রবিবার, ৩১ মার্চ, ২০১৩

Gorilla raised by humans: Baby gorilla thriving in Ohio

A two-month old baby gorilla, born to a first-time mother with little maternal instinct, is being raised by humans at the Cincinnati Zoo ? for now.

By Associated Press / March 28, 2013

Ron Evans, team leader with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Primate Team, is one of 10 surrogate mothers to 2-month-old "Gladys", a Western Lowland Gorilla, March 27, in Cincinnati.

Glenn Hartong / The Cincinnati Enquirer / AP

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A baby?gorilla?being raised temporarily by human surrogate parents is doing well ? learning to roll over, sit up and getting ready to walk on all fours.

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Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden primate specialists say "Gladys" is in good health, developing and growing quickly with loving care from 10 humans imitating a?gorilla?mom's behavior. This week she began supporting herself on all fours.

"The next step, she'll be able to walk around by herself," said Ron Evans, primate team leader.

Gladys also is teething and has begun eating some cooked foods, such as sweet potatoes and carrots, besides being bottle-fed five times a day.

"She's at the age now where she really starts growing by leaps and bounds," Evans said.

She came to Cincinnati last month from Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, after she was born there Jan. 29 to a first-time mother who showed little maternal instinct. It was decided to move her to Cincinnati's zoo because of its extensive experience in raising?gorilla?babies and its availability of experienced?gorilla mothers.

Human surrogates dress in black, wear furry vests and kneepads and make?gorilla?sounds to help prepare Gladys for the transition to a real?gorilla?family. They have been showing her to other?gorillas?and letting them touch her.

The Cincinnati Enquirer (http://cin.ci/WYwKZK?) reports that zoo specialists think she will be ready within a few months, and there are four potential adoptive moms among their?gorillas.

"The?gorillas?have to decide who this baby's mom is going to be," Evans said.

"That will be the day that all this hard work pays off," said primate keeper Ashley O'Connell, crawling around with the 9-pound?gorilla?riding on her back.

O'Connell just had her own first child five months ago.

"I feel like I'm the mother of two right now," she said. "If I have to be away from my own child, this is where I want to be."

Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer,?http://www.enquirer.com

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/mXrsuga4nYU/Gorilla-raised-by-humans-Baby-gorilla-thriving-in-Ohio

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Razer Kraken Pro


Sometimes simplicity works. Gaming headsets with bells and whistles like surround sound, USB audio processors, and wireless functionality are great, but when you get down to it, the most important thing is to be able to plug in a headset and be able to hear and be heard. The Razer Kraken Pro ($79.99 direct) is the embodiment of simplicity, while still offering great sound quality and a comfortable design. It's a nice alternative if you don't want to pay more than twice as much for, say, our Editors' Choice Razer Tiamat 7.1, which offers features galore including surround sound with a USB audio processor.

Design
The Kraken is available in black or eye-burning neon green versions, the latter of which will certainly get the attention of anyone in the room. Both have black memory foam earcups and black rings on the outside of the cups, and opposite color (black for the green model, green for the black version) memory foam padding on the underside of the headband, along with a bendable arm on the boom mic.

Razer calls the Kraken Pro the most comfortable gaming headset ever, and it's certainly up there. Its large, over-the-ear cups and memory foam padding let the headset sit securely on my head without pinching, and it's light enough to not weigh down my head. It rivals the Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 5, and that's one of the most comfortable headsets I've tested. It isn't perfect, though. The boom mic fits in the left earcup on a bendable arm that pulls out of the cup, and when the mic is completely retracted it's awkward to get a good grip on it to pull it out if you have large fingers. Besides that, though, it's a very pleasant headset to wear for long gaming sessions. The ear cups fold inward to make it easier to carry, and I had no problem sticking it in my bag to take to the PAX East conference for on-the-go gaming.

This is a completely analog, direct headset, which makes setup a breeze. The 4.3-foot cable ends in a 3.5mm audio connector that lets the headset work with your smartphone or tablet, and a 6.6-foot PC adapter extends the cable to 10 feet and terminates in two 3.5mm connectors for the headphone and microphone ports on any computer. It doesn't support surround sound and it doesn't need a USB port to set up. Just plug it in and you're good to go. The headset doesn't have any volume controls, any adjustments to the headphones or microphone have to be made through the connected device. This is a slightly less convenient setup than more advanced, USB-powered headsets like the Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 5 or the Razer Tiamat 7.1, which have controls for adjusting volume and equalization either on the earcups or on an in-line remote that sits on your desk.

Bass Power
Like any good gaming headset, the Kraken Pro handles bass very well. In my tests, not only did its 40mm stereo drivers provide a satisfying blast of rockets and mini-gun fire in Team Fortress 2, but it handled the thumping bass notes in The Knife's "Silent Shout" without distortion. I cranked up the volume until it was, well, painful and I didn't hear any crackle or warping.

The boom microphone works very well and, despite being initially hard to pull out of the earcup, the bending arm lets you adjust its position easily. My voice sounded clear and crisp, though it picked up a little too much outside noise to be useful for podcasts or recording.?

