Obama nears deadline on gay marriage decision

President Barack Obama speaks at the Business Council dinner in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama speaks at the Business Council dinner in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The next phase of President Barack Obama's evolving position on gay marriage may come Thursday, the deadline for his administration to weigh in on a landmark Supreme Court case that could determine whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to wed.

Gay rights supporters are pressing the administration to file a friend-of-the-court brief urging the justices to overturn California's gay marriage ban. Obama is not required to file a brief, though he raised expectations in his second inaugural address when he declared that gays and lesbians must be "treated like anyone else under the law."

An administration brief would not be legally binding. But it could offer the clearest insight into Obama's views on gay marriage, which he supports but has said should be governed by the states.

Ahead of Thursday's deadline, dozens of prominent Republicans signed a friend of the court brief asking the justices to declare California's Proposition 8 ballot measure unconstitutional. Among them are former GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman and Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

The Proposition 8 ballot initiative was approved by California voters in 2008 in response to a state Supreme Court decision that had allowed gay marriage. Twenty-nine other states have constitutional amendments banning gay marriage, while nine states and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex marriage.

Gay rights advocates are anticipating the administration filing a broad brief, one that would ask the justices to not only strike down the California measure, but also rule that the Constitution forbids any state from banning same-sex unions. But the administration could also file a narrower brief applying only to California.

Even the latter brief would appear to mark a shift away from the president's contention that states have the right to determine whether to allow same-sex marriages.

While an administration brief alone is unlikely to sway the high court, the government's opinion does carry weight with the justices.

Solicitor General Donald Verrilli would formally file a brief, though he has been consulting with White House officials. And it's almost certain that Obama, a former constitutional law professor, made the administration's final decision.

In his inaugural address, the president said the nation's journey "is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law."

"For if we are truly created equal, than surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well," he said.

Obama has a complicated history on gay marriage. As a presidential candidate in 2008, he opposed the California ban but didn't endorse gay marriage. As he ran for re-election last year, he announced his personal support for same-sex marriage but said marriage was an issue that should be decided by the states, not the federal government.

Public opinion has shifted in support of gay marriage in recent years. In May 2008, Gallup found that 56 percent of Americans felt same-sex marriages should not be recognized by the law as valid. By November 2012, 53 percent felt they should be legally recognized.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Proposition 8 case on March 26. One day later, the justices will hear arguments on another gay marriage case, this one involving provisions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The act defines marriage as between a man and a woman for the purpose of deciding who can receive a range of federal benefits.

The Obama administration abandoned its defense of the law in 2011 but continues to enforce it. In a brief filed last week, the government said Section 3 of DOMA "violates the fundamental constitutional guarantee of equal protection" because it denies legally married same-sex couples many federal benefits that are available only to legally married heterosexual couples.

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

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-28-US-Obama-Gay-Marriage/id-6678c2081c864f2ab4bb158523d4f55e

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CBT: Maine women's hoops team involved in bus crash

A charter bus reportedly carrying members of the Maine women?s basketball team was involved in a serious crash along Interstate 95 in Georgetown, Mass., NBC affiliate?WHDH in Boston is reporting.

From WHDH:

Massachusetts State Police said preliminary investigations suggest the charter bus was driving southbound when it crossed the median and crashed into woods adjacent to northbound side. State police said 22 students believed to be from University of Maine basketball teams have been transported by ambulance to area hospitals for either minor injuries or precautionary evaluation.

According to the report, the driver of the vehicle suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries and was airlifted to?Boston Medical Center after being pulled from the wreckage. A police cruiser was struck by another vehicle while leaving the scene, but the driver was reportedly not seriously injured.

Updates will be added as they become available.

UPDATE 26 February, 2013, 10:39 p.m. ET

According to Andrew Santillo of?The Record in Troy, N.Y., an America East spokesperson said that ?all players are coaches are okay,? and only suffered ?minor injuries.?

Photo via WHDH

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at?JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John?s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_

Source: http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/26/bus-carrying-members-of-maine-womens-basketball-team-reportedly-involved-in-serious-accident/related/

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America must not "dictate" to world, new defense chief says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Decorated Vietnam veteran Chuck Hagel was sworn in as U.S. defense secretary on Wednesday after a bruising Senate confirmation battle, promising to renew old U.S. alliances and forge new ones without attempting to "dictate" to the world.

Addressing Pentagon employees shortly after a small, closed-door swearing-in ceremony, Hagel spoke optimistically, if vaguely, about global challenges ahead and the importance of American leadership abroad.

"We can't dictate to the world. But we must engage the world. We must lead with our allies," Hagel said in what appeared to be unscripted remarks.

"No nation, as great as America is, can do any of this alone."

He also plainly acknowledged the prospect of looming automatic budget cuts, known as the sequester, saying flatly: "That's a reality. We need to figure this out."

"We need to deal with this reality," he added, as hopes dim in Washington that Congress might act in time to forestall $46 billion in Pentagon cuts due to kick in on March 1.

In a separate, written message to Pentagon employees, many of whom are set to be put on unpaid leave this year, Hagel noted his concerns on the impact of the cuts on personnel and military readiness.

Hagel, a former two-term Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska, broke from his party during the administration of George W. Bush to become a fierce critic of the Iraq war.

Many Republicans opposed to Hagel's nomination scorned him over Iraq and raised questions about whether he was sufficiently supportive of Israel, tough enough on Iran or truly committed to maintaining a robust nuclear deterrent.

The 58-41 Senate vote to confirm him late on Tuesday was the closest vote ever to approve a defense secretary, with only four Republicans supporting him.

AMERICA MUST USE POWER "WISELY"

Hagel did not acknowledge any Republican criticisms or reveal any personal concerns about working with Congress during his remarks on Wednesday. But he did articulate his views about the need for caution when America flexes its muscle abroad.

"We have great power and how we apply our power is particularly important," Hagel said.

"That engagement in the world should be done wisely. And the resources that we employ on behalf of our country and our allies should always be applied wisely."

Hagel's views of war and the limits of American military power were shaped in part by his experiences in Vietnam, where he fought as an infantryman alongside his brother and was awarded two Purple Hearts, the medal given to troops wounded in battle.

Hagel still carries the shrapnel from one of his injuries and he is the first Vietnam veteran to lead the Pentagon.

Introducing Hagel in the Pentagon auditorium, an Army infantryman with two tours in Afghanistan said Hagel "knows the very real cost of war" and was guided by principals to use force only when necessary.

Among his first tasks, Hagel will start weighing in on crucial decisions about the Afghan war, notably the size and scope of the American force that President Barack Obama will leave behind in the country once NATO declares its combat mission over at the end of 2014.

Leaving fewer troops than U.S. commanders recommend could create tension with the military, and become a lightening-rod issue with Republicans.

Hagel's predecessor, former defense secretary Leon Panetta, discussed with NATO allies in Brussels last week keeping a NATO force of between 8,000 and 12,000 troops. A senior NATO official said last month that the United States expects other NATO allies to contribute between a third and half the number of troops Washington provides.

In his written message, Hagel thanked troops and their families for their sacrifices -- there are more than 66,000 American troops in Afghanistan now -- but also looked past the Afghan war.

"As we turn the page on more than a decade of grinding conflict, we must broaden our attention to future threats and challenges," Hagel said.

"That means continuing to increase our focus on the Asia-Pacific region, reinvigorating historic alliances like NATO, and making new investments in critical capabilities like cyber."

(Editing by Warren Strobel and Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/america-must-not-dictate-world-defense-chief-says-190136705.html

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Al Qaeda moves in: Could North Africa explode?

On the Radar

While John Kerry is making Syria the focus of his first international trip, the newly-minted secretary of state has likely already discovered that Syria is only one among many volatile situations around the world. From the ?genocidal type? war in Syria to the growing presence of al Qaeda affiliates in Northern Africa, former Gen. James Cartwright tells On the Radar he?s concerned about the growing number of potentially volatile regions around the world.

?They're spreading rather than consolidating,? the retired general says of the dangerous areas around the world, known as hotspots. ?Africa is probably the biggest one that we are?are seeing in the media right now with the Mali challenge, but that's not limited to Mali.?

The growing threat of Africa can be traced in large part to the expansion of al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups such as al Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM)?the group behind the recent hostage situation at a natural gas facility in Algeria. Cartwright says the threat posed by offspring al Qaeda groups in Africa shouldn?t be underestimated.

?It's got the same potential to be as violent, certainly, as what we saw in Iraq and Afghanistan, with even less governance than what they had in Afghanistan and Iraq,? says Cartwright of North Africa.

As for the Middle East, Gen. Cartwright warns that the continued civil war in Syria, which he describes as ?genocidal type activity,? poses a long-term strategic threat to the security of the region.

?The longer this goes on, the less likely, or the longer it's going to take to recover from it. And that's probably more worrisome than anything else,? says Cartwright. ?You're going to have a Syria which sits in a very strategic position basically in a condition of disruption for tens of years.?

To hear more about the greatest threats Gen. Cartwright identifies to international security, including how soon he thinks Iran could have a nuclear weapon, check out this week?s On the Radar.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/power-players-abc-news/most-dangerous-places-world-121444548.html

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Money and Mission - The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Collaborations and mergers among nonprofits certainly aren?t new, but much of what nonprofit leaders know about them comes from our for-profit counterparts.

Nonprofit collaborations are no better and no worse than those done by for-profits. They?re simply different. As I wrote in a previous post, for-profit collaborations and mergers are driven by financial motivations including cost savings, but charities are unlikely to reap any savings for years, if at all. For nonprofits, the primary driver to merge or collaborate should be to help them achieve their missions. Mergers and collaborations are strategic tools. They do not have to be a last resort.

The Great Recession and the protracted recovery have sparked renewed interest in nonprofit collaborations. But resources dedicated to helping them carry out their plans are scarce, so many groups don?t know where to begin.

For two years, the Nonprofit Finance Fund has worked with five major grant makers on the Catalyst Fund for Nonprofits, which provides guidance and technical assistance for Boston-area organizations that are exploring, planning, or implementing strategic collaborations and mergers. And in an effort to demystify the process for all nonprofits, the fund has produced two free publications?a case study and a report about the first two years of the Catalyst Fund?s work.

The case study tells the story of one nonprofit merger, and the report includes interviews with 40 people involved in various ways with mergers or collaborations: those who have provided financial support, executives and board members of groups that received support?and of some that were denied support?as well as consultants and others.

So what are we learning about successful collaboration? What does it take?

Effective leadership.? The level of organizational change dictated by a collaboration or merger requires leadership from many people close to the nonprofit. Leaders?both board and staff?with prior collaboration experience can be invaluable assets, lending perspective and raising important issues.? And a talented and organized chief financial officer can help facilitate the exchange of information and reporting that is a critical part of due diligence.

Part of what makes leaders effective in nonprofit collaborations is the ability to build trusting relationships. In the merger featured in our case study, between two agencies that provide services for the homeless, an executive reflected that early in the process ?someone should have held a cocktail party? to help build personal relationships between staff and board members. In her experience, when conversations got tense or an agreement felt elusive, personal relationships helped move conversations forward.

Clear and aligned objectives.? Partner organizations with a strong sense of their own priorities are often better positioned to achieve the common goals of their collaboration. We?ve found that when organizations have recently undertaken a strategic-planning process, their reasons and goals for collaboration were clearer and it was more likely to be a success. In my experience, it?s when the goals of the groups were unclear or conflicted that the collaborative venture can stall or stop altogether. The simple question, ?What are we trying to achieve together and why?? can lead to candid conversations among partners and help prevent roadblocks. The motivations and goals of the partners don?t have to be identical, but articulating them clearly fosters transparency and helps manage expectations throughout the process.

Resources and expertise.? The reality is that strategic collaborations are expensive and require professional guidance. Experts can provide technical assistance and help with governance, finance, program design, and legal issues, and they can facilitate challenging discussions and negotiations. In Catalyst Fund ventures, nonprofits rely on the fund?s technical assistance but are also urged to tap experts on their board or draw on staff members who have collaboration experience. Pro bono help is great when you can get it, but expert assistance isn?t always free.

Costs can add up, and the participating groups may need additional dollars for advisory services, new technology, severance pay, or a re-direction of staff time. Once the merger is complete, the groups may be able to save money, but there is a long time horizon for realizing those savings.

Sources of financial support for collaborations, like the Catalyst Fund, can go a long way, but there?s a limit to how much they can do. In Boston, we aren?t able to support every proposal, and as groups that we do support move closer to their objectives, their needs may grow beyond the level that the fund can finance.

As the landscape of the social sector changes, it?s incumbent upon all grant makers and donors who care about preserving, improving, and expanding programs and services to support these strategic organizational tools.

At the Catalyst Fund, we hope that insights from our work supporting collaboration can help change inaccurate perceptions about nonprofit collaborations and mergers?and we are not alone. Grant makers in Charlotte, N.C.; Cuyahoga County, Ohio; New York City, and across California have also been working together to advance strategic collaboration in their communities. Their work, too, is enriