রবিবার, ৩১ মার্চ, ২০১৩

Scientists Scooped Out Virus Guts to Make a Sterile, Zombified Vaccine

Vaccines beef up your immune system by giving it a little taste of a weak—but still alive—version of diseases. Now researchers in the UK have developed an alternative approach: rip out a virus's insides and let your body crush its hollow husk. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/xPixb_YyLrU/scientists-scooped-out-virus-guts-to-make-a-sterile-zombified-vaccine

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Sports Minister Commends CARIFTA Team | Bernews.com

The Minister of Community and Cultural Development Wayne Scott said he would like to commend the Bermuda CARIFTA team and officials as they head to the 2013 Lime CARIFTA Games in the Bahamas and the CARFITA Swimming Championships in Kingston, Jamaica from March 30 ? April 2nd.

?Bermuda?s athletes performed wonderfully at the 2012 CARIFTA Games in front of the home crowd but I am hoping our team will rekindle that spirit in the Bahamas and Jamaica and reach new heights of success,? Minister Scott said.

He added: ?We have assembled a super team of young men and women who are more than capable of rising to the occasion and demonstrating once again Bermuda has what it takes to be an exceptional leader in sports.?

Minister Scott and Director of Youth Sport & Recreation Mr. Norbert Simons will be attending the CARIFTA Games in the Bahamas for the track and field events and the Swimming Championships in Jamaica. They will be among our local supporters cheering on the Bermuda team as they contend to be among the medal winners.

Read More About: CARIFTA Games

Category: All, Sports

Source: http://bernews.com/2013/03/sports-minister-commends-carifta-team/

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What's Facebook's Big Mysterious Phone?

Next week, Facebook is going to show us its "new home on Android." What does that mean? We're not sure—we could be days away from The Facebook Phone, or just a lovely new life-consuming app. But here are our best bets for what Zuck has up his Androidy sleeves. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/o8mfiXnTEfI/what-is-facebooks-big-mysterious-phone-going-to-be

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শনিবার, ৩০ মার্চ, ২০১৩

Guitar maker Gibson buys majority stake in TEAC, develops taste for electronica

US guitarmaker Gibson gets into the electronics business, buys majority stake in TEAC

That gruff American rocker, Gibson Guitar Corp., has gotten tired of its old life. Instead of just suing copycats and putting out the occasional robot axe, it's now looking to diversify, having spent $52 million on a 54 percent stake in Japanese firm TEAC. The last we heard from TEAC, it was making things like headphones and retro-styled radios, which maybe gives us a hint as to where this new partnership is headed. After all, it's not like the path between music brand and consumer electronics hasn't been trodden to a pulp already.

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Source: AV Watch (Japanese)

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/5IyNv7ea3Es/

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শুক্রবার, ২৯ মার্চ, ২০১৩

Seeing happiness in ambiguous facial expressions reduces aggressive behavior

Mar. 27, 2013 ? Encouraging young people at high-risk of criminal offending and delinquency to see happiness rather than anger in facial expressions results in a decrease in their levels of anger and aggression, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

The study, led by Marcus Munaf? and Ian Penton-Voak of the University of Bristol (UK), explored the relationship between recognition of emotion in ambiguous facial expressions and aggressive thoughts and behavior, both in healthy adults and in adolescent youth considered to be at high-risk of committing crime.

The researchers showed it was possible to experimentally modify biases in emotion recognition to encourage the perception of happiness over anger when viewing ambiguous expressions. This resulted in a decrease in measures of self-reported anger and aggression in both healthy adults and high-risk adolescents, and also for independently-rated aggressive behavior in the adolescents.

To modify these biases, participants were shown composite images of facial expressions that were happy, angry or emotionally ambiguous and asked to rate them as happy or angry. This established a baseline balance point of how likely they were to read ambiguous faces as angry. The researchers then used feedback to nudge some of the participants away from this negativity bias by telling them that some of the ambiguous faces they had previously labeled as angry were in fact happy.

In the first experiment in 40 healthy volunteers, this ultimately resulted in the participants learning to identify happiness in these faces rather than anger -- and these participants subsequently reported lower levels of anger and aggression in themselves.

The experiment was then repeated with 46 adolescents aged 11 to 16 years old who had been referred to a youth program, either by the courts or by schools, as being at high risk of committing crime and with a high frequency of aggressive behavior.

Again, participants trained to recognize happiness rather than anger in the ambiguous faces reported less aggressive behavior. In addition, incidence of aggressive behavior -- as recorded independently by program staff in the week before and the two weeks following the training -- were also reduced.

To test this result further, the researchers then ran a different experiment on a further 53 healthy volunteers which did not rely on explicit feedback to change the way participants judged facial expressions.

Previous studies have shown that prolonged viewing of an image subsequently alters the perception of similar images, so one group of participants was shown only angry faces while a control group looked at an equal mix of happy and angry faces.

The researchers found that those shown only angry faces subsequently shifted their perceptions and became more likely to see happiness in ambiguous faces. Again, they also reported lower levels of anger and aggression in themselves.

"Our results provide strong evidence that emotion processing plays a causal role in anger and the maintenance of aggressive behavior. This could potentially lead to novel behavioral treatments in the future," said Munaf?.

In addition to Penton-Voak and Munaf?, co-authors on the research include Jamie Thomas of the University of Wales Institute, Suzanne Gage and Sarah McDonald of the University of Bristol, and Mary McMurran of the University of Nottingham.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.