Besides bass, music and dialog sound good on the Kraken Pro, despite a few predictable flaws. I listened to Franz Ferdinand's "You Could Have It So Much Better," and the vocals, guitar riffs, and snares all came through clearly. However, the high end sounded slightly muted compared with the low end, and the drum beat and bass line were a bit more distinct than the lead guitar. This isn't the best headset for music, but it's primarily intended for gaming and voice chat in gaming, and at that, it works very well. You can't reasonably expect a flat or accurate response from a midrange gaming headset, because it has different audio priorities.

The Razer Kraken Pro isn't fancy and it doesn't have any special features like wireless capability or surround sound, but it's comfortable, powerful, and clear, which are the most important aspects of a gaming headset. Its analog design make it easy to set up with your computer or mobile device without installing anything, even if it doesn't offer any inline or on-headset controls. Its $80 price tag is a little high given its simplicity, but its build and audio quality justify the cost. If you're looking for a basic, powerful headset under $100, the Kraken Pro should be at the top of your list.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/u7brxpgMJP0/0,2817,2417063,00.asp

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Samsung Galaxy S 4 for Verizon swings through the FCC

Samsung Galaxy S 4 for Verizon swings through the FCC

We weren't kidding about that influx of FCC filings: the Verizon edition of Samsung's Galaxy S 4, the SCH-i545, has passed through the US regulator's approval right on cue. The device on display ticks all the checkboxes we'd expect, including LTE on both Verizon's main 700MHz band and the carrier's recently acquired AWS frequencies. We also notice HSPA-based 3G, which suggests Big Red's GS4 won't be a paperweight when abroad. The filing just leaves AT&T and T-Mobile as the major stragglers in the US; at the current rate, though, they'll have little trouble getting clearance before they have to fulfill any future orders.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/coTyB819R2c/

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শনিবার, ৩০ মার্চ, ২০১৩

Pope's foot-wash a final straw for traditionalists

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Francis has won over many hearts and minds with his simple style and focus on serving the world's poorest, but he has devastated traditionalist Catholics who adored his predecessor, Benedict XVI, for restoring much of the traditional pomp to the papacy.

Francis' decision to disregard church law and wash the feet of two girls ? a Serbian Muslim and an Italian Catholic ? during a Holy Thursday ritual has become something of the final straw, evidence that Francis has little or no interest in one of the key priorities of Benedict's papacy: reviving the pre-Vatican II traditions of the Catholic Church.

One of the most-read traditionalist blogs, "Rorate Caeli," reacted to the foot-washing ceremony by declaring the death of Benedict's eight-year project to correct what he considered the botched interpretations of the Second Vatican Council's modernizing reforms.

"The official end of the reform of the reform ? by example," ''Rorate Caeli" lamented in its report on Francis' Holy Thursday ritual.

A like-minded commentator in Francis' native Argentina, Marcelo Gonzalez at International Catholic Panorama, reacted to Francis' election with this phrase: "The Horror." Gonzalez's beef? While serving as the archbishop of Buenos Aires, the then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio's efforts to revive the old Latin Mass so dear to Benedict and traditionalists were "non-existent."

Virtually everything he has done since being elected pope, every gesture, every decision, has rankled traditionalists in one way or another.

The night he was chosen pope, March 13, Francis emerged from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica without the ermine-rimmed red velvet cape, or mozzetta, used by popes past for official duties, wearing instead the simple white cassock of the papacy. The cape has since come to symbolize his rejection of the trappings of the papacy and to some degree the pontificate of Benedict XVI, since the German pontiff relished in resurrecting many of the liturgical vestments of his predecessors.

Francis also received the cardinals' pledges of obedience after his election not from a chair on a pedestal as popes normally do but rather standing, on their same level. For traditionalists who fondly recall the days when popes were carried on a sedan chair, that may have stung. In the days since, he has called for "intensified" dialogue with Islam ? a gesture that rubs traditionalists the wrong way because they view such a heavy focus on interfaith dialogue as a sign of religious relativism.

Francis may have rubbed salt into the wounds with his comments at the Good Friday procession at Rome's Colosseum, which re-enacts Jesus Christ's crucifixion, praising "the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters" during a prayer ceremony that recalled the suffering of Christians in the Middle East.

Francis also raised traditional eyebrows when he refused the golden pectoral cross offered to him right after his election by Monsignor Guido Marini, the Vatican's liturgy guru who under Benedict became the symbol of Benedict's effort to restore the Gregorian chant and heavy silk brocaded vestments of the pre-Vatican II liturgy to papal Masses.

Marini has gamely stayed by Francis' side as the new pope puts his own stamp on Vatican Masses with no-nonsense vestments and easy off-the-cuff homilies. But there is widespread expectation that Francis will soon name a new master of liturgical ceremonies more in line with his priorities of bringing the church and its message of love and service to ordinary people without the "high church" trappings of his predecessor.

There were certainly none of those trappings on display Thursday at the Casal del Marmo juvenile detention facility in Rome, where the 76-year-old Francis got down on his knees to wash and kiss the feet of 12 inmates, two of them women. The rite re-enacts Jesus' washing of the feet of his 12 apostles during the Last Supper before his crucifixion, a sign of his love and service to them.

