Elevated carbon dioxide making arid regions greener

Public release date: 31-May-2013
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Contact: Peter Weiss
pweiss@agu.org
202-777-7507
American Geophysical Union

WASHINGTONScientists have long suspected that a flourishing of green foliage around the globe, observed since the early 1980s in satellite data, springs at least in part from the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. Now, a study of arid regions around the globe finds that a carbon dioxide "fertilization effect" has, indeed, caused a gradual greening from 1982 to 2010.

Focusing on the southwestern corner of North America, Australia's outback, the Middle East, and some parts of Africa, Randall Donohue of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Canberra, Australia and his colleagues developed and applied a mathematical model to predict the extent of the carbon-dioxide (CO₂) fertilization effect. They then tested this prediction by studying satellite imagery and teasing out the influence of carbon dioxide on greening from other factors such as precipitation, air temperature, the amount of light, and land-use changes.

The team's model predicted that foliage would increase by some 5 to 10 percent given the 14 percent increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration during the study period. The satellite data agreed, showing an 11 percent increase in foliage after adjusting the data for precipitation, yielding "strong support for our hypothesis," the team reports.

"Lots of papers have shown an average increase in vegetation across the globe, and there is a lot of speculation about what's causing that," said Donohue of CSIRO's Land and Water research division, who is lead author of the new study. "Up until this point, they've linked the greening to fairly obvious climatic variables, such as a rise in temperature where it is normally cold or a rise in rainfall where it is normally dry. Lots of those papers speculated about the CO₂ effect, but it has been very difficult to prove."

He and his colleagues present their findings in an article that has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.

The team looked for signs of CO₂ fertilization in arid areas, Donohue said, because "satellites are very good at detecting changes in total leaf cover, and it is in warm, dry environments that the CO₂ effect is expected to most influence leaf cover." Leaf cover is the clue, he added, because "a leaf can extract more carbon from the air during photosynthesis, or lose less water to the air during photosynthesis, or both, due to elevated CO₂." That is the CO₂ fertilization effect.

But leaf cover in warm, wet places like tropical rainforests is already about as extensive as it can get and is unlikely to increase with higher CO₂ concentrations. In warm, dry places, on the other hand, leaf cover is less complete, so plants there will make more leaves if they have enough water to do so. "If elevated CO₂ causes the water use of individual leaves to drop, plants will respond by increasing their total numbers of leaves, and this should be measurable from satellite," Donohue explained.

To tease out the actual CO₂ fertilization effect from other environmental factors in these regions, the researchers first averaged the greenness of each location across 3-year periods to account for changes in soil wetness and then grouped that greenness data from the different locations according to their amounts of precipitation. The team then identified the maximum amount of foliage each group could attain for a given precipitation, and tracked variations in maximum foliage over the course of 20 years. This allowed the scientists to remove the influence of precipitation and other climatic variations and recognize the long-term greening trend.

In addition to greening dry regions, the CO₂ fertilization effect could switch the types of vegetation that dominate in those regions. "Trees are re-invading grass lands, and this could quite possibly be related to the CO₂ effect," Donohue said. "Long lived woody plants are deep rooted and are likely to benefit more than grasses from an increase in CO₂."

"The effect of higher carbon dioxide levels on plant function is an important process that needs greater consideration," said Donohue. "Even if nothing else in the climate changes as global CO₂ levels rise, we will still see significant environmental changes because of the CO₂ fertilization effect."

###

Notes for Journalists

Journalists and public information officers (PIOs) of educational and scientific institutions who have registered with AGU can download a PDF copy of this accepted article by clicking on this link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/grl.50563/abstract

Or, you may order a copy of the final paper by emailing your request to Peter Weiss at PWeiss@agu.org. Please provide your name, the name of your publication, and your phone number.

Neither the paper nor this press release are under embargo.

Title:

CO₂ fertilisation has increased maximum foliage cover across the globe's warm, arid environments

Authors:

Randall J. Donohue and Tim R. McVicar: CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, Australia;

Michael L. Roderick: Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science;

Graham D. Farquhar: Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

Contact information for the author:

Randall Donohue, Email: Randall.Donohue@csiro.au.

---

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?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 31-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Peter Weiss
pweiss@agu.org
202-777-7507
American Geophysical Union

WASHINGTONScientists have long suspected that a flourishing of green foliage around the globe, observed since the early 1980s in satellite data, springs at least in part from the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. Now, a study of arid regions around the globe finds that a carbon dioxide "fertilization effect" has, indeed, caused a gradual greening from 1982 to 2010.

Focusing on the southwestern corner of North America, Australia's outback, the Middle East, and some parts of Africa, Randall Donohue of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Canberra, Australia and his colleagues developed and applied a mathematical model to predict the extent of the carbon-dioxide (CO₂) fertilization effect. They then tested this prediction by studying satellite imagery and teasing out the influence of carbon dioxide on greening from other factors such as precipitation, air temperature, the amount of light, and land-use changes.

The team's model predicted that foliage would increase by some 5 to 10 percent given the 14 percent increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration during the study period. The satellite data agreed, showing an 11 percent increase in foliage after adjusting the data for precipitation, yielding "strong support for our hypothesis," the team reports.

"Lots of papers have shown an average increase in vegetation across the globe, and there is a lot of speculation about what's causing that," said Donohue of CSIRO's Land and Water research division, who is lead author of the new study. "Up until this point, they've linked the greening to fairly obvious climatic variables, such as a rise in temperature where it is normally cold or a rise in rainfall where it is normally dry. Lots of those papers speculated about the CO₂ effect, but it has been very difficult to prove."

He and his colleagues present their findings in an article that has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.

The team looked for signs of CO₂ fertilization in arid areas, Donohue said, because "satellites are very good at detecting changes in total leaf cover, and it is in warm, dry environments that the CO₂ effect is expected to most influence leaf cover." Leaf cover is the clue, he added, because "a leaf can extract more carbon from the air during photosynthesis, or lose less water to the air during photosynthesis, or both, due to elevated CO₂." That is the CO₂ fertilization effect.

But leaf cover in warm, wet places like tropical rainforests is already about as extensive as it can get and is unlikely to increase with higher CO₂ concentrations. In warm, dry places, on the other hand, leaf cover is less complete, so plants there will make more leaves if they have enough water to do so. "If elevated CO₂ causes the water use of individual leaves to drop, plants will respond by increasing their total numbers of leaves, and this should be measurable from satellite," Donohue explained.

