Kenyan election results upheld by highest court, rival concedes

Ben Curtis / AP

A supporter of losing presidential candidate Raila Odinga gestures as he protests with others in the rain in front of riot police guarding the Supreme Court in Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, March 30, 2013.

By Edmund Blair and Humphrey Malalo, Reuters

Kenya's Supreme Court upheld Uhuru Kenyatta's presidential election victory on Saturday and his defeated rival quickly accepted the ruling, dousing fears of a repeat of the tribal bloodletting that blighted the country's last vote.

The decision cleared the way for Kenya's richest man to take the top job in east Africa's biggest economy, but left foreign powers with the headache of dealing with a leader charged with crimes against humanity at The Hague.

After the judgment, police fired shots in the air and teargas at hundreds of stone-throwing youths in the western city of Kisumu, a stronghold of defeated presidential candidate Raila Odinga, who had challenged Kenyatta's win. Protesters looted shops and burned tires in the street.

But shortly after, Odinga made a nationally-televised statement, accepting the court's unanimous decision.

"The court has now spoken," Odinga told a news conference. "I wish the president-elect, honorable Uhuru Kenyatta, and his team well."

Kenya's outgoing president had called for calm ahead of the judgment which came five years after another ballot dispute triggered violence that left more than 1,200 dead.

"It is the decision of the court that the third and fourth respondents were validly elected," Chief Justice Willy Mutunga said in court, referring to Kenyatta and his running mate for deputy president, William Ruto.

He said the court had done its duty at a historic moment. "It is now for the Kenyan people, their leaders, civil society, the private sector and the media to discharge [their duty], to ensure that the unity, peace, sovereignty and prosperity of the nation is preserved," he added.

After a week of hearings, the six judges of the court had unanimously decided the March 4 vote was conducted in a free, fair and credible manner in line with the constitution, he said.

Peaceful voting in this year's vote, and the fact the dispute was played out by lawyers not machete-wielding gangs, has already helped repair Kenya's image as a safe haven for investors and tourists.

Paramilitary police, some on horseback, formed a security cordon around the court before the ruling. Police chief David Kimaiyo has repeatedly said he would not allow public rallies.

Kenyatta comfortably beat Odinga in votes won, but only narrowly avoided a run-off by edging above the 50 percent threshold.

Western donors are watching the fate of a regional trade partner and a country they see as vital to stability in a volatile area. They had also said before the victory was confirmed that a Kenyatta win would complicate relations.

He is facing charges at the International Criminal Court of crimes against humanity, accused of helping incite the violence after the 2007 vote. Kenyatta denies the charges and has promised to cooperate with the court to clear his name.

Western nations have a policy of having only "essential contacts" with indictees of the court. They say that will not affect dealings with the Kenyan government as a whole, but will worry the issue could drive a long-time ally of the West closer to emerging powers such as China.

David Cameron, prime minister of former colonial power Britain, wrote to Kenyatta to congratulate him and encouraged Kenyans to accept the decision of the court.

Neighboring African states have also been keeping a careful eye on proceedings after they were hit by the knock-on effects when vital trade routes through Kenya were shut down five years ago.

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North Korea puts rockets on standby as US official warns regime is no 'paper tiger'

The threats to the U.S. are becoming more strident as North Korea's leader, Kim Jung Un, says his rockets are ready to strike America at any time. But experts do not believe Pyongyang has the capabilities it claims.

By Courtney Kube and Ian Johnston, NBC News

North Korea put its rocket units on standby Friday to attack U.S. military bases in South Korea and the Pacific, after repeated threats and one day after two American stealth bombers flew over the Korean Peninsula in a military exercise.

A U.S. official warned that the isolated communist state is ?not a paper tiger? and its reaction should not be dismissed as ?pure bluster.?

According to the North Korea's official KCNA news agency, the country's leader Kim Jong Un ?judged the time has come to settle accounts with the U.S. imperialists in view of the prevailing situation? at a midnight meeting of top generals, Reuters reported.

The latest threat comes one day after?two nuclear-capable stealth bombers flew from Missouri?to drop inert munitions on a range in South Korea as part of a major military exercise.

KCNA via EPA

Kim Jong Un, seen at what was described as an urgent meeting overnight, has ordered his rocket forces to be on standby to strike U.S. and South Korean targets at any time.

The U.S. official emphasized the danger posed by North Korea?s military and the unpredictable nature of its 30-year-old leader.

?North Korea is not a paper tiger so it wouldn't be smart to dismiss its provocative behavior as pure bluster. What's not clear right now is how much risk Kim Jong Un is willing to run to show the world and domestic elites that he's a tough guy,? said the official, who asked not to be named. ?His inexperience is certain -- his wisdom is still very much in question.?

There was a mass demonstration in support of Kim?involving tens of thousands of people?in the main square of North Korean capital Pyongyang Friday, The Associated Press reported.

Placards read "Let's crush the puppet traitor group" and "Let's rip the puppet traitors to death!"

'War for national liberation'
The state-controlled KCNA also published an article that said the ?opportunity for peacefully settling the DPRK-U.S. relations is no longer available as the U.S. opted for staking its fate. Consequently, there remains only the settlement of accounts by a physical means.? DPRK stands for Democratic People?s Republic of Korea, the North's official name.

David Guttenfelder / AP

As chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press, David Guttenfelder has had unprecedented access to communist North Korea. Here's a rare look at daily life in the secretive country.

?A battle to be fought by the DPRK against the U.S. will become a war for national liberation to defend the sovereignty and dignity of the country and, at the same time, a revolutionary war to defend the human cause of independence and the justice of the international community,? the article by ?news analyst? Minju Joson said.

South Korea?s Yonhap news agency quoted a South Korean military official as saying that there had been ?increased movement of vehicles and forces? at missile launch sites in the North. ?We are closely watching possibilities of missile launches,? the unnamed official said.

North Korea routinely issues hostile statements but analysts have noted recent remarks have become more belligerent. In December, the North carried out a long-range rocket test and then detonated a nuclear bomb in a test earlier this year.

North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-un has issued almost daily threats, including the threat of nuclear strikes on Washington, D.C., and Seoul. In addition, Pyongyang has put its troops on combat readiness, warning that war "may break out at any moment." NBC's Ian Williams reports.

At a daily news briefing Friday, China?s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said China was calling for an easing of tensions.

But some fear the situation could be getting out of control.

"It seems that Kim Jong Un is in the driving seat of a train that has been taken on a joyride," Lee Min-yong, an expert on North Korea at Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul, told Reuters.

Russia, meanwhile, appeared to criticize the U.S. over Thursday's bomber mission.

