peckinpah hideous: May 2013

Thursday, May 16, 2013

U.S. sets $1 billion healthcare innovation initiative

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Wednesday announced a $1 billion initiative to fund innovations in federal healthcare programs aimed at cutting costs while improving the health results.

The Department of Health and Human Services said the money will be used to award and evaluate projects that test new payment and delivery models for federal programs including Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

The announcement marks the second round of innovation initiatives for the administration under President Barack Obama's 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The government is looking for models that can quickly cut costs in outpatient or post-acute settings, improve care for people with special needs, transform healthcare providers' financial and clinical models or improve health conditions by clinical category, geographic area or socioeconomic class.

The application period runs from June 14 to August 15.

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Vicki Allen)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-sets-1-billion-healthcare-innovation-initiative-140919323.html

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Friday, May 3, 2013

Living Inside the Box

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

Here with us now is Flora Lichtman, our correspondent and managing editor for video. Flora, welcome.

FLORA LICHTMAN, BYLINE: Hi.

FLATOW: What wonderful stuff do you have for us this week?

LICHTMAN: Well, from the less practical or the no practical application to the very practical in this week's Video Pick.

FLATOW: Ooh.

LICHTMAN: This week's Video Pick. Let me just tell you the story of Michele Bertomen and David Boyle. They are - they were property owners in Brooklyn, New York. They had this little lot, 20 by 40 feet, in Williamsburg. And they had the dream of building their own home. Now, Michele is an architect and David is a contractor, and they thought, well, let's build something conventional. You know, it's a small lot, but maybe we can make something sort of, you know, just a nice little home. And they sent out the plans and it came back at over $300,000. And this as more than they have.

FLATOW: Yeah.

LICHTMAN: You know, they thought it's small place, right?

FLATOW: Sure.

LICHTMAN: But it turns out that the costs for building houses, at least in their experience, it wasn't the materials. It was the manpower, the insurance.

FLATOW: This is New York.

LICHTMAN: So they had another idea.

(LAUGHTER)

LICHTMAN: And that's this week's Video Pick. They decided to try building with shipping containers. You know what I'm talking about?

FLATOW: Those rectangular boxy things...

LICHTMAN: Yeah, the big metal boxes.

FLATOW: Big metal boxes.

LICHTMAN: You see them on cargo ships.

FLATOW: Right. They're stacked up like crazy.

LICHTMAN: They're stacked up, right. They can take a lot of weight.

FLATOW: Yeah. This is SCIENCE FRIDAY from NPR.

LICHTMAN: I'm Flora Lichtman.

FLATOW: I'm Ira Flatow, talking about where we left off with the shipping containers.

LICHTMAN: Right. So people have done this before. But the amazing thing about this - so we took a tour of their home, and that's this week's video. The amazing thing about this is that Michele went to work in the morning and she came home and the building was up. And not only that, the reason why they chose shipping containers is because it was just a lot less expensive. So it was like $50,000 to get the building envelope with these recycled shipping containers, which, by the way, had been in service for 10 years shipping goods, versus the $300,000 for the envelope of the building that they had mapped out.

FLATOW: Mm-hmm. And so they saved a lot of money.

LICHTMAN: They saved - and they have a beautiful home.

FLATOW: It's our Video Pick of the Week. It's up there on our website, and it really is beautiful. You took - you got the 50 cent tour of the place.

LICHTMAN: Oh, I occupied them for hours.

(LAUGHTER)

LICHTMAN: I went through the drawers. I was in the bathrooms. I wanted to see it all. And it really was - one of the cool things is they have all these roof decks. So the way it's arranged, there are these - there are three shipping containers on one side stacked up.

FLATOW: Right.

LICHTMAN: And then on the other, there are two. And in between, they constructed kind of a light passageway of the stairs and what have you. And so on top of one, they have two roof decks, basically, you know, really cool stuff. And one of the things that I learned about it that I didn't know is that it's a lot easier to use sort of up-cycled or recycled materials. Because the shipping containers are so easy to cut into, you can, for instance, build your house and then go look for your windows. And then you go to find recycled windows and they're in different shapes and you just cut out the hole for them.

FLATOW: Yeah, yeah. That's right. You can build it to order. And this is the first one in New York, right?

LICHTMAN: Yes. So they say they think it's the first one in New York. I'm still waiting on a callback from the building department.

(LAUGHTER)

FLATOW: Well, how easy is it to get the permits and go through all that paperwork?

LICHTMAN: You know, it sounded like it was a very trying experience. Michele Bertomen talks a lot about sort of bad memories. It took many years. They were stopped for months. And you know, ultimately I think it ended up being beautiful. But there were times during that process where they weren't sure that they were going to be able to do it. And they said that if they hadn't been architects and contractors and known sort of the ins and outs, they aren't even sure. But they sort of blazed trail

FLATOW: Yeah.

LICHTMAN: And it's kind of inspiring, I thought.

FLATOW: If you drive by, can you look at it and say that's a shipping container?

LICHTMAN: Yes. It's on Keep Street(ph) for you New Yorkers out there.

(LAUGHTER)

LICHTMAN: It's published. You can find it.

FLATOW: That's in Brooklyn, right?

LICHTMAN: Yeah. And they see people all the time will stop in front of their house and sort of start staring until they come out. And you know what, one - here's one other little tidbit that I thought was amazing. You know, there were some unexpected things about living in shipping containers, and one has to do with what it sounds like.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)

MICHELE BERTOMEN: David really likes the sound of the rain and the snow.

DAVID BOYLE: Hail is great. It's like ting, ting, ting, ting, ting, ting, ting, ting.

BERTOMEN: Yeah. It's really different.

BOYLE: It's not annoying.

BERTOMEN: It's very romantic.

LICHTMAN: Michele Bertomen and David Boyle talking about living in shipping containers.

FLATOW: And so if you're a New Yorker, there is still hope for you in those little spots between buildings.

LICHTMAN: That's right. This has been baking for 60 years.

FLATOW: Sixty years. And you can fit - how long - how wide is the container?

LICHTMAN: I think they're - I'm not exactly sure.

FLATOW: Ten, 12 feet, something like that?

LICHTMAN: Yeah, something like that, and 40 feet long.

FLATOW: OK. There's a spot for you. There are plenty of those spots in Brooklyn.

LICHTMAN: And the shipping containers run 1,500 to 2,500 recycled. You can go to New Jersey and get them. Apparently there are many.

(LAUGHTER)

FLATOW: Yeah. I know a guy.

LICHTMAN: Yeah...

(LAUGHTER)

FLATOW: Thank you, Flora.

LICHTMAN: Thanks, Ira.

FLATOW: That's about all the time we have for today.

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/2013/05/03/180824406/living-inside-the-box?ft=1&f=1007

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Giant rubber duck sails into Hong Kong harbor

May 1 (Reuters) - Post position for Saturday's 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs after Wednesday's draw (listed as barrier, HORSE, jockey, trainer) 1. BLACK ONYX, Joe Bravo, Kelly Breen 2. OXBOW, Gary Stevens, D. Wayne Lukas 3. REVOLUTIONARY, Calvin Borel, Todd Pletcher 4. GOLDEN SOUL, Robby Albarado, Dallas Stewart 5. NORMANDY INVASION, Javier Castellano, Chad Brown 6. MYLUTE, Rosie Napravnik, Tom Amoss 7. GIANT FINISH, Jose Espinoza, Tony Dutrow 8. GOLDENCENTS, Kevin Krigger, Doug O'Neill 9. OVERANALYZE, Rafael Bejarano, Todd Pletcher 10. PALACE MALICE, Mike Smith, Todd Pletcher 11. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/50-foot-rubber-duck-sails-hong-kong-harbor-190949396.html

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Cubs leave Wrigley Field? North Siders call $300 million plan a strikeout.

The Chicago Cubs want to upgrade Wrigley Field with $300 million in renovations. But locals worry that the changes could hurt the neighborhood and the park.

By Mark Guarino,?Staff writer / May 2, 2013

This artist rendering shows the proposed 6,000-square-foot video screen behind left field at Wrigley Field.

Chicago Cubs/AP

Enlarge

To Major League Baseball fans, the Chicago Cubs without Wrigley Field is like a hot dog without mustard or a Cracker Jack box without a toy.

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The scenario may sound improbable for long-time fans of the North Side's lovable losers, who have not won a World Series since 1908, but on Wednesday Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts told a meeting of business leaders he would ?consider moving? the team from the 99-year-old ballpark if the city did not approve his controversial $300 million renovation plan.

It was the same conundrum faced by Boston's Fenway Park not too long ago: Baseball's last two legacy parks are not designed to accommodate the revenue-generating aspects of the modern baseball experience, from extensive food and drink options to plenty of entertainment and parking galore. A $285 million renovation of Fenway ? most notably adding the now-iconic seats atop the Green Monster ? eased the 1912 park into the 21st century.?

Now the Cubs are trying to do the same for Wrigley, built in 1914, but that means putting the local community in a bind. Mr. Checketts imagines a 6,000-square-foot video board, 40 more night games, extended beer sales, the expansion of an adjacent club, and the right to shut down neighboring Sheffield Avenue for street fairs. He also wants to build a nine-story luxury hotel and office building across the street from the ballpark, and a walkway that connects both to Wrigley Field.

In other words, the very things that make Wrigley unique ? its intimate place in a quaint North Side neighborhood ? are precisely what need to change to help the Cubs generate more revenue. City officials, neighbors, and business owners say the changes will impact density, increase public safety concerns, and destroy the nostalgia factor.

The question now is how the tensions will play out. Could the Cubs possibly abandon Wrigley??

?The Cubs have always marketed Wrigley Field, and they reaped the benefits. From a fan?s standpoint, it would probably take a lot of marketing to switch them to somewhere else,? says Ted Cox, a long-time Chicago sports journalist and author of ?1,001 Days in the Bleachers: A Quarter Century of Chicago Sports.?

The ?somewhere else? for the Cubs would be Rosemont, Ill., a booming suburb of largely industrial and commercial development that borders O?Hare International Airport and the city?s northwest side. Already housing a casino, convention center, sports arena, a string of luxury hotels and nightclubs, Rosemont is actively pursuing Ricketts with the lure of public financing, an option Chicago city officials say is off the table.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/t4jUJNu8gYo/Cubs-leave-Wrigley-Field-North-Siders-call-300-million-plan-a-strikeout

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N. Korea sentences American to 15 years of hard labor

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? An American detained for nearly six months in North Korea has been sentenced to 15 years of "compulsory labor" for unspecified crimes against the state, Pyongyang announced Thursday.

The sentencing of Kenneth Bae, described by friends as a devout Christian and a tour operator, will further complicate already strained relations between Pyongyang and Washington as the countries pursue tentative diplomacy following weeks of warlike threats from North Korea.

Pyongyang's official state media said Bae's trial took place Tuesday, but the dispatch provided few new details. Bae was tried in the country's Supreme Court on charges of plotting to overthrow the government. He could've faced the death penalty.

The exact nature of his alleged crimes has not been revealed.

Bae was arrested in early November in Rason, a special economic zone in North Korea's far northeastern region bordering China and Russia, North Korea said.

The trial mirrors a similar situation in 2009, when the U.S. and North Korea were locked in a standoff over Pyongyang's decision to launch a long-range rocket and conduct an underground nuclear test. At the time, North Korea had detained two American journalists, whose eventual release after being sentenced to 12 years of hard labor paved the way for diplomacy following months of tensions.

In North Korean dispatches, Bae, a Korean American from Washington state, is called Pae Jun Ho, the North Korean spelling of his Korean name.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nkorea-sentences-american-15-years-hard-labor-023655233.html

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Steven Spielberg to direct 'American Sniper'

FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2013 file photo, director Steven Spielberg arrives at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Spielberg has his sights set on his next film. A spokeswoman for DreamWorks Studios said Thursday, May 2, 2013, the filmmaker plans to direct Bradley Cooper in an adaptation of the best-selling book "American Sniper." (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - in this March 28, 2013 file photo, actor Bradley Cooper attends the premiere of Focus Features' "The Place Beyond The Pines" at the Landmark Sunshine Theater in New York. Steven Spielberg has his sights set on his next film. A spokeswoman for DreamWorks Studios said Thursday, May 2, 2013, the filmmaker plans to direct Bradley Cooper in an adaptation of the best-selling book "American Sniper." (Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Steven Spielberg has his sights set on his next project, a movie about former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle.

A spokeswoman for DreamWorks Studios says the filmmaker will direct Bradley Cooper in an adaptation of the best-selling book "American Sniper."

"Spread" screenwriter Jason Hall wrote the script based on the autobiography of Kyle, who was killed along with a friend earlier this year while at a North Texas gun range. An Iraq war veteran who they were trying to help deal with PTSD is charged with the killings.

Kyle is considered to be the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history. At the time of his death, he was working on another book, "American Gun: A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms."

The film will be a co-production of DreamWorks and Warner Bros.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-05-02-Film-American%20Sniper/id-69e5f32191ab4534990cca3ee45d04a2

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Shell CEO Voser to retire in 2014

AMSTERDAM (AP) ? Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Monday Chief Executive Peter Voser will step down in early 2014, and the company reported lower first-quarter profits in the wake of a decline in oil prices.

The departure comes as a surprise, as Voser is just 54 years old and is well-regarded within the industry. Shell broke with a longstanding tradition of alternating British and Dutch chief executives with the July 2009 appointment of Voser, a Swiss national.

"I feel it is time for a change in my lifestyle and I am looking forward to have more time available for my family and private life," Voser said in a note to staff. Voser has been at Shell for 25 years, including five years as CFO and four as CEO.

He added that he plans to serve in non-executive business positions outside Shell.

Since taking Shell's top job, Voser has invested heavily in production, much of which is just starting to come online. In particular he has focused on expanding the company's presence in liquefied natural gas, or LNG, which can be transported without pipelines.

The company also became Europe's largest oil company by market capitalization on his watch, as major rival BP PLC struggled to recover after its massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Among independent oil companies globally, only ExxonMobil is larger.

Chairman Jorma Ollila praised Voser for "reorganizing the company, delivering growth, and developing a clear forward strategy with a strong portfolio of new options."

He said a search for a new CEO is underway, with candidates inside and outside the company under consideration.

"The search for a replacement CEO will be an unwelcome distraction," said analyst Richard Hunter, Head of Equities at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers, who rates shares a hold.

The surprise announcement came as Shell said its net profit fell to $8.18 billion from $8.74 billion in the first quarter of 2012. Revenues fell 5.1 percent to $112 billion.

Stripping out the impact of oil price fluctuations and asset sales, underlying earnings grew 2 percent, the company said in a statement.

Shell produced 3.56 million barrels of oil per day, fractionally higher than 3.55 million a year ago. Shell said core production is growing, but some of its capacity in Nigeria is closed due to security threats.

Production earnings fell 10 percent to $5.65 billion due to lower oil prices. The company's refining arm profits rose 28 percent to $1.69 billion amid better margins.

Hargreaves Lansdown's Hunter said the company's earnings were better than expected, but highlighted that Shell is playing a "long game" by investing heavily in infrastructure to increase earnings over time.

He said Shell has an "extensive project plan...to underpin future production across several energy sources." Around 30 projects are under development.

In a conference call with reporters, CFO Simon Henry said the security situation in Nigeria was deteriorating and that oil stolen by militias breaking into pipelines in the chaotic Niger Delta has been running at $5-7 billion per year. If anything, he said that figure was increasing and impacting upon Shell's activities.

He said that when Shell closed part of one pipeline for repairs, thieves promptly attacked it elsewhere. "It's finger in the dike time," he said.

He said the thieves' disregard for spills left Shell little choice but to shut down operations.

"The environmental impact from the theft is of an order of magnitude higher than anybody would ever want to see," he said.

He also noted that Shell is awaiting word on licenses from the U.S. government before deciding whether it will resume attempts to drill offshore in the Arctic circle off the shore of Alaska in 2014, something that is opposed by environmental groups.

"We do expect to be able to drill" eventually, he said, adding that Shell currently values its Alaskan operations at $2.8 billion.

Shares rose 1.6 percent to 26.25 euros in early trading in Amsterdam.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/shell-ceo-voser-retire-2014-080005340.html

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Feds bust New York sex trafficking ring

NEW YORK (AP) ? The young Mexican women were driven to rural New Jersey, U.S. authorities said, where their handlers used threats to make them have sex with 25 farmworkers a day. Or they were confined to dingy brothels in the New York City area that advertised their services with "chica cards," business cards passed out on street corners to attract customers. They were paid very little, or nothing at all.

Their ordeal was detailed in a criminal complaint charging 13 people with smuggling dozens into the United States and forcing them into prostitution. Some of the defendants were to appear Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan to face multiple counts including sex trafficking and interstate transportation for prostitution.

The ring "lured their unsuspecting victims to the United States and then consigned them to a living hell," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.

The investigation was among several aimed at "blockading the repugnant sex trafficking corridor" used to exploit victims from Tenancingo, Mexico, said James Hayes, head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York.

Tenancingo, an impoverished town in Tlaxcala state, has long been a notorious haven for pimps who use a combination of threats, abuse and broken promises of marriage and jobs to put innocent victims, some only in their teens, on a path to sex slavery in Mexico City and in large cities in the United States.

Most victims eventually manage to escape, authorities say in court papers. But, they add, "without legal status in the United States, without family and friends for support, without employment opportunities and as a result of the trauma they suffered, victims sometimes return to prostitution."

In interviews with investigators, one unidentified woman described how when she refused to work at brothels located in apartments in Queens and suburban Yonkers, she and her child were locked out of their home on a cold winter night. She also told authorities that her pimps, believing she was pregnant, forced to take drugs intended to induce a miscarriage, and that she was beaten when she once tried to withhold some of her earnings.

Another woman recounted becoming romantically involved with a man who smuggled her into the United States, only to learn he made a living delivering prostitutes to New Jersey to have sex with farmworkers. She said he used threats to force her into the sex trade for two years before he was deported.

According to the complaint, the ring provided its victims with condoms and birth control pills while making them have sex with up to 30 men a day. The men paid $30 for 15 minutes. The women sometimes got a $15 cut but that usually went to the traffickers.

If convicted, some of the defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The evidence includes wiretaps of customers and pimps haggling over prices, the complaint says.

"What girls do you have?" one customer asked.

"From Salvador and Mexico."

"How do they look?"

"They both look good."

The pimp quoted a price of $70.

"Can you do it for 60?"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-women-ny-nj-forced-sex-25-times-194301077.html

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Mindy Weiss: 15 Things We Learned From The Celebrity Wedding Planner

There's no official rule about adding "to the stars" to your title. Personal trainer to the stars. Caterer to the stars. Hairstylist to the stars. We've seen them all. But some names come up so often and in connection with so many stars that you just know they're the real deal. Wedding planner, Mindy Weiss, who counts Ellen DeGeneres and Jessica Simpson among her clients, is one of these people.

So when HuffPost Weddings got an invitation to have lunch with Weiss, an event hosted by Perfect Circle jewelry insurance, we RSVP'd with an enthusiastic yes. Though not every couple has the budget of, say, Gwen Stefani, another star who's worked with Weiss, the planner offered a lot of advice that can apply to any wedding. Here are 15 takeaways:

1. Rose-gold and yellow-gold jewelry is very in. Weiss was surprised when her daughter-in-law wanted a rose-gold wedding band, but now she's realized that it's on trend. "It's very cool, it's original, it's self-expressive," she said.

2. Creams and greens are the hot colors right now. Though she's still seeing lots of lavender, Weiss is noticing an uptick in pistachio bridesmaid dresses. She wonders if this has to do with the Pantone color of the year.

3. Engraving is back. Though letterpress isn't out entirely, engraving is popular once again. Weiss says gimmicks are fine for the save-the-date, but couples are going the classic route for the actual invitation. That said, more and more save-the-dates are being sent by email, a good way to save money.

4. "Lighting is out of control." Weiss says people are getting a little tired of chandeliers and looking for more interesting fixtures.

5. Lace is here to stay. Weiss likes either just a touch of the material or a ton of it. She's particularly excited about one over-the-top idea: "We are draping a whole tent in lace."

6. Rehearsal dinners should be fun and casual. Why should guests have to get dressed up two nights in a row? Weiss suggests something more low-key for the rehearsal dinner and mentioned Mexican fiesta and Italian family style as possibilities. "I theme everything," she said.

7. "The candy shop's going away." As pretty as these displays are, Weiss isn't doing them as much anymore. Instead, couples are opting for other old-fashioned desserts like cookies or Rice Krispies treats. "No one's doing fancy desserts."

8. Couples are more willing to skip videography and cake cutting. Weiss disagrees with both of these decisions. She's had brides and grooms tell her they don't even eat cake. Her response? "Just cut the cake."

9. Brides are carrying purses. Well, not necessarily carrying them. Weiss is the one who often ends up holding the handbag. Still, inspired by the looks on the red carpet, more women are deciding they need this accessory.

10. Many women are still buying two dresses. Weiss isn't opposed to different outfits for the ceremony and the reception, but she does think brides are changing too soon. She says they should stay in their gowns for at least the first dance and the cake cutting. She adds that grooms are also changing from tuxes into nice suits.

11. Tables should have lots of low flowers. Such arrangements help create a sense of intimacy, so guests don't have to talk around the centerpieces.

12. An empty chair is a good way to honor the deceased. Weiss thinks this tribute, combined with a mention from the officiant, is better than writing "the late ..." before the person's name on the invitation.

13. Carolina Herrera is making a comeback. Weiss loved the designer's collection at the recent New York Bridal Market.

14. Artsy photographers are getting into the wedding business. Their style is "great for about 10 pictures," Weiss said. "[But] you still need Grandma ... it's not just a picture of the shoes." She says these photographers need to learn the important shots to take as they expand into this area.

15. DJs are becoming increasingly cool. If you don't have one at the reception, you may want to hire one for later in the evening. Because as Weiss says, "Everyone has an after-party."

Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Weddings on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Related on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/01/mindy-weiss-_n_3188258.html

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Thursday, May 2, 2013

NKorea sentences US man in possible bid for talks

A photo provided by Bobby Lee, shows Kenneth Bae, right, and Bobby Lee together when they were freshmen students at the University of Oregon in 1988. Bae is being detained in North Korea and could face the death penalty if he is convicted on charges that he planned to overthrow the North Korean government. (AP Photo/The Register-Guard, Bobby Lee)

In this March 20, 2013 photo, a North Korean flag hangs inside the interior of Pyongyang?s Supreme Court. North Korea says it will soon deliver a verdict in the case of detained American Kenneth Bae it accuses of trying to overthrow the government, further complicating already fraught relations between Pyongyang and Washington. The announcement about Bae comes in the middle of a lull after weeks of war threats and other provocative acts by North Korea against the U.S. and South Korea. Bae, identified in North Korean state media by his Korean name, Pae Jun Ho, is a tour operator of Korean descent who was arrested after arriving with a tour on Nov. 3 in Rason, a special economic zone bordering China and Russia. (AP Photo)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? A Korean American detained for six months in North Korea has been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for "hostile acts" against the state, the North's media said Thursday ? a move that could trigger a visit by a high-profile American if history is any guide.

Kenneth Bae, 44, a Washington state man described by friends as a devout Christian and a tour operator, is at least the sixth American detained in North Korea since 2009. The others eventually were deported or released without serving out their terms, some after trips to Pyongyang by prominent Americans, including former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

With already abysmal U.S.-North Korean ties worsening since a long-range rocket-launch more than a year ago, Pyongyang is fishing for another such meeting, said Ahn Chan-il, head of the World Institute for North Korea Studies think tank in South Korea.

"North Korea is using Bae as bait to make such a visit happen. An American bigwig visiting Pyongyang would also burnish Kim Jong Un's leadership profile," Ahn said. Kim took power after his father, Kim Jong Il, died in December 2011.

The authoritarian country has faced increasing criticism over its nuclear weapons ambitions. Disarmament talks including the Koreas, the United States, Japan, China and Russia fell apart in 2009. Several rounds of U.N. sanctions have not encouraged the North to give up its small cache of nuclear devices, which Pyongyang says it must not only keep but expand to protect itself from a hostile Washington.

Pyongyang's tone has softened somewhat recently, following weeks of violent rhetoric, including threats of nuclear war and missile strikes. There have been tentative signs of interest in diplomacy, and a major source of North Korean outrage ? annual U.S.-South Korean military drills ? ended Tuesday.

In Washington, the U.S. State Department said it was working with the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang to confirm the report of Bae's sentencing. The United States lacks formal diplomatic ties with North Korea and relies on Sweden for diplomatic matters involving U.S. citizens there. The Swedish ambassador in Pyongyang, Karl-Olof Andersson, referred queries to the State Department.

"While Washington will do everything possible to spare an innocent American from years of hard labor, U.S. officials are aware that in all likelihood the North Korean regime wants a meeting to demonstrate that the United States in effect confers legitimacy on the North's nuclear-weapon-state status," Patrick Cronin, a senior analyst with the Washington-based Center for a New American Security, said in an email.

Cronin called Bae's conviction "a hasty gambit to force a direct dialogue with the United States."

Bae's trial on charges of "committing hostile acts" against North Korea took place in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said. The announcement came just days after KCNA said Saturday that authorities would soon indict and try him. KCNA has referred to Bae as Pae Jun Ho, the North Korean spelling for his Korean name.

Bae, from Lynnwood, Washington, was arrested in early November in Rason, a special economic zone in North Korea's far northeastern region bordering China and Russia, state media said. The exact nature of Bae's alleged crimes has not been revealed.

Friends and colleagues say Bae was based in the Chinese border city of Dalian and traveled frequently to North Korea to feed orphans. Bae's mother in the United States did not answer calls seeking comment Thursday.

There are parallels to a case in 2009. After Pyongyang's launch of a long-range rocket and its second underground nuclear test that year, two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor after sneaking across the border from China.

They later were pardoned on humanitarian grounds and released to Clinton, who met with then-leader Kim Jong Il. U.S.-North Korea talks came later that year.

In 2011, Carter visited North Korea to win the release of imprisoned American Aijalon Gomes, who had been sentenced to eight years of hard labor for crossing illegally into the North from China.

Korean American Eddie Jun was released in 2011 after Robert King, the U.S. envoy on North Korean human rights, traveled to Pyongyang. Jun had been detained for half a year over an unspecified crime.

Jun and Gomes are also devout Christians. While North Korea's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, in practice only sanctioned services are tolerated by the government.

U.N. and U.S. officials accuse North Korea of treating opponents brutally. Foreign nationals have told varying stories about their detentions in North Korea.

The two journalists sentenced to hard labor in 2009 stayed in a guest house instead of a labor camp due to medical concerns.

Ali Lameda, a member of Venezuela's Communist Party and a poet invited to the North in 1966 to work as a Spanish translator, said that he was detained in a damp, filthy cell without trial the following year after facing espionage allegations that he denied. He later spent six years in prison after a one-day trial, he said.

