norplant spat: June 2012

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Untapped Cities: Inside the TWA Flight Center At New York's JFK Airport (PHOTOS)

Over the last decade, the now-closed TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport, designed by architect Eero Saarinen, has been undergoing painstaking preservation. The center is currently in the process of being approved for adaptive reuse as a hotel.

We got a look inside.

James Steven, manager of JFK Physical Plant and Redevelopment tells Untapped of the renovation he has overseen with Beyer Blinder Belle, and has been detail-oriented down to each tile being properly sourced in keeping with the building's history. The National Trust for Historic Preservation helped save it from demolition in 2003, and is now highlighting the terminal as one of the 24 most inspiring preservation stories in the 24 years of its 11 Most Endangered Historic Places List.

This was the cathedral to aviation, if there ever was one, and you feel through the design the pride and optimism the aviation industry had then.

Find out more and see more photos on Untapped Cities and on the publication's Facebook page. Get in touch with Michelle on Twitter @untappedmich.

Follow Untapped Cities on Twitter: www.twitter.com/untappedcities

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/untapped-cities/twa-flight-center-jfk-airport_b_1634741.html

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DijonTalton: Please Go "Like" My Brand New Facebook Page!! New Exclusive Photos, info, etc!! Let me know what you think!! http://t.co/osHd0zS4

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Source: http://twitter.com/DijonTalton/statuses/218773703083823104

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Friday, June 29, 2012

Utah governor calls for repeal of health care law

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High court upholds key part of Obama health law (Providence Journal)

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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Analysis: Morgan Stanley faces Facebook fallout, limits damage

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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Law change for firms using internet based financial systems ...

Updated during 6:27 am today

A taxation practitioner is ancillary changes for firms that use internet formed financial systems that store information in a supposed cloud.

Under a stream law, companies are compulsory to keep their annals in New Zealand.

Information that?s kept in a cloud is insincere to be abroad by Inland Revenue, and that requires central capitulation by a taxation authority.

A taxation partner during PWC Elle Ward says a Government will now change a law to recognize a flourishing use of these technologies, that she welcomes.

She says Inland Revenue requires businesses to keep their financial annals accessible in English and in New Zealand for 7 years, in box IRD wants to check them.

But Ms Ward says a emanate with that as record has progressed a lot of companies keep information in a cloud or other internet formed systems and that?s lead to some doubt as to either a information is indeed in New Zealand or not.

She says a changes could impact all companies from smaller companies that use use providers that have internet storage comforts as well, by to incomparable companies that might keep their financial information offshore in comforts in places like India or Singapore.

?It?s a good beginning from a Inland Revenue Department to make certain that where record overtakes a legislation that taxpayers still have certainty, that they can approve with a law and use a many complicated record in their businesses?.

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Interactive map like GPS for Roman Empire

Simulation calculates cost of shipping goods in days and dinarii

Web edition : 2:07 pm

EVANSTON, Ill. ? All roads may lead to Rome, but some are much smoother than others. A new interactive map of the Roman Empire that includes roads, rivers and hundreds of sea routes allows users to calculate the travel time and costs for traversing the ancient empire. The project, called ORBIS, is allowing researchers to probe standing hypotheses and develop new ones concerning the economic, social, military and political dynamics of an empire that had a profound and enduring influence on western civilization.

The map, based on years of scholarship and new calculations, is organized around 751 sites in an area of about 4 million square miles. These sites were either prominent settlements or landmarks considered significant for traversing an empire that in its time spanned one-ninth of the Earth?s circumference and touched three continents. There are 814 road segments for a total length of 84,631 kilometers and 28,272 kilometers of navigable rivers and canals. The map even incorporates data on the strength and direction of wind and ocean currents, parameters that change drastically when a route is estimated for winter rather than summer. Different modes of travel are also included, making it possible to calculate trip time whether traveling by civilian river boat, military river boat, wagon or rapid marching.

?It?s not just an exploratory tool,? said Elijah Meeks, a digital humanities specialist at Stanford who created the map, called ORBIS, with classics scholar Walter Scheidel. ?It?s also a representation of an argument.?

The network of dominant routes often changes depending what?s being moved: There are clear military, political, economic and information networks, Meeks said. So the best way to transport a shipment of slaves from Thrace to Capua might be entirely different than the optimal route for marching a legion of troops between the same two points.