"We are concerned that alongside the adequate, collective reaction of the U.N. Security Council, unilateral action is being taken around North Korea that is increasing military activity," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow, according to Reuters.

"The situation could simply get out of control; it is slipping toward the spiral of a vicious cycle," he said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

PhotoBlog: North Koreans rally in support of leader's call to arms

Nuclear-capable stealth bombers sent to South Korea amid Kim Jong Un's threats

Despite rhetoric from North, South Koreans carry on

This story was originally published on Fri Mar 29, 2013 5:11 AM EDT

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Pentagon civilians facing fewer furlough days

WASHINGTON (AP) -- As many as 700,000 civilian employees at the Defense Department will be furloughed for as long as 14 work days beginning in June, eight fewer days than originally anticipated after Congress gave military officials greater flexibility to apportion automatic budget cuts driving the layoffs.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel described the reduction from 22 days to two weeks as "good news" during a Pentagon news conference Thursday.

Hagel also announced that President Barack Obama has nominated Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove to take over as commander of all U.S. and NATO forces in Europe.

Furlough notices will be sent out in early May, and the furloughs will begin in June and last through September. Employees will be furloughed for one day in each of the last 14 weeks of the 2013 budget year.

The thorny issue of who will be exempt from the furloughs remains unresolved. Pentagon officials have estimated that at least 10 percent of the department's roughly 800,000 civilian workers will not face furloughs, but they have declined to identify them.

The Pentagon previously has said it will not furlough civilians in the war zone and in critical public safety jobs, or people whose jobs are not paid for through congressional funding. Also exempt are as many as 50,000 foreign nationals who work for the department but are covered by international agreements.

The automatic cuts took effect March 1, triggered by Congress' failure to trim the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion over a decade. The Pentagon initially faced a $46 billion budget reduction through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, but Hagel said a new spending bill signed by Obama this week lowered the reduction by roughly $5 billion. That allows the military to start military construction projects and other programs that otherwise would have been delayed.

The furloughs are expected to save about $2.5 billion, Hagel said.

Before the bill was signed, civilians would have been required to take one day a week off without pay for 22 weeks ? a 20 percent pay cut for more than five months. The spending bill gave officials the leeway to lessen the salary cuts and spread money around to other key priorities, including training, maintenance and possible ship deployments.

As an example, the Navy had delayed refueling overhauls of two aircraft carriers, the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the USS Abraham Lincoln ? critical maintenance work that officials said would be a priority if additional funding became available.

Breedlove is the top Air Force commander in Europe. If he's confirmed by the Senate, he would be the first Air Force general to hold the top NATO job since Joseph Ralston served there from 2000-2003. Breedlove would succeed Navy Adm. James Stavridis, who has held the job since 2009.

Obama chose Breedlove after his first choice for the job, Marine Gen. John Allen, announced he would retire after 19 months commanding allied forces in Afghanistan because of his wife's health.

Hagel, who said he met with Breedlove on his way back from a recent trip to Afghanistan, urged the Senate to confirm him quickly.

"We need to get that position filled," he said.

Obama said Breedlove has "served with distinction in assignments at all levels of the U.S. Air Force and around the globe, from Washington to Germany, Italy, Spain and South Korea."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-civilians-facing-fewer-furlough-135336320.html

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A Clip From The First 'General Hospital' Episode (VIDEO)

insidetv.ew.com:

To help celebrate General Hospital's 50th anniversary on April 1, EW obtained an exclusive look at the very first scenes from the long-running ABC sudser -- which, naturally, begins with images of busy nurses (and a fairly ominous soundtrack). Brace yourself for the Twilight Zone feel of the original black and white episode, and see if you recognize anyone!

Read the whole story at insidetv.ew.com

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/29/first-general-hospital-episode_n_2980227.html

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South Africa: Experience The Safari Like Never Before

The South African safari truly is an experience that no other safari anywhere else can replace. While the wildlife of South Africa does not encompass the South African experience, the South Africa safari tours are a big part of the complete South African experience. The nearly impenetrable forests in the heartland shelter a wide variety of flora and fauna indigenous to the place. While the South Africa safari tours give the perception of safety, the fact that the animals are wild cannot be ignored. The opportunity to see the big five in their natural habitats, if not in a safari is not possible. While the rangers and guides ensure safety and controlled forays, the South Africa safari tours take tourists into the territories of the wild animals.

The South African safari gives the rare opportunity to witness the majesty of the animals in the most natural settings with little or negligible human interference. The awe-inspiring sights and sounds is exhilarating while being heart-stopping. Large herds of elephants, innumerable birds flying in formation unknown to the limited imagination of man, a pride of lions, the stark color of a zebra against the dry grass landscape, each new sight on a South Africa safari is a sight that gets seared into memory. The south african safari is an experience that people carry forward through life.
Though numerous places in South Africa offers safaris, the most authentic South Africa safari are through the Kruger National Park in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. The safari through the Kruger National Park and the neighboring privately owned reserves give tourists the opportunity to spot the big five, i.e. the elephant, the rhino, the buffalo, the lion and the leopard. The high concentration of leopards in private reserves such as Sabi Sand near Kruger National Park ensures that visitors on the safari see the leopard if not all the big five.

While there are many routes to experience the safari, accommodation within the National parks and the reserves add to the South Africa safari experience. The accommodation and the safari are best booked in advance as they do tend to fill up fast. The safari experience tends to be easier the second time as the eyes adjust to looking for wildlife in the natural surroundings. Late winter and early spring might be the best time to experience the safari as the grass does not grow very high and the water reserves are limited, giving more opportunity to spot the big five. Cameras and binoculars are the best companions on safaris.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/South-Africa--Experience-The-Safari-Like-Never-Before/4510472

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?Facebook Phone? rumors again flare up after Facebook sends out event invitation

By Martyn Herman LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Whether by design, necessity, self-interest or because of all three, nurturing youngsters has become fashionable for England's elite with no expense spared in the hunt for the new Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard. The length and breadth of the country, scouts from top clubs are hoovering up promising footballers barely old enough to tie their bootlaces in a bid to unearth the 30 million pounds ($45.40 million) treasures of the future. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-phone-rumors-again-flare-facebook-sends-event-115057149.html

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Thursday Plenary: The Climate Crisis, Extreme Weather ...

Theme:?The Climate Crisis, Extreme Weather & Renewables: Mitigation and Beyond

Day and Time: Thursday, April 18th: 10:30 am-12:00 pm

Come Join us for Thursday?s plenary session at SOLAR2013 and have the honor of listening to distinguished speakers Bill McKibben,?Jochen Flasbarth,?Alice LeBlanc, and?Patricia Hoffman!

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Creating movements around Fossil Fuel Divestment
Bill McKibben: President and Co-Founder of 350.org

Bill will be speaking from?10:30 AM-12:00 PM. He is a well known environmental author and activist, and the c0-founder 350.org, an international climate change campaign.?When he?s not busy organizing,?Bill?is an active writer on the climate crisis and other environmental issues.?In late summer 2006, Bill helped lead a five-day walk across Vermont to demand action on global warming that some newspaper accounts called the largest demonstration to date in America about climate change.

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Photo Credit: Marcus Gloger

Germany & The Atlantic Climate Bridge
Jochen Flasbarth: President of the German Federal Environmental Agency

Jochen will be speaking from 10:30 AM-12:00 PM.?Flasbarth has led Germany?s largest national environmental authority since September 2009.??His last post was as head of the Nature Conservation and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources Directorate at the Federal Ministry for Environment (BMU). Prior to that he served as director of the NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union) for eleven years, an association which he modernized.

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The Financial Threat of the Climate Crisis
Alice LeBlanc: Former Director, Office of Environment and Climate Change ? AIG

Alice will be speaking from 10:30 AM-12:00 PM.?LeBlanc is an economist and an independent consultant who has worked for the past twenty years to promote market mechanisms as tools to address climate change and sustainable development.

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Having it All: Renewables, Reliability & The Grid
Patricia Hoffman:?Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability ? US DOE

Patricia will be speaking from 10:30 AM-12:00 PM.?Hoffman is responsible for developing and implementing a long-term research strategy for modernizing and improving the resiliency of the electric grid. She directs research on visualization and controls, energy storage and power electronics, high temperature superconductivity and renewable/distributed systems integration.

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Source: http://www.ases.org/thursday-plenary-the-climate-crisis-extreme-weather-renewables-mitigation-and-beyond/

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Adults text more than teens while driving

A new survey claims adults text more while driving than teens. (Yahoo!)As adults continue to mirror the social media habits of the nation?s youth, it appears some of the bad behaviors are being adopted as well. In fact, the grown-ups have apparently become the greater offenders when it comes to one particularly dangerous behavior: Texting while driving.

That's according to a new study conducted by AT&T, reported in USA Today, that shows adults text more while driving than their teenage counterparts.

The study finds that nearly half of all adults admit to texting while driving, with 98 percent of them saying they know the practice is dangerous. Conversely, 43 percent of teenagers admit to texting while behind the wheel.

"I was a little bit surprised," Charlene Lake, AT&T's senior vice president of public affairs, told USA Today.

But why do adults text while driving if they know it's unwise? The answers are complicated, but according to some adults who told Yahoo News about their own distracted driving, they feel shame, guilt and stubbornness when texting.

AT&T surveyed 1,011 adult drivers for its It Can Wait campaign, which seeks to educate drivers about the risks of distracted driving. The company has launched a free app that sends an automated and customizable reply text message to incoming texts when the vehicle is moving at 25 mph or more.

A similar study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 31 percent of all drivers in the U.S. text while driving, despite the practice being illegal in 39 states and the District of Columbia. In that same CDC study, 69 percent of all drivers admitted to using their cellphone while driving.

So, how bad is texting compared with other driving distractions? Virginia Tech Transportation Institute researchers say that sending or receiving a text breaks a driver?s concentration for an average of 4.6 seconds. And as USA Today notes, at 55 mph that?s enough distance to cover the length of a football field.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/adults-text-more-while-driving-teens-205717149.html

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Google pledges not to sue open-source devs and users

Google has always been pretty firm in its stance that "open systems win." Now its going so far as to publicly pledge that it will "not sue any user, distributor or developer of open-source software on specified patents, unless first attacked." The Open Patent Non-Assertion (OPN) Pledge, as the company is calling it, is the latest effort to back open-source software which Mountain View contends is one of the driving sources of innovation in cloud-computing and the internet. The first set of patents that are part of the initiative are related to MapReduce, which is used to process large data sets, though the company will eventually expand it to cover other technologies. The pledge is similar to Twitter's Innovators Patent Agreement which it announced in April of last year. There wont be any immediate benefit to end users, but anything that encourages innovation and minimizes litigation seems like a net positive in our book. For more details hit up the source link.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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'Modern Family' Season 4 Episode 18: ?The Wow Factor? | Who Got ...

In tonight?s Modern Family season 4 episode 15, ?The Wow Factor,? Claire and Cam are entrenched in the house flip, but when they hit an impasse on a big landscaping decision, a ?neutral? third party is brought in ? Pam (guest star Wendi McLendon-Covey), the lesbian mom from Lily?s school. Meanwhile, Phil decides to teach the kids basic fix-it skills around the house; Gloria spends some quality one-on-one time with Manny, leaving Jay alone with baby Joe; and Mitch helps Lily deal with a schoolyard bully.

The series is based on a Dutch filmmaker which records the lives of three families, including one he stayed with as an exchange student. In one household, the dad works and the mom stays at home with their kids; in another, a gay couple experiences first-time fatherhood with the Vietnamese child they just adopted; and in the third home a 60-year old man becomes an instant father when he marries a thirtysomething Latina mother. Shot documentary-style. Modern Family won six Emmy Awards, including the one for Outstanding Comedy Series. It also brought home a Peabody Award, Writers Guild Award, Directors Guilds Award and Television Critics Award.

Modern Family stars Ed O?Neill as Jay, Julie Bowen as Claire, Ty Burrell as Phil, Sof?a Vergara as Gloria, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell, Eric Stonestreet as Cameron, Sarah Hyland as Haley, Nolan Gould as Luke, Ariel Winter as Alex, Rico Rodriguez as Manny and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons as Lily.

Modern Family ?The Wow Factor,? airs Wednesday, March 26, 9:00ET on ABC. Spoiler pictures below:

modern-family-season-4-the-wow-factor1

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Source: http://www.whogottherole.com/tv-news/modern-family-season-4-episode-18-the-wow-factor-34377

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New insights into how genes turn on and off

Mar. 27, 2013 ? Researchers at UC Davis and the University of British Columbia have shed new light on methylation, a critical process that helps control how genes are expressed. Working with placentas, the team discovered that 37 percent of the placental genome has regions of lower methylation, called partially methylated domains (PMDs), in which gene expression is turned off. This differs from most human tissues, in which 70 percent of the genome is highly methylated.

While PMDs have been identified in cell lines, this is the first time they have been found in regular human tissue. In addition to enhancing our understanding of epigenetics, this work could influence cancer research and help illuminate how environmental toxins affect fetal development. The paper was published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Since it was unraveled more than ten years ago, the human genome has been the focus of both popular interest and intense scientific focus. But the genome doesn't act alone; there are many factors that influence whether genes are turned on or off. One of these is an epigenetic process called methylation, in which a group of carbon and hydrogen atoms (a methyl group) attaches to DNA, adjusting how genes are expressed.

"I like to think of epigenetics as a layer on top of your genetic code," said senior author Janine LaSalle, professor of medical microbiology and immunology. "It's not the DNA sequence but it layers on top of that -- and methylation is the first layer. Those layers provide a lot of information to the cells on where and when to turn on the genes."

How and when genes are activated (or inactivated) can have a profound impact on human development, cancer and the biological legacy of environmental toxins. Prior to this research, PMDs had only been found in cultured cell lines, which led some scientists to wonder if they existed outside the test tube. This study confirms they exist in placental tissue, a critically important window into fetal development.

"The placenta is the interface between mother and fetus," said LaSalle, who is a researcher affiliated with the UC Davis MIND Institute. "It's a time capsule from when a lot of important methylation events occurred."

In addition, placental tissue was interesting to study because it has a number of invasive characteristics often associated with cancer. In fact, a number of cancers, such as breast and colon, have widespread PMDs. LaSalle notes that anti-cancer epigenetic therapies that adjust methylation could be refined based on this improved understanding of PMDs.

This work could also enhance our ability to detect genetic defects. Methylation, and other epigenetic data, provides information that cannot be found in the genome alone. For example, the vast majority of cells in the body contain identical genetic code. However, the added information provided by methylation allows scientists to determine where specific DNA came from.

"Methylation patterns are like fingerprints, showing which tissue that DNA is derived from," LaSalle said. "You can't get that information from just the DNA sequence. As a result, methylation studies could be a very rich source for biomarkers."

In the study, PMDs encompassed 37 percent of the placental genome, including 3,815 genes, around 17 percent of all genes. When found in low-methylation regions, these genes were less likely to be transcribed into proteins. Researchers also found that PMDs also contain more highly methylated CpG islands (genomic areas with large numbers of cytosine-guanine pairs), which are often associated with gene transcriptional silencing of promoters.

Because the placental PMDs contained many genes associated with neuronal development, and specifically autism, LaSalle notes that future research could investigate how epigenetics impacts autism genes at birth.

"We are looking for biomarkers that predict neurodevelopmental outcomes," LaSalle said. "Now we have a series of snap shots from a critical period where we think environmental factors are playing a role in the developing brain."

The study's other authors include : Diane I. Schroeder, John Blair, Paul Lott, Hung On Ken Yu, Danna Hong, Florence Crary, Paul Ashwood, Cheryl Walker, Ian Korf and Wendy P. Robinson.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Davis Health System.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. D. I. Schroeder, J. D. Blair, P. Lott, H. O. K. Yu, D. Hong, F. Crary, P. Ashwood, C. Walker, I. Korf, W. P. Robinson, J. M. LaSalle. The human placenta methylome. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1215145110

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/8kZhObbcJdo/130327132550.htm

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Order & Chaos Duels tops iPhone Games of the Week

This week our top game is a deep collecting card battle game called Order & Chaos Duels ? Trading Card Game. In it, players collect cards and battle their friends in live multiplayer engagements. But if that sounds a little too time consuming, we?ve got plenty of other fun games to check out. From cartoon racing games to speed solitaire to an Indiana Jones parody and a pug adventure game, there?s a lot to like in this week?s top games. Have a look!

Fans of collectible card games should take a close look at Gameloft's Order & Chaos Duels ? Trading Card Game. It?s a classic battle of good and evil come to life in a collectible card game. Players create a hero and collect over 250 cards that they can use in live multiplayer battles against other human beings. Order & Chaos Duels also offers up longer quests and adventures for players looking for more than just one-on-one battles. Note that Order & Chaos Duels is free to play but there are in-app purchases for special abilities that enhance gameplay and assist players along the way.

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The Indianapolis 500 is one of the world?s oldest auto races. You can learn more about the cars and the people who race them thanks to this Guest Post from Zinio.

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Cell-shaded racing games aren?t exactly new but Nitro, developed by Z2, might be the best looking app in the bunch. Aside from its sleek 3-D cartoon visuals, Nitro also boasts real-time multiplayer for up to six racers. For those who prefer their racing in a solitary environment, Nitro also offers players the chance to race against AI baddies called ?The Rivals.? Nitro also features time trials, so you can practice as well as customize cars by upgrading body kits, superchargers, exhausts and spoilers.

If you like your solitaire with a little more urgency and frenzy, Solitaire Blitz from PopCap is the game for you. Solitaire Blitz demands players clear their decks in under 60 seconds. It doesn?t get much more urgent than that! Luckily Solitaire Blitz offers some fun incentives for playing along including different characters for each deck, various awards for in-game achievements, and treasures like rare trinkets and coins to purchase boosts to make Solitaire Blitz even faster. This isn?t your grandma?s solitaire at all, that?s for sure.

In Indiana Stone, you are the boulder. No longer must you run from certain death, instead enjoy the opportunity to be the certain death. Players roll along through locations in Egypt, China and Indiana as they try to crush the Indiana Jones look-alike so eager to escape. The visuals are a retro treat, like playing a game designed with very ugly Lego blocks! Whether you?re playing story mode, a quick roll game, or the endless mode, TwinSky Games's Indiana Stone certainly brings something new to the app game arena.

Downloading Tic Toc's Pug Run seems like a no-brainer, if only to have that adorable app icon on your iPhone homescreen. But the game is pretty interesting, too. Players play as a pencil sketch of a pug named Bogart as he tries to connect with his owner and come to life. The player has to collect pencils and coins to purchase treats for Bogart that will keep him alive and running towards his owner, the young boy who drew him. With a unique art style and fun gameplay, Pug Run is great for gamers of all ages.

Source: http://www.appolicious.com/games/articles/13344-order-chaos-duels-tops-iphone-games-of-the-week

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Use a Plastic Bag and the Camera You Already Have to Create Cool, Vintage-Style Photos

We're all familiar with vintage-style camera effects thanks to popular apps like Instagram, but applying those modifications after you take the image doesn't look as authentic and can hurt the image quality. Instead, you can create true light leaks and special effect color with a plastic sandwich bag and a colored marker. DIY Photography explains:

Take two plastic sandwitch bagies, color one with a marker some bright color like pink or purple and leave the other clear.

On the opposite end as the zip-lock (the closed end) rip it, tear it or cut it in some uneven fashion so that it is now open on both ends.

