Former US soldier accused of fighting with al Qaeda group in Syria

via YouTube

Video of US Army veteran Eric Harroun filming militants celebrating a crashed helicopter was cited in the FBI affadavit. This clip has not been edited or verified by NBC News.

By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News

A former U.S. soldier has been charged with fighting with an al Qaeda group in Syria after allegedly posting photographs of himself posing with military hardware on the internet, officials said in a statement.

Eric Harroun, 30, of Phoenix, Ariz., was accused of using a rocket-propelled grenade while fighting with the al-Nusrah Front, an alias of al Qaeda in Iraq, according to a statement issued on Thursday by the U.S. Attorney?s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia.

?Harroun, a U.S. citizen who served with the U. S. Army from 2000 to 2003, was charged by criminal complaint with conspiring to use a destructive device outside of the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, if convicted,? the statement said.

?According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Harroun allegedly crossed into Syria in January 2013 and fought with members of the al-Nusrah Front against the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria,? it added. ?The affidavit alleges that Harroun was trained to use an RPG by members of the terrorist organization and that he fired an RPG and posted online multiple photographs of himself carrying or posing with RPGs and other military weapons.?

?Harroun allegedly participated in attacks led by the al-Nusrah Front and was part of an RPG team, for which he carried anti-personnel and anti-armor rockets,? it said.

600 terrorist attacks
Al Qaeda in Iraq has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization since October 2004.

?The al-Nusrah Front is one of several aliases used by the 'al Qa?ida in Iraq' terrorist organization, and since November 2011 the group has claimed responsibility for nearly 600 terrorist attacks in Syria,? the statement said.

U.S. officials have called for Assad to step down in Syria and have offered non-lethal support to the rebels, but there is concern about militant groups like al Qaeda affiliates fighting alongside other rebel forces.

Israel fears al Qaeda elements will establish themselves close to the border and threaten to fire chemical weapons and long-range rockets captured from the Syrian army into Israel.

The statement said Harroun appeared in a federal court in Alexandria, Va., Thursday.

Harroun was arrested on Wednesday upon returning to the United States at an airport outside Washington, Reuters said. He has a hearing scheduled for Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

He was medically discharged from the army after being injured in a car accident, according to an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint, Reuters reported.

The criminal charge of "conspiring to use a destructive device outside of the United States" carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Harroun appeared in two videos that indicated he was engaged in military action with rebel forces against the Syrian government, Reuters reported. In one video, he said: "Bashar al-Assad, your days are numbered. ... Where(ever) you go we will find you and kill you," according to the affidavit.

In March, the FBI conducted three voluntary interviews of Harroun at the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, during which he stated that he wanted to fight with the Free Syrian Army against the Assad regime, the affidavit added.

Harroun allegedly told the FBI that during his fighting in Syria he shot about 10 people but did not know whether he killed any of them, the affidavit said, according to Reuters. He also said he hated al Qaeda and did not know any al Qaeda members, the affidavit said. On Wednesday in the United States, the FBI conducted another voluntary interview during which Harroun allegedly said that he knew the al-Nusrah Front had been designated a terrorist organization, according to the affidavit.

The U.S. Attorney's office said a lawyer would be appointed for Harroun, Reuters reported.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Twice-threatened Ohio base gets new mission, jobs

MANSFIELD, Ohio (AP) -- An Air National Guard base that has faced possible closure twice in the past eight years will get about 200 new jobs ? a move that a base commander and area officials attribute largely to community support.

Officials have been waiting for some good news for a long time, Col. Gary McCue, commander of the 179th Airlift Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard based in Mansfield in north-central Ohio, told the Mansfield News Journal. "Community support is really what did it," combined with the work of Ohio members of Congress, he said.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown announced Thursday that the airlift wing, which was included on a list of air guard bases around the country facing cuts as recently as last year, would be getting a new mission and eight C-130H planes from the Air Force, resulting in around 180 new jobs.

The base was faced with possible closure last year after the federal budget for 2013 recommended cutting the nation's fleet of C-27J military aircraft as part of a plan that would cut 200 planes from 60 military installations in 33 states. Those cuts included four C-27J Spartan cargo planes and could have eliminated an estimated 800 jobs.

The 179th will still lose the four C-27J planes. But under the plan announced Thursday, the Air Force will ship the eight large transport planes to the base, and that means more personnel. The first of the planes are expected to arrive by September.

Economic development officials said residents and private and public officials in Mansfield and Richland County worked hard to save the base.

"The whole community rallied behind the base, and we were able to get over 20,000 emails to Congress in support of it," Bridget McDaniel, executive director of the Richland Community Development Group, said Friday.

Brown a Democrat who was born and raised in Mansfield, said Thursday that the base "will be alive and well," The Columbus Dispatch reported.

The initial plan to make cuts at the base drew objections from Brown and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and was an issue in the 2012 presidential race. President Barack Obama pledged last year to find a new mission for the base, and Brown said the president kept that commitment.

Portman said in a release Thursday that "it's been a long fight to show the White House that getting rid of the 179th was the wrong decision."

McCue says the additions will push the number of employees up to about 850, with most of the new jobs being part-time in the areas of operations and maintenance.

Tim Bowersock, economic development director for the city of Mansfield, said Friday that the base has an annual economic impact of about $45 million on the region, including items such as salaries, taxes and spending. The city has a population of about 48,000 residents, with about 126,000 residents countywide.

Bowersock says community officials are pleased about the additional jobs, but also the new mission "helps ensure that the base is going to stay."

McCue told the News Journal that "we will never consider ourselves completely safe," but added that "the morale here is very high."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/twice-threatened-ohio-gets-mission-173031880.html

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Samsung Galaxy S 4 hits the FCC in MetroPCS and Sprint forms

Get ready for a small deluge of Galaxy S 4 filings at the FCC in the near future. Just a couple of weeks after Samsung's flagship hit the US agency in its international guise, we're now seeing the first US editions of the smartphone receive approval, starting with both MetroPCS (SCH-R970) and Sprint (SPH-L720) examples. Either has CDMA, EV-DO and LTE, although there's variances you'll want to watch for if you're free to choose between carriers: the Sprint version has HSPA 3G for world roaming, while the MetroPCS model drops HSPA but has a broad four bands of LTE meant mostly to support other mid-size American networks, like US Cellular. We still have AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon to go among the bigger US providers supporting the GS4, although it's just a matter of time before their models make FCC appearances.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, Sprint

Comments

Source: FCC (1), (2)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/27/samsung-galaxy-s-4-hits-the-fcc-in-metropcs-and-sprint-forms/

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Bradley Cooper Is Hotter Than Ever! See His Sexiest Shots

Those baby blues! His pearly whites! Take a look at sizzling photos of the hunky star, who hits theaters again on March 29 in The Place Beyond The Pines.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/hot-photos-bradley-cooper/1-b-403187?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Ahot-photos-bradley-cooper-403187

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The Climate Crisis: Breaking the Fossil Fuel Habit - Boston University

In this weeklong series, BU researchers explore the science behind Earth?s environmental changes, and what they mean for our future.

