maokoi: এপ্রিল 2013

মঙ্গলবার, ৩০ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Rep. Mike Rogers: 'Some Action Needs to be Taken' on Syria (ABC News)

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NBA player makes historic announcement

National Basketball Association center Jason Collins on Monday became the first male professional athlete in a major US team sport to reveal that he is gay.

In a lengthy post co-written with Sports Illustrated reporter Frank Lidz, Collins writes that after years of hiding his sexuality, March?s Supreme Court oral hearings pushed him to come out of the closet.

?Less than three miles from my apartment, nine jurists argued about my happiness and my future. Here was my chance to be heard, and I couldn?t say a thing,? Collins wrote.

RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about gay rights in America? Take the quiz!

Collins, who played for the Washington Wizards this year, waited until the season was over so as to not be a distraction to the team. Then he contacted Sports Illustrated through his agents to make the disclosure, according to an accompanying article.

?I?m glad I?m coming out in 2013 rather than 2003. The climate has shifted; public opinion as shifted. And yet we still have so much farther to go,? Collins concluded.

He is now a free agent but has said he wants to keep playing.

Will Collins?s move affect US public policy? To a certain extent, he is taking advantage of an existing trend toward more tolerance of gay rights in US public opinion. Earlier this month, an NBC/Wall Street Journal survey found 53 percent of respondents approving of gay marriage, up 2 percentage points from December.

The more personal gay rights appear to Americans, the more support for it seems to go. That?s what happened with Sen. Rob Portman (R) of Ohio, who announced in March that he has switched and now supports gay marriage, in part because his son is gay.

Collins? disclosure is likely to put wind in the sails of this trend, given the coverage it is likely to receive and the interest major league team sports generate in the US, indeed the world. He is a tough, veteran center who was an all-American at Stanford and a first-round draft pick of the Houston Rockets. He?s spent significant time playing for the New Jersey Nets and the Atlanta Hawks, with stops in Memphis, Minnesota, Boston, and now Washington along the way.

Of course, this trend is still partisan, and the Collins story may not change that. In the NBC poll, 73 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of independents approved of gay marriage, while 66 percent of Republicans opposed it.

Collins was a roommate of Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D) of Massachusetts in college. Kennedy has already issued a statement of support for Collins and invited him to march in the 2013 Gay Pride parade in Boston.

Ex-President Bill Clinton was also quick to weigh in, as Collins was also a classmate and friend of daughter Chelsea at Stanford.

?Jason?s announcement today is an important moment for professional sports and in the history of the LGBT community,? said Clinton?s statement in part.

Clinton also said he hoped that the larger NBA community would accept Collins for who he is. Notably, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant tweeted on Monday that he was ?proud? of Collins.

?Don?t suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others,? Bryant tweeted.

The effect of the Collins announcement would be more pronounced if other male pro athletes follow his example. Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, who is straight but has expressed support for gay rights, has said that there are as many as four NFL players who he knows to be gay, and that they have been discussing coming out as a group.

RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about gay rights in America? Take the quiz!

সোমবার, ২৯ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Psy On 'Gentleman's' Record-Setting Music Video: 'I'm An A--hole'

'It's nasty,' Psy says of his 'Gentleman' video, which has shattered YouTube records since being released.
By James Montgomery

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706508/psy-gentleman-video-record-setting.jhtml

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রবিবার, ২৮ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Have a Seat: This Chair Was Made From Compost (VIDEO)

In this era of recycle, reuse, reduce, the trend in personal goods has been to prevent as much of it as possible from ending up in a landfill.? What was once garbage is now the source material for electric appliances, bicycles and even play structures.

And while that concept isn?t new, using actual dirt and molding it into the shape of furniture is certainly new. Or, it?s so old it?s new to us.

Terra is a company that uses compost, made up of 100 percent organic materials like soil, manure and plant matter, and using ancient techniques, fashions it into cool modern furniture.

Israeli designer, Adital Ela is a self-described ?designer-gatherer? and the creator of Terra?s biomaterial furniture line. After a lengthy research project, Ela blended ancient practices from places like Palestine and Iraq with a few modern production techniques, to come up with her unique mixing formula?some of which does involve foot-stomping.

All of Terra?s pieces are made using zero energy and can be replicated anywhere organic waste is available. They?re also fully renewable and biodegradable: The stools, cups and the rest of the line's pieces can all be smashed and returned to the Earth once they?ve outlived their use.