Wrap the zip-lock end around your camera lens leaving the torn end overlapping the lens a little bit. Most of us are holding the lens while we shoot so now you are holding the plastic bag on the lens with your hand.

Now manipulate the bag as you shoot so the center of the lens is unobstructed and have fun!

The image above demonstrates how this all should look when you're done, plus one sample photo created with this nifty DIY trick. To see more awesome examples, check out the full post over at DIY Photography.

Pro-Tip: Make Cool Hazy/Light Leak/Mystical Photos With A Sandwich Baggie And A Colored Marker | DIY Photography

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/3C6A3o0Z1_U/use-a-plastic-bag-and-the-camera-you-already-have-to-create-cool-vintage+style-photos

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Scooter ads face scrutiny from gov't., doctors

This undated screenshot shows a frame grab from a Hoveround commercial. Members of Congress say the ads by The Scooter Store and Hoveround have lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary spending by Medicare, which is only supposed to pay for scooters when seniors are unable to use a cane, walker or regular wheelchair. Government inspectors say up to 80 percent of the scooters and power wheelchairs Medicare buys go to people who don't meet the requirements. And doctors say more than money is at stake: Seniors who use scooters unnecessarily can become sedentary, which can exacerbate obesity and other disorders.(AP Photo/Hoveround)

This undated screenshot shows a frame grab from a Hoveround commercial. Members of Congress say the ads by The Scooter Store and Hoveround have lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary spending by Medicare, which is only supposed to pay for scooters when seniors are unable to use a cane, walker or regular wheelchair. Government inspectors say up to 80 percent of the scooters and power wheelchairs Medicare buys go to people who don't meet the requirements. And doctors say more than money is at stake: Seniors who use scooters unnecessarily can become sedentary, which can exacerbate obesity and other disorders.(AP Photo/Hoveround)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? TV ads show smiling seniors enjoying an "active" lifestyle on a motorized scooter, taking in the sights at the Grand Canyon, fishing on a pier and high-fiving their grandchildren at a baseball game.

The commercials, which promise freedom and independence to people with limited mobility, have driven the nearly $1 billion U.S. market for power wheelchairs and scooters. But the spots by the industry's two leading companies, The Scooter Store and Hoveround, also have drawn scrutiny from critics who say they convince some seniors that they need a scooter to get around when many don't.

Members of Congress say the ads lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary spending by Medicare, which is only supposed to pay for scooters as a medical necessity when seniors are unable to use a cane, walker or regular wheelchair. Government inspectors say up to 80 percent of the scooters and power wheelchairs Medicare buys go to people who don't meet the requirements. And doctors say more than money is at stake: Seniors who use scooters unnecessarily can become sedentary, which can exacerbate obesity and other disorders.

"Patients have been brainwashed by The Scooter Store," says Dr. Barbara Messinger-Rapport, director of geriatric medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. "What they're implying is that you can use these scooters to leave the house, to socialize, to get to bingo."

The scooter controversy, which has escalated with a raid by federal authorities on The Scooter's Store's New Braunfels, Texas, headquarters last month, underscores the influence TV ads can have on medical decisions. Like their peers in the drug industry, scooter companies say direct-to-consumer advertising educates patients about their medical options. But critics argue that the scooter spots are little more than sales pitches that cause patients to pressure doctors to prescribe unnecessary equipment.

The Scooter Store and Hoveround, both privately held companies that together make up about 70 percent of the U.S. market for scooters, spent more than $180 million on TV, radio and print advertising in 2011, up 20 percent from 2008, according to advertising tracker Kantar Media. Their ads often include language that the scooters can be paid for by Medicare or other insurance: "Nine out of ten people got them for little or no cost," states one Hoveround ad.

Hoveround did not respond to a half-dozen requests for comment. The Scooter Store, the nation's biggest seller of scooters, said that most people who contact the company after seeing the ads do not ultimately receive a scooter.

"The fact that 87 percent of the persons who seek power mobility products from The Scooter Store under their Medicare benefits are disqualified by the company's screening process is powerful evidence of the company's commitment to ensuring that only legitimate claims are submitted to Medicare," the company said in a statement. The Scooter Store has been operating with a streamlined staff in recent days, following massive layoffs in the wake of the raid by federal agents.

Insurance executives say doctors who don't understand when Medicare is supposed to pay for scooters are partly to blame for unnecessary purchases.

Scooters ? which are larger than power wheelchairs and often include a handlebar for steering ? are covered by Medicare if they are prescribed by a doctor who has completed an evaluation showing that a patient is unable to function at home without a device.

The doctor fills out a lengthy prescription form and sends it to a scooter supplier that delivers the device to the patient and then submits the paperwork to Medicare for payment. Medicare pays about 80 percent of that cost, which can range from $1,500 to $3,500. The remainder is often picked up by supplemental insurance or the government-funded Medicaid program for low-income and disabled Americans.

The process can help immobile seniors get equipment that improves their lives. Ernest Tornabell of Boynton Beach, Fla., received a scooter from Pride, a smaller manufacturer, through Medicare about six years ago. Tornabell, 73, suffers from obesity, diabetes and lung disease and says he used to never leave his house. Now, using the scooter he can walk his dog, go to the grocery store and run other errands.

"I couldn't really get out and do anything before. Now I have a lot more mobility," said Tornabell, whose doctor recommended that he get the device.

But Dr. Stephen Peake, medical director for the insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield in Tennessee, says doctors can often be as uninformed about the appropriate role of scooters as patients.

"I talk to a lot of physicians about this subject ... and after our discussions, they don't understand that you can't get a power mobility device so mom can go to the park with the family," Peake said in testimony before the Senate Committee on Aging last year.

One reason for the confusion? Doctors say scooter companies are just as aggressive with health professionals as they are in marketing to their patients.

Dr. Jerome Epplin of Litchfield, Ill., who also testified before the Senate, estimates that only about one of every 10 patients who ask him for a scooter actually needs one. But he said that sales representatives from some scooter companies put pressure on him by accompanying patients to his office. The effect is coercive, he says.

"It can be intimidating," Epplin says. "I see it as an inappropriate attempt to influence my clinical judgment when I'm evaluating a patient."

Allegations of Medicare fraud within the industry go back nearly a decade.

In 2005, the U.S. Justice Department sued The Scooter Store, alleging that its advertising enticed seniors to obtain power scooters paid for by Medicare, and the company then sold patients more expensive scooters that they did not want or need. The Scooter Store settled that case in 2007 for $4 million.

As part of the settlement, The Scooter Store was operating under an agreement that made the company subject to periodic government reviews between 2007 and last year. In 2011, the latest review available, government auditors estimated that The Scooter Store received between $47 million and $88 million in improper payments for scooters.

The Scooter Store took no action to repay the money until February 2012, when the Health and Human Services' inspector general threatened to bar the company from doing business with Medicare, which accounts for about 75 percent of its revenue, according to its congressional testimony.

The company said the government's estimate was flawed and that it was willing to repay $19.5 million in overpayments. The company has paid about $5.7 million. The rest is scheduled for repayment by 2017.

Medicare said in a January letter that it accepted the fee based on The Scooter Store's own assessment of what it owed, but that the agreement "does not absolve The Scooter Store from any further liability."

In recent months, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and other members of the Senate Aging Committee have pushed Medicare to recover the millions of dollars spent on unnecessary scooters each year. Those purchases totaled about $500 million in 2011, the latest year available, according to a report by the Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general.

Medicare, which says that it does not have control over how companies market the scooters, launched a pilot program designed to reduce wasteful spending on scooters.

Under the program, government contractors in seven states review patients' medical documentation to make sure they need a wheelchair or scooter before approving payments for a device. The program is being tested in a small number of states ? including Florida, California and New York ? because the government must pay contractors extra to review additional paperwork.

The program has been criticized by The Scooter Store's executives, who say that contractors are too strict in their reviews, rejecting payments for power chairs that are genuinely needed.

The reduced payments are hurting the company, which was founded in 1991. The Scooter Store has spent nearly $1 million lobbying Congress over the last two years, almost exclusively focused on the Medicare review program. And the company laid off about 370 employees in the past year, blaming the reduced payments it's been getting from Medicare.

Then, last week, The Scooter Store notified most of its remaining 1,800 employees that their jobs were being eliminated. The company said in a statement to the Associated Press that it is operating with a workforce of 300 employees ? down from the 2,500 workforce it had at its peak ? while trying to restructure its operations.

The mass layoffs followed a raid in February by about 150 agents from the FBI, the Department of Justice and the Texas attorney general's Medicaid fraud unit. Authorities searched the company's headquarters.

Federal authorities have declined to speak about the raid, but scooter industry critics in Congress praised the action.

"This raid is a welcome step toward cracking down on waste and fraud in Medicare," said Blumenthal, the Connecticut senator. "I have urged action to stop abusive overpayments for such devices ? costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and preying on seniors with deceptive sales pitches."

____

AP writer Juan Lozano contributed to this report from Houston.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-28-Power%20Scooters-Fraud/id-c3f6b1f0f1934902858069422bb88f7e

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From 'Star Wars' To 'Indiana Jones': Harrison Ford Weighs 'Ambitious' Sequels

Han Solo actor tells MTV News he's considering returning for sequels like 'Blade Runner.'
By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Todd Gilchrist

Harrison Ford
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704441/harrison-ford-star-wars-indiana-jones.jhtml

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HTC reportedly planning DROID DNA successor

By Simon Evans MEXICO CITY, March 27 (Reuters) - United States central defenders Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler went into Tuesday's game against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium with just two World Cup qualifying starts between them, but looked like they had been alongside each other for years in a spirited 0-0 draw. Gonzalez, making his third start in a qualifier and Besler making his first, held Mexico at bay in front of more than 95,000 fans as the U.S earned just their second point ever at the home of their arch-rivals. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/htc-reportedly-planning-droid-dna-successor-115028571.html

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Grants for Businesses That Install Security Cameras | Northern ...

Commerce SafeCam Program ? City of Philadelphia, Department of Commerce

The City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce has a new program for every legal business in Philadelphia to install Exterior cameras. Each business has a chance to get 50% reimbursement up to $3,000. Please read the? guideline/application (available for download below) carefully and remember not to install the exterior cameras until getting our approval.

The Commerce SafeCam Program is encourages businesses and property owners within neighborhood commercial corridors to install surveillance cameras, making these areas safer for shoppers and the community while growing their vitality and economic performance.

The program reimburses owners of commercial buildings and businesses up to 50% of the total cost of eligible improvements, for a maximum reimbursement of $3,000.00 for a single commercial property.

The digital camera security system must have the ability for remote log in by the Philadelphia Police Department and be installed on the outside of your building providing surveillance for your business and the public space.

Click here for Guidelines.
Click here for an Application.

If you have any questions, contact . . .

Samuel Kuang-hsien Chueh
Business Services Manager
City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce
Office of Business Services
1515 Arch Street, 12th Floor | Philadelphia, PA 19102
P: 215.683.2014 | F: 215.683.2085 | E: Samuel.Chueh@phila.gov

You can also contact our camera vendor, Corey Nydick,?215-264-4234 or cfnydick@verizon.net for more information and assistance with this program.

?Northern Liberties Townwatch

This entry was posted in Projects. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://townwatch.nlna.org/2013/03/27/grants-for-businesses-that-install-security-cameras/

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ZTE Grand S and Grand Memo set for Chinese launch

ZTE's latest high-end devices finally set for launch in their native China on March 28. 

ZTE has brought some impressive looking high-end devices to the table in the early part of 2013, although so far brought to the table is all that's happened. The 5-inch, full HD Grand S was first unveiled at CES in Las Vegas back in January, followed by the gargantuan 5.7-inch Grand Memo in Spain at Mobile World Congress. We left both events with little idea of when the devices might come to market, but now, thankfully we're starting to get some release information. 

In their native China, ZTE will launch both the Grand S and the Grand Memo on March 28. The Chinese version of the Grand Memo will come to market carrying a Snapdragon S4 Pro for 2,688 Yuan ($432.) The processor in the Grand Memo will vary by market, going right up to the new Snapdragon 800, but the Snapdragon S4 Pro is still a pretty good piece of equipment. Other notable specs include Jelly Bean, 2GB of RAM, a 13MP camera, LTE support and that 5.7-inch 720p display. 

The smaller Grand S carries the slightly higher price of 3399 Yuan ($547.) Despite being physically smaller, the Grand S packs a full 1080p display. It too carries a Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB of RAM, a 13MP rear camera, LTE and Jelly Bean. The Grand S also has a pretty amazing array of different colours to choose from, including the bright yellow one we went hands on with in Las Vegas. 

At the moment, we're only talking a Chinese launch for these devices, but seeing them hit store shelves is a start. We still have no idea at this point if either of these will make their way to Europe or North America. 

via Engadget Chinese

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/diXImmEvQ9U/story01.htm

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Sofia Vergara Blonde Hair: Love It or Loathe It?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/sofia-vergara-blonde-hair-love-it-or-loathe-it/

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Google picks 8,000 'Glass' winners

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Google has picked out 8,000 people who will be given a chance to don a pair of Internet-connected glasses and make a fashion statement likely to be envied by gadget-loving geeks around the world.