___

Associated Press writers Jean H. Lee in Seoul and Lou Kesten in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-05-02-NKorea-American%20Detained/id-7f5e4a2eb079453ca6adbaba7fcaf898

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May Day Rallies Held Around the World (Voice Of America)

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Zuckerberg's Lobby Can't Stay Silent On Secretive Conservative Political Ads Forever

Online backlash is growing against Mark Zuckerberg’s lobby’s secretive ads supporting?conservative senators who encourage the creation of the Keystone XL pipeline and drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. “Immigration reform – fine. Oil expansion and pipelines? NOT fine. Where’s the transparency here, rich dudes? Or does FWD actually stand for Fine With Drilling?,” wrote one angry commenter on the FWD.us Facebook page. FWD.us is the latest A-list technology political interest group to come out swinging for high-skilled immigration reform. Partnering with many of Silicon Valley’s brightest luminaries, from Google Chairman Eric Schmidt to Bill Gates, FWD.us made a very public debut last week, promising grassroots activism in support of knowledge-economy-friendly policymaking. FWD.us strategically splits its operation into democratic and conservative outreach, directly funding ads of senators friendly to high-skilled immigration reform. The Internet rumor machine spun an ad supporting Republican Senator Lindsey Graham into a link bait headline claiming that FWD.us subsidary “Americans For A Conservative Direction,” were “Promoting Wildlife Oil Drilling.” As Salon‘s Andrew Leonard correctly points out, Zuckerberg, as founding tech partner of FWD.us, is not actually supporting Arctic drilling by indirectly funding ads in support of certain senators. But, FWD.us has been conspicuously silent about any details related to the high-profile lobby. Yesterday at our Disrupt Conference, FWD.us’s director, Joe Green, strategically avoided any details about their lobbying strategy or the controversial conservative ads. As I’ve written before, no one in D.C. will be surprised that FWD.us is playing political games. And if they were just holding lavish dinners and shelling out campaign donations, the negative press wouldn’t hurt. But as an organization that’s attempting to galvanize broad grassroots support, it’s going to have a hard time appealing to the tech masses when friends will publicly condemn each other for supporting such a stealthy political organization (on Facebook, ironically). Transparency about the realities of Washington may be the only way they can redeem their fragile reputation.

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

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Saturn's youthful appearance explained

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

As planets age they become darker and cooler. Saturn however is much brighter than expected for a planet of its age - a question that has puzzled scientists since the late sixties. New research published in the journal Nature Geoscience has revealed how Saturn keeps itself looking young and hot.

Researchers from the University of Exeter and the Ecole Normale Sup?rieure de Lyon found that layers of gas, generated by physical instability deep within the giant planet, prevent heat from escaping and have resulted in Saturn failing to cool down at the expected rate.

Professor Gilles Chabrier from Physics & Astronomy at the University of Exeter said: "Scientists have been wondering for years if Saturn was using an additional source of energy to look so bright but instead our calculations show that Saturn appears young because it can't cool down. Instead of heat being transported throughout the planet by large scale (convective) motions, as previously thought, it must be partly transferred by diffusion across different layers of gas inside Saturn. These separate layers effectively insulate the planet and prevent heat from radiating out efficiently. This keeps Saturn warm and bright."

Characterised by its distinctive rings, Saturn is one of the largest planets in our Solar System, second only in size to massive Jupiter. It is primarily made of hydrogen and helium and its excessive brightness has previously been attributed to helium rains, the result of helium failing to mix with Saturn's hydrogen rich atmosphere.

Layered convection, like that recently discovered in Saturn, has been observed in the Earth's oceans where warm, salty water lies beneath cool and less salty water. The denser, salty water prevents vertical currents forming between the different layers and so heat cannot be transported efficiently upwards.

These findings suggest that the interior structure, composition and thermal evolution of giant planets in our Solar System, and beyond, may be much more complex than previously thought.

###

University of Exeter: http://www.exeter.ac.uk

Thanks to University of Exeter for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128060/Saturn_s_youthful_appearance_explained

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Google invades Siri's turf with iPhone, iPad app

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Siri may be feeling a little job insecurity. The sometimes droll assistant that answers questions and helps people manage their lives on Apple's iPhone and iPad is facing competition from an up-and-coming rival made by Google.

The duel began Monday with the release of a free iPhone and iPad app that features Google Now, a technology that performs many of the same functions as Siri.

It's the first time that Google Now has been available on smartphones and tablet computers that aren't running on the latest version of Google's Android software. The technology, which debuted nine months ago, is being included in an upgrade to Google's search application for iOS, the Apple Inc. software that powers the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. It's up to each user to decide whether to activate Google Now within the redesigned Google Search app, which is available through Apple's app store.

Siri tried to dismiss the competitive threat. When asked for an opinion about Google Now, Siri responded: "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather Google later."

Mike Allton, a St. Charles, Mo., resident who has owned an iPhone for four years, could hardly wait to check out Google Now, even if Siri might interpret it as a betrayal.

Siri "is looking a little green with envy," Allton, 36, said with a laugh after he installed Google's new app. "I love Apple products, but I like to see the competition because it probably will lead to even more improvements. I believe this technology is going to be even more deeply ingrained in our lives a few years from now."