As she explains in her TED talk, Ela first became enamored with the idea in India, when she was served a cup of chai in a sun-dried, clay mug. ?I was absolutely fascinated by the way the locals gulped down this delicious boiling drink, tossing the cups into the ground?The cups, made of clay, dried by the sun, touched the Earth, and blended with it and within minutes, they disappeared,? she said. ?Seeing this?I started asking myself, 'How can products, like people, come from dust, and to dust return?'?

But Terra is only one in a portfolio of Ela?s many sustainable green designs. She?s the founder and director of S-Sense, an Israeli firm that?s also created artful residential rainwater collectors, wind-powered garden lights, and colorful textiles made from secondhand clothes.

While the furniture might be looked upon by some as more of a novelty, Ela's entire body of work is the sign of a person dedicated to using her business in a way that positively impacts the world around her.

Would you buy stools made from compost? Let us know what you think of Terra in the Comments.

Related Stories on TakePart:

? This Little Teapot Was Made From Garbage

? Op-Ed: The Dawn of a Sub-Saharan Solar Revolution

? Hawaii?s Solar Market Is Booming; Why This Is a Very Bad Thing

A Bay Area native, Andri Antoniades previously worked as a fashion industry journalist and medical writer.??In addition to reporting the weekend news on TakePart, she volunteers as a webeditor for locally-based nonprofits and works as a freelance feature writer for?TimeOutLA.com. Email Andri | @andritweets?| TakePart.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/seat-chair-made-compost-video-003833869.html

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93% No

All Critics (99) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (92) | Rotten (7)

"No" is a picture that perches precariously on the cusp of a paradox.

A cunning and richly enjoyable combination of high-stakes drama and media satire from Chilean director Pablo Larrain.

A mesmerizing, realistic and often hilarious look at the politics of power and the power of ideas ...

A political drama, a personal drama, a sharp-eyed study of how the media manipulate us from all sides, No reels and ricochets with emotional force.

It's a funny look at the way the media warp public opinion, and a curiously hopeful one.

On every level, "No" leaves one with bittersweet feelings about democracy, love and the cost of compromise.

A bitingly funny, fascinating and moving portrait of Pinochet's fall that's smartly shot and superbly performed.

"NO" is an inspirational political drama in which the people are roused by the visual to overcome the vicious.

... features a fine performance by Gael Garc?a Bernal as young ad exec Ren? Saavedra, who didn't, at first, quite realise what he was in for when he decided to assist in the bringing down of military dictator Augusto Pinochet.

No is a great historical document as to how one very important revolution started with a commercial.

The understated performance by Bernal was inspiring, as was the pic.

It's not easy material but it's truly fascinating, and expertly done.

An extremely perceptive and intriguing examination of the effect that media hype and spin have on the political process.

...a bitter and knowing meditation on media manipulation and political subversion.

Larrain deftly mixes social satire and historical drama.

All historical and little drama.

Larrain does a fine job of making No look and sound authentic to its time period, although the VHS-quality photography, all washed-out with colors bleeding together as camcorders did in the '80s, is an occasional irritant.

Silliness is on the side of the angels in a brilliant and highly entertaining film that's part political thriller, part media satire.

It's clear that the language of advertising has become universal, and that political commodities can be sold like soap. But toppling a dictatorship? Now there's a story.

A reflection of a moment in time, made in the image of that moment.

Bernal deftly explores the layers of the character's complexity, including his political apathy.

"No" is filmmaking of the first order.

Old technology plus the packaging of a revolution add up to a Yes

Freshens up a decades-old story with vibrant humor and a good sense of storytelling.

No quotes approved yet for No. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/no_2012/

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Missy Elliott likes literature classes (Unqualified Offerings)

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Stylist Defends Ridiculous Gwyneth Paltrow Dress: It's Elegant!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/stylist-defends-ridiculous-gwyneth-paltrow-dress-its-elegant/

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শনিবার, ২৭ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

PFT: Niners' Willis restructures contract

Here are the terms of trades completed on Friday, April 26, the second day of the 2013 NFL Draft. All draft picks are 2013 selections unless otherwise noted:

The Titans acquired a second-round pick from San Francisco (No. 34 overall), sending second- and seventh-round picks (Nos. 40, 216) in 2013 and a 2014 third-rounder to the 49ers. The Titans selected Tennessee wide receiver Justin Hunter at No. 34. The 49ers took Florida State defensive lineman Cornellius ?Tank? Carradine at No. 40.

