Jackie Pilossoph: Sharing the Silver Linings of Divorce

As a divorced person, I describe it this way: heartbreaking, scary, gut-wrenchingly sad, and really, really depressing at times. That said, I've come to learn that there IS a flipside. Divorce brings growth and acceptance and self-introspection and empowerment. And, divorce brings advantages. That's right, advantages. Would you believe there are ADVANTAGES of being divorced? Let me share the silver linings of divorce.

8 Silver Linings of Divorce:

1. You have an out whenever you want it. I believe that at this stage in my life, I shouldn't have to do anything I don't want to do. Let me clarify. We all have things everyday that we HAVE to do. Meetings we must attend, people we go to see out of the goodness of our hearts, chores, errands, work outs, and business events. Doing those things is just living up to your responsibilities. But, I believe that a person shouldn't do anything he or she does not WANT to do. In other words, don't do anything out of obligation or because you think you will upset someone if you're not there (unless you care deeply for the person). If there is an event that you really don't care to attend, don't. If a person who typically makes you feel bad about yourself wants to get together, don't. Enjoying life and your time is just too valuable. So, here's the divorce benefit: In order to spare someone's feelings, if you simply don't want to get together with someone, you can just say, "Sorry, it's my weekend with the kids!" How great is that?

2. Having to go back to work brings only good things. This applies mostly to women. When divorce happens, women are often forced to go back to work because of finances. I can tell you firsthand it was very scary. I hadn't worked in 10 years. Getting up to speed on computer technology was probably the most frightening thing for me. But, going back to work has HUGE benefits! Work is productive, and that brings self-esteem, self love and confidence! You will love yourself when you feel smart and productive and you see that "You still got it!" AND, you will meet so many men and women that could become friends, and maybe even romantic interests. Nothing bad ever comes from work. It's always good.

3. Loneliness subsides, empowerment takes its place: When I was getting divorced, people would always give me this look that was saying to me, "I feel so sorry for you." I felt like saying, "Please don't give me that look! I didn't just tell you I had cancer. I'm just a little lonely, that's all." The thing is, it took awhile, but I kicked the loneliness thing. I learned how to be alone, and it's a wonderfully empowering feeling. I can go to a movie or shopping or sit in a coffee shop myself and enjoy it. That to me is very empowering. Loneliness is hard at first, but you won't be lonely forever. Learn how to be alone!

4. Your house is your own. Do you realize that you can re-decorate and re-organize your home, and make it exactly the way you want it? Pink and shabby chic and feminine for the ladies. Guys, bean bag chairs, dart boards, pool tables, the biggest flat screen you can find... whatever you want! You're the boss!

5. You can really Live! I have a friend who was married for 27 years. Her husband blindsided her and left her for another woman. She was obviously devastated. In fact, there were times I was beyond worried about her and wasn't sure she'd be okay. Let me tell you what she has done over the past four years. She has run a marathon, she's traveled to Israel, Spain, China, and all over the U.S., she has joined a softball league, and she never says no to any adventure. She said she would never have done all these things if she was still married.

6. The door is open. Regardless of who left who, the door is now wide open for you to have a meaningful, loving relationship with someone who is right for you. If your husband or wife left you, they did you a favor. Because, who wants to be with someone who doesn't want to be with them? Mr. or Ms. Right is out there. Give it time and don't try too hard. Just enjoy your life. Refer to point #5!

7. Your mother-in-law just went bu-bye. For some people, never seeing their in-laws after divorce is very upsetting. To others, never having to deal with their in-laws again is a huge perk. So, obviously this only applies to people who look at never having to see their mother-in-law again as a gift. Everything that bugged you about her is ancient history! Woo hoo!

8. You just became a single parent. "Why is that a plus, Jackie?!" Because a lot of people I talk to tell me that they became a better parent after their divorce. As single parents, we appreciate our time with our children more. Quality always wins over quantity. In other words, sure, you may see your children a less number of days throughout the year, but if you take advantage of every moment you have with them, you will be truly fulfilled, and you will continue to be a wonderful parent, even better. Talk to your kids, laugh with them, hug and kiss them, play with them. Just love them. They need you now more than ever. And you are here for them.

Jackie Pilossoph is the author of the blog, Divorced Girl Smiling. She is also the author of the comedic novel, FREE GIFT WITH PURCHASE about life after divorce. Ms. Pilossoph is a weekly business features reporter for the Pioneer Press, with the monthly column, "Heart of the North Shore." She lives in Chicago with her two kids. And she's divorced (obviously.)

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Follow Jackie Pilossoph on Twitter: www.twitter.com/divorcedgirlJP

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jackie-pilossoph/sharing-the-silver-lining_b_3519734.html

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Samsung Galaxy Beam to Taste Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Soon

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics is reportedly getting ready for the release of a major update for the owners of Galaxy Beam devices, providing them with all the benefits of the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system.

The handset, made available for purchase last year, is currently running under the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, yet Samsung considers it fit for Jelly Bean as well, UnwiredView reports.

No official info on when the second smartphone in Samsung?s lineup to have been released with a built-in projector will receive the update has been provided, but a leaked Android 4.1 build destined for it has already emerged online, it seems.

Apparently, the update will provide users with great performance enhancements and longer battery life, and could be ready for deployment by the end of July, though it remains to be seen when it will start arriving on smartphones.

Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-Beam-to-Taste-Android-4-1-Jelly-Bean-Soon-364342.shtml

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Weekend heat wave to bake western US

PHOENIX (AP) ? Tigers at the Phoenix Zoo are getting frozen fish snacks. Temporary cooling stations are popping up to welcome the homeless and elderly. And airlines are monitoring the soaring temperatures to make sure it's safe to fly as the western U.S. falls into the grip of a dangerous heat wave.

A strong high-pressure system settling over the region Friday and through the weekend will bring extreme temperatures to the already blazing Southwest. Notoriously hot Death Valley, Calif., is forecast to reach 129 degrees, not far off its world-record high of 134 logged nearly a century ago.

"We came to this special place to experience it at its best," said Hermenn Muessner with a smile. Muessner, from the Alpine country of Lichtenstein, planned to continue his tour through the Southwest with a stop at Yosemite National Park, where temperatures were expected in the high-80s.

By 9:30 a.m., the temperature had already climbed to 110 in the shade outside a pro shop at a Death Valley golf course. Tourists appeared to move in slow motion in the intense heat. They took photos of the landscape or of themselves in front of national park signs, and then got back into their air-conditioned cars.

When he arrived the night before, Juergen Bausch saw that the car's thermometer said the temperature outside was at 118. He took a photo of the reading and sent it to his friends back home in Germany. And then he got out of the car.

"Wow what a surprise," he said.

The National Weather Service predicts Phoenix could reach 118 on Friday, while Las Vegas could see the same temperature over the weekend. Temperatures are expected to soar across Utah and into parts of Wyoming and Idaho, where forecasters are calling for triple-digit heat in the Boise area.

Cities in Washington state better known for cool, rainy weather should break the 90s next week, while northern Utah ? marketed as having "the greatest snow on Earth" ? is expected to hit triple digits.

"This is the hottest time of the year but the temperatures that we'll be looking at for Friday through Sunday, they'll be toward the top," said National Weather Service meteorologist Mark O'Malley, adding, "It's going to be baking hot across much of the entire West."

Jennifer Smith, a spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center based in Idaho, said crews are especially worried about wildfires igniting in the Four Corners region where the borders of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona intersect.