Other iPhone users - even those who have grown fond of Siri - welcomed Google Now's arrival to iOS in mostly enthusiastic and sometimes amusing remarks posted on Twitter and Google Plus. One person joked that Google Now is so helpful that the technology prompted him to wash his hands after using the bathroom. The biggest gripe was about the possibility of Google Now's location-tracking features draining a device's battery more quickly.

Google Now's invasion of Siri's turf marks Google Inc.'s latest attempt to lure iPhone and iPad users away from a service that Apple built into its own devices.

Google quickly won over millions of iPhone users in December when it released a mapping application to replace the navigation system that Apple dumped when it redesigned iOS last fall. Apple's maps application proved to be inferior to Google's ousted service. The app's bugs and glitches made Apple the butt of jokes and fueled demand for Google to develop a new option.

Apple has been losing to Google on other fronts in a rapidly growing mobile computing market, an arena that was revolutionized with the iPhone's release in 2007. Smartphones and tablet computers running Google's free Android software have been steadily expanding their market share in recent years, partly because they tend to be less expensive than the iPhone and iPad. In 2012, Android devices held about 69 percent of the smartphone market while iOS had about 19 percent, according to the research firm IDC.

Android's success has been particularly galling for Apple because its late CEO, Steve Jobs, believed Google stole many of its ideas for the software from the iPhone. That led to a series of court battles over allegations of patent infringement, including a high-profile trial last year that culminated in Apple winning hundreds of millions in damages from Samsung Electronics, the top seller of Android phones. That dispute is still embroiled in appeals.

The rise of Android also is squeezing Apple's profit margins and has contributed to a nearly 40 percent drop in the company's stock price since it peaked at $705.07 last September around the time that the iPhone 5 came out.

Android's popularity is good news for Google because the company's services are built into most versions of the operating system. That brings more traffic to Google services, creating more opportunities for the company to sell ads - the main source of Google's revenue.

Siri is billed by Apple as an "intelligent feature." Since the technology's release in October 2011, Apple has made it a centerpiece of some marketing campaigns that depict Siri and its automated female voice as an endearing and occasionally even pithy companion.

Google believes its Siri counterpart is smarter because Google Now is designed to learn about a user's preferences and then provide helpful information before it's even asked to do so. The technology draws upon information that Google gleans from search requests other interactions with the company's other services. Knowing a person's location also helps Google Now serve up helpful information without being asked.

"This concept of predicting your needs and showing you them at the right time is unique to Google Now," said Baris Gultekin, Google Now's director of product management. "We want computers to do the hard work so our users can focus on what matters to them so they can get on with their lives."

If the technology is working right, Google Now is supposed to do things like automatically tell people what the local weather is like when they wake up to help decide what to wear and provide a report on traffic conditions for the commute to work. During the day, Google Now might provide an update on the score of a user's favorite sports team or a stock quote of a company in a user's investment portfolio. On a Friday evening, Google Now might offer suggestions for movies to see or other weekend events tailored to a user's interests. For international travelers, Google Now might provide currency conversion rates, language translations of common phrases and the time back home.

Most of this automatic information is provided in summaries that Google calls "cards." Like Siri, Google Now also is equipped with voice technology that allows it to respond to questions and interact with users, though it hasn't shown the wit that delights some of Siri's users.

The Google Now app for iOS isn't as comprehensive as the Android app, which only works on devices running on the latest version of Android - known as "Jelly Bean." Some of the Android features missing from Google Now's iOS app include cards for showing airline boarding passes and movie tickets bought though online vendor Fandango. Both of those options are available on the iOS through Apple's built-in Passbook feature that's designed to be a digital wallet.

Google Now's expansion on to the iOS underscores Google's ambitions for the service. The company, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., views it as a pivotal tool in its effort to peer deeper into its users' brains. In doing so, Google believes it will be able to provide more useful services and also show more relevant ads. For Google Now to become more intuitive, it needs to widen its availability.

"The more you use Google Now, we will have a better chance of understanding what your needs are and providing you with the right information," Gultekin said. "It's a virtuous cycle."

Shawn Jacob, a student at the University of North Texas, activated Google Now on his iPhone Monday and was startled by how much the service already knew about him when he logged in for the first time. "I was blown away," Jacob, 21, said. "It made me wonder if I really want Google to know this much about me. It's like Google wants to take over the world."

Gultekin declined to discuss whether there are plans to make Google Now apps for mobile devices running on Microsoft's Windows system. He also refused to comment on speculation circulating in technology blogs that a Web version of Google Now will be offered as a replacement for iGoogle, a tool that allows people to encircle the Google search engine with a variety of services suited to their tastes. IGoogle is scheduled to close in November.

---

Online:

http://www.google.com/landing/now/

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GOOGLE_APPLE_DUELING_ASSISTANTS?SITE=TXCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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