To tease out the actual CO₂ fertilization effect from other environmental factors in these regions, the researchers first averaged the greenness of each location across 3-year periods to account for changes in soil wetness and then grouped that greenness data from the different locations according to their amounts of precipitation. The team then identified the maximum amount of foliage each group could attain for a given precipitation, and tracked variations in maximum foliage over the course of 20 years. This allowed the scientists to remove the influence of precipitation and other climatic variations and recognize the long-term greening trend.

In addition to greening dry regions, the CO₂ fertilization effect could switch the types of vegetation that dominate in those regions. "Trees are re-invading grass lands, and this could quite possibly be related to the CO₂ effect," Donohue said. "Long lived woody plants are deep rooted and are likely to benefit more than grasses from an increase in CO₂."

"The effect of higher carbon dioxide levels on plant function is an important process that needs greater consideration," said Donohue. "Even if nothing else in the climate changes as global CO₂ levels rise, we will still see significant environmental changes because of the CO₂ fertilization effect."

###

Notes for Journalists

Journalists and public information officers (PIOs) of educational and scientific institutions who have registered with AGU can download a PDF copy of this accepted article by clicking on this link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/grl.50563/abstract

Or, you may order a copy of the final paper by emailing your request to Peter Weiss at PWeiss@agu.org. Please provide your name, the name of your publication, and your phone number.

Neither the paper nor this press release are under embargo.

Title:

CO₂ fertilisation has increased maximum foliage cover across the globe's warm, arid environments

Authors:

Randall J. Donohue and Tim R. McVicar: CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, Australia;

Michael L. Roderick: Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science;

Graham D. Farquhar: Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

Contact information for the author:

Randall Donohue, Email: Randall.Donohue@csiro.au.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/agu-ecd053013.php

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Confusing Sanctions Are Aiding Government Repression

A young man wears a green ribbon around his wrist as a support sign for reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi at an Internet cafe in Hamadan, Iran, on May 26, 2009.

Photo by Nima Daymari/Getty Images

The Iranian government has been fortifying its so-called ?electronic curtain? in recent weeks. Connection speeds have slowed so dramatically that many basic websites and applications are unusable. Government monitoring of popular social networks such as Facebook and Twitter is on the rise. And common circumvention tools such as virtual private networks, which allow users to stay off the government radar, have become inaccessible.

Meanwhile, technologies by U.S. companies that support freedom of expression and secure communications are not available in Iran, Syria, and other fraught places?not because of bans by the regimes, but because of the complexities of U.S. sanctions. Companies face continued legal uncertainty, perceived political risk, and costs that deter them from making such technologies available. That?s why U.S. sanction regulations need to be updated to fully take into account the lessons of the Arab Spring and to support human rights online. That?s why it?s good news that Wendy Sherman, undersecretary for political affairs at the State Department, announced this week that the administration will take new steps to address this problem.

The situation in Iran, in particular, is heating up in anticipation of the presidential election on June 14, when Iranians will go to the polls to select a successor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In mid-April, the government announced that a ?special election cyberunit? called Fajr had been created to monitor social networking sites, and last week, the Guardian reported on a pre-emptive crackdown on activists. Offline, the government has canceled university classes and arrested several prominent journalists.?

Connectivity and the ability to access foreign websites have often been throttled by the regime?s efforts to control the political situation in Iran, especially in the wake of the Green Revolution of 2009. ?On the eve of dates or anniversaries that could give rise to demonstrations, the connection speed is slowed right down to prevent the circulation of photos and videos,? Reporters Without Borders noted in its 2013 ?Enemies of the Internet? report. Prior to the March 2012 parliamentary election, for example, the government ordered all Internet cafes to install security cameras and start collecting more detailed personal information from their users, in addition to adding new censorship and surveillance controls on its already heavily monitored network. Reports that the government is building a national information network (popularly dubbed the ?Halal Net?) further fuel concerns that the Iranian people will be increasingly denied the right to freedom of expression and access to information from outside sources.

President Barack Obama and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have expressed outrage about the situation in Iran. Since 2009, U.S. policymakers have attempted to incorporate Internet freedom into the Iranian and Syrian sanctions regulations. In 2010, the Treasury Department?with assistance from the State Department?carved out an exemption for Internet-based communications software and services vital to the work of democracy and human rights activists. In 2012, Treasury provided additional guidance by giving specific examples of technologies that are permissible under that exemption, such as Yahoo Messenger, Google Chrome, and Firefox. Meanwhile, last spring, President Obama issued an executive order imposing additional penalties on individuals and companies that provide Iran and Syria with information technology that could be used to restrict speech or monitor citizens.

Currently, some technologies that allow individuals to communicate safely and securely remain unavailable because U.S. companies are daunted by the ambiguity of existing regulations. Afraid of violating the law, companies opt not to work at all in sanctioned countries or to pull out. For instance, Samsung will soon block access to its app store in Iran. In an email to customers, the company said the change is due to ?legal barriers,? which seem to refer to American or European Union sanctions regulations. Nokia also is ?ceasing all revenue generating activities? in Iran, according to an email from a company representative. ?These steps are due to the difficult business environment and increasing restrictions on doing business in Iran.? In 2012, an Apple store in the United States even refused to sell an iPad to a Persian speaker, pointing to Apple policy saying that ?the exportation, sale or supply from the U.S. to Iran of any Apple goods is strictly prohibited without authorization by the U.S.?government.? After the incident, the State Department spokeswoman issued a statement clarifying that ?there is no U.S. policy or law that prohibits Apple or any other company from selling products in the United States to anybody who?s intending to use the product in the United States.?

Not having an iPad might not seem like a real problem, but companies? decision not to operate in authoritarian countries affects the security of people?s communication. When American technology and security updates are not available, it?s easier for authoritarian governments to deploy malware (for example, masquerading as secure tools or updates) so that they can get access to a user?s machine. Last year researchers discovered that a version of anti-censorship software used by many Iranians to bypass government filters was circulating with a malicious backdoor. But accessing a user?s machine is not the end of the story. Dlshad Othman, a computer technician who fled Syria in fear of being arrested, told Bloomberg News last year that he knows of at least two activists who were killed after their computers were compromised. Of course, American-made technology can be hacked as well. But without access to U.S. products, citizens can be forced to rely on alternative services from other countries that are less protective of human rights and makes them even more vulnerable to surveillance and censorship.

Congress is currently gearing up for a new round of sanctions legislation to increase pressure on the regime in anticipation of the upcoming transition of power in Iran. Much of the conversation revolves around inhibiting financial transactions and nuclear weapons capability. But information and communications technology are also a key piece of the strategy to put pressure on the regime. Wednesday?s announcement that the administration intends to take further steps to sharpen the restrictions and which consumer communications technologies are allowed is a step in the right direction. Sanctions are supposed to put pressure on governments to change their behavior?not hamper human rights.

This article arises from Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, the New America Foundation, and?Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, visit the?Future Tense blog?and the?Future Tense home page. You can also?follow us on Twitter.

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/05/confusing_sanctions_are_keeping_important_technologies_from_iranian_activists.html

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Here?s Your First Look at Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 is getting real improvements over Windows 8, some of which will please longtime users who found the shift from Windows 7 jarring or uncomfortable. And yet it also goes even farther in the new direction Microsoft is taking.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/UKcIimg5eMY/

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China's Shuanghui to buy Smithfeld Foods for $4.7 billion

By Denny Thomas and Olivia Oran

HONG KONG/NEW YORK (Reuters) - China's Shuanghui International plans to buy Smithfield Foods Inc for $4.7 billion to feed a growing Chinese appetite for U.S. pork, but the proposed takeover of the world's No. 1 producer has stirred concern in the United States.

The transaction, announced on Wednesday, would rank as the largest Chinese takeover of a U.S. company, with an enterprise value of $7.1 billion, including debt assumption.

As it stands. the deal is the biggest Chinese play for a U.S. company since CNOOC Ltd offered to buy Unocal for about $18 billion in 2005. The state-controlled energy company later withdrew that bid under U.S. political pressure.

Like similar foreign transactions, the Smithfield deal will face the scrutiny of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, a government panel that assesses national security risks.

And at least one member of Congress said the deal raised alarms about food safety, noting Shuanghui was forced to recall tainted pork in the past.

"I have deep doubts about whether this merger best serves American consumers and urge federal regulators to put their concerns first," U.S. Representative Rose DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, said in a statement.

Shuanghui is already majority shareholder of Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development Co , China's largest meat processor. It would join forces with a company that has a worldwide herd of 1.09 million sows, according to industry data compiled by Successful Farming magazine.

The CFIUS review process comes at a time of sour relations between the United States and China over cross-border deals. In the latest irritant, a $20.1 billion bid by Japan's SoftBank Corp to control U.S. wireless carrier Sprint Nextel Corp has fanned fears of Chinese cyber-attacks against the United States.

Indeed, the issue may arise next week when U.S. President Barack Obama meets with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in California to talk about cyber-security.

BIG PREMIUM

Shuanghui offered $34 a share for Smithfield, a 31 percent premium to its closing stock price on Tuesday. The Chinese company will assume $2.4 billion of Smithfield's debt.

Shares of Smithfield, founded in 1936 as a single meat-packing plant in Smithfield, Virginia, rose as high as $33.96 on Wednesday.

The premium reflects Wall Street's longtime undervaluing of meat-protein producers, said Steve Meyer, president of Paragon Economics, partly because meat production is a low-margin business. "I think we kind of take it for granted," he said.

It is still possible that counterbids could emerge.

Smithfield was previously in talks with two parties about a potential bid before the takeover by Shaunghui was announced, according to a source familiar with the matter. Bloomberg earlier reported Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Foods and Brazil's JBS SA had been preparing to bid for Smithfield when Shuanghui struck its deal, Neither CP Foods or JBS could be reached for comment.

Smithfield has 30 days to continue talks with the two parties, but cannot solicit bids from others, the source said. If Smithfield decides to take an offer from either company, it will pay a lower-than-average, break-up fee under the terms of the agreement, the source added.

Aiming to dispel any concern over major displacements, Shuanghui has promised no closures or relocations of Smithfield's operations and to keep current management, including Chief Executive Officer Larry Pope, in place.

The agreement comes after Continental Grain Co, Smithfield's largest shareholder with a 5.8 percent stake, agitated for change, including a call to break up the company. Continental, could not be reached to comment on Shuanghui's proposal.

Pope said in a conference call with analysts that the company had been attempting to strike a deal with Shuanghui since 2009, long before Continental started its campaign.

"The Asian market is huge opportunity for us as a company," Pope said. "We just haven't been able to put something together until today."

Brian Bradshaw, a pig producer with operations in Illinois and Indiana who has sold hogs to Smithfield and its competitors, said the combination would boost U.S. pork exports. Still, he said he was worried about a foreign company owning Smithfield.

"Long term, I think it's not good to have foreign ownership, but that's just the American part of me," he said. "I just think this is a move by China to make sure their population is going to get fed in a cheaper manner."

The agreement highlights China's growing appetite for protein-rich food, particularly pork, the leading animal protein consumed there. As its middle class expands, the country is relying on foreign producers to keep pace with demand.

FOOD SCANDALS

Demand for U.S. meat in China has risen tenfold over the past decade, fueled in part by a series of embarrassing food safety scandals, from rat meat passed off as pork to thousands of pig carcasses floating on a river. Public anxiety over cases of fake or toxic food often spreads quickly.

Shuanghui itself became embroiled in a scandal over tainted meat two years ago, when it was forced to recall its Shineway brand meat products from store shelves on fear that some of it contained a banned feed additive called clenbuterol.

In that respect, the Smithfield deal may help quell Chinese concerns over the use of ractopamine, a similar additive commonly used by U.S. hog producers to bulk up animals with muscle instead of fat, without increasing the amount of feed.

Smithfield has been trying to stop using ractopamine, which has been banned in China and Russia, an effort that could enhance its appeal as an exporter.

Privately owned Shuanghui will finance the transaction through a combination of cash, rollover of existing Smithfield debt and debt financing produced by Morgan Stanley and a syndicate of banks. Both boards have approved the deal.

Barclays is the financial adviser to Smithfield and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and McGuireWoods LLP are legal counsel. Morgan Stanley is financial adviser to Shuanghui and Paul Hastings LLP and Troutman Sanders LLP are legal counsel.

