Kerry says US releasing millions in aid to Egypt

CAIRO (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday rewarded Egypt for President Mohammed Morsi's pledges of political and economic reforms by releasing $250 million in American aid to support the country's "future as a democracy."

Yet Kerry also served notice that the Obama administration will keep close watch on how Morsi, who came to power in June as Egypt's first freely elected president, honors his commitment and that additional U.S. assistance would depend on it.

"The path to that future has clearly been difficult and much work remains," Kerry said in a statement after wrapping up two days of meetings in Egypt, a deeply divided country in the wake of the revolution that ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt is trying to meet conditions to close on a $4.8 billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund. An agreement would unlock more of the $1 billion in U.S. assistance promised by President Barack Obama last year and set to begin flowing with Kerry's announcement.

"The United States can and wants to do more," Kerry said. "Reaching an agreement with the IMF will require further effort on the part of the Egyptian government and broad support for reform by all Egyptians. When Egypt takes the difficult steps to strengthen its economy and build political unity and justice, we will work with our Congress at home on additional support."

Kerry cited Egypt's "extreme needs" and Morsi's "assurances that he plans to complete the IMF process" when he told the president that the U.S. would provide $190 million of a long-term $450 million pledge "in a good-faith effort to spur reform and help the Egyptian people at this difficult time." The release of the rest of the $450 million and the other $550 million tranche of the $1 billion that Obama announced will be tied to successful reforms, officials said.

Separately, the top U.S. diplomat announced $60 million for a new fund for "direct support of key engines of democratic change," including Egypt's entrepreneurs and its young people. Kerry held out the prospect of U.S. assistance to this fund climbing to $300 million over time.

Recapping his meetings with political figures, business leaders and representatives of outside groups, Kerry said he heard of their "deep concern about the political course of their country, the need to strengthen human rights protections, justice and the rule of law, and their fundamental anxiety about the economic future of Egypt."

Those issues came up in "a very candid and constructive manner" during Kerry's talks with Morsi.

"It is clear that more hard work and compromise will be required to restore unity, political stability and economic health to Egypt," Kerry said.

Syria and Iran were topics of discussion, according to officials.

With parliamentary elections in April approaching and liberal and secular opponents of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood saying they will boycott, Kerry called the vote "a particularly critical step" in Egypt's democratic transition.

Violent clashes between protesters and security forces have created an environment of insecurity, complicating Egyptian efforts to secure vital international aid.

Officials in the Egyptian presidency said Kerry stressed the need for consensus with the opposition in order to restore confidence in Egypt that it can ride out the crisis. Morsi was reported to have expressed the importance of Egypt's relationship with United States, which is based on "mutual respect," and focused on the importance of the democratic process in building a strong and stable nation.

Kerry made clear that in all his meetings, he conveyed the message that Egyptians who rose up and overthrew Mubarak "did not risk their lives to see that opportunity for a brighter future squandered."

On Saturday, he told the country's bickering politicians that they must overcome differences to get Egypt's faltering economy back on track and maintain its leadership role in the volatile Middle East.

The U.S. is deeply concerned that continued instability in Egypt will have broader consequences in a region already rocked by unrest.

U.S. officials said Kerry planned to stress the importance of upholding Egypt's peace agreement with Israel, cracking down on weapons smuggling to extremists in the Gaza Strip and policing the increasingly lawless Sinai Peninsula while continuing to play a positive role in Syria's civil war.

The impact of Kerry's message of unity to the opposition coalition seemingly was blunted when only six of the 11 guests invited by the U.S. Embassy turned up for a Saturday session with him and three of those six said they still intended to boycott the April parliamentary election, according to participants.

Kerry said that the U.S. would not pick sides in Egypt, and he appealed to all sides to come together around human rights, freedom and speech and religious tolerance.

In an apparent nod to the current stalemate in Washington over the U.S. federal budget, Kerry acknowledged after meeting Foreign Minister Kamel Amr that compromise is difficult yet imperative.

"I say with both humility and with a great deal of respect that getting there requires a genuine give-and-take among Egypt's political leaders and civil society groups just as we are continuing to struggle with that in our own country," he said. 'There must be a willingness on all sides to make meaningful compromises on the issues that matter most to all of the Egyptian people."

The opposition accuses Morsi and the Brotherhood of following in the footsteps of Mubarak, failing to carry out reforms and trying to install a more religiously conservative system.