The Chargers traded for the Cardinals? second-round pick (No. 38), giving up second- and fourth-round picks (Nos. 45, 110) to Arizona. The Chargers used selection No. 38 on Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te?o, while the Cardinals took LSU linebacker Kevin Minter at No. 45.

The 49ers acquired the Packers? second-round pick (No. 55). In return, San Francisco surrendered second- and sixth-round picks (Nos. 61, 173). The 49ers took Rice tight end Vance McDonald at No. 55. The Packers used the No. 61 choice on Alabama running back Eddie Lacy.

The Ravens traded for the Seahawks? second-round selection (No. 56). Baltimore sent Seattle second-, fifth- and sixth-round picks (Nos. 62, 165, 199) to complete the deal. The Ravens took Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown with pick No. 56. Six picks later, the Seahawks selected Texas A&M running back Christine Michael at No. 62.

The Saints acquired a third-round selection from Miami (No. 82). In exchange, the Dolphins received two fourth-round picks (Nos. 106, 109) from New Orleans. The Saints took Georgia nose tackle John Jenkins at No. 82. The Dolphins would trade selection No. 109 to Green Bay.

The 49ers traded for the Packers? third-round choice (No. 88), surrendering third- and seventh-round picks (Nos. 93, 216) to Green Bay. With pick No. 88, San Francisco chose Auburn defensive lineman Corey Lemonier. The Packers would deal the 93^rd selection to Miami (see next entry).

The Dolphins acquired a third-round pick from Green Bay (No. 93), giving up fourth-, fifth- and seventh-round picks (Nos. 109, 146, 224). The Dolphins selected Utah State cornerback Will Davis at No. 93.

The Dolphins traded wide receiver Davone Bess and their fourth- and seventh-round picks (Nos. 111, 217) to Cleveland. In return, the Browns sent the Dolphins fourth- and fifth-round picks (Nos. 104, 164).

The Saints traded running back Chris Ivory to the Jets in exchange for New York?s fourth-round pick (No. 106). The Saints dealt No. 106 in a package for pick No. 82, which was used on Georgia nose tackle John Jenkins.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/26/patrick-willis-restructures-to-give-niners-some-cash-for-rookies/related/

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Internet sales tax bill to hit roadblock in House

FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2010 file photo, an Amazon.com package is prepared for shipment by a United Parcel Service (UPS) driver in Palo Alto, Calif. States could force Internet retailers to collect sales taxes under a bill that overwhelmingly passed a test vote in the Senate Monday, April 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

Graphic shows U.S. online sales

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A bill to require Internet shoppers to pay sales taxes for online purchases may be cruising through the Senate but it will soon hit a roadblock in the House.

"There's a lot of political difficulty getting through the fog of it looking like a tax increase," said Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., one of the main sponsors of the bill in the House.

The bill would empower states to reach outside their borders and compel online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet. Under the bill, the sales taxes would be sent to the states where a shopper lives.

Under current law, states can only require stores to collect sales taxes if the store has a physical presence in the state. As a result, many online sales are essentially tax-free, giving Internet retailers an advantage over brick-and-mortar stores.

Womack says the bill is not a tax increase. Instead, he says, it simply gives states a mechanism to enforce current taxes.

In many states, shoppers are required to pay unpaid sales taxes when they file state tax returns. But governors complain that few people comply.

The Senate voted 63-30 Thursday to end debate on the bill, though senators delayed a final vote on passage until May 6, when they return from a weeklong vacation. Opponents hope senators hear from angry constituents over the next week, but they acknowledged they have a steep hill to climb to defeat the bill in the Senate.

President Barack Obama supports the bill.

Senate Democratic leaders wanted to finish work on the bill this week, before leaving town for the recess. But they were blocked by a handful of senators from states without sales taxes.

Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire and Delaware have no sales taxes, though the two senators from Delaware support the bill.

"I think it's going to be interesting for senators to get a response from constituents over this upcoming week," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. "I'm not sure that the country knows that something like this coerces businesses all around America to collect other people's sales taxes."

The bill pits brick-and-mortar stores like Wal-Mart against online services such as eBay. The National Retail Federation supports it. And Amazon.com, which initially fought efforts in some states to make it collect sales taxes, supports it, too.