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Journal Reference:

  1. I. S. Penton-Voak, J. Thomas, S. H. Gage, M. McMurran, S. McDonald, M. R. Munafo. Increasing Recognition of Happiness in Ambiguous Facial Expressions Reduces Anger and Aggressive Behavior. Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/0956797612459657

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/D_t658f0cAE/130328080559.htm

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President Obama Pushes Infrastructure Spending to Spur Job Growth

ap barack obama jt 130329 wblog President Obama Pushes Infrastructure Spending to Spur Job GrowthObama in Miami

MIAMI - Standing in front of a giant cargo crane at the port of Miami Friday, President Obama promoted his plan to encourage private sector investment in infrastructure to increase job creation in the United States.

"There are few more important things we can do to create jobs right now and strengthen our economy over the long haul than rebuilding the infrastructure that powers our businesses and our economy - our roads, our bridges, our schools and our ports like this one," President Obama said.

"There's work to be done," Obama added. "There are workers who are ready to do it. Let's prove to the world there is no better place to do business than right here in the United States of America, and let's get started rebuilding America."

The president outlined his infrastructure spending plan, called the "Rebuild America Partnership," which consists of three components - the creation of a $10 billion national infrastructure bank, the establishment of new "America Fast Forward Bonds" for infrastructure investment, and the expansion of funding for the TIGER and TIFFIA infrastructure programs.

"Let's rebuild this country we love. Let's make sure we're staying on the cutting edge. Let's make sure we've always got the best ports. Let's make sure we've got the best airports. Let's make sure we've got the best rail lines. Let's make sure we've got the best roads. Let's make sure we've got the best schools," he said. "We're going to push on this issue each and every day and make sure we get the middle class going again."

As he pushed for creating more jobs through infrastructure investment in America, the president stood in front of a crane manufactured by a Chinese company called ZPMC.

Before he delivered his speech, the president toured a tunnel project at the port of Miami, which is undergoing a $2 billion renovation funded by government and private money.

"Breaking ground on more projects like this tunnel that I just saw means more good construction jobs that can't be outsourced," Obama said. "They have to be done right here in America and they end up getting people good pay and good opportunities to raise their family."

Alan Krueger, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, said the program will total $21 billion but vowed that it would not increase the deficit. Details of the costs of the program will be outlined in the president's budget, which will be presented on April 10.

"They will not increase the deficit by a dime because they are paid for in our budget," Krueger told reporters aboard Air Force One Friday.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/president-obama-pushes-infrastructure-spending-spur-job-growth-192022499--abc-news-politics.html

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Sicily revokes permission for military satellite station

PALERMO, Italy | Fri Mar 29, 2013 3:57pm EDT

PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - The Sicilian regional government in Italy has revoked permission for the United States to build a military satellite station on the island, its governor said on Friday, after protests by residents who said it could pose a health risk.

The planned ground station is part of the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), an ultra high-frequency satellite network aimed at significantly boosting communications capacity for the U.S. military and its allies.

Concerns about the effect the station's electromagnetic waves could have on the health of residents around the town of Niscemi, including fears that the waves could cause cancer, have provoked protests on the island.

A U.S. military official said the United States hoped to allay any health concerns and would try to reach an agreement with the Italian government to get permission to build the facility.

The regional government of the semi-autonomous island last month delayed construction and called for an independent study into its health and environmental impact.

The Italian government said this month the demonstrations risked compromising operations at Sigonella, a U.S. naval base in Sicily.

"Through the relevant department, permission for the construction of MUOS has been definitively withdrawn," Sicilian Governor Rosario Crocetta told reporters in the island's capital of Palermo on Friday.

He did not say whether the decision to revoke permission for the site was related to the study or to health concerns.

Crocetta's remarks came a day before a planned protest expected to draw several thousand in Niscemi, which local groups of the governor's own Democratic Party were due to attend.

Lieutenant Colonel Monica Matoush, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Defense Department, said the U.S. military was confident that studies of the satellite system would show it was safe.

"We are committed to working with Italian health authorities to address health concerns raised by the local population," she said in emailed comments to Reuters.

The satellite network also has stations in the United States and Australia.

In a visit to Italy in January, then-U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he understood the concerns of residents but that U.S. studies had concluded there would be no health risk.

(Reporting by Vladimiro Pantaleone and Naomi O'Leary; Editing by Pravin Char)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/CYaUYWR1b48/story01.htm

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BRICS plan development bank to fund infrastructure

DURBAN, South Africa (AP) ? Leaders of five of the world's emerging economic powers agreed Wednesday to create a development bank to help fund their $4.5 trillion infrastructure plans ? a direct challenge to the World Bank that they accuse of Western bias.

But the rulers of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa ?known as the BRICS group ?were unable to agree on some basic issues. Foreign Minister Pravin Gordhan of South Africa told reporters that there were "different views" about how much capital such a bank would need.

He said $50 billion had been mentioned, an amount conference officials said would be seed capital shared equally between the five countries.

Finance ministers had discussed basing contributions on a country's wealth, but then felt it would leave economic giant China, with the world's No. 2 economy, in an untenably dominant position, according to conference officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to reporters.

Analysts said there was little doubt that China, with the world's largest reserves of foreign exchange, inevitably would be dominant, perhaps in much the same way that the United States and Europe dominate the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The development bank would be the first institution of the informal BRICS forum which was started in 2009 amid the economic meltdown to chart a new and more equitable world economic order. South Africa joined two years ago.

