Sunday, March 31, 2013

APNewsBreak: Gas trade group seeks fracking probe

FILE - In this file photo of Jan. 17, 2013, Yoko Ono, left, and her son Sean Lennon visit a fracking site in Franklin Forks, Pa., during a bus tour of natural-gas drilling sites in northeastern Pennsylvania. Ono and Lennon have formed a group called ?Artists Against Fracking,? which has become the main celebrity driven anti-fracking organization. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

FILE - In this file photo of Jan. 17, 2013, Yoko Ono, left, and her son Sean Lennon visit a fracking site in Franklin Forks, Pa., during a bus tour of natural-gas drilling sites in northeastern Pennsylvania. Ono and Lennon have formed a group called ?Artists Against Fracking,? which has become the main celebrity driven anti-fracking organization. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

(AP) ? A formal complaint filed with New York's lobbying board asks it to investigate whether Artists Against Fracking, a group formed by Yoko Ono and son Sean Lennon, is violating the state's lobbying law.

The complaint obtained by The Associated Press was made by the Independent Oil & Gas Association to the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics.

The energy trade group based its request for an investigation on an AP report that found that Artists Against Fracking and its advocates didn't register as lobbyists. Registration requires several disclosures about spending and activities.

A spokesman for Artists Against Fracking says the group's activities are protected because they were made during a public comment period. He also says celebrities involved in the group are protected because they are longtime activists, not lobbyists.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-30-Gas%20Drilling-Celebrities/id-8bf6492bf23f45289fe860500166181d

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The military's sexual assault epidemic

The Pentagon is struggling to quell an epidemic of sexual abuse in the armed services' hierarchical culture

How rife is sexual crime in the services??
It has become a grave concern, particularly as uniformed women take on more roles. Military sexual trauma, which encompasses everything from sexual harassment to rape, is now the leading cause of post-traumatic stress disorder among women in the U.S. military. Female soldiers today are 180 times more likely to be sexually assaulted by a fellow soldier than killed by an enemy. Sufferers often spiral downward into alcohol and substance abuse, depression, and homelessness. "It just pulls the skin off you," said one former Army Reserve officer, who retreated to a mobile home deep in the woods after she was assaulted. But sexual abuse often goes unreported. In 2011, there were around 3,000 official cases of military sexual assault, but a report commissioned by then Defense Secretary Leon?Panetta?put the actual annual number at 19,000 or more. An anonymous survey of more than 1,100 women who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, conducted last year by the Department of Veterans Affairs, found that almost half said they had been sexually harassed, and nearly one quarter said they'd been sexually assaulted.

Why is abuse so rarely reported??
Victims tend to be young, of low rank, and too intimidated to speak out. Often, the superior a soldier reports to is a friend of the perpetrator, or even the perpetrator himself. "How am I supposed to go about reporting something when the person I'm supposed to report to is the person who raped me?" said Virginia?Messick, one of 62 trainees assaulted by instructors at?Lackland?Air Force Base in San Antonio between 2009 and 2012. Victims often figure that any investigation is likely to turn into a he-said-she-said battle that the senior soldier is bound to win. Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair, who was arraigned by a military court earlier this year on charges of forcible sodomy and sexual misconduct, was initially unconcerned when subordinates questioned his conduct. "I'm a general," he reportedly said. "I'll do whatever the f--- I want."?

What happens when an incident is reported?
Too often, nothing at all. A shocking 92 percent of reported assaults never come before a military court. First responders frequently fail to collect forensic evidence of an assault within the 72-hour deadline stipulated by current guidelines, and more often than not, the victim's superior decides against proceeding to court-martial anyway. Last year, two thirds of all reported cases were either summarily dismissed as unfounded, or resolved by the perpetrators simply being given extra duties or having their pay docked. Of the few defendants referred to court-martial, a tenth opt to resign instead: By admitting their guilt and accepting the perceived punishment of leaving the military, they can avoid prosecution ? civilian or military ? altogether. And before any case goes to trial, a military judge can issue a summary verdict of "consensual sex" that ends the proceedings. That's what happened to Army Reserve Pfc. Sascha Garner, who waited three hours in a courthouse in?Bagram, Afghanistan, before she was informed of the decision. "I just started bawling my eyes out," said Garner. "How can they rule it consensual without even hearing my side of the story?"?

What's being done to change things??
Last year, days after watching?The Invisible War ? an Oscar-nominated documentary on sexual assault in the military ? Defense Secretary?Panetta?announced the creation of a Special Victims Unit in each branch of the military. He implemented new procedures that allow soldiers who report an assault to be transferred out of their units, so they're not subject to pressure or further harassment.?Panetta?also announced that higher-ranking colonels, rather than unit commanders, would decide whether to prosecute cases of sexual assault.?

Why not handle that outside the command structure?
Some have suggested that the U.S. follow the practice of other countries, such as the U.K., by forming an independent military judiciary to rule on sexual assault cases. Such an administrative structure would prevent troubling cases like that of Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, an Air Force pilot who was convicted last year of aggravated sexual assault and sentenced to a year in military prison. In February, Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin summarily dismissed Wilkerson's conviction as "without merit" and reinstated him to the Air Force ? as he is allowed to do "for any reason or no reason" under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Defense Secretary Chuck?Hagel?said last month that the case raises "a significant question" about whether commanders should have that power and ordered a review.?