Morsi's administration and the Brotherhood say their foes, who have trailed significantly behind Islamists in all elections since the uprising against Mubarak, are running away from the challenge of the ballot box and are trying to overturn democratic gains.

After meeting Morsi and his defense and intelligence chiefs on Sunday, Kerry flew to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and planned later stops in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where his focus is expected to be the crisis in Syria and Iran.

Kerry is set to return to Washington on Wednesday.

___

Associated Press writer Aya Batrawy contributed to this report.

___

Online:

State Department: http://www.state.gov/secretary/travel/2013/205086.htm

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-says-us-releasing-millions-aid-egypt-161105370.html

jerusalem artichoke bud shootout aretha franklin stevie wonder new orleans weather new orleans weather sparkle

Barbecue Master: The Digest Diet Cookbook - Good Diet for a Griller

The Digest Diet Cookbook

Jennifer emailed to see if I'd like to try out The Digest Diet Cookbook. Ironically I had been thinking that I should lighten up a bit, so the timing was good especially since?I'm not the dieting type. My Granny went on every fad diet that ever came out, and I remember seeing meal plans with things like soft boiled eggs and beets. Ugh. I've just always done the "cut back here and there" route.

Having always loved Reader's Digest magazine?which was always beside the toilet at Poppaw's house and then a staple in my parent's home, I thought it was worth a shot to check out the book.

When?The Digest Diet Cookbook arrived, I sat down and read it. Yes. I actually do sit down and read cookbooks. I suppose you could call me a?food nerd.

First I'll say that this?diet cookbook is very well written and organized so easy to follow and understand. I do suggest actually reading it (maybe not word for word on recipes until you're ready to make them), but read over the first part where Liz?Vaccariello goes over her approach and how the diet comes together to work for most anyone - even barbecue masters.

Shake Things Up and Lose Weight and Inches

The Digest Diet Cookbook builds around (at the start especially) healthy shakes or smoothies (whatever you'd like to call them). They provide that "treat" factor with some sweetness and energy as well as ingredients that help release fat (per the research of the author).

I'm not a real shake type of person, but it is easier and quicker to start the day off with a healthy shake than to make a meal. And, I'm the type to skip breakfast. Yes. I know that's a bad habit. I'm working on it.

The first few days are shake and soup focused which kind of scared me to start with. Where's my meat? The theory though is that this kind of jump starts your body to lose weight and you get some quick results which is encouraging. I suspect it is a real downer to go on a diet and not lose but a pound or two in a month. So, the idea here is to start off successful with some quick results which would incline one to keep on a diet rather than quit after a day or two as I suspect many people are prone to do.

Now don't worry. You aren't drinking shakes the rest of the month or your life, although the author is big on these for starting off the day with adjustments to them across phases as you move toward a healthy and sustainable diet that fits most lifestyles.

A Griller Friendly Diet - Yay!

I was happy to see that grilling was specifically mentioned when talking about healthy cooking styles. You can do lean meats on a grill and have a low fat and calorie meal packed with flavor. I already knew this, but I don't recall anyone putting that in a book about dieting.

As far as the recipes, you can see above that there is a grilled lamb recipe which looks wonderful. Most of the recipes are designed and tested in the kitchen; however, most things that can be made inside can be made outside. You just need a few grilling accessories like a grill dedicated baking pan and a wok - inexpensive grilling items like that.

The way this diet works out (after the first few jump start days) would be that you have mix and match foods for burning fat. It's a broad list and not just some boiled beats like back in Granny's days of dieting. There were plenty of things that I could pick from and then combine as I liked just picking off the lists. Then, there were the recipes to help bump things up beyond just picking a lean meat and vegetable and so on.

The program is set up with three somewhat intense weeks and then you can follow the main guidelines and use the recipes and maintain the weight you dropped. They had several people featured in the book who lost weight and inches including one guy who dropped 26 pounds in 21 days. My barbecue apron is off to him.

My results were not as amazing, but I don't stay on track as well. (Those rib eye steaks and?grilled butter tators get to calling my name now and then.)?I can't give you an exact number, because I threw out my scales around 15 years ago. I can tell by my clothes when I'm up or down. By following The Digest Diet I was able to get back in a size smaller on my pants that had been sitting for a few months.

I must go thumbs up on The Digest Diet Cookbook and say that it's a good program for those of us who love to grill. I'd love to see Liz Vaccariello come out with another book focused on recipes just for the grill. Maybe some day . . .