Retailers who have lobbied in favor of the bill celebrated Thursday's vote.

"The special treatment of big online businesses at the expense of retailers on Main Street will soon be a thing of the past," said Bill Hughes of the Retail Industry Leaders Association. "The overwhelmingly bipartisan support for leveling the playing field is rare in today's political environment and paves the way for a level playing field once and for all."

Supporters say the bill is about fairness for local businesses that already collect sales taxes and for states that lose revenue. Opponents say the bill would impose complicated regulations on retailers and doesn't have enough protections for small businesses. Businesses with less than $1 million a year in online sales would be exempt.

Many of the nation's governors ? Republicans and Democrats ? have been lobbying the federal government for years for the authority to collect sales taxes from online sales.

The issue is getting bigger for states as more people make purchases online. Last year, Internet sales in the U.S. totaled $226 billion, up nearly 16 percent from the previous year, according to Commerce Department estimates.

The National Conference of State Legislatures estimates that states lost $23 billion last year because they couldn't collect taxes on out-of-state sales.

Anti-tax groups have labeled the bill a tax increase. But it gets support from many Senate Republicans who have pledged not to increase taxes. The bill's main sponsor is Sen. Mike Enzi, a conservative Republican from Wyoming. He has worked closely with Sen. Dick Durbin, a liberal Democrat from Illinois.

Under the bill, states that want to collect online sales taxes must provide free computer software to help retailers calculate the taxes, based on where shoppers live. States must also establish a single entity to receive Internet sales tax revenue, so retailers don't have to send them to individual counties or cities.

"Obviously, there's a lot of consumers out there that have been accustomed to not having to pay any taxes, believing that they don't have to pay any taxes," Womack said. "I totally understand that."

But, he added, "It's not a tax increase and states can easily employ the proper software for the people to pay. At the end of the day it becomes more or less a political decision, and I'm not real sure where the House is going to be on it."

___

Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-26-Internet%20Sales%20Tax/id-f3cd051cf69f430a8e8111884798adbb

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Ore. judge: Limiting inmate mail unconstitutional

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) ? An Oregon federal judge has ruled the practice of limiting inmates' mail to only postcards is unconstitutional.

The ruling from U.S. District Court judge Michael Simon throws into question the constitutionality of the practice in other states.

Simon said in a ruling made public Thursday that limiting inmates' mail to postcards violates the First Amendment rights of inmates, the people who write to them, and the plaintiff in the case. The plaintiff is Prison Legal News, a national monthly law journal published by the Human Defense Rights Center.

The ruling is the first legal precedent opponents can use in their opposition to a policy that stretches from Florida to Arizona.

For two years, the Columbia County Jail in St. Helens, Ore., restricted inmates' personal mail to the sending and receiving of postcards until Simon issued an injunction that stopped the practice in May 2012.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ore-judge-limiting-inmate-mail-unconstitutional-001014788.html

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শুক্রবার, ২৬ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Asia stocks waver amid drop in Japan CPI

BANGKOK (AP) ? Asian stock markets wavered Friday despite better-than-expected U.S. employment data after Japan faced an unwelcome drop in consumer prices.

Wall Street closed higher Thursday after the U.S. government reported the number of Americans seeking jobless benefits dropped last week by 16,000, suggesting that companies are cutting fewer jobs and that the U.S. may be headed for an uptick in job growth. Analysts said that solid U.S. corporate earnings also helped to lift the market mood.

But the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo slipped from a five-year high after Japan's consumer price index fell 0.9 percent in March from a year earlier. The result flies in the face of efforts by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office in December vowing to reverse a long bout of deflation, or falling prices, which has crippled economic growth.

The Nikkei, which in the morning hit its highest intraday level in five years at 13,983.87, fell into negative territory before edging up marginally to 13,934.69. Later in the day, attention will turn to a meeting by the Bank of Japan, which will issue an updated inflation outlook.

Also Friday, the U.S. Commerce Department will release economic growth figures for the first three months of 2013.

"A solid GDP figure out of the US should give markets a boost," said Daniel Martin of Capital Economics in Singapore. He said he expected the data to show that the world's No. 1 economy grew at an annual rate of 3.2 percent. That would be a sharp improvement from the anemic 0.4 percent growth rate reported for the final quarter of the year.