(Additional reporting by Jonathan Leff and Gregory Roumeliotis in New York, Doug Palmer in Washington, P.J. Huffstutter in Chicago, Aditi Shrivastava in Bangalore; Writing by Frank McGurty; Editing by Michael Flaherty, Lisa Von Ahn and Leslie Gevirtz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chinas-shuanghui-buy-smithfield-foods-4-7-billion-125452691.html

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USDA: Unapproved modified wheat in Oregon field

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) ? Field workers at an Eastern Oregon wheat farm were clearing acres for the bare offseason when they came across a patch of wheat that didn't belong.

The workers sprayed it and sprayed it, but the wheat wouldn't die. Their confused boss grabbed a few stalks and sent it to a university lab in early May.

A few weeks later, Oregon State wheat scientists made a startling discovery: The wheat was genetically modified, in clear violation of U.S. law, although there's no evidence that modified wheat entered the marketplace.

They contacted federal authorities, who ran more tests and confirmed their discovery.

"It looked like regular wheat ," said Bob Zemetra, Oregon State's wheat breeder.

No genetically engineered wheat has been approved for U.S. farming. U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said the wheat is the same strain as a genetically modified wheat that was legally tested by seed giant Monsanto a decade ago but never approved. Monsanto stopped testing that product in Oregon and several other states in 2005.

How the modified wheat made it from a private company's testing grounds to the Eastern Oregon commercial wheat field is a question investigators are trying to unravel in a mystery that could have global implications on the wheat trade in the U.S. and abroad.

Many countries around the world will not accept imports of genetically modified foods, and the United States exports about half of its wheat crop. Zemetra said the presence of the modified crop shows the need for testing.

"We'll need to develop or implement a method for testing some of the grain to see for the first year or two," Zemetra said.

An Oregon State wheat scientist and a graduate student did the first tests and discovered the likely presence of a gene that made the wheat resistant to herbicide.

The genetically-modified wheat grew on land that was supposed to be rotated, said Mark Flowers, Cereal Specialist at Oregon State University Extension. The field was in an off-year and in May 2013, it was supposed to be fallow and bare. Workers expected to kill off the few rogue plants that poked out of the ground.

But those plants resistant to the herbicide caught their attention.

"That's when this was noticed," Flowers said. "Some of the wheat did not die."

USDA officials declined to speculate whether the modified seeds blew into the field from a testing site or if they were somehow planted or taken there, and they would not identify the farmer or the farm's location.

The discovery also could have implications for organic companies, which by law cannot use genetically engineered ingredients in foods. Organic farmers have frequently expressed concern that genetically modified seed will blow into organic farms and contaminate their products.

U.S. consumers have shown increasing interest in avoiding genetically modified foods. There has been little evidence to show that modified foods are less safe than their conventional counterparts, but several state legislatures are considering bills that would require them to be labeled so consumers know what they are eating.

While most of the corn and soybeans grown in the United States are already modified, the country's wheat crop is not.

The tests confirmed that the plants were a strain developed by Monsanto to resist its Roundup Ready herbicides and were tested between 1998 and 2005. At the time Monsanto had applied to USDA for permission to develop the engineered wheat, but the company later pulled its application.

The Agriculture Department said that during that seven-year period, it authorized more than 100 field tests with the same glyphosate-resistant wheat variety. Tests were conducted in in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.

During that testing and application process, the Food and Drug Administration reviewed the variety found in Oregon and said it was as safe as conventional varieties of wheat.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Monsanto noted that this is the first report since its program was discontinued.

"While USDA's results are unexpected, there is considerable reason to believe that the presence of the Roundup Ready trait in wheat, if determined to be valid, is very limited," the company said.

USDA officials confirmed they have received no other reports of discoveries of genetically modified wheat. Michael Firko of the Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Acting Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse said they have already been in touch with international trading partners to try and assuage any concerns.

"Hopefully our trading partners will be understanding that this is not a food or feed safety issue," Scuse said.

___

Tim Fought in Portland, Ore., contributed to this report.

___

Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mcjalonick

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-05-30-Genetically%20Modified%20Wheat/id-5adc89ee9752423a94d097a16416802b

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Afghan security rescues 7 Red Cross staffers

Smoke rises from the International Red Cross building after a gun battle between security forces and an insurgent, in Jalalabad east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. A senior Afghan official said security forces rescued seven foreigners working for the International Red Cross on Wednesday after a two-hour-long gun battle with an insurgent at a guest house in the eastern city of Jalalabad. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Smoke rises from the International Red Cross building after a gun battle between security forces and an insurgent, in Jalalabad east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. A senior Afghan official said security forces rescued seven foreigners working for the International Red Cross on Wednesday after a two-hour-long gun battle with an insurgent at a guest house in the eastern city of Jalalabad. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Afghan police and national army forces stand alert after a gun battle between security forces and an insurgent, in Jalalabad east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. A senior Afghan official said security forces rescued seven foreigners working for the International Red Cross on Wednesday after a two-hour-long gun battle with an insurgent at a guest house in the eastern city of Jalalabad. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Smoke rises from the International Red Cross building after a gun battle between security forces and an insurgent, in Jalalabad east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. A senior Afghan official said security forces rescued seven foreigners working for the International Red Cross on Wednesday after a two-hour-long gun battle with an insurgent at a guest house in the eastern city of Jalalabad. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

The International Red Cross building burns, after a gun battle between security forces and an insurgent, in Jalalabad east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. A senior Afghan official said security forces rescued seven foreigners working for the International Red Cross on Wednesday after a two-hour-long gun battle with an insurgent at a guest house in the eastern city of Jalalabad. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Afghan policemen take their positions, during a gun battle between security forces and an insurgent, in Jalalabad east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. A senior Afghan official said security forces rescued seven foreigners working for the International Red Cross on Wednesday after a two-hour-long gun battle with an insurgent at a guest house in the eastern city of Jalalabad. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Two insurgents attacked a compound housing the International Committee of the Red Cross in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing an Afghan guard before security forces rescued seven foreigners. It was a striking escalation of attacks targeting international organizations.