And the importance of sea routes, which traverse the Mediterranean, Black Sea and coastal Atlantic, is striking. Compared with travel by mule (20 kilometers per day for heavily loaded animals) or fast carriage (67 kilometers per day), sea emerges as the preferred mode of travel, allowing speeds of 80 kilometers per day, Meeks reported June 19 at the Leonardo satellite symposium of the International Conference on Network Science. The one notable exception is in the movement of information. A 24-hour horse relay can move information 250 kilometers in a day.

The researchers also incorporated travel costs, based on prices stipulated by an edict issued by the Emperor Diocletian in 301 that imposed price caps on more than 1,000 products and the charges for delivering them, whether by ship, donkey, camel or wagon.. As is true today, the preferred route can vastly differ if time is the priority rather than expense.

?This map is really, really, really good,? said Maximilian Schich, a complex systems researcher and art historian at ETH Zurich. Scholars often focus on ever smaller entities, said Schich, when what?s needed is large-scale context. ?If we don?t quantify the whole, people will carry around their image of the whole ? perhaps a wrong, biased image ? in their heads.?

Found in: Humans, Science & Society and Technology

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Sunday, June 24, 2012

National Press Club to Host Newsmaker Media Briefing: Conflict Resolution in the Middle East

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Saturday, June 23, 2012

Bend it like Gumby: iPhone accessory boosts Portland company

PORTLAND, Ore. - Many inventions have come about as the solution to some sort of problem.

That's the idea behind Jason Hilbourne's latest creation. Hilbourne is the manager at 3-D Product, a Portland-based company.

Over the years, 3-D product has made dozens of items. Some have been successful in the marketplace. Others have not. But it's the latest product that seems to be getting the most buzz.

"I have various cables," said Hilbourne. "Power adapter cable for the laptop, headphones, and then this thing."

Hilbourne holds a standard cord for an iPod or iPhone. Many people keep it in a bag, briefcase, or purse, which can create some problems as it mixes with other wires and gadgets.

"It pulls out keys, your cell phone, checkbook, in addition to your other cables too," said Hilbourne. "It became this obsession with solving the problem of taking all this crap out of your bag."

His solution is something called Twig. It's essentially a cord shrunk down and transformed. It's small, portable, multi-functional and it bends like a Gumby action figure.

That pliability can turn it into a makeshift tripod. From there, you can prop it up to watch movies, talk over FaceTime and Twig's small size means it's easily retrievable from a bag or purse.

The product has been launched on Kickstarter.com, where folks can check out product ideas and pledge development money if they like them.

Twig has already taken off, bringing in triple the amount of Hilbourne's fundraising goal. That's a guarantee the product will be developed, reaching consumers sometime in September.

You can still pledge money for Twig and get a discount on the product for yourself.

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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Robotic fingertips are more sensitive than a human's

8 hrs.

Devin Coldewey

Two researchers from USC published a study Monday describing a new kind of robotic sensor, modeled on the human finger, that can feel, explore and identify more than a hundred common materials. They hope the technology will be integrated into prosthetic hands and other devices that could benefit from a tactile sense.

The research grew out of a simple desire to investigate whether a robot could be made to identify textures; now the duo is starting a company called?SynTouch,?outside the university, to further develop the synthetic fingertip they created, with funding from DARPA, the NIH, the NSF and others. Clearly the work touched a nerve, so to speak.

Machines exist that can smell and taste, and of course see and hear, but touch has remained somewhat difficult to even define. Touch involves many sensations: pressure, temperature, vibration, and is as much behavioral as it is mechanical. In order to identify an object, for instance, you might naturally press harder or lighter, or move your fingers in a different direction.

So Professor?Gerald Loeb and doctoral?student Jeremy Fishel (who has?since graduated) had to not only create a device that could replicate those sensations, but to act in a logical manner regarding how the material in question was to be explored. This led to both the BioTac sensor and what they are calling "Bayesian Exploration," (named after pioneering 18th century mathematician Thomas Bayes), a set of algorithms and rules that lets the robot explore objects intelligently.

The BioTac system is more or less an electronic fingertip: the outside is a soft and flexible material with an actual fingerprint pattern that helps in recognizing vibrations. Inside there is a fluid to give the fingertip a pliable but firm structure, and within that fluid, the sensors that detect pressure, temperature and sound (that is, vibrations).

It was trained on 117 materials, from wool to metal to paper, and can identify them correctly 95 percent of the time. It even performed better than humans overall, especially?in distinguishing some highly similar samples.

The BioTac and its associated systems are still in development, and it will be some time before someone with a prosthetic arm will be able to tell the difference between table and coaster with their eyes closed. But the device must certainly be considered highly successful.

Loeb and Fishel's research appeared Monday in Frontiers in Neurorobotics.?You can watch a video of the inventors and their robot on Vimeo.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

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Romney says Rubio is being vetted for No. 2 slot

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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Ron Paul wins Iowa! Does that matter?

Ron Paul's final victory in Iowa ? Mitt Romney won the caucuses, but Paul got most of the delegates ? could affect how hard Paul supporters push to get their issues on the agenda at the GOP's national convention.

By Peter Grier,?Staff writer / June 18, 2012

US Rep. Ron Paul (R) of Texas smiles as he takes the stage to speak during a breakout session of the Texas Republican Convention in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 7. Congressman Paul suspended his presidential campaign in May, but he gave a speech to the Texas GOP convention. His supporters have continued amassing delegates to the party's national convention.

LM Otero/AP

Enlarge

Ron Paul won Iowa! At the Iowa GOP convention over the weekend, supporters of the Texas libertarian walked away with 23 of the state?s 28 national convention delegates. Under state Republican rules, those delegates are unbound, meaning they can vote for Congressman Paul in August in Tampa, Fla., if they please. It?s another example of how Paul?s strategy of getting his people organized at the grass-roots level has (somewhat) paid off in the end.

Skip to next paragraph Peter Grier

Washington Editor

Peter Grier is The Christian Science Monitor's Washington editor. In this capacity, he helps direct coverage for the paper on most news events in the nation's capital.

Greek vote boosts Asia stocks but Europe muted

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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Talk of drones patrolling US skies spawns anxiety

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The prospect that thousands of drones could be patrolling U.S. skies by the end of this decade is raising the specter of a Big Brother government that peers into backyards and bedrooms.

The worries began mostly on the political margins, but there are signs that ordinary people are starting to fret that unmanned aircraft could soon be circling overhead.

Jeff Landry, a freshman Republican congressman from Louisiana's coastal bayou country, said constituents have stopped him while shopping at Walmart to talk about it.

"There is a distrust amongst the people who have come and discussed this issue with me about our government," Landry said. "It's raising an alarm with the American public."

Another GOP freshman, Rep. Austin Scott, said he first learned of the issue when someone shouted out a question about drones at a Republican Party meeting in his Georgia congressional district two months ago.

An American Civil Liberties Union lobbyist, Chris Calabrese, said that when he speaks to audiences about privacy issues generally, drones are what "everybody just perks up over."

"People are interested in the technology, they are interested in the implications and they worry about being under surveillance from the skies," he said.

The level of apprehension is especially high in the conservative blogosphere, where headlines blare "30,000 Armed Drones to be Used Against Americans" and "Government Drones Set to Spy on Farms in the United States."

When Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican, suggested during a radio interview last month that drones be used by police domestically since they've done such a good job on foreign battlefields, the political backlash was swift. NetRightDaily complained: "This seems like something a fascist would do. ... McDonnell isn't pro-Big Government, he is pro-HUGE Government."

John Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute of Charlottesville, Va., which provides legal assistance in support of civil liberties and conservative causes, warned the governor, "America is not a battlefield, and the citizens of this nation are not insurgents in need of vanquishing."

There's concern as well among liberal civil liberties advocates that government and private-sector drones will be used to gather information on Americans without their knowledge. A lawsuit by the Electronic Frontier Foundation of San Francisco, whose motto is "defending your rights in the digital world," forced the Federal Aviation Administration earlier this year to disclose the names of dozens of public universities, police departments and other government agencies that have been awarded permission to fly drones in civilian airspace on an experimental basis.

Giving drones greater access to U.S. skies moves the nation closer to "a surveillance society in which our every move is monitored, tracked, recorded and scrutinized by the authorities," the ACLU warned last December in a report.

The anxiety has spilled over into Congress, where a bipartisan group of lawmakers have been meeting to discuss legislation that would broadly address the civil-liberty issues raised by drones. A Landry provision in a defense spending bill would prohibit information gathered by military drones without a warrant from being used as evidence in court. A provision that Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., added to another bill would prohibit the Homeland Security Department from arming its drones, including ones used to patrol the border.

Scott and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., have introduced identical bills to prohibit any government agency from using a drone to "gather evidence or other information pertaining to criminal conduct or conduct in violation of a regulation" without a warrant.

"I just don't like the concept of drones flying over barbecues in New York to see whether you have a Big Gulp in your backyard or whether you are separating out your recyclables according to the city mandates," Paul said in an interview, referring to a New York City ban on supersized soft drinks.

He acknowledged that is an "extreme example," but added: "They might just say we'd be safer from muggings if we had constant surveillance crisscrossing the street all the time. But then the question becomes, what about jaywalking? What about eating too many donuts? What about putting mayonnaise on your hamburger? Where does it stop?"

Calabrese, the ACLU lobbyist, called Paul's office as soon as he heard about the bill.

"I told them we think they are starting from the right place," Calabrese said. "You should need some kind of basis before you use a drone to spy on someone."

In a Congress noted for its political polarization, legislation to check drone use has the potential to forge "a left-right consensus," he said. "It bothers us for a lot of the same reasons it bothers conservatives."

The backlash has drone makers concerned. The drone market is expected to nearly double over the next 10 years, from current worldwide expenditures of nearly $6 billion annually to more than $11 billion, with police departments accounting for a significant part of that growth.

"We go into this with every expectation that the laws governing public safety and personal privacy will not be administered any differently for (drones) than they are for any other law enforcement tool," said Dan Elwell, vice president of the Aerospace Industries Association.

Discussion of the issue has been colored by exaggerated drone tales spread largely by conservative media and bloggers.

Scott said he was prompted to introduce his bill in part by news reports that the Environmental Protection Agency has been using drones to spy on cattle ranchers in Nebraska. The agency has indeed been searching for illegal dumping of waste into streams but is doing it the old-fashioned way, with piloted planes.

In another case, a forecast of 30,000 drones in U.S. skies by 2020 has been widely attributed to the FAA. But FAA spokeswoman Brie Sachse said the agency has no idea where the figure came from. It may be a mangled version of an aerospace industry forecast that there could be nearly 30,000 drones worldwide by 2018, with the United States accounting for half of them.

Fear that some drones may be armed has been fueled in part by a county sheriff's office in Texas that used a homeland security grant to buy a $300,000, 50-pound ShadowHawk helicopter drone for its SWAT team. The drone can be equipped with a 40mm grenade launcher and a 12-gauge shotgun. Randy McDaniel, chief deputy with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, told The Associated Press earlier this year his office had no plans to arm the drone, but he left open the possibility the agency may decide to adapt the drone to fire tear gas canisters and rubber bullets.

Earlier this year Congress, under pressure from the Defense Department and the drone manufacturers, ordered the FAA to give drones greater access to civilian airspace by 2015. Besides the military, the mandate applies to drones operated by the private sector and civilian government agencies, including federal, state and local law enforcement.

Reps. Ed Markey, D-Mass, and Joe Barton, R-Texas, co-chairs of a congressional privacy caucus, asked the FAA in April how it plans to protect privacy as it develops regulations for integrating drones into airspace now exclusively used by aircraft with human pilots. There's been no response so far, but Acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta will probably be asked about it when he testifies at a Senate hearing Thursday.

___

Follow Joan Lowy at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

___

Online:

http://www.faa.gov

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Greece pro-bailout parties could form govt

ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? The pro-bailout New Democracy party came in first Sunday in Greece's national election and could gather enough support to form a pro-bailout coalition to keep the country in the eurozone.

As central banks stood ready to intervene in case of financial turmoil, Greece held its second national election in just six weeks to try to select a new government after an inconclusive ballot on May 6.

Sunday's vote was seen as crucial for Europe and the world, since it could determine whether Greece is forced to leave the joint euro currency, a move that could have potentially catastrophic consequences for other ailing European nations and the global economy.

Although official projections late Sunday showed that no party will win enough seats in the 300-member parliament to form a government on its own, Greece's two traditional parties ? the conservative New Democracy and the socialist PASOK ? would have enough seats to form a coalition together.

They have both expressed a willingness to work with other European nations to stay in the 17-nation eurozone.

The projections showed New Democracy winning 29.5 percent and 128 seats. The radical left Syriza party, which has vowed to repeal Greece's international bailout deal, was expected to come in second with 27.1 percent and 72 seats. PASOK trails with 12.3 percent and 33 seats.

To form a majority government, a coalition would need at least 151 seats.

The parties vying to win have starkly different views about what to do about the ?240 billion ($300 billion) in bailout loans that Greece has been given by international lenders.

Greece has been dependent on rescue loans since May 2010, after sky-high borrowing rates left it locked out of the international markets following years of profligate spending and falsifying financial data. The spending cuts made in return have left the country mired in a fifth year of recession, with unemployment spiraling to above 22 percent and tens of thousands of businesses shutting down.

New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras says his top priority is to stay in the euro but has promised to renegotiate some terms of the bailout.

Syriza head Alexis Tsipras, a 37-year-old former student activist, has vowed to cancel the terms of Greece's international bailout deal and repeal its austerity measures.

"There are many power-sharing possibilities that include a vote of tolerance from parties," Syriza member Nikos Voutsis said on state television. "But we'll see.'"

The party that comes first in Sunday's vote gets a bonus of 50 seats in the 300-member Parliament and gets the first try at forming a new government with a majority in Parliament. If they fail, the next highest party gets to try.

Earlier, the exit polls projected seven parties in all beating the 3 percent threshold for seats in Parliament, including the extremist right-wing Golden Dawn party, which vehemently rejects the neo-Nazi label but has been blamed for numerous violent attacks against immigrants.

Golden Dawn was projected at winning between 6 and 7.5 percent, roughly maintaining the level of the nearly 7 percent it won in May ? a meteoric rise for a fringe party that had polled at just 0.3 percent.

The small Democratic Left party was projected at winning between 5.5 and 6.5 percent, with the right-wing Independent Greeks tied with Golden Dawn at 6-7.5 percent.

There are no rules governing a country's exit from the eurozone. A Greek exit could cause economic chaos in Europe, prompt investors to flee stocks in the U.S. , and spark a panic that other debt-strapped European nations ? Portugal, Ireland, Spain and Italy ? might also have to leave the eurozone.

That domino scenario ? known in economic terms as contagion ? could engulf the euro, causing a global financial panic not unlike the one that gripped the world in 2008 after the investment firm Lehman Brothers failed in the U.S.

Virtually unknown outside of Greece four months ago, Tsipras and his party shot to prominence in the May 6 vote, where he came a surprise second and quadrupled his support since the 2009 election.

Tsipras, has vowed to rip up Greece's bailout agreements and repeal the austerity measures, which have included deep spending cuts on everything from health care to education and infrastructure, as well as tax hikes and reductions of salaries and pensions.

But his pledges, which include canceling planned privatizations, nationalizing banks and rolling back cuts to minimum wages and pensions, have horrified European leaders, as well as many Greeks. Tsipras' opponents argue that the inexperienced young politician is out of touch with reality.

"We have beaten fear. Today we open a road to hope," Tspiras said, adding that he was confident of victory. "Today we open a road to a better tomorrow, with our people united, dignified and proud. In a Greece of social justice and prosperity, an equal member of a Europe that is changing."

Samaras, meanwhile, cast Sunday's choice as one between the euro and returning to the drachma. He has vowed to renegotiate some of the bailout's harsher terms but insists the top priority is for the country to remain in Europe's joint currency.

"Today the Greek people speak. Tomorrow a new era for Greece begins," Samaras said after voting in southern Greece.

Earlier Sunday, about 10 men armed with sledgehammers and wooden bats attacked a polling station in central Athens, wounding two policemen guarding it and setting fire to the ballot box shortly before polls closed. The attack ? the only one reported so far ? took place in the Athens neighborhood of Exarhia, a traditional haven for leftists and anarchists.

Greek police were also investigating the discovery Sunday of two unexploded hand grenades outside private Skai television station on the outskirts of Athens. Greek government spokesman Demetris Tsiodras denounced the devices as an attempt to spoil the smooth running of the election.

___

Menelaos Hadjicostis, Demetris Nellas and AP television in Athens contributed.

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Sunday, June 17, 2012

Scientists to strap cameras to Hawaiian seals

FILE- This 2002, file photo, provided by the National Marine Fisheries Service shows a juvenile Hawaiian monk seal with a camera strapped to its back at French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii, one of the outermost islands in the Hawaiian island chain. The agency plans to glue underwater cameras smaller than the one pictured to the backs of seals in the main Hawaiian Islands to prove to fishermen the animals aren't harming their way of life. (AP Photo/National Marine Fisheries Service, File)

HONOLULU (AP) ? Hawaiian monk seals need an image makeover.

