Tuesday, October 22, 2013

The new iPads: Want thrills? Look elsewhere


The new iPads: Want thrills? Look elsewhere

Credit: iStockphoto



Apple today showed off new iPad and iPad Mini models. In the month before the iPhone 5c and 5s were announced, there were constant rumors about what they would sport. On the whole, the rumor mill was very accurate, no doubt thanks to a little help from Apple to keep the iPhone top of mind. By contrast, there were few rumors circulating about the new iPads.


Did that mean Apple has shocks in store -- or there's not much to say about them? It was more of the latter. As expected, the new iPad -- named the iPad Air -- uses Apple's 64-bit A7 processor and M7 motion coprocessor (both introduced in the iPhone 5s), but not the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. The big deal is that it is 20 percent thinner and much lighter, weighing 1.0 pound versus 1.4 pounds. The cheaper iPad Mini gains the Retina display and A7 processor, though it doesn't run as fast. They begin shipping in November at the same prices and configurations as the previous models.


[ Mobile security compared: iOS vs. stock Android vs. Samsung SAFE vs. Windows Phone 8 vs. BlackBerry 10. | See InfoWorld's recommendations for a road warrior's must-have mobile toolkit, and discover the best productivity apps for your iPad. | Keep up on key mobile developments and insights via Twitter and with the Mobile Edge blog and Mobilize newsletter. ]


Apple updated its iPad covers, but did not add built-in keyboard, à la Microsoft's Type Cover for its Surface Pro, as some rumors suggested. Apple also announced the significant updates promised earlier this year to the iWork suite for both iOS and OS X.


But for most people, new iPads are what's hot. A 64-bit iPad, coupled with the 64-bit iOS 7 and apps designed for 64-bit processing (there are now extremely few), could be a powerful alternative to a lightweight laptop. It could even run complex or compute-intensive apps such as Adobe Photoshop that today need more horsepower than what a tablet delivers.


I know many people who carry only an iPad while traveling, and at the Interop networking conference a few weeks ago, I met several CIOs who expected to have sizable tablet-only user communities in a few years, particularly for sales forces and field forces. The group could even extend to desk workers who require little beyond email, the Web, and core office productivity capabilities that you can already get on an iPad and and that Google, Microsoft, and Apple are all working to deliver via the Web.


But more is needed.


Source: http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobile-technology/the-new-ipads-want-thrills-look-elsewhere-228836?source=rss_infoworld_top_stories_
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Ahoy mateys! US to stop printing nautical charts


WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government is going into uncharted waters. It is deep-sixing the giant paper nautical charts that they've been printing for mariners for more than 150 years.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday that the traditional paper charts won't be printed after next April.

NOAA's Capt. Shep Smith said the agency will still chart the water for rocks, shipwrecks and dangers, but mariners will have to see the information using private on-demand printing, PDFs and electronic maps.

The 4-by-3 foot roadmaps of the oceans won't be printed because of the Federal Aviation Administration. Smith said the FAA took over federal chart-making in the 1990s and recently told NOAA it will stop making the charts to save money.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ahoy-mateys-us-stop-printing-nautical-charts-172350223.html
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Nokia’s 'Black' WinPho Update: RAW Photo Support, New Apps and More

Nokia’s 'Black' WinPho Update: RAW Photo Support, New Apps and More

The latest update to Nokia’s Windows Phone build (which expands upon Microsoft’s GDR3 release), named Black, brings with it some features you may be surprised to learn Nokia handsets didn’t already contain…but here’s a big one for you: It also brings RAW support, not available on any smartphone before.

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/pLpHePFC3Ng/nokia-s-black-winpho-update-raw-photo-support-new-a-1449920039
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Nokia debuts its first Windows tablet, two 'phablets,' and three cheap phones


Nokia has added a tablet and two large-screen smartphones to its Lumia family, and is once again counting on its camera technology to attract buyers.


The Lumia 2520 tablet -- which runs Microsoft's much-criticized Windows RT operating system, has a 10-inch HD screen and is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor. It has a 6.7-megapixel camera that can take pictures in low light conditions, unlike those on other tablets, according to Nokia. The screen is also bright enough to be read in sunlight, the company said.


Nokia has developed a keyboard with an integrated battery that can add up to five hours of extra life after the integrated 8000 mAh battery has given up. Unlike Microsoft's Surface 2 tablet, whch was released today, the Lumia 2520 has LTE as well as Wi-Fi.


Additionally, the Lumia 2520 includes Storyteller, a Nokia-developed app that combines images and videos as a story on a map, as well as Nokia Video Director, which offers the ability to edit videos shot on the tablet.


The Nokia Lumia 2520 will cost about $499 before taxes and subsidies, and will start shipping in the U.S., the U.K. and Finland before the end of the year. Additional countries to follow shortly after, Nokia said.


"Nokia is fully aware of the challenge it faces in tablets. The 2520 will be a difficult sell owing to the challenges of Windows RT, but Nokia is rightly playing to its strengths," said Geoff Blaber, director of devices and platforms at CCS Insight.


The Lumia 1320 and Lumia 1520 smartphones, revealed today as well, both run Windows Phone 8 and have 6-inch screens. The 1520 is the high-end model, with a full HD screen, LTE, and a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor. The device has 32GB of storage, which can be expanded by another 64GB using a MicroSD card slot, something that has been missing from recent Nokia smartphones.


Nokia is leaning on its camera technology to differentiate its products from rivals. The Lumia 1520 has a 20-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization. Nokia has also developed a new app called Camera that lets users access settings more easily, the company said.


The Lumia 1520 will start shipping this quarter in Hong Kong, Singapore, the U.S., China, the U.K., France, Germany, and Finland. The price will be $749, before taxes and subsidies.


The Lumia 1320 will cost $339 before taxes and subsidies, but only has a dual-core processor and 720p screen resolution. It also has a simpler 5-megapixel camera, but users can still access the Internet using LTE. Nokia expects to start shipping it in the first quarter of 2014 in China and Vietnam, followed by other Asian markets, India, and Europe.


The lower price will make the smartphone a good fit for the Chinese market, said Pete Cunningham, a principal analyst at Canalys.


Both devices will run a new version of Windows Phone 8 called General Distribution Release 3, to which Nokia has added enhancements such as its Camera app. The software will also be offered to users of existing Lumia devices via an update called Black.


Instagram and Vine will soon be available on Lumia devices too, Nokia announced. App availability is still Windows Phone's Achilles heel, but the availability of those two third-party apps is a step in the right direction.


With these two large-screen smartphones, often called "phablets" due to being halfway in size between a smartphone and a tablet, Nokia is entering a competitive market, up against devices including the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the HTC One Max.


Nokia also hopes to better compete with low-end Android devices with three new Asha phones, including the Asha 503 with 3G for US$99.


Source: http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobile-technology/nokia-debuts-its-first-windows-tablet-two-phablets-and-three-cheap-phones-229250
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Amanda Seyfried: Out with Man’s Best Friend in Manhattan

Showing some love to her canine companion, Amanda Seyfried took her pooch for a stroll in New York City on Sunday afternoon (October 20).


The “Big Love” lady and her beloved dog navigated the West Village streets while dodging the paparazzi and getting some exercise.


In career news, Seyfried recently signed on to star opposite Russell Crowe in the forthcoming “Fathers and Daughters” flick.


Directed by Gabriele Muccino, the film “moves back and forth between the 1980s where Jake Davis, a famous novelist and widower, struggles with mental illness as he tries to raise his 5-year-old daughter, Katie, and 30-year-old Katie’s life in present-day Manhattan where she battles the demons that stem from her troubled childhood.”


Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/amanda-seyfried/amanda-seyfried-out-man%E2%80%99s-best-friend-manhattan-946739
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US seeking to soothe France over NSA snooping (The Arizona Republic)

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Whitney Houston Gets Wax Treatment in London

Her untimely death is still fresh in the air, and Whitney Houston was immortalized in wax thanks to Madame Tussauds.


The “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” songstress’ likeness was unveiled in London on Monday (October 21), and a choir of 30 gospel singers also showed up to provide a proper welcome.


Madame Tussauds’ Nicole Fenner told press, “We are very excited to be welcoming Whitney Houston on to our London music stage for the next eight weeks. This is a very special figure as it was created after Whitney’s very sad and untimely death with the close co-operation of her family, who were delighted by the results.”


Colin Vassell of the London Gospel Factory Choir added, “Whitney Houston is one of the most talented singers of her – or any – generation and we were delighted to welcome her wax figure to London. She is a personal hero of mine so to get to stand alongside her and sing was a slightly surreal but awesome experience. We chose a song she performed in the film ‘The Preacher’s Wife’ because it is so uplifting and great fun to perform. We hope we did her justice.”


Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/whitney-houston/whitney-houston-gets-wax-treatment-london-946791
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Obama Says He's 'Frustrated' About Health Care Site Issues


At the White House on Monday, President Obama acknowledged widespread problems with his health care law's website while still defending the Affordable Care Act. NPR White House Correspondent Scott Horsley talks with Steve Inskeep about the president's remarks.



Copyright © 2013 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.


STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:


NPR's business news starts with an acknowledgement of trouble by President Obama.


(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)


INSKEEP: OK, the president is speaking right now to reporters and others in the White House Rose Garden. Our White House correspondent Scott Horsley has been listening in. He's in our studios. Hi, Scott.


SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Steve.


INSKEEP: OK, the president's talking about Obamacare. What's he saying?


HORSLEY: Well, this is really the first big acknowledgement by the president that the problems with the website, healthcare.gov, that people are using to access the new insurance marketplaces are more than the glitches. He'd said all along there would be glitches. It's now become clear that the problems are more deep-seeded than that.


The president said there's no sugar coating that, and that he's as frustrated as anybody else. He also said the government is working to fix those problems. They're bringing in some top IT talent from the private sector to help out. He also says some of those private sector folks anticipated this kind of problem with a big undertaking like this.


INSKEEP: They might have anticipated it but they weren't ready for it...


(LAUGHTER)


INSKEEP: ..but it's going to be a problem here, isn't it, to get it fixed on the fly?


HORSLEY: Absolutely. You're trying to fix the airplane while flying the airplane, as the saying goes. But the president also stressed that what he calls the underlying product, the insurance that's available through these marketplaces is still good, even if it's tough to get access to it. And he stressed that the Affordable Care Act is more than just this website and that there are ways for people to access that insurance offline, either by the telephone or in person.


INSKEEP: OK, Scott, thanks very much.


HORSLEY: My pleasure.


INSKEEP: We'll be hearing more about this. NPR's Scott Horsley.


Copyright © 2013 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.


NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.


Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=239145590&ft=1&f=3
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Monday, October 21, 2013

Lasers, Drones, and Future Tech on the Front Lines of Archaeology

Lasers, Drones, and Future Tech on the Front Lines of Archaeology

James Newhard is Director of Archaeology at the College of Charleston, where he works to bring 3D imaging, mobile technology and geographic information systems to a field more popularly associated with shovels and dusty brushes. Gizmodo got in touch with Dr. Newhard to learn how he uses emerging tech to dig deep into ancient societies.

Read more...


    






Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/3Wp1BV8BqfY/lasers-drones-and-future-tech-on-the-front-lines-of-a-1447601864
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Fugitive Arrest: Former Banking Executive Caught In Italy





Former UBS banking executive Raoul Weil was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury in 2008, on charges that he helped wealthy clients avoid billions in taxes.



Antonio Calanni/AP


Former UBS banking executive Raoul Weil was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury in 2008, on charges that he helped wealthy clients avoid billions in taxes.


Antonio Calanni/AP


A former UBS bank executive who has been a fugitive since being indicted on federal charges in 2008 has been arrested in Italy. Swiss citizen Raoul Weil, the former head of UBS Global Wealth Management International, is accused of defrauding the U.S. government by helping clients evade taxes.


From Rome, NPR's Sylvia Poggioli filed this report for our Newscast unit:




"A police spokeswoman in Bologna said Raoul Weil was arrested Saturday when he checked into a Bologna hotel. That set off an alert system thanks to an international arrest warrant for Weill issued by the United States.


"The U.S. declared him a fugitive in early 2009, after he failed to surrender on charges he conspired to help 17,000 Americans hide assets worth $20 billion in Swiss bank accounts.


"That same year, UBS was fined $780 million and agreed to hand over the names of some 4,500 U.S. clients with secret Swiss bank accounts to avoid facing criminal charges. That deal marked a historic break in Switzerland's long tradition of bank secrecy."




Before he became a fugitive, Weil, 53, faced "up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines," the industry website WealthManagement.com reported at the time of his indictment. Weil has said he is innocent of the charges against him.


In announcing the 2008 indictment against Weil, the Justice Department said, "In 2004 alone, Swiss bankers, who ultimately reported to Weil, traveled to the United States approximately 3,800 times to discuss their clients' Swiss bank accounts."


Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/21/239239444/fugitive-arrest-former-banking-executive-caught-in-italy?ft=1&f=
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Headlines From Around The World





A woman walks past a newsstand in Beijing.