Elsewhere, Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1 percent to 22,613.83. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped marginally to 5,101.10. South Korea's Kospi fell 0.3 percent at 1,946.98. Benchmarks in Singapore and Taiwan rose while those in mainland China and India fell.

In Britain, meanwhile, growth figures released Thursday came as a surprise relief to analysts who predicted that the U.K. would sink into its third recession in five years. Instead, GDP for the first quarter of 2013 grew 0.3 percent compared with the previous quarter.

Wall Street posted modest gains Wednesday on the heels of a U.S. Labor Department report showing the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to a seasonally adjusted 339,000, the second-fewest in more than five years. The drop suggests that layoffs have declined and that job growth may pick up from last month's sluggish pace.

Among companies reporting earnings, children's clothing maker Carter's, motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson and cruise line Royal Caribbean all reported higher profit and revenue, as did 3M, the maker of Scotch tape and construction equipment.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.2 percent to 14,700.80. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 0.4 percent to 1,585.16. The Nasdaq composite index gained 0.6 percent, to 3,289.99

Benchmark oil for June delivery was down 55 cents to $93.08 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $2.21 to close at $93.64 on the Nymex on Thursday.

In currencies, the euro rose to $1.3038 from $1.3002 late Thursday in New York. The dollar fell to 98.81 yen from 99.31 yen.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asia-stocks-waver-amid-drop-japan-cpi-051453836--finance.html

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President Bush optimistic about immigration bill

Former President George W. Bush participates in a signing ceremony for the joint use agreement between the National Archive and the George W. Bush Presidential Center Wednesday, April 24, 2013, in Dallas. Bush and his wife, Laura, attended Wednesday's ceremony in Dallas the day before the official dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center. The George W. Bush Foundation raised the money to build the center. The foundation donated the library and museum portion of the center to the National Archives, which provides access to presidential records, documents, historical materials and artifacts over time. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President George W. Bush says he's encouraged by signs of progress in overhauling the U.S. immigration system.

But the former president also says he hopes the bill passes on its own, and not because of lawmakers' fears of alienating the Hispanic community.

Bush tells "CBS This Morning" he understands the politics of fellow Republicans softening their stand on immigration after last year's presidential election. But he also says, quote, "I hope that's not why it happens. I hope it happens because that's the right thing to do."

On another controversial issue, Bush demurred when asked if he supports gay marriage.

He tells CBS anchor Charlie Rose, "I'm not weighing in on these issues because I made a decision to get off the stage, so I'm off the stage."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-04-25-Bush-Immigration/id-38fd5f63a698475385b34d687dd46711

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Samsung continues on U.S. warpath as Best Buy micro-stores roll out

WARSAW, April 25 (Reuters) - Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski played down his stunning one-man demolition of Real Madrid, saying he had played better than Wednesday's four-goal masterclass. The Poland international scored all his team's goals in a 4-1 win over the nine-times champions in their Champions League semi-final first leg. "In the second half Real Madrid did not know how they should play, at some moments they were helpless," Lewandowski told the Polish pay-TV platform nc+. "We took the first step (towards the final). "I felt confident, but there were even better matches. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-continues-u-warpath-best-buy-micro-stores-164013829.html

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Looking for life by the light of dying stars

Apr. 24, 2013 ? Because it has no source of energy, a dead star -- known as a white dwarf -- will eventually cool down and fade away. But circumstantial evidence suggests that white dwarfs can still support habitable planets, says Prof. Dan Maoz of Tel Aviv University's School of Physics and Astronomy.

Now Prof. Maoz and Prof. Avi Loeb, Director of Harvard University's Institute for Theory and Computation and a Sackler Professor by Special Appointment at TAU, have shown that, using advanced technology to become available within the next decade, it should be possible to detect biomarkers surrounding these planets -- including oxygen and methane -- that indicate the presence of life.

Published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the researchers' "simulated spectrum" demonstrates that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), set to be launched by NASA in 2018, will be capable of detecting oxygen and water in the atmosphere of an Earth-like planet orbiting a white dwarf after only a few hours of observation time -- much more easily than for an Earth-like planet orbiting a sun-like star.

Their collaboration is made possible by the Harvard TAU Astronomy Initiative, recently endowed by Dr. Raymond and Beverly Sackler.

Faint light, clear signals

"In the quest for extraterrestrial biological signatures, the first stars we study should be white dwarfs," said Prof. Loeb. Prof. Maoz agrees, noting that if "all the conditions are right, we'll be able to detect signs of life" on planets orbiting white dwarf stars using the much-anticipated JWST.

An abundance of heavy elements already observed on the surface of white dwarfs suggest rocky planets orbit a significant fraction of them. The researchers estimate that a survey of 500 of the closest white dwarfs could spot one or more habitable planets.

The unique characteristics of white dwarfs could make these planets easier to spot than planets orbiting normal stars, the researchers have shown. Their atmospheres can be detected and analyzed when a star dims as an orbiting planet crosses in front of it. As the background starlight shines through the planet's atmosphere, elements in the atmosphere will absorb some of the starlight, leaving chemical clues of their presence -- clues that can then be detected from the JWST.

When an Earth-like planet orbits a normal star, "the difficulty lies in the extreme faintness of the signal, which is hidden in the glare of the 'parent' star," Prof. Maoz says. "The novelty of our idea is that, if the parent star is a white dwarf, whose size is comparable to that of an Earth-sized planet, that glare is greatly reduced, and we can now realistically contemplate seeing the oxygen biomarker."

In order to estimate the kind of data that the JWST will be able to see, the researchers created a "synthetic spectrum," which replicates that of an inhabited planet similar to Earth orbiting a white dwarf. They demonstrated that the telescope should be able to pick up signs of oxygen and water, if they exist on the planet.

A critical sign of life

The presence of oxygen biomarkers would be the most critical signal of the presence of life on extraterrestrial planets. Earth's atmosphere, for example, is 21 percent oxygen, and this is entirely produced by our planet's plant life as a result of photosynthesis. Without the existence of plants, an atmosphere would be entirely devoid of oxygen.

The JWST will be ideal for hunting out signs of life on extraterrestrial planets because it is designed to look into the infrared region of the light spectrum, where such biomarkers are prominent. In addition, as a space-based telescope, it will be able to analyze the atmospheres of Earth-like planets outside our solar system without weeding out the similar signatures of Earth's own atmosphere.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/ftCCORIXq54/130424112318.htm

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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৫ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Missouri House Backs Income Tax Cut, Sales Tax Hike ? CBS St ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) ? Envious of income tax cuts in neighboring states, Missouri?s Republican-led House voted Wednesday to slice income taxes for individuals and businesses while imposing a higher sales tax that would fund schools and roads.

The legislation would mark the most significant change to Missouri?s tax code in at least a couple of decades. But Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon has voiced opposition to similar versions, citing the potential to shift the tax burden away from corporations and the affluent onto those who can least afford the higher sales tax.

The House passed the legislation by a 90-68 vote, though some members of the Republican supermajority defected to join Democrats in opposition. The bill now must go back to the Senate, because the House made changes to a version passed last month in the other chamber.

Republican supporters in both chambers have touted the tax changes as an important counter-move in an ongoing battle for businesses among Missouri and its neighboring states such as Kansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Kansas passed an income tax cut last year. Oklahoma, which cut its income taxes over the past couple decades, appears poised to make another reduction this year. And Tennessee doesn?t tax individual income.

Missouri?s GOP lawmakers asserted that the state hasn?t cut its individual income tax rates since 1921.

?We have to do something, or our state is going to lose out,? said Rep. Andrew Koenig, R-St. Louis County, who handled the bill.

Legislative researchers project the House plan would eventually reduce state revenues by $438 million annually. The Missouri Budget Project, a St. Louis-based nonprofit that has run ads against the proposed tax changes, estimates that the bill could eventually reduce state revenues by almost $1 billion annually.

Democrats suggested the proposed tax changes would bust the state?s budget.

?We?re being really irresponsible here,? said Rep. Jon Carpenter, D-Kansas City.

Under the House plan, the top individual income tax rate of 6 percent would be cut by two-thirds of a percentage point over five years, so long as state revenues continue to rise by $100 million annually. The corporate income tax would be gradually reduced by three-quarters of a percentage point. And a new 50 percent deduction would be phased in for business income reported on individual income tax returns.

The bill also contains several provisions meant to aid lower-income families and small businesses. It would nearly double the personal deduction on individual income taxes for those with adjusted gross incomes below $20,000 annually. It also would exempt the first $25,000 of corporate income from taxation.

