Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/300909164?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Taliban take 9 hostage after helicopter's emergency landing
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? A Turkish civilian helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in a Taliban-controlled area of eastern Afghanistan, and the insurgents took all nine people aboard the aircraft hostage, including eight Turks, officials said Monday.
The transport helicopter landed in strong winds and heavy rain on Sunday in a village in the Azra district of Logar province, southeast of Kabul and 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Pakistan border, said district governor Hamidullah Hamid.
Taliban fighters then captured all nine aboard the helicopter and took them from the area, Hamid told The Associated Press. He said most of the nine civilian hostages are Turks but that one is an Afghan translator.
In Ankara, a spokesman at Turkey's Foreign Ministry told the AP that there were eight Turks aboard the helicopter but did not know if it also was carrying other civilians or what their nationalities were. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with ministry regulations, had no information about the condition of the civilians.
Turkey's semi-official Anadolu news agency quoted Logar Deputy Police Chief Resishan Sadik Abdurrahminzey as saying that "a large number" of policemen were being sent to the region to rescue the hostages.
NATO said the helicopter went down on Sunday, but the International Security Assistance Force did not have any other details. ISAF spokeswoman Erin Stattel said the coalition was assisting in the recovery of the aircraft. She could not say whether the helicopter made a precautionary landing or the Taliban had forced it down.
Logar Deputy Police Chief Rais Khan Abdul Rahimzai said he didn't know what kind of cargo the helicopter was carrying, where it was headed, or whether it was working for NATO.
___
Associated Press writers Amir Shah in Kabul and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
___
Follow Thomas Wagner on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/tjpwagner.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/taliban-capture-9-helicopter-afghanistan-054142913.html
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Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Heat tie team mark with 61st win, top Bucks 94-83
MIAMI (AP) ? Dwyane Wade was hurt, Chris Bosh was sick, the Miami Heat missed 15 consecutive 3-point attempts and allowed the Milwaukee Bucks to score 22 points off turnovers.
And the Heat won handily anyway.
So if this was a potential first-round Eastern Conference playoff preview, the Bucks probably didn't enjoy much of what they saw on Tuesday night. LeBron James scored 28 points in 30 minutes, Udonis Haslem had his first double-double of the season and the Heat moved a step closer to wrapping up home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs by topping the Bucks 94-83.
"The train keeps on moving," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
The Heat tied a franchise single-season record by winning for the 61st time, getting there with five games remaining. Miami needs only one more win or one San Antonio loss to clinch the top overall seed for the entirety of the playoffs. The defending champions (61-16) clinched the top seed in the East long ago, and will more than likely see the Bucks (37-40) when the postseason starts in about a week and a half.
"We've done so many great things this year by just playing the game at a high level, playing for one another," James said. "Along the way, when those accolades come as far as team wins, the streak that we had, we really enjoy it."
Norris Cole and Ray Allen each scored 11 for the Heat, and Haslem finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Wade missed his fifth straight game and seventh in the past nine while dealing with ankle and knee issues, and Bosh sat out his second straight contest, though this time it was flu-like symptoms that left him sidelined, not the sore knee that kept him from participating in Saturday's game against Philadelphia.
Bosh is not expected to accompany Miami for its trip to play in Washington on Wednesday. Wade is traveling with the club, and will be evaluated on Wednesday before the Heat make any determinations on the rotation for the matchup against the Wizards. It's unknown if anyone else will sit to rest any nagging issues, including James, who said he's still working his way back to full strength.
Brandon Jennings scored 30 points for the Bucks, who said they didn't necessarily treat Tuesday as a dress rehearsal for a possible Game 1 in Miami.
"Whenever we play Miami we have two, three guys guarding (James)," Bucks coach Jim Boylan said. "We didn't do anything unusual tonight. I wasn't looking for anything. We just had a normal kind of game ? nothing out of the ordinary for us."
James' highlight of the night came early. Off a turnover, he took a pass from Mario Chalmers, thought about getting the ball to Mike Miller but Monta Eliis got into the passing lane. So James wound up throwing a pass off the backboard to himself ? finishing the play with a dunk that had a half-dozen Heat players leap off the bench in unison and crane their necks toward the scoreboard to see the replay.
James finished 11 for 16 from the floor, with seven rebounds and seven assists.
"Monta really outsmarted me so I had to outsmart him too," James said. "I was going to Mike and he kind of played the passing lane, so I had to make an in-flight adjustment."
Miami outrebounded Milwaukee 49-37, and held the Bucks to 37 points after halftime. The Heat lead was only 47-46 at the break, and Jennings opened the second half with a basket to give Milwaukee a one-point lead.
It was also the Bucks' last lead.
"They didn't play very well and they still won by a lot," Milwaukee's Mike Dunleavy said. "So it's not the best result for the Bucks."
The rest of the third quarter was a 24-11 Miami burst, one where they even made a 3-pointer after going more than two full quarters without connecting from beyond the arc. Miller made one on the team's third attempt of the night, about 2 minutes after tipoff, and the Heat ? the league's second-best 3-point shooting team this season entering the game ? went on to miss their next 15 tries from long range.
When Shane Battier finally made one from the right corner with 7:03 left in the third, he pumped his fist toward the crowd in faux excitement, and James couldn't contain his laughter.
That's also about the time the Heat started to pull away.
James Jones made a 3-pointer to push Miami's lead to 71-59 entering the fourth, and the margin grew to 18 on another 3 from a most unlikely candidate. Chris Andersen ? the reserve forward whose last successful 3-point try was in 2009 ? connected early in the fourth, the lead was 84-66 and fans soon started heading for the exits.