Alexander F. Yuan/AP


A woman walks past a newsstand in Beijing.


Alexander F. Yuan/AP


We begin with more revelations about the National Security Agency's spying program – this time from France.


Le Monde reported that the NSA monitored 70.3 million French phone records during a 30-day period. The article was co-authored by Glenn Greenwald. He's the American journalist who's broken many of the stories on the agency's spying programs around the world – stories made possible by the leak of documents by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.


The French Foreign Ministry has summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest the reported spying.


It's the latest revelations about the NSA's spying program that has strained relations with allies such as Brazil. But Monday's story comes at a particularly embarrassing time for the U.S. as it coincides with Secretary of State John Kerry's arrival in Paris.


Meanwhile in Egypt, political and religious figures are condemning the attack outside a Coptic Christian church that killed four people, including two girls, ages 8 and 12.


Al-Ahram reports that a man randomly fired 15 rounds at a wedding ceremony outside the church in Cairo's Warraq neighborhood on Sunday.


Interim Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi called the attack a "cowardly criminal act." The attack was also condemned by the grand imam of the influential Al-Azhar mosque and the Salafist Nour Party.


But Al-Ahram reported that a Christian rights group blamed the government for the attack, saying it hadn't done enough to protect the community, which makes up about 10 percent of Egypt's population. Attacks against Christians have risen following the July coup that ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.


Now to Zimbabwe, where the government-owned Herald reports that Western sanctions, which it calls illegal, are hurting the country's industry.


The Industrial Development Corp. has had more than $20 million frozen in the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, the newspaper reported. Here's more:




"The Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company, one of the IDC subsidiaries, still has US$5 million frozen to date as the US applies its Zimbabwe Transition to Democracy and Economic Recovery Act, its sanctions law.


"The Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe also lost over US$30 million in revenue to OFAC."




The newspaper estimated that Zimbabwe's economy has shrunk by some 40 percent over the past 13 years, and blamed "the West's illegal sanctions regime."


U.S. imposed sanctions against President Robert Mugabe's government in 2003 following his crackdown on opposition groups in the country.


And, finally, to Mexico, where 7 out of 10 people say the national soccer team doesn't deserve to play in next year's World Cup in Brazil, according to a poll by El Universal newspaper.


The national team has suffered embarrassing losses and failed to qualify directly for Brazil. The team takes on New Zealand in a playoff next month.


Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/10/21/238977122/headlines-from-around-the-world?ft=1&f=1009
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Study: 15 percent of US youth out of school, work


WASHINGTON (AP) — Almost 6 million young people are neither in school nor working, according to a study released Monday.

That's almost 15 percent of those aged 16 to 24 who have neither desk nor job, according to The Opportunity Nation coalition, which wrote the report.

Other studies have shown that idle young adults are missing out on a window to build skills they will need later in life or use the knowledge they acquired in college. Without those experiences, they are less likely to command higher salaries and more likely to be an economic drain on their communities.

"This is not a group that we can write off. They just need a chance," said Mark Edwards, executive director of the coalition of businesses, advocacy groups, policy experts and nonprofit organizations dedicated to increasing economic mobility. "The tendency is to see them as lost souls and see them as unsavable. They are not."

But changing the dynamic is not going to be easy.

The coalition also finds that 49 states have seen an increase in the number of families living in poverty and 45 states have seen household median incomes fall in the last year. The dour report underscores the challenges young adults face now and foretell challenges they are likely to face as they get older.

A young person's community is often closely tied to his or her success. The Opportunity Nation report tracked 16 factors — Internet access, college graduation rates, income inequality and public safety among them — and identified states that were doing well for its young people.

Topping the list of supportive states are Vermont, Minnesota and North Dakota. At the bottom? Nevada, Mississippi and New Mexico.

"Their destiny is too often determined by their ZIP code," said Charlie Mangiardi, who works with Year Up, a nonprofit that trains young adults for careers and helps them find jobs.

"We have the supply. We don't have a lack of young people who need this opportunity," Mangiardi added.

Just look at some of the nation's largest cities. Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Riverside, Calif., all have more than 100,000 idle youth, the Opportunity Nation report found.

"Often times they lack the social capital in life," Mangiardi said. "There's a whole pool of talent that is motivated, loyal and hardworking." They just can't get through an employer's door, he added.

That's why Year Up spends a year working with high school graduates to teach them career skills such as computer programming or equipment repair they can use when the program ends. It also includes life coaching so they can learn skills such as time management. More than 4,500 young adults from urban areas have completed the program and 84 percent of them have found work.

But it's a far tougher time for other young people.

In Mississippi and West Virginia, 1 in 5 young people are idle — higher than their older neighbors. Mississippi has an overall unemployment rate of 8 percent, while West Virginia posts about 7 percent. Like most states, they saw their unemployment rate fall since 2011, but researchers caution that shift could come from fewer residents looking for work and from more who had simply given up their search for jobs.

And it's not as though the challenges emerge from nowhere. Quality early childhood programs help students from poor families overcome societal hurdles, and on-time high school graduation rates often follow quality schools — other factors Opportunity Nation examined in its report.

"A lot of times we don't want to look at data because we don't want to be depressed," said Rob Denson, president of Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa.

But it's an uncomfortable reality that needs to be addressed, he said.

Using previous years' reports from Opportunity Nation, Denson helped rally community organizations in his city to develop a pilot program to help students as young as 14 find summer work.

"When we got the index, it really allowed us to use it as a rallying point for all of the community-based organizations we work with to say, 'Look, this is what the world sees when they look at Iowa,'" he said.

Starting next summer, Des Moines students will be placed in paying jobs, part of a citywide collaboration to help its urban communities. It will help older adults, as well, because crime rates are expected to fall, he said.

"If they're not in school or at work," Denson said, "they're not usually doing something positive."

___

Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip_elliott

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/study-15-percent-us-youth-school-040246252.html
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Anna Kendrick Brings "Drinking Buddies" to London

Taking her comedy flick overseas, Anna Kendrick showed up at the BFI London Film Festival in England on Friday (October 18).


The "Pitch Perfect" beauty looked absolutely stunning in a two piece black and floral ensemble featuring her toned tummy as she headed down the red carpet.


Per the synopsis, "Drinking Buddies" is about "Luke and Kate are co-workers at a Chicago brewery, where they spend their days drinking and flirting. They're perfect for each other, except that they're both in relationships. Luke is in the midst of marriage talks with his girlfriend of six years, Kate is playing it cool with her music producer boyfriend Chris. But you know what makes the line between 'friends' and 'more than friends' really blurry? Beer."


Starring alongside Anna are Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson and Ron Livingston.


Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/drinking-buddies/anna-kendrick-brings-drinking-buddies-london-945597
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Tropical Storm Priscilla's short life

Tropical Storm Priscilla's short life


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Public release date: 17-Oct-2013
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Contact: Rob Gutro
robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center






Tropical Storm Priscilla lived just 3 days in the eastern Pacific Ocean making for one of the shortest-lived tropical storms of the season.


Priscilla skipped the depression phase and went from a low pressure area to a full-blown tropical storm at 5 a.m. EDT/0900 UTC on Oct. 14. Priscilla formed near 14.3 north and 115.7 west, about 705 miles/1,135 km southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Priscilla moved north-northeast and had maximum sustained winds near 40 mph/65 kph at birth.


On Oct. 15 Priscilla had already weakened to a depression because of wind shear and the arrival of more stable air into the environment around the tropical storm.


At 5 p.m. EDT/2100 UTC, Priscilla's maximum sustained winds dropped to 35 mph/55 kph. The center of tropical depression Priscilla was located near latitude 17.7 north and longitude 117.5, about 610 miles/980 km southwest of the southern tip of Baja California



Priscilla was moving toward the west-northwest near 8 mph/13 kph and this general motion is expected to continue through Oct. 16.


A GOES-West satellite visible image on Oct. 15 at 2215 UTC/6:15 p.m. EDT that showed the bulk of precipitation west of the center from wind shear.


By Oct. 17, Priscilla was a post-tropical cyclone. The last bulletin issued by the National Hurricane Center pinpointed the center near 18.7 north and 120.9 west, about 765 miles west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The post-tropical cyclone was fading fast as sustained winds dropped to 25 knots/28.7 mph/46.3 kph. The National Hurricane Center noted at 0300 UTC on Oct. 17/11 p.m. EDT Oct. 16, that Priscilla ceased to qualify as a tropical cyclone.


###

Text credit: Rob Gutro

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center




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Tropical Storm Priscilla's short life


[ Back to EurekAlert! ]
Public release date: 17-Oct-2013
[


| E-mail



| Share Share

]

Contact: Rob Gutro
robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center






Tropical Storm Priscilla lived just 3 days in the eastern Pacific Ocean making for one of the shortest-lived tropical storms of the season.


Priscilla skipped the depression phase and went from a low pressure area to a full-blown tropical storm at 5 a.m. EDT/0900 UTC on Oct. 14. Priscilla formed near 14.3 north and 115.7 west, about 705 miles/1,135 km southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Priscilla moved north-northeast and had maximum sustained winds near 40 mph/65 kph at birth.


On Oct. 15 Priscilla had already weakened to a depression because of wind shear and the arrival of more stable air into the environment around the tropical storm.


At 5 p.m. EDT/2100 UTC, Priscilla's maximum sustained winds dropped to 35 mph/55 kph. The center of tropical depression Priscilla was located near latitude 17.7 north and longitude 117.5, about 610 miles/980 km southwest of the southern tip of Baja California



Priscilla was moving toward the west-northwest near 8 mph/13 kph and this general motion is expected to continue through Oct. 16.


A GOES-West satellite visible image on Oct. 15 at 2215 UTC/6:15 p.m. EDT that showed the bulk of precipitation west of the center from wind shear.


By Oct. 17, Priscilla was a post-tropical cyclone. The last bulletin issued by the National Hurricane Center pinpointed the center near 18.7 north and 120.9 west, about 765 miles west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The post-tropical cyclone was fading fast as sustained winds dropped to 25 knots/28.7 mph/46.3 kph. The National Hurricane Center noted at 0300 UTC on Oct. 17/11 p.m. EDT Oct. 16, that Priscilla ceased to qualify as a tropical cyclone.


###

Text credit: Rob Gutro

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center




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




Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/nsfc-tsp101713.php
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Obama, Dems are unified now but face tough tests

WASHINGTON (AP) — For President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats, this month's budget battles brought about a remarkable period of party unity, a welcome change for the White House after a summer of disputes over possible military action in Syria, government spying programs and the president's pick to lead the Federal Reserve.


But Democratic solidarity will face a tougher test during the broader budget talks following the reopening of the government and the increase of Treasury's borrowing authority. While the prospect of a large-scale agreement is slim, Republicans will try to extract concessions from Obama on spending, deficit reduction and entitlement reform — all areas where Democratic lawmakers have worried the president is willing to give up too much.


"When things get serious, some of these negotiations are going to be awfully tough for people," Jim Manley, former adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said of congressional Democrats.


Throughout the 16-day shutdown and march toward the debt ceiling deadline, congressional Democrats lined up solidly behind Obama and his vow to not negotiate with Republicans. It was a hard-line stance that many in the party wished he had taken during previous fiscal fights.


Democratic unity was further bolstered by the fissures that emerged among Republicans and a burst of polling that showed the GOP was taking the brunt of the public's blame for the shutdown. And in the end, every congressional Democrat voted for the deal that keeps the government open until Jan. 15, lifts the debt ceiling until Feb. 7, and opens two months of budget negotiations.


But if any agreement does emerge from those talks, it will likely require Obama to make concessions that could rankle his Democratic allies.


The biggest sticking point could be over reforms to federal benefit programs, which Democrats have refused to accept without accompanying increases in tax revenue — a non-starter for GOP leaders. The budget plan Obama outlined this year put Democrats on edge because it proposed bold changes to Medicare and Social Security.


One possible compromise in the end-of-the-year talks may involve Obama offering more modest entitlement changes in exchange for easing the automatic spending cuts known as the sequester, echoing an idea floated by House Republicans during the shutdown.


The sequester is unpopular with both parties. But there is little consensus over how to offset the spending cuts, which are scheduled to intensify in mid-January, with the Pentagon bearing most of the cuts.


Democrats don't appear to want to compromise over spending levels. Party leaders say they already gave in to Republicans by agreeing to let the GOP extend the current sequester levels through Jan. 15 as part of the short-term deal to end the shutdown.


White House officials say Obama has made clear to Democrats that no one will emerge from budget negotiations with everything on his wish list.


"He will not get in a budget negotiation everything he wants, and neither will Democrats and neither will Republicans," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.


Patrick Griffin, who served as legislative director for President Bill Clinton, said Obama's challenge will be balancing an outcome that could help build bipartisan support for his other agenda items with the desires of Democrats facing re-election in 2014.


"What might be good for the president for his next three years might not be the same agenda that's good for (Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid and the caucus for the next year," he said.


Before the shutdown and debt debate, it appeared as though the ties between the White House and Democrats were fraying. Liberal Democrats were angry over revelations that the White House was continuing government spying programs started under President George W. Bush. Many in the party opposed Obama's call for possible military action in Syria following a chemical weapons attack. And several Democratic lawmakers revolted against Obama's preferred choice to lead the Federal Reserve, forcing economist Lawrence Summers to withdraw his name from consideration even before he could be nominated.


Fearing the fractures could bleed over into the budget battles, the White House, along with Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, spent weeks trying to shore up support within the party. Obama was in frequent contact with party leaders and held meetings with the full Democratic caucus, both on Capitol Hill and at the White House.


Democratic officials say the unity spilled over into fundraising efforts. The DNC, which has struggled to raise money this year, said it brought in $850,000 the day before the government shutdown, marking its best one-day fundraising haul since before the November election. And halfway through the month, DNC communications director Mo Elleithee said October is already the committee's biggest fundraising month of the year. He did not say how much the DNC has raised so far this month.


Sean Spicer, communications director for the Republican National Committee, said the GOP has also seen a "large uptick" in fundraising since the end of September, but he did not provide specific numbers.


___


Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC


Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-dems-unified-now-face-tough-tests-181514777.html
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Nick Cannon: I’m Lucky My Job Lets Me Spend Time with My Kids

"When you think about it there are so many other occupations that take the parents away from the home for a long period of time," Cannon tells PEOPLE.Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/LK_WjtwXJRg/
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Sunday, October 20, 2013

Neil Patrick Harris, Family Dress as Alice in Wonderland Characters for Halloween: Picture


Cutest family ever? Neil Patrick Harris and his fiance David Burtka have continued their costume-themed tradition with their adorable twins -- Harper and Gideon, 3. The How I Met Your Mother and his family were spotted dressed as the Alice in Wonderland characters in Studio City, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 19. 


PHOTOS: Celebrity LGBT allies


Harris, 40, and Burtka, 38, went as Tweedledee and Tweedledum as they dressed their beautiful daughter as Alice and Gideon as the March Hare. The couple was photographed wearing their adorable outfits as the Smurfs actor held on to Gideon and Burtka carried Harper on his shoulders.


PHOTOS: Hollywood's out and proud celebrities


This marks the third year in a row that the family went for a film theme. Last year, they went as characters from The Wizard of Oz; Harris dressed as The Tin Man, Burtka as The Scarecrow, Harper as Dorothy and Gideon as The Cowardly Lion.


PHOTOS: Neil Patrick Harris' adorable family!


In 2011, the family took a trip to Neverland! The family went as characters from Peter Pan; Harris went as Captain Hook, Burtka as Peter Pan, Harper as Tinkerbell and Gideon went as his famous dad's sidekick, Smee.


Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/neil-patrick-harris-family-dress-as-alice-in-wonderland-characters-for-halloween-picture-20132010
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Britney Spears Brings Her Whip Skillz To Alan Carr's Show To Get His Employees To Work B*tch!





britney spears whipping on chatty man


If anyone can get someone to Work Bitch, it's most definitely Britney Spears!


And that's just what she did when she stopped by Alan Carr's Chatty Man. Not only did she get to break out her whip, but she also got to lay down the law on some of his employees!


But we've got to admit, looking as foxy as she does, we wouldn't mind if Brit Brit laid down the law on us!



Those employees are DAYUM lucky to have her so sexily disciplining them!


Ch-ch-check out the whole HIGHlarious bit…AFTER THE JUMP!!!







Source: http://perezhilton.com/2013-10-20-britney-spears-work-bitch-whip-moves-chatty-man-appearance
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Nicollette Sheridan's case over firing dismissed




FILE - In this March 13, 2012 file photo, "Desperate Housewives" star, Nicollette Sheridan arrives at court in Los Angeles. A Los Angeles judge on Friday Oct. 18, 2013, dismissed Sheridan’s long-running lawsuit against ABC over her release from “Desperate Housewives.” Sheridan contended she was fired because she complained the show’s creator hit her on set, but ABC denied any wrongdoing. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, file)





LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge on Friday dismissed Nicollette Sheridan's long-running wrongful termination lawsuit against ABC over her ouster from the hit television series "Desperate Housewives."

Without ruling on the facts of the case, Superior Court Judge Michael Stern determined the actress should have exhausted her claims to a labor commissioner before pursuing a trial.