Think of it as worldwide addiction. At least 80 percent of the energy people use to drive, heat their homes, and power gadgets comes from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, and the consumption of all of the above contributes to global warming.

Kicking that addiction will be hard. Cutler Cleveland, a College of Arts & Sciences professor of earth and environment and director of the Center for Energy & Environmental Studies, says the transition from fossil fuels to low-carbon alternatives like wind, solar, and nuclear power will require speedy technological advancement, huge capital investments, and the political?and personal?will of ordinary people. Cleveland, who has written or edited six books on ecological economics and energy transitions and is the founding editor-in-chief of the online reference source Encyclopedia of Earth, is convinced that if we hope to ?avert the more dire scenarios, there needs to be radical surgery now.?

Cutler Cleveland, a CAS professor of earth and environment, says the time is now to convert to alternative energies. Photo by Christine Ward

Cleveland?s convictions come not only from his own research, but also from a series of eight seminars that brought environmental experts from universities in the United States and Europe to BU throughout the 2010?2011 academic year. The John E. Sawyer Seminars on Energy and Society were sponsored by the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future and supported by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

?We will have to engineer the transition,? says Cleveland. ?And we?ve never really done that in the history of humanity.?

Some countries, however, have done better than others. In 2011, China invested $51 billion in alternative energy technologies and led the world in renewable power capacity with 70 total gigawatts, according to the international nonprofit Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century. That same year, the United States put $48 billion in such technologies and achieved total generation of 68 gigawatts. Germany, the third greatest investor in alternatives, spent $31 billion and reached total capacity of 61 gigawatts. Most other countries lagged far behind. No country has sworn off fossil fuels.

Germany?s production of alternative energy, which provides nearly 11 percent of the country?s energy needs, leads G-20 (a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 major economies) members, states a 2012 report by the National Resources Defense Council. Indonesia follows, with roughly 6 percent, and next is the United Kingdom, at about 4 percent. The United States came in seventh, with only 3 percent of its electricity coming from renewables.

Worldwide investment in solar power has increased sharply in recent years, including in places like Israel, where the Arava Power Company, headed by Yosef Abramowitz (CAS?87), installed 18,500 photovoltaic panels. Photo courtesy of Arava Power Company

Cleveland?s research suggests that not a single country will flip its dependency completely to renewables within the next 50 years. Still, he says, there is encouraging growth in some sectors. Government subsidies and technological improvements in the manufacture of turbines have lowered the cost of wind energy, so that it now competes with energy produced by natural gas and burning coal. But solar, which has also benefited from subsidies and technological advancements, and wind account for only a couple of percentage points of total power generation in the world.

And while the federal government has not established benchmarks for wind and solar production, many states have. Here in Massachusetts, the legislature passed the Green Communities Act in 2008, requiring that 15 percent of the commonwealth?s electricity come from renewable energy by 2020. Massachusetts plans to generate 2,000 megawatts of wind energy within the next seven years and 250 megawatts of solar power by 2017. While far from reaching its wind energy goal, the commonwealth reports that it?s 90 percent of the way to accomplishing its solar goal. The commitments have helped Massachusetts tie with Texas for fifth place nationally in a 2012 Ernst & Young report on promising renewable energy markets.

A look at world energy consumption by fuel type in 2010. Source: Energy Transitions by Cutler Cleveland

Nuclear power, another low-carbon energy source, currently provides 3 percent of the world?s energy, Cleveland says, but its hazardous waste disposal and safety risks make it less desirable than wind and solar. ?Nuclear energy has a higher life-cycle cost than wind and fossil fuel, because it?s very capital-intensive,? he says. ?A routinely operated nuclear plant is benign, compared to a coal plant, but it does have this small possibility of going Fukushima on you.?

The United States has 65 operating nuclear power plants, most of them concentrated along the East Coast and in the Midwest and all of them built more than 30 years ago. Cleveland says that makes planning a new one relatively unknown territory, because there are no current price comparisons. It?s also politically risky, as most communities don?t want one in their backyard and are hesitant to adopt a technology that produces radioactive waste with a half-life of thousands of years.

Biomass?such as switch grass, corn, or sugar cane converted to biofuel?is another alternative source of energy, but Cleveland is discouraged by the carbon exchange of the biomass process. ?It involves removing vegetation from the Earth?s surface,? he says, ?and humanity has a very poor track record of causing lots of other environmental problems when you start monkeying with changing land cover.? As a source, he prefers energy-rich sugar cane to corn-based ethanol, because corn is grown industrially with large inputs of oil, which increases carbon emissions.

A look at world renewable energy consumption in 2010. Source: Energy Transitions by Cutler Cleveland

?When you compare the energy in the ethanol and all the energy it took? to plant, cultivate, transport, and process it, ?it?s only a very modest win,? he says. ?It?s certainly way less than the energy gain you get from just producing oil directly from crude.?

What does Cleveland?s research tell him about the best way to break the fossil fuel habit? The first step, he says, should be using fossil fuels to build a sustainable energy infrastructure. ?You need to shift away from coal and oil to natural gas in the short run, and probably leave a lot of coal in the Earth?s crust,? he says. ?And you need to use fossil fuel to radically ramp up renewables and/or nuclear.?

That means ?sticks and carrots, a lot of them,? he says. ?If you want the transition to happen faster than it otherwise would, you?re going to have to alter incentives. And you?re going to have to change the price of carbon.?

Gas tax hikes, like the one Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick recently proposed, or divestment from fossil fuels are moves in the right direction. Cleveland thinks federal legislation taxing carbon or an international cap-and-trade system would put a bigger dent in emissions.

Finally, he says, politicians have to address the ?third rail of U.S. energy policy??demand. People need to know that their choices can have a negative impact on the environment. ?Living 30 miles from home and driving a Hummer to work alone in the morning is probably one of the most absurd, extravagant behaviors,? he says. ?We?ll look back and say, ?Oh my God!? The excesses of the Romans will look like Romper Room.? Commuters can do that only because ?energy is dirt cheap. People are going to in the long run live closer to where they work and play.?

And perhaps more people should start thinking like Howard T. Odum, Cleveland says. The ecologist and author of A Prosperous Way Down argues that to survive, the human species must learn how to decline prosperously.

?No one wants to think that way, because we connect happiness and well-being with increases in the physical consumption of goods and services,? Cleveland says. ?It?s a conversation that should be had, but good luck getting elected on that platform.?

The Climate Crisis

Tomorrow, in part five of our series, professors of environment and economics discuss how taking action to mitigate climate change could affect the economy.

Source: http://www.bu.edu/today/2013/the-climate-crisis-breaking-the-fossil-fuel-habit/

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Netflix Goes Sci-Fi With Its Next Original Series, Sense8

Hot on the heels of Netflix's original series House Of Cards, the company hasannounced that it will release a new sci-fi TV series to the platform called Sense8. The show is being developed under the guidance of the Wachowskis, who are responsible for smash hits like the Matrix series of films, V for Vendetta, Cloud Atlas and Speed Racer, as well as J. Michael Straczynski who is the creator behind Changeling, Thor, and Babylon 5.

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

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GM in next phase of hoped for Buick revival

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stop me if you've heard this one before: There's this famous car brand whose average driver is more familiar with Social Security than social media.

General Motors Co. will make another attempt to get Buick to appeal to younger buyers with freshened up versions of the Regal midsize sports sedan and the LaCrosse large luxury car. GM unveiled the pair Tuesday ahead of the New York auto show.

Youth has been the theme of several of Buick marketing campaigns during the last three decades, with famous pitchmen from Tiger Woods to Shaquille O'Neal. Sales have even risen recently after a dramatic and lengthy decline. But even with that recent success, odds are against GM making Buick a go-to option for large numbers of drivers below the age of 40.

Buick, once coveted for its understated elegance, used to be a dominant brand. In 1984, GM sold 942,000 Buicks in the U.S., according to Ward's AutoInfoBank. But many Buick buyers died, and younger people opted for SUVs and cooler European cars. Sales tumbled, bottoming out at just over 102,000 in 2009. GM only kept the brand alive because it became a huge seller in China.

The company doesn't expect Buick sales to approach 900,000 per year again. But executives say they can still make a lot of money selling the higher-priced luxury vehicles with lower sales numbers.

GM is giving the LaCrosse a more sculpted, modern look. It gets updated LED daytime running lamps and tail lights and a larger front grille. On the inside, it gets new, more supportive seats and a modernized center stack with fewer buttons than the current car. The interior will have more of a luxury feeling to differentiate it from the sportier Regal.

The Regal gets similar cosmetic changes on the outside. Inside, more supportive seats and a simpler dashboard and center console give it a sportier look. GM's 2.4-liter four-cylinder "e-Assist" engine, with a small electric motor that helps boost gas mileage, becomes standard. A new, more powerful version of GM's 2-Liter turbocharged engine, with 259 horsepower, is in the sportier models, the turbo and GS.

GM says the Regal will be more responsive, refined and efficient than the previous model.

The LaCrosse goes on sale late this summer and the Regal comes out in the fall. Prices and gas mileage weren't released, but GM hinted at efficiency and price increases. The current Regal starts at $29,015, while the LaCrosse starts at $31,660.

The LaCrosse, a new model in 2009, and the Regal, new in 2010, have helped Buick's sales rise during the past three years, and reached 180,000 in 2012. Other catalysts were the new Verano, a compact based on the Chevrolet Cruze, and the Enclave, a big crossover SUV, that got a facelift last year. Also, Buick's new Encore small SUV is just starting to hit showrooms.

The new products have helped to change Buick's demographics. In 2006, Buick buyers on average had celebrated 64 birthdays. Last year that fell to 57, according to the company. The average car buyer in the U.S. is 52, according to the TrueCar.com auto pricing site.

Tony DiSalle, vice president of Buick marketing in the U.S., said Buick was the only luxury brand to lower its average age in the past five years. The Verano has helped ? small cars tend to draw younger buyers. But Buick still wants to catch more people in their 40s. Regal buyers, on average, were 55 last year, according to the Polk research firm. The average age of a LaCrosse buyer was almost 63.

But the new cars haven't helped Buick sales keep up with the industry. Last year, Buick sales grew only 1.6 percent while total U.S. auto sales rose 13 percent. Spokesman Nick Richards blames the slow growth on a cut in low-profit sales to fleet buyers such as rental car companies as GM tries to boost the brand's resale values. He says retail sales to individual buyers rose about 6 percent.

So far this year, though, sales are up 22 percent, DiSalle said. The brand, he said, now has five models to sell, when last year at this time it had only three. "We certainly have the ability here to go to market with broader market coverage," he said.

Still, Buick's models combined were outsold last year by single models from other automakers. Ford, for instance, sold just over 241,000 Fusion midsize cars last year, beating Buick by itself. But Buick did outsell some competing luxury brands including Acura, Infiniti and Lincoln.

Four years ago, Buick's future was in doubt. Members of the Obama administration's autos task force thought about getting rid of Buick during GM's government-funded trip through bankruptcy court. But the brand survived because of a strong following in China. Chinese drivers bought more than 700,000 Buicks last year, up 8 percent from 2011.

In the U.S., Buick likely won't approach those numbers because the stodgy image clings to the brand.

"The vehicles themselves are very suited for young driving habits. Good fuel economy, performance, nice looking," said Rebecca Lindland, owner of Rebel Three Consulting of Greenwich, Conn.

"But it's still not cool to be in a bar and say you have a Buick."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gm-next-phase-hoped-buick-070157837.html

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Justin Bieber Accused of Battery, Involved in "Intense" Altercation

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/justin-bieber-accused-of-battery-involved-in-intense-altercation/

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Justin Timberlake tops UK chart with first album in seven years

LONDON (Reuters) - Justin Timberlake's first album for seven years, "The 20/20 Experience", has soared straight to the top of the UK charts in its first week of release, knocking David Bowie's "The Next Day" down to second place.

But the Official Charts Company, which compiles the weekly rundown, said Timberlake's single, "Mirrors," was knocked into second place by the Anglo-Irish pop group The Saturday.

The Saturdays had their first number one single on the British charts with "What About Us", a collaboration with Jamaican singer Sean Paul.

The London-based five-piece have had 11 hits in Britain since they were formed in 2007, but had never before taken the top spot.

Holding on to third place were U.S. singers Pink and Nate Ruess with their track "Just Give Me A Reason".

American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars was a non-mover at number four with "When I Was Your Man", while London band Bastille were steady at five with "Pompeii".

Timberlake's third solo album sold almost 106,000 copies which was more than the top five combined.

This was enough to topple Bowie who returned to the top of the British album charts last week for the first time in 20 years with a collection of new recordings acclaimed by one critic as the "greatest comeback in rock'n'roll history".

"The Next Day", recorded in secret over two years, sold over 94,000 copies in its first week on release.

English indie band Suede was the second highest new entry in the album charts reaching No. 10 with "Bloodsports", their sixth studio album while singer-songwriter Billy Bragg came in at No.13 with "Tooth & Nail."

(Reporting by Peter Griffiths; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/justin-timberlake-tops-uk-chart-first-album-seven-113722602.html

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NEW YORK SUN: Sequester Joe Biden. ?Vice President Biden?s hotel bill in Paris ? the Drudge Re?