Other than Jennings, no other Bucks player reached double figures. Jennings shot 10 for 16, while his teammates combined to shoot 23 for 59.
"We weren't able to chip away," Boylan said.
NOTES: Battier jumped center to open the game and actually won the tip. "I take special pride in the intangibles," Battier said. "So when I win a jump ball, it's special. I enjoy it." ... James said after the morning shootaround practice that he intends to take some games off before the playoffs, presumably after Miami wraps up the No. 1 overall seed. ... The Bucks went 1-3 against the Heat this season. ... Jennings got a technical foul late in the first quarter for shoving Andersen after a hard screen. They slapped hands after the play.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/heat-tie-team-mark-61st-win-top-bucks-015546554--spt.html
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'Positive thinking' after years of threats keeps South Koreans going
Ahn Young-Joon / AP
Crowds of people shop at Myeongdong, a main shopping street in Seoul, amid a tense situation over North Korea's threat of war, on Sunday.
By Jim Maceda, Correspondent, NBC News
SEOUL, South Korea ? As the war drums keep beating on the Korean Peninsula, one would expect to see anxiety on the streets of Seoul, where 10 million people live just 30 miles from 700,000 North Korean soldiers and well within range of thousands of heavily dug-in artillery pieces.?
Instead, people in South Korea's capital have been calmly going about their business. No boarding up of homes or work places. No distribution of emergency drugs or gas masks. Restaurants and hotels are full. The city is bustling.
Don?t these people know that hundreds ? or even thousands ? could die if the North launches a full-scale attack, as it has threatened to do?
?It?s postive thinking,? explained Kwak Keumjoo, a professor of psychology at the Seoul National University. ?If you keep thinking about fear and threats, life wouldn?t be worth it. So people here have a defense mechanism. They tell themselves, ?OK, it will be all right?, or ?Somebody will help us,? or ?I don?t believe it?s really going to happen.??
Keumjoo said it?s not as much a state of denial as a numbness, brought about by living under a constant threat, 60 years after the bloody Korean War ended, not with a peace treaty, but with an open-ended cease-fire.
Claiming they will soon be engaged in a war with South Korea, North Korean officials are advising foreigners to leave the region. Pyongyang is expected to carry out a show of force with a missile that will land in the ocean. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
To survive, Seoulites rarely talk about the North. They bury their worry in the deep recesses of their minds and put their faith in their own system.
?South Koreans have the view that justice and democracy will always win out,? said Keumjoo.
?We?re not worried about the war?
Yoo-Lim, In-Young and Na-Young are all sophomores at Seoul?s Ewha University. During a recent lunch break, none of them was gazing at the horizon, looking for a mushroom cloud.
?We read the papers, listen to the radio, go online,? said Yoo-lim. ?And we?re not worried about the war.?
Why is she so calm when the media has reached a fever pitch? ?Repetitive learning,? she replied. ?The north has done this over and over.?
But what about fire drills? Getting under desks? Bracing under bunkers?
?No, there?s nothing like that,? said Na-Young in between giggles. ?We?re just used to North Korean threats from time to time.?
That?s not to say Seoul lives in a fantasy world.
Jim Maceda / NBC News
An entrance to one of Seoul's many underground malls that also functions as a temporary shelter.
Shopping mall bunkers
Beneath its downtown streets, a maze of malls and passageways interconnect into one of the world?s largest underground shelters, big enough, officials say, to protect 2 million citizens from any potentially withering pounding by North Korea?s heavy conventional weapons ? but not a nuclear attack.
Ironically, the malls are converted underground bunkers left derelict after the Korean War. Today, many buildings here have basement parking lots that descend six or seven levels, and serve as temporary shelters as well.
On the 15th of most months, sirens announce the beginning of a 15-minute civil drill, where drivers are supposed to pull their vehicles over to the curb and head for the closest shelter, clearing the streets.
But, with no real alert taking place now for some 60 years, Seoulites have understandably become complacent. Drivers stay in their vehicles; pedestrians stop and keep chatting.
?If there was an attack I wouldn?t know where to go,? Julie Yoo, a freelance journalist, admitted. ?
?The Korean men call their reserve units, government officials and bureaucrats have their specially designated shelters, but Korean women, like myself, have no option but to stay at home and watch TV for guidance.?
In fact, if there ever was a nuclear attack here, Seoul has only one bunker where you might survive that kind of attack ? under the Presidential Palace.
Jim Maceda / NBC News
One of Seoul's many underground malls which also functions as a temporary shelter.
?But I?m not worried,? said Yoo. ?It?ll never happen!?
?We have to study!?
In towns along the border, news reports speak of some preparations, like pamphlets distributed to locals, advising them of what signs to look for ? sudden thick clouds or large numbers of birds or fish mysteriously dying.
But only 30 miles away, In-Young has anything but war signals on her mind.
?No one is saying ?Oh there?s gonna be a war, we?re all gonna die!,?? she blurted out. ?No, all our friends care about are exams coming up in two weeks ? we have to study!?
Jim Maceda is an NBC News foreign correspondent based in London, currently on assignment in Seoul, South Korea.
Related links:
Google + Hangout with Richard Engel on North Korea tensions
North Korea warns foreigners to leave South
Full North Korea coverage from NBC News
Who is North Korea's secretive leader? Here is what we know
North Korea's overseas apologists dismiss 'propaganda'
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The Wrong Fight
Sen. Ted Cruz speaks as Sen. Mike Lee looks on during a press conference. Both senators have signed a letter promising to oppose any gun-restriction legislation.
Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt wrapped up at the Republican leadership press conference?the typical, news-challenged Recitation of the Talking Points?and walked into a wall of reporters. Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell had signed on to a pre-emptive filibuster of any gun bill. Would Blunt join him?
?I think it?s better to debate these issues and vote on ?em,? said Blunt. ?But I?ll decide, as everybody else will, what they?re gonna do on that when there?s a for-certain bill with the ability to offer amendments.? Maybe they didn?t need to block a vote on the bill right away. ?We always have the 60-vote standard on whether to go to a final vote or not.?
In 2010, Blunt easily won a Senate race in a state that?s getting redder. He has an A rating from the National Rifle Association. Wayne LaPierre actually campaigned for him that year, headlining one of the events on Blunt?s ?Second Amendment Tour.? And so reporters kept following Blunt to make sure they hadn?t dreamt these quotes.
?I missed the first part of that,? asked one reporter. ?You believe we should allow this gun legislation to proceed to debate??
?Oh, I don?t think I said that,? said Blunt. ?I said I?ll be anxious to see what the actual gun legislation looks like when Sen. Reid brings it to the floor. But as a general principle, it?s better to debate the bill.?
That didn?t quite end it. Blunt was asked whether his colleagues?like McConnell, the leader in the Senate?were wise to threaten a filibuster. ?Let?s see if they can truly argue that Republicans weren?t able to propose any alternatives,? he said. Another reporter arrived and inserted her recording device into the scrum.
?I wanted to ask you,? she said, ?and you may have addressed this already, whether you support the filibuster??
Not a feeding frenzy, but close to it. As Blunt patiently answered the questions, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was announcing that he?d seek cloture on gun control legislation. Not even 24 hours had passed since reporters were tut-tutting about President Obama?s ?last ditch? push for gun control. Was everybody wrong? Was the bill going to pass?
Yes and no. Yes, the consensus idea that the gun debate was over, that Obama had blown it by not moving faster, was strange and hasty. Nine times out of 10 it?s safe to assume that Congress won?t pass a bill. It?s Congress! But the ?gun safety? lobby (best to scare-quote the term, as it?s a media-tested replacement for ?gun control?) had said for months that it would accept a gun bill far, far reduced from the recommendations of the White House?s task force. Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly?s own gun control activism was focused on passing universal background checks. The families of Newtown massacre victims, in Washington, D.C. this week for another round of tear-jerking and lobbying, have focused their campaign on a vote, period, not on any specific bill.
The Republican Party in the Senate isn?t built for nuance like that. Their struggles began on March 22, when Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz released an open letter to Reid promising to ?oppose the motion to proceed to any legislation that will serve as a vehicle for any additional gun restrictions.? That quickly turned into flypaper for Republicans who wanted to make a pre-emptive pro?freedom-and-America stand. And this was covered as ?momentum building for a filibuster.?
We?ve been trapped in this Wonderland of spin before. In February, opponents of defense nominee Chuck Hagel promised to filibuster his nomination. Ted Cruz wrote a letter; they signed onto it. They had the votes to delay Hagel with one filibuster, but over the next congressional recess, as damaging Hagel intel failed to emerge, the 41-senator squad fell apart. The hardcore Hagel foes revealed how weak they were with another letter, asking the president to withdraw the nomination. That only got 14 signatures. You either have 41, or you don?t have a filibuster. The White House won.
So the Senate lurched on to the gun bill?and conservatives tried the exact same strategy. The White House?s gun bill push has never been about a must-have provision. Like the 2009 push for health care reform or the 2010 Dodd?Frank offensive, it?s been about getting something done and letting the Senate Democrats figure out the ?something.? If the final gun bill looks like the compromise being put together by Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey and West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, well, sure, fine. Obama?s new tribute to gun violence victims isn?t ?they deserve an assault weapons ban.? It?s ?they deserve a vote.? How better to prove that, and to get the discussion away from the details that were weakening the background checks push, then another fight with the Senate conservatives?
This frustrated the Senate?s more experienced Republicans. A filibuster draws attention to a cause when it?s done well. But if you?re serious about killing a bill, you can debate it and attach a ?poison pill? amendment?a tactic that sunk the post-Columbine gun bills of 1999. That could still happen this year. First, Republicans had to explain (and explain and explain) their filibuster stances.
Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker wasn?t on board with the filibuster. ?This is one senator who likes to read a bill before I make a decision about what I?m gonna do,? he said. ?What?s the bill? It could be a negotiated agreement between Manchin and Toomey. I saw them on the floor for a few moments and wished them well.?
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham didn?t want to block a vote, either. ?As long as we get amendments, I want to proceed to the bill,? he said. ?I think we should be allowed to amend it. I?m not afraid of this debate. I want this debate.?
Even Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who?d signed the filibuster letter, opened up room to allow a vote. ?It was an easy letter to sign, because I took an oath to defend the Constitution,? he told reporters. ?I try to be pretty flexible. The letter was about any bill that would restrict Second Amendment rights.?
By late afternoon Democrats had heard as many as 10 Republicans buck the filibuster, on the record. If those senators were serious, a few red state Democrats, like Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor, would be free to cast ?no?s? and then cut re-election ads. Reid wouldn?t say he had the votes to win, but neither would Cruz.
?That will be up to the members of the Senate,? Cruz said to a throng of reporters outside a Capitol Hill elevator. ?In my view every senator has a responsibility to actively protect the bill of rights. Any bill that would undermine the bill of rights should, in my opinion, be subject to a 60-vote threshold.?
Cruz kept talking, asking the press to focus on things like ?the prosecution priorities of the Obama Justice Department? instead of the gun bill du jour. He talked, and Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, walked pass the press corps, generally unnoticed, which isn?t a bad thing to be if you think you?re going to win.
Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=1f7dc8f179c55bcf79c691835b24e48d
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Memories of My Grandmother's Cooking - Cuzco Eats
A Traditional Cuzco Grandmother
By Arnold Fernandez Coraza with the help of Walter Coraza Morveli (translated by David Knowlton)
From ancient times when the sun would come out and its rays shine on Cuzco, its light would show a beautiful scene of radiant trees and Andean fields all around the city. Back then agriculture and food was one of its privileges.
My grandparent?s land was huge. They would always plant and grow necessary foods such as potatoes, broad beans, and corn. These were basic and necessary for the daily, midday meal.
Potatoes Growing by a Home
Along with breakfast, lunch was the essential mean to stay active during the day, until the last rays of the sun around five pm. When the sun would set they knew they had a brief moment to go have a quick lonche (small evening meal of a hot drink and bread or reheated food, from the English ?lunch?). Before it was completely dark they would go into their rooms and rest. There were no distractions to keep them up because in those days there was no light. They relied on rustic, kerosene lamps (mecheros) to have a little light at night.
Their land was very fertile. That enabled their crops to produce well and read full maturity. They would get a good harvest.
My grandparents always had hominy (mote) and boiled potatoes ready and waiting on the table. These would be in large receptacles. My uncles would eat them as appetizers before their main course at lunch, or whenever they had the urge during the day. Sometimes they would eat them with some cheese.
Lunch was always served at twelve noon, on the dot, not one minute early or one minute late. Their typical lunches would include soups like almuerzo de chu?o, made from freeze-dried potatoes, chairo, lawa de maiz (corn chowder), or wheat soup. These were served in large bowls so that my aunts and uncles could fill themselves and be well nourished.
The main dishes were called uchus, the same word as used to describe hot peppers. There would often be an aj? de lisas (ollucos), a main dish of tarwi, quinoa, a kapchi de habas, or others made from Andean products. They did not eat either rice or pasta.
All of their meals were cooked on wood fired fogones (stoves) and, as a result, they obtained particular flavors that are traditional in Cuzco and not available on modern stoves.
Most importantly, my grandmother would make sure their was more than enough food for everyone. It was the custom to have seconds and even thirds. And, in the evening, people would eat the left-overs from lunch.
Chicha was their main drink. It was never missing from the table for them to drink after having consumed their meals.
Cutting a Slice of the Traditional Lech?n
My grandmother would also raise animals around the home, such as guinea pigs, chickens, pigs, and ducks. These animals were kept because of their important for special dates, birthdays, and family gatherings. Every Sunday, when all the family would sit together, she would make something special. She would sacrifice one of her animals, maybe a delicious chicken that was well fed because it was cared for by her at home, or maybe some guinea pigs with which she would make a delicious pipian of cuy. She could also use other animals and make other dishes, depending on the event and the number of people.
She would serve the food in plates that were larger than those we use today. For my grandmother the plates had to be the largest ones she could find. Sometimes they looked like a medium sized wash basin.
As my uncles and aunts say, the food today can not compare with that of my grandmother?s times. Our food was unique and for that reason we have long lives. We were strong and healthy. When she was old, my grandmother would say ?look at my teeth. They are the same today as they have always been. I do not have any cavities.?
The family tells of all these moments as if they were reliving them. They remember their happy moments and their family gatherings when everyone would be there to enjoy my grandmother?s traditional dishes that are typical of our beautiful city.
Source: http://www.cuzcoeats.com/2013/04/memories-of-my-grandmothers-cooking/
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Will Bitcoins Make Me Rich?
Bitcoins Courtesy of Casascius/Wikimedia Commons
Let me begin this column with a lengthy disclosure. One morning last week, I stopped at my bank, filled out a withdrawal slip for $1,027.51, and walked away with an envelope full of cash. The odd amount was deliberate; I had been instructed by LocalTill to be exact in everything I did. What?s LocalTill? Don?t bother Googling it?its shady-looking Web site offers only murky details, explaining that the firm is a way for ?merchants to accept secure transactions when selling goods online.? It?s something like PayPal, except LocalTill isn?t tied to your bank account or credit card, and instead deals only in cash. This makes its transactions less traceable, less regulated, and, as I would soon experience, more final.
Next, per LocalTill?s instructions, I drove to a local Bank of America branch and asked for an out-of-state wire transfer slip. I scrawled out LocalTill?s New York bank account number and handed my wad of cash to the teller. This was a dizzying moment: I?ve been on the Internet forever and have been well-schooled in frauds that begin with the instruction, ?First, wire your money to an out-of-state account ?? Yet here I was doing exactly that. If LocalTill was a scam, I?d have no recourse. So why was I willing to take such a risk?
Bitcoin, of course. Bitcoin is a ?digital currency? invented in 2009 by a cryptographic expert who went by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, but whose true identity remains unknown. It exists only in computers, minted at a regular rate by a network of machines around the world, and its value isn?t regulated by any government. The currency, like its creator, clings to the shadows. Bitcoins are like cash in that they aren?t tied to your identity, and transactions made with Bitcoins are irreversible and untraceable. But they?re like credit cards in that they aren?t physical. In the past, if I wanted to pay you for certain unmentionable services rendered, I?d have to get a fancy briefcase, fill it with bills, then take a long, dangerous trip with my stash. Bitcoin allows me to transfer money to you online, instantly, for free. As a result, it?s perfect for the black market?a couple of years ago, it became a media sensation when Gawker reported on its use as the central currency on Silk Road, a site that sold virtually any drug in the world. Lately Bitcoin has also been hailed as an emerging global safe haven, a place for nervous Europeans and panicky gold-bug types to store their wealth away from the prying reach of financial regulators.
I?m not very panicky about the world?s currencies, nor am I looking to buy drugs online. Indeed, I don?t care at all for Bitcoin as a currency. Instead, I wanted to buy Bitcoins as pure, shameless speculation. I wanted a chance to ride a rocket ship. Partly due to its growing legitimacy as a currency but mainly because of speculators like me, the value of Bitcoin is entering a bubble phase?its exchange rate with real-world currencies is hiking up at an incredible, likely unsustainable pace. In 2011, back when Gawker reported on Silk Road, you could buy a Bitcoin for about $9. Since then the price has seen terrific fluctuations, but it has generally gone up. At the start of this year, each Bitcoin was worth about $20. From there the chart turns into a hockey stick?by March, Bitcoins hit $40, and within a month they?d doubled again.
Three weeks ago, I began hearing about Bitcoin everywhere I turned. One afternoon I had lunch with a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, the large Silicon Valley venture firm, who told me that he?d been fielding pitch after pitch for start-ups that offered Bitcoin-related services. After lunch, I got an email from David Barrett, the CEO of the fantastic expense-reporting start-up Expensify. Barrett wanted to let me know that his firm would soon let people submit expenses and get paid by their employers in Bitcoins. He explained that the feature wasn?t a gimmick. Bitcoin would be helpful for people who regularly submitted expenses internationally; other services?like PayPal?charge hefty fees for moving money overseas, but with Bitcoin people could send money for free.
I made a mental note to start looking into a story about Bitcoin?s apparent rise to legitimacy. But before I could get started, Bitcoin took over the media. Henry Blodget was calling Bitcoin ?the perfect asset bubble.? Felix Salmon published a lengthy treatise on why the bubble was sure to burst. The New Yorker spoke to some of Bitcoins leading boosters about the future of the currency. Meanwhile the price just kept going up: Early last week the value of Bitcoins soared past $100 each. This week, it went past $200. If you want a Bitcoin today, it will cost you about $235, and if you wait till tomorrow, it will be more.
Hence, my disclosure. No one is quite sure why the price of Bitcoins has spiked so quickly so fast, but one of the leading theories is that it?s been hit by what Quartz?s Zach Seward calls a ?demand crisis.? The world?s supply of Bitcoins is essentially fixed, but because people in the media keep talking about it, demand keeps rising. This leads to higher prices?and as prices go up, people who currently hold Bitcoins develop greater and greater expectations for the currency. This causes Bitcoin holders to horde their stash, which further reduces supply, which in turn boosts the price and sparks yet more media attention?and the cycle continues until the bubble pops.
Thus, by writing about Bitcoin, I?m serving, in some small way, to raise its price. And as of last week, that benefits me directly. Thankfully, my wire transfer to LocalTill went through; after taking its $21.51 processing fee, the firm transferred my $1,000 to Bitfloor, one of the many online Bitcoin exchanges where people trade Bitcoins for cash. I immediately put in a purchase order, and within seconds the deal was done. I was the proud owner of 7.23883 Bitcoins, which I?d purchased for about $138 each. If I sold my coins now, my original $1,000 investment would be worth $1,700?not a bad return in less than a week?s time.
But I?m not selling just yet. I agree with Blodget and Salmon that the Bitcoin market is a bubble; at some point, as in all bubbles, prices will stop rising and they?ll likely plummet, and a lot of people will lose a lot of real and imagined money. But that?s pretty much all anyone can say about the market with any certainty. When the bubble will burst, at what price and for what reason, is completely unpredictable. And until then, while prices are going up, you could make a lot of real money from this digital funny money.
My own guess is that the bubble?s popping isn?t imminent, and I think that when prices do fall, they?ll land somewhere higher than the $138 I paid for my Bitcoins. I?m certain that I?ll be able to double my investment, and I might even hold out to triple it. (After that I?ll get shakier about keeping Bitcoins.) Why do I think prices will get that high? Because at the moment, it?s a logistical nightmare to turn dollars into coins. You?ve got to take several leaps of faith, trusting sites that look like they were put together by teenagers. I initially tried to buy coins using MtGox, the largest trader, but the cash-processing service it uses refused to accept deposits greater than $500. What?s more, last week, shortly after Bitcoins hit $142, MtGox was hit by a denial-of-service attack that took it offline for several hours. The site I used, Bitfloor, is hardly any safer. Last fall it was hit by an epic hack that resulted in the theft of 24,000 coins, at the time worth $250,000?and worth, amazingly, $72 million today. (Bitfloor now claims to store most of its customers? coins in machines that aren?t connected to the Internet, and it uses two-factor authentication to protect its users? accounts.)
At the moment, the shadiness of the Bitcoin market dissuades mainstream investors. And?as we saw in the housing and dot-com bubbles?it?s when the masses get involved that bubbles really take off. Over the next few months, I expect that we?ll see better, more secure services for transferring dollars into Bitcoin exchange systems. You?ll be able to send money to sites like MtGox instantly from your bank account. At that point?when ordinary people can order up Bitcoins as easily as they bought shares of Pets.com back in 1999?the real money will pour into the Bitcoin economy, and that?s when prices will begin to get really crazy.
That?s just a theory. It could be a stupid one; Bitcoin could collapse tomorrow. And remember, I?ve got a conflict of interest here?if this piece gets you interested in Bitcoin, I get richer. Still, though, one week into my Bitcoin trade, I?m very, very pleased with myself.
Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=2eca61e17384e3a016a49d38f36a5bfe
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U.S. tries to cool Korean standoff
South Korean army soldiers patrol along a barbed-wire fence near the border village of the Panmunjom, in Paju,??
Warships might not sail, more missile tests might be postponed, potentially provocative photos of bombers will stay under wraps: After a muscular, even aggressive early response to North Korea?s nuclear saber-rattling, the United States has shifted into a more cautious mode, eager to avoid giving Pyongyang any excuse for further escalation, officials say.
The White House, the Pentagon and the State Department ?are looking very carefully? at American words and pending actions ?to make sure that they can?t be misread, or that the likelihood of them being misread is low? as well as ?to not give the North Koreans fodder for escalation, excuses to take action,? according to an administration official familiar with the U.S. strategy.
?There?s not a formal review going on,? and ?we are not going to withhold or postpone any step that we consider necessary for the safety of the American people,? the official, who requested anonymity, told Yahoo News.
?But those things that could be not necessary? We?re giving those a closer look,? the official said. That means assessing ?our ship deployments, missile tests? to make sure they don?t unnecessarily raise the temperature in the already heated standoff.
The most obvious sign of this new approach out of Washington was Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel?s decision late last week to postpone the test launch of an InterContinental Ballistic Missile that had been scheduled for Tuesday.
"We recognized that an ICBM test at this time might be misconstrued by some as suggesting that we were intending to exacerbate the current crisis with North Korea," a defense official said Monday on condition of anonymity. "We wanted to avoid that misperception or manipulation."
The administration's initial response had several goals.
It aimed to reassure South Korea and Japan about the strength of the U.S. commitment to their security, in part to ensure that South Korea did not do anything rash. There also was the need to deter North Korea and impress upon its young new supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, the seriousness of the situation. And it aimed to avoid turmoil on global markets while making it clear to China that its client state and neighbor had overreached.
So Obama ordered warships to the waters off the Korean peninsula, highlighted the beefed-up missile defense plans and, in an unprecedented move, disclosed that B-2 and B-52 bombers took part in a regular U.S.-South Korean military exercise, dropping dummy munitions. The Pentagon released photographs of those warplanes, sending a "Hey, we can bomb the crap out of you" message to the North, the first official said.
But the American response seemed to change late last week.
In the rhetorical battle, American officials have stuck more closely to a familiar refrain: Rather than respond in detail to every North Korean action, every angry message from Pyongyang, they have emphasized that the Stalinist regime is only isolating itself more and hurting its people. That joint U.S.-South Korea exercise is still underway, but you don't hear quite so much about it.
?It?s been conscious,? the first official said. ?The lowering of the profile of the military, going from showing pictures of stealth bombers to canceling this missile test, it?s all part of an overall attempt to stay lower key.?
The White House has denied it escalated the crisis. And the official emphasized that Washington only aimed "to show our rock-solid commitment to our allies in the region."
But "it's been clear that the North Koreans have decided that they have an interest in going tit-for-tat with us, raising the temperature," the official said. "We have no desire to see this escalate any further."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/u-working-escalate-north-korean-standoff-094001335--politics.html
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Sunday, April 7, 2013
Italian govt speeds state payments to vendors
MILAN (AP) ? The Italian government has approved a decree to pay 40 billion euros ($52 billion) owed by government entities to private businesses over the next 12 months to help relaunch Italy's stagnant economy.
Premier Mario Monti acknowledged Saturday after his caretaker government adopted the decree that overdue payments had become "a bad habit" that put a heavy burden on business owners.
State entities on an average pay their bills six months after services are rendered and some 90 days after the official due date, which Monti said put Italy behind Spain, Portugal and Greece.
Delayed government payments are a major factor behind liquidity shortages faced by many small and medium-sized Italian companies. Reduced turnover in the recession means many businesses, in turn, are having trouble keeping up with even small debts.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italian-govt-speeds-state-payments-vendors-160007775--finance.html
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Baltimore, MD 2013 Kia Soul New Hatchback Glen Burnie, MD Annapolis, MD Bob Bell Ford/ Hyundai/ Kia for $
*The advertised price does not include sales tax, vehicle registration fees, finance charges, documentation charges, and any other fees required by law. We attempt to update this inventory on a regular basis. However, there can be lag time between the sale of a vehicle and the update of the inventory.
EPA mileage estimates are for newly manufactured vehicles only. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.
Before purchasing this vehicle, it is your responsibility to address any and all differences between information on this website and the actual vehicle specifications and/or any warranties offered prior to the sale of this vehicle. Vehicle data on this website is compiled from publicly available sources believed by the publisher to be reliable. Vehicle data is subject to change without notice. The publisher assumes no responsibility for errors and/or omissions in this data the compilation of this data and makes no representations express or implied to any actual or prospective purchaser of the vehicle as to the condition of the vehicle, vehicle specifications, ownership, vehicle history, equipment/accessories, price or warranties. 2013 Kia Baltimore, MD 2013 Kia Glen Burnie, MD 2013 Kia Annapolis, MD
Source: http://www.bobbell.com/2013-Kia-Soul-Baltimore-MD/vd/14274202
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GOP dismayed governor doesn't like education bill
SEATTLE (AP) -- Although he endorsed the idea during his campaign, Gov. Jay Inslee says a Republican legislative proposal to give letter grades to public schools is flawed and he doesn't support it.
The Democratic governor's opposition to Senate Bill 5328 has surprised and disappointed Republican leaders, The Seattle Times ( http://is.gd/X6Zhci ) reported in Friday's newspaper.
"Without a doubt, it would have been much easier if the governor had maintained his position," said state Sen. Bruce Dammeier, R-Puyallup. The bill narrowly passed the Senate last month but has stalled in the House.
Jaime Smith, a spokeswoman for the governor, told The Associated Press on Friday that the Republicans shouldn't be surprised.
Mary Alice Heuschel, the governor's chief of staff, met with Sen. Steve Litzow, Republican chairman of the Senate Education Committee, earlier in the legislative session to express concerns about the school grading bill, Smith said.