The pool selected by Google won a contest conducted last month requiring U.S. residents to submit 50-word applications through Twitter or Google's Plus to explain how they would use a technology that is being hailed as the next breakthrough in mobile computing.

After sifting through a litany of ideas submitted with the hash tag "ifihadglass," Google Inc. began notifying the winners Tuesday.

Prevailing in this contest might not seem like much of a victory if you aren't a technology fan. The winners will have to pay $1,500 apiece if they want a test version of the product, which is called "Google Glass." They also will have to travel to New York, Los Angeles or the San Francisco Bay area to pick up the device, which isn't expected to be available on the mass market until late this year or early next year.

But getting a chance to be among the first to experience Google Glass is being treated like a hallowed privilege among the tech set. Some contestants even likened it to winning one of the five golden tickets that entitled children to a lifetime supply of candy and a visit at Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in the popular movie based on a book by Roald Dahl.

The excitement stems from the belief that Google Glass is at the forefront of a new wave of technology known as "wearable computing." Google, Apple Inc. and several other companies also are working on Internet-connected wristwatches, according to published reports that have cited anonymous people familiar with the projects.

Google Glass is supposed to perform many of the same tasks as smartphones, except the spectacles respond to voice commands instead of fingers touching a display screen. The glasses are equipped with a hidden camera and tiny display screen attached to a rim above the right eye.

The engineers who have been building Google Glass tout the technology as a way to keep people connected to their email, online social networks and other crucial information without having to frequently gaze down at the small screen on a smartphone. The hidden camera is designed to make it easy for people to take hands-free photos or video of whatever they are doing, whether it be bicycling, running, skiing, skydiving or just playing with friends and family.

Some of the winning entrants identified Tuesday by Google caught the company's attention by promising to put the camera to good use.

One contest winner promised to take Google Glass to Veteran Administration hospitals so soldiers who fought in World War II can see their memorials before they die. Another plans to wear Google Glass during a trip to Japan so she can take video and pictures that she can share with her grandmother, who now lives in the U.S. but would like to see her native country again. A zookeeper plans to use Google Glass to show what it's like to feed penguins, and another contest winner wants to use the technology to provide maps that will help firefighters in emergencies.

Privacy watchdogs, though, are already worried that Google Glass will make it even more difficult for people to know when they are on camera.

Google said the test, or "Explorer," version of Glass will help its engineers get a better understanding of how the technology might be used and make any necessary adjustments before the device hits the mass market.

The company, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., also sold an unspecified number of "Explorer" models to computer programmers last year. The finished product is expected to cost from $700 to $1,500.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/google-picks-8-000-winners-220300460.html

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Trees used to create recyclable, efficient solar cell

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Solar cells are just like leaves, capturing the sunlight and turning it into energy. It's fitting that they can now be made partially from trees.

Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University researchers have developed efficient solar cells using natural substrates derived from plants such as trees. Just as importantly, by fabricating them on cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) substrates, the solar cells can be quickly recycled in water at the end of their lifecycle.

The technology is published in the journal Scientific Reports, the latest open-access journal from the Nature Publishing Group.

The researchers report that the organic solar cells reach a power conversion efficiency of 2.7 percent, an unprecedented figure for cells on substrates derived from renewable raw materials. The CNC substrates on which the solar cells are fabricated are optically transparent, enabling light to pass through them before being absorbed by a very thin layer of an organic semiconductor. During the recycling process, the solar cells are simply immersed in water at room temperature. Within only minutes, the CNC substrate dissolves and the solar cell can be separated easily into its major components.

Georgia Tech College of Engineering Professor Bernard Kippelen led the study and says his team's project opens the door for a truly recyclable, sustainable and renewable solar cell technology.

"The development and performance of organic substrates in solar technology continues to improve, providing engineers with a good indication of future applications," said Kippelen, who is also the director of Georgia Tech's Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics (COPE). "But organic solar cells must be recyclable. Otherwise we are simply solving one problem, less dependence on fossil fuels, while creating another, a technology that produces energy from renewable sources but is not disposable at the end of its lifecycle."

To date, organic solar cells have been typically fabricated on glass or plastic. Neither is easily recyclable, and petroleum-based substrates are not very eco-friendly. For instance, if cells fabricated on glass were to break during manufacturing or installation, the useless materials would be difficult to dispose of. Paper substrates are better for the environment, but have shown limited performance because of high surface roughness or porosity. However, cellulose nanomaterials made from wood are green, renewable and sustainable. The substrates have a low surface roughness of only about two nanometers.

"Our next steps will be to work toward improving the power conversion efficiency over 10 percent, levels similar to solar cells fabricated on glass or petroleum-based substrates," said Kippelen. The group plans to achieve this by optimizing the optical properties of the solar cell's electrode.

Purdue School of Materials Engineering associate professor Jeffrey Youngblood collaborated with Kippelen on the research.

A provisional patent on the technology has been filed with the U.S. Patent Office.

There's also another positive impact of using natural products to create cellulose nanomaterials. The nation's forest product industry projects that tens of millions of tons of them could be produced once large-scale production begins, potentially in the next five years.

The research is the latest project by COPE, which studies the use and development of printed electronics. Last year the center created the first-ever completely plastic solar cell.

###

Georgia Institute of Technology: http://www.gatech.edu

Thanks to Georgia Institute of Technology for this article.

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

This press release has been viewed 16 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127472/Trees_used_to_create_recyclable__efficient_solar_cell

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Public invited to honor Douglas County Health Champions | LDCHD

The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department will recognize longtime Lawrence teacher Michel Loomis and Free State High School student Josie Naron as the first recipients of the Douglas County Health Champion Award. They will be honored during a community breakfast April 5 for their exceptional efforts to model, encourage and promote health in the community.

?The breakfast will be from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the Community Health?Facility, 200 Maine. The event is open to the public and is part of the Health?Department?s celebration of National Public Health Week.

Health Board member David Ambler, retired vice chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of Kansas, will be the guest speaker. Ambler has served on numerous boards of health agencies and has received many honors including the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce?s ?Citizen of the Years? award. In 2007, the Kansas Board of Regents named the recreation center on the Lawrence campus the David A. Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center.

?We aren?t going to solve our health problems by being sedentary. We need to educate policymakers and residents on strategies to improve our health,? Ambler said. ?Michel Loomis and Josie Naron are shining examples of such work. They not only model healthy behaviors and help educate others, but they are working to create opportunities for others to live healthier lives as well.?

Michel Loomis

Loomis retired Jan. 1 after teaching English and physical education at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School for 31 years. The school gymnasium is referred to as the ?The Loomis Gym? because she volunteered to open and supervise the gymnasium for students who wanted to use it before school. Twenty-five years ago, she helped start a 2-mile fun run for students and over the years, it has become an annual fundraising event that all of the students participate in along with neighbors, teachers and parents. Loomis also started an after-school ?Smart Strength? program that?s free and open to all students.

?In teaching the youth of our society to appreciate health and fitness, in modeling healthful living among students, and in opening avenues for lifelong fitness activities to young teens, Michel Loomis impacts the youth, the parents of the youth and the future parents who will raise the next generation of Kansans.?

? Lawrence resident Nora Murphy

Josie Naron

At age 16, Naron says she is pursuing her dream: a career in public health where she can help fight infectious diseases and solve societal issues. Naron has been a volunteer at the Health Department for more than a year. Her work has included analyzing statistics on childhood injuries and then putting them into graphics for community use and entering immunization information into a statewide database.

?She?s working on a project that looks at how the lack of transportation can affect residents? wellbeing. This summer, she will spend three weeks at Johns Hopkins University for a ?Civic Leadership Institute,? where she will study public health, societal issues and community development.

??I was very impressed with Josie the first time I met her. She?s very bright and has passion and interest in learning as much as she can about public health. Though she maintains a rigorous class schedule, participates in school activities and works part-time as a piano teacher, she still wants to contribute to the health of the Lawrence community.?

? ?Kim Ens, director of Clinic Services at the Health Department

Source: http://ldchealth.org/public-invited-to-honor-douglas-county-health-champions/

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All works fine until restart - Elastix 2.4, x100p - Elastix Forums ...

Having no end of trouble setting up my initial Elastix server. I've spent a fair bit of time lurking across this and other forums, but can't find anyone having a similar issue to me.

1. I'm installing Elastix from CD .iso completely fresh, no special parameters.


2. Once installed, I'm loading the free digium fax licence (thankfully I backed it up as per instructions!)


3. After this, restart the server and start on configuration.


4. I run hardware detection, which picks up my x100p with no issues.


5. I link up an extension to my initial DAHDI trunk, g0, which diverts to voicemail.


6. I then create an iax2 extension for virtual faxing.


7. I then set up the virtual fax, linking to the iax2 extension


8. Lastly, I set up an inbound route automatically directing to my voicemail extension, and diverting faxes to my iax extension.

From here, i test, and it all works as expected. Voice calls are redirected to voicemail, and fax calls are sent to the virtual fax and handled ok.

But then, heaven forgive me if i dare restart the asterisk service, amportal, or the box itself, the whole thing falls over.

Everything starts normally, but the system no longer picks up any incoming calls to my FX0 card.

I've logged in to the CLI, and watched. DAHDI doesn't pick anything up. I just don't get it. Why would it stop working after restart? What could possibly be changing?

I make sure I save configuration after every step.

The only way I've been able to get asterisk and elastix to answer again has been to reformat and reinstall. Of course, this is effectively pointless, because even if i set it all up again, if the system ever needs to restart, I'm screwed.

Please tell me that someone else has had this problem? I've checked logs, checked DAHDI, checked that the card is being detected, reconfigured, wiped config. I just don't get it.

Can anyone help?

Source: http://www.elastix.org/index.php/en/component/kunena/3-help/119029-all-works-fine-until-restart-elastix-24-x100p.html

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Drones: Not just for war anymore?

Drone warfare isn't going anywhere, but drone utility could be growing. Marc Lallanilla, assistant editor at Live Science, proposes eight "totally cool" new uses for drones.

By Marc Lallanilla,?LiveScience / March 25, 2013

This 2004 photo shows the then-new drone flying near Fort Huachuca, Ariz. The unmanned drone, launched by the Border Patrol in June 2004, uses thermal and night-vision equipment to help agents spot illegal immigrants trying to cross the desert into the United States.

John Miller / AP

Enlarge

Just a few years ago, drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), were virtually unknown.

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But the remote-controlled aircraft have stealthily slipped over the horizon and are now causing a buzz from Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to the rain forests of Sumatra.

"I am convinced that the domestic use of drones to conduct surveillance and collect other information will have a broad and significant impact on the everyday lives of millions of Americans," Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of a Senate Judiciary Committee looking into drone legislation, said on Thursday, March 21, CNN reports.

There's little doubt that UAV technology is here to stay, but their use isn't limited to cloak-and-dagger operations and military technology. Here are eight totally cool ways the drone can be your friend:

Real estate sales

Daniel G?rate had a lucrative career as a UAV videographer, using his $5,000 drone to capture stirring images of high-end properties for the Los Angeles real-estate market ? until the Los Angeles Police Department shut him down, declaring that commercial uses for drones were not allowed, the New York Times reports.

That's no longer the case, since a federal law signed in 2012 opened drone technology to commercial applications. G?rate, who also uses drones to take videos for commercials, has also been approached to take paparazzi-style photos of celebrities like Kim Kardashian, the Times reports.

Sports photography

Falkor Systems, a pioneer in the consumer use of UAV technology, has targeted extreme sports photography and video for drone use, focusing on skiing and base-jumping activities.

"The angles people get [while filming] are not quite as intimate as would be possible with an autonomous flying robot," said Sameer Parekh, Falkor CEO, who envisions a small UAV device that can accompany a downhill skier.

"You just take it out, let it take off and it follows you down the hill. You get back on the ski lift and put it back in your backpack," Parekh said.

Highway monitoring

There are roughly 4 million miles of highways crisscrossing the United States, but who's watching them all? Drones, someday.

A project to study the use of drones for inspecting roads and bridges, surveying land with laser mapping and alerting officials to traffic jams and accidents recently received a $75,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation.

"Drones could keep workers safer because they won't be going into traffic or hanging off a bridge," said Javier Irizarry, director of the CONECTech Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology, as quoted by LiveScience's sister site TechNewsDaily. "It would help with physical limitations of the human when doing this kind of work."

Wildlife research

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been testing the Raven A, a small, camera-equipped drone that's about 3 feet (1 meter) long, to see if it can be used to conduct aerial counts of the endangered sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pulla).?

"We flew the [drone] over the cranes when they were roosting, feeding, and loafing to see how they reacted," said Leanne Hanson, a field biologist, in a USGS report. "They sat still for us when they were roosting and loafing, but birds flushed during feeding. We will plan missions during roosting and loafing times, when their behavior is not affected."

And critically endangered Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) nest in treetops, making them difficult to study. Drones, however, can easily navigate the primates' aeries, providing valuable information that will assist in conservation activities, reports PCMag.com.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/U1B4hUijrOU/Drones-Not-just-for-war-anymore

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