Some of the strongest parts of the high pressure system are expected to be parked over the area through the weekend, where forecasters are calling for lightning but little to no precipitation, Smith said.

Scientists say that the jet stream, the river of air that dictates weather patterns, has been more erratic in the past few years. It's responsible for weather systems getting stuck, like the current heat wave. Scientists disagree on whether global warming is the cause of the jet stream's behavior.

The hottest cities are taking precautions to protect vulnerable residents. Police are pleading with drivers not to leave children or pets in vehicles, and temporary cooling stations are being put up to shelter homeless people and the elderly on fixed incomes who hesitate to use air conditioning.

Officials said extra personnel have been added to the U.S. Border Patrol's Search, Trauma, and Rescue unit as people illegally crossing the border from Mexico into Arizona could succumb to exhaustion and dehydration. At least seven people have been found dead in the last week in Arizona after falling victim to the desert's brutal heat.

Even airlines are watching the mercury for any signs that temperatures could deter operations.

In June 1990, when Phoenix hit 122 degrees, several airlines, including America West, which later merged with US Airways, were forced to cease flights for several hours because the planes didn't have the data needed to know how they would fly in temperatures above 120 degrees.

US Airways spokesman Todd Lehmacher said the airline's fleet of Boeings can now fly up to 126 degrees, and up to 127 degrees for the Airbus fleet.

But the company's smaller express planes flying out of the Phoenix area may be delayed if the temperature tops 118 because as the air heats up, it becomes less dense and changes liftoff conditions.

"The hotter is it, your performance is degraded," Lehmacher said. "We're monitoring this very closely to see what the temperatures do."

Officials at Salt River Project, the Phoenix area's largest electricity provider, also are closely monitoring usage in order to redirect energy in case of a potential overload.

Company spokeswoman Scott Harelson said he doesn't expect usage to get anywhere near SRP's record 6,663 megawatts consumed in August 2011.

"While it's hot, people tend to leave town and some businesses aren't open, so that has a tendency to mitigate demand and is why we typically don't set records on weekends," Harelson said.

Meanwhile, over at the Phoenix Zoo, animals from elephants to warthogs will be doused with hoses and sprayed with sprinklers and misters throughout the weekend.

The tigers will get frozen fish snacks while the lions can lounge on concrete slabs cooled by internal water-filled pipes, said zoo spokeswoman Linda Hardwick.

"And they'll all have plenty of shade," she said. "The keepers will all just be very active looking for any behavior changes, anything that would tip them off that an animal is just getting too hot."

In Las Vegas, two Elvis impersonators and a performer costumed as the iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign said they still planned to keep up their routine of working the tourist corridor in the broad daylight and turning in for the evenings, heat notwithstanding.

"We'd much rather fight with the sun than fight with the drunk people," Elvis impersonator Cristian Morales said.

___

Associated Press writers Chris Carlson in Death Valley, Calif., Robert Jablon in Los Angeles, Julie Jacobson and Michelle Rindels in Las Vegas, Michelle Price in Salt Lake City, and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/weekend-heat-wave-bake-western-us-181304892.html

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The Gamer Who Raised Me - Kotaku

There are many factors that have made me into the person I am today, as is the case with any person on this planet. My personality has been partially formed by that chemical factor called 'depression' that I have discussed here many times but, as any good psychologist would tell me, there are also plenty of external elements that have played roles in my development as a human being.

I certainly didn't become a games journalist by accident. Like pretty much every other dude my age, I've long had an interest in video games. The reasons I have for preferring certain types of games over others, however, can be traced back to a specific origin: my dad. His influence is why I've almost always been primarily a PC gamer. He's also why I have such an intense fascination with storytelling in games that I've made that aspect of the medium my main editorial focus as a columnist and critic.

My dad, also named Phil, has been an engineer working for the US Army since he graduated college in the mid-'80s. He was, to put it bluntly, a nerd.

In his formative years, my father spent a lot of time at the arcade dropping quarter after quarter into games like Galaga and Tempest. But he married my mom when he was only a year into college, and by the time he was 22 my older sister and I had invaded his life. He didn't have time for the arcade but, being of a nerd type, he had a personal computer.

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My dad knew how much he enjoyed playing video games when he was a kid, and he wanted to share those experiences with me.

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By the earliest time in my life that I can still remember?some time in the early '90s?he had a PC with a 486 DX 100 CPU. He played a lot of old-style arcade-ish games on it. I would watch him play, and sometimes he would give me a turn. He told me recently that he knew how much he enjoyed playing video games when he was a kid, and he wanted to share those experiences with me.

My dad is therefore the reason why I was playing games on the computer, before we ever had a game console in our house. My earliest gaming memories are of Lemmings and the Home Alone 2 platformer and something called Brix, which I remember being my dad's poison. My dad encouraged me to become comfortable with a mouse and keyboard before I ever touched a gamepad.

Back during Christmas in 1996, my parents gifted me something that would greatly impact my destiny as a human being: LucasArts Archives vol II: The Star Wars Collection for the PC. They gave me a joystick to go with it. By this time we had a Super Nintendo. I spent a lot of time on it playing Donkey Kong and sports games. But this pack of PC games that I received included TIE Fighter, both Rebel Assault games and a three-level demo for Dark Forces. Those games scratched an itch I didn't know I had.

My dad tried to take turns playing Rebel Assault with me, but he found he couldn't keep up with action in those games. That didn't stop me from becoming what could charitably be called 'obsessed.' I already greatly enjoyed Star Wars?another way my dad influenced my taste in entertainment?but the idea of playing through stories set in that universe was unbelievably exciting to me. I consumed those titles with the same urgency that I approach a home-cooked meal. Before I knew it I was begging my dad to upgrade the family computer to something Pentium-powered with a 3D accelerator graphics chip. I needed to be able play more technically-demanding games like Dark Forces 2, Rogue Squadron and X-Wing Alliance.

My father obliged, although not quite all at once. He saw how much fun I was having, how much joy these experiences brought me, and he encouraged my growing habit?plus, I got good grades at school and played a lot of sports, so my dad let me play.

I would, of course, branch out from Star Wars games. I developed a liking for Command & Conquer and Half-Life and Quake 2, but I rarely strayed from games with stories. I played some Counter-Strike, sure, but even with that game, for match after match, I would create narratives in my mind.

Today, I play games on a desktop PC that I built with my bare hands. My dad, excited that I was doing that, purchased the graphics card for it. That's not an insignificant part, as PC nerds will know. As he always had, he wanted to support my desire to game on a PC.

S

There's one other thing I want to share about my father. Even though he is only 48 years old, he is dying of cancer. Chemotherapy has been completely ineffective, and his doctors say he won't last the year. He probably won't even make it to his birthday in September. When he does go, he will leave behind a tangible legacy: my writings on games, writing that was borne from the love of gaming he instilled in me.

I don't know who I would be today had my father not chosen to share his enjoyment of interactive entertainment with me. I am certain that I am who I am because he, all those years ago, let me sit in front of a computer and have all the fun in the world.

Phil Owen is a freelance entertainment journalist whose work you might have seen at VG247, GameFront, Appolicious, Gameranx and many, many other places. You can follow him on Twitter at @philrowen. Send hate mail to phil.r.owen@gmail.com.

Source: http://kotaku.com/the-gamer-who-raised-me-612721055

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Second quarter report card: Who had the best upset, knockout, fight and more?

The second quarter of the year is coming to an end, so it's a good time to look back at the last three months. There weren't as many events in the last three months of 2013 as there were the first three, but there were still plenty of memorable performances. Who stood out? See the first quarter awards here.

Biggest upset: In "The Ultimate Fighter" finale, Cat Zingano pulled out a win over former Strikeforce bantamweight champion Miesha Tate. Stipe Miocic's opponent at UFC 161 changed late in the game, but he still came up with the win over Roy Nelson. Speaking of late replacements, James Krause wasn't even in the UFC until weeks before his fight -- and submission win -- Sam Stout at UFC 161. But the biggest upset was definitely in the final of TUF. Uriah Hall destroyed every opponent during his run on "The Ultimate Fighter." However, Kelvin Gastelum was the winner, coming up with a decision win over Hall at the TUF finale.

Best knockout: There were many fine candidates from this quarter for best knockout. You could go with Josh Thomson taking out the previously unknockout-able Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 7, or from the same card, Yoel Romero's flying knee to Clifford Starks. Just last week, there was Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal's one punch knockout of Seth Petruzell in Bellator. The one that stood out the most, though, was Vitor Belfort's spinning heel hook to Luke Rockhold's face at UFC on FX 8.

Best submission: Glover Teixeira's submission of James Te Huna at UFC 160 was fast and fierce. Pat Curran's technical submission from a guillotine of Shabhulat Shamhalaev at Bellator stood out, too. But nothing was slicker and sweeter than Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza's arm triangle of Chris Camozzi at UFC on FX 8.

Best rising star: Teixeira's win over Te Huna, as well as his earlier win over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, put him near the top of UFC light heavyweights. It's odd to think of someone who has been fighting for eight years as a rising star, but Matt Brown's dismantling of Jordan Mein did wonders for his standing among welterweights. The winner is Sara McMann, the Olympic silver medal winning wrestler has just seven pro bouts under her belt. Still, she made a huge debut in the UFC with a TKO of Sheila Gaff.

Best fight: The result was eventually overturned because of Healy's positive drug test, but that didn't take away the fun of Pat Healy's bout with Jim Miller at UFC 159. Krause and Stout's UFC 161 bout was fantastic before it ended in a submission with mere seconds left. The one that sticks out more than any other, though, is Junior dos Santos and Mark Hunt's bout at UFC 160. They both withstood ridiculously hard hits before JDS used a spinning hook kick to take Hunt out.

Agree? Disagree? Speak up on Facebook or Twitter.

More popular MMA stories on Yahoo! Sports:
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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/second-quarter-awards-had-best-upset-knockout-fight-155337405.html

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Kate Middleton: Inside the Dramatic Non-Delivery!!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/kate-middleton-inside-the-dramatic-non-delivery/

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Scientists turn muscular dystrophy defect on and off in cells

June 28, 2013 ? For the first time, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified small molecules that allow for complete control over a genetic defect responsible for the most common adult onset form of muscular dystrophy. These small molecules will enable scientists to investigate potential new therapies and to study the long-term impact of the disease.

"This is the first example I know of at all where someone can literally turn on and off a disease," said TSRI Associate Professor Matthew Disney, whose new research was published June 28, 2013, by the journal Nature Communications. "This easy approach is an entirely new way to turn a genetic defect off or on."

Myotonic dystrophy is an inherited disorder, the most common form of a group of conditions called muscular dystrophies that involve progressive muscle wasting and weakness. Myotonic dystrophy type 1 is caused a type of RNA defect known as a "triplet repeat," a series of three nucleotides repeated more times than normal in an individual's genetic code. In this case, a cytosine-uracil-guanine (CUG) triplet repeat binds to the protein MBNL1, rendering it inactive and resulting in RNA splicing abnormalities.

To find drug candidates that act against the defect, Disney and his colleagues analyzed the results of a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored screen of more than 300,000 small molecules that inhibit a critical RNA-protein complex in the disease.

The team divided the NIH hits into three "buckets" -- the first group bound RNA, the second bound protein, and a third whose mechanism was unclear. The researchers then studied the compounds by looking at their effect on human muscle tissue both with and without the defect.

Startlingly, diseased muscle tissue treated with RNA-binding compounds caused signs of the disease to go away. In contrast, both healthy and diseased tissue treated with the protein-binding compounds showed the opposite effect -- signs of the disease either appeared (in healthy tissue) or became worse.

The new compounds will serve as useful tools to study the disease on a molecular level. "In complex diseases, there are always unanticipated mechanisms," Disney noted. "Now that we can reverse the disease at will, we can study those aspects of it."

In addition, Disney said, with the new discovery, scientists will be able to develop a greater understanding of how to control RNA splicing with small molecules. RNA splicing can cause a host of diseases that range from sickle-cell disease to cancer, yet prior to this study, no tools were available to control specific RNA splicing.

The first authors of the study, "Induction and Reversal of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 Pre-mRNA Splicing Defects by Small Molecules," are Jessica L. Childs-Disney of TSRI, Ewa Stepniak-Konieczna of Adam Mickiewicz University (Poland) and Tuan Tran of TSRI. Other authors include Ilyas Yildirim and George C. Schatz of Northwestern University; HaJeung Park of TSRI; Catherine Z. Chen, Noel Southall, Juan J. Marugan, Samarjit Patnaik, Wei Zheng and Chris P. Austin of the NIH; Krzysztof Sobczak of Adam Mickiewicz University; and Charles A. Thornton and Jason Hoskins of the University of Rochester.

The study was funded by TSRI; the Muscular Dystrophy Association (158552); the National Institutes of Health (3R01GM079235 and 1R01GM079235; AR049077 and U54NS48843); the National Cancer Institute (1U54CA143869); the Molecular Libraries Initiative of the National Institutes of Health Roadmap for Medical Research; the Marigold Foundation and the Foundation for Polish Science-TEAM program co-financed by the European Union within the European Regional Development Fund.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/fRF25Qg-Ku0/130628091710.htm

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U.S. military chief recommends bolstering Lebanon, Iraq forces

By Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer said on Wednesday he has recommended bolstering Lebanese forces grappling with the fallout from Syria's civil war by sending in military trainers and accelerating arms sales.

General Martin Dempsey also said he had recommended helping Iraq better deal with the re-emergence of al Qaeda.

"We've made a recommendation that as we look at the challenges faced by the Lebanese armed forces, the Iraqi security forces with a re-emerging al Qaeda in Iraq, and the Jordanians, that we would work with them to help them build additional capability," Dempsey told reporters at the Pentagon.

A spokesman said Dempsey's recommendations were made "in recent weeks" during internal discussions with the U.S. military's Central Command, as it deliberates how to respond to the growing, regional unrest.

After two years of fighting that has killed more than 100,000 people, Syria's war is dragging its neighbors into a deadly proxy confrontation between Shi'ite Iran supporting President Bashar al-Assad and Sunni Arab Gulf nations backing the Syrian rebels.

Both Iraq and Lebanon have suffered increasing violence at home as the Syrian conflict has escalated.

Dempsey was nominated by President Barack Obama on Wednesday for another two years as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He was responding to a question at the news conference about whether Lebanon had asked for military help and whether the U.S. military might go into that country.

"When you say would we send the United States Army or the United States military into Lebanon, I'm talking about teams of trainers, and I'm talking about accelerating foreign military sales for equipment for them," Dempsey said in response.

"This is about building their capability, not ours."

A spokesman clarified that this would come on top of any ongoing U.S. military support being provided to Lebanon and Iraq.

The United States has left about 700 U.S. combat-equipped troops in Jordan after a military drill, which also fears a spillover of the war into its territory and where an estimated half-million Syrian refugees have fled to escape the bloodshed.