The church's liturgical law holds that only men can participate in the rite, given that Jesus' apostles were all male. Priests and bishops have routinely petitioned for exemptions to include women, but the law is clear.

Francis, however, is the church's chief lawmaker, so in theory he can do whatever he wants.

"The pope does not need anybody's permission to make exceptions to how ecclesiastical law relates to him," noted conservative columnist Jimmy Akin in the National Catholic Register. But Akin echoed concerns raised by canon lawyer Edward Peters, an adviser to the Vatican's high court, that Francis was setting a "questionable example" by simply ignoring the church's own rules.

"People naturally imitate their leader. That's the whole point behind Jesus washing the disciples' feet. He was explicitly and intentionally setting an example for them," he said. "Pope Francis knows that he is setting an example."

The inclusion of women in the rite is problematic for some because it could be seen as an opening of sorts to women's ordination. The Catholic Church restricts the priesthood to men, arguing that Jesus and his 12 apostles were male.

Francis is clearly opposed to women's ordination. But by washing the feet of women, he jolted traditionalists who for years have been unbending in insisting that the ritual is for men only and proudly holding up as evidence documentation from the Vatican's liturgy office saying so.

"If someone is washing the feet of any females ... he is in violation of the Holy Thursday rubrics," Peters wrote in a 2006 article that he reposted earlier this month on his blog.

In the face of the pope doing that very thing, Peters and many conservative and traditionalist commentators have found themselves trying to put the best face on a situation they clearly don't like yet can't do much about lest they be openly voicing dissent with the pope.

By Thursday evening, Peters was saying that Francis had merely "disregarded" the law ? not violated it.

The Rev. John Zuhlsdorf, a traditionalist blogger who has never shied from picking fights with priests, bishops or cardinals when liturgical abuses are concerned, had to measure his comments when the purported abuser was the pope himself.

"Before liberals and traditionalists both have a spittle-flecked nutty, each for their own reasons, try to figure out what he is trying to do," Zuhlsdorf wrote in a conciliatory piece.

But, in characteristic form, he added: "What liberals forget in their present crowing is that even as Francis makes himself ? and the church ? more popular by projecting (a) compassionate image, he will simultaneously make it harder for them to criticize him when he reaffirms the doctrinal points they want him to overturn."

One of the key barometers of how traditionalists view Francis concerns his take on the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass. The Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that brought the church into the modern world, allowed the celebration of the Mass in the vernacular rather than Latin. In the decades that followed, the so-called Tridentine Rite fell out of use almost entirely.

Traditionalist Catholics who were attached to the old rite blame many of the ills afflicting the Catholic Church today ? a drop in priestly vocations, empty pews in Europe and beyond ? on the liturgical abuses that they say have proliferated with the celebration of the new form of Mass.

In a bid to reach out to them, Benedict in 2007 relaxed restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass. The move was aimed also at reconciling with a group of schismatic traditionalists, the Society of St. Pius X, who split from Rome precisely over the Vatican II reforms, in particular its call for Mass in the vernacular and outreach to other religions, especially Judaism and Islam.

Benedict took extraordinary measures to bring the society back under Rome's wing during his pontificate, but negotiations stalled.

The society has understandably reacted coolly to Francis' election, reminding the pope that his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, was told by Christ to go and "rebuild my church." For the society, that means rebuilding it in its own, pre-Vatican II vision.

The head of the society for South America, the Rev. Christian Bouchacourt, was less than generous in his assessment of Francis.

"He cultivates a militant humility, but can prove humiliating for the church," Bouchacourt said in a recent article, criticizing the "dilapidated" state of the clergy in Buenos Aires and the "disaster" of its seminary. "With him, we risk to see once again the Masses of Paul VI's pontificate, a far cry from Benedict XVI's efforts to restore to their honor the worthy liturgical ceremonies."

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/popes-foot-wash-final-straw-traditionalists-004235548.html

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Achebe's passing: Beginning of the end of an epoch in Africa writing

By NGUGI WA THIONG?O
I?first met Chinua Achebe in 1961 at Makerere, Kampala. His novel, Things Fall Apart, had come out two years before. I was then a second year student, the author of just one story, Mugumo, published in Penpoint, the literary magazine of the English Department. At my request, he looked at the story and made some encouraging remarks.

My next encounter was more dramatic, on my part at least, and would affect my life and literary career profoundly. It was at the now famous 1962 conference of writers of English expression.

Ngugi-wa-Thiongo

Ngugi-wa-Thiongo

Achebe was among a long line of literary luminaries that included Wole Soyinka, J.P. Clark, Eski?a Mphahlele, Lewis Nkosi and Bloke Modisane. The East African contingent consisted of Grace Ogot, Jonathan Kariara, John Nagenda and I.

My invitation was on the strength of my short stories published in Penpoint and in Transition.

But what most attracted me was not my being invited there as ?writer? but the fact that I would be able to show Achebe the manuscript of my second novel, what would later become Weep Not, Child. It was very generous of him to agree to look at it because, as I would learn later, he was working on his novel, Arrow of God. Because of that and his involvement in the conference, he could not read the whole manuscript, but he read enough to give some useful suggestions.