Some fishermen blame the endangered species for stealing their catch. There are unfounded rumors that they devour and deplete fish stocks. And at least four of them have been killed by humans in Hawaii since late last year.

To help correct the misconceptions, government scientists plan to glue submersible cameras onto the seals' backs, using the footage to prove to fishermen the animals are not harming their way of life. It may even end up on reality TV.

"It's following seals to have them tell their own story," Charles Littnan, lead scientist for the National Marine Fisheries Service's Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program. They expect to see the seals dive for eels and fish on the ocean floor.

The "Crittercams," provided by the National Geographic Society, are the latest tactic to protect a population that is down to just 1,100 in Pacific Ocean waters around Hawaii. The killings were painful blows to a species on course to disappear in 50 to 100 years.

The deaths have come as resentment simmers while the species experiences a modest rebound around Kauai, Oahu and other islands where Hawaii's humans live.

Archaeological evidence ? like monk seal bones in a human trash pit dating between the 15th and 18th centuries ? shows the seals were around on these islands long ago. But most were hunted for their meat and fur by the early 1900s.

The seals were then generally only found among tiny, remote atolls northwest of Hawaii's main islands.

Their numbers started increasing about a decade ago around the main islands. Now, they regularly haul up on the sands of Poipu on Kauai and the rocky shorelines of Kaena Point in northwest Oahu. They've even appeared amid throngs of sunbathing tourists in Waikiki.

Though the species is ancient and has inhabited Hawaii for millions of years, their growth is making them look like new arrivals to humans who haven't seen them in their midst for more than a century.

Starting this August, biologists will capture several seals, sedate them and use epoxy to attach the cameras to their hides. Littnan hopes the footage will prove several assumptions untrue.

Some people think, for example, that seals operate like swarms of locusts ? tough to do when there are only 200 of them in the main Hawaiian Islands. Others believe the seals eat 600 pounds of fish a day ? not plausible, since an adult weighs between 375 and 500 pounds.

"That's not even remotely physically possible," Littnan said.

The researchers are inviting fishermen and budding scientists at Hawaii high schools to join the research teams and watch the footage as it comes in. Students can submit essays by next month to win a spot on the research team. If the video proves compelling, the seals might see some TV spotlight.

Crittercams have changed perceptions before.

When scientists first used the cameras to study Hawaiian monk seals, most believed the animals fed among coral reefs. But Crittercams showed them swimming to barren sandy areas, diving to the ocean floor, flipping over rocks and eating fish and eels found underneath.

Researchers only attached cameras to seals in the northwestern Hawaiian islands that time. Seals around the main Hawaiian islands haven't been studied in the same way.

"Seeing what the animals really did rather than guessing about it was incredibly useful," said Kyler Abernathy, the National Geographic Society's remote imaging director of research.

Walter Ritte, a Native Hawaiian and longtime activist who has spoken against monk seal killings, said everything that can be done must be done to help the seals. But he's not sure the research will change attitudes.

In a state with deep respect for Hawaiian tradition and elders who know it well, Ritte said, elders should more actively pass on cultural legends ? like stories of the deity Kuulakai ? that teach how to properly fish, care for the ocean and manage stocks.

"All of that worked for thousands of years, and it's the essence of our culture," Ritte said. "We need to go back and remind the people who live here that that's the essence of who we are in the state of Hawaii. It goes in a total opposite direction from what is happening with the seals."

___

Online: http://www.monksealfoundation.org/research.aspx

Associated Press

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Saturday, June 16, 2012

Oklahoma City likely to be regular summer stop for NBA

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Oklahoma City was once just a temporary stop for the NBA.

Needing a home after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Hornets came to play in a city that was desperate for a major sports franchise of its own.

The Hornets eventually went back home, but now Kevin Durant and the rest of the young Thunder might make Oklahoma City an annual summer destination.

With a young core and smart management providing a chance for lasting success, there's a good chance this isn't the last time the NBA Finals will be here.

And the Heat might be one of the teams frequently coming back.

"Everybody's saying it's a dream finals," Miami's Chris Bosh said. "I was like, dang, let's keep it going, give the people what they want to see."

It's not quite that simple.

Tough decisions will have to be made -- tougher now, with new spending rules -- and players who seem content in this quiet city now may feel differently in a few years. So the Thunder, who brought a 1-0 lead into Thursday night's game, weren't counting on another chance if they didn't take advantage of this one.