The Red Cross has rarely been hit in the more than 12 years since the Afghan war began in late 2001. Considered one of the most respected agencies in the country, it has good relations with all parties to the conflict, including the Taliban, who allow them to operate in areas under their control.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi said the three women and four men were safe after police killed an insurgent who was holed up inside the compound. He said one of the male aid workers was lightly wounded.

The other assailant detonated a suicide bomb vest at the building's gate at the beginning of the attack, killing an Afghan security guard who worked for the Red Cross as a staff member, Sediqi said.

Red Cross officials were baffled.

"We are very concerned that the office has been attacked deliberately, knowing that the ICRC is a neutral organization working for almost three decades to provide humanitarian assistance," said Robin Waudo, communications coordinator for the Red Cross in Afghanistan. "We have been here through the different conflicts that happened here and we are known by parties to the conflicts."

"We are surprised just like most that an ICRC office can be attacked when it is known by most parties that we are not a political organization," he said.

The Taliban and other militants have unleashed a wave of bombings and assassinations around the country, testing the ability of the Afghan security forces to respond with reduced help from international forces, who have begun a withdrawal that will see most foreign troops gone by the end of 2014.

The Wednesday attack in the eastern city of Jalalabad was the second major assault against an international organization in five days. Militants launched a similar operation against a U.N.-affiliated group in Kabul last week that killed three people.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and it is unclear why insurgents would want to target the Red Cross, which not only carries out humanitarian work around Afghanistan but also is the conduit for families to communicate with detainees taken off the battlefield, including the Taliban.

A spokesman for the Red Cross in Afghanistan, Abdul Hasib Rahimi, said all organization's foreign staff that was inside the compound were safe. He said they were checking to see if any Afghan staffers were there at the time, but noted that local employees had left for the day an hour before the attack. The foreigners live in the compound, he said.

A total of 35 Red Cross staff, including the seven foreigners, work at the facility, he said.

Afghanistan is the site of one of the Red Cross's biggest operations worldwide, with some 1,800 staff working in 17 locations, the organization said.

Sediqi said Afghan forces arrived at the scene of the attack shortly after the suicide bombing at the door, which cleared the way for the other attacker to enter.

"As a result of the shooting exchange, the gunman was killed and all seven foreigners who were inside the building were rescued safely," he said. "Right now the security situation is under control."

The Red Cross warned last month that security was deteriorating across Afghanistan as militants flood the battlefield and conduct attacks in what could be the most important spring fighting season of the nearly 12-year-old war.

The violence came five days after Taliban gunmen backed by a suicide car bomber attacked the Kabul offices of the International Organization for Migration, killing two Afghan civilians and a police officer. The assault sparked an hours-long street battle and left another 17 wounded, including seven IOM staff members.

The IOM is a U.N.-affiliated agency assisting returning Afghan migrants as well as those displaced by fighting.

The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the attack on the IOM guest house in an upscale neighborhood of Kabul.

There have been concerns that the Taliban would increasingly strike organizations such as the United Nations mission in Afghanistan after the international body said the insurgents were committing war crimes by targeting government officials. There have been a number of acrimonious exchanges between the Taliban and the U.N. over the increasing number civilian casualties.

This year is crucial for Afghanistan, as the U.S.-led coalition is expected to hand over most security responsibilities in the country to its own security forces in the late spring. Foreign military forces are then expected to begin a withdrawal to be completed by the end of the year.

Earlier, seven insurgents wearing police uniforms and bomb-laden vests attacked a government compound in Panjshir, a usually secure province in eastern Afghanistan. One police officer was killed and another was wounded. The Taliban claimed responsibility.

While attacks have grown more frequent in many parts of Afghanistan, Wednesday's violence was of note because it took place in in eastern Panjshir province, a normally peaceful area in a valley that was the heart of the anti-Taliban resistance until the U.S. invasion in late 2001.

Governor Kramuddin Karim said the attackers targeted the government complex in the provincial capital of Bazarak, and all seven militants were killed.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack in an email to journalists.

Provincial police chief Qasim Jangalbagh said the insurgents were wearing police uniforms. Three of the attackers blew themselves up and four were killed by police during the assault. The government complex was empty because of the early hour, Jangalbagh said.

Jangalbagh said a station wagon with 20 kilograms (45 pounds) of explosives that the insurgents were driving did not blow up. He added that one of the seven insurgents managed to flee the scene but later blew himself up.

___

Associated Press writers Amir Shah in Kabul and Rahmat Gul in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-05-29-Afghanistan/id-3a0a31ec04e2473999c73f86ac882588

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Promise of central bank support lifts world shares

By Richard Hubbard

LONDON (Reuters) - Investors seized on clear pledges of policy support from Japanese and European central banks on Tuesday to drive world shares higher, sending the yen down sharply against the dollar and boosting oil prices.

That put Wall Street on course for a higher open when trading resumes after Monday's Memorial Day holiday, reversing the trend that saw all three major stock indexes end last week in negative territory.

Heightened expectations the U.S. central bank could soon taper its stimulus programme unleashed turbulence across the markets last week, leaving it to central banks in Japan and Europe to reassure investors their liquidity taps remain open.

"There is still some nervousness, but investors are also feeling that equities are the best asset class," Keith Bowman, analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown,

Equity markets around the world hit their highest levels in many years this month due to the cheap funding from the Fed and other central banks. But the comments by Fed chairman Ben Bernanke suggesting a U.S. recovery could bring a shift in policy have made investors question prospects for further gains.

"We have had a significant move higher and now it's time for taking stock and deciding whether we continue to go higher or we are due a correction," Michael Hewson, senior market analyst at CMC Markets said.

The question is being asked most about the Japanese market, where the Nikkei stock index had reached a 5-1/2-year high before dropping 7.3 percent last Thursday - its largest one-day loss since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The Nikkei steadied on Tuesday, ending 1.2 percent higher after long-serving board member Ryuzo Miyao said the Bank of Japan would fine-tune market operations to ensure its unprecedented easing campaign is not derailed.

European Central Bank officials also weighed in to help ease investor's nerves, sending the broad FTSE Eurofirst 300 index up 1.25 percent by midday, its best day in a month.

ECB Executive Board member Peter Praet said the bank could still cut interest rates further to stimulate the economy if needed. His comment echoed that of ECB Executive Board member Joerg Asmussen on Monday who said the loose policy would stay as long as necessary.

Tuesday's rebound took Germany's DAX up 1.2 percent to near recent record highs. In London, the FTSE 100 index was up 1.6 percent, led by banking stocks.

MSCI's world equity index had risen 0.4 percent by mid-morning, reversing four days of losses.

SAFETY ABANDONED

The dollar rose 1.0 percent to 102.00 yen, up more than a full yen from a two-week low of 100.66 hit on Friday. While against the Swiss franc, another currency seen as a safe haven, the dollar up 0.5 percent to 0.9675 francs.

"The yen and Swiss franc have dropped noticeably this morning, essentially because risk assets seem to be stabilising," said Societe Generale currency strategist Alvin Tan.

The euro was little changed at $1.2940 against the dollar, trading well within its recent range of $1.28-1.32.

Investors also turned away from German government bonds though the talk of future ECB rate cuts lent support. The yield on the 10-year bond was flat at 1.43 percent.

The rally in equity markets and signs of rising Middle East tension lifted oil prices sharply. U.S. crude futures gained 0.8 percent to $94.78 a barrel and Brent rose 1.5 percent to $104.16 a barrel.

"Oil has made gains today on the back of friendly equity markets," said Carsten Fritsch, senior oil analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt.

(Additional reporting by Atul Prakash and Anooja Debnath. Editing by Catherine Evans, John Stonestreet, Ron Askew)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ecb-boj-support-pledges-boost-world-shares-093937248.html

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Assistant Director of Credit Programs - HigherEdJobs

Institution:	University of Massachusetts - Boston
Location:	Boston, MA
Category:	Admin - Adult and Continuing Education Programs Admin - Registrars
Posted:	05/28/2013
Application Due:	06/28/2013
Type:	Full Time

The Assistant Director of Credit Programs for the College of Advancing and Professional Studies will work closely with the Director of Credit Programs on all aspects of planning, scheduling and managing the academic courses and programs delivered through the College. The Assistant Director will also: be responsible for all aspects of scheduling and delivery of CAPS non-credit courses/offerings; manage academic unit fund distributions and other fund transfer agreements and payments; in consultation with the Director, manage changes and corrections to each semester's schedule of courses; act as liaison with CAPS marketing area in all matters pertaining to publications and advertising; work with CAPS marketing staff in organizing twice-yearly information sessions regarding CAPS academic offerings for university-wide advising staff; in consultation with the Director, develop the Office of Credit Programs annual budget; interact regularly with department chairs and academic program directors regarding course and special program scheduling and delivery; update credit scheduling module of the CAPS FileMaker database; ensure that accurate and timely schedule and faculty information is transmitted to CAPS marketing and human resources staff; resolve student and faculty issues pertaining to course scheduling and delivery; troubleshoot student registration issues in consultation with the Registrar's Office; work with credit programs staff and program coordinators in the scheduling and delivery of special programs; serve as Office of Credit Program's representative on committees and workgroups; act as Director of Credit Programs in the director's absence; and other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

Bachelor's Degree and a minimum of three years of work experience within an academic setting, preferably in enrollment management, is required. Familiarity with PeopleSoft/Oracle Student Systems and FileMaker Pro preferred. Demonstrated project management skills required. Experience using computerized data analysis tools preferred.

• Proficiency in standard word processing, spreadsheet and database applications;
• Ability to supervise multiple activities simultaneously under strict constraints;
• Demonstrated capacity for independent action, problem solving and decision making;
• Demonstrated ability to deal with diverse constituencies;
• Strong attention to detail;
• Strong oral and written communication skills;
• Strong commitment to customer service.

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three professional references.

Professional. Union. Benefited.
Full time. Grade 30.
Normal Hiring Range: $42,215-$46,172.
Trust funded.
Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date.
Closing date for applications: June 28, 2013

Application Information

More Information on University of Massachusetts - Boston

UMass Boston is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity, Title IX Employer. Among the procedures which may be used to select personnel to fill vacant positions are review of work experience, reference checks, and interviews. All appointments and promotions will be effective on a Sunday.

Source: http://www.higheredjobs.com/details.cfm?JobCode=175756330

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After waiting out rain, Djokovic starts French bid

Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns against David Goffin of Belgium during their first round match at the French Open tennis tournament, at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Tuesday, May 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns against David Goffin of Belgium during their first round match at the French Open tennis tournament, at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Tuesday, May 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

Stadium employees clear water from center court as matches were delayed because of the rain for the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium Tuesday, May 28, 2013 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic runs towards the net to return against David Goffin of Belgium during their first round match at the French Open tennis tournament, at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Tuesday, May 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

Spectator sit under an umbrella on center court as matches were delayed because of the rain for the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium Tuesday, May 28, 2013 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Belgium's David Goffin wipes his face as he plays Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium Tuesday, May 28, 2013 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

PARIS (AP) ? Novak Djokovic spent the better part of a rainy Tuesday at the French Open wondering when ? and even whether ? he would wind up playing his first-round match at the only Grand Slam tournament he's yet to win.

Unlike Wimbledon and the Australian Open, Roland Garros does not have a roof at any court.

Unlike the U.S. Open, though, at least there is a definitive timeline to build one.

Djokovic is thrilled about that forthcoming addition in Paris, even if it won't come until 2018. He also can't wait for them to install artificial lights at the French Open, which is supposed to happen sooner. Both of those improvements would have contributed to a more stress-free evening for the man ranked and seeded No. 1, who slipped and slid his way along the red clay to a 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-5 victory over David Goffin in the first round.

"It was a difficult day, because we have been waiting for hours and hours. I think I warmed up five or six times today," Djokovic said. "In these conditions ... you need to adjust your game and tactics, because it's quite different than comparing to the conditions when it's dry and sunny."

Even though his match against the 58th-ranked Goffin, a Belgian who was one of the revelations at Roland Garros a year ago, was the second to be played on Court Philippe Chatrier, they did not begin until after 6:30 p.m. They finished as light was fading shortly before 9 p.m.

"It was a long day," Djokovic said.

At least he got to play.

Because of showers that began in the morning, there was a delay of more than 2? hours at the start. Then, after only 1? hours of action, arrived another stop of more than an hour. All told, only 26 of 40 scheduled singles matches were completed, three were suspended in progress, and organizers wound up postponing 11 others entirely. That means players such as Victoria Azarenka, the reigning Australian Open champion, will be slated for first-round action Wednesday, the fourth day of the tournament (when, by the way, the forecast calls for more rain).