RISKS OF NO-FLY ZONE

The Pentagon has also announced that it would leave Patriot missiles and F-16 fighters in Jordan after the same drill, fueling speculation that the United States might be considering a no-fly zone that would prevent the Syrian military from flying its aircraft.

Although Obama has not ruled out participating in a no-fly zone, he has appeared skeptical about such a move, and his military commanders, including Dempsey, have been outspoken about the risks involved.

Dempsey, suggesting a no-fly zone may do little to stem the bloodshed, told reporters that Assad's air power was responsible for few of the casualties.

"And if we choose to conduct a no-fly zone, it's essentially an act of war, and I'd like to understand the plan to make peace before we start a war," Dempsey said.

He also noted that any U.S. decision to impose a no-fly zone in Syria would require tough decisions about America's military priorities at a time of shrinking budgets and other demanding commitments - including the Afghan war.

"We are suffering some readiness shortfalls right now," Dempsey said. "We have resources that are at heightened states of alert in the vicinity of the Korean peninsula, in the Gulf, because of potential provocations (by) Iran. Clearly, we still remain very deeply engaged in Afghanistan.

He added: "And the question for the nation will be - and for our elected leaders - where will we prioritize our resources? But if that (a no-fly zone) becomes a priority, we can make it happen."

(Editing by Alistair Bell and Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-military-chief-recommends-bolstering-lebanon-iraq-forces-225742923.html

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NASA telescope to probe long-standing solar mystery

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A small NASA telescope was poised for launch on Thursday on a mission to determine how the sun heats its atmosphere to millions of degrees, sending off rivers of particles that define the boundaries of the solar system.

The study is far from academic. Solar activity directly impacts Earth's climate and the space environment beyond the planet's atmosphere. Solar storms can knock out power grids, disrupt radio signals and interfere with communications, navigation and other satellites in orbit.

"We live in a very complex society and the sun has a role to play in it," said physicist Alan Title, with Lockheed Martin Space Systems Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto, California, which designed and built the telescope.

Scientists have been trying to unravel the mechanisms that drive the sun for decades but one fundamental mystery endures: How it manages to release energy from its relatively cool, 10,000 degree Fahrenheit (5,500 degree Celsius) surface into an atmosphere that can reach up to 5 million degrees Fahrenheit (2.8 million Celsius).

At its core, the sun is essentially a giant fusion engine that melds hydrogen atoms into helium. As expected, temperatures cool as energy travels outward through the layers. But then in the lower atmosphere, known as the chromosphere, temperatures heat up again.

Pictures and data relayed by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, telescope may finally provide some answers about how that happens.

The 4-foot (1.2-meter) long, 450-pound (204-kg) observatory will be observing the sun from a vantage point about 400 miles above Earth. It is designed to capture detailed images of light moving from the sun's surface, known as the photosphere, into the chromosphere. Temperatures peak in the sun's outer atmosphere, the corona.

All that energy fuels a continuous release of charged particles from the sun into what is known as the solar wind, a pressure bubble that fills and defines the boundaries of the solar system.

"Every time we look at the sun in more detail, it opens up a new window for us," said Jeffrey Newmark, IRIS program scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The telescope is scheduled to be launched aboard an Orbital Sciences Corp Pegasus rocket on Friday at 10:27 p.m. EDT. Pegasus is an air-launched system that is carried aloft by a modified L-1011 aircraft that will take off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California about 55 minutes before the scheduled launch.

The rocket is released from the belly of the plane at an altitude of about 39,000 feet so it can ignite and carry the telescope into orbit.

IRIS, which cost about $145 million including the launch service, is designed to last for two years.

(Editing by Kevin Gray and Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-telescope-probe-long-standing-solar-mystery-172112310.html

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Real Estate Industry Urges EPA to Postpone Commercial Building ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. ? June 26, 2013 ? (RealEstateRama) ? The Environmental Protection Agency must justify its efforts to apply new lead paint regulations to public and commercial properties, Realtor? Harold Huggins testified at a public hearing today on behalf of the National Association of Realtors? and its affiliates, the Institute for Real Estate Management and the CCIM Institute.

The EPA?s lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule seeks to protect individuals from lead-based paint-related health hazards during the renovation, repair, and painting of public and commercial properties. Yet by the EPA?s own admission, no conclusive research demonstrates that these buildings pose a lead-based paint threat to human health.

?As industry advocates, we support public policies that protect our clients, tenants, and building visitors from all hazards, including the harmful health consequences of lead-based paint,? said Huggins, president and CEO of Harold H. Huggins Realty in Burtsonsville, Md. ?We strongly support the existing ?child-occupied facility? designation that protects children from lead hazards in commercial properties with on-site day care centers; however, without a proven harm to the typical adult users of commercial and public spaces, we do not see a need for EPA?s new RRP rulemaking.?

If the EPA should choose to perform additional research for the RRP rule, it can readily collect data from other federal government agencies, such as the General Services Administration. Huggins urged the EPA not to continue with its proposed lead renovation, repair and painting rules absent such research, noting that more than 50 members of the House of Representatives wrote to the EPA last month stating their concerns about the rulemaking, which were similar to those of NAR, IREM and CCIM.

?The EPA is required to regulate against hazards, and since none is proven, no regulation is warranted,? said Huggins.

The National Association of Realtors?, ?The Voice for Real Estate,? is America?s largest trade association, representing 1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM?) is an international community of real estate managers dedicated to ethical business practices, maximizing the value of investment real estate, and promoting superior management through education and information sharing. An affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS?, IREM is the home for all industry professionals connected to real estate management ? and the only organization serving both the multi-family and commercial sectors. To learn more about IREM, call (800) 837-0706, ext. 4650 (outside the U.S. call (312) 329-6000), or visit www.irem.org.

The CCIM Institute is the global standard for professional achievement in commercial investment real estate. Since 1969, the Chicago-based Institute has conferred the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation to commercial real estate and allied professionals through an extensive curriculum of 200 classroom hours and professional experiential requirements. An affiliate of the National Association of Realtors?, the CCIM Institute also offers powerful technology tools such as the Site To Do Business, an online site analysis and demographics resource. Visit www.ccim.com and www.stdbonline.com for more information.

Media Contact:
Jenny Werwa / 202-383-1193

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Source: http://www.realestaterama.com/2013/06/26/real-estate-industry-urges-epa-to-postpone-commercial-building-lead-hazard-rulemaking-ID021733.html

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FDA gives go-ahead for two new cigarettes, rejects four

You expect rock stars to live insulated lives, with hardly any real idea of what's happening in the real world, but Mick Jagger, of all people, is always up on the day's big stories. The Rolling Stones were playing in D.C. last night, and the oldest surviving mega-frontman in rock and roll cracked wise at President Obama's expense. The Stones brought their 50 and Counting tour?to the Verizon Center in the nation's capital on Monday night for (potentially) their last show on U.S. soil, ever. (Unless they tour again, which, you know, these guys don't really age. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fda-gives-ahead-two-cigarettes-rejects-four-170904563.html

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Should Google be accountable for what its search engine unearths?

An EU Court official backs Google's policy.

By Katherine Jacobsen,?Contributor / June 25, 2013

"Search engines have no control over the information posted by others. They just point to it," writes Google's Head of Free Expression, William Echikson, in a blog post on Tuesday.

AP Photo/Virginia Mayo

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Google is not responsible for deleting data from its search index based on an individual?s or company?s ?subjective preference,? according to an opinion released by the European Union Court?s Advocate General on Tuesday.

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?Google is not generally considered as a ?controller? of the personal data appearing on web pages it processes,? writes Niilo Jaaskinen, the EU Court?s Advocate General.

The opinion allows for search engines, like Google, to block access to third-party sites with illegal or libelous content in accordance with local law, but does not stipulate that Internet companies are bound to remove ?legitimate and legal information? of a third party website, citing the third parties? ?freedom of expression.? ?

This means that Google and other foreign Internet providers are still subject to national Internet regulation within the European Union. But since no law currently exists that gives individuals the ?right to be forgotten? ? or have their digital records expunged, however unflattering those records might be ??Google is not obliged to regulate the content that appears in its search results.

Erasing unsavory information on the basis of individual requests is a slippery slope, explains William Echilkson, Google?s Head of Free Expression for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. ?People shouldn?t be prevented from learning that a politician was convicted of taking a bribe, or that a doctor was convicted of malpractice,? Mr. Echilkson writes on Google?s Europe blog in a post made on Tuesday.

Google hailed the opinion as ?A step forward for free expression.?

The opinion was released in regards to a case that dates back nearly 15 years, before "being googled? became a common background check.

In 1998, Mario Costeja?s name appeared in the print edition of a widely-circulated Spanish newspaper concerning a real-estate auction, which was taking place to help repay Mr. Costeja?s social security debts. When the 1998 paper was made available online, Costeja?s real-estate ad was included in the edition, true to the paper?s original print version.

Costeja originally contacted the publisher in 2009 with a complaint that this old ad appeared when his name was searched on Google, and asked for the ad?s removal from the paper's online version. His request was rebuffed; the paper?s publisher said erasing this data was not appropriate. In less than a year, Costeja?s case had made it to Spain?s National High Court, which in turn referred the case to the EU?s Court of Justice.

There are over 180 similar court cases pending in Spain.?

The Advocate General?s opinion contradicts the decision issued by Spain?s National High Court, which called on Google to withdraw the advertisement from its search index, and is seen as a positive sign for Google in Europe, where the Internet giant has recently come under attack for its privacy policies.

The opinion came on the heels of a statement made Friday by Britain?s data regulator, the Information Commissioner?s Office, which ordered Google to delete personal data captured on its Street View project. On Thursday, France and Spain?s main two main watchdog groups increased pressures on Google to change its data privacy policy.?

The EU Court is just beginning their official deliberations in the Costeja case.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/oQmVJo4wJhI/Should-Google-be-accountable-for-what-its-search-engine-unearths

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Federal Circuit Begins its Campaign for Patent Clarity - Patent Law ...

By Dennis Crouch

Wyeth v. Abbot Labs (Fed. Cir. 2013)

In a unanimous opinion, the Federal Circuit has affirmed a summary judgment holding that Wyeth's patents are invalid as lacking enablement under 35 U.S.C. 112. Wyeth's patents cover the use of rapamycin antibiotic to treat and prevent restenosis following arterial balloon catheterization. See U.S. Patent Nos. 5,516,781 and 5,563,146. The claimed invention is simple and basically says, administer an "antirestenosis effective amount of rapamycin." Claim 1 of the '781 patent reads as follows:

1. A method of treating restenosis in a mammal resulting from said mammal undergoing a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty procedure which comprises administering an antirestenosis effective amount of rapamycin to said mammal orally, parenterally, intravascularly, intranasally, intrabronchially, transdermally, rectally, or via a vascular stent impregnated with rapamycin.

One requirement of patent law is that the patent application (at the time of its filing) must sufficiently enable a person skilled in the relevant art to make and use the full scope of the claimed invention without undue experimentation. This "enablement requirement" is codified in Section 112(a) of the Patent Act (Formerly known as Section 112?1).

Here, it is the "full scope" requirement that kills the patent. In particular, Wyeth requested and received a broad construction of the claim term rapamycin to in a way that includes a large number of molecules that are structurally analogous to one another. However, the specification only discloses a single species along with a number of assays that could be useful to ascertain whether potential compounds exhibit the requisite effect.

In the appeal, the Federal Circuit aligned itself to the rule that broad claim scope requires broad disclosure. Here, the court noted that the rapamycin definition includes "tens of thousands" of candidate molecules and the specification "is silent about how to structurally modify sirolimus.

Undue experimentation: For its part, Wyeth argued that a lab tech with the usual skill and little creativity could systematically work through the various potential candidates to find which ones actually work. Citing to Johns Hopkins Univ. v. CellPro, Inc., 152 F.3d 1342, 1360?61 (Fed. Cir. 1998), Wyeth argued that a large pile of merely routine experimentation does rise to the level of impermissible undue experimentation.

The Federal Circuit disagreed ? finding that the trial-and-error process of tens-of-thousands of candidates moves the project well into the range of undue experimentation.

[T]here is no genuine dispute that it would be necessary to first synthesize and then screen each candidate compound using the assays disclosed in the specification to determine whether it has immunosuppressive and antirestenotic effects. There is no evidence in the record that any particular substitutions outside of the macrocyclic ring are preferable. Indeed, a Wyeth scientist confirmed the unpredictability of the art and the ensuing need to assay each candidate by testifying that, "until you test [compounds], you really can't tell whether they work or not [i.e., have antirestenotic effects]." J.A. 6929. In sum, there is no genuine dispute that practicing the full scope of the claims would require synthesizing and screening each of at least tens of thousands of compounds. . . .

Even putting the challenges of synthesis aside, one of ordinary skill would need to assay each of at least tens of thousands of candidates. Wyeth's expert conceded that it would take technicians weeks to complete each of these assays. The specification offers no guidance or predictions about particular substitutions that might preserve the immunosuppressive and antirestenotic effects observed in sirolimus. The resulting need to engage in a systematic screening process for each of the many rapamycin candidate compounds is excessive experimentation. We thus hold that there is no genuine dispute that practicing the full scope of the claims, measured at the filing date, required undue experimentation.

The take-away legal points here are (1) broad claims must do more to satisfy the enablement requirement than narrow claims; and (2) when excessive, routine non-creative efforts to recreate the invention can constitute undue experimentation.

The case is also interesting because it comes at a time where policymakers are looking to tighten the requirements of Section 112. As it did during the debate over the AIA, the Federal Circuit appears poised to make its mark on the current debate over patent scope and clarity.

Source: http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2013/06/federal-circuit-begins-its-campaign-for-patent-clarity.html

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Indonesia president apologizes for Southeast Asia smog

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's president has apologized for the raging forest fires that have blanketed its neighbors Singapore and Malaysia with thick smog in Southeast Asia's worst air pollution crisis in 16 years.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Indonesia was doing everything it could to contain the fires on the island of Sumatra, including the deployment of military aircraft to waterbomb the blazes, and has earmarked around 200 billion rupiah ($20 million) to handle the disaster.

The week-long environmental crisis, which has seen air pollution in Singapore and Malaysia reach hazardous levels, is damaging tourism and businesses in both countries and could result in a bigger economic impact than the 1997 haze crisis which cost an estimated $9 billion.

"As the president, I apologize and seek the understanding of our friends in Singapore and Malaysia," said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a news conference late Monday.

After a week of thick smog, air quality in Singapore's financial centre has significantly improved with the pollution index remaining under "unhealthy" levels since the weekend. It hit a record of 401 on Friday afternoon, a level considered potentially life-threatening for the ill and the elderly.

Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday was still shrouded in haze, while Singapore's skies were pretty clear with the pollution index reading in the low 40s.