"Russia supports the creation of this financial institution," President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday, but he cautioned "we believe that, if it is created, then it must work on market principles only and support the businesses of all our countries."

But his deputy foreign minister, Sergey A. Ryabkov, implied the announcement was premature: "We are not contesting the idea, we support it, we favor it, but we are urging everyone to be serious enough to make further efforts in order to create the right foundation." They were at a stage where "the devil is in the details," he added.

Inability to agree on fine points about the bank, first mooted a year ago when finance ministers were tasked with exploring its feasibility, highlighted the differences between the bloc that is made up of democracies and autocracies, diverse foreign policies and structurally different economies.

But at the fifth BRICS summit, its first in South Africa at the coastal resort of Durban, leaders pointed to their shared histories and aims: South Africa, very much the junior partner with a much smaller economy, has a decades-old relationship with China and Russia since they funded and armed anti-apartheid liberation movements; it shares a history of colonization with Brazil, a country that was the destination for more African slaves than any other; and with India as Mahatma Gandhi lived in South Africa for more than 20 years and developed his political activism here as he faced discrimination from a white minority government.

South African President Jacob Zuma, whose country is lobbying to be home to the BRICS development bank, said the formal negotiations to establish the institution were "based on our own considerable infrastructure needs, which amount to about $4.5 trillion U.S. dollars over the next five years." The bank will also cooperate with other emerging market countries and developing economies.

Zuma said the bank also will establish a "BRICS contingent reserve arrangement," a pool of money to cushion member states against any future economic shocks and further lessen their dependence on Western institutions.

Both those aims challenge the traditional roles of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, institutions that in their 50-year life have been dominated by the United States and Europe.

"As cooperation between the BRICS becomes more increasingly institutionalized, it will begin to challenge the economic architecture set out by the Bretton Woods institutions, regarded by many policy-makers within the BRICS as obsolete and biased toward the developed world, " analyst Martyn Davies of Frontier Advisory wrote this week. "The underlying motivation within the BRICSs is to assert their own collective interests, hard though they are to define, and do so against established Western ones."

While BRICS nations emphasize their equal partnership there is no doubt about the dominant role in trade and investment played by China, the world's most populous nation and its second largest economy which recently overtook the United States as the biggest importer of oil. China also has the world's largest foreign exchange reserves.

This BRICS summit has been dedicated to supporting development in Africa ? Zuma invited 15 other African leaders to the meeting ? and analysts note that some BRICS nations are rivals in the scramble for Africa's resources.

China long as overtaken traditional former European colonizers as Africa's biggest trading partner. Recently there have been rumbles about the nature of China's investment in Africa.

Botswana's President Ian Khama last month lambasted China for shoddy work in his country, saying "We have had some bad experiences with Chinese companies." In an interview with South Africa's BusinessDay newspaper, Khama blamed Chinese companies for a spate of power cuts he blamed on Chinese construction of a power plant that is months behind schedule.

Khama also expressed concern about the rate of Chinese migration to Africa, saying "We accept China's goods. But they don't have to export their population to sell us those goods."

And in a recent opinion piece the governor of Nigeria's central bank, Lamido Sanusi, accused China of being "a significant contributor to Africa's de-industrialization and underdevelopment," with its cheap manufactured goods competing with African goods on the continent and its huge appetite for raw materials preventing Africans from adding value to their natural resources. Sanusi suggested there was a "whiff of colonialism" about China's Africa policy.

China's new leader Xi Jinping, in a keynote speech before attending his first international summit at the BRICS, said China would "intensify, not weaken" its relationship with Africa. On Wednesday he told the summit China will "support Africa's efforts for stronger growth."

He said China would continue to make its own and international development priorities as it works to achieve a "grand goal" of doubling China's gross domestic product and the per capita income of its population of 3 billion by 2020.

Other leaders at the summit gushed about the possibilities opened by their fledgling BRICS forum, which represents nearly half of the world's population and more than a quarter of world trade.

India's trade minister Anand Sharma said BRICS will "have a defining influence on the global order of this century."

He warned against trade protectionism, which has played out within BRICS with South Africa accusing Brazil of dumping poultry products.

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff said BRICS has confounded its critics. "Even the most skeptical voices do recognize the contribution the BRICS bloc of countries has provided in the field of international economics," she said. Even the World Bank has said that global growth over the past few years and for the foreseeable future is being driven by the bloc.

Rousseff said it is time multilateral institutions like the IMF and World Bank become more democratic to clearly reflect the growing influence of developing countries.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brics-plan-development-bank-fund-infrastructure-095122874.html

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Microsoft showcases Windows Phone middleware partnerships at GDC, we go hands-on (video)

Microsoft demoes Windows Phone middleware partnerships at GDC, we go handson video

Building on yesterday's announcement that Temple Run and several other games are coming to Windows Phone, Microsoft's been actively courting developers at GDC 2013. To that end, the company's booth showcases several games that highlight cross-platform development and middleware. Now that WP8 and Windows 8 share the same NT kernel, DirectX APIs and tools, it's easier than ever to write games that use the same code base for both platforms. Microsoft is sweetening the deal with a few significant middleware partnerships -- Unity, Marmalade and Havok, to be specific. We talked with Larry Lieberman, Senior Product Manager for Windows Phone development, who was kind enough to explain what these partnerships mean for developers and to give us a tour of the games. Hit the break for our hands-on video.

