Empirical Esthetics: 18 Outstanding Images That Celebrate the Beauty Revealed by Science [Slide Show]

News | More Science

Czech "Science Is Beautiful" photo and illustration competition explores the wondrous worlds discovered via scientific investigation

By Daisy Yuhas ?| June 29, 2012

Life is filled with unexpected moments of beauty, something those on a lab bench know just as well as any poet. The third annual Science Is Beautiful competition at Charles University in Prague allowed students and faculty to share these moments through photographs, digital imagery and illustration.

"What is beautiful about science?" asked Bohuslav Ga?, dean of the university's Faculty of Science, which organized the competition, during his introductory speech at the exhibition of winning entries. "Two things: the enchantment in the discovery of the unknown and the delight in the elegance of ideas and shapes. The last one we can fully perceive in the present exhibition."

View the Science Is Beautiful slide show

The contest, which debuted in 2009, aims to share science's esthetic with the general public, raising awareness of the marvels scientists encounter daily. The winning entries cross disciplines, setting mathematical models and crustacean anatomy side by side. Each image blurs the distinction between art and science, from a da Vinci?esque painting of a fetus in utero, to a photograph of magnified mineral surface with a palette that would have pleased Kandinsky.

The competition received 281 entries, and jurists included a number of prominent Czech scientists and artists, including a singer?songwriter-cum-dragonfly-photographer as well as the founder of the Digital Imaging Laboratory of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. In addition, the general public could comment on and rate entries online to elect a people's choice winner, which was announced alongside the jury's selections.

Winners could place in one of four categories: scientific microphotography, scientific photography, scientific illustration or virtual nature. In addition, the jury chose a grand prize?winner who received 12,000 Czech crowns.

The jury announced winners of the 2011 competition on December 14, 2011. This past May, the Czech edition of Scientific American shared a selection of winners and other outstanding entries. You can see more images from 2011 and previous years at the competition's Web site (in Czech).

View the Science Is Beautiful slide show

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=667df38903a5c051fb40eb98daa3833e

snooty fox el debarge portland weather clintonville battlestar galactica blood and chrome my morning jacket roger goodell

setteBIT: ?Steve Jobs svelava l'iPhone 7 mesi prima http://t.co/8xs9hbpM + http://t.co/A8pduOgr con ambizioni modeste x il 2008? http://t.co/4NilH1VI

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

Source: http://twitter.com/setteBIT/statuses/218464023153352707

ipad mini nfl schedule 2012 andrew shaw christina aguilera tupac hologram pulitzer prize winners

How To Survive A Decade Without Health Insurance - Death + Taxes

As a newly uninsured person, never do anything. Wait, strike that. Never want to do anything. Every action, every event you take part in, there is a thin, underlying panic that goes along with every move you make. And the less you do, the less you have to worry.

You probably should have a job. Employers are supposed to have workers? insurance (unless they?re scumbags) (or like you) and anything that happens on the job should be covered by that. I have a friend who walked out of his house to go to work one morning only to wake up in the back of an ambulance. As he stepped out into the street something struck him in the the head and knocked him unconscious. He called me after to say, ?I?m okay, but I?m in an ambulance. They told me they found me in the street. They think I got hit by a car. I?m gonna go now.?

You see? It?s just like taking a trip to the store. And lucky for my friend he was able to get his work to cover the accident. Because when you get into a situation like that, insurance is the thing that makes a shotgun wound feel like a paper cut.

Actually, no it doesn?t.

Anyway, I?ve been uninsured for close to a decade now. I had it while in college, a mandatory policy that was probably lumped in with my student loans. After graduating, my parents signed me up for a minimal policy, one that I never used and was too afraid it wouldn?t cover anything (as in, the type where they deny everything and you?d be better off going uninsured instead). And when it came time for me to start forking over my own dough, I looked at the numbers and realized I wasn?t in a position to spend more than a third of my income on health insurance.

This reminds me of a joke from ?Married With Children,? where Al Bundy is trying to tell his son, Bud, about the responsibilities that come from earning a living:

Now, that was a twenty dollar [shoe] sale. That means a solid dollar ninety seven for me. After taxes, social security, and your mother, I just earned myself a cool nickel.

The thing is, you can do the smart responsible thing and be left with nothing but the sure feeling of knowing you?re prepared for the inevitable. Or you can have a few bucks in your pocket and make peace with the fact you?re going to die someday, because only the truly lucky get to die of old age and be surrounded by those who love them.

Is it really sensible to spend more than a third of your income on health insurance? Accountants say the easiest way to live comfortably is to have your living expenses no more than a third of your income. That is unless, of course, you live in New York where the cost of living is roughly half (What?s that? I don?t need to go out every night of the week? Sure). Therefore, if you?re spending a third on rent and bills, and a third goes to savings (Ha!), it leaves you with the decision of having not enough to cover yourself in the event of some emergency health situation.

So what do you have to look forward to in the event of an medical emergency when you?re uninsured? That same friend who got hit in head on the way to work found out about a fund that helps people struck in hit-and-run cases. Moreover, I?ve been told by people who work at hospitals that some will sell emergency insurance in the event you?re there and don?t have any. Sometimes you can work something out with the hospital, as in some kind of payment over time. But I?m willing to bet more often than not, they?ll just write you off if you?re enough of a deadbeat (and it?s only at the expense of your financial credit).

So you?ll probably be okay without insurance. As long as you?re not dead.

Source: http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/185253/how-to-survive-a-decade-without-health-insurance/

bobby brown arrested the happening jennifer lawrence black panthers mauritania mark sanchez obama open mic

Might and Magic Clash of Heroes coming to iOS and Android devices

Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes, previously released on DS, XBLA and PSN, will soon be available for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android, Ubisoft has announced.

Clash of Heroes takes place 40 years before the Heroes V saga. Scattered across five different regions of Ashan, five special heroes must travel their own dangerous paths to grow in strength, unravel a demonic plot, and ultimately save the world from Chaos.

Ubisoft hasn't put a firm date or price on the game.

red meat bachelor ben jon hamm kim kardashian law school rankings jon hamm heather morris ncaa bracket predictions

Uzbekistan quits Russia-dominated security pact

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

rockefeller center art basel 2011 art basel 2011 straight no chaser straight no chaser bcs standings bcs standings

'Catching Fire': Jena Malone In Running To Play Johanna

Mia Wasikowska is reportedly no longer being considered for role in 'Hunger Games' sequel.
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Jena Malone
Photo: FilmMagic

Fans of "The Hunger Games" have been keeping a close eye on two yet-to-be-cast roles in the upcoming sequel "Catching Fire" as the follow-up gets ready to move into production. Rumors about the part of Finnick Odair have floated around for months, but talk about who might be cast as Johanna Mason has only picked up this week.

The latest word on who might play the former champion for District 7 comes from Entertainment Weekly, which is reporting that Jena Malone is in the running for the role.

Last week, the first rumors about the role began to circulate. According to the Playlist, both Mia Wasikowska and model Zoe Aggeliki were in the mix for Johanna. In its report about Malone, EW also confirmed that Wasikowska was neither in the running nor able to fit "Catching Fire" into her schedule.

Malone, who recently appeared in the wildly popular "Hatfields & McCoys" miniseries, is 27 years old, making her the appropriate age to play Johanna, who Katniss at one point describes as being like a big sister, albeit one who hates her.

Johanna is a master of manipulation. She won her first tournament by pretending to be weak and non-threatening until there were fewer tributes left in the arena. Seizing the opportunity, she revealed herself as a proficient killer. When she first meets Katniss in the arena, she memorably strips naked in order to make Jennifer Lawrence's character uncomfortable.

No new additions to the cast have been officially announced for the Francis Lawrence-directed sequel to this year's massive blockbuster. Lionsgate is not currently commenting on casting.

"Catching Fire" will open in theaters on November 22, 2013.

Check out everything we've got on "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

Related Photos

• Your Picks For 'Catching Fire' Character Finnick Odair

tu pac hologram shuttle pippa middleton space shuttle discovery spacex ann romney tupac hologram

Denver Deck Builder Patio and Home Improvement Design ...

Everything we say and do in this blog is stricktly our opinions of how we see it. If you don't like any of it, there are over 300 million other websites and blogs you can go visit. If you do like what you see, thank you for staying and please let us know how we can make it a better experience for you. If you do decide to go to one of our links on this or any of our pages on line, we may make a percentage of income due to your action.
Thanks a bunch for using this information to help you on your way.

royal rumble results sag awards 2012 kyra sedgwick honor killings mary tyler moore x games pro bowl

Angry Birds Heikki: because F1 and fort-breaking games are like peanut butter and chocolate

We've seen Angry Birds go into strange places both figurative and literal, but Formula 1 racing? That's a less natural mix than a peanut butter cup. As a way of backing race driver and fellow Finland native Heikki Kovalainen, Rovio has crafted Angry Birds Heikki, a free web game themed all around its namesake's escapades during the F1 race year. The gameplay changes are more cosmetic than functional, although that leaderboard matters a little more in spirit than it might otherwise. Perhaps the biggest draw is simply that your gameplay schedule is intrinsically linked to Heikki's: new sections only unlock as the real-world races get near, so you'll have an incentive to keep coming back until the Sao Paulo race determines the F1 championship on November 21st. Let's just hope that there aren't too many road hogs spoiling either Heikki's fun or our own.

[Thanks, Rodrigo]

Angry Birds Heikki: because F1 and fort-breaking games are like peanut butter and chocolate originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Angry Birds Heikki  | Email this | Comments

dwts sean hannity bobby petrino fired buffett rule lollapalooza lineup joss whedon ronnie montrose

Trail mix: Seeking ways to connect 2 iconic routes

WEYBRIDGE, Vt. (AP) ? One of the longest hiking trails in the United States stops 40 miles short of its most famous cousin, but a group is trying to bridge that gap.

The North Country National Scenic Trail runs 4,600 miles from North Dakota to New York's eastern border. From there, it's about 40 miles across Vermont fields and mountains to the Appalachian Trail, the famous 2,170-mile hiking trail that runs from Georgia to Maine.

Seeking to bring them together now are a push from the organization that runs the North Country Trail; a changed attitude from officials in Vermont, where the connection was blocked decades ago; and a growing movement to connect the nation's longest hiking trails.

"This 40-mile gap is a gap in the system," said Bruce Matthews, executive director of the Michigan-based North Country Trail Association, which is working with the National Park Service, Vermont's Green Mountain Club and others to build the new connecting trail. "There's no logical reason for it."

Despite being the longest federally designated scenic hiking trail in the country, the North Country Trail isn't as well-known as others, partly because it's still a work in progress and partly because it has no defining feature, like the mountain range the Appalachian Trail is named for.

"With the North Country, it's more of an immersion in the people and how they have eked a living out of the hardships of the North Country than it is climbing from mountaintop to mountaintop," Matthews said.

The North Country Trail was one of 11 National Scenic Trails planned for decades and finally approved by Congress in 1980. On the map the trail is about 4,600 miles, but only about half is traditional hiking trail through rural areas. Much of it runs along roads. In many sections there aren't camping areas where hikers can use a lean-to or easily pitch a tent.

Thousands have hiked the entire Appalachian Trial. Just 11 people have completed the North Country Trail. Still, for those who know it, the trail and its paths meandering through farmland, the hills of New York's Finger Lakes region and canal towpaths are to be admired.

"All the criticism that this trail gets really are some of its strengths. It doesn't follow a particular geographic feature. It's not associated with one state. It's not associated with one ecosystem," said Joan Young, 64, of Scottville, Mich., who completed the trail in 2010. "Its strongest feature is the diversity of the experiences."

The North Country Trail is unlike many of the more traditional trails, said Matthews.

"In New England and the Appalachian region, there's a hiking culture there; there's an expectation that people hike it and do know about it," Matthews said.

"The further into the Midwest you get, there's more of a love affair with the internal combustion engine."

A 6,800-mile route called the American Discovery Trail stretches across the continent from Delaware to California, but it's pieced together from a patchwork of smaller trails and roads.

The route to extend the North Country Trail through Vermont hasn't been chosen, but it's expected to be about a 40-mile path that will hook up with the state's Long Trail, which is the same path as the Appalachian Trail at that point.

It could be years before the shield-shaped markers used by the North Country Trail start sprouting in the fields of Vermont's agricultural heartland.

In the mid-1970s when the North Country Trail was being planned, Vermont officials objected to it coming into the state over concerns additional hiker traffic could overwhelm the state's 273-mile Long Trail, which runs from Massachusetts to Canada. So the North Country Trail ended on the shore of Lake Champlain at the base of the bridge between Crown Point and West Addison.

The National Park Service is doing a feasibility study, which must be completed before the plan can be presented to Congress. Matthews said he was hopeful the Park Service approval can be finished this summer.

"It's one of those labors of love," Matthews said. "It's a simple foot path, yet it connects all the peoples of the north country and their combined experiences. You set foot on the trail in New York, you're connected with somebody in Minnesota."

bridesmaids winning lottery numbers megamillions winner kansas jayhawks mega millions results louisville lotto numbers

Unions: Expanded gaming in Maryland would create jobs | Politics ...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -

Promise of a special session to address expanded gaming in Maryland fell short last week, prompting organized labor to rally Monday in favor of further talks.

On Thursday, a work group of lawmakers and advisers announced it could not reach consensus over a special session that could have put into motion the necessary requirements for a sixth casino site in Maryland that would have been built in Prince George's County. The special session could have also examined lowering the current 67 percent tax rate on slot machine revenues, which House members of the work group opposed.

On Monday, union leaders demanded a special session to expand gaming in the state, and they sent every member of the General Assembly a strongly worded letter that takes a jab at the governor's economic policies citing job losses. In part, the union leaders wrote, "It's incomprehensible that lawmakers would give up the opportunity to create more than 8,000 jobs."

Organized labor framed its argument for expanded gaming in Maryland around job creation and additional revenue for the state.

"To be blunt, our members are disappointed, frustrated at the legislators -- the people we send down here to make the decision," said Vance Ayres, executive secretary and treasurer of the Washington, D.C., Building Trades Council.

The unions' letter also stated, in part, "After seeing our state listed among the nations' leaders in job losses two months in a row, we find it incomprehensible that our elected leaders would allow the opportunity to create more than 8,000 jobs in Prince George's County slip past us."

"No matter what our views on this gaming issue, we should at least let the voters decide," said Abiola Afolayan, political director at the Hospitality Workers Union.

Differences between the House and Senate over gambling on the last day of the regular session led to a breakdown on passing a budget.

The proposed legislation would let voters decide whether to allow a casino in Prince George's County. The measure would have also put table games in all the existing casino locations.

According a new poll by Opinion Works Research and Communications, 83 percent of registered voters want the issue decided by a referendum question on the November ballot, while 55 percent of voters surveyed indicated support for adding table games, shifting machine ownership from the state to the operators, reducing the tax rate on slots revenues by 10 percent and approving a casino site in Prince George's County.

margarito margarito horton hears a who horton hears a who cotto margarito big daddy big ten championship game

Texas A&M researcher finds peaches can fight obesity

A recent study by Texas AgriLife Research revealed that peaches, plums and nectarines contain compounds that can potentially combat obesity and diabetes.

Jose Cisneros-Zevallos, an associate professor and researcher at Texas A&M, has been working with stone fruit ? fruits that have a fleshy outside and a seed inside ? for five years.

Though the fruits are linked to fighting off some chronic diseases, gorging oneself on them isn?t something Cisneros?s findings would suggest ? at least not yet.

In the first stage of his research on the project, Cisneros studied cell models that resemble certain scenarios ? for instance, the cellular makeup of an obese individual.

That stage allowed Cisneros to test compounds in the stone fruit, determine their mechanisms and, ultimately, understand their effect on the body.

His preliminary findings will be presented in August to the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia.

Though Cisneros still must test his findings on animals and hold clinical trials before his research is complete, he has found in the early stages of research that stone fruit can inhibit fat accumulation and chronic inflammation, a stage of obesity in which fat cells behave abnormally and negatively affect the body?s reception of insulin.

?The diet in American society has a major role in triggering the inflammation process,? Cisneros said. ?But these stone fruits have huge potential of compounds working in different fronts.?

Though his findings do not suggest that consuming stone fruits will reverse obesity and diabetes, ?eating healthy is always good,? Cisneros said. ?Why not include some of these fruits??

It is not yet clear what amount must be consumed to fight off obesity and diabetes, but Cisneros hopes to have that information after the clinical trials.

?There is an increase in all these types of chronic diseases. We want to create awareness that there has to be some changes in the way people are eating,? Cisneros said. ?It?s nice to know and to learn that some of the fruits contain all these compounds that can help us stay healthy.?

Mark Scarmardo, owner of The Farm Patch, a fresh produce market in Bryan, said he is always trying to promote products that are healthier for his customers, an effort he says the research can only help.

?Our generation and the new generation coming up want to eat healthier and live longer and have a better lifestyle,? Scarmardo said. ?With the research promoting it, it?s right along with what you want to do.?

zynga stock zynga stock sam houston state university sam houston state university bradley manning whoopi goldberg tebowing

The growth of immigration in Spain has not caused a rise in crime

Public release date: 25-Jun-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Ana Herrera
oic@uc3m.es
Carlos III University of Madrid

This release is available in Spanish.

There is a social perception that growth in the immigrant population tends to lead to a rise in the crime rate, but a study carried out by Universidad Carlos III of Madrid demonstrates that this cause and effect relationship cannot be inferred in the case of Spain, according to the Agency SINC.

"The crime rate in Spain is low compared to those found in the rest of Europe. In the past few years, crime rates have risen slightly, while the immigrant population has increased at a much greater pace. This points to a positive, but very low, correlation between immigration and crime", explains Csar Alonso Borrego, a professor in UC3M's Economics Department and co-author of the study, together with Pablo Vzquez, of the Universidad Complutense of Madrid and Nuno Garoupa, of the University of Illinois (EEUU). In the article, which has been published in the journal American Law and Economics Review, they analyze "whether or not this correlation implies that there is a causal relationship between immigration and crime". The conclusion is that it does not.

The researchers constructed an empirical model to measure the probability of a crime being committed based on environmental and individual characteristics such as the level of education. They used data from the Ministry of the Interior on the crimes committed every year in every province of Spain for every 10.000 inhabitants from 1999 to 2009; using census data and the Survey of the Economically Active Population they gleaned information on the immigrant population; they also took into account environmental factors such as the provincial per capita Gross Domestic Product and the provincial unemployment rate.

"We studied the number of crimes per inhabitant en each place for each year and, among the relevant variable, the proportion of immigrants according to their origin and characteristics (age, sex, education and language)", the expert states. Because the researchers were using added information from the provinces, there was a potential problem of endogeneity, that is, of unobservable differences between provinces, - for example, access to opportunities that affect both the level of crime and the proportion of immigrants.

"There tend to be more crimes in places with more economic opportunities, which is precisely where a greater number of immigrants tend to concentrate. This results in a positive correlation between immigration and crime, which could induce people to erroneously attribute a causal connection between the two phenomenon", the researcher emphasizes. However, because longitudinal data values for each variable over a period of several years -- were also available to the researchers, they managed to consistently estimate that causal effect.

These estimates confirm the importance of language and education. "Specifically, among Spanish-speakers and, to a lesser degree, those immigrants who came from the European Union, there were fewer problems with crime. Likewise, the immigrants' educational level, relatively high with respect to that of the natives, further explains the fact that immigration's effect on crime is relatively moderate", the researchers affirm.

Young males, those who commit the most crimes

In any case, as happens in other countries, a higher proportion of young males is associated with a higher crime rate, given that this is the segment of the population that is responsible for the majority of crimes. The expert emphasizes that "the proportion of young males is greater among the immigrant population than it is among the native population".

Unlike the situation in the USA, the phenomenon of a massive influx of immigrants is a relatively recent one in the European Union, particularly in Spain, where the weight of the immigrant population has increased since the year 2000. "Out results are in line with what is known as the 'Latin paradox' in the USA, where an influx of immigrants from Mexico was follows by a reduction in crime in some areas, because the Mexican immigrants in the US were a 'virtuous selection' of individuals whose propensity to commit crimes was inferior to that of the native population. Immigration is not a homogeneous phenomenon; it is composed of widely varying groups who require different policies depending on the problems associated with their particular characteristics", conclude the researchers.

###

Further information:

Title: Does Immigration Cause Crime? Evidence from Spain
Authors: Csar Alonso-Borrego, Nuno Garoupa and Pablo Vzquez
Source: American Law and Economics Review Volume: 14. Issue: 1. Pages: 165-191 DOI: 10.1093/aler/ahr019 Published: SPR 2012

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Public release date: 25-Jun-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Ana Herrera
oic@uc3m.es
Carlos III University of Madrid

This release is available in Spanish.

There is a social perception that growth in the immigrant population tends to lead to a rise in the crime rate, but a study carried out by Universidad Carlos III of Madrid demonstrates that this cause and effect relationship cannot be inferred in the case of Spain, according to the Agency SINC.

"The crime rate in Spain is low compared to those found in the rest of Europe. In the past few years, crime rates have risen slightly, while the immigrant population has increased at a much greater pace. This points to a positive, but very low, correlation between immigration and crime", explains Csar Alonso Borrego, a professor in UC3M's Economics Department and co-author of the study, together with Pablo Vzquez, of the Universidad Complutense of Madrid and Nuno Garoupa, of the University of Illinois (EEUU). In the article, which has been published in the journal American Law and Economics Review, they analyze "whether or not this correlation implies that there is a causal relationship between immigration and crime". The conclusion is that it does not.

The researchers constructed an empirical model to measure the probability of a crime being committed based on environmental and individual characteristics such as the level of education. They used data from the Ministry of the Interior on the crimes committed every year in every province of Spain for every 10.000 inhabitants from 1999 to 2009; using census data and the Survey of the Economically Active Population they gleaned information on the immigrant population; they also took into account environmental factors such as the provincial per capita Gross Domestic Product and the provincial unemployment rate.

"We studied the number of crimes per inhabitant en each place for each year and, among the relevant variable, the proportion of immigrants according to their origin and characteristics (age, sex, education and language)", the expert states. Because the researchers were using added information from the provinces, there was a potential problem of endogeneity, that is, of unobservable differences between provinces, - for example, access to opportunities that affect both the level of crime and the proportion of immigrants.

"There tend to be more crimes in places with more economic opportunities, which is precisely where a greater number of immigrants tend to concentrate. This results in a positive correlation between immigration and crime, which could induce people to erroneously attribute a causal connection between the two phenomenon", the researcher emphasizes. However, because longitudinal data values for each variable over a period of several years -- were also available to the researchers, they managed to consistently estimate that causal effect.

These estimates confirm the importance of language and education. "Specifically, among Spanish-speakers and, to a lesser degree, those immigrants who came from the European Union, there were fewer problems with crime. Likewise, the immigrants' educational level, relatively high with respect to that of the natives, further explains the fact that immigration's effect on crime is relatively moderate", the researchers affirm.

Young males, those who commit the most crimes

In any case, as happens in other countries, a higher proportion of young males is associated with a higher crime rate, given that this is the segment of the population that is responsible for the majority of crimes. The expert emphasizes that "the proportion of young males is greater among the immigrant population than it is among the native population".

Unlike the situation in the USA, the phenomenon of a massive influx of immigrants is a relatively recent one in the European Union, particularly in Spain, where the weight of the immigrant population has increased since the year 2000. "Out results are in line with what is known as the 'Latin paradox' in the USA, where an influx of immigrants from Mexico was follows by a reduction in crime in some areas, because the Mexican immigrants in the US were a 'virtuous selection' of individuals whose propensity to commit crimes was inferior to that of the native population. Immigration is not a homogeneous phenomenon; it is composed of widely varying groups who require different policies depending on the problems associated with their particular characteristics", conclude the researchers.

###

Further information:

Title: Does Immigration Cause Crime? Evidence from Spain
Authors: Csar Alonso-Borrego, Nuno Garoupa and Pablo Vzquez
Source: American Law and Economics Review Volume: 14. Issue: 1. Pages: 165-191 DOI: 10.1093/aler/ahr019 Published: SPR 2012

---

[ | 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.

hcm loretta lynn gene kelly zoe saldana zooey deschanel and joseph gordon levitt debra messing ayaan hirsi ali

Athletes don't let disabilities stop baseball fun

Advice

JEFF BEIERMANN/THE WORLD-HERALD

Omaha Miracle League baseball has more than 160 athletes with disabilities who play at the Allplay sports complex at Seymour Smith Park near 68th and Harrison Streets. Above, Caitlyn Smith of Bellevue heads for home plate.

Published Saturday June 23, 2012

Athletes don't let disabilities stop baseball fun

Click here for more information on the Omaha Miracle League.

***

At first glance, it looks like a typical Saturday morning kids' baseball game.

A beautiful baseball diamond, players and coaches. An electronic scoreboard, P.A. announcer and a concession stand. Family members and friends cheering from the sidelines.

But look closer. Many of the players are in wheelchairs or use walkers. Almost all have ?buddies,? who assist them in hitting, rounding the bases or playing in the outfield.

It's all part of Omaha Miracle League baseball, played at the Allplay fields in Seymour Smith Park, 68th and Harrison Streets.

";var zflag_nid="1431";var zflag_cid="485/255";var zflag_sid="3";var zflag_width="1";var zflag_height="1";var zflag_sz="31";

All of the players have disabilities ranging from autism and dwarfism to cerebral palsy and Down syndrome, and many physical and mental disabilities in between.

The league, now in its fourth year, is the creation of Bruce Froendt, a paraplegic who was injured in a 1984 diving accident and has partial use of his hands. He has competed on numerous wheelchair basketball, track and field and softball teams over the years. In his travels as an athlete, he saw top-of-the-line playing fields and sports facilities for the disabled in other cities.

?They were things we needed here,? he said during a break as play-by-play man for the junior game on a recent Saturday morning. ?I knew it would be a big effort.?

?It was his dream,? said Bruce's dad, Tip. ?This is something he wanted to do. He wanted a place for these kids to play.?

In 2008, the $1.5 million barrier-free Allplay complex became a reality. It includes two baseball diamonds with special rubber surfaces to soften falls, playground equipment that can be used by wheelchair-bound individuals and a water park. There also is a welcome center-concession stand, shade pavilion and seating for visitors.

Froendt raised the necessary money, got city permission to use part of Seymour Smith Park and guided the creation of the sports complex, which is open to the public during park hours except when it's being used for such things as the Miracle League or special events.

?This is an amazing facility,? said Vicky Vandervort, mother of player Michael Vandervort. ?Bruce raised a huge amount of money and has helped build awareness. Michael has been coming since it started four years ago.?

Froendt said the league has grown from 40 players the first year to 160 this year. They range from age 4 to 72. If the league grows much more, games may have to expand beyond the eight games played every Saturday during the two seasons (spring and fall).

?Look out there,? Froendt said that Saturday morning as the Cubs played the Marlins. ?What do you see? Kids playing instead of sitting on the sidelines.?

On the diamond at the Allplay field, Caitlyn Smith seems to have the game figured out, even though it was her first time playing. She said the experience was ?cool.? JEFF BEIERMANN/THE WORLD-HERALD

Donations and volunteers make the Miracle League possible. Members of Froendt's family support him. Tip pitches in wherever he's needed, whether it's to make repairs or be a buddy for a player. Brother Brett was announcing another game. Mother Joyce Godberson was running the concession stand.

But not every volunteer was related. They come from all over Omaha, and more would be welcome.

John White, 16, who will be a junior at Ralston High School in the fall, heard about the league from a neighbor who was going blind.

?He invited me down,? John said. ?That was four years ago. I've been volunteering ever since.?

He said he keeps coming back because of the people. ?Everyone is happy and really nice.?

Hands of Heartland in Bellevue, which serves people with developmental disabilities, has several players, volunteers and spectators.

Janey Ulmer, a quality support specialist, said she accompanies the players to the games and cheers for them. Sometimes she acts as a buddy.

?The kids look forward to it,? she said. ?Many of the players aren't verbal, but they're verbal in their eyes.?

Vandervort said the same about her 25-year-old son Michael, who is unable to speak.

?He gets so excited when we tell him he's going to play baseball.?

Sam Bell of Hands of Heartland coaches three of the organization's four teams and brings family members, including his 11-year-old daughter, Sky, to help out. They got involved because his son Perrin is autistic. But Bell probably would come even without that incentive.

?I love getting the kids out here,? he said. ?And they love playing.?

Tip Froendt said watching the kids of every age play is rewarding in many ways. But he's thrilled at the effect baseball has on the players.

?These kids, when they put on a baseball uniform, they turn into different people. They are proud.?

Bruce Froendt said every player receives a uniform and treats during the game. Each game lasts about an hour.

The focus of the games is never about winning. Every player on each team gets to bat every inning. All players are safe on the bases and every player scores. All players names are announced during the game. And every game ends in a tie.

During the season, the players have a couple of cookouts and a visit to a Storm Chasers game. Sometimes there are wheelchair and walker races or other fun activities.

?They have fun, get outdoors and some get a great workout,? Bruce said.

Miracle League baseball isn't just in Omaha. Presently there are 250 Miracle League organizations in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Australia, serving more than 200,000 children and young adults.

?I come as often as I can,? said Geri Eastman, whose great-nephew Sam Osborn is a player and nephew Mark Osborn is a coach. ?The kids love it so much. I'm so proud of them and their families.?

More on the Omaha Miracle League

Miracle League baseball has two seasons: spring (seven weeks in May and June) and fall (six weeks in August and September). In addition to players, the league needs volunteer coaches and buddies.

Players: All ages with mental or physical disabilities can play. The junior and senior divisions are based partly on age and partly on ability.

Games: 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon Saturdays

Where: Allplay complex in Seymour Smith Park, 68th and Harrison Streets

Information: Contact Bruce Froendt, bfroendt@cox.net.

Registration: Register online at allplay.org or show up early for the season's first game (Aug. 11). There is an entry fee of $10.

Challenger little league

Two of the teams playing in the Miracle League on Saturday mornings represent the Challenger Little League.

Challenger is a nonprofit organization that also provides Little League baseball opportunities for youth 5 to 21 who have cognitive or physical disabilities. They are divided into three age groups.

Although some of the teams play at Allplay, most the league's games are played at Keystone Fields, 120th Street and West Maple Road.

The league has only one season, in spring, so players will have to wait until 2013 to participate.

Registration is $60. There are discounts for early registration and for multiple children from one family. Some scholarships are available.

For more information on this league, visit challengerlittleleague.org or email cllomaha@yahoo.com.

Contact the writer: 402-444-1067, carol.bicak@owh.com

Copyright ?2012 Omaha World-Herald?. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.

mortgage settlement macauly culkin joe namath stefon diggs nazi ss andrej pejic naomi watts

American University of Armenia awards diplomas to Class of 2012

June 23, 2012 | 15:18

American University of Armenia (AUA) class of 2012 commencement exercises took place in Yerevan on Saturday.

The AUA President, Trustees, the class of 2012, parents and guests were present at the 20th ceremony.

In his address AUA President Bruce Boghosian said that the founding of the University ?was a bold move.? He stressed that development of the University fell on difficult time in Armenia?s history ? the collapse of the USSR, the Karabakh war and other developments. However, due to hard work and sacrifice of the founders the University was developing.

Boghosian, as a third president of AUA, expressed hope that the University would provide educational opportunities for all those who are eager to receive it.

?The University is a product of partnership of the Armenian government, University of California and the Armenian General Benevolent Union,? he said also expressing gratitude to Armenia?s Ministry of Education and Science for its assistance despite all political and economic changes.

The graduates and guests also addressed the gathered. In his turn, Dr. Armen Ter-Kiureghian read the greeting from the University of California.

The overall number of the AUA graduates exceeded 2200.

?

?

carol burnett neil degrasse tyson neil degrasse tyson davy jones death born this way foundation lytro camera lytro camera

Samsung Galaxy S III (T-Mobile)

Giant, bold mega-phones are the new smartphone trend, and the impressive Samsung Galaxy S III ($279.99 with contract) is T-Mobile's first offering. With its 4.8-inch HD screen and state-of-the-art sharing and media features, the Galaxy S III makes a great window onto T-Mobile's fast 4G Internet. Its overall performance and quality make the Galaxy S III our new Editors' Choice for touch-screen smartphones on T-Mobile.

Editors' Note: The Samsung Galaxy S III models on all four major carriers are extremely similar, so we're sharing a lot of material between our various reviews. That said, we're testing each device separately, so read the review for your carrier of choice.

Physical Design
All of the new Galaxy S III models look the same, except for the carrier logo on the back panel. Each is available in dark blue or white (AT&T also has a red option coming this summer), and they're some of the biggest phones we've ever handled. At 5.4 by 2.8 by 0.34 inches (HWD) and 4.7 ounces, the GS3 is larger than the HTC One S ($199, 4.5 stars), although it's still noticeably smaller and lighter than the Samsung Galaxy Note phone/tablet hybrid ($299, 3 stars). ?That said, this is not a phone for folks with small hands.

I'm not a fan of huge?phones. But I've given up on panning them because every time I suggest these handsets are too big, I get pummeled by comments from people who adore them. Huge phones are the thing. I accept it.

The GS3's all-plastic body feels a little less high-end than the anodized gray aluminum of the HTC One S, but the phone is solidly built, and light despite its size. The front of the phone is dominated by the 4.8-inch, 1280-by-720-pixel Super AMOLED HD screen. Yes, it's PenTile, which can sometimes look slightly pixelated. But, no, you probably won't notice. Below the screen, there's a physical Home button, as well as light-up Back and Multitasking buttons that start out invisible, so you have to memorize where they are or change a setting to keep them illuminated. The 8-megapixel camera is on the back panel, which, thanks to its reflective finish, doubles as a pocket mirror.?

The default Automatic Brightness setting makes the screen too dim. Kill it and pump up the brightness and it's fine, even outdoors.?

Unlike the competing HTC One S, the S III has a removable 2100mAh battery. Taking off the back cover also reveals the microSD card slot, which supports cards up to 64GB.

loading...

Call Quality and Internet
If you're interested in talking on your smartphone, buy the Galaxy S III. Its advanced call quality features make a real difference. Default call quality is good. Volume is on the high end of average, with no distortion from loud inputs, and the speakerphone is loud enough to use outdoors. The microphone does a good job of cancelling background noise. Bluetooth headsets work fine with Samsung's "S-Voice" voice dialing system, and the phone supports T-Mobile's seamless Wi-Fi calling system.

But as with so many things here, call quality gets richer if you burrow down into the GS3's settings screens. A Volume Boost button throws the phone into a super-loud, quasi-speakerphone mode for noisy areas, but that's just the start. There's also an option to set custom call EQ: The phone plays you a sequence of quiet high and low tones and you tell it which ones you can hear, and then it EQ's calls accordingly. This is pretty radical stuff. I prefer my calls sharp, with more high-end, for instance, and the GS3 offers that. This all makes the GS3 the best voice phone on T-Mobile.

For data, the GS3 hits T-Mobile's HSPA+ 42 network, which can sometimes match AT&T's and Verizon's LTE on download speeds. It hits global HSPA+ and Wi-Fi on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC are also on board. T-Mobile still blocks Google Wallet, but Samsung found its own uses for NFC, which I'll get to below.

Battery life is a major strength here. We got 10 hours, 47 minutes of talk time, which is impressive, and, since the battery is removable, you can also carry a spare for extra juice, something you can't do with the HTC One S.

Software and Performance
The Galaxy S III runs Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" with a whole lot of exclusive Samsung extensions. Performance was excellent in my tests. The Qualcomm S4 chip running at 1.5GHz is the fastest one we've seen in smartphones so far, and it's able to take on any app challenge you throw at it, including games on the HD screen. Our benchmark tests proved this, although they were within the margin of error when compared with the One S. Both phones are very fast.

Exclusive new features include S-Beam, the ability to transfer files by tapping two phones together and using a combination of NFC and Wi-Fi Direct; S-Voice, Samsung's answer to Apple's Siri; and TecTiles, NFC-enabled accessory tags that can change the settings on your phone. You also get lots of sharing and tagging options in the camera, such as automatically tagging your friends' faces, and the ability for multiple GS3s within a few feet of each other to automatically share all of their photos.

Many of these features work well, but they're almost all buried. The interface is something of a scavenger hunt. Take Smart Stay, a neat new feature which detects your face and keeps the screen from going black while you're looking at it. I love it! But it's not on by default, and the only way to turn it on is by going to the Display area under Settings. S-Beam is similarly buried, under the Wireless menu.

overboard east of eden weather radio indiana autoimmune disease westboro baptist church news channel 9

Central America: one of the happiest regions on earth?

According to the new Happy Planet Index, Central America is one of the happiest regions in the world. Don't mind the violence.

By Tim Rogers,?Correspondent / June 21, 2012

Central America?s myriad problems ? violence, drugs, corruption, political folly, social unrest, natural disasters, poverty, emigration, and chupacabras ? are a well known and seemingly chronic condition.

Skip to next paragraph

Recent posts

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "off"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

But according to the Happy Planet Index ? an attempt to measure human well-being and environmental impact using a perplexing mathematical formula ? most Central Americans couldn?t be more pleased about their situation. Even narco-gangbangers are whistling while they work.

Six of the seven countries that share this habitually troubled isthmus (including some of the most violent places in the world) rank in the Top 10 of this year?s Happy Planet Index, published last week by British think tank New Economics Foundation.

The Top 10 is bookended by Costa Rica, which again finished in 1^st place (?pura vida, mae!), and Guatemala, which finished in 10^th place, probably to the surprise of most Guatemalans hiding inside their homes. Rounding out the champions? circle is Belize at No. 4 (just happy to be included as part of Central America), El Salvador at No. 5 (after a 100-day gang truce, Salvadorans may soon overtake Belizeans in the cheerful category), Panama at No. 7 (apparently the poll wasn?t conducted during rush hour traffic in Panama City), and Nicaragua at No. 8 (a Sandinista poll released today also shows that President Daniel Ortega enjoys an 80 percent approval rating in a country where statistics have a 113.85 percent level of accuracy).