NEW YORK SUN: Sequester Joe Biden. ?Vice President Biden?s hotel bill in Paris ? the Drudge Report headlines it at $585,000.50 for a night at the Intercontinental, not including the ride in from the airport ? is prompting the futureofcapitalism.com to wonder why Amtrak?s most famous passenger failed to stay at the sprawling palace that serves as the residence of the American ambassador in the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honor?. A good question, to which we?d add our own: What was Mr. Biden, whose only constitutional duty is to serve in the Senate as its president, doing in Paris in the first place??

Good question.

Posted by Glenn Reynolds at 7:48 am

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pjmedia/instapundit/~3/Itnqu_eC9EU/

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T-Mobile takes its UnCarrier plans live earlier than expected

T-Mobile must not want to wait for a special event to lure customers through its doors: it just launched its revamped, decidedly UnCarrier-like plans a couple of days early. As became clearer this weekend, unlimited voice, text and basic data are now things you can take for granted on Magenta's network. It's only the cap on throttle-free data that determines how much you pay: rates sold through T-Mobile itself start at $50 for a basic 500MB of online use and climb in steady 2GB increments that each cost an extra $10 per month, up to a total of 12.5GB for $110. You can still get truly unlimited service if you want, for $70 -- although you'll have to bolt on a separate hotspot plan that the capped tiers get for free. Costs at resellers are expected to run slightly higher, but it's still clear that T-Mobile is aggressively courting those of us who see internet access as the very reason to have a smartphone in the first place.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile

Comments

Via: TmoNews (Twitter), The Verge

Source: T-Mobile

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/24/t-mobile-takes-its-uncarrier-plans-live-a-bit-early/

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Rush Limbaugh loves iMore!

Today on his talk show Rush Limbaugh was asked to name some of his favorite tech sites, and guess which site he named first? You're absolutely right, our very own iMore! Here's the excerpt from Limbaugh's blog:

iMore.com. That's run by a guy named Rene Ritchie. I think he's out of Canada, but this site, in addition to keeping you up-to-speed on everything happening with Apple, will offer you excellent tips on using Apple products, both the mobile and desktop.

Thank you! For the complete transcript, check out the link below.

Source: Rush Limbaugh

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/W9ZaPR4Eppg/story01.htm

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Physical activity during youth may help reduce fracture risk in old age

Mar. 23, 2013 ? Get out there and regularly kick that soccer ball around with your kids, you may be helping them prevent a broken hip when they are older, say researchers presenting their work at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day in Chicago, IL.

"According to our study, exercise interventions in childhood may be associated with lower fracture risks as people age, due to the increases in peak bone mass that occurs in growing children who perform regular physical activity," said lead author, Bjorn Rosengren, MD, PhD of Skane University Hospital, Malmo, Sweden.

Rosengren and his colleagues conducted a population-based controlled exercise intervention for six years in children age 7-9 years in Malmo, Sweden. In the intervention group 362 girls and 446 boys received 40 minutes of daily physical education at school. The control group of 780 girls and 807 boys received 60 minutes of physical education per week. Researchers registered incident fractures in all participants and followed skeletal development annually. During the time of the study there were 72 fractures in the intervention group and 143 in the control group resulting in similar fracture risks. The increase in spine bone mineral density was higher in both the boys and girls in the intervention group.

During this same time, researchers performed a retrospective cross-sectional study of 709 former male athletes with a mean age of 69 years and 1,368 matched controls with a mean age of 70 years to determine how many had suffered fractures and rates of bone density loss. Within the former athletes group, bone mass density dropped only minimally from +1.0 to +0.7 standard deviations compared to the control group.

"Increased activity in the younger ages helped induce higher bone mass and improve skeletal size in girls without increasing the fracture risk. Our study highlights yet another reason why kids need to get regular daily exercise to improve their health both now and in the future," said Rosengren.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/Gkad6HDjMcs/130323152440.htm

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Reward linked to image is enough to activate brain's visual cortex

Friday, March 22, 2013

Once rhesus monkeys learn to associate a picture with a reward, the reward by itself becomes enough to alter the activity in the monkeys' visual cortex. This finding was made by neurophysiologists Wim Vanduffel and John Arsenault (KU Leuven and Harvard Medical School) and American colleagues using functional brain scans and was published recently in the leading journal Neuron.

Our visual perception is not determined solely by retinal activity. Other factors also influence the processing of visual signals in the brain. "Selective attention is one such factor," says Professor Wim Vanduffel. "The more attention you pay to a stimulus, the better your visual perception is and the more effective your visual cortex is at processing that stimulus. Another factor is the reward value of a stimulus: when a visual signal becomes associated with a reward, it affects our processing of that visual signal. In this study, we wanted to investigate how a reward influences activity in the visual cortex."

To do this, the researchers used a variant of Pavlov's well-known conditioning experiment: "Think of Pavlov giving a dog a treat after ringing a bell. The bell is the stimulus and the food is the reward. Eventually the dogs learned to associate the bell with the food and salivated at the sound of the bell alone. Essentially, Pavlov removed the reward but kept the stimulus. In this study, we removed the stimulus but kept the reward."

In the study, the rhesus monkeys first encountered images projected on a screen followed by a juice reward (classical conditioning). Later, the monkeys received juice rewards while viewing a blank screen. fMRI brain scans taken during this experiment showed that the visual cortex of the monkeys was activated by being rewarded in the absence of any image.

Importantly, these activations were not spread throughout the whole visual system but were instead confined to the specific brain regions responsible for processing the exact stimulus used earlier during conditioning. This result shows that information about rewards is being sent to the visual cortex to indicate which stimuli have been associated with rewards.

Equally surprising, these reward-only trials were found to strengthen the cue-reward associations. This is more or less the equivalent to giving Pavlov's dog an extra treat after a conditioning session and noticing the next day that he salivates twice as much as before. More generally, this result suggests that rewards can be associated with stimuli over longer time scales than previously thought.

Why does the visual cortex react selectively in the absence of a visual stimulus on the retina? One potential explanation is dopamine. "Dopamine is a signalling chemical (neurotransmitter) in nerve cells and plays an important role in processing rewards, motivation, and motor functions. Dopamine's role in reward signalling is the reason some Parkinson's patients fall into gambling addiction after taking dopamine-increasing drugs. Aware of dopamine's role in reward, we re-ran our experiments after giving the monkeys a small dose of a drug that blocks dopamine signalling. We found that the activations in the visual cortex were reduced by the dopamine blocker. What's likely happening here is that a reward signal is being sent to the visual cortex via dopamine," says Professor Vanduffel.

The study used fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans to visualise brain activity. fMRI scans map functional activity in the brain by detecting changes in blood flow. The oxygen content and the amount of blood in a given brain area vary according to the brain activity associated with a given task. In this way, task-specific activity can be tracked.