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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৮ মার্চ, ২০১৩

PST: US plays Mexico to standstill at Azteca

A week ago the United States national team found itself injury depleted, dealing with some internal turmoil and not so far from a full-blown crisis.

These things do change quickly, though, and tonight finds the United States with four big points from a pair of matches over five nights, striding away from a memorable few days, comfortably positioned in final round World Cup qualifying.

The Americans were hardly overwhelming in a 0-0 draw with Mexico, but Jurgen Klinsmann and his patchwork back line will be far more pleased with Tuesday?s result than the hapless Mexicans, who have (Shockingly!) zero wins after three matches in the final stage of CONCACAF regional qualifying.

The United States never put a shot on goal Tuesday. But neither did they allow much bother for goalkeeper Brad Guzan as quality center back play and a first-half defensive adjustment reduced Mexico and high-scoring Mexican striker Javier ?Chicharito? Hernandez ? who remains on the hunt for his first goal against the United States ? to a series of half-chances and a couple of unlucky, close-in ricochets.

Guzan handled a few routine balls and needed to make one late, quality save. But Tim Howard?s replacement was hardly tested otherwise by a rather stale and uncreative Mexican attack. Including last August?s 1-0 win for the United States, El Tri has not scored on the Americans at Azteca Stadium in more than 180 minutes.

(MORE: United States Man of the Match, Omar Gonzalez)

The United States is tied for second with Costa Rica and Honduras in the six-team group (from which three teams automatically qualify for Brazil 2014). But with the toughest match (away to Mexico) behind them, and with four of seven remaining matches on home soil, the Americans have reason to like their positioning tonight.

?I think when many people doubted us, when many people said it couldn?t be done, that it was over, we came together as a group,? Herculez Gomez told ESPN after the match. ?We showed tremendous attitude, tremendous willingness to sacrifice for one another ? I?ve got to applaud my teammates. It?s a great group of guys, and we couldn?t have asked for any better.?

This was just the second time the United States earned a point in 15 World Cup qualifiers in Mexico; the U.S. record there now is 0-13-2.

U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann made just two changes form the team that stamped ?mission accomplished? across last Friday?s snowy proceedings outside Denver. Maurice Edu was in for the injured Jermaine Jones at the holding midfield spot. And Matt Besler got his first World Cup qualifier start for Clarence Goodson, who picked up a minor injury in Friday?s 1-0 win over Costa Rica.

Mexico?s plan was clear ? and it was causing some U.S. defensive headaches early. El Tri looked for Gio Dos Santos or Javier Aquino on the right or Andr?s Guardado on the left with diagonal balls, repeatedly catching the U.S. fullbacks a little too far forward.

(MORE: Mexico left to deal with their own crisis)

DaMarcus Beasley looked particularly bothered, reinforcing the worry that the veteran midfielder, pulling emergency left back duty, would be stretched in a match that demanded more defending. Indeed, Mexico at Azteca is a wholly different beast than what Beasley saw Friday at home against Costa Rica.

Two U.S. men had yellow cards in the first 20 minutes. In fact, Beasley needed just eight minutes to get his booking for an unwise push in the back on Aquino.

Those weren?t the only defensive issues early. Jesus Zavala was allowed a wide open header off a free kick, as Geoff Cameron appeared to lose his man. And the United States? midfield was allowing too much service from 35-40 yards out, begging for trouble with a goal-scorer of supreme instinct like Hernandez is around.

But a defensive tweak helped as what looked like a 4-2-3-1 to begin Tuesday?s contest evolved necessarily into more of a 4-4-2. When Graham Zusi and Herculez Gomez moved their starting positions along the flanks about 10-15 yards back, providing more assistance to their fullbacks, the Mexicans looked slightly less dangerous.

(MORE: ?A big point in Mexico City took a bit of ?luck, too)

Mexico, running out of ideas, became predictable. They remained dangerous on the flanks, but Besler and especially Omar Gonzalez remained faithfully in the center, refusing to be drawn out, and were so dominant in there. Cameron also did solid work in his second consecutive start at right back.

??The back line was outstanding,? Klinsmann said. ?It?s really wonderful to see these guys take on these challenges. And it?s a huge challenge in front of 100,000 people, and it seemed like it didn?t bother them.?

Mexican fans will surely be upset about the most dangerous moment for their team, which has not scored at home so far in two final round qualifiers. El Tri was unlucky to be denied a 75th minute penalty appeal when Edu bundled into Aquino from behind 10 yards from goal.

Source: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/27/united-states-draws-with-mexico-in-world-cup-qualifier/related/

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North Korea to cut communication channels with South

SEOUL (Reuters) - Reclusive North Korea is to cut the last channel of communications with the South because war could break out at "any moment", it said on Wednesday, days of after warning the United States and South Korea of nuclear attack.

The move is the latest in a series of bellicose threats from North Korea in response to new U.N. sanctions imposed after its third nuclear test in February and to "hostile" military drills under way joining the United States and South Korea.

The North has already stopped responding to calls on the hotline to the U.S. military that supervises the heavily armed Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the Red Cross line that has been used by the governments of both sides.

"Under the situation where a war may break out at any moment, there is no need to keep north-south military communications which were laid between the militaries of both sides," the North's KCNA news agency quoted a military spokesman as saying.

"There do not exist any dialogue channel and communications means between the DPRK and the U.S. and between the north and the south."