That sets up a situation where Azarenka, for example, would need to win seven matches across 11 days to take home the trophy, while 2002 champion Serena Williams ? who got to begin the tournament Sunday and is supposed to play in the second round Wednesday ? would have her seven matches spread over 14 days if she goes the distance.

Among the winners Tuesday were 2010 French Open runner-up and 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur, who beat 42-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan 6-0, 6-2.

"It was spitting a little bit when we went out there," Stosur said. "You think, 'Oh, are we going to start or are we not?' Lucky for me, I was able to finish the match before this last downpour came."

Another Australian, Bernard Tomic ? whose father was barred from Roland Garros after being accused this month of head-butting Tomic's hitting partner ? stopped because of a torn right hamstring while trailing Victor Hanescu 7-5, 7-6 (8), 2-1. Three other men retired during matches: No. 28 Florian Mayer (right thigh), Alejandro Falla (stomach problems), Simone Bolelli (right wrist).

No. 9 Stanislas Wawrinka, No. 12 Tommy Haas and No. 16 Philipp Kohlschreiber and No. 26 Grigor Dimitrov advanced, along with 20-year-old American Jack Sock in his French Open debut.

If Dimitrov ? he and Maria Sharapova are an item, so he was asked Tuesday about dealing with paparazzi ? reaches the third round, he could face Djokovic. That would be an intriguing matchup, given that Dimitrov defeated Djokovic on clay at Madrid three weeks ago.

"This is the kind of matches I'd always want to play in," Dimitrov said. "I feel good on the big courts and playing against good players."

Djokovic found Goffin in possession of that same attitude.

In 2012, Goffin got into the French Open field as a "lucky loser" ? someone who loses in qualifying but is put in the main draw because another player withdrew ? and made it all the way to the fourth round. That's when Goffin got to face Roger Federer, his idol, and even took a set off the owner of the most career major titles before losing the match.

"He has a good chance to have a good future," Djokovic said. "He likes playing here, obviously. He likes playing on a big stage."

Perhaps. But Tuesday's key moment came in the first-set tiebreaker, with Goffin serving at 5-all. After he faulted once, a fan yelled, "Allez, David!" The 22-year-old Goffin then proceeded to miss his second serve, too, for a double-fault that gave Djokovic a set point.

Goffin looked in the direction of the offending shout with palms up, as if to say, "What did you do that for?!"

"That's what happens sometimes. When you play in Davis Cup, you see that on every serve, basically," Goffin said. "Anyway, it was up to me to focus my mind. This is the type of thing that can happen, and can happen to anybody. So tough luck."

His backhand into the net ceded the set to Djokovic, who had won fewer total points until then, 39-36.

Djokovic lost to seven-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal in last year's final. That ended Djokovic's 27-match Grand Slam winning streak and, with it, his attempt to earn a fourth consecutive major championship.

Now Djokovic ? who has won the Australian Open four times, and the U.S. Open and Wimbledon once each ? really would love to pick up his first trophy at Roland Garros to complete a career Grand Slam. Before the French Open began, he called it "the No. 1 priority of my year."

He returned to that theme Tuesday: "I really want to do well here. I have high hopes for myself, and there is no secret about it."

As Goffin walked toward the locker room after the match ended, Djokovic stopped what he was doing to join the crowd in applauding.

Then it was Djokovic's turn to speak French to the fans during an interview, a post-match ritual that's become de rigueur this week. Williams and Nadal did it, too (as did Federer, who has for years).

"I really wanted to finish tonight," Djokovic said, "although I know the crowd wanted to watch a little longer."

___

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-05-28-TEN-French-Open/id-ffc1061e1a5a47c689d45f847b1c747d

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Novel disease in songbirds demonstrates evolution in the blink of an eye

May 28, 2013 ? A novel disease in songbirds has rapidly evolved to become more harmful to its host on at least two separate occasions in just two decades, according to a new study. The research provides a real-life model to help understand how diseases that threaten humans can be expected to change in virulence as they emerge.

"Everybody who?s had the flu has probably wondered at some point, 'Why do I feel so bad?'" said Dana Hawley of Virginia Tech, the lead author of the study to be published in PLOS Biology on May 28, 2013. "That?s what we?re studying: Why do pathogens cause harm to the very hosts they depend on? And why are some life-threatening, while others only give you the sniffles?"

Disease virulence is something of a paradox. In order to spread, viruses and bacteria have to reproduce in great numbers. But as their numbers increase inside a host?s body, the host gets more and more ill. So a highly virulent disease runs the risk of killing or debilitating its hosts before they get a chance to pass the bug along. It finds the right balance through evolution, and the new study shows it can happen in just a few years.

Hawley and her coauthors studied House Finch eye disease, a form of conjunctivitis, or pinkeye, caused by the bacteria Mycoplasma gallisepticum. It first appeared around Washington, D.C., in the 1990s. The House Finch is native to the Southwest but has spread to towns and backyards across North America. The bacteria is not harmful to humans, which makes it a good model for studying the evolution of dangerous diseases such as SARS, Ebola, and avian flu.

"There?s an expectation that a very virulent disease like this one will become milder over time, to improve its ability to spread. Otherwise, it just kills the host and that?s the end of it for the organism," said Andr? Dhondt, director of Bird Population Studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and a coauthor of the study. "House Finch eye disease gave us an opportunity to test this?and we were surprised to see it actually become worse rather than milder."

The researchers used frozen bacterial samples taken from sick birds in California and the Eastern Seaboard at five dates between 1994 and 2010, as the pathogen was evolving and spreading. The samples came from an archive maintained by coauthor David Ley of North Carolina State University, who first isolated and identified the causative organism. The team experimentally infected wild-caught House Finches, allowing them to measure how sick the birds got with each sample. They kept the birds in cages as they fell ill and then recovered (none of the birds died from the disease).

Contrary to expectations, they found that in both regions the disease had evolved to become more virulent over time. Birds exposed to later disease strains developed more swollen eyes that took longer to heal. In another intriguing finding, it was a less-virulent strain that spread westward across the continent. Once established in California, the bacteria again began evolving higher virulence.