This is the second book for The Digest Diet, and they also have a Digest Diet FaceBook page with ideas and support. I'll have to check out the first book, and I have been enjoying the FB page.

Source: http://barbequemaster.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-digest-diet-cookbook-good-diet-for.html

daytona bike week mary kay ash tiny houses maya angelou joan of arc tony robbins bon iver

Thailand's prime minister vows to end ivory trade

Thai activists hold posters urging people to stop the trading of tigers during the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, in Bangkok Sunday, March 3, 2013. How to slow the slaughter and curb the trade in "blood ivory" will be among the most critical issues up for debate at the 177-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, that gets under way Sunday in Bangkok. And the meeting's host, Thailand, will be under particular pressure to take action. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai activists hold posters urging people to stop the trading of tigers during the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, in Bangkok Sunday, March 3, 2013. How to slow the slaughter and curb the trade in "blood ivory" will be among the most critical issues up for debate at the 177-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, that gets under way Sunday in Bangkok. And the meeting's host, Thailand, will be under particular pressure to take action. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova of Canada, center, wearing Wonder Woman costume poses with Thai children in elephant and tiger costumes on the occasion of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, in Bangkok, Thailand Sunday, March 3, 2013. How to slow the slaughter and curb the trade in "blood ivory" will be among the most critical issues up for debate at the 177-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, that gets under way Sunday in Bangkok. And the meeting's host, Thailand, will be under particular pressure to take action. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova of Canada, wearing Wonder Woman costume poses with Thai children during Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, in Bangkok, Thailand Sunday, March 3, 2013. How to slow the slaughter and curb the trade in "blood ivory" will be among the most critical issues up for debate at the 177-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, that gets under way Sunday in Bangkok. And the meeting's host, Thailand, will be under particular pressure to take action. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai activists hold signs against illegal wildlife trade during the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, in Bangkok Sunday, March. 3, 2013. How to slow the slaughter and curb the trade in "blood ivory" will be among the most critical issues up for debate at the 177-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, that gets under way Sunday in Bangkok. And the meeting's host, Thailand, will be under particular pressure to take action.(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

BANGKOK (AP) ? Facing the possibility of sanctions, Thailand's prime minister vowed for the first time Sunday to work toward ending her country's trade in ivory. But she gave no timeline for implementing a domestic ban, and conservationists warned that the unprecedented slaughter of elephants in Africa would continue until she does.

Thailand's internal ivory trade is currently legal, but wildlife groups say smuggled African tusks are mixed in with native stocks and that skyrocketing demand here is helping fuel the worst poaching crisis in sub-Saharan African in two decades.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra made the pledge during the opening meeting of the 178-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, in Bangkok.

She said her government would tighten local controls on Thailand's domestic ivory trade by systematically registering domestic elephants and ivory products. Then, "as a next step, we will work toward amending the national legislation with the goal of putting an end to (the) ivory trade and to be in line with international norms," she said.

However, Theerapat Prayurasiddhi, deputy director of Thailand's department of parks and wildlife, told The Associated Press there were no immediate plans to institute a domestic ban on ivory trading.

He said that could happen "step by step in the future ? maybe," but called it "the long-term goal." For now, the government will focus on boosting measures to tighten domestic trade controls and slow the flow of African ivory from entering Thai markets.

Theerapat said Thai traders had the right to buy or sell ivory obtained legally from domesticated stocks, and that taking those rights away could be tantamount to efforts to ban guns in the United States.

"You cannot change everything overnight," he said. "It's going to take time."

Asked how Thailand's legislation might be amended, Theerapat said there was a push to add African elephants to Thailand's own lists of protected species, a move that would allow law enforcement to impose higher fines and harsher jail terms on smugglers.

Carlos Drews, head of the World Wildlife Fund's delegation to CITES, welcomed Yingluck's pledge but said "the fight to stop wildlife crime and shut down Thailand's ivory markets is not over."

Yingluck "now needs to provide a timeline for this ban and ensure that it takes place as a matter of urgency, because the slaughter of elephants continues," Drews said.

Around 70 years ago, up to 5 million elephants are believed to have roamed sub-Saharan Africa. Today, just several hundred thousand are left. Last year, 32,000 elephants were killed on the continent, according to the Born Free Foundation, which says black-market ivory sells for around $1,300 per pound; much of it ends up as tourist trinkets.

Thailand is one of the world's top destinations for smuggled ivory ? second only to China, according to the wildlife monitoring network TRAFFIC. The group has called for CITES members to impose economic trade sanctions against Thailand, along with Nigeria and Congo, which would halt those nations' ability to trade in all 35,000 species regulated by the convention.

CITES banned the international ivory trade in 1989. But the move never addressed domestic markets like Thailand's, where trading remains legal as long as only ivory from domesticated elephants is involved.

Curbing the trade in "blood ivory" is at the top of the agenda during the global biodiversity conference, which lasts two weeks. Around 70 proposals are on the table, most of which will decide whether member nations increase or lower the level of protection on various species. These include polar bears, rays and sharks that are heavily fished for shark fin soup.

There are proposals, too, to regulate 200 commercially valuable timber species ? half from Madagascar ? and ban their trade unless it can be shown they were harvested legally and sustainably.

Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, said up to 90 percent of the world's timber trade is illegal, a business worth at least $30 billion per year.

Illegal wildlife trafficking is also at crisis levels, and the world must clamp down hard to stop it or risk losing some of the planet's most iconic species, like elephants, he said.

"The backdrop against which this meeting takes place should be a very serious wakeup call for all of us," Steiner told some 2,000 delegates assembled at a convention center in the Thai capital.

Wildlife trafficking "in a terrible way has become a trade and a business of enormous proportions ? a billion-dollar trade in wildlife species that is analogous to that of the trade in drugs and arms," Steiner said. "This is not a small matter. It is driven by a conglomerate of crime syndicates across borders."

Prior to the establishment of CITES in 1973, there was no international regulation of the cross-border wildlife trade. CITES officials say their aim is not to outlaw the buying and selling of flora and fauna, but to ensure it remains sustainable as the world's population explodes.

CITES Director-General John Scanlon said the slaughter of African elephants and rhinos was among the group's greatest concerns. He said poachers, rebel militias and mafia-like crime syndicates that smuggle animal parts across borders could wipe the species out.

"This criminal activity poses a serious threat to the stability and economies of these countries. It also robs these countries of their natural heritage, their culture heritage, and it undermines good governance and the rule of law," Scanlon said. "These criminals must be stopped, and we need to prepare to deploy the sorts of techniques that are used to combat the trade in narcotics to do so."

"We know the way. We now need the collective will," Scanlon said. "Right here, right now in Bangkok is when we must come together to turn the tables on serious wildlife crime."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-03-UN-Saving%20Species/id-aa8030c39f1c4974a0aee8fba0a8dae1

brock lesnar kentucky jayhawks wwe wrestlemania oakland shooting mega millions winning numbers autism speaks

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/top_news/top_science/ Top science news, featured on ScienceDaily's home page.en-usSun, 03 Mar 2013 12:33:55 ESTSun, 03 Mar 2013 12:33:55 EST60http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gifhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/news/top_news/top_science/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301153645.htm 3-D printing lets anyone make almost anything with a simple machine and a roll of plastic filament. Now researchers have found a way to drive costs down even further by recycling empty milk jugs into filament. The process reduces landfill waste, saves on energy compared with traditional recycling, and makes 3-D printing and even better deal.Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:36:36 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301153645.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301153245.htm The world?s shark populations are experiencing significant declines with perhaps 100 million ? or more - sharks being lost every year, according to a new study.Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:32:32 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301153245.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301123308.htm A new study is the first to show that dust and other aerosols from one side of the world influence rainfall in the Sierra Nevada.Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:33:33 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301123308.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301123048.htm Scientists looking for clues about why Earth did not warm as much as scientists expected between 2000 and 2010 now thinks the culprits are hiding in plain sight -- dozens of volcanoes spewing sulfur dioxide.Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:30:30 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301123048.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301123042.htm A continental-scale chemical survey in the waters of the eastern US and Gulf of Mexico is helping researchers determine how distinct bodies of water will resist changes in acidity.Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:30:30 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301123042.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301122512.htm The interplay between an infection during pregnancy and stress in puberty plays a key role in the development of schizophrenia, as behaviorists demonstrate in a mouse model. However, there is no need to panic.Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:25:25 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130301122512.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228171504.htm A paleontologist and his team have discovered a new species of herbivorous dinosaur and published the first fossil evidence of prehistoric crocodyliforms feeding on small dinosaurs.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228171504.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228155624.htm Two biologists at Washington University in St. Louis were delighted to discover a meticulous dataset on a plant-pollinator network recorded by Illinois naturalist Charles Robertson between 1884 and 1916. Re-collecting part of Robertson's network, they learned that although the network has compensated for some losses, battered by climate change and habitat loss it is now weaker and less resilient than in Robertson's time.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:56:56 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228155624.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228155622.htm Researchers studying data from 600 fields in 20 countries have found that managed honey bees are not as successful at pollinating crops as wild insects, primarily wild bees, suggesting the continuing loss of wild insects in many agricultural landscapes has negative consequences for crop harvests.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:56:56 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228155622.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228155430.htm NASA's Van Allen Probes mission has discovered a previously unknown third radiation belt around Earth, revealing the existence of unexpected structures and processes within these hazardous regions of space.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:54:54 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228155430.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228124138.htm New research on bacteria examines how primordial cells could have evolved without protein machinery or cell walls. While the vast majority of bacteria have cell walls, many bacteria can switch to a wall-free existence called the L-form state, which could mirror the structure of primordial cells. A new study reveals how bacteria in this L-form state divide and proliferate, shedding light on how the earliest forms of cellular life may have replicated.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:41:41 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228124138.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228124132.htm Much to the chagrin of parents who think their kids should spend less time playing video games and more time studying, time spent playing action video games can actually make dyslexic children read better, new research suggests. In fact, 12 hours of video game play did more for reading skills than is normally achieved with a year of spontaneous reading development or demanding traditional reading treatments.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:41:41 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228124132.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228113447.htm A new model suggests that inhospitable hydrodgen-sulfide rich waters could have delayed the spread of complex life forms in ancient oceans. The research considers the composition of the oceans 550-700 million years ago and shows that oxygen-poor toxic conditions, which may have delayed the establishment of complex life, were controlled by the biological availability of nitrogen.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:34:34 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228113447.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228113436.htm Using new technology at the telescope and in laboratories, researchers have discovered an important pair of prebiotic molecules in interstellar space. The discoveries indicate that some basic chemicals that are key steps on the way to life may have formed on dusty ice grains floating between the stars.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:34:34 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228113436.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228113401.htm An international team of scientists have discovered a meteorite with a mass of 18 kilograms embedded in the East Antarctic ice sheet, the largest?such meteorite found in the region since 1988.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:34:34 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228113401.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228103341.htm Astronomers have obtained what is likely the first direct observation of a forming planet still embedded in a thick disc of gas and dust. If confirmed, this discovery will greatly improve our understanding of how planets form and allow astronomers to test the current theories against an observable target.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:33:33 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228103341.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228093833.htm The acceleration of a free electron by a laser is a long-time goal of solid-state physicists. Physicists have established that an electron beam can be accelerated by a laser in free space. This has never been done before at high energies and represents a significant breakthrough, and may have implications for fusion as a new energy source.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228093833.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228093829.htm In a significant advance for brain-computer interfaces, engineers have developed a novel wireless, broadband, rechargeable, fully implantable brain sensor that has performed well in animal models for more than a year.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228093829.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228093823.htm Researchers have electronically linked the brains of pairs of rats for the first time, enabling them to communicate directly to solve simple behavioral puzzles. A further test of this work successfully linked the brains of two animals thousands of miles apart -- one in Durham, N.C., and one in Natal, Brazil.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228093823.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228093509.htm The salinity difference between fresh water and salt water could be a source of renewable energy. However, power yields from existing techniques are not high enough to make them viable. A solution to this problem may now have been found. Researchers have discovered a new means of harnessing this energy: osmotic flow through boron nitride nanotubes generates huge electric currents, with 1,000 times the efficiency of any previous system.