More important, he talked about it to his publisher, William Heinemann, represented at the conference by June Milne, who expressed an interest in the work. Weep Not, Child would later be published by Heinemann and the paperback by Heinemann Education Publishers, the fourth in the now famous African Writers series of which Achebe was the Editorial Adviser.

I was working with the Nation newspapers when Weep Not, Child came out. It was April 1964, and Kenya was proud to have its first modern novel in English by a Kenyan African. ?Or so I thought, for the novel was well published in the Kenyan newspapers, the Sunday Nation even carrying my interview by de Villiers, one of its senior features writers.

Shaking hands with a hero

I assumed that every educated Kenyan would have heard about the novel. I was woken to reality when I entered a club, the most frequented by the new African elite at the time, who all greeted me as their Kenyan author of Things Fall Apart.

Years later, at Achebe?s 70th birthday celebrations at BardCollege attended by Toni Morrison and Wole Soyinka among others, I told this story of how Achebe?s name had haunted my life. When Soyinka?s turn to speak came, he said I had taken the story from his mouth: He had been similarly mistaken for Achebe.

The fact is Achebe became synonymous with the Heinemann African Writers Series and African writing as a whole. There?s hardly any African writer of my generation who has not been mistaken for Achebe.

I have had a few of such encounters. The last such was in 2010 at the JomoKenyattaAirport. Mukoma, the author of Nairobi Heat, and I had been invited for the Kwani? festival whose theme was inter-generational dialogue. ?As he and I walked towards the?immigration desk, a man came towards me. His hands were literally trembling as he identified himself as a professor of literature from Zambia.

?Excuse me Mr Achebe, somebody pointed you out to me. I have long wanted to meet you.?

?No, no I am not the one,? I said, ?but here is Mr Achebe,? I added pointing at my son.

I thought the obvious youth of my son would tell him that I was being facetious. But no, our professor grabbed Mukoma?s hands grateful that he had at last shaken hands with his hero.

The case of mistaken identity as late as 2010 shows how Achebe had become a mythical figure, and rightly so. He was the single most important figure in the development of modern African literature as writer, editor and quite simply a human being.

His novel, Things Fall Apart, the most widely read novel in the history of African literature since its publication in 1958 became an inspiring model. As the general editor of the Heinemann African Writers Series, he had a hand in the emergence of many other writers and their publication.

As a person, he embodied wisdom that comes from a commitment to the middle way between extremes and, of course, courage in the face of personal tragedy!

Achebe bestrides generations and geographies

Every country in Africa claims him as their own. Some sayings in his novels are quoted frequently as proverbs that contain universal wisdom. His passing marks the beginning of the end of an epoch.

Ngugi wa Thiong?o is a creative writer and distinguished professor of Comparative Literature and English at the University of California, Irvine.

?

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Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/03/achebes-passing-beginning-of-the-end-of-an-epoch-in-africa-writing/

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শুক্রবার, ২৯ মার্চ, ২০১৩

Bankruptcy Alternatives 03/28 by Guide to Financial Peace | Blog ...

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    Screaming at the Radio welcomes you to join the interview with Financial Expert and Author L. Todd Wood on the current banking Crisis in Cyprus.

  • MashUp Radio with Peter Biddle celebrates National Reading Month by exploring tablet apps that are encouraging children to explore their world through reading.

  • Jay Ackroyd evolutionary biologist and sociobiologist Robert L. Trivers, discuss The Folly of Fools, lying and self deception.

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  • Dawin Is a young artist that just released his new R&B song Never Be You. Take 2 Radio Music chats with Dawin to discuss his career & upcoming projects.

  • EZ Way Broadcasting's EZ Talk Show produced and hosted by @ericzuley brings you Kenton Duty actor on Disney channels show "Shake It Up".

  • Director P.J. Hogan joins host Robin Milling to discuss his film Mental. Laughter is the best medicine when you come from crazy.

  • Robin Mattson is known for her role of Heather Webber on the ABC Daytime drama, General Hospital. She chats with Behind the Mic Radio about her character.

  • Author of The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor join World Footprints to talk about their new book, Traveling with Pomegranates.

  • Sherry Fiester discussing her book "Enemy of the Truth" which debunks the prevailing myths surrounding the assassination of JFK, with forensic truths.

  • This week on the BIG show, host Tim Gordon visits with the talented cast from the upcoming action thriller, Olympus Has Fallen.

  • H.P. Mallory, NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Jolie Wilkins and Dulcie O'Neil series, will be discussing her new Lily Harper series.

  • VividLife Radio?s Edie Weinstein welcomes new generation leaders Ryan and Riley, to discuss Living The Life You Love.

  • Demetry Cagle, a 17 year old a Hip-Hop rapper chats with Jammin Jukebox Radio Show about his newfound success & upcoming music.

  • Join the Paranormal Research Society as they talk to psychic medium Kristy Robinett about psychic detectives. Find out how law enforcement works with psychics.

  • English writer and historian Albert Jack became a publishing phenomenon in 2004 when his first book Red Herrings and White Elephants.

  • Dr. Ramani,a clinical psychologist and Professor is masterful at taking all things psychological and making them fun and easy for a variety of audiences.