Related: Think you know Latin America? Take our geography quiz!

Honduras, the gloomiest country in the region, finished in 13^th place out of 151 countries, apparently as the joy of the 2009 coup slowly fades.

The incessantly fretful United States ranked a depressing 105 on the world index.

The Happy Planet Index measures comparative data on life expectancy, experienced well-being, and ecological footprint in a curious algorithm that looks like this: (experienced well-being (X) life expectancy) / ecological footprint.

Or, as New Economics Foundation explains it, ?The index is an efficiency measure; it ranks countries on how many long and happy lives they produce per unit of environmental input.?

However the math works, it?s undeniable that many Central Americans seem to be genuinely fun-loving and happy folks, despite having plenty of reasons to worry. As the world economic downturn of 2008 showed, problems are pretty relative in this part of the world.

?When you tell someone who normally eats only once a day that they are going to miss another meal, it?s no big deal. It?s the people who eat three times a day who think there?s a crisis when they miss a meal,? Nicaraguan taxi driver Tirso Vilchez told me when explaining why most Nicaraguans weren?t too worried about the financial meltdown of global markets.

Now that Central America?s economy has recovered, people have even more reason to smile. Ironically, however, with the region?s new economic growth comes new development that?s potentially damaging to the environment. Nicaragua is currently passing the hat to raise $30 billion to cut a canal across their country, while Costa Rica pushes forward on highway project built without any environmental impact studies that has caused serious ecological damage along the border with Nicaragua.

Indeed, the happiest country in the world is deepening its environmental footprint every day. And that could affect their ranking in next year?s index, when life expectancy is multiplied by well-being and then divided by units of environmental impact. Or something like that.

Tim Rogers is editor of Nicaragua Dispatch

virginia beach crash kellie pickler stephen hawking marion barry virginia beach jet crash ridiculously photogenic guy amanda bynes dui

WBEZ: This American Life: Spanish transcript of "What Happened at Dos Erres" http://t.co/n5Z0niFn

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

maya angelou mary kay ash tiny houses bon iver joan of arc tony robbins abraham lincoln vampire hunter

V845 softball coach of year: VC's Jordan keeps it all together on, off field

Deals with good, bad in season's final weeks "; aryZooms[imgCounter] = "javascript: NewWindow(780,600,window.document.location+'&Template=photos&img="+imgCounter+"')"; bolImages=true;

Times Herald-Record

Published: 2:00 AM - 06/23/12

The toughest days? They have yet to come, but Valley Central softball coach Frank Jordan knows they lie ahead, now that the season is done.

The last few weeks have been an intense combination of celebration and mourning for Jordan. On May 29, Jordan's father, John, died after a battle with Parkinson's disease at the age of 92. Four days later, Jordan led Valley Central to its third straight Section 9 Class AA title, and the Vikings would reach the state semifinals for the first time in school history.

So how did Jordan, the Varsity845 Coach of the Year, hold it all together?

"I think, mentally, you compartmentalize things," Jordan said. "You still have to go to work and coach when you are stressed out. You don't want to be isolated with your own thoughts. For two hours, to go to practice and do something you love it helps."

After his father's passing, Jordan left the team to be with his family on Long Island. His trusted assistant, Tinker Bunting, coached the team to an 11-3 win versus Kingston in the Section 9 Class AA semifinals. Jordan returned to the team for a 9-4 win against Minisink Valley in the Section 9 final on the same day he buried his dad in East Islip.

"I know it was really tough for him," Valley Central third baseman Leanna Feerick said. "Coach Jordan is like a second father to me and it was very inspirational to see him. He kept it together for that game and that meant a lot. Coach Jordan just helped us the whole season."

Still grieving, Jordan helped Valley Central to a 2-1 win versus defending Class AA state champion John Jay-East Fishkill, which had won 31 games in a row, in the state quarterfinals. Perhaps decompressing a bit, Jordan jumped in the middle of the post-game celebration pile, a rare show of emotion for him. Jordan's latest run didn't go down without move after returning from his dad's funeral.

Before the Minisink Valley game, Jordan surprised some by pulling pitcher C.J. Kohler, who helped the Vikings to the Class AA title last year, in favor of sophomore Cindy Connoly.

Connoly gutted out a win against Minisink Valley and was masterful against John Jay, throwing a three-hitter. She was solid again in Valley Central's 2-1 loss to Cicero North Syracuse in the Class AA state semifinals. Kohler, who missed time down the stretch with a shoulder injury, admits being upset when she heard the news. Still, Jordan quickly calmed Kohler down.

"He told me how proud he was of me and how we wouldn't be in this position without me," Kohler said. "Coach Jordan is like a father-figure to me. He wants us to be a part of his family and I love that. Jordan just always kept us all together."

jrodriguez@th-record.com

Age: 42

Resides: Milford, Pa.

Family: wife, Joanne (married 17 years); daughter, Hailey (9 year old) Dakota, 5.

Career record: Jordan is 265-94 (.738) in 15 seasons at Valley Central. He has won four Section 9 Class AA titles and eight OCIAA divisional championships.

Job: School psychologist at Valley Central High School (16 years).

Education: East Islip High School, 1987; Stony Brook University, 1991 (psychology degree); St. John's University, 1994 (master's in school psychology).

printable bracket army wives khan academy game change own stacy francis tournament brackets

AP sources: US mulls new covert raids in Pakistan

WASHINGTON (AP) ? U.S. military and intelligence officials are so frustrated with Pakistan's failure to stop local militant groups from attacking Americans in neighboring Afghanistan that they have considered launching secret joint U.S.-Afghan commando raids into Pakistan to hunt them down, officials told The Associated Press.

But the idea, which U.S. officials say comes up every couple of months, has been consistently rejected because the White House believes the chance of successfully rooting out the deadly Haqqani network would not be worth the intense diplomatic blowback from Pakistan that inevitably would ensue.

Members of the Haqqani tribe have been targeted by pilotless U.S. drone aircraft, but sending American and Afghan troops into Pakistan would be a serious escalation of the hunt for terrorists and potentially the final straw for Pakistan, already angered over what it sees as U.S. violations of its sovereignty.

The al-Qaida-allied Haqqani tribe runs a mafia-like smuggling operation and occasionally turns to terrorism with the aim of controlling its territory in eastern Afghanistan. The Haqqanis use Pakistani towns to plan, train and arm themselves with guns and explosives, cross into Afghanistan to attack NATO and Afghan forces, then retreat back across the border to safety.