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:35:35 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228093509.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228080242.htm Order tends towards disorder. This is also true for quantum states. Measurements show that in quantum mechanics this transition can be quite different from what we experience in our daily lives.Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:02:02 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130228080242.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183502.htm Bearded capuchin monkeys deliberately place palm nuts in a stable position on a surface before trying to crack them open, revealing their capacity to use tactile information to improve tool use.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:35:35 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183502.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183311.htm For the first time, scientists have shown that transplanted eyes located far outside the head in a vertebrate animal model can confer vision without a direct neural connection to the brain. Biologists used a frog model to shed new light -- literally -- on one of the major questions in regenerative medicine and sensory augmentation research.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:33:33 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227183311.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227151306.htm Researchers have achieved a major advance in understanding how genetic information is transcribed from DNA to RNA by providing the first step-by-step look at the biomolecular machinery that reads the human genome.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:13:13 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227151306.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134425.htm Unique fossils literally 'lift the lid' on ancient creature's head to expose one of the earliest examples of food manipulating limbs in evolutionary history, dating from around 530 million years ago.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:44:44 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134425.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134340.htm After four years of confinement to a wheelchair, Rick Constantine, 58, is now walking again after undergoing an unconventional surgery to restore the use of his leg.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:43:43 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134340.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134336.htm As a bird sings, some neurons in its brain prepare to make the next sounds while others are synchronized with the current notes?a coordination of physical actions and brain activity that is needed to produce complex movements. The finding that may lead to new ways of understanding human speech production.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:43:43 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134336.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134334.htm A new study reports that a viral predator of the cholera bacteria has stolen the functional immune system of bacteria and is using it against its bacterial host. This provides the first evidence that this type of virus, the bacteriophage, can acquire an adaptive immune system. The study has implications for phage therapy, the use of phages to treat bacterial diseases.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:43:43 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227134334.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227132544.htm Two X-ray space observatories, NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton, have teamed up to measure definitively, for the first time, the spin rate of a black hole with a mass 2 million times that of our sun.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:25:25 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227132544.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227121903.htm While water bottles may tout BPA-free labels and personal care products declare phthalates not among their ingredients, these assurances may not be enough. According to a new study, we may be exposed to these chemicals in our diet, even if our diet is organic and we prepare, cook, and store foods in non-plastic containers. Children may be most vulnerable.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:19:19 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227121903.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227102022.htm A look at how the brain processes information finds distinct pattern in autistic children. Using EEGs to track the brain's electrical cross-talk, researchers found structural difference in brain connections. Compared with neurotypical children, those with autism have multiple redundant connections between neighboring brain areas at expense of long-distance links. The study, using "network analysis" like with airlines or electrical grids, may help in understanding some classic autistic behaviors.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:20:20 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227102022.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227101951.htm Oocytes of lions, tigers and other cat species survive the preservation in liquid nitrogen. Scientists have now succeeded in carrying out cryopreservation of felid ovary cortex.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:19:19 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227101951.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227101929.htm Older people who have low expectations for a satisfying future may be more likely to live longer, healthier lives than those who see brighter days ahead, according to new research.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:19:19 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227101929.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085944.htm A new study offers the first evidence of source memory in a nonhuman animal. The findings have fascinating implications, both in evolutionary terms and for future research into the biological underpinnings of memory, as well as the treatment of diseases marked by memory failure such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's, or disorders such as schizophrenia, PTSD and depression.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:59:59 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085944.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085942.htm Scientists are using a novel fabrication process to create ultra-efficient solar energy rectennas capable of harvesting more than 70 percent of the sun's electromagnetic radiation and simultaneously converting it into usable electric power.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:59:59 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085942.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085842.htm Continuing a tradition stretching back more than 25 centuries, astronomers have used the new 2.3-meter 'Aristarchos' telescope, sited at Helmos Observatory (2340m high) in the Pelοponnese Mountains in Greece, to determine the distance to and history of an enigmatic stellar system, discovering it to likely be a binary star cocooned within an exotic nebula.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:58:58 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085842.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085838.htm Pregnant women should avoid taking vitamin D supplements, new research suggests. Substitution appears to raise the risk of children developing a food allergy after birth.Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:58:58 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130227085838.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226194006.htm A study finds an increased risk of narcolepsy in children and adolescents who received the A/H1N1 2009 influenza vaccine (Pandemrix) during the pandemic in England.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:40:40 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226194006.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226141233.htm An international team led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has documented a 78 percent decline in the number of nests of the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) at the turtle's last stronghold in the Pacific Ocean.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:12:12 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226141233.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226134259.htm Researchers are testing the power of holography to artificially stimulate cells in the eye, with hopes of developing a new strategy for bionic vision restoration. Computer-generated holography, they say, could be used in conjunction with a technique called optogenetics, which uses gene therapy to deliver light-sensitive proteins to damaged retinal nerve cells. In conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP), these light-sensing cells degenerate and lead to blindness.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:42:42 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226134259.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226120551.htm Plentiful food can accelerate the spread of infections, scientists have shown in a study of water fleas. Scientists studying bacterial infections in tiny water fleas have discovered that increasing their supply of food can speed up the spread of infection.