The Pentagon condemned the latest escalation in North Korean rhetoric, with spokesman George Little calling Pyongyang's declaration "yet another provocative and unconstructive step."

The U.S. military announced on March 15 it was bolstering missile defenses in response to threats from the North, including a threat to conduct a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States.

Despite the shrill rhetoric, few believe North Korea, formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), will risk starting a full-out war.

North and South Korea are still technically at war anyway after their 1950-53 civil conflict ended with an armistice, not a treaty, which the North says it has since torn to pieces.

The "dialogue channel" is used on a daily basis to process South Koreans who work in the Kaesong industrial project where 123 South Korean firms employ more than 50,000 North Koreans to make household goods.

About 120 South Koreans are stationed at Kaesong at any one time on average.

It is the last remaining joint project in operation between the two Koreas after South Korea cut off most aid and trade in response to Pyongyang's shooting of a South Korean tourist and the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel blamed on the North.

Kaesong is one of North Korea's few hard currency earners, producing $2 billion a year in trade with the South, and Pyongyang is unlikely to close it except as a last resort.

South Korean conservative activists burn cutout pictures of North Korean national founder the late Kim Il Sung, right, and late leader Kim Jong Il during a rally to mark the third anniversary of the ... more? South Korean conservative activists burn cutout pictures of North Korean national founder the late Kim Il Sung, right, and late leader Kim Jong Il during a rally to mark the third anniversary of the sinking of South Korean naval ship "Cheonan" which killed 46 South Korean sailors, in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 26, 2013. An explosion ripped apart the 1,200-ton warship, killing 46 sailors near the maritime border with North Korea in 2010. A banner reads: "Bomb at statue of Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) less? The North's military spokesman representing its "supreme command" did not mention Kaesong, which has suffered temporary shutdowns before.

The South's government said it would take steps to ensure the safety of the workers at Kaesong. It did not elaborate.

(Reporting by Jack Kim; additional reporting by Phil Stewart in Washington; editing by Nick Macfie and Jackie Frank)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-cut-channels-south-war-may-break-090941398.html

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বুধবার, ২৭ মার্চ, ২০১৩

Drones: Not just for war anymore?

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

By Marc Lallanilla,?LiveScience / March 25, 2013

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

John Miller / AP

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

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

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

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

Real estate sales

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

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

Sports photography

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

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

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

Highway monitoring

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

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

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

Wildlife research

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

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

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

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

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Italy 5-Star Movement refuses to back center-left government

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement on Wednesday flatly rejected overtures from center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani, who is trying to muster the numbers to form a government after last month's deadlocked general election.

The refusal by the group led by fiery ex-comic Beppe Grillo to accept Bersani's request was expected as the group had repeatedly said it would not back any of the big parties it blames for Italy's social and economic crisis.

"There are no conditions that would allow us to give a confidence vote to a government made up of these parties because they have no credibility," the group's Senate leader Vito Crimi said after meeting Bersani.

The rejection means Italy remains in political stalemate after the election, in which Bersani's alliance won a majority in the lower house of parliament but not in the Senate, leaving it unable to govern on its own.

The impasse, at the same time as the bank crisis in Cyprus, is being watched closely by European partners and investors mindful of the market turmoil which brought down former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's government in 2011.

Bersani has already ruled out forming a coalition with Berlusconi's center-right bloc, the second largest force in parliament, which says a broad alliance is the only way to give Italy a government.

Bersani had hoped to gain support from the 5-Star Movement for a limited platform of institutional and economic reforms but prospects of any accord are fading fast.

Crimi and his colleague Roberta Lombardi, the 5-Star leader in the lower house, also ruled out indirectly supporting a government by allowing some measures to pass in the Senate without voting themselves.

Italian media and commentators have speculated that 5-Star Movement senators could agree to leave the chamber, where under Senate rules an abstention vote counts as a 'no', to allow certain key votes, including confidence motions, to succeed.

"We rule out leaving the chamber," Crimi said.

Bersani is expected to see to President Giorgio Napolitano later this week to report on the meetings he has held with rival parties this week.

If he cannot reach an agreement, Napolitano may appoint a respected outsider to try to form a technocrat government or a broad cross-party coalition. If that fails, Italy faces the prospect of a return to the polls within months.

An auction of medium and long-term bonds on Wednesday saw less-than-stellar demand as investors reacted warily to the political confusion.

"Risks for the Italian debt remain very high in the coming weeks," said Annalisa Piazza, a market economist with Newedge in London.

"Although Bersani's consultations with other political leaders might lead to a grand-coalition government, markets are aware that such a government will not last long," she said.

(Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Barry Moody and Angus MacSwan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italy-5-star-movement-refuses-back-center-left-111140582.html

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Saliva testing predicts aggression in boys

Mar. 26, 2013 ? A new study indicates that a simple saliva test could be an effective tool in predicting violent behavior.

The pilot study, led by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and published this week online in the journal Psychiatric Quarterly, suggests a link between salivary concentrations of certain hormones and aggression.

Researchers, led by Drew Barzman, MD, a child and adolescent forensic psychiatrist at Cincinnati Children's, collected saliva samples from 17 boys ages 7-9 admitted to the hospital for psychiatric care to identify which children were most likely to show aggression and violence. The samples, collected three times in one day shortly after admission, were tested for levels of three hormones: testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and cortisol. The severity and frequency of aggression correlated with the levels of these hormones.