###

The full text of the study "Dopaminergic reward signals selectively decrease fMRI activity in primate visual cortex" is available on the Neuron website: http://www.cell.com/neuron/abstract/S0896-6273(13)00052-4?utm_source=ECE001&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&bid=BKXPH4F:90EZ4

KU Leuven: http://www.kuleuven.be

Thanks to KU Leuven for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127410/Reward_linked_to_image_is_enough_to_activate_brain_s_visual_cortex

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Video: PFT Live: Bears mishandled Urlacher situation

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/51291992#51291992

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Fox Chase Cancer Center Gives High Schoolers A Taste of Health ...

(Fox Chase Cancer Center. File photo)

By Lynne Adkins

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) ? More than 200 area high school students will learn about careers in health care during an event tomorrow at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

The daylong event will give students a chance to learn, hands on, about careers in caring for cancer patients.

Dr. Alana O?Reilly, assistant professor of cancer biology, says the students will get a firsthand view of diagnostics equipment and procedures such as MRIs and CAT scans, and will try their hand at suturing or robotic surgery ? but working on cantaloupes, bananas, or other fruit.

(Dr. Alana O?Reilly. Photo provided)

?After the clinical careers (discussions), students are going to go to 15 research labs and actually perform experiments that are directed at solving the cancer problem,? Dr. O?Reilly (right) says, ?and they?re also going to learn about behavioral careers and business.?

Fox Chase also offers a ten-week student lab research training course and a summerlong independent research project.

Source: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/03/22/fox-chase-cancer-center-gives-high-schoolers-a-taste-of-health-care-careers/

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Obama names nuclear chief Macfarlane to new term

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama has nominated Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Allison Macfarlane to a new five-year term.

Macfarlane, a geologist, took over the agency last summer after its former chairman, Gregory Jaczko, resigned amid complaints about an unyielding management style that fellow commissioners and agency employees described as bullying.

Macfarlane was initially named to a one-year term that expires in June. Obama named her Thursday to a new five-year term. The appointment requires approval by the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid praised Macfarlane and Reid said she was deeply committed to keeping U.s nuclear plants safe and secure.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-names-nuclear-chief-macfarlane-032553219.html

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A closer look at mass shooting stats

In this Jan. 16, 2013 file photo, President Barack Obama listens as Vice President Joe Biden speaks in the South??Public mass shootings like the slaughter of schoolchildren and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary have left 547 people dead and 476 more injured in the U.S. since 1983, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service.

The CRS study ? which was made public by the Federation of American Scientists ? does not weigh in on whether restricting access to guns or ammunition would prevent future incidents, a cause President Obama has championed since the Newton tragedy in December.

The study ? which counts only the deaths of people other than the shooter or shooters ? shows that mass shootings represent a relatively small proportion of overall deaths by firearms in the United States, the CRS report said. FBI figures show that guns were used to kill 8,583 people in 2011 alone.

?While tragic and shocking, public mass shootings account for few of the murders or non-negligent homicides related to firearms that occur annually in the United States,? the CRS said.

What qualifies as a ?public mass shooting?? CRS defined such incidents as ?occurring in relatively public places, involving four or more deaths?not including the shooter(s)?and gunmen who select victims somewhat indiscriminately.The violence in these cases is not a means to an end?the gunmen do not pursue criminal profit or kill in the name of terrorist ideologies, for example.?

So CRS did not include Army Major Nidal Hasan?s rampage at Fort Hood, which killed 13 and wounded 40 more, since it has been described as a terrorist attack. And the CRS definition excludes drug trafficking and gang activity as well.

The massacre of children seven years old and younger at Sandy Hook sparked a fresh national debate about ways to prevent gun violence. But CRS found that workplaces, not schools, are the most common site for public mass shootings.

Out of the 78 mass shootings CRS identified since 1983, 26 occurred ?at workplaces where the shooter was employed either at the time of the incident or prior to it.? Twelve public mass shootings occurred in an educational setting, CRS found.

President Barack Obama has called for steps like a ban on assault weapons and limits on the number of rounds in an ammunition magazines as part of a package of policies in response to Sandy Hook. Vice President Joe Biden, who has spearheaded the White House gun control efforts, met Thursday with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to discuss gun safety.

Would such measures work? CRS won?t say.

?This report does not discuss gun control and does not systematically address the broader issue of gun violence,? the agency notes high up in the report. ?Also, it is not intended as an exhaustive review of federal programs addressing the issue of mass shooting."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/547-dead-476-hurt-mass-shootings-since-1983-182605303--politics.html

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Soccer-Iraq allowed to play friendlies at home, says FIFA

By Steve Keating ORLANDO, Florida, March 20 (Reuters) - Rory McIlroy's decision to skip the Arnold Palmer Invitational surprised the tournament host, who expressed his disappointment on Wednesday that the world number one was not at Bay Hill this week. The 83-year-old Palmer said he had jokingly suggested he might break McIlroy's arm if he did not show up but did not try to force the young Northern Irishman into making an appearance. "Frankly, I thought he was going to play, and I was as surprised as a lot of people when he decided he was not going to play," said Palmer. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/soccer-iraq-allowed-play-friendlies-home-says-fifa-175556701--sow.html

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Along With Acquisitions In The U.S., Yahoo Is Also Beefing Up In EMEA With 200 Hires This Year

Yahoo has been moving swiftly to bring talent back into the company -- with a number of acquisitions (one only yesterday) and etudes made to ex-employees to return to the purple fold. It's also, it appears, staffing up internationally as well. Today the company announced that it would be hiring 200 more people over the next 12 months for jobs covering the EMEA region, specifically based out of Dublin and in areas like customer support, technology, operations, HR and finance.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/CbiM6gTSdj0/

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Baby no bar for Truro PR - Business Cornwall

1:16 pm, March 19, 2013

While most parents of a newborn baby are getting to grips with nappy changing and night-time feeds, the director of a Truro-based marketing company has completed a post-graduate course just six weeks after giving birth.

Rachel Picken with baby Bryher Evie

Rachel Picken, director of MPAD, completed the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Diploma ? a level 7 course ? and with it, has gained accredited status as a PR practitioner.

She completed her final assignment when second daughter Bryher Evie, born on November 15, was just six weeks old.

With her results published this month, she passed the course with a merit.

Picken said: ?There are perhaps only a handful of PR professionals in Cornwall to hold accredited status, and those who do I hold a lot of professional respect for.

?Together, we?re working to raise the standards of the PR industry in Cornwall.?

Sarah Pinch, regional chair of the CIPR in the south west, added: ?This is a tough qualification and to achieve this whilst caring for a new born baby is testament to Rachel?s commitment to her profession and her family.?

Source: http://www.businesscornwall.co.uk/news-by-industry/creative-industries-in-cornwall/baby-no-bar-for-truro-pr-123

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Famous Journeys By Canoe In Canada

These days it's possible to take a fabulous holiday in Canada based around waterways and travelling by canoe. Canada has a long history entwined with these vessels and holidays werent the original purpose of this ancient craft. Some truly epic journeys were made in the past; here are just a few to muse on while you are enjoying your own adventure in the wild.

The dark ages

It is now generally accepted that the people we call The Vikings probably landed in parts of what we call Canada in the 9th century. Just where they went and how long they stayed, however, is the subject of fierce debate between historians and archaeologists, given that the physical record is scant. What one might speculate though is that as great seafarers, explorers and sometimes plunderers, they may well have had contact with the indigenous people and might well have done a least some exploration along rivers in similar craft to those the locals were already using. In fact, the Vikings were well used to sailing up rivers, and a quick look at a classic Viking long ship indicates that in some respects, it bears a fascinating resemblance to a very large canoe. Canada has come a long way from then, however.

The 15th-17th century

During this time, European contact with the country was fragmented and, for much of the period, lacking in substance. Contrary to what some people believe, many initial colonies failed, and countries such as France, Spain and Portugal initially didnt seem massively interested in building a permanent presence there. The colonial pickings in America just seemed much more promising further south.

Even so, during this period the first serious exploration of the hinterland started and the French were in the forefront of that, initially. One of the most famous was Samuel de Champlain, who not only founded Quebec City in 1608 but who also conducted several major explorations by canoe. Canada has plenty of fascinating history like this once you delve below the surface. On one of Champlain's journeys he reached todays Lake Huron in Ontario, straddling the US border a distance of perhaps 600 or 700 miles and an incredible feat for the time.

The 18th century

In the first half of this pivotal century in the country's history, both Britain and France grasped the potential wealth and scale of North America and fought over it. By the middle of century, France had given up its territories but during that period great explorations by water went on. In the mid-century period, the English explorer Anthony Henday travelled a distance of around 2,000 miles by water and foot to reach well into Alberta in Northwestern Canada.

The 21st century

If youre planning a holiday adventure by canoe, Canada still offers plenty of opportunities to explore some of the stunning parks and wilderness areas. Youll be treading in some famous footsteps but certainly, your journey today is likely to be a lot more comfortable than it was for your predecessors!

About the Author:
Philippa Westwood is Marketing Manager at Windows on the Wild, a specialist of wildlife watching tours. If you want a holiday exploring by canoe, Canada is the ideal destinations. Other destinations include Lapland and Sweden where dog sledding holidays can take you on adventurous experiences across the world.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Famous-Journeys-By-Canoe-In-Canada/4492500

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Penguins' Winning Streak At 10 After Beating Capitals, 2-1 (VIDEO)

PITTSBURGH -- Defenseman Matt Niskanen scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and Sidney Crosby had two assists and the Pittsburgh Penguins extended their winning streak to 10 games with a 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.

Niskanen's goal at 11:58 came nine seconds after the Penguins killed a four-minute penalty in the third period.

The winning streak is the longest of the season for the Eastern Conference-leading Penguins and the second-longest in the NHL this season.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves and Crosby picked up his NHL-leading 36th and 37th assists for the Penguins, who were without reigning MVP Evgeni Malkin (shoulder) for the sixth game in a row. The Penguins were also without defenseman Kris Letang (lower body injury).

Braden Holtby made 34 saves for Washington.

With the score tied at 1-1, Penguins left wing Matt Cooke received two minutes for boarding Alex Ovechkin and two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct at 7:49. The first two minutes went by without a shot on goal by Washington. Fleury made a glove save on winger Eric Fehr and a kick save on Ovechkin and the Capitals did not get another shot before the power play expired.

Both teams picked up a power-play goal in the second period.

Washington took a 1-0 lead when Ovechkin one-timed a bouncing puck past Fleury for his 12th goal of the season at 8:14.

Pittsburgh tied the game three minutes later when Paul Martin scored his sixth goal of the season, a rising one-timer from the point that sailed into the top right corner of the net.

It was the Penguins' seventh shot of the power play and 21st of the game. It was the Penguins' league-leading 28th goal on the advantage this season.

NOTES: Pittsburgh C Evgeni Malkin has missed six consecutive games since taking a hit from Toronto LW James van Riemsdyk on March 9. Malkin hopes to be ready to play Friday at the New York Islanders. ... Pittsburgh D Kris Letang was injured during Sunday's win over Boston. ... The game marked the start of a season-long, four-game road trip for the Capitals. It was also the third and final meeting between the rivals this season. ... Washington D Dmitri Orlov made his season debut. ... Washington was without defensemen Tom Poti, who was injured Sunday, as well as Mike Green, John Erskine and Tomas Kundratek. ... The Capitals are 4-9-1 on the road with all four wins against the Southeast Conference.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/20/penguins-winning-streak-10-capitals-video_n_2912712.html

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Owners pass 2 rules changes

PHOENIX (AP) ? NFL owners approved two rule changes Tuesday to enhance player safety. They might not vote on a proposal to ban offensive players from using the crown of their helmets against defenders.

The owners outlawed peel-back blocks anywhere on the field; previously, they were illegal only inside the tackle box. A player makes a peel-back block when he is moving toward his goal line, approaches an opponent from behind or the side, and makes contact below the waist.

The penalty will be 15 yards.

Also banned is overloading a formation while attempting to block a field goal or extra point. Defensive teams can now have only six or less players on each side of the snapper at the line of scrimmage. Players not on the line can't push teammates on the line into blockers, either.

The alignment violation is a 5-yard penalty. The pushing penalty is 15 yards for unnecessary roughness.

But the potential change that has drawn the most attention ? yes, even more than eliminating the infamous tuck rule, which seems to be a foregone conclusion ? is prohibiting ball carriers outside the tackle box from lowering their helmets and making contact with defenders with the crown.

New York Giants owner John Mara, a member of the competition committee that has recommended the change, expressed doubt Tuesday that the proposal would be voted on before Wednesday, when the owners meetings conclude. He also said there was "a chance" it could be tabled until the May meetings in Boston.

"There was a spirited discussion," Mara said. "We'll have more discussion today."

Many coaches have said they are concerned about officiating such a new rule.

"In all fairness it's going to be tough on the officials, it's going to be tough to make that determination at live speed with one look," said John Harbaugh of the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.

Harbaugh noted that in the competition committee's examination of one week of play last season, it found five instances where a ball carrier was not protecting the ball or himself and lowered his helmet to make contact with a defender.

Dean Blandino, recently promoted to vice president of officiating, noted that five in 16 games was significant enough to consider banning the act.

Added Rams coach Jeff Fisher, co-chairman of the competition committee:

"We want to make a serious attempt to get the shoulder back into the game. We are not saying the ball carrier cannot get small. We are not saying the ball carrier cannot protect the football, because if he is going to go down to cover the football, if the shoulder goes down, we know the head goes down, we understand that.

"Protecting the football is OK, providing you do not strike with the crown of your helmet, and that is what we are trying to differentiate."

Blandino added that the league wants flags thrown only on the obvious calls. He also said in cases where a player is not penalized, he could still be subject to a fine if video review after the game determines he made contact with the crown.

The penalty will be a spot foul for 15 yards.

New senior director of officiating Alberto Riveron said if the offensive and defensive player are both committing the foul, it would be an offsetting penalty and the down replayed.

Riveron said the key to officiating the play is in showing the officials more plays that are legal.

"That will be a great way to train because as we know it, most of the shots we have seen are legal, most of the contact is legal," he said. "We are trying to get that one individual situation where the head is lowered ? and you can see on the field, you can see a player put his head down ? and the contact is with the crown and you can see it."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/owners-pass-2-rules-changes-185849490--nfl.html

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Cyprus in limbo after rejecting bank seizures plan

Protesters chant slogans outside the Cypriot parliament against a crucial parliamentary vote on a plan to seize a part of depositors' bank savings, in central Nicosia, Tuesday, March 19, 2013. The Cypriot government sought Tuesday to shield small savers from a plan that is intended to raise 5.8 billion euro ($7.5 billion) toward a financial bailout by seizing money from bank accounts. The plan, which is part of a larger bailout package being negotiated with other European countries, has been met with fury in Cyprus and has sent jitters across financial markets. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Protesters chant slogans outside the Cypriot parliament against a crucial parliamentary vote on a plan to seize a part of depositors' bank savings, in central Nicosia, Tuesday, March 19, 2013. The Cypriot government sought Tuesday to shield small savers from a plan that is intended to raise 5.8 billion euro ($7.5 billion) toward a financial bailout by seizing money from bank accounts. The plan, which is part of a larger bailout package being negotiated with other European countries, has been met with fury in Cyprus and has sent jitters across financial markets. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Protester stand in front of a banner which reads "Cyprus Says No" during a crucial parliamentary vote on a plan to seize a part of depositors' bank savings, in central Nicosia, Tuesday, March 19, 2013. The Cypriot government sought Tuesday to shield small savers from a plan that is intended to raise euro 5.8 billion ($7.5 billion) toward a financial bailout by seizing money from bank accounts. The plan, which is part of a larger bailout package being negotiated with other European countries, has been met with fury in Cyprus and has sent jitters across financial markets. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A protester hold a placard depicting German Chancellor Angela Merkel outside the parliament in Nicosia during a crucial parliamentary vote on a plan to seize a part of depositors' bank savings, in central Nicosia, Tuesday, March 19, 2013. The Cypriot government sought Tuesday to shield small savers from a plan that is intended to raise euro 5.8 billion ($7.5 billion) toward a financial bailout by seizing money from bank accounts. The plan, which is part of a larger bailout package being negotiated with other European countries, has been met with fury in Cyprus and has sent jitters across financial markets. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Cyprus' Finance Minister Michalis Saris speaks as he arrives at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Saris will meet with his Russian counterpart tomorrow. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)

Cypriot university students hold a banner reads ''Resistance'' during a rally, against a plan to seize a part of depositors' bank savings, outside Cyprus' Consulate in the northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki, Tuesday, March 19, 2013. The Cypriot government sought Tuesday to shield small savers from a plan that is intended to raise euro 5.8 billion ($7.5 billion) toward a financial bailout by seizing money from bank accounts. The plan, which is part of a larger bailout package being negotiated with other European countries, has been met with fury in Cyprus and has sent jitters across financial markets. (AP Photo/Nikolas Giakoumidis)

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? Lawmakers in Cyprus decisively rejected a plan on Tuesday to seize up to 10 percent of people's bank deposits in order to secure an international bailout and prevent a collapse of the country's banks.

The vote leaves the tiny Mediterranean economy in financial limbo, but hundreds of protesters outside Parliament cheered and sang the national anthem when they heard the bill failed.

Cyprus needs 15.8 billion euros ($20.4 billion) to bail out its heavily indebted banks and shore up government finances. If it doesn't get the money, the banks could fail, Cyprus' government finances could be ruined for years and the country could face expulsion from the 17-country euro currency union. Eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund have pledged to provide 10 billion euros ($12.9 billion) in rescue loans if Cyprus can come up with the remainder.

With the country's banks closed since Saturday to avoid a run, Cypriot leaders will now try to hatch a more politically palatable plan that might also satisfy officials in the eurozone and IMF.

The plan that was rejected Tuesday ? with 36 votes against, 19 abstentions and one absence ? had been amended to shield the smallest depositors, those with under 20,000 euros ($25,858) in the bank. But deposits up to 100,000 euros ($129,290) are supposed to be insured by all euro countries. There has been widespread condemnation of the plan throughout Europe since it was announced over the weekend.

Global financial markets were on edge Tuesday, but investors so far have taken the latest turmoil in Europe in stride. The Cypriot economy is tiny and there is hope that Europe's political leaders can find a way to bolster the country's finances and prevent it from leaving the euro. After the Cypriot vote came in, the Dow Jones industrial average ended the day 3 points higher at 14,455. Earlier in the day, European markets closed slightly lower while the euro edged down 0.4 percent against the dollar.

"This is not the end of the process, but instead kicks off a further round of negotiation," said Alex White of JPMorgan. "The Cypriot authorities wanted to conduct the vote so that they could reaffirm the extent of their difficulties to the Europeans."

Part of the reason for the market calm is that the European Central Bank has promised to do whatever it takes to protect the euro. It has a plan in place to buy the government debt of any countries that fall into financial trouble, provided they ask for help. That has helped keep bond market borrowing rates manageable for Italy and Spain, for example.

The ECB said after the Cyprus vote that it would continue providing liquidity to Cypriot banks to prevent their immediate collapse. Some had feared that if Cyprus rejected the bailout, the ECB might stop providing support, letting the banks fail.

Of the 15.8 billion euros ($20.4 billion) that Cyprus needs, roughly 8.3 billion euros ($10.73 billion) is for its two top lenders ? Bank of Cyprus and Laiki Bank, which is effectively controlled by the government already. About 7.5 billion euros ($9.7 billion) would be used to finance the country's deficits over the next 4 years and to cover a 1.5 billion euro ($1.94 billion) debt payment that comes due in June.

Cypriot political leaders will meet with President Nicos Anastasiades on Wednesday to discuss the next steps.

Nicholas Papadopoulos, the chairman of the parliamentary finance committee, said Cyprus wants a renegotiation of its bailout deal but was against the idea of seizing savings. "It has not been (implemented) in any other country in Europe and we don't wish to be the experiment of Europe."

He said a new agreement could be concluded "in the next few days." In the meantime, the banks will remain shut for as long as needed. ATMs have been dispensing cash and debit and credit cards were working normally. The amount of the proposed tax had been blocked in people's accounts, but with the bill rejected, it was unclear whether that would continue. Electronic transfers continued to be blocked.

Germany, one of the eurozone's heavyweights, made clear its frustration at the Cypriot vote. The finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, noted that Cyprus' banks were surviving only because of ECB help and that if there is no bailout deal, the ECB will have to end that support.

"Someone needs to explain this to the Cypriots," Schaeuble told German public television ZDF.

Some help could come from Russia, a longtime ally of Cyprus. But those talks have been strained by the announcement of the deposit seizures, since Russians hold up to a third of the 68 billion euros ($87.92 billion) in deposits in Cyprus.

Cyprus could seek to extend repayment of a 2.5 billion euros ($3.23 billion) loan Russia granted Cyprus in late 2011, when the country could no longer borrow from international markets.

The Cypriot finance minister is in Moscow to discuss financial aid while Anastasiades, the president, spoke with President Vladimir Putin after the vote.

For Cypriots who risked losing a chunk of their life savings in the bailout deal, the parliamentary vote was a moment to rejoice ? and think ahead.

"We shouldn't lose our cool," said Panayiotis Violettis, a 56-year-old retired government worker. "When banks open, if we pull all our money out, it would be like we would be punishing ourselves."

Insurance salesman Lambros Kannaouros, who has almost 50,000 euros ($64,645) in the bank, said his options were limited: "I'm not going to do anything. What I'm I going to do? Where will I take it? Where will I put it?"

Although Cyprus is the smallest eurozone country to be bailed out, its rescue plan had sent shockwaves through the single currency area as it was the first time savers' banks accounts have been directly targeted. Other bailed out countries such as Greece, Ireland and Portugal have raised funds by imposing new taxes.

Proponents of the deposit seizure argued it would have made foreigners who have taken advantage of Cyprus's low-tax regime share the cost of the bailout.

Andreas Charalambous, a senior official at the finance ministry, said Cypriot authorities believe depositors should be protected, but that a wholesale exemption for those below 100,000 euros ($129,290) would mean a "disproportionate" burden on large savers, and a "very detrimental" knock-on effect on economic growth.

Under the original bailout plan sketched out in Brussels early Saturday, Cyprus agreed to raise 5.8 billion euros ($7.5 billion) by taxing bank accounts. In exchange, it would receive the 10 billion euros ($12.9 billion) in rescue loans from other eurozone countries and the IMF. Depositors with less than 100,000 euros ($129,290) would pay 6.75 percent; deposits above that threshold would be taxed 9.9 percent.

But the change made Tuesday to protect small depositors was not enough for lawmakers.

"It was not possible for the Cypriot parliament and its people to accept such an unfair, disagreeable and one-sided proposal," Education Minister Kyriakos Kenevezos said on Greek state NET television. "Now we are faced with very difficult developments ... No one must panic because panic never helps solve any problem."

___

Steve Rothwell in New York, David McHugh in Frankfurt and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-19-Cyprus-Financial%20Crisis/id-53cf2569b76e4e20bb40aebfb818d590

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Remade Mideast poses new perils for Obama on trip

WASHINGTON (AP) ? On his second trip to the Middle East as U.S. commander in chief, President Barack Obama this week will confront a political and strategic landscape nearly unrecognizable from the one he encountered on his first trip to the region shortly after assuming office in 2009.

Gone are the authoritarian regimes and leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and the once seemingly indestructible Assad regime in Syria is tottering on the brink of collapse. Uncertainty abounds in the wake of the revolutions that have convulsed the Arab world for the past two years and shaken many of the strong but imperfect pillars of stability on the planet's most politically volatile patch of land.

And the few constants are hardly cause for cheer: a moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process that remains mired in mutual distrust and recrimination, an Iran that seemingly inches closer to nuclear weapons capability despite intensified international sanctions, and the ever-growing threat from extremists.

At the same time, Obama's 2012 re-election has changed his political calculus. Having run his last race as a political candidate, he is no longer beholden to the whims of voters. His sights appear set on building a legacy that, at least in the short term, is focused not on foreign policy but on the domestic issues that now drive the agenda in Washington.

Thus, U.S. officials have set expectations low for the trip. No new plan to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. No big boost in assistance to the struggling Palestinian Authority. No new strategy for dealing with the chaos in Syria. No new outreach to Muslims like the one that was the centerpiece of his June 2009 visit to Cairo.

Instead, they have presented Obama's visit to Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan as a symbolic, hand-holding trip. Obama's goals are to reassure nervous Israelis that the U.S. has their back in the face of any threats, tell the Palestinians that their aspirations for statehood are in America's national security interests and show support for a Jordanian monarchy that is struggling to satisfy its subjects' demands for reform while dealing with the spillover from the civil war in Syria.

It may seem incongruous that an American president feels the need to calm Israeli's fears about Washington's commitment to their security at a time when officials from both countries say U.S. and Israeli interests are more inextricably linked than ever before.

However, one reason for the uneasiness is the strained personal relationship between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They and their surrogates have sparred, most notably over Jewish settlements in areas claimed by the Palestinians, numerous times, leading many to speak of an open rift. The chill has manifested itself in unprecedented low approval ratings for Obama in Israel. The centerpiece of Obama's trip will be a speech to the Israeli people to pledge friendship and security.

Much of the symbolism around Obama's speech is aimed at showing his understanding of the Jewish people's millennia-old connection to the land that is now Israel, and his awareness that the modern State of Israel was not created merely as a consequence of the Holocaust. A visit to an Iron Dome battery, part of the missile defense system the U.S. has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into, will underscore Washington's investment in Israel's security.

Obama will be joined by Secretary of State John Kerry. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem said Kerry was set to arrive Tuesday, a day before Obama. The embassy gave no details on Kerry's schedule Tuesday, but Israeli officials said no meetings were scheduled.

In both countries, officials hope that an American president on Israeli soil, affirming America's unwavering support for Israel, will quell the concerns from the Israeli perspective. Equally, if not more important, is channeling that message to anti-Israel actors, including Iran, Lebanon's militant Hezbollah, and the Hamas faction of the Palestinians that controls the Gaza Strip.

The goodwill Obama hopes to inspire is expected to be accompanied by gentle encouragement of Israelis and their leaders to be more sensitive the new realities of the region and not take actions that provoke or irritate the very people with whom they desire better ties.

In many ways, Obama faces a similar perception problem among Palestinians who were buoyed by his early support for their longstanding position on settlements, but have been bitterly disappointed by the lack of any progress on achieving statehood.

So, with prospects dim for new Israeli-Palestinian peace talks any time soon, in part because Netanyahu has just formed a new government, Obama will bring a similar message to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas' administration has infuriated Israel and annoyed the United States by seeking recognition as a state from the United Nations in the absence of a peace agreement.

Obama is expected to warn anew that such acts only hurt chances for getting back to negotiations, but stress that the United States is firmly committed to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and will continue to be an honest broker on the path to get there.

U.S. officials hope Obama's visit to Jordan will boost King Abdullah II's standing both at home among a restive population and in the region where, since the Muslim Brotherhood won elections in Egypt, his nation is the more solid of Israel's two Arab friends.

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Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/remade-mideast-poses-perils-obama-trip-063832808--politics.html

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