Would women be at greater risk in combat??
Some conservatives contend that they would, but the Pentagon says having females on the front line would more likely reduce the military's sexual assault rates. Currently, said Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "you have one part of the population that's designated as warriors, and another part designated as something else." Giving the sexes equal roles would dispel that disparity and the dangerous "psychology" it fosters, Dempsey suggested, prompting a real change in military culture. For Jenny?McClendon, a Navy officer raped by her superior, that can't come soon enough. "I don't want another generation to feel like they're alone," she said. "Those serving today, I don't want them betrayed."

A double betrayal of trust
Petty Officer Rebecca?Blumer?awoke on Feb. 13, 2010, to find her body bruised and swollen, her insides sore, and a burning pain in her buttocks. She was certain she'd been?"roofied"?and raped, but she soon found the Navy's response almost as distressing as the attack itself: The basic assumption was that it had somehow been her fault. After three days of medical leave,?Blumer?was transferred from intelligence analysis to janitorial duties. "I was a problem, and they wanted to be rid of the problem," said?Blumer. She was shunned and disparaged, and military officials eventually ruled there was no rape. "Maybe it was just heavy petting, or you imagined it?" they suggested. Discharged from the Navy,?Blumer?spiraled into depression and homelessness. She still has regular nightmares. "I loved everything about the Navy," she said. "Now I hate it."

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/militarys-sexual-assault-epidemic-093000297.html

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

PFT: Collin Klein thinks his draft stock's rising

ReichGetty Images

New Dolphins DT Vaugn Martin says he had offers from the Pats, Eagles, Chargers, Chiefs, and Seattle.

Former Bills QB Frank Reich will hold his annual Call to Courage Award Breakfast on April 6; this year?s event includes a 20-year look back at the greatest comeback in NFL history.

WR Danny Amendola will wear No. 16 with the Pats, if it?s available.? (For now, it isn?t.)

The Jets won?t be hosting the Honey Badger before the draft, a fact that typically has little bearing on whether the player will be picked by the team in question.

Ravens secondary coach Teryl Austin is upbeat about the teams defensive backfield.

The Bengals will now try to find a safety, via free agency or the draft.

The Browns have ?very mild interest? in free-agent WR Domenik Hixon.

Former Steelers OL John Wiley died this week at the age of 92.? (He played in the first publicly-televised college football game, which was broadcast in 1939 by NBC.)

Former Texans LB Connor Barwin took out a newspaper ad thanking a variety of folks who helped his career in Houston ? including Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert and ?my cleaning lady.?

Over the next couple of months, new Jaguars coach Gus Bradley will establish his vision for the team.

Colts QB Andrew Luck is among the candidates for the cover of an overhyped, underperforming football video game that inexplicably continues to sell millions of copies every year.

Someone actually believes that Ryan Fitzpatrick is an upgrade over Matthew Hasselbeck at backup quarterback for the Titans.

The Broncos hope to play as fast as possible on offense in 2013.

The Chiefs have explained the convoluted title of the man who once used the phrase ?programmatic non-fit? with a straight face.

Here?s a look at the Raiders? draft options with the third overall pick in 2013.

The agent for former Chargers LT Marcus McNeill says McNeill isn?t considering a comeback.

Cowboys QB Tony Romo talks about his new contract in a video that includes an image of Romo in front of a collection of trophies many think he?ll never touch and Romo?s young son rebuffing owner Jerry Jones? high-five attempt.

RB Tim Hightower?s workout with the Giants will occur early next week.

The Eagles reportedly have some lingering interest in OT Eric Winston.

The Redskins reportedly are eyeballing Miami CB Brandon McGee and Nevada safety Duke Williams.

The contract signed by new Bears OL Matt Slauson is worth more than the minimum salary.

Lions Hall of Famer Lem Barney has sued a former employer after he was fired for signing too many autographs.

CB Loyce Means, out of football in 2012, could be signed by the Packers early next week.

Should the Vikings focus on improving their front four?

The supposedly ultra-talented Falcons have a major hole at cornerback.

The effort to upgrade the Panthers? stadium with public money?continues to face opposition.

New Saints LB Victor Butler says that he was simply looking for a ?chance to compete and be a part of a winning team.?

How good will the Buccaneers? offensive line be in 2013, and beyond?

The Cardinals won?t be going to Flagstaff for training camp.

The Rams are ready to pull the plug on this year?s Pro Day circuit.

So who will be No. 2 on the depth chart behind Colin Kaepernick?

The Seahawks have put together 25 thinks to like about CB Richard Sherman on his 25th birthday.? (?Humility? is not on the list.)

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/collin-klein-thinks-his-draft-stock-is-trending-upward/related/

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NKorean propaganda mill serves up soft side of Kim

FILE - In this July 25, 2012 file photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed in Tokyo by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his wife Ri Sol Ju, waves to the crowd as they inspect the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang. For the outside world, North Korea's message is largely doom and gloom: bombastic threats of nuclear war, fantasy videos of U.S. cities in flames, digitally altered photos of military drills. But a domestic audience gets a parallel and decidedly softer dose of propaganda - and one with potentially higher stakes for the country's young leader. (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, File)

FILE - In this July 25, 2012 file photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed in Tokyo by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his wife Ri Sol Ju, waves to the crowd as they inspect the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang. For the outside world, North Korea's message is largely doom and gloom: bombastic threats of nuclear war, fantasy videos of U.S. cities in flames, digitally altered photos of military drills. But a domestic audience gets a parallel and decidedly softer dose of propaganda - and one with potentially higher stakes for the country's young leader. (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, File)