  • Robin Hibbard, originally on Real World San Diego, will discuss everything from her challenge experience, to the very last challenge, Battle of the Seasons.

  • Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/guide-to-financial-peace/2013/03/28/bankruptcy-alternatives

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    বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৮ মার্চ, ২০১৩

    New system to restore wetlands could reduce massive floods, aid crops

    Thursday, March 28, 2013

    Engineers at Oregon State University have developed a new interactive system to create networks of small wetlands in Midwest farmlands, which could help the region prevent massive spring floods and also retain water and mitigate droughts in a warming climate.

    The planning tool, which is being developed and tested in a crop-dominated watershed near Indianapolis, is designed to identify the small areas best suited to wetland development, optimize their location and size, and restore a significant portion of the region's historic water storage ability by using only a small fraction of its land.

    Using this approach, the researchers found they could capture the runoff from 29 percent of a watershed using only 1.5 percent of the entire area.

    The findings were published in Ecological Engineering, a professional journal, and a website is now available at http://wrestore.iupui.edu/ that allows users to apply the principles to their own land.

    The need for new approaches to assist farmers and agencies to work together and use science-based methods is becoming critical, experts say. Massive floods and summer droughts have become more common and intense in the Midwest because of climate change and decades of land management that drains water rapidly into rivers via tile drains.

    "The lands of the Midwest, which is one of the great food producing areas of the world, now bear little resemblance to their historic form, which included millions of acres of small lakes and wetlands that have now been drained," said Meghna Babbar-Sebens, an assistant professor of civil and construction engineering at Oregon State. "Agriculture, deforestation, urbanization and residential development have all played a role.

    "We have to find some way to retain and slowly release water, both to use it for crops and to prevent flooding," Babbar-Sebens said. "There's a place for dams and reservoirs but they won't solve everything. With increases in runoff, what was once thought to be a 100-year flood event is now happening more often.

    "Historically, wetlands in Indiana and other Midwestern states were great at intercepting large runoff events and slowing down the flows," she said. "But Indiana has lost more than 85 percent of the wetlands it had prior to European settlement."

    An equally critical problem is what appears to be increasing frequency of summer drought, she said, which may offer a solid motivation for the region's farmers to become involved. The problem is not just catastrophic downstream flooding in the spring, but also the loss of water and soil moisture in the summer that can be desperately needed in dry years.

    The solution to both issues, scientists say, is to "re-naturalize" the hydrology of a large section of the United States. Working toward this goal was a research team from Oregon State University, Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, the Wetlands Institute in New Jersey, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They used engineering principles, historic analysis and computer simulations to optimize the effectiveness of any land use changes, so that minimal land use alteration would offer farmers and landowners a maximum of benefits.

    In the Midwest, many farmers growing corn, soybeans and other crops have placed "tiles" under their fields to rapidly drain water into streams, which dries the soil and allows for earlier planting. Unfortunately, it also concentrates pollutants, increases flooding and leaves the land drier during the summer. Without adequate rain, complete crop losses can occur.

    Experts have also identified alternate ways to help, including the use of winter cover crops and grass waterways that help retain and more slowly release water. And the new computer systems can identify the best places for all of these approaches to be used.

    ###

    Oregon State University: http://www.orst.edu

    Thanks to Oregon State University for this article.

    This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

    This press release has been viewed 25 time(s).

    Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127505/New_system_to_restore_wetlands_could_reduce_massive_floods__aid_crops

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    AlumniFunder Launches A Crowdfunding Platform Where Alumni Can Back Student Entrepreneurs

    Screen shot 2013-03-27 at 5.26.29 PMAlumniFunder launched in beta this week with a simple mission: Help create a deeper relationship between current students and alumni, while supporting collegiate entrepreneurship and creativity. To do that, AlumniFunder wants to give alumni a platform by which they can invest in innovative projects created by students at their alma mater. Whether it be for a new science lab, natural language processing research or a documentary film, the startup also wants to help give students access to the capital they need to get their ideas off the ground.

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

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    2013=2003? (Unqualified Offerings)

    Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

    Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/294798033?client_source=feed&format=rss

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    বুধবার, ২৭ মার্চ, ২০১৩

    A diplomatic star is born as Chinese first lady dazzles on first foreign tour

    Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

    Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan bid farewell as they board their plane to depart from the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on March 25, 2013.

    Ivan Sekretarev / AP

    Glamorous first lady Peng Liyuan has emerged as a Chinese diplomatic star, charming audiences and cutting a distinct profile from her all-but-invisible predecessors on her debut official trip abroad.

    Peng was featured prominently in Chinese media coverage of her husband President Xi Jinping's state visit to Russia, the start of a trip that has also seen stops in Tanzania and South Africa.

    Much of the coverage focused on her personal style, with a report on the mass-market sina.com website noting with satisfaction that the black leather clutch she paired with one outfit was made to order by a Chinese firm in the southwestern city of Chengdu, a flattering contrast with prominent Chinese female politicians scorned publicly for appearing decked head to toe in foreign designer brands.

    -- The Associated Press

    Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

    Peng Liyuan looks at a traditional Tanzanian entertainer during the welcoming ceremony upon her arrival in Dar es Salaam on March 24, 2013.