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:05:05 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226120551.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226114023.htm Glass doesn't have to be brittle. Scientists propose a way of predicting whether a given glass will be brittle or ductile -- a property typically associated with metals like steel or aluminum -- and assert that any glass could have either quality.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:40:40 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226114023.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226114021.htm Scientists have developed a new method that better preserves the units necessary to power lightning-fast electronics, known as qubits. Hole spins, rather than electron spins, can keep quantum bits in the same physical state up to 10 times longer than before, the report finds.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:40:40 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226114021.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226113830.htm Fresh insights into the protective seal that surrounds the DNA of our cells could help develop treatments for inherited muscle, brain, bone and skin disorders. Researchers have discovered that the proteins within this coating -- known as the nuclear envelope -- vary greatly between cells in different organs of the body.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226113830.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226113828.htm Researchers have demonstrated a stretchable lithium-ion battery -- a flexible device capable of powering their innovative stretchable electronics. The battery can stretch up to 300 percent of its original size and still function -- even when stretched, folded, twisted and mounted on a human elbow. The battery enables true integration of electronics and power into a small, stretchable package that is wirelessly rechargeable.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:38:38 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226113828.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226101454.htm Firefighters now have a new tool that could help save lives. A team of researchers have developed a new technique using digital holography that can "see" people through intense flames -- the first time a holographic recording of a live person has been achieved while the body is moving. The new technique allows imaging through both.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:14:14 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226101454.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226101400.htm Scientists have long been dreaming about building a computer that would work like a brain. This is because a brain is far more energy-saving than a computer, it can learn by itself, and it doesn't need any programming. Scientists are experimenting with memristors -- electronic microcomponents that imitate natural nerves.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:14:14 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226101400.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226092142.htm Researchers have successfully generated human kidney cells from human embryonic stem cells in vitro1. Specifically, they produced the renal cells under artificial conditions in the lab without using animals or organs. This has not been possible until now.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226092142.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226092128.htm Researchers have succeeded in showing experimentally that vacuums have properties not previously observed. According to the laws of quantum mechanics, it is a state with abundant potentials. Vacuums contain momentarily appearing and disappearing virtual pairs, which can be converted into detectable light particles.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:21:21 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226092128.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226081155.htm During sleep, our brains store what we have learned during the day a process even more effective in children than in adults, new research shows.Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:11:11 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130226081155.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225181536.htm Results of a major study aimed at assessing the efficacy of the Mediterranean diet in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases show that such a diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or tree nuts reduces by 30 percent the risk of suffering a cardiovascular death, a myocardial infarction or a stroke.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225181536.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225162231.htm Researchers have found significantly higher levels of toxic metals in children with autism, compared to typical children. They hypothesize that reducing early exposure to toxic metals may help lessen symptoms of autism, though they say this hypotheses needs further examination.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:22:22 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225162231.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153130.htm For decades scientists around the world have attempted to regenerate primary liver cells known as hepatocytes because of their numerous biomedical applications, including hepatitis research, drug metabolism and toxicity studies, as well as transplantation for cirrhosis and other chronic liver conditions. But no lab in the world has been successful in identifying and growing liver stem cells in culture -- using any available technique -- until now.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153130.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153128.htm The world has suffered from severe regional weather extremes in recent years, such as the heat wave in the United States in 2011. Behind these devastating individual events there is a common physical cause, propose scientists in a new study. It suggests that human-made climate change repeatedly disturbs the patterns of atmospheric flow around the globe's Northern hemisphere through a subtle resonance mechanism.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153128.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153126.htm Particles from the upper atmosphere trapped in a deep pile of Antarctic snow hold clear chemical traces of global meteorological events, climate scientists from France have found. Anomalies in oxygen found in sulfate particles coincide with several episodes of the world-wide disruption of weather known as El Nino and can be distinguished from similar signals left by the eruption of huge volcanoes, the team reports.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153126.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153124.htm Scientists have concluded that during the Late Archaic, maize (corn) was a primary component in the diet of people living in the Norte Chico region of Peru, an area of remarkable cultural florescence in 3rd millennium B.C. Up until now, the prevailing theory was that marine resources, not agriculture and corn, provided the economic engine behind the development of civilization in the Andean region of Peru.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153124.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153122.htm Environmental exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a widespread chemical found in plastics and resins, may suppress a gene vital to nerve cell function and to the development of the central nervous system, according to a new study.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:31:31 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225153122.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225131618.htm Even dying stars could host planets with life -- and if such life exists, we might be able to detect it within the next decade. This encouraging result comes from a new theoretical study of Earth-like planets orbiting white dwarf stars. Researchers found that we could detect oxygen in the atmosphere of a white dwarf's planet much more easily than for an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:16:16 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225131618.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225131532.htm People become more politically liberal immediately after practising a spiritual exercise such as meditation, researchers have found.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:15:15 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225131532.htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225122045.htm New maps by scientists show how rising sea temperatures are likely to affect all coral reefs in the form of annual coral bleaching events under different emission scenarios. If carbon emissions stay on the current path most of the world's coral reefs (74 percent) are projected to experience coral bleaching conditions annually by 2045, results of the study show.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:20:20 ESThttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225122045.htm

