the highest quality and ethical standards. For more information about Elsevier's open access program, visit http://www.elsevier.com/openaccess
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, helping research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.
A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a world leading provider of professional information solutions. The group employs more than 30,000 people, including more than 15,000 in North America. Reed Elsevier Group plc is owned equally by two parent companies, Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. Their shares are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RUK and ENL.
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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.
Elsevier launches first video journal in gastrointestinal endoscopyPublic release date: 12-Aug-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dr. Vanessa Quodt v.quodt@elsevier.com 49-895-383-355 Elsevier
New open access title: Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy now available on ScienceDirect
Munich, August 12, 2013 - Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is pleased to announce the launch of Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy (VJGIEN) an open access video journal providing scientists and clinicians with state-of-the-art visual information of gastrointestinal (GI) pathologies and step-by-step demonstrations and the first of its kind in the field of gastrointestinal endoscopy.
Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy offers high-quality video demonstrations of endoscopic findings and procedures, presenting the work of gastrointestinal experts in a new and easy to comprehend format. Additional concise articles added to each video detail the procedures and the findings in a bullet point style. All content - videos and articles - are peer-reviewed.
The unique format of the Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy provides two elements:
(1) An Expert Video Encyclopedia as a clinical reference tool with systematic step-by-step demonstrations of common and rare GI pathologies and up-to-date endoscopic procedures. The video sequences in this section are of high educational impact and allow e.g. endoscopists to recognize a wide array of pathological findings, review existing techniques, and acquire new endoscopic techniques for implementation in their own clinical work.
(2) A Scientific Video Journal for novel findings and techniques, demonstrating cutting edge endoscopic techniques and scientific results as well as clinical cases. In this section of Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy original research will be published reporting latest results in regard to endoscopic procedures used in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.
"GI endoscopy is developing rapidly. Modern endoscopic imaging offers a plethora of detailed visual information and endoscopic procedures are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex," said Professor Jrgen Pohl from Dr. Horst Schmidt Kliniken GmbH, Wiesbaden, Germany, founder and Editor-in-Chief. "Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy aims to be the premium and first choice international reference for endoscopic findings and procedures."
"Since endoscopic procedures are based on visual information the idea of this video publication is simple: why read if you can watch", said Dr. Till Meinert, Executive Publisher at Elsevier. "Together with the highly accredited international editorial board we are clearly focusing on our customers' needs."
###
The Expert Video Encyclopedia will be published in two special issues. Articles regarding Upper GI Tract are available by August 2013; articles regarding Lower GI Tract, by end of August 2013. The first articles of the Scientific Video Journal will be published in fall 2013.
Articles and videos are published open access in Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy and, therefore, freely available to readers on ScienceDirect.
About the Editorial Team
Professor Jrgen Pohl (Dr. Horst Schmidt Kliniken GmbH, Wiesbaden, Germany) founded Video Journal and Encyclopedia of GI Endoscopy as Editor-in-Chief together with associate editor Professor Shou-jiang Tang (University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA) and the editors Professor Friedrich Hagenmller (Asklepios Klinik Altona, Hamburg, Germany), Professor Prateek Sharma (University of Kansas, USA), and Professor Hironori Yamamoto (Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan), in cooperation with the highly accredited international Editorial Board.
About Open Access Publishing at Elsevier
Elsevier has been providing open access publishing options since 2005. Today, researchers can choose to publish open access in over 1,600 established peer-reviewed journals as well as 46 full open access journals and these numbers will continue to grow rapidly. All of Elsevier's open access publications have been peer reviewed, ensuring that the broader community not only reads the latest research but that it is factual, original and of the highest quality and ethical standards. For more information about Elsevier's open access program, visit http://www.elsevier.com/openaccess
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, helping research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.
A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a world leading provider of professional information solutions. The group employs more than 30,000 people, including more than 15,000 in North America. Reed Elsevier Group plc is owned equally by two parent companies, Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. Their shares are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RUK and ENL.
[ | 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.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - For investors trying to pinpoint when the Federal Reserve will likely end its massive bond-buying program, the message from researchers at a pair of influential regional Fed banks was clear: don't bother.