The ruling stalled Sheridan's push for a retrial on claims filed in 2010 that she was fired after she complained that show creator Marc Cherry struck her on the head on the set in 2008.

Last year, a jury deadlocked 8-4 in favor of a Sheridan lawsuit alleging ABC had retaliated against her and cut her Edie Britt character due to her complaints about Cherry.

ABC denied it fired Sheridan or retaliated against her. Cherry and several executives with the show and the company previously testified that the decision to kill off the role was made before the incident with Cherry.

Cherry denied hitting the actress, claiming he tapped her on the head for artistic direction.

"It's the right result," ABC's attorney Adam Levin said after the hearing.

David Crochetiere, an attorney for Sheridan, said the ruling would be appealed. He noted that a majority of jurors sided with Sheridan in a two-week trial that focused on the behind-the-scenes intrigue and personalities involved in "Desperate Housewives."

Sheridan had been seeking roughly $6 million from her former employers.

An appeals court ruled in August 2012 that ABC and Touchstone Television hadn't wrongfully terminated Sheridan from the show. However, the ruling allowed her to keep pursuing retaliation claims.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nicollette-sheridans-case-over-firing-dismissed-162457979.html
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Stocks rally after Senate announces debt deal

NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market rallied Wednesday afternoon after the Senate announced a last-minute agreement to avoid a U.S. default and reopen the government.


Senate leaders announced the agreement following a partial, 16-day government shutdown. Congress raced to pass the measure by day's end.


The Dow Jones industrial average rose 174 points, or 1.2 percent, to 15,342 in early afternoon trading.


Despite the gridlock, stock investors have stayed largely calm throughout the latest twists in the current fiscal drama in Washington. Even before Wednesday's news, the Standard & Poor's 500 index and the Dow Jones industrial average were up for the month.


"Investors have become, unfortunately, accustomed to some of the dysfunction," said Eric Wiegand, a senior portfolio manager at U.S. Bank. "It's become more the norm than the exception."


The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 19 points, or 1.2 percent, to 1,717 Wednesday, just eight points from its all-time high of 1,725 set Sept. 18.


The Nasdaq composite rose 41 points, or 1 percent, to 3,835.


Without a debt deal, the U.S. would have hit a Thursday deadline after which it could no longer borrow money to pay its bills, increasing the chance of a default on government debt.


The market for U.S. treasury bills reflected relief among bond investors. The yield on the one-month T-bill dropped to 0.20 percent from 0.40 percent Wednesday morning, an extraordinarily large move. The decline means that investors consider the bill to be less risky.


The yield on the 10-year bond edged down to 2.71 percent from 2.74 percent Tuesday. Yields on longer-term U.S. government debt haven't moved as much as those on short-term debt because investors believed that the government would work out a longer-term solution.


The feeling among traders in recent days was that panicking and pulling money out of the market would hurt their investments.


In the summer of 2011, the S&P 500 index plunged 17 percent between early July and early August as lawmakers argued over raising the debt limit and Standard & Poor's cut the U.S. credit rating from 'AAA,' its highest ranking. The market later recovered.


Stocks also slumped in the last two weeks of 2012 as investors fretted that the U.S. would go over the "fiscal cliff" as lawmakers argued over a series of automatic government spending cuts. Stock also rebounded.


Among stocks making big moves:


— Mattel gained 96 cents, or 2.2 percent, to $42.51, after the company's third-quarter net income rose thanks to high demand for dolls like Monster High, Barbie and American Girl. The results were better than Wall Street analysts had forecast.


— Bank of America rose 30 cents, or 2.1 percent, to $14.55 after the second-largest U.S. bank reported a surge in third-quarter earnings.


— Stanley Black & Decker plunged $12.81, or 14.3 percent, to $76.76 after the company lowered its profit forecast for the year, citing slower growth in emerging markets and a hit from the U.S. government shutdown.


Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stocks-rally-senate-announces-debt-deal-172249674--finance.html
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These Classic Nike Sneakers Are Actually Made Out of Cigarette Packs

These Classic Nike Sneakers Are Actually Made Out of Cigarette Packs

We've all felt it: The unique kind of envy that results from encountering something you want, but can't afford. For some of us, it's the new iPhone. For others, it's an eight-foot-long hot tub boat. For artist Jason Ruff in his younger years, it was sneakers and cigarettes—which serve as materials for his latest project.

Read more...


    






Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/TFqgeYNjZ_g/these-classic-nike-sneakers-are-actually-made-out-of-ci-1447833906
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