    EPA

    Peng Liyuan observes a moment of silence during a visit to Gongo la Mboto cemetery, where Chinese workers who died while constructing a railway are buried, on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam on March 25, 2013.

    Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters

    South Africa's President Jacob Zuma shares a joke with Peng Liyuan during an official lunch hosted by Zuma and his wife in Pretoria on March 26, 2013.

    Glamorous and stylish, Peng Liyuan, China's First Lady, has been projecting a newly fashionable face of the Communist regime as she accompanies her husband, the new Chinese President Xi Jinping, on a tour of Russia and Africa ? Channel Four's? Lindsey Hilsum reports.

    Related:

    Sign here, Mr. President: China's Xi completes rise to the top

    China's president-in-waiting Xi Jinping returns to Iowa

    More news from China on NBC's?Behind the Wall

    Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2a025609/l/0Lphotoblog0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C260C17470A850A0Ea0Ediplomatic0Estar0Eis0Eborn0Eas0Echinese0Efirst0Elady0Edazzles0Eon0Efirst0Eforeign0Etour0Dlite/story01.htm

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    মঙ্গলবার, ২৬ মার্চ, ২০১৩

    UChicago Institute of Politics announces new fellows, previews ...

    A former governor and former chairman of the Republican National Committee Haley Barbour; former senator and presidential candidate Gary Hart; and Jon Favreau, who recently stepped down after eight years as chief speechwriter for President Obama, are among a compelling roster of Resident and Visiting Fellows this spring at the University of Chicago?s Institute of Politics.

    That roster includes former Rep. Steve LaTourette, who recently retired after nine terms in the House; Chris Lu, former White House Cabinet secretary from 2009 until this year; and Bethany McLean, a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and co-author of All the Devils Are Here and The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron.

    ?Our mission at the Institute of Politics is to bring high-level practitioners from across the political spectrum to share their insights and experiences,? said Institute of Politics Director David Axelrod. ?With this group, I am proud to say we are fulfilling that mandate. They are, to a person, compelling leaders in their fields from whom our students will learn and be inspired.?

    The Institute of Politics Fellows will interact with students and faculty on campus, participate in public forums and, along with guests, lead seminars on topics they have chosen:

    • Barbour will reflect on the topic, "What Washington Can Learn from State Governments"
    • Favreau will recount his speechwriting experiences in a series titled ?Words Matter: Storytelling with President Obama in an Age of Sound Bites?
    • Hart, a recognized authority on national security issues, will explore the topic, ?The Changing Nature of Security in a New Century?
    • LaTourette, an insightful and sometimes acerbic critic of the Congress in which he served, will cover the topic, ?The Politics of Debt and the Deficit of Trust in Washington?
    • Lu will draw on his years in the West Wing and on Capitol Hill with a series called ?The Power of the Presidency in a Time of Political Gridlock?
    • And McLean will recall the financial crisis of 2008 and its aftermath in ?Covering the Calamity: The Financial Crisis, and How We Faced It?

    The UChicago Institute of Politics also is seeking Fellows applicants for the 2013 Fall Quarter. Political practitioners?including current or former elected officials, policymakers, journalists, campaign officials and strategists?are encouraged to apply at politics.uchicago.edu/fellows.

    ?There is nothing more invigorating than to interact with the bright, idealistic young people who will be tomorrow?s leaders,? Axelrod said. ?And to do it on the campus of one of the world?s greatest universities, in the heart of America?s greatest city, is even better. I hope many of my old colleagues will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.?

    The UChicago Institute of Politics officially launched in January with a Winter Quarter that featured an intensive review of the 2012 presidential race. Candidates, strategists and leading political journalists helped animate the major events and decisions behind them, giving students a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the campaign.

    ?Through the support of the University, the enthusiasm of our students, and the wide range of timely and evocative programming this Winter Quarter, the Institute has established itself as a powerful presence on campus,? said Institute of Politics Executive Director Darren Reisberg. ?This momentum will only grow stronger as students take advantage of the programming opportunities we will offer this spring, as well as the internship experiences we have secured for the summer.?? ?

    Source: http://news.uchicago.edu/article/2013/03/25/uchicago-institute-politics-announces-new-fellows-previews-spring-quarter-program

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    China's President Xi on African tour

    Chinese investment in Africa has created jobs but some African leaders have expressed unease about uneven trade relations

    STORY HIGHLIGHTS

    • Xi in Africa for 8-day visit to Tanzania, South Africa and the Congo Republic
    • Trade between Africa and China totaled $200 billion in 2012
    • Chinese have built infrastructure in exchange for natural resources like oil
    • Some African leaders have expressed unease about uneven trade relations

    Hong Kong (CNN) -- China's President Xi Jinping's tour of Africa on his first official overseas trip underscores the strategic importance of the continent's oil and mineral resources for the world's second biggest economy, but local leaders are asking whether the relationship has benefited Africa as much as it has China.

    Xi arrived in Tanzania on Sunday and will stop in South Africa to attend a summit of the BRICS countries on Tuesday and Wednesday before finishing his trip in the Republic of Congo, from where China imports oil to fuel its economic growth.