"We can't think too far down the line," Durant said. "Of course, everybody else is going to think that since we're a young team. But we don't want to use that and say that we can give this one away because we're going to be there in the long run. We've got to take advantage of these opportunities. They're not guaranteed. We've just got to come out and be us, man, and have fun with the game. That's all we really want to do is have fun and also play smart."

That's what the Thunder have been doing while quickly creating one of the NBA's most passionate fan bases.

Oklahoma, previously known mostly as home to some big-time college programs when it came to sports, wanted to have the professional game in its capital city, and NBA Commissioner David Stern remembers the first time Mayor Mick Cornett approached him about bringing a team here.

"I said, `You really ought to pursue another league,"' Stern said.

But the commissioner was impressed with all the construction that was being done within the city and its recovery from the 1995 terrorist bombing at a federal building. And when the Hornets needed a place to go after their city's tragedy, Stern recommended Oklahoma City to former Hornets owner George Shinn.

The Hornets departed after a two-year stay, but the NBA was back just two years later after owner Clay Bennett moved the Seattle SuperSonics to his home state. General manager Sam Presti constructed a contender through the draft, with Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka all 23 or younger.

The Heat have gone another route, aiming for free agency in 2010 and coming out a big winner, signing LeBron James and Bosh while keeping Dwyane Wade. They've reached both NBA Finals since.

"It was interesting as a fan to watch that team being constructed, the Big Three and those around it, and it's very interesting to see the Thunder and the way they've been constructed," Stern said. "And it's also interesting to see the way the state of Oklahoma has taken to these Oklahoma City Thunder. It's very rewarding that the NBA could play a part in really the growth and literally the excitement that this city that has suffered so much is seeing and having."

Durant and Westbrook, plus the Heat's Big Three, all have long-term deals. The trick for the Thunder will be re-signing both Harden and Ibaka, who can become restricted free agents this summer, which became more difficult with the terms of the collective bargaining agreement that was signed to end the lockout.

The NBA didn't get the hard salary cap it sought, which would have prevented teams from exceeding the cap limit, but did get a much more severe luxury tax which could make it too penal for all but perhaps the highest-profiting teams to go over that threshold.

Similarly, the Heat will face salary considerations as they try to tinker with the pieces around their All-Star trio.

"I think there are tons of unintended consequences when you're trying to put together an agreement the size of the one we tried to work out. That was for sure one of our big concerns for any team, small market or large market," said the Thunder's Derek Fisher, the players' association president. "In particular, fans and communities over time develop relationships with certain guys and love to see certain guys on certain teams.

"So, as you build up, I guess, impediments to teams being able to remain the same over time, it makes it difficult."

So, neither team is willing to look too far into the future

James wouldn't envision himself becoming a regular June visitor here, though he did express his admiration for what the Thunder have developed in Oklahoma City.

"I think it's a great city," he said. "They have unbelievable fans. You see a lot of Oklahoma City Thunder T-shirts and banners and things. So it's great."

And it looks like it will be great for a while.

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Friday, June 15, 2012

Getting People Involved in Sports Ministry | Church Sports Outreach ...

In talking with ML Woodruff, Sports Ministry Director for Istrouma Sports Outreach at Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, LA, he mentioned a new idea he implemented during spring baseball ? team chaplains. ?Team chaplains were adults who assisted the Coaches as they served as ?Spiritual Shepherds? and reached out to the players and families on the team.

As he outlined the idea and the way God provided a person to lead this ministry initiative, I asked him if his ?Chaplain Commissioner? would write about the experience. ?Below are Vicki Saucier?s thoughts:

God is so much bigger than we can imagine.

ML Woodruff, our Sports Minister, asked me to consider being a chaplain for one of our baseball teams.? After prayerful consideration, I told him I would love to.

He gave me the date of a meeting he and the chaplains would have to discuss our role.? I was out of town and missed the meeting.? We finally set a time to meet at his office so he could fill me in.

The morning of the meeting I couldn?t sleep, so I got up early to do my Bible study.? It was talking about God using people in areas they don?t feel they are capable of being used!? It was really good.? Then I realized I had done the wrong week (of my Bible Study)!? Oops! Oh well.? I really enjoyed it and then I did the correct one.