In this March 7, 2013 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed March 8, 2013 by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, walks with military personnel as he arrives for a military unit on Mu Islet, located in the southernmost part of the southwestern sector of North Korea's border with South Korea. Seven years of U.N. sanctions against North Korea have done nothing to derail Pyongyang?s drive for a nuclear weapon capable of hitting the United States. They may have even bolstered the Kim family by giving their propaganda maestros ammunition to whip up anti-U.S. sentiment and direct attention away from government failures. (AP Photo/KCNA via KNS) JAPAN OUT UNTIL 14 DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF TRANSMISSION

In this March 11, 2013 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed March 12, 2013 by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves at military officers after inspecting the Wolnae Islet Defense Detachment, North Korea, near the western sea border with South Korea. North Korea's young leader urged front-line troops to be on "maximum alert" for a potential war as a state-run newspaper said Pyongyang had carried out a threat to cancel the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War. (AP Photo/KCNA via KNS) JAPAN OUT UNTIL 14 DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF TRANSMISSION

FILE - In this March 11, 2013 file photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rides on a boat, heading for the Wolnae Islet Defense Detachment, North Korea, near the western sea border with South Korea. For the outside world, North Korea's message is largely doom and gloom: bombastic threats of nuclear war, amateur-looking videos showing U.S. cities in flames, digitally altered photos of military drills. But a domestic audience gets a parallel and decidedly softer dose of propaganda - and one with potentially higher stakes for the country's young leader. (AP Photo/KCNA via KNS, File)

FILE - In this undated file photo released by the Korean Central News Agency and distributed in Tokyo by the Korea News Service, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, third from right, looks at food items as he inspects a military unit at an undisclosed location in North Korea. For the outside world, North Korea's message is largely doom and gloom: bombastic threats of nuclear war, amateur-looking videos showing U.S. cities in flames, digitally altered photos of military drills. But a domestic audience gets a parallel and decidedly softer dose of propaganda - and one with potentially higher stakes for the country's young leader. (AP Photo/KCNA via KNS, File)

(AP) ? The outside world focuses on the messages of doom and gloom from North Korea: bombastic threats of nuclear war, fantasy videos of U.S. cities in flames, digitally altered photos of leader Kim Jong Un guiding military drills. But back home, North Koreans get a decidedly softer dose of propaganda: Kim portrayed as a young, energetic leader, a people person and family man.

Mixed in with the images showing Kim aboard a speeding boat on a tour of front-line islands, or handing out commemorative rifles to smartly saluting soldiers, are those of Kim and his wife clapping at a dolphin show or linking arms with weeping North Korean children.

The pictures can look odd or obviously staged to outsiders. But they're carefully crafted propaganda meant to give North Koreans an image of a country governed by a leader who is as comfortable overseeing a powerful military as he is mingling with the people.

Analysts say the images also hint at something that often gets lost amid the threatening rhetoric: North Korea's supreme commander isn't an all-powerful, isolated monarch who can govern without considering his people's approval. Kim is still busy building his reputation at home.

"Even dictatorships respond to public opinion and public pressure," said John Delury, a North Korea analyst at Seoul's Yonsei University. "He's expected to pay attention to and make improvements in the common people's standard of living. They've put that promise out in their domestic propaganda."

It's a tall order. Living standards in Pyongyang, the capital, are relatively high, with new shops and restaurants catering to a growing middle class. But U.N. officials' reports detail harsh conditions elsewhere in North Korea: up to 200,000 people estimated to be languishing in political prison camps, and two-thirds of the country's 24 million people facing regular food shortages.

When it comes to North Korean propaganda, much of the world focuses on the series of outlandish videos uploaded to the country's YouTube channel and government website, largely for foreign consumption. In one fantasy, missiles rain down on a burning American city while an instrumental version of "We Are the World" plays in the background. In another, President Barack Obama and U.S. troops burn.

But what most North Koreans see on state TV is a different propaganda message: Kim Jong Un bending down to receive flowers from children, Kim visiting families living in rustic homes on front-line islands, Kim mobbed by gushing female soldiers.

As with any propaganda or PR, the images are carefully staged. And many make foreign news headlines only when experts and photo editors discover that North Korea is digitally altering them. For instance, in a picture distributed recently by state media, troops and hovercraft land on a barren, snow-dappled beach. Experts say some of the multiple hovercraft have been copied and pasted into the image.

But North Korea's propaganda makers aren't concerned about the criticism abroad to their heavy-handed photo editing. "These efforts are aimed more at an unsophisticated domestic peasant audience than those of us who are more discerning," said Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Hawaii.

The caring domestic persona being built for Kim by his image specialists is aided by his wife, Ri Sol Ju.

She is young and glamorous, a chic and smiling presence at his side in many of the country's propaganda images. The couple is often photographed at amusement parks, nurseries, factory tours and concerts.

"It's a more complex kind of image he has as a leader," Delury said. "The basis of his legitimacy domestically has to do with these other, non-military things."

The propaganda machine in North Korea also worked to build up a caring image for Kim's father, the late Kim Jong Il. He doggedly appeared at tours of factories, farms and military posts. But while Kim Jong Un puts his wife front and center and is a relaxed presence on camera, his father was stiff in photos and secretive about his family life.

North Korea takes pains to select and sometimes alter photos so its leaders appear in the best light possible, said Seo Jeong-nam, a North Korean propaganda expert at Keimyung University in South Korea.

For example, past propaganda specialists were careful not to pick photos that showed the large lump on the back of the neck of Kim's grandfather, North Korean President Kim Il Sung, Seo said. When Kim Jong Il was alive, North Korean photographers tried to make him look taller in photos than he actually was, often positioning him slightly in front of others, Seo said.

As for Kim Jong Un, Seo said North Korea's propaganda mill chooses photos that show off his strong resemblance to his grandfather, who still is depicted on state TV as the loving father of the nation, surrounded by children and adoring citizens.

___

Associated Press writer Sam Kim contributed to this story. Follow Klug at www.twitter.com/APKlug and Kim at www.twitter.com/samkim_ap.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-30-NKorea-Internal%20Propaganda/id-9468d48fdc2c4901a34917c9f4397d0b

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Jim Carrey Responds to Fox News: "A Media Colostomy Bag" (Little green footballs)

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rahulsmith2548: Healthy Computing - A Guide to better Computer ...

Healthy Computer Guide.

Introduction

We?ve developed this guide with the objective of offering a more helpful and convenient way to operate your personal computer. This guideline will also play a good role in lessening the usual problem of the occurrence of disabling as well as agonizing injuries which have been discussed in the Health Warning section given below. You don?t need to spend a long time looking over this guide but you will get a long-lasting benefit from whatever information you do apply.

HEALTH WARNING

The mouse and keyboard that we use lead to various severe disorders and health injuries.

When a person uses a computer, he has to undertake multiple activities at a time resulting in occasional irritations in various body parts like hands, shoulders, arms, neck etc. If you experience some symptoms like pain, discomfort, aching, throbbing, numbness, tingling, stiffness, burning sensation etc. persistently and even at the time when you are not involved in computer works,

NEVER IGNORE THESE SYMPTOMS AS THESE ARE WARNING FOR YOU AND CONSULT WITH A PHYSICIAN AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.?

?These symptoms may be associated with the injuries which permanently disable muscles, nerves, tendons and other body parts. Some of such musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are tendonitis, tunnel syndrome, tenosynovitis etc.

Although, researchers still don?t know everything about MSDs, they agree that there are some factors which might contribute to the occurrence of MSDs for example stress and the sensitivity of a person to it, overall health, medical as well as physical condition, the positioning of a person?s body during work etc. Another factor is how much time a person spends on working.?

This ?Healthy Computer Guide? will show you the ways to work in a more convenient way with computer and decrease the possibility of encountering MSDs.?

If you want to extract detailed information on the arrangement of working place and development of the habits which may facilitate the decrease in the risk of MSDs, read ?Healthy Computing Guide? thoroughly. As there are lots of reasons which play a role in developing MSDs, so this guide may not give you idea about all the facts but you will definitely come to know about the predominant reasons. There is a history of lots of people of have gained better comfort as well as productivity after following the ways suggested by this guide. One thing you need to be clear that this guide will not act as an alternative to professional health expert or health program. If you want to know about the influence of your activities, lifestyle, medical and physical condition over MSDs then you should consult with a qualified physician.

Self-positioning

During working hour or when you are playing, try to avoid uncomfortable posture and always keep your body in comfortable position. This will not only enhance the overall productivity of you but also help to avoid the occurrence of MSDs. Don?t forget to change your positioning during lengthy task which will help you to get rid of fatigue and discomfort.

At the time of working with computer, adjust your surroundings as well as computer equipments to get a stress-free and contented posture of body parts. The arrangement of your work place in a comfortable way depends on the body size which is very unique for a person and also the work environment. The suggestions given below may help you to get a more flexible working environment.

Tips on supporting the back:

?

  • In order to support lower back, use a chair (see above image).
  • Make an adjustment between the surface of working area and the height of the chair to achieve a natural as well as convenient body posture (see below image).

?How to promote comfortable postures of leg:

  • Clear the underneath portion of your desk to get better leg movement and comfortable positioning.
  • If you feel that your feet are not having comfortable rest on floor, you can employ a footrest.

In order to obtain flexible arm and shoulder posture and minimize reaching, you may use the following tricks:

  • Keep the keyboard as well as mouse at the level of same height which will be good if it is at elbow level. The upper arms of the computer operator need to fall comfortable at the sides (see detail 3).
  • During typing task, keep the keyboard centered in front of the mouse (see detail 4).
  • Keep the items within the reach of your arms which are more commonly used (see detail 5).

?To attain perfect positioning of wrist and finger, follow the tips given below:

  • During typing work and operating mouse, hold your wrist straight and don?t bend wrists to the sides or up and down. If you have legs with your keyboard, then you can extend them to get a straight wrist posture and better comfort.
  • While you are typing, your wrists should float above your keyboard to enable you the usage of whole arm to catch the distant keys without stretching your fingers.

?To avoid bending of neck, try the tips stated below:

  • Adjust the positioning of top portion of the screen at your eye level (see detail 6). In case of bifocal wearers, screen may be lowered or the glasses may be customized specially for computer works upon the consultation of a professional physician.?
  • It?s necessary to center the monitor in front of you. If you need to have look over the documents more than the monitor, then place the documents in front of your eye and the monitor may be placed on a side slightly.
  • In order to adjust the position of documents at eye level, you may use a document holder.
In order to reduce the stress on eye, try the following:
  • In order to sit comfortably in front of monitor, keep it at an arm away distance.
  • Keep your monitor at a distant place from light sources which are involved in creating glare or you may also use window blinds for controlling the level of light.
  • Never forget to clean the screen as well as the glasses if you use them.
  • Learn how to adjust the brightness and contrast of the monitor.
  • Select the font size on screen which is more comfortable for you if you have that facility in your computer program.