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/rss/top_news/top_science.xml

birdman whip it gabby giffords gabby giffords geithner gabrielle giffords juliette lewis

Roll Your Own Do Not Disturb Mode for OS X's Notification Center

Do Not Disturb is one of iOS's best features (when it's working, anyway), but OS X Mountain Lion doesn't have a similar setting to disable notifications at a scheduled time. Luckily, it's easy to create your own workaround.

OS X's Notification Center does have a toggle at the top of the screen to disable notifications, but you have to enable it and disable it manually. Ben Waldie at TUAW recently came to the rescue with an ingenious AppleScript that can flip that can automatically flip that switch on a schedule. You can create the scripts yourself with his walkthrough, or just download the files from TUAW.

Once your scripts are set up, you can easily trigger them with calendar appointments. So for example, you could set a recurring calendar event to disable notifications when you're at work and need to focus. Or, you could add the trigger as an alarm to any existing calendar event, which could be handy if you have a meeting scheduled where other people might be looking at your monitor.

AppleScripting Notification Center Scheduling Do Not Disturb | TUAW via Shawn Blanc

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/QaAm02lS5FI/roll-your-own-do-not-disturb-mode-for-os-xs-notification-center

phish gluten free diet barry zito mac virus santorum drops out bby zimmerman website

Video: Sperling responds to President?s debate comments

A Second Take on Meeting the Press: From an up-close look at Rachel Maddow's sneakers to an in-depth look at Jon Krakauer's latest book ? it's all fair game in our "Meet the Press: Take Two" web extra. Log on Sundays to see David Gregory's post-show conversations with leading newsmakers, authors and roundtable guests. Videos are available on-demand by 12 p.m. ET on Sundays.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3032608/vp/51024933#51024933

half time show halftime show 2012 kelly clarkson super bowl 2012 ok go peyton manning super bowl nsx chad ochocinco

UK's 'naked rambler' arrested for nudity, again

LONDON (AP) ? A British man who has spent most of the past decade naked ? and in jail ? was back behind bars Friday after defying an order to cover up.

Stephen Gough, known as the "Naked Rambler," was arrested Thursday as he left a court in Southampton, southern England, wearing only boots, socks and a knapsack.

A judge had just imposed an order that he must "wear sufficient clothing in public to at least cover his genitalia and buttocks."

The 54-year-old former Royal Marine appeared at the same court Friday, and was ordered detained until a hearing on March 25.

Since 2003 Gough has completed two naked walks the length of Britain, with frequent interruptions for arrests, court appearances and jail time.

Prosecution lawyer Roger Trencher said Friday that Gough "has caused much offense nationwide and he has used a considerable amount of police time in England, Wales and Scotland."

Gough has said he believes nudity is a human right. Defense lawyer Jeffrey Norie-Mille told the court that Gough "believes it is his right not to wear clothes and go about his normal activities in that state of undress."

There is no law in Britain against public nudity. However, there are laws against indecent exposure or behavior likely to cause "harassment, alarm or distress."

Gough has served multiple sentences for appearing nude in public places including courts and an airplane.

He could face up to five years in jail for breaching the no-nudity command, known as an Anti-Social Behavior Order.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2013-03-01-Britain-Naked%20Rambler/id-f19bd8356e8c472fb82f96468aebe595

steelers scarlett johansson tim tebow survivor snl peter frampton smokey robinson