Barzman's team focused on rapid, real-time assessment of violence among child and adolescent inpatients, a common problem in psychiatric units. But he believes a fast and accurate saliva test could eventually have several other applications.

"We believe salivary hormone testing has the potential to help doctors monitor which treatments are working best for their patients," said Barzman. "And because mental health professionals are far more likely to be assaulted on the job than the average worker, it could offer a quick way to anticipate violent behavior in child psychiatric units. Eventually, we hope this testing might also provide a tool to help improve safety in schools."

For this study, the saliva test was used in combination with other aggressive behavior tools, including the Brief Rating of Aggression by Children and Adolescents (BRACHA) questionnaire, an assessment tool also developed by Barzman's team to predict aggression and violence in the hospital.

"This study sample, while small, gives us the data we need to move forward," added Barzman. "We have more studies planned before we can reach a definitive conclusion, but developing a new tool to help us anticipate violent behavior is our ultimate goal."

Barzman's team included Douglas Mossman, MD, a psychiatrist at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and an internationally recognized authority on violence prediction; Michael Sorter, MD, Director, Division of Psychiatry at Cincinnati Children's; David Klein, PhD, MD, an endocrinologist at Cincinnati Children's; Thomas Geracioti , MD, an expert in the endocrinology of mental disorders based at the Veterans Administration Medical Center and Kacey Appel, a PhD candidate in epidemiology at UC.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Drew H. Barzman, Douglas Mossman, Kacey Appel, Thomas J. Blom, Jeffrey R. Strawn, Nosa N. Ekhator, Bianca Patel, Melissa P. DelBello, Michael Sorter, David Klein, Thomas D. Geracioti. The Association Between Salivary Hormone Levels and Children?s Inpatient Aggression: A Pilot Study. Psychiatric Quarterly, 2013; DOI: 10.1007/s11126-013-9260-8

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/ovK7xsW1i5s/130326162157.htm

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This Is a Hot Deal on a Cool Nest Thermostat

The humble thermostat isn't the hottest gadget category, but the Nest thermostat has the right combination of attractive interface and smartphone integration to actually be lust-worthy. Instead of poking at up and down buttons, the Nest shows you the current temperature on an aluminum dial and glows either blue or red if it's currently heating or cooling your home. After a week of manually setting the temperature, the Nest learns your schedule and starts to control your home temperature on its own. Plus, you can control it from your computer or smartphone. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/WyDL1yP7L-U/this-is-a-hot-deal-on-a-nest-smart-thermostat

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Build Your Own Bodyweight Home Gym with Cheap PVC Pipe

Build Your Own Bodyweight Home Gym with Cheap PVC PipeBuild Your Own Bodyweight Home Gym with Cheap PVC Pipe If you're not looking to dump $1,000 on a home gym system, The Art of Manliness shows off how to build your own bodyweight gym for about $150 using nothing but PVC pipe, some rope, and a little grit.

We've mentioned plenty of gymless workouts before, but if you're looking to step up your game a little this system adds a ton of new exercise options. It's a 24 step process, but since you're just piecing together PVC it's simple enough that anyone can do it. When the gym is complete, you have a powerful little system where you can do handstands, chin ups, dips, and plenty more. The PVC home gym isn't pretty, but most exercise equipment isn't, and this saves you a bunch of money. PVC doesn't seem like it'd be strong enough for a lot of people, but author Todd Kuslikis adds this note in the comments of the post:

To answer the big question about weight restriction, in short, I don't know. I'm 180 lbs and this one holds me up perfectly. Yes, there is a little give to it but after 2-3 months it still works perfectly. You can always use wider PVC or ABS (??? ? I'll have to research this one) for more reinforcement. Also, feel free to put a wooden dowel rod in the pipes. I think I forgot to mention that in the article but I did that in the main cross beam (the one with the ropes attached in it.) Seems like it helps prevent the give.

You can dig through the comments over on Art of Manliness for a few other ideas for alternate, stronger materials like wider PVC or threaded pipe as well. When you're finished with the build, The Art of Manliness also highlights a full workout routine you can do on your new gym, and the video above guides you through a number of the various exercises.

How to Build the Ultimate Bodyweight Gym (Using Only PVC Pipe) | The Art of Manliness

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/WWvjAmyqSCY/build-your-own-bodyweight-home-gym-with-cheap-pvc-pipe

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Android Indie Sweetheart Game ?Auralux? Makes the Move to iOS

Screenshot_2012-08-02-21-17-11I love seeing progress like this.

Auralux is a very simple real-time strategy game with a very chill aesthetic. We covered it a while back as an App of the Week, and it?s still one of my favorite Android games.

Well the little RTS ?that could is growing up, and now those of you on iOS can enjoy the super clean gameplay and atmospheric soundtrack. Free to download and play, map expansion packs via in-app purchase.

Auralux on iTunes

And in true indie fashion, the developer of the app wrote up this sweet little thank you post on Reddit to all the fans of the game.

Tags: auralux auralux ios auralux ios app great indie games

Source: http://www.yourtechreport.com/2013/03/25/android-indie-sweetheart-game-auralux-makes-the-move-to-ios/

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Ireland: A Best Country To Make Holidays Successful

If you are going to plan your holidays and you have chosen the country Ireland to visit, you have a great sense of mind for choosing something. The reason behind this is very simple. This particular country is a great and fun city to make holidays successful. Once you visit this country, you will want to go again and again there. The culture, the lifestyle is so different and interesting of the people of Ireland. We can learn so many things there together with making holidays enjoyable. If you want a great family vacation spot, then this particular country is the best choice you can opt. Holidays of yours will go excellent there for sure.