Work Lightly

All the physical forces are involved in close interaction with our body. It?s not only the high impact forces like car crash that causes injury to our body but also low impact forces result in discomfort, injury and fatigue when these physical forces are encountered over long time.

Example of some low forces:

Dynamic force: The force which is generated through movement for example pressing key during mouse clicking or typing.? ?

Static force: The force which exists for a long period for example holding phone or mouse for long time.

Contact force: A force which is generated by resting on a hard surface for example resting wrists on your desk?s edge.

Try to embrace the following ways to reduce the influences of low-impact forces:

  • During typing, keep your hands as well as fingers flexible and type with very light touch, after all you don?t need to give big effort to operate your keyboard?s keys.
  • Click mouse with light touch, the same formula is applicable while using joystick or any other gaming controller device. ?
  • Keep your hand relaxed while holding the mouse and avoid gripping your mouse forcefully.
  • Never rest your wrist or palm on a surface during typing (see detail 7). This type of rest can be taken when you have a break from typing.
  • When you are on break, try to make your hands and arms relaxed. Never rest the arms or hands on the edge of your desk.
  • Make the adjustment of your chair in a way that no pressure from the seat pushes the back of knees (see detail 8).

Don?t forget to take breaks

?When you will take some break from your computer work, it will give time to your body for recovering activity and thus you can avoid MSDs. Based on the type of your work, you have to decide how long you will rest and how frequent you need to take rest. Not only postponing works and relaxing is the way to enjoy a break but also some other forms of breaks are present for instance choosing a different mode of work. If you change your position from sitting to standing during phone conversation, it will definitely help you to make muscles relax.

To alter day to day tasks and work productively, embrace the following ways:

  • Make a planning for both work and play in such a way that you don?t need to perform the same task over a long period.
  • In order to do the same job, try to use diversified input devices. Suppose, you are doing a scrolling job, you can use both keyboard arrow key and the wheel of mouse.
  • To decrease your work pressure, adopt various software and hardware. For example, you have the opportunity to use Windows logo key to enter into the Windows start menu.
  • Try to learn the operations of hardware and software by following the instructions given with the products. For instance, in order to highlight the test commonly, allocate your mouse to do ClickLock.

Be Healthy

?A healthy lifestyle is also necessary to perform daily tasks in proper way with enjoyment. You need to learn the detail about your health if you want to stay productive and flexible with your computer tasks.

?In order to maintain a healthy status of health, adopt the following ideas:

  • Take balanced diet as well as sufficient rest.
  • Don?t miss exercise as it will improve the flexibility, strength and overall fitness of body. In order to choose the right form of exercise for you, you may consult with a qualified physician.
  • Make proper stress management. By planning your work area and program properly, you can keep the racket and disturbances to a minimum level.
  • In order to be clear about the relevance of different factors like diabetes, injuries, rheumatoid arthritis, pregnancy etc. to MSDs, consult with a professional health specialist.

Source: http://blog.jpofficeworkstations.com.au/2013/03/healthycomputingguide.html

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Source: http://rahulsmith2548.blogspot.com/2013/03/healthy-computing-guide-to-better.html

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Sun block for the 'Big Dog'

Thursday, March 28, 2013

An international team of astronomers, including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and from the University of Cologne, successfully identified two titanium oxides in the extended atmosphere around a giant star. The object VY Canis Major is one of the largest stars in the known universe and close to the end of its life. The detection was made using telescope arrays in the USA and in France.

The discovery was made in the course of a study of a spectacular star, VY Canis Majoris or VY CMa for short, which is a variable star located in the constellation Canis Major (Greater Dog). "VY CMa is not an ordinary star, it is one of the largest stars known, and it is close the end of its life," says Tomasz Kami?ski from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR). In fact, with a size of about one to two thousand times that of the Sun, it could extend out to the orbit of Saturn if it were placed in the centre of our Solar System.

The star ejects large quantities of material which forms a dusty nebula. It becomes visible because of the small dust particles that form around it which reflect light from the central star. The complexity of this nebula has been puzzling astronomers for decades. It has been formed as a result of stellar wind, but it is not understood well why it is so far from having a spherical shape.

Neither is known what physical process blows the wind, i.e. what lifts the material up from the stellar surface and makes it expand. "The fate of VY CMa is to explode as a supernova, but it is not known exactly when it will happen", adds Karl Menten, head of the "Millimetre and Submillimetre Astronomy" Department at MPIfR.

Observations at different wavelengths provide different pieces of information which is characteristic for atomic and molecular gas and from which physical properties of an astronomical object can be derived. Each molecule has a characteristic set of lines, something like a 'bar code', that allows to identify what molecules exist in the nebula.

"Emission at short radio wavelengths, in so-called submillimetre waves, is particularly useful for such studies of molecules", says Sandra Br?nken from the University of Cologne. "The identification of molecules is easier and usually a larger abundance of molecules can be observed than at other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum."

The research team observed TiO and TiO2 for the first time at radio wavelengths. In fact, titanium dioxide has been seen in space unambiguously for the first time. It is known from every-day life as the main component of the commercially most important white pigment (known by painters as "titanium white") or as an ingredient in sunscreens. It is also quite possible that the reader consumed some amounts of it as it is used to colour food (coded as E171 in the labels).

However, stars, especially the coolest of them, are expected to eject large quantities of titanium oxides, which, according to theory, form at relatively high temperatures close to the star. "They tend to cluster together to form dust particles visible in the optical or in the infrared," says Nimesh Patel from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "And the catalytic properties of TiO2 may influence the chemical processes taking place on these dust particles, which are very important for forming larger molecules in space", adds Holger M?ller from the University of Cologne.

Absorption features of TiO have been known from spectra in the visible region for more than a hundred years. In fact, these features are used in part to classify some types of stars with low surface temperatures (M- and S-type stars). The pulsation of Mira stars, one specific class of variable stars, is thought to be caused by titanium oxide. Mira stars, supergiant variable stars in a late stage of their evolution, are named after their prototype star "Mira" (the wonderful) in the constellation of Cetus (the 'sea monster' or the 'whale').

The observations of TiO and TiO2 show that the two molecules are easily formed around VY CMa at a location that is more or less as predicted by theory. It seems, however, that some portion of those molecules avoid forming dust and are observable as gas phase species. Another possibility is that the dust is destroyed in the nebula and releases fresh TiO molecules back to the gas. The latter scenario is quite likely as parts of the wind in VY CMa seem to collide with each other.

The new detections at submillimetre wavelengths are particularly important because they allow studying the process of dust formation. Also, at optical wavelengths, the radiation emitted by the molecules is scattered by dust present in the extended nebula which blurs the picture, while this effect is negligible at radio wavelengths allowing for more precise measurements.

The discoveries of TiO and TiO2 in the spectrum of VY CMa have been made with the Submillimetre Array (SMA), a radio interferometer located at Hawaii, USA. Because the instrument combines eight antennas which worked together as one big telescope 226-meters in size, astronomers were able to make observations at unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution. A confirmation of the new detections was successively made later with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) located in the French Alps.

###

Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 551, A113 (March 2013). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201220290.

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft: http://www.mpg.de

Thanks to Max-Planck-Gesellschaft for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127502/Sun_block_for_the__Big_Dog_

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Reuters: Wal-Mart looking into crowd-sourcing online delivery

Reuters WalMart looking into crowdsourcing online delivery

Walmart is considering the slightly insane sounding idea of using its in-store customers to deliver online orders to help it compete with bricks and mortar-less competitors like Amazon, according to Reuters. The big box outfit currently ships internet purchases out from just 25 of its stores, using the likes of FedEx to handle delivery, but plans to drastically increase that number going forward. In theory, customers could sign up for the chore and drop packages off to customers who are on their route home in exchange for a discount on their shopping bill. CEO Joel Anderson he could "see a path to where this is crowd-sourced," adding that "this is at the brain-storming stage, but it's possible in a year or two." Naturally, there's a gauntlet of insurance, theft, fraud and legal issues to be overcome -- along with the slightly skeevy idea of having a random stranger arrive with your packages.

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Source: Reuters

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/7PFZWAb5Afo/

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Trapped man rescued from Calif.'s Mount Rubidoux

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) ? Ramon Llamas was taking his usual hike on busy Mount Rubidoux when his dog, Mole, began whimpering and tugging at his leg.

"He was talking to me in his language, he was pulling me from my pants to go down and see the hole," the Riverside man told KTTV-TV (http://bit.ly/109Ew0o).

The puzzled Llamas turned back up the dirt trail he'd been using. The dog led him off the path to some rocks.

In a crack between the boulders was the thin, dirty face of a man who may have been trapped there for days without food or water.

On Tuesday, the man, whose name hasn't been released, remained hospitalized for severe dehydration but he was alert and listed in good condition, city fire Capt. Bruce Vanderhorst said.

Mole, meanwhile, was being praised as a hero.

If Mole hadn't acted, "I think it would be too late," Llamas told the Riverside Press-Enterprise (http://bit.ly/11E37kr). "We find him at the right time."

No one reported hearing the man shout for help even though Mount Rubidoux is popular with hikers and daily exercisers.

Located within the city east of Los Angeles, it has both paved and dirt trails that can draw hundreds of people every day.

Llamas is one of them, hiking every day that he doesn't work.

His dog pulled him to a place off the dirt path and about 100 feet below the paved main access road.

When he first saw something in the boulders, he thought it might be an animal.

"It was dark and it was dusty because he was digging the dirt and I see his big eyes in his face and I thought it was a bear," Llamas said.

Eventually, he and another hiker recognized that the dirty, weak figure was a man caught in a hole in between two boulders. The man called himself Paul.

"He said, 'I need water, please don't leave me.' So I gave him water from my backpack and in a minute he said, 'You got more?' So I give more water," Llamas told KABC-TV (http://bit.ly/YEahyP).

"He said he'd been there between four and six days with no food," Llamas said.

Rescuers were called and pulled him up from the Dumpster-sized rocks in about 90 minutes, Vanderhorst said.

The man seems unclear about how long he'd been trapped, Vanderhorst said.

"He's claiming up to five nights but also said he came up Sunday," which would be a single day, the captain said.

"It looked like he slipped and fell down between two boulders, almost like a funnel into a hole," he said.

The man's shoes remained in the hole and his pants came off during the rescue, Vanderhorst said.

The pants were later retrieved. Llamas told KTTV-TV that he went back up the mountain on Tuesday and retrieved the red-laced, dirt-scuffed white sneakers in order to return them.

He also said Mole, a year-old brindled shepherd-chow mix, has become a celebrity.

"I went for a walk today," Llamas said. "The walk was OK but everybody stopped me just to pet Mole. They don't care about me, they care about Mole.