Now ? on to our meeting.? ML and I taught together for several years and are good friends so we visited for a few minutes before the beginning.? As the meeting progressed, I realized nobody, other than me, had agreed to be a chaplain.? In fact, ML said, ?What I really need is a Chaplain Commissioner!?? ?What?s that?? I asked.? He explained that it was someone who would recruit chaplains for the 18 baseball teams we had! ?Oh my!?? I responded.? I?m so not equipped to do that ? was my thought ? which I voiced.? ML told me to pray about it.

I then had one of those ?ah ha? moments when God sort of slaps you on the head!? I remembered by ?wrong-day? Bible study.? You see, God knows exactly what He?s doing!? It was exactly the right day for me.? I told ML I didn?t need to pray about it.? God had already told me the job was for me and He would be right there with me!

He was, of course!? I struggled at first, a little fearful of asking people, many I didn?t know, to do a job I was not really sure of.? But, even though I got many ?no?s?, I got more ?yes?s?.? God is so awesome!? I got 16 chaplains, not 18, but I?ll do better for football.

Our chaplains did a great job this past baseball season.? I look forward to watching God?s plan in action through our chaplain ministry.? One of our chaplains is in poor health and originally said ?no?, but called to tell me he believed he needed to do this.? He was amazing!? I saw him at several practices and almost every game on his walker.? He sent emails to the coaches and parents.? He is such a wonderful example to every member of our church.? If we could be half the example this man was (Ferris Jordan), this world would be a much better place.? Watch out world?Istrouma Baptist is on the move for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

There may be someone like Vicki in your ministry whom God has prepared to do something ?they don?t feel capable? to do. ?What ideas and people has God put on your heart to pursue?

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Put People in Motion in Your Sports Ministry
How to Focus Your People in Your Sports Ministry on Evangelism
Releasing People in Your Sports Ministry
Assimilating People From Your Sports Ministry to Your Church
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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

VoIP solutions provider - Implementing modern VoIP technologies ...

by Chris Mills
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VoIP solutions provider More Details about VoIP solutions provider here.

Importance of VoIP solutions in modern days

With the rise in the need of modern communication techniques multimedia methodologies are being given more preference. A lot of organizations provide the customers and the clients with after sales and service using the VoIP solutions. VoIP enables the company in cutting down the costs and maintaining a better non-interrupting connectivity while providing the service. Thus selecting a VoIP solutions provider is crucial from the organization's point of view. While choosing a VoIP solutions provider few factors must be kept in mind. The solutions provider must have enough expertise and experience in dealing with the products and the services necessary from VoIP point of view. If the VoIP solutions provider has dealt with these products and services on a larger scale then the organization can be trusted upon. Reputation of the organization in the industry is also essential from the organization's point of view as it ensures secured investment.

VoIP solutions and choosing perfect solution provider

Many companies depend upon the VoIP core solutions for the operations within the company. For such organizations selecting a VoIP solutions provider is essential from the organization's point of view. An expert and experienced VoIP solutions provider allows the proper installation and maintenance of VoIP solutions within the enterprise network. VoIP solutions must be provided by the solution provider based on the already present network infrastructure. We all must keep it in mind that in an enterprise though minor network changes are possible for integrating VoIP solutions, major changes are impossible. If the organization is forced to make such major changes then it can harm the connectivity of the other devices already existing and under use by the operation's department of the enterprise. Thus if the VoIP solutions provider is expert enough they will make use of the existing infrastructure and integrate their solutions along with it. Routine desktop maintenance and desktop support service

Sometimes only managing the network infrastructure and the video conferencing solutions is not enough. If the operations of the company depend largely on the work done by the employees on their terminals then proficient desktop support service is also required to keep the regularity intact. In many cases it has been seen that though the network infrastructure and the video conferencing tools are working properly, due to the absence of desktop support service the operations might not work efficiently for the benefit of the organization. Thus the organization can deal with this situation by joining hands with the proficient desktop support service which is provided by many network and Polycom solutions providers. This will take care of the long term benefits of the organization to a greater extent and help in maintaining a better operations department. While selecting a solutions provider the organization might look forward to those companies which have the experience and expertise in providing both desktop support service and VoIP solutions provider solutions. This will benefit the organizations from both the manageability as well as the budget point of view for the operations running within the organization.

Chris Mills is the director of Strategic communications,who spent almost two decades to become expert in communication for the IT services world. His aim is to help companies with strategic communications planning, Desktop Support service ,Surveillance camera system,wireless network solution and experience in dealing with VoIP solutions provider .

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Chris Mills

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Keywords: VoIP solutions provider, desktop support service

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