If you do not have any relatives there, you can take a farmhouse on rent. Farmhouses are cost effective in comparison to the hotels. You can choose them for your accommodation. There are so many cities to visit in this country. Dublin, cork, Tipperary, Limerick are one of these fine cities that you can visit. Dublin is the city that is chose by the people for their honeymoon spot. The cities of Belfast, cork and Emerald Isle are also the popular ones. According to me, visiting Ireland country is the best enjoyable thing that you can do in your life. Belfast is another one that you can choose to visit.

If you want to see the best museum of this country, you can visit the Ulster Museum that is located in Belfast. If you want to enjoy the music, then you can visit the Grand Opera House. St. Annes Cathedral is an Anglican church that is famous for the original and gorgeous mosaics. If I would say in one sentence, then it would be like; this particular country has so much to entertainment with the restaurants, pubs, galleries, fabulous murals painted on the building in the districts.

Apart from all these places, there are also so many places to visit. If you have disturbed with your working schedule and want to get some rest, then visiting Ireland would be the best option for you. If you love golf and fishing, then this particular country can be a good spot for you. There are so many golf courses running for you. The fishing area in this country is not saturated with the pollution that is a big reason for the fishermen to like this place. So, get some hang out and make your holidays special with this country.

About the Author:
The Author has been writing articles for years. He likes to share his thoughts with others. Hes sharing his new article on visiting Ireland.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Ireland--A-Best-Country-To-Make-Holidays-Successful/4501368

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$70,000 Hyundai? Brand goes high end

If the name Hyundai evokes an image of low-cost econoboxes, you may want to check out the Korean carmaker?s nearest showroom. Prepare to be surprised.

At next week?s New York Auto Show, Hyundai will spotlight the 2014 Equus, the mid-cycle update of its premium-luxury sedan. The sedan will compete with high-end makes, such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7-Series.

Although you can buy a basic Hyundai Accent for $15,000, a fully-equipped Equus will nudge you over the $70,000 mark.

Don?t expect much of a discount at the dealer. The average Hyundai went out the door with givebacks around $1,420, according to data gathered by TrueCar.com, a lower figure than any other major manufacturer but Honda.

The good news for Hyundai is that it broke its all-time sales record last year, and did it again in January and February. The bad news is that it is losing market share because it can?t keep up with the pace of the U.S. automotive recovery.

?We just can?t build anymore,? Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik said in San Diego, where he was presiding over the first media drive of the new 3-row 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe crossover-utility vehicle. ?We?re just out of production capacity.?

In recent months, Hyundai dealers have had to get by with about half the 60- to 65-days of inventory considered normal in the automotive business.

(?A tough problem to have,? smirks analyst Joe Phillippi of AutoTrends Consulting.)

This has allowed Hyundai to trim its incentives and allowed dealers to prey on a ?scarcity value? to fend off the bargain shoppers of Hyundai?s past. The average transaction price ? the actual figure the typical customer paid after working in discounts and options ? jumped by 5 percent, year-over-year, to $22,549 in February, according to TrueCar.

Phillippi and other analysts say they?re surprised by Hyundai?s success. It?s been just four months since the maker ? and its Korean sibling Kia -- acknowledged the two brands fudged test results and would have to restate the fuel economy numbers on 13 different models, some by six miles per gallon.

Since then, the Korean makers have settled a lawsuit and agreed to provide substantial reimbursement to the 900,000 owners affected.

Hyundai?s transition from a fire sale brand has required a shift in focus that began by targeting once-endemic quality problems and backing that up with an industry-leading, 10-year warranty program. The maker has steadily gained ground in a variety of third-party measures, notably the quality and customer service surveys by J.D. Power and Associates. The current version of the Equus outscored Lexus, the overall top brand in Power?s latest Customer Service Index.

That has Hyundai management confident they can continue to expand their presence in the luxury market. The maker will show off what it describes as a ?luxury sports coupe concept,? the HND-9, at the Seoul Motor Show next week. While the unusual ?butterfly doors? are likely a show gimmick, industry observers expect the HND-9 is a clear hint of new products to come.

That gets back to the question of where to build the cars. Hyundai has added a third shift at its Alabama factory Alabama and it has crossovers rolling out of the Kia plant in Georgia.

While Krafcik says there are ?no plans, yet,? for adding more capacity in the U.S., analysts like Phillippi stress that could change quickly. The Koreans appear to be using the moment as an opportunity to decide whether to expand, and few would be surprised if an announcement didn?t come sometime this year.

But Hyundai has learned from watching competitors? mistakes, especially when it comes to overstocking. The goal, Krafcik says, is to follow the strategy of the most successful luxury brands, and ?always be one car short of demand.?

Related content on TheDetroitBureau.com:

The 10 Least, Most Expensive States for Car Insurance

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Jaguar Gets New 550-hp Flagship Sedan

Copyright ? 2009-2013, The Detroit Bureau

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653351/s/29ef5012/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cbusiness0C70A0E0A0A0A0Ehyundai0Ebrand0Egoes0Ehigh0Eend0E1B90A32162/story01.htm

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Movie Review: The Croods is A Brisk, but Beautiful Journey ...