To partially offset that lost revenue, the legislation would gradually increase the state sales tax by three-fifths of a cent, with most of those revenues earmarked to schools and a smaller portion dedicated to state roads and construction of a new mental hospital. Like the income tax cuts, the sales tax increase would take effect only if state revenues continue to rise by at least $100 million annually.

The various tax changes would start in 2014 and be fully implemented in 2018.

The legislation ?creates a tax structure that?s going to prompt growth and investment in Missouri,? said Rep. Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff.

No Republicans spoke against the legislation during a debate that was cut off by GOP leaders after an hour and a half. But 19 Republicans voted against the legislation, leaving it far shy of the 109 votes that would be needed to override a potential gubernatorial veto.

Rep. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, said in an interview that he voted ?no? primarily because of the potential hit on government revenues and services.

?I?m concerned, when we?re not fully funding the (school) formula now, how another tax reduction could affect our schools,? Hoskins said.

The House bill differs in several ways from the version previously passed by the Senate. For example, the Senate plan had a larger individual income tax cut of three-quarters of a percentage point and a smaller sales tax hike of one-half cent that would have gone to general state revenues instead of being earmarked for specific purposes.

The House version also includes an amnesty period from this August through October that would allow those with overdue Missouri taxes to pay up without penalties or interest. Supporters of that provision hope it can prompt the payment of tens of millions of tax dollars that Missouri might otherwise not collect.

Source: http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2013/04/24/missouri-house-backs-income-tax-cut-sales-tax-hike/

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Google Buys Wavii For North Of $30 Million

Google has finally closed the deal on Wavii, a natural language processing startup, for a price that is more than $30 million, we're hearing from a legitimate source. Both Apple and Google were competing for the Seattle-based startup, and Google eventually won. Apple wanted the company, which developed its own aggregation technology and natural summarization algorithms, for its Siri division. The 25-person-strong team including founder Adrian Aoun will be moving down from Seattle to join Google's Knowledge Graph division.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/w4gtkjohp7U/

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More Money For Utah & Other Mountain-Area Startups: Kickstart Raises $26M Second Fund

Kickstart Seed Fund (not to be confused with crowdfunding giant Kickstarter), has raised $26 million for a second fund to invest in Utah-based startups, along with others in the "Mountain West" region of the U.S. Since its launch in 2008, with a $8 million fund raised by Managing Director Gavin Christensen, Kickstart has invested in 24 companies, including two exits with?Panoptic Security in November of 2012 and GroSocial in January of 2013.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/T4zAyHrBWng/

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Tweetbot iOS app update brings new media timeline, redesigned image viewer

Twitter client Tweetbot showed its support for Flickr and Vine in the last update to its iOS apps, and making media easier to consume is again a focal point in newly released version 2.8. Debuting with the update is the "media timeline" -- a feed option which'll only shows tweets that include pictures or video. Also, the in-app image viewer has been treated to a full redesign and among the obligatory bug fixes, issues plaguing Instagram previews have been addressed. The update isn't all about pics and clips, though, as the tweet detail view has now been amended so it shows favorite and retweet figures. If you haven't yet received the update, you know where to go. Alternatively, if you don't use the client but like the idea of putting eye-candy in the spotlight, then Tweetbot can be had for $2.99 from the App Store.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

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Source: iTunes App Store (iPhone/iPod Touch), (iPad)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/24/tweetbot-ios-app-update-version-2.8/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Find The Best Milwaukee Basement Repair Agency - Tools and ...

Find The Best Milwaukee Basement Repair Agency

0 views This article is copyright free and is published in Tools and Equipment ? Home Improvement Joined: Jun 05, 2012

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Basement repair; a big problem - A number of problems can occur in home and leaving them unattended will lead to even bigger troubles. Basement problems are one of the toughest troubles one has to struggle with fixing basement problem takes a lot of time and cost much as well. Hence, if you are dealing with any kind of basement problem like moist basement, cracks in basement or in walls, holes in basement walls, lawn problems or foundation then you need to find its solution without more ado. If you want the best basement repair solutions then contact a reputed Milwaukee basement repair company.

Select the best option - Though there might be several repair agencies but you must select the best among them. For that you can follow a few steps ?

? Go through catalogs ? take a look at all the options that you have. There are numerous agencies, you must go through the catalog of each company and then select the ones which you think will serve your purpose the best.