In evolutionary terms, some strains of the bacteria were better adapted to spreading across the continent, while others were more suited to becoming established in one spot. "For the disease to disperse westward, a sick bird has to fly a little farther, and survive for longer, to pass on the infection. That will select for strains that make the birds less sick," Hawley said. "But when it gets established in a new location, there are lots of other potential hosts, especially around bird feeders. It can evolve toward being a nastier illness because it?s getting transmitted more quickly."

House Finch eye disease was first observed in 1994 when bird watchers reported birds with weepy, inflamed eyes to Project FeederWatch, a citizen science study run by the Cornell Lab. Though the disease does not kill birds directly, it weakens them and makes them easy targets for predators. The disease quickly spread south along the Eastern Seaboard, north and west across the Great Plains, and down the West Coast. By 1998 the House Finch population in the eastern United States had dropped by half?a loss of an estimated 40 million birds.

Bird watchers can do their part to help House Finches and other backyard birds by washing their feeders in a 10 percent bleach solution twice a month.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/OEZdZecuDIA/130528180839.htm

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Rumor has it that Yahoo is willing to stump up $800 million to take over Hulu.

Rumor has it that Yahoo is willing to stump up $800 million to take over Hulu. Marissa Mayer is one big spender right now.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/rumor-has-it-that-yahoo-is-willing-to-stump-up-800-mil-509981455

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Veteran Loans for Homes | United Bilt Homes Blog

Happy Memorial Day! We want to take a moment to thank all the veterans who have protected our country as well as their families who have supported them. We are thankful for the service you?ve given our country, families, and communities.

We know that home ownership is a dream for many in the armed services and want to help you on the path. VA Home Loans are a way to finance your custom built home if you have served in the armed forces. A study in 2004 by the?Department of Veterans Affairs found 20 percent of veterans didn?t know they could get VA loans or that the benefit exists. Of course, a VA loan isn?t always the best option for everyone and you might find United-Bilt financing options better. Compare and decide for yourself. You can find out more about VA loans from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Most VA loan recipients have less than $7,000 in assets. But because these loans are guaranteed, they can help you build a house when you might not otherwise be able to. And if you were injured during duty and need special adaptations in your home, a custom built home will your needs.

Some home modifications that we can help you incorporate into your custom built home include expanded doorways, light switches and counters positioned for accessibility, and even reinforced stairways for a chair lift, if a two story home has always been your dream. The options are endless with a custom built home ? and it?s often easier than trying to retrofit an existing home. Be sure to check out our information about bathroom accommodations?and our list of standard features found in every UBH home.

This entry was posted in Home building. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://www.ubh.com/blog/2013/05/veteran-loans-for-homes/

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Apple's Problem Isn't Skeuomorphism, It's Services

So iOS 7, it seems, is going to do away with much of the skeuomorphic design that has crept into the operating system and its utilities. Jony Ive, rumor has it, has done away with all the textures and real-world analogs in iOS 7 and has switched to a flat design instead. Good for him, but if that's all that is new in iOS 7, Apple has a real problem. It's not the design of iOS, but rather the fact that its own service offerings like Siri, iCloud and iTunes aren't all that great when compared to what its competitors in Mountain View (and may startups) are working on.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/9wT4u72cQl8/

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NYPD investigating actress Bynes allegations

NEW YORK (AP) ? Internal Affairs officers on Saturday were looking into allegations made by actress Amanda Bynes that New York Police Department officers sexually assaulted her when she was charged with heaving a marijuana bong out the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment.

The 27-year-old former child star first alleged during her arraignment on Friday that police illegally entered her apartment after being called to her midtown building. But in a Twitter message believed to be from the troubled actress posted Saturday, Bynes alleged that her arresting officer also sexually assaulted her.

"As it would with any such allegation, regardless of its credibility, IAB is investigating it," said the NYPD's chief spokesman, Paul Browne, referring to the internal affairs bureau.

The Twitter handle used to make the sexual assault allegations Saturday does not appear to be verified by the social network? but Bynes' friend, former Hollywood publicist Jonathan Jaxson, said Saturday the tweet was made from Bynes' account. Twitter did not immediately return a request for comment.

In court on Friday, the former "Hairspray" star made no mention of the sexual assault allegations, though she did complain of illegal entry to her apartment. She's been charged with reckless endangerment, attempted tampering with evidence and unlawful possession of marijuana.

A law enforcement official who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because of an ongoing investigation said the building manager was with officers at Bynes' apartment when they arrived Thursday night. The official said officers were kept waiting approximately five minutes before she opened the door to them. The same official said the building manager told internal affair investigators nothing untoward happened.

Bynes was released by Chief New York County Judge Neil Ross on her own recognizance because, Ross said, he did not believe her to be a flight risk. But in releasing her, Ross also issued a stern warning to Bynes, telling her not to get rearrested or miss any court dates. She's due back in court on July 9.

Attempts to reach Bynes' arraignment lawyer were unsuccessful Saturday evening.

Bynes rose to fame starring in Nickelodeon's "All That" and has also starred in several films, including 2010's "Easy A." But she has been in the news more recently because of several scrapes with the law and bizarre public behavior.

Bynes was arrested Thursday night after building officials called police to complain she was rolling a joint and smoking pot in the lobby. The officers went to her apartment where they saw heavy smoke and a bong sitting on the kitchen counter. They said she tossed the bong out the window in front of them, prosecutors said Friday.

__

Associated Press writer Colleen Long contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nypd-investigating-actress-bynes-allegations-235059915.html

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Watch the Curiosity rover explore Mars in one minute (video)

It hasn't even been a year from the time NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars, yet it already boasts a number of accomplishments. All the while, Opportunity's successor has been sending images back to Earth documenting its numerous great deeds, and a fan of the rover's work has compiled many of the them into the video you see above. So, now you can get a glimpse of Curiosity capturing awe-inspiring shots of Mount Sharp, unearthing evidence of liquid water, determining the alien soil's chemical composition, and discovering conditions that could've allowed microbes to thrive on the red planet all in the span of a minute. Hit play to check out what Curiosity's been up to from its first through its 281st Sol -- or Martian day -- as well as to see the extraterrestrial lands our grandchildren might occupy in the future.

Filed under: Misc, Science

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Source: YouTube

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/26/curiosity-rover-time-lapse/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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