"Somebody give him a medal up there on the mountain. He's a hero right now."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trapped-man-rescued-calif-mount-rubidoux-194318784.html

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Scientists image deep magma beneath Pacific seafloor volcano

Mar. 27, 2013 ? Since the plate tectonics revolution of the 1960s, scientists have known that new seafloor is created throughout the major ocean basins at linear chains of volcanoes known as mid-ocean ridges. But where exactly does the erupted magma come from?

Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego now have a better idea after capturing a unique image of a site deep in the Earth where magma is generated.

Using electromagnetic technology developed and advanced at Scripps, the researchers mapped a large area beneath the seafloor off Central America at the northern East Pacific Rise, a seafloor volcano located on a section of the global mid-ocean ridges that together form the largest and most active chain of volcanoes in the solar system. By comparison, the researchers say the cross-section area of the melting region they mapped would rival the size of San Diego County.

Details of the image and the methods used to capture it are published in the March 28 issue of the journal Nature.

"Our data show that mantle upwelling beneath the mid-ocean ridge creates a deeper and broader melting region than previously thought," said Kerry Key, lead author of the study and an associate research geophysicist at Scripps. "This was the largest project of its kind, enabling us to image the mantle with a level of detail not possible with previous studies."

The northern East Pacific Rise is an area where two of the planet's tectonic plates are spreading apart from each another. Mantle rising between the plates melts to generate the magma that forms fresh seafloor when it erupts or freezes in the crust.

Data for the study was obtained during a 2004 field study conducted aboard the research vessel Roger Revelle, a ship operated by Scripps and owned by the U.S. Navy.

The marine electromagnetic technology behind the study was originally developed in the 1960s by Charles "Chip" Cox, an emeritus professor of oceanography at Scripps, and his student Jean Filloux. In recent years the technology was further advanced by Steven Constable and Key. Since 1995 Scripps researchers have been working with the energy industry to apply this technology to map offshore geology as an aid to exploring for oil and gas reservoirs.

"We have been working on developing our instruments and interpretation software for decades, and it is really exciting to see it all come together to provide insights into the fundamental processes of plate tectonics," said Constable, a coauthor of the paper and a professor in the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Scripps. "It was really a surprise to discover that melting started so deep in the mantle -- much deeper than was expected."

Key believes the insights that electromagnetics provides will continue to grow as the technology matures and data analysis techniques improve (last week Key and his colleagues announced the use of electromagnetics in discovering a magma lubricant for the planet's tectonic plates).

"Electromagnetics is really coming of age as a tool for imaging the earth," said Key. "Much of what we know about the crust and mantle is a result of using seismic techniques. Now electromagnetic technology is offering promise for further discoveries."

Key also has future plans to apply electromagnetic technology to map subglacial lakes and groundwater in the polar regions.

In addition to Key and Constable, coauthors of the paper include Lijun Liu of the University of Illinois and Anne Pommier of Arizona State University.

The study was supported by the National Science Foundation and the Seafloor Electromagnetic Methods Consortium at Scripps.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - San Diego.

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Journal Reference:

  1. Kerry Key, Steven Constable, Lijun Liu, Anne Pommier. Electrical image of passive mantle upwelling beneath the northern East Pacific Rise. Nature, 2013; 495 (7442): 499 DOI: 10.1038/nature11932

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

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/T6Jk5OU8X88/130327144127.htm

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Oil prices ease back after day of strong gains

BANGKOK (AP) ? The price of oil eased back Wednesday after a strong day of gains propelled by U.S. economic data suggesting a sustained recovery in the world's largest economy.

Benchmark oil for May delivery fell 24 cents at midday Bangkok time to $96.10 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained $1.53 to finish at a five-week high of $96.34 a barrel on the Nymex on Tuesday.

The U.S. Commerce Department said Tuesday that orders for factory-produced durable goods rose more than expected in February. Home prices also rose in January, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city price index. That helped push up energy prices.

But analysts say it is too soon to forget about the debt crisis in Europe. The latest crisis point was Cyprus, which teetered on the brink of bankruptcy and collapse of its financial system until a deal was reached early Monday to provide some 10 billion euros ($12.9 billion) from international lenders. The deal, however, requires Cyprus to slash its oversized banking sector and inflict hefty losses on large depositors in troubled banks.

"The events in Cyprus have provided another very visible ? albeit extreme ? illustration of the financial problems and uncertainties in Europe which are holding back the global recovery," said analysts at Capital Economics in a market commentary. "Indeed, even though the Cypriot economy itself is tiny, the ramifications could still be felt worldwide, both in economic activity and in financial market volatility."

Brent crude, used to price many kinds of oil imported by U.S. refineries, rose 1 cent to $109.37 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:

? Wholesale gasoline rose 0.7 cent to $3.1096 a gallon.

? Heating oil rose 0.6 cent to $2.8874 a gallon.

? Natural gas advanced by 1.2 cents to $4.003 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oil-prices-ease-back-day-strong-gains-045610969--finance.html

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Pope reluctant to be pope: What does it mean?

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? He still goes by "Bergoglio" when speaking to friends, seems reluctant to call himself pope and has decided to live in the Vatican hotel rather than the grand papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace.

It might seem as if Pope Francis is in a bit of denial over his new job as leader of the world's 1.2-billion Catholics. Or perhaps he's simply changing the popular idea of what it means to be pope, keeping the no-frills style he cultivated as archbishop of Buenos Aires in ways that may have broad implications for the church.

The world has already seen how Francis has cast aside many trappings of the papacy, refusing to don the red velvet cape Benedict XVI wore for official occasions and keeping the simple, iron-plated pectoral cross he used as bishop and archbishop.