Indonesian police on Monday arrested two farmers for illegally starting fires to clear land in Sumatra, the first detentions linked to the slash-and-burn blazes, but police said the farmers were not linked to any of the eight companies the government suspects are responsible for the fires.

The parent companies of those firms included Malaysia-listed Sime Darby, which has denied wrongdoing.

"We arrested two farmers in Riau who were clearing their land by burning. They were not working for anyone but just clearing their own land," said Agus Rianto, deputy spokesman for the national police.

Under Indonesian law, any company or person involved in an illegal forest fire faces up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to 5 billion rupiah ($503,800).

(Reporting by Randy Fabi; Additional reporting by Kanupryia Kapoor; Editing by Michael Perry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indonesia-president-apologizes-southeast-asia-smog-005811662.html

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Op-Ed: Arts Education Is Critical to Student Success

Have you ever wondered what the world would look like if there were no artists? You would not have clothes, furniture, jewelry, electronics, transportation, cell phones, buildings, toys, or websites. The list goes on and on, yet art is often absent from our daily thoughts.

I teach a commercial art class. Last year I had a mother who took her daughter out of my class. She thanked me for teaching her daughter a nice hobby, but she wanted her to be able to get a real job.

Many people do not understand that art is a crucial component to a well-rounded education. Art education develops critical thinking, problem-solving and hand-eye coordination. It provides a vehicle to explore the possibilities and limitations of materials, and encourages children to use their imaginations. It is an outlet that lets children express how they feel, think, and view the world in ways they may not be able to say with words.

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Visual arts teaches students that problems can have more than one solution, and questions can have more than one answer. Unlike academic curriculums in which correct answers and rules prevail, art is based on observational judgment rather than a scantron.

The National Art Education Association published the report?Learning in a Visual Age: The Critical Importance of Visual Arts Education. It states, ?Art education opens the possibility for creating new worlds, rather than simply accepting the world as it is?students learn a great deal in high-quality visual arts classes that is not captured on standardized tests? teaching students to be creative is a deliberate process, much like teaching students to be literate or to be able to solve mathematics problems.?

Years of research show that art education stimulates and develops the imagination and critical thinking, and refines cognitive and creative skills.

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Many people in academia, and the business world, still may think that art is a cute hobby for old ladies and not see it as benefiting other subjects. As an art teacher, I know and have seen how art benefits my students. In one art lesson, I can teach mathematics, language arts, history, and world culture before any student picks up a paintbrush. I tell my students that drawing and painting is easy; it is developing the thought process that is challenging.

Many people know of Da Vinci?s famous Mona Lisa?or The Last Supper, but they don?t know that he was also an architect, engineer, and a scientist.? Think about what inspired Da Vinci?s inventions and how he translated them through his artwork.

A blog post on Psychology Today raised a question about the benefits of the arts in other subjects: ?Let?s see what happens when we start throwing out all the science and technology that the arts have made possible. The fact is that the arts foster innovation?almost all Nobel laureates in the sciences actively engage in arts.?

Art education has many obstacles to overcome, not the least of which is how it?s devalued by often not being required for graduation.?It will continue to face these challenges until it becomes a necessary part of school curriculum.?

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Related stories on TakePart:

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/op-ed-arts-education-critical-student-success-130000391.html

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Profanity, theatrics mark first day of Zimmerman?s trial

SANFORD, Fla.?One of the most anticipated murder trials in recent memory began with a torrent of profanity from the prosecution and a knock-knock joke from the defense.

The State of Florida?s case against George Zimmerman began Monday with the expected debate about whether the man who shot and fatally wounded 17-year-old Trayvon Martin last February committed murder or acted in self-defense. What was not expected was a bit of forced humor, which fell jarringly flat.

The lead defense attorney, Don West, declared early in his remarks that ?sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying? and then ventured a joke. He confessed it was ?a little bit weird? to do so, and asked the jury to avoid holding the joke against the defendant.

Then he went ahead.

?Knock knock,? West said, stunning both the jury and the assembled onlookers.

?Who?s there?? he answered himself.

?George Zimmerman.?

?George Zimmerman who??

?Congratulations. You?re on the jury.?

There was barely a reaction.

?Nothing?? West said, in genuine surprise.

This was met with some nervous laughter.

It was a deeply strange way to open a trial about a killing that has rattled and vexed an entire nation. The death of Martin, on his way home from buying candy at a local convenience store, has touched a national third rail, launching arguments and protests about race, gun laws and civil rights.

Later, after a lunch recess, West apologized. ?I really thought it was funny,? he said. ?Sorry if I offended anyone.?

A clunky start struggled to find footing as West slogged through a long trail of evidence that lasted more than two-and-a-half hours. The argument meandered, and West admitted as much.

?I don?t know if you follow what I mean,? he told the jury at one point.

West?s statement stood in stark contrast to that of state?s attorney John Guy, who launched immediately into a flurry of storytelling that repeated Zimmerman?s muttered cusswords over and over again.

"'F---ng punks,'" Guy stated right away, quoting Zimmerman in his call to a police dispatcher in the moments before his confrontation with Martin. ?'These a--holes, they always get away.' Those were words in that grown man?s mouth.?

Guy tried to keep the emotion level raised throughout his opening, dipping into a narrative that seemed to come straight from a crime drama.

?As the smoke and the smell of that fatal gunshot rose into a rainy Sanford night,? Guy said, ?Trayvon lay face down in wet grass, laboring through his final breaths on planet Earth.?

Guy went on to declare that Zimmerman ?followed and murdered an unarmed teenager.? He also promised the jury, ?The truth is going to come directly from his month. Hateful words. Lies he told to police.?

He accused Zimmerman of ?going after? Martin: ?This defendant, riding around in his car, not with candy, not with fruit juice, but with 9 mm semi-automatic weapon.? Thirty minutes of crisp accusations, ushered along with voice modulation and the occasional gesture toward the stone-faced Zimmerman, ended with this:

?We are confident at the end of this trial you will know in your head, heart and stomach that George Zimmerman didn?t shoot Trayvon Martin because he had to. He shot him because he wanted to.?

Guy?s theatrics were offset by West?s scientific approach. One issue in this trial is Zimmerman?s mindset, and whether he was instigating or afraid. Second degree murder, as defined in Florida, is ?The unlawful killing of a human being, when perpetrated by any act imminently dangerous to another and evincing a depraved mind regardless of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual.?

Part of the defense?s goal is to show Zimmerman as calm and rational, motivated by protecting himself and the gated community for which he served as a neighborhood watch ?liaison.? While Guy presented the image of Zimmerman as determined to pursue Martin even though the minor was unarmed, West tried through painstaking detail to show it was Zimmerman who was in trouble, saying he noticed an unknown teenager approaching him, and took no aggressive steps in the minutes between seeing Martin in the dark and pulling the trigger.

?My focus is on the detail,? West told the jury. ?And if I have to sacrifice passion, it?s not because I don?t care. Even if it?s boring or somewhat technical, I want to give you the information.?

And so he went, explaining that Zimmerman obtained a gun because of a neighbor?s unruly dog and learned from an air marshal friend how to use it correctly. ?He was licensed and responsible,? West said. ?He did have the gun, and thank god.?

Throughout the two-and-a-half hours he spoke, West returned often to Zimmerman?s state of mind.

?George Zimmerman cooperated fully,? West said. ?He answered all the questions as many times as they wanted, as many days as they wanted.? This, he added, despite ?tremendous blows to his face and to his head.?

Zimmerman portrayed little emotion throughout the day. He stared straight ahead, stone-faced through Guy?s remarks and even appeared to be on the verge of dozing off during West?s. He hardly reacted to anything, at any point.