Inslee is still interested in setting up an A-F grading system for schools, but the details are important, Smith said. He wants to make sure Washington uses the right criteria, gets stakeholder input and gives schools enough time to prepare.
"One way or another, we'll move forward on this," she said. "Whether it's a bill or whether it's the governor directing the Student Achievement Council and State Board of Education to work on this during the interim."
Under the Republican proposal, a school grading system would start in a pilot program this fall and be based on test scores, graduation rates, college readiness and other factors.
Among the governor's opposition to the bill was the fast turnaround, Smith said.
The state Board of Education and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction have been working on a school grading system called the Achievement Index for several years. One of the main differences between the two ideas is the letter grades would replace labels like "struggling."
The grading schools bill was a centerpiece of the Republican education reform plan. Other education bills approved by the Senate this session are also hitting the skids in the House. Reform bills sent in the other direction also have faced opposition.
Senate Republican leaders have said they will make the grading schools proposal a priority during end-of-session budget negotiations.
"We'll be looking at investing something like $1 billion in our schools," said Litzow, R- Mercer Island. "With that kind of investment, we need to ensure that we get outcomes for students."
The bill is inspired by a similar system implemented in Florida by then-Gov. Jeb Bush in 1999.
Bush has since founded the Foundation for Excellence in Education to push his policy ideas. School-grading laws now exist in 11 states, according to the foundation.
---
Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com
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Saturday, April 6, 2013
[WFAN] - Ravens LB: Up To 4 NFL Players Might Soon Come Out Of Closet On Same Day
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Source: http://sportspyder.com/teams/new-york-giants/articles/8874530
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Netflix for Windows Phone 8 updated with support for 720p displays
After months of being wrapped in black bars, Netflix has updated its Windows Phone 8 app with fullscreen support for devices wielding native 720p displays. While this update doesn't add HD video playback, it definitely improves the app's image quality for phones with hi-res screens. So, if you're sporting a top-shelf WP8 device and you're looking to take full advantage of your display's real estate, head on over to our source link to pull down this 2MB refresh.
Filed under: Software, HD, Mobile
Source: Windows Phone Store
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/04/netflix-wp8-update-720p-support/
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Friday, April 5, 2013
Sexiest Female Action Stars: Which Hottie Looks Best Kicking Butt?
Sexiest Female Action Stars: Which Hottie Looks Best Kicking Butt?
The sexiest women in action films are gorgeous to look at and it’s fun to watch them kick butt! Men used to be the only action stars, but these days hot chicks will give them a run for their money. Let’s check out some of the hottest women in action movies! Kate Beckinsale British beauty ...
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Thursday, April 4, 2013
Music service Rdio launches Vdio for TV, movies
This screen shot, made available on the blog for Rdio, the music streaming service started by a co-founder of Skype, shows the company's new digital store for video, called Vdio. The content will work on personal computers and Apple's iPad for now. It's opening at first to users in the U.S. and Britain. The latest TV episodes from shows such as "The Walking Dead" will sell for about $3 each and will be in high definition, while movies such as "Zero Dark Thirty" will cost from $3 to rent to $20 to buy. (AP Photo/Vdio) (
This screen shot, made available on the blog for Rdio, the music streaming service started by a co-founder of Skype, shows the company's new digital store for video, called Vdio. The content will work on personal computers and Apple's iPad for now. It's opening at first to users in the U.S. and Britain. The latest TV episodes from shows such as "The Walking Dead" will sell for about $3 each and will be in high definition, while movies such as "Zero Dark Thirty" will cost from $3 to rent to $20 to buy. (AP Photo/Vdio) (
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Rdio, the music streaming service started by a co-founder of Skype, is getting into video.
New and current subscribers of a $10-a-month unlimited music plan from Rdio (AR-dee-oh) will get $25 to spend in the new digital store for video, called Vdio (VEE-dee-oh).
The content will work on personal computers and Apple's iPad for now. It's opening at first to users in the U.S. and Britain. The latest TV episodes from shows such as "The Walking Dead" will sell for about $3 each and will be in high definition, while movies such as "Zero Dark Thirty" will cost from $3 to rent to $20 to buy.
Rdio Chief Executive Drew Larner said the plan is for users to get ideas about what to watch based on the music they and their friends love, and the other way around.
For instance, fans of Adele's hit single "Skyfall" might want to watch the James Bond movie of the same name, or viewers of the 1978 documentary "The Last Waltz" might want to listen to music by The Band, the subject of that movie.
"There's just so much interplay between film, TV and music. We just think this is going to be a natural combination," he said.
The company opted against a subscription video offering because the newest TV shows and movies would not be available that way, Larner said. Studios typically offer online subscription services such as Netflix Inc. only past seasons of TV shows, along with movies that have debuted in theaters months or years earlier. Larner said the company hopes to one day offer a plan that would give customers a selection of movies, TV shows and music for one price.
He didn't specify how many subscribers San Francisco-based Rdio has amassed since it launched in 2010 with the backing of Skype co-founder Janus Friis. But he said the rate at which new users come to the service, offered in 23 countries, has tripled since the company began spending money on advertising late last year.
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Wednesday, April 3, 2013
U.S. pipeline agency issues corrective action order to Exxon
PARIS, April 2 (Reuters) - Paris St Germain 2 Barcelona 2 - Champions League quarter-final, first leg result At Parc des Princes Scorers: Paris St Germain: Zlatan Ibrahimovic 79, Blaise Matuidi 90+4 Barcelona: Lionel Messi 38, Xavi 89 penalty Halftime: 0-1; Teams: Paris St Germain: 30-Salvatore Sirigu; 26-Christophe Jallet, 13-Alex, 2-Thiago Silva, 17-Maxwell; 29-Lucas, 32-David Beckham (24-Marco Verratti 70), 14-Blaise Matuidi, 27-Javier Pastore (19-Kevin Gameiro 76); 18-Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 11-Ezequiel Lavezzi (7-Jeremy Menez 66) Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 2-Daniel Alves, 3-Gerard Pique, ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-pipeline-agency-issues-corrective-action-order-exxon-234319278--finance.html
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Fracking: Challenges and opportunities
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 3-Apr-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Sheryl Weinstein
973-596-3436
New Jersey Institute of Technology
A technology vital for tapping much-needed energy or one that's environmentally destructive? That's the question a panel of experts will explore at the Technology and Society Forum session on fracking April 10, 2013 from 3 4:30 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom. The NJIT Technology and Society Forum is free and open to the public.
Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, injects fluid underground at high pressure to fracture rock formations in order to extract previously inaccessible oil and gas. Opponents point to the negatives, including groundwater contamination, risks to air quality, and migration of toxic chemicals to the surface.
The panel looking at both sides of fracking will be chaired by Michel Boufadel, NJIT professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the university's Center for Natural Resources Development and Protection. Boufadel's wide range of environmental research includes assessing effects of the the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska and the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.
Panelist Fred Baldassare is a senior geoscientist at ECHELON Applied Geoscience Consulting as well as the owner of the practice. He has been a leader in applying isotope geochemistry to identification of the source and type of gases in soils, aquifers and other geologic features of the Appalachian Basin.
Tracy Carluccio is assistant director of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN), a nonprofit whose staff and volunteers work throughout the entire Delaware River Watershed. DRN is engaged in environmental advocacy, volunteer monitoring, stream-restoration assistance and educational initiatives.
Daniel Soeder is a scientist with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory in West Virginia. His research interests include geology, energy and environmental issues related to unconventional fossil fuel resources such as shale gas, oil shale, enhanced oil recovery, and the geological sequestration of carbon dioxide.
###
For more information, contact Jay Kappraff, 973-596-3490. Co-sponsors of the event are NJIT Technology and Society Forum Committee, Albert Dorman Honors College, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sigma Xi. NJIT welcomes attendees from Essex County College, Rutgers-Newark, and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
Visit the NJIT Technology and Society Forum on the Web. Previous Forum presentations are available at http://itunes.njit.edu; search for "Technology and Society Forum."
NJIT, New Jersey's science and technology university, enrolls more than 9,558 students pursuing bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 120 programs. The university consists of six colleges: Newark College of Engineering, College of Architecture and Design, College of Science and Liberal Arts, School of Management, College of Computing Sciences and Albert Dorman Honors College. U.S. News & World Report's 2011 Annual Guide to America's Best Colleges ranked NJIT in the top tier of national research universities. NJIT is internationally recognized for being at the edge in knowledge in architecture, applied mathematics, wireless communications and networking, solar physics, advanced engineered particulate materials, nanotechnology, neural engineering and e-learning. Many courses and certificate programs, as well as graduate degrees, are available online through the Division of Continuing Professional Education.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 3-Apr-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Sheryl Weinstein
973-596-3436
New Jersey Institute of Technology
A technology vital for tapping much-needed energy or one that's environmentally destructive? That's the question a panel of experts will explore at the Technology and Society Forum session on fracking April 10, 2013 from 3 4:30 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom. The NJIT Technology and Society Forum is free and open to the public.
Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, injects fluid underground at high pressure to fracture rock formations in order to extract previously inaccessible oil and gas. Opponents point to the negatives, including groundwater contamination, risks to air quality, and migration of toxic chemicals to the surface.
The panel looking at both sides of fracking will be chaired by Michel Boufadel, NJIT professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the university's Center for Natural Resources Development and Protection. Boufadel's wide range of environmental research includes assessing effects of the the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska and the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.
Panelist Fred Baldassare is a senior geoscientist at ECHELON Applied Geoscience Consulting as well as the owner of the practice. He has been a leader in applying isotope geochemistry to identification of the source and type of gases in soils, aquifers and other geologic features of the Appalachian Basin.
Tracy Carluccio is assistant director of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN), a nonprofit whose staff and volunteers work throughout the entire Delaware River Watershed. DRN is engaged in environmental advocacy, volunteer monitoring, stream-restoration assistance and educational initiatives.
Daniel Soeder is a scientist with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory in West Virginia. His research interests include geology, energy and environmental issues related to unconventional fossil fuel resources such as shale gas, oil shale, enhanced oil recovery, and the geological sequestration of carbon dioxide.
###
For more information, contact Jay Kappraff, 973-596-3490. Co-sponsors of the event are NJIT Technology and Society Forum Committee, Albert Dorman Honors College, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sigma Xi. NJIT welcomes attendees from Essex County College, Rutgers-Newark, and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
Visit the NJIT Technology and Society Forum on the Web. Previous Forum presentations are available at http://itunes.njit.edu; search for "Technology and Society Forum."
NJIT, New Jersey's science and technology university, enrolls more than 9,558 students pursuing bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 120 programs. The university consists of six colleges: Newark College of Engineering, College of Architecture and Design, College of Science and Liberal Arts, School of Management, College of Computing Sciences and Albert Dorman Honors College. U.S. News & World Report's 2011 Annual Guide to America's Best Colleges ranked NJIT in the top tier of national research universities. NJIT is internationally recognized for being at the edge in knowledge in architecture, applied mathematics, wireless communications and networking, solar physics, advanced engineered particulate materials, nanotechnology, neural engineering and e-learning. Many courses and certificate programs, as well as graduate degrees, are available online through the Division of Continuing Professional Education.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/njio-fc040313.php
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