    "It shows that he is going to put Africa very high on the agenda during his reign and points to the deeper and deeper relationship between Africa and China," said Adams Bodomo, African Studies director at Hong Kong University.

    A lot is at stake: Trade between Africa and China totaled $200 billion in 2012, according to Chinese state media, and the country is Africa's largest trading partner.

    Africa is already a major source of natural resources for China and with African economies now some of the world's fastest growing, it's also an emerging a marketplace for Chinese-made goods.

    "China values the development of Africa as great opportunity to boost its own growth, and vice versa," said China's foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

    READ: China's positive spin on Africa

    China's newly installed leader will want to build on these economic ties, but Xi will also likely have to address concerns among African leaders about the uneven nature of trade relations.

    Africans have welcomed China's no-strings investment as a counterbalance to Western aid that is usually conditional on reducing poverty, stamping out corruption or introducing democratic reforms.

    But African leaders, including Botswana President Ian Khama and Nigerian central bank governor Lamido Sanusi, have begun to question to what extent Africa has benefited.

    "Cracks are appearing in this China-Africa relationship," said CNN Beijing and former Africa correspondent David McKenzie.

    "There's a sense from Africans that it's not an equal relationship. That China is extracting oil and then in return building infrastructure projects with its own companies and own workers and not necessarily transferring the skills to African workers."

    READ: Is China good or bad for Africa?

    Xi signed trade and cultural agreements in Tanzania on Sunday and is due to give his first policy speech on Africa in Dar Es Salaam, the capital, later on Monday.

    He will then fly to the South African city of Durban to attend the BRICS summit -- which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- where plans to create a multinational lender to rival the World Bank will be discussed.

    Gratitude for Chinese investment in Africa has also been tarnished by a number of scandals, including the distribution of fake and poor quality anti-malarial drugs made illicitly in China and the mistreatment of workers.

    "It is time for Africans to wake up to the realities of their romance with China," Sanusi wrote in an editorial in the Financial Times this month.

    "China takes out primary goods and sells us manufactured ones. This was also the essence of colonialism."

    Botswana's president recently told a South African newspaper that Chinese companies had let down his country, particularly over a power generation project. Khama added that other African leaders shared his concerns.

    READ: Get ready for an African boom

    But Hong Kong University's Bodomo, says claims of neo-colonialism are overblown and that China's influence "was more positive than negative."

    According to Xinhua, 85% of the staff employed by the more 2,000 Chinese companies operating in Africa were Africans.

    "In 10 years, China has built a lot more infrastructure than, for example, Britain did in my own country -- Ghana -- for 100 years."

    CNN's Zhang Dayu and Lucrezia Seu contributed reporting from Beijing

    Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/25/world/asia/china-africa-xi/index.html?eref=edition

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    Is This The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini? You may be counting the days until you can...

    Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

    Source: http://www.facebook.com/GeekyGadgets/posts/10151377848345967

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    সোমবার, ২৫ মার্চ, ২০১৩

    Wacom Cintiq 22HD Vs. Modbook Pro: Screen Real Estate Takes ...

    Tablets are everywhere these days thanks to the iPad, but they lack a certain finesse necessary for fine digital arts work. That?s where longtime players like Wacom and Modbook still excel. Recently, I?ve had both a Wacom Cintiq 22HD and a new Modbook Pro in the studio for testing, and both have proven immensely handy for digital drawing, painting and photo editing.

    One?s clearly a desktop affair, while the other?s much more portable, but if you?ve only got the budget for one (it?s $2,000 for the Cintiq and around $3,200 for the Modbook), which to choose?

    modbook-pro-subhead

    modbook6The Modbook Pro is a modified MacBook Pro, from a company that has been hacking Apple?s notebooks together with Wacom pressure?sensitive?screens and turning out Frankenstein Apple tablets since long before the days of the iPad. The latest Modbook Pro is based on the mid-2012 version of the non-Retina MacBook Pro, with some amazing specs to boot. Some highlights (as tested):

    • 2.9GHz Intel Core i7
    • 16GB 1600MHz DDR3 RAM
    • Intel HD Graphics 4000 512MB
    • 480GB SSD
    • $4519 price as tested
    • Product info page

    The Modbook also retains most of the ports of the MacBook Pro, with one Ethernet, one Firewire 800, a Thunderbolt port and one USB 3.0, plus the SD and audio in/out ports. The other USB 3.0 on a standard MBP is used to power the Wacom?digitizer?built into the Modbook?s display, which offers 1024 levels of pressure?sensitivity?with the included stylus, which slides into a holster built right into the case.

    You also get a slot-loading Superdrive on the Modbook Pro, along with a power button and sync button, which you press to make sure the pen is properly calibrated with the display whenever you power it on. The display itself is a matte, 13.3-inch 1280 x 800 pixel LCD, which has a textured feel that resembles paper when drawing with the included stylus.

    The hardware is impressive, and feels sturdy and durable. Very sturdy, in fact, which accounts for one of its biggest drawbacks: it?s very, very heavy. At 5.4 pounds, it?s almost a pound heavier than a 13-inch MBP on its own, and since it?s a tablet designed for?portability?you quickly notice how hefty it actually is. Despite what you may think, it manages to not get too hot when in use, which is a huge bonus for a device that you?ll want to lie flat on your lap most of the time.