The latest round of debate over whether to launch clandestine special operations raids into Pakistan against the Haqqanis came after the June 1 car bombing of Forward Operating Base Salerno in eastern Afghanistan that injured up to 100 U.S. and Afghan soldiers, according to three current and two former U.S. officials who were briefed on the discussions. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the still-evolving debates.

The officials told the AP that recent discussions of clandestine ground attacks have included Gen. John Allen, the senior U.S. commander in Afghanistan, as well as top CIA and special operations officials.

Allen's spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Brook DeWalt, said Allen "has not and does not intend to push for a cross-border operation."

The White House and the CIA declined to comment for this story.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said the U.S. was still focused on U.S.-Pakistan cooperation.

"The key is to work together with Pakistan to find ways of fighting terrorists who threaten both the United States and Pakistan, including along the Afghan-Pakistan border, where extremists continue to plot attacks against coalition forces and innocent civilians," he said.

The U.S. relationship with Pakistan is arguably at its lowest point over the continuation of drone strikes to hit terror targets in Pakistan, the successful Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden that was carried out without a heads-up to the country's leaders and the U.S. refusal to apologize for a border skirmish in which the U.S. mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani troops. On Thursday, the State Department's inspector general accused the Pakistani government of harassing U.S. Embassy personnel.

Pakistan has done little in response to repeated U.S. requests for a crackdown on the Haqqanis, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta surprisingly voiced that frustration in a visit to Kabul this month.

He said the U.S. was "reaching the limits" of its patience with Pakistan's failure to tackle the tribe's safe havens. He added that the U.S. was "extraordinarily dissatisfied with the effect that Pakistan has had on the Haqqanis." He also made fun of Pakistan's ignorance over the bin Laden raid at a speech in India, Pakistan's archrival.

Pakistan's army has attacked militant strongholds across the tribal areas, except for North Waziristan, where the Haqqanis hold sway and shelter both al-Qaida and Taliban militants. Pakistani officials say that they intend to hit North Waziristan but that their army is too overstretched to move as fast as the U.S. demands.

Pakistani officials have conceded privately, however, that they have been reluctant to take on the powerful tribe for fear of retaliatory strikes.

To make up for Pakistan's inaction, the CIA's covert drone program has targeted Haqqani leaders, safe houses, bomb factories and training camps inside Pakistan, and special operations raids have hit Haqqani targets on the Afghan side of the border, but that has failed to stop Haqqani attacks on U.S. and Afghan troops and civilian targets.

The officials say Allen expressed frustration that militants would attack and then flee across the border in Pakistan, immediately taking shelter in urban areas where attacking them by missile fire could kill civilians.

The officials say options that have been prepared for President Barack Obama's review included raids that could be carried out by U.S. special operations forces together with Afghan commandos, ranging from air assaults that drop raiders deep inside the tribal areas to hit top leaders to shorter dashes only a few miles into Pakistan territory.

The shorter raids would not necessarily be covert, as they could be carried out following the U.S. military principle known as "hot pursuit" that military officials say entitles their forces to pursue a target that attacks them in Afghanistan up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) inside a neighboring country's territory.

The U.S. has staged two major raids and other minor forays into Pakistan's tribal territory before during the George W. Bush administration; the most contentious was in September 2008 when Navy SEALs raided an al-Qaida compound. The operators killed their target, but the ensuing firefight triggered a diplomatic storm with Pakistan.

Rather than fly in, which U.S. military planners at the time feared would alert the Pakistanis, the SEALs marched across the mountainous border, arriving later than planned because of the harsh terrain and just as the fighters were waking for morning prayers, according to one current and one former U.S. official. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the clandestine operation.

Everyone inside the targeted compound opened fire on the SEALs, including the women, one of whom lightly wounded one of the American operators. The firefight also woke the entire village, which joined in the battle, so the SEALs had to call for strafing runs by Black Hawk helicopters to beat them back.

At least one woman and one child were among the many dead.

Associated Press

texans lana del rey snl enemy of the state golden globe nominees joe philbin miss america pageant 2012 shipwreck

Moody's set for bank ratings cuts Thursday: sources

Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Yahoo!, try visiting the Yahoo! homepage or look through a list of Yahoo!'s online services.

Please try Yahoo Help Central if you need more assistance.

linda perry world aids day horse slaughter horse slaughter world aids day 2011 chester mcglockton chester mcglockton

The Advantages Of Building New Homes Over Buying Pre-existing ...

Whilst building your own new homes may be expensive and inadequate for many, it can actually be very advantageous in a number of ways. If you are looking to start such process, you must first find a piece of land that preferably has planning permissions to avoid any problems at the beginning of the project. Let?s take a look at some of the benefits you could expect to see.

Planning / Design: The first and main advantage of having your own home built is that you can take control of the entire planning and design process. To put it into retrospective, you can design it to have as many rooms as you want and be as big or small as you want. You have as much freedom as you desire and you can spend as long as you want simply making sure the plan is right.

If you buy a pre-built home, new or old you have no idea of the quality of materials that have been used. If you are taking charge of the home development process then you can ensure that only the highest quality tools and materials are used to develop an extremely strong and trustworthy structure. This ensures that your family?s health is not at risk because of the property.

When we look at the cost of housing bills over the years it is easy to see that they are only getting more expensive; however you can use energy efficient solutions to help lower this cost. The problem is that when you consider upgrading an old home the costs are enormous, whereas installation in a new home can be quite cost effective. However this implementation on a new home is certainly going to save you money for a number of years. The money returned by energy efficiency in new housing developments can be considerable over the decades of occupation and use.

You can also take the time to find a piece of land that is the perfect location. Towns, Cities and even the countryside will be available so take the time to find the right area. You can have the perfect surroundings and environment to live the rest of your life. You can choose land in the countryside, in busier areas and even aim for land near your place of work if this is going to save you money and time.

You can also save a huge amount of money by building your own home. As outlined at the new builds site, properties and estates agents prices change every day as the market varies so much. You can avoid all of this confusion simply by building your own and eliminating the need to use an estate agent. Saving on labor is also a great way to save more.

What?s next? The only thing left to do after buying your new homes is to enjoy them or sell them on for a profit. Dependant on the time of year you might not want to sell your property. However as long as you pay attention to the market you could be in for a huge pay day. The quality of your home could be the deciding factor. If you do not want to sell, then start living in your newly developed property straight away.

peyton manning broncos mexico city earthquake stand your ground law dancing with the stars season 14 david garrard bethenny frankel miguel cabrera