More crucial in terms of monetary policy's impact on U.S. growth and inflation will be signals from the U.S. central bank on when it will start to raise short-term interest rates from their current near-zero level, economists at the San Francisco Fed and the New York Fed wrote in the latest issue of the San Francisco Fed's Economic Letter published on Monday.
The Fed's bond-buying programs have given a moderate boost to the economy, but they would have far less impact without the Fed's simultaneous promise to keep rates low, they showed.
The finding, they said, goes not only for past rounds of quantitative easing, but also for the Fed's current and third round, known as QE3.
"Our analysis suggests that communication about when the Fed will begin to raise the federal funds rate from its near-zero level will be more important than signals about the precise timing of the end of QE3," San Francisco Fed senior economist Vasco Curdia and New York Fed senior economist Andrea Ferrero wrote.
Bond yields surged and stocks tanked in June after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank could begin to pare back its $85 billion in monthly asset purchases later this year, ending in the middle of next year when the unemployment rate is likely to be around 7 percent.
Investors were apparently taken by surprise that the central bank intended to wean markets of its program so soon, Fed officials have since said, expressing their own surprise at the strength of the reaction.
Policymakers have since moved, with some success, to tamp down the view that reducing the bond-buying does not bring the Fed near to raising rates.
And even the most hawkish policymakers, the ones who most want to end QE3, are at pains to emphasize that ending bond buys does not mean the Fed has backed away from its promise to keep rates low until the unemployment rate falls to at least 6.5 percent, as long as the inflation outlook stays benign.
The research published Monday shows why such a promise is so important.
The Fed's second round of asset purchases, totaling $600 billion, added about 0.13 percentage point to GDP growth and about 0.03 percentage point to inflation, the analysis showed.
Without the Fed's promise to keep rates low, the researchers said, QE2 would have added just 0.04 percentage point to GDP and 0.02 percentage point to inflation.
"Forward guidance is essential for quantitative easing to be effective," the economists wrote.
That sentiment is in line with the views of a number of Fed officials who have suggested that the Fed's main policy tool is, and should be, rates rather than bond purchases.
(Reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
SAN DIEGO -- Mayor Bob Filner is ending therapy earlier than he announced, his attorneys said late Friday, as the leader of the nation's eighth-largest city came under enormous pressure to resign amid sexual harassment allegations.
Filner will end "intensive" therapy Saturday and continue counseling on an outpatient basis, the Payne & Fears LLP law firm said. He will take off next week and not be available to comment.
The mayor said last month that he would begin therapy Aug. 5, acknowledging that he behaved inappropriately toward women for years. Filner said at the time that he would return to work Aug. 19 after a two-week program.
It was unclear if Filner began therapy earlier than he said he would. The law firm said he completed the two-week program but did not say when he started.
The surprise announcement was the latest twist in a saga that has plunged San Diego into one of its deepest periods of political turmoil. More than a dozen women have publicly identified themselves as targets of Filner's unwanted advances, including accounts of touching, forcible kisses and lurid comments.
All nine members of the City Council have called for the mayor to resign eight months into a four-year term, including two lone holdouts who issued a scathing joint statement on Friday that he should leave office immediately.
"Mayor Filner's conduct is reprehensible and cannot be excused," Councilwomen Myrtle Cole and Marti Emerald said.
U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer told Filner on Friday that the allegations against him "have shaken me to my core."
"Bob, you must resign because you have betrayed the trust of the women you have victimized, the San Diegans you represent and the people you have worked with throughout your decades in public life," she wrote to the former 10-term congressman.
Filner, who is 70 and divorced, is San Diego's first Democratic leader in 20 years. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, the San Diego County Democratic Party and many other party faithful have called on him to resign. He has resisted, saying last month that he would return to work after therapy to be "the best mayor I can be and the best person I must be."