? Check the quality service - From the options that you have selected, go through then once more and filter according to the services they provide. The very first thing you can do is to make out what the principal importance is when we talk about the services. If you are facing troubles like wet basement or foundation problems, you simply cannot afford to negotiate with the quality of the services as low- grade services might make you pay a heavy price in future.

? Reviews and testimonials ? for knowing about the quality of the service that different agencies provide, you check their online websites and look through the reviews as well as testimonials. Almost every company has websites and the customers who avail their services leave a review giving details about the type of repair and other services they have received.

? Collect the proper details - Make certain that you are looking into the detail carefully because you must hire the services provided by a repair company by considering which companies are expert and skillful in this field.

First check all the damage carefully and then according decide the amount of money you would like to spend on it but if the damage is big like foundation issues, then you must prepare yourself to spend a good amount. Call a good Milwaukee basement repair company and never try to handle the problems yourself.

About author: William Klein

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Defense seeks new expert in Afghan killings case

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. (AP) ? Attorneys for the U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians during a 2012 rampage have asked that a new psychiatric expert be appointed in the case.

Emma Scanlan, an attorney for Robert Bales, made the request during a hearing Tuesday at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle.

Citing attorney-client privilege, Scanlan did not say why the request was made. The defense team provided its reasons to the judge ? but not prosecutors ? in a confidential court filing.

Prosecutors objected to the motion, saying it smacked of witness shopping.

Outside experts believe a key issue going forward will be to determine if Bales suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Bales served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A ruling on the defense team's request will be made later.

At Tuesday's hearing, attorneys also discussed which witnesses might be allowed to testify on Bales' behalf, should the case reach a sentencing phase.

"A lot of our witnesses that we want to testify in a potential penalty phase will be here, including Sgt. Bales' mother," Scanlan said. "She's a very important witness to who he was as a child and who he is a man."

Defense attorneys also asked for a consultant to be appointed to help them pick jurors. The judge said he would rule on that later.

The defense also requested the handwritten notes of the first Afghan government officials who viewed the crime scene.

The defense team has received an official report about those findings, but lawyers said the notes could yield information left out of the report. Prosecutors said they so far have been unable to obtain the notes from the Afghans. At the judge's request, they agreed to make another attempt through official channels.

"They took a lot of notes, and that's what we want to see," Major Greg Malson, one of Bales' attorney, said after the hearing.

Bales is to be court-martialed on premeditated murder and other charges in the attack on two villages in southern Afghanistan.

The Ohio native and father of two is accused of slaying mostly women and children during pre-dawn raids on March 11, 2012.

Bales, 39, has not entered a plea. The Army is seeking the death penalty. The U.S. military has not executed anyone since 1961.

The slayings last year drew such angry protests that the U.S. temporarily halted combat operations in Afghanistan, and it was three weeks before American investigators could reach the crime scenes.

Bales' defense team has said the government's case is incomplete.

During a previous preliminary hearing, prosecutors built a strong eyewitness case against the veteran soldier, with troops recounting how they saw Bales return to the base alone, covered in blood. One soldier testified that Bales woke him up in the middle of the night, saying he had just shot people at one village and that he was heading out again to attack another. The soldier said he didn't believe Bales and went back to sleep.

Afghan witnesses questioned via a video link from a forward operating base near Kandahar City described the horror of that night. A teenage boy recalled how the gunman kept firing as youths scrambled, yelling: "We are children! We are children!"

An Army criminal investigations command special agent testified earlier that Bales tested positive for steroids three days after the killings, and other soldiers testified that Bales had been drinking the evening of the massacre.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/defense-seeks-expert-afghan-killings-case-181146832.html

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Alleged next-gen iPad rear casing suggests mini-esque design and finish

We've seen a possible case, what could be the front portion of Apple's next iPad and this time around, Tactus has got its hands on the other half, the rear casing. Unfortunately, it's the not-so-interesting view, but we can still make out the space for the hole for the camera lens, sharper corners and the same dark blue finish we saw on both the fifth iteration of the iPhone and the iPad Mini. Tactus reckons it'll hold onto the original iPad's 9.7-inch display, but surround it with a thinner bezel. As for the rest of the specs that will eventually reside inside the redesigned shell, well, we'll have to wait for the official reveal from Apple for the full story.

Filed under: Tablets, Apple

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Via: Apple Insider

Source: Tactus