    Weight issues aside, the Modbook Pro delivers as a drawing tablet. It feels very natural, and mimics the experience of paper well. With the caveat that you?re writing on that paper on top of a stone tablet from biblical times. But it meets the definition of portable, if only just, and gives you access to full Mac and Windows (through Boot Camp) programs, including Sketchbook Pro, Photoshop, Manga Studio and many other industry stand-bys. The problem is that you often want to use it on desks and other flat surfaces, and there?s no good way to change the angle.

    It meets the definition of portable, if only just, and gives you access to full Mac and Windows programs.

    Another issue is the on-screen keyboard. It?s the default one built into OS X, which many may not even know exists. It?s clunky, it only works with the stylus (no touchscreen input here), and it quickly has you diving for a Bluetooth keyboard if you?re doing anything other than opening and closing a drawing program. A good thing for comfort is that you can rotate the screen from the menu bar easily for portrait use.

    cintiq-22hd-subhead

    wacom3This Wacom drawing tablet is the latest in the Cintiq line (though the 13HD will soon change that, when it hits retail). Unlike the Modbook, it isn?t a self-contained computer and must be connected to a Mac or Windows machine to work. It does have a much larger display, however, capable of true HD 1920?1080 resolution. Here?s a bit more about this bad boy:

    • Features 16 customizable ExpressKeys and 2 touch strips
    • 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity
    • Built-in adjustable stand
    • $1,999
    • Product info page

    The Cintiq 22HD has two big differences from the Modbook, but in a way, they actually act as pretty equal trade-offs. The Modbook Pro costs a lot more, but that price difference is about the same as you?d pay for a MacBook Pro on its own, which is exactly what you?ll need to already own if you want the Cintiq 22HD to actually do anything, since it needs to plug into a computer.

    There?s also the portability factor: the Cintiq simply isn?t. It?s like any 20+ inch display, but slightly bigger on account of the adjustable angle stand and the built-in ExpressKey and touch strip controls. Plus it?s tethered to your computer via a DVI cable (and whatever adapter you require, perhaps to Thunderbolt or HDMI) and a USB cable that handles the pressure?sensitivity?duties. But, you can actually slide the Cintiq 22HD off its stand, should you want to lay it in your lap for comfort?s sake, though you?d better have a pretty wide and?accommodating?lap to use it this way.

    That said, the Cintiq 22HD is a dedicated drawing tablet and its dedication to that task shows. Despite the fact that both devices use the excellent Wacom pen tech, the 22HD has double the pressure sensitivity, so it picks up more subtle changes in pen pressure, ships with a much better and more comfortable drawing stylus, and has a better, brighter display that also hase a much better viewing angle. Like the Modbook, it supports display rotation, and on its handy swivel stand, is actually easier to manhandle when used on flat surfaces.

    the 22HD has double the pressure sensitivity, so it picks up more subtle changes in pen pressure.

    The Cintiq is also easier to use without a keyboard, thanks to the programmable ExpressKeys. You can assign them and the touch panels to zoom, pan, scroll, undo, delete, select all, or perform virtually any function you can do with a keystroke combination. That means a lot less cause to resort to keying in commands, which ultimately saves a lot of frustration.

    The Bottom Line

    In some ways, comparing these two devices is like comparing an iMac to a MacBook Pro; if you need portability, you?re going to go with the latter regardless of the relative virtues of either. And the Modbook Pro is an excellent choice for demanding graphics professionals who need a portable device that has none of the trade-offs in terms of performance or software compatibility of something like an iPad or Galaxy Note 10.1.

    But if you fall within a broader group of pros and prosumers who are looking at either the entry-level Cintiq or the Modbook as a standalone solution, I?d have to go with the Cintiq. The Modbook?s portability is actually a hindrance in terms of making it comfortable for long-term use, and the Cintiq is just a better performer with more advanced, more nuanced tech on board for digital drawing and photo manipulation. Coming from the older Cintiq 12WX, the 22HD is a massive improvement, and that?s saying a lot considering how thrilled I was with the 12WX.

    The Modbook Pro is a remarkable achievement and perfect for those who demand portability, but it?s much more of a niche device. The Cintiq 22HD will disappoint no one who?s in the market for this sort of thing and has the budget to buy it. The main question that remains for that group of people is whether the just-announced 13HD can suit their needs instead, and I?ll let you know the answer to that in our upcoming review.


    Wacom Technology Corp., the US-subsidiary of Japanese publicly traded Wacom Co., Ltd., distributes Wacom-branded graphic digitizer tablets and integrated display devices. Product lines include: the Cintiq® line of interactive pen displays, the Intuos® line of professional pen tablets, and the Bamboo® and Bamboo Fun® pen tablet lines. Wacom also services specialty markets with a line of other pen displays, and it provides underlying technology for a wide variety of products, including mobile information terminals, Tablet PC?s, UMPC?s, amusement equipment, and...

    ? Learn more

    Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/24/wacom-cintiq-22hd-vs-modbook-pro-screen-real-estate-takes-on-portability-for-the-digital-artist/

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