On Thursday, his belief that a pope's job is to serve the world's lowliest will be on display when he washes the feet of a dozen young inmates at a juvenile detention center in Rome. Previous popes have celebrated the Holy Thursday ritual, which re-enacts Christ's washing of his disciples' feet before his crucifixion, by washing the feet of priests in one of Rome's most ornate basilicas.

Such moves hint, even at this early stage, only two weeks into his papacy, at an apparent effort by Francis to demystify the office of pope.

Unlike his predecessors, he doesn't sign his name "Pope Francis," ending his official correspondence simply "Francis."

To those closest he is still Bergoglio, and this week, Italian state radio broadcast a voice mail he left wishing a friend Happy Birthday. "It's Bergoglio," the pope said, using the surname he was born with.

Even on Day One, Francis didn't acknowledge he was pope.

Speaking on the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica after his election the night of March 13, Francis told the tens of thousands gathered there that the cardinals' task during the conclave had been to "give Rome a bishop."

And bishop of Rome is the title he has emphasized repeatedly ever since ? not vicar of Christ, or any of his other official titles.

"I do think there is something about trying to reduce the awesomeness, the grandeur and majesty of the papacy," said John Allen Jr., Vatican columnist for the National Catholic Reporter. "Part of this is just his personality. He's never liked pomp and circumstance."

Indeed. Even after he became Argentina's top church official in 2001, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio never lived in the ornate church mansion that Pope John Paul II stayed in when visiting, preferring simple rooms in a downtown building, warmed by a small stove on frigid weekends when the heat was turned off. He did his own cooking and rode the bus to get around town.

In that same vein, Francis announced this week that he wasn't moving into the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace and would stay instead in the Vatican's Santa Marta residence, the antiseptically clean, institutional-style hotel where he and the 114 cardinals who elected him pope were sequestered during the conclave.

Calling the hotel home, Francis indicated that he wants to live in a community with ordinary folk, not the gilded cage of the Apostolic Palace.

He will eat in the common dining room as he has for the past two weeks, and celebrate 7 a.m. Mass in the hotel chapel as he has each day, inviting Vatican gardeners, street sweepers, hotel workers and newspaper staff to attend.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the decision to stay put in the hotel had been taken "for now."

"We'll see how it works," he said.

In one concession, Francis did move in recent days from the hotel's cramped Room 207, where he had stayed as cardinal, into Room 201, the larger papal suite, which has a study and sitting room to receive guests. The furnishings are a step up from the simple fare of the rest of the hotel: dark wood armoires and a bed with a matching headboard carved with an image of Christ's face.

Francis' initial refusal to move into the hotel's papal suite is perhaps understandable, given the reluctance with which he accepted the job in the first place.

On Wednesday, the Vatican revealed what Francis said in the Sistine Chapel when he was formally asked if he accepted the outcome of the vote. "I am a big sinner. Trusting in the mercy and patience of God, in suffering, I accept," he answered.

The decision not to take up residence in the Apostolic Palace might also signal a desire to keep his distance from the dysfunctional Vatican government Francis has inherited. One of his major tasks will be to rid the Vatican bureaucracy of the mismanagement, petty turf battles and allegations of corruption that were revealed in leaks of papal documents last year.

Francis does go to work each day at his "office" in the Apostolic Palace, where he meets with various Vatican officials. He uses the ornate Clementine Hall for larger audiences, such as his first formal addresses to representatives of the world's religions and the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See.

In his March 20 audience with religious leaders, Francis sent an important signal about his view of the papacy and its relationship with other Christians. He addressed the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, as "my brother" ? a fraternal nod to a church that split from Rome 1,000 years ago and has remained separated in part over disputes about the primacy of the pope.

To make that message abundantly clear, Francis' chair was on the ground ? the same level as all the other religious leaders ? and not on a raised platform. Two days later, when Francis greeted diplomats accredited to the Holy See, his chair was up on a platform.

"To have a simpler view, less grandiose sense of the trappings of the papacy might be saying, 'I want to be able to relate to you at a different level,'" said Anton Vrame of the Greek Orthodox archdiocese in the U.S.

Francis' gestures, choices and emphasis were clearly an indication of his personality and the simplicity for which Jesuits are known, Vrame said.

"Is it a further simplification of the papacy that we've seen over the years? Potentially. It remains to be seen," he said.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-reluctant-pope-does-mean-223211212.html

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Earthquake shakes Mexico City

MEXICO CITY (AP) ? Earthquakes shook a broad swath of southern Mexico on Tuesday, causing buildings to sway in the capital and sending thousands fleeing into the streets as quake alarms sounded. But there were no immediate reports of damages or injuries.

The U.S. Geological Survey said a magnitude-5.5 quake hit at 7:04 a.m. (9:04 a.m. EDT; 1304 GMT), centered about 10 miles (17 kilometers) west-southwest of Pinotepa Nacional on the Pacific Coast and 227 miles (365 kilometers) south-southeast of Mexico City.

Mexico Seismology Service initially calculated the quake's magnitude at 5.9.

A second quake struck near the same spot eight minutes later, also setting off alarms in the capital and causing people to evacuate tall buildings in the capital. The USGS calculated the magnitude of that quake at 5.1.

Mexico City's soft soil and geology make it especially sensitive to distant earthquakes. But Mayor Manuel Mancera said in a Twitter post that no damage was reported. Local news media also said there were no reports of damage close to Pinotepa Nacional.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-26-Mexico-Earthquake/id-91d3c810798c4058a68179ece9bcc737

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