Source: texasstatesports.com --- Saturday, August 10, 2013 Cooler temperatures failed to soothe tempers Saturday night. Fights galore broke out in Texas State?s second practice Saturday. Who got into it? What else happened? Only one way to find out. So I went to a fight and a Bobcat practice broke out. At least that?s how it felt in the second half of Saturday night?s offering. Tempers flared during the highly-combustible ?Bobcat Drill? and continued through red-zone and 11-on-11 work. Junior cornerback David Farris squared up with junior wide receiver Ben Ijah, senior linebacker Damion McMiller had his helmet ripped off (as did senior defensive end Jamie Clavell-Head), a veteran offensive lineman (couldn?t see which one) tried to cave in the facemask of a linebacker (again, couldn?t see which one) and senior wide receiver Isaiah Battle wanted to call senior safety Justin Iwuji on the carpet. Junior running back C.J. Best and junior running back Terrence Franks both had solid runs during team drills. Best follows his blocks well and waits for them to set up, while Franks brandished some of that 4.29 speed in the 40-yard dash and took a sweep to the house. Spoke with junior tight end Kris Petersen after practice and he told me blocking wasn?t one of his strengths. I begged to differ after seeing him nearly send Best halfway across the field during blocking drills. Franks doesn?t shy away from contact as much as he once did, which is good to see. His blocking improved as well. Did you know ...
The Massillon Tigers have turned to Neall French, who spent two seasons in the New York Yankees? farm system, to direct their high school baseball team next spring.
Superintendent Rik Goodright announced French, a St. Ignatius graduate, was hired by the Massillon City School District to replace former coach Ryan Hartzell.
?Neall will be an excellent addition to the Massillon City Schools athletic department,? Goodright said in a release. ?His professional experience, as well as his desire to build character and life skills, will help create a well-rounded and successful group of student-athletes.?
French spent the 2008-2009 seasons in the Yankees system, hitting .345 in 35 games at the rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2008. He finished his minor league career with a .269 average, 5 homers and 37 RBIs in 99 games.
?My passion is the development of the young player and person,? French said in a release. ?I also strive to assist my players in finding the best opportunity to continue their careers at the next level, whether that is college or professional baseball. I look forward to meeting and working with the student-athletes here at Massillon.?
After his professional career, French went on to become president/owner of Midwest Pelicans Baseball, where he works with young players looking to hone their baseball and life skills. French also is president/owner of All-Prospect Baseball, which specializes in organizing and hosting elite-level baseball tournaments and showcases for 15-18-year-old players.
After high school, French played for Grand Rapids Community College and the University of Cincinnati.
Researchers have begun an ovarian cancer detection study that relies on dogs? keen sense of smell. The University of Pennsylvania?s Working Dog Center is training three canines using blood and tissue samples donated by ovarian cancer patients. (Aug. 9)
Thanks for checking us out. Please take a look at the rest of our videos and articles.
Saturday, 4 p.m.: The Lovejoy Group and guest vocalist and pianist Vince Evans will play music perfect for swing, hand and Latin dancing. St. Luke?s Episcopal Church, 15th and P streets NW. Free. 202-262-7571.
Saturday, 7 p.m.: ?Ties That Bind,? music from around the world, featuring mezzo soprano Carla Rae Cook and violinist LoiAnne Eyring. Washington D.C. Temple Visitors? Center, 9900 Stoneybrook Dr., Kensington. Free. 301-587-0144.
Sunday, 7-9 a.m.: Campus Kitchens of Washington, D.C., invites the community to its inaugural community breakfast, especially those vulnerable to food insecurity. Vegetarian menu options available. The breakfast will take place on the second Sunday of every month and eventually become a weekly event. Volunteers are needed. St. Luke?s Mission Center, 3655 Calvert St. NW. Free. 202-333-4949 or email ckwdc@campuskitchens.org .
Sunday, 10 a.m.: Members of the cathedral congregation talk with visitors about opportunities to support prison ministries. Coffee served after 9 and 11:15 a.m. worship services. Washington National Cathedral, Rear Nave, South Side, Wisconsin and Massachusetts avenues NW. Free. 202-537-6200 or www.nationalcathedral.org.
Sunday, 6 p.m.: Organist Josh Stattford performs. Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Crypt Church, 400 Michigan Ave. NE. Free-will offering. 202-526-8300, Ext. 120 or muslit@bnsic.org .
Most weekdays, 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.: Behind-the-scenes cathedral tour, for ages 11 and older. See gargoyles and stained-glass windows. Climb a lot of stairs to view the city from above. Bring a camera. Washington National Cathedral, Wisconsin and Massachusetts avenues NW. $15. 202-537-6200 or www.nationalcathedral.org.
Mondays through Aug. 26, 7 p.m.: ?Painting the Stars: Science, Religion and an Evolving Faith,? a screening of a seven-session DVD program, with theologians and progressive thinkers. The discussion will celebrate the communion of science and faith and explore the promise of evolutionary Christian spirituality. Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Rothenberg Hall, 3022 Woodlawn Ave., Falls Church. Free. 703-532-6617 or e-mail admin@htluther.org .
Tuesday, 12:15 p.m.: Levine School of Music faculty members Maria Montano, viola, Jorge Orozco, violin, and Seth Castleton, cello, perform a program entitled ?The Power of Inspiration,? in the string trio and the German tradition. 12:10 p.m., Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW. Suggested donation, $10. 202-347-2635, Ext. 20. www.epiphanydc.org .
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Researchers have for the first time experimentally mimicked the pressure conditions of Earths' deep mantle to measure thermal conductivity using a new measurement technique on the mantle material magnesium oxide. They found that heat transfer is lower than other predictions, with total heat flow across the Earth of about 10.4 terawatts, about 60 percent of the power used today by civilization. They also found that conductivity has less dependence on pressure conditions than predicted.
Source: www.ibtimes.com --- Thursday, August 08, 2013 Following, the electrocution of a Chinese woman using a third party fake charger, Apple Inc has offered to replace all fake chargers with new ones. Complaints o faulty chargers had been rising and the iPhone maker decided to replace fake chargers for $10 from August 16-October 16. ...
An African Rock Python is photographed at Little Ray's Reptile Zoo Tuesday, August 6, 2012.
Darren Brown/ QMI Agency/Ottawa Sun
Pets and exotic pets have been in the news headlines this week, so we want your views on how to handle these issues.
We've created a quick survey to discover what pets you might have, and how you feel about the rules surrounding both household pets and the more "exotic" variety of animals some people like to keep. The survey will take less than a minute, and you can see the results online and in the Ottawa Sun on Sunday.
Questions with a * are mandatory. Question 2 is optional -- answer only if you have pets.
More than half of U.S. children with asthma are exposed to secondhand smoke, even though the substance is particularly harmful for kids with the condition, according to a new report.
Between 2007 and 2010, 54 percent of U.S. children ages 3 to 19 were exposed to secondhand smoke, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That percentage has changed little over the last decade, the report said.
But there is some good news: the percentage of U.S. children without asthma exposed to secondhand smoke has decreased over the last 10 years, from 57 percent in 1999, to 44 percent in 2010, the report said.
Exposure to secondhand smoke is known to increase children's risk of developing asthma. Secondhand smoke exposure can also make symptoms worse for those who already have asthma. [See 9 Weirdest Allergies]
For children in this study, the report cannot determine which came first: asthma development, or exposure to secondhand smoke, said study researcher Kenneth Quinto, an epidemiology researcher at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.
The researchers analyzed children?s blood samples, looking for cotinine, a breakdown product of nicotine that is used as a marker for secondhand smoke exposure. They could not determine where children were exposed to secondhand smoke (whether it was in the home, or a public place), but studies suggest children are more often exposed to secondhand smoke in the home, Quinto said.
Children with asthma are ?an especially vulnerable population that we need to protect going forward,? Quinto said.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
CLEVELAND (AP) ? With several swipes from the arm of an excavator and applause from spectators, a house where three women were held captive and raped for a decade was demolished Wednesday, reduced to rubble in less than an hour and a half.
The demolition had the look of a neighborhood celebration, but some residents have been troubled by guilt for failing to notice tell-tale signs of the women's imprisonment, like windows boarded up from the inside and the kidnapper's practice of keeping visitors from going past the front room.
"It's haunted them, I think, in the sense of how could they not have known," said city Councilman Brian Cummins, who watched the demolition.
The home was torn down as part of the plea deal that spared Ariel Castro a possible death sentence and forced him to turn over the deed to the house and pay for it to be razed. He was sentenced last week to life in prison plus 1,000 years.
One of the imprisoned women, Michelle Knight, showed up early Wednesday before the work began. She made a brief statement and released balloons into the air.
"Dear Lord, give the missing people strength and power to know that they are loved," said Knight, who had rosary beads hanging from her neck. "We hear their cry. They are never forgotten in my heart. They are caterpillars, waiting to turn into a butterfly. They are never forgotten, they are loved."
Knight said the array of balloons "represents all the millions of children that were never found and the ones that passed away that were never heard."
There was applause as a relative of one victim represented the three and took the controls of the wrecking crane for the first smash into the top of the front wall. Later, as the house debris disappeared into the basement, church bells rang.
Police kept bystanders back to prevent souvenir hunting for the debris, which was carted off in trucks.
Rich Comp, 51, who used to live two doors from the Castro house, said he was sorry about the ordeal of the victims and hopes the demolition will help lift spirits.
"I feel sorry for the girls. They should tear it down," he said.
Art McKoy, an anti-crime crusader who has organized vigils for missing persons, watched the demolition and wondered why residents hadn't questioned the house's barricades.
"The neighbors, if they had just paid a little more attention, and looked a little bit harder, they would have seen more and maybe we could have brought this to an end," McKoy said.
Cummins, the city councilman, said some residents have taken advantage of mental health counseling arranged by the city.
"Many of them have lost a lot of sleep, lost their appetites in the first month or so," Cummins said.
Prosecutors had intended to use $22,000 found in the house, including cash hidden in the washing machine, to pay for the demolition, but the work was donated.
Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said the money was offered to the victims, but they asked that it be used for the community.
McGinty said two adjacent houses would also be torn down and developed into a park or whatever the residents decide.
Prosecutors say Castro cried when he signed over the house deed and mentioned his "many happy memories" there with the women. They highlighted the teary-eyed scene to illustrate Castro's "distorted and twisted" personality.
On Wednesday, McGinty called him "one evil guy."
The three women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old. Each had accepted a ride from Castro.
They escaped May 6, when Amanda Berry, now 27, broke part of a door and yelled to neighbors for help. Castro was arrested that evening.
At Castro's sentencing, prosecutors displayed photos that provided a first glimpse inside the rooms where the women lived.
Stuffed animals lined the bed and crayon drawings were taped to the wall where Berry lived with her young daughter, who was fathered by Castro. One of the drawings on a shelf said, "Happy Birthday."
The window was boarded shut and door knobs had been removed and replaced with multiple locks. Saucer-size holes in inside doors were meant for circulation.
Another room, shared by Knight and Gina DeJesus, had a portable toilet, a clock radio and several chains.
Across town, plans have been discussed for a memorial at the vacant lot where Anthony Sowell killed 11 women and dumped their bodies around his house and property. That house also has been demolished.
Sowell, who was convicted in 2011 of killing the women, has appealed his death sentence. The case raised questions about how police handle reports of missing women living on the fringe of society.
The sister of one Sowell victim questioned proposals for a memorial, including a children's play area and reflective pool.
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Public release date: 12-Aug-2013
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Cooler temperatures failed to soothe tempers Saturday night. Fights galore broke out in Texas State?s second practice Saturday. Who got into it? What else happened? Only one way to find out. So I went to a fight and a Bobcat practice broke out. At least that?s how it felt in the second half of Saturday night?s offering. Tempers flared during the highly-combustible ?Bobcat Drill? and continued through red-zone and 11-on-11 work. Junior cornerback David Farris squared up with junior wide receiver Ben Ijah, senior linebacker Damion McMiller had his helmet ripped off (as did senior defensive end Jamie Clavell-Head), a veteran offensive lineman (couldn?t see which one) tried to cave in the facemask of a linebacker (again, couldn?t see which one) and senior wide receiver Isaiah Battle wanted to call senior safety Justin Iwuji on the carpet. Junior running back C.J. Best and junior running back Terrence Franks both had solid runs during team drills. Best follows his blocks well and waits for them to set up, while Franks brandished some of that 4.29 speed in the 40-yard dash and took a sweep to the house. Spoke with junior tight end Kris Petersen after practice and he told me blocking wasn?t one of his strengths. I begged to differ after seeing him nearly send Best halfway across the field during blocking drills. Franks doesn?t shy away from contact as much as he once did, which is good to see. His blocking improved as well. Did you know ...