The Croods tells the story of the world's first family road trip: When their cave is destroyed, the Crood family must embark on a comedy adventure into strange and spectacular territory in search of a new home.

The movie is rated PG due to some scary action and runs 98 minutes. You'll hear the voices of Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke and Cloris Leachman.

Check local movies playing in Roswell at?Aurora Cineplex or Studio Movie Grill this weekend. For more theater information, show times and pricing, click the links above.

Reviews:

"Despite a few too many mother-in-law jokes, "The Croods" nicely makes it clear that even before they had fire, families understood how important it was to cherish and protect each other." Chicago Sun-Times Full Review

"'The Croods' is both brisk and beautiful, and should be sufficiently entertaining for family audiences for whom few such options exist these days." The Associated Press Full Review

"The familiarity of the characters and their dynamics do make the movie feel comfy. You'll probably go into the prehistoric animated comedy thinking you know what it's going to be, and you'll be right." The Pioneer Press Full Review

Editor's Note: All reviews and information are from?Moviefone and Rotten Tomatoes.

Don?t miss any Roswell news. Subscribe to Roswell Patch?s free?newsletter,?like us on Facebook?and?follow us on Twitter.

Source: http://roswell.patch.com/articles/movie-review-the-croods-is-a-brisk-but-beautiful-journey

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Windows Blue to Feature a New Start Screen, IE11 ? Leaked Screenshot Gallery

Windows Blue, the first major upgrade for Windows 8, just got leaked to the Internet, as the Redmond-based technology giant recently reached the first development stage of the project.

An early build supposed to be used by partners for testing purposes was released to the web, so users who want to give a try to Windows Blue can find the leaked ISO on most file sharing websites out there.

The leaked screenshots also provide lots of new details regarding Windows Blue, including several new features that are very likely to be introduced in this major Windows 8 refresh.

It appears that Blue will come with a reworked Start Screen, so no Start button will be introduced, even though lots of Windows 8 users have requested it.

As compared to Windows 8, Windows Blue will offer many more customization options for the Start Screen, along with smaller and larger tiles to better fit your screen.

What's more, Microsoft is apparently working on a new Snap View mode that would split the screen in half for the two launched apps, thus allowing users to run two different programs side by side in a 50-50 mode.

The Charms bar is also showing some improvements, including a play option for the Devices menu. In addition, the Share Charm is very likely to get a new feature that would allow users to quickly take a screenshot and share it with friends using the installed apps.

Aside from all these changes, Windows Blue could also bring major enhancements to the pre-installed Windows 8 apps, including SkyDrive. It might seem like Microsoft is working on some new features for the SkyDrive client that would allow users to automatically upload files and create backups using the cloud storage service.

Last but not least, Windows Blue will most likely come with Internet Explorer 11, as sources familiar with the matter have hinted that it could bring at least a beta version of the new browser version.

Don't forget that the leaked Windows Blue build is only an early version of the operating system, so it could be affected by plenty of bugs and performance issues.

Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-Blue-to-Feature-a-New-Start-Screen-IE11-Leaked-Screenshot-Gallery-339863.shtml

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Obama ends Mideast trip with tour of ancient Petra

PETRA, Jordan (AP) ? President Barack Obama set aside the Middle East's tricky politics Saturday to marvel at the beauty of one of the region's most stunning sites, the fabled ancient city of Petra.

"This is pretty spectacular," he said, craning his neck to gaze up at the rock faces after emerging from a narrow pathway into a sun-splashed plaza in front of the grand Treasury. The soaring facade is considered the masterpiece of the ancient city carved into the rose-red stone by the Nabataeans more than 2,000 years ago.

Obama's turn as tourist capped a four-day visit to the Middle East that included stops in Israel and the West Bank, as well Jordan. The White House set low policy expectations for the trip, and the president was returning to Washington with few tangible achievements to show. Aides said his intention instead was to reassure the region's politicians and people ? particularly in Israel ? that he is committed to their security and prosperity.

Curious residents and picture-taking tourists lined the streets of modern Petra as Obama's motorcade wound toward the entrance to the ancient city. The president, dressed in khaki pants, a black jacket and hiking boots, began his walking tour at the entrance to the Siq, a narrow, winding gorge cutting between two soaring cliffs.

The path opened into a dusty plaza with the massive columned Treasury as its centerpiece. Obama declared the carved monument is "amazing."

The Bedouins named the building the Treasury because they believed that urns sculpted on top of it contained great treasures. In reality, the urns represented a memorial for Nabataean royalty. Over time, historians have disagreed on the Treasury's purpose. However, a recent excavation proved that a graveyard exists underneath it.

The Nabataeans established Petra as a crucial junction for trade routes linking China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. The city flourished until trade routes were redirected in the seventh century, leading to Petra's demise.

Petra is Jordan's most popular tourist attraction, drawing more than a half million visitors yearly since 2007. It may be familiar to many people who saw the 1989 movie, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." Some scenes were filmed in the ancient city.

High winds and overcast skies nearly grounded Marine One, the presidential helicopter, in the Jordanian capital of Amman, which would have forced Obama to scrap the tourist stop. But the weather cleared enough for him and his delegation to make the hour-long flight across Jordan's rugged landscape, arriving in Petra under bright sunshine.

The president departed Jordan after the tour and was due back in Washington late Saturday.

___

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-ends-mideast-trip-tour-ancient-petra-125342960--politics.html

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

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