Martin?s mother, however, did react. Sybrina Fulton, after becoming emotional during a brief statement before the trial began, left the courtroom before the 911 call of the gunshot that ended her son?s life. She did not return until after the lunch recess.

West?s argument picked up momentum after the break, especially when he said Martin?s father told an investigator that it was not his son?s voice screaming on the 911 call. That will be a major point of contention, as much will ride on who the jury believes was crying for help in the seconds before Martin was shot.

Also at issue is whether Martin was on top of Zimmerman when the fatal shot was fired. West mentioned several pieces of evidence in his opening remarks?including the can of iced tea found on Martin after the shooting?to suggest Zimmerman was in a prone position. The lack of blood on Martin?s hands, noted in the state?s attorney?s remarks, was explained by the wet conditions and perhaps a medical examiner?s mistakes. As for the absence of Martin?s DNA? West said that ?doesn?t necessarily prove anything.? West even closed by countering the prosecution?s statement that Martin was unarmed.

?What the evidence will show you,? West said, ?is that?s not true. Mr. Martin armed himself with the concrete sidewalk. That is a deadly weapon.?

It left the jury with at least the idea that Martin, not Zimmerman, was the aggressor. And it was a sure signal that in such a sobering and troubling trial, there will be no more canned jokes.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/profanity-theatrics-joke-day-1-george-zimmerman-murder-212736939.html

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Cheapflights: Top 10 Scenic Outdoor Music Venues

With the summer solstice here, now is the time many cultures actively embrace and celebrate live music. The lingering daylight and sultry evenings are prime time for outdoor concerts, and nothing amplifies the experience more than a breathtakingly beautiful setting. Read on for Cheapflights.com's venues of choice for settling in for a show, whether by a rock legend, local musicians and or full symphony, surrounded by some of the best nature, history and culture have to offer in terms of ambiance.

• Red Rocks, Morrison, Colorado, United States

  More than a mile high and forged by over 160 million years of shifting sands and sandstone, Red Rocks is an amphitheater like no other. The natural acoustics, amazing surrounding landscape and big sky vistas combine to make a concert setting as truly outdoors as possible. And, if the star power coming from the sky isn?t enough of a draw, the star power on stage will get you. Imagine a line-up of intimate (fewer than 10,000 people and seats as close as 10 feet from the stage) shows from Sting, Darius Rucker, Big Head Todd, Widespread Panic, Robert Plant, the Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, BB King and Peter Frampton and George Thorogood as your summer?s entertainment. That?s just a sampling of what?s on tap at Red Rocks in 2013. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-colorado/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to Colorado</a>.

• Slane Castle, County Meath, Ireland

  Along the shores of the River Boyne, 30 minutes north of Dublin, lies Slane Castle, the ancestral home of the Conyngham family. For over 300 years, that family has called the castle home but, for the last 30 plus years, so has rock and roll. Starting with Thin Lizzy in 1981, concerts in a natural amphitheater in the shadow of the castle have been a summer tradition at Slane. Now crowds of 80,000 people flock to the 1,500 acre estate for majestic shows from classic bands like the Rolling Stones (2007) to more modern favorites like Oasis (2009) and Kings of Leon (2011). This summer Bon Jovi will grace the grounds, giving audiences a mix of classic rock and regal living. U2 is best able to attest to life at the castle, having performed there three times and even lived and recorded there during the making of ?The Unforgettable Fire.? That?s what we call proof that U2 is music royalty in Ireland. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-ireland/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to Ireland</a>.

• Th??tre Antique d?Orange, Orange, France

  This classic Roman amphitheater showcases the setting and acoustics of the ancients. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Th??tre Antique features an incredibly preserved stage wall that bore witness to the shows of Roman times. Now the 100 meter (328 foot) long, 37 meter (120 foot) high wall serves as the backdrop to an annual opera festival, the Chor?gies d?Orange, and a diverse and international music line-up ranging from The Cure in 1986 to DJ Laurent Wolf?s 2009 ?Wash My World Festival? to upcoming shows by Chinese piano icon Lang Land and Italian opera duo Patrizia Ciofi and Leo Nucci. Audiences enjoy the excellent sound quality projected from the wall and marvel over the statue of Apollo at center stage and the columns and complex array of theater entrances and structures that date back thousands of years. The setting brings added resonance to the big voices (and names) it hosts. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-france/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to France</a>.

• The Gorge Amphitheater, George, Washington, United States

  The Columbia River canyon, the Cascade Mountains and The Who. That?s what you get as a show sitting on the lawn at The Gorge Amphitheater. The simple stage and hillside seating make it clear the scenery, a sweeping vista down Columbia River with a backdrop of the Cascade Mountains, and the music are the draws. The Who is just one of many big names to perform backed up by the gorgeous view. The Gorge has hosted everyone from David Bowie to the Dave Mathews Band and been the site of numerous festivals, including Lilith Fair and Lollapalooza. Look for John Mayer, Phish and Black Sabbath, among others, this summer. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-washington-state/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to Washington</a>.

• Dalhalla, R?ttvik, Sweden

  It seems fitting that Earth, Wind and Fire is one of the acts coming to Dalhalla this summer. This limestone quarry turned music venue is another great example of the elements delivering a natural stage. Thanks to a meteorite strike that made the region ripe with limestone and 50 years of excavation, a perfectly shaped acoustic bowl emerged. Now crowds descend into the 55 meter (180 foot) deep, 400 meter (,1300 foot) long hole for the ultimate in surround sound experiences. The dramatic layers of rock that rise above just add to the visual effect. Look for Toto, Sting and Patti Smith to add their music to the mix this summer as well. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-sweden/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to Sweden</a>.

• Kootenay Lake, Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada

  Here?s a venue you won?t find every day. In fact, it only exists for a three-day music festival held each August. The stage for the Kaslo Jazz Festival floats just off the beach on a serene lakefront, with deep blue water, bobbing boats and even some distant hilltops as a backdrop. With attendees lounging in beach chairs or swimming around the stage, the whole event has a casual summertime feel. However, when the musicians take to the floating stage, the energy spikes and the crowd dives into the music as well. With performances from the likes of Tiempo Libre, Dave Brubeck and a host of other jazz, funk and blues performers, the festival (now in its 22nd year) offers a great combination of setting and sound. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-british-columbia/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to British Columbia</a>.

• Sarawak Cultural Village, Kuching, Borneo, Malaysia

  This outdoor museum is a living exhibit of the many tribes and cultures of Malaysia. Visitors can explore the homes and lifestyles of various native populations in this ethnically diverse region and are treated to daily dance and music performances. However, the biggest show is the annual Rainforest World Music Festival. For three days, the chance to see and explore cultures at the Sarawak Cultural Village goes global as music groups from Ireland, Korea, South Africa, Australia, Colombia and elsewhere take to the stage. Festival goers feast on the native rhythms from every corner of the world. And they do so deep in the rainforest of Borneo. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-malaysia/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to Malaysia</a>.

• Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens, Greece

  Built initially between 160 and 174 AD by Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, this amphitheater on the southern slope of the Acropolis is a storied as well as scenic venue. For more than 1,500 years, the Roman-style marble theater was little more than a ruin, damaged by fire and buried under farmland. However, as modern Greece emerged, so too did the Herodeon, as it is often called. Extensively restored in the middle of the 20th century, the Herodeon is a center piece of the annual Athens Festival, a summer long program of arts and entertainment dating back to 1955. In addition to hosting a summer of classical, jazz and folk performers for the Athens Festival including, this year, the Greek National Opera as well as Diana Krall and Haris Alexiou, the reborn ruin has been center stage for a number of historic music moments. Elton John, Sting, Yanni and Andrea Boccelli have all performed major events here in the shadow of the Acropolis. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-greece/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to Greece</a>.

• Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY, United States

  An iconic landmark for Long Island and the greater New York area, this waterfront amphitheater once had a true standout stage. It was on an island all its own with a moat separating the audience from the performers. A boat had to deliver the stars of the show to perform. The moat has since been filled in, but the feeling of seeing a show with the waves lapping at your feet remains. The Jones Beach Theater is part of the Jones Beach Park, a stretch of protected beaches just 33 miles (or a subway ride) from Manhattan. It features expansive views of picturesque Long Island Sound and the Atlantic as well as good acoustics for all 15,000 seats. And, in true New York style, even after taking a severe blow from Hurricane Sandy last fall, the show will go on at Jones Beach. The restoration efforts wrapped up just in time for the opening of the 2013 season. Expect to take in Fleetwood Mac, One Direction, Lil? Wayne and Train along with the view this summer. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-new-york/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to New York</a>.

• Ushua?a Beach Hotel, Ibiza, Spain

  There is a lot of scenery on this Spanish island, where the hot Mediterranean sun blazes. A renowned party spot, Ibiza is a mix of blue waters, stunning sunsets, big rock faces, large yachts and scantily clad tourists. In the midst of this scene lies Ushua?a Beach Hotel. Steps from the beach, the hotel features a courtyard with a giant asymmetrical pool and a stage that, from early afternoon, pulses with electronic music. A mix of local artists and DJs keeps the party going all summer with a dancing crowd surging every corner of the pool deck and the balconies of the overlooking hotel rooms. The high tech light show often keeps going until the rising sun takes over. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-spain/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to Spain</a>. Photo credit: Ushuaia Ibiza Beach Hotel/Palladium Hotel Group

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Obama leaves Kenya off itinerary for Africa trip

WASHINGTON (AP) ? When President Barack Obama arrives in Africa this week, there will be one notable omission from his travel itinerary: Kenya, the birthplace of his father and home to many of his relatives.

Concerns about Kenya's political situation have trumped Obama's family ties. Kenya's new president is facing charges of crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court, accused of orchestrating the violence that marred the country's 2007 election.

Ahead of Uhuru Kenyatta's victory earlier this year, a top Obama administration official warned Kenyans that their "choices have consequences" ? a remark that now appears prescient given the president's decision to skip a stop in his ancestral homeland.

"The optics of that, of a presidential trip, are not what he wants to be demonstrating right now," said Jennifer Cooke, Africa director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The president will instead visit Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania, all countries that fit more neatly into the democracy and good governance message he'll tout during his weeklong trip. Obama, along with first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha, is scheduled to depart Washington Wednesday morning.

The White House did consider a visit to Kenya when they contemplated an African swing during the president's first term, before Kenyatta's election. That trip never happened, but Obama pledged that he would, in fact, visit Kenya before leaving office.

"I'm positive that before my service as president is completed I will visit Kenya again," he said in a 2010 interview with Kenya's state broadcaster.

White House officials say they respect the right of Kenyans to choose their own leaders. But deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said the U.S. also has "a commitment to accountability and justice."

"Given the fact that Kenya is in the aftermath of their election and the new government has come into place and is going to be reviewing these issues with the ICC and the international community, it just wasn't the best time for the president to travel to Kenya," Rhodes said.

Kenya's government has been muted in its response to the president's decision to leave the county off his itinerary.

"It's for the Americans to decide where Obama goes," spokesman Muthui Kariuki said. "There are 54 nations on the African continent and he's only visiting three, so I don't see the real big deal about not going to Kenya."

But Sam Ochieng, a political activitist who lives in Kibera, Nairobi's largest slum, said the U.S. president was sending a message about Kenya's political problems by putting democratic values ahead of his personal connections.

"It would be a shame for an American president to come to Kenya and shake dirty hands," Ochieng said.

By now, Obama's ties with Kenya are a well-known part of his unique family history. Barack Obama, Sr. was born in the western Kenyan village of Kogelo, moved to the U.S. to study, and met and married the president's mother in Hawaii. He left the family soon after his son was born.

Obama made his first trip to Kenya in 1988, after his father's death, and wrote extensively about the visit in his memoir "Dreams From My Father."

"My name belonged and so I belonged, drawn into a web of relationships, alliances and grudges that I did not yet understand," he wrote.

The president visited Kenya two more times, most recently in 2006 as a freshman senator. He was greeted by cheering crowds in the capital of Nairobi and in Kogelo, where he spent time with his grandmother and visited his father's grave. He and wife Michelle Obama also publicly took HIV tests, part of their campaign at the time to reduce the stigma surrounding the virus.

But Obama's nationally televised speech criticizing the government for failing to curb corruption or instill trust in its people earned him a cold shoulder from Kenya's leadership. Kenya's presidential spokesman said at the time that Obama was ignorant of Kenyan politics and had yet to form an understanding of foreign policy.

Kenya is an important strategic partner for the U.S. in East Africa. But the recent election has complicated the relationship.

Johnnie Carson, who until April served as head of the State Department's Africa bureau, said in the lead-up to this year's election that "choices have consequences," a comment that was viewed as a warning against electing Kenyatta. His remarks were widely criticized as an inappropriate intrusion into a sovereign nation's elections.

Kenyatta, the son of the country's first president, has been charged by the ICC as an "indirect co-perpetrator" for the crimes of murder, deportation, rape, persecution and inhumane acts allegedly committed by his supporters in the aftermath of the 2007 elections. He insists he is innocent of any wrongdoing.

More than 1,000 people were killed in the ethnic violence that followed the flawed 2007 contest.

The ICC has pushed back the start of Kenyatta's trial until Nov. 12. Kenyan deputy president William Ruto will also face similar charges at the international court in September.

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Associated Press writer Jason Straziuso in Nairobi contributed to this report.

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

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-24-US-Obama-Africa/id-bf7abeaa7ab449d4bbef103b32088091

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Insurance fraud highest for cars ? Bankrate, Inc.

Insurance fraud seems to be on the rise when assessing the data on so-called questionable claims by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and car claims are the culprit.

In its 2013 report, the NICB said that questionable claims had increased 27 percent in the past three years. Of the various insurance types, the "personal automobile" category had the highest incidence of claims by far -- 209,724 questionable claims versus just 40,747 questionable claims for the "personal property/homeowners" category, which came in second.

The top five reasons for the questionable claims were: faked/exaggerated injury, 50,472; questionable auto/boat/heavy equipment theft, 35,508; prior loss/damage, 29,646; fictitious loss, 29,017; and suspicious theft/loss nonvehicle, 24,867. Defrauding insurance companies with fake or exaggerated claims is often cited as a reason for increasing car insurance rates.

California had the most questionable claims, followed by Florida, Texas, New York and Maryland. The top five cities with the most questionable claims encompassed those states, but didn't align directly with the state rank. The city with the most questionable claims was New York City followed by Los Angeles, Miami, Houston and Baltimore.

Tara Baukus Mello writes the cars blog as well as the weekly Driving for Dollars column, providing both practical financial advice for consumers as well as insight into the latest developments in the automotive world. Follow her on Facebook here or on Twitter @SheDrives.

Source: http://www.bankrate.com/financing/cars/insurance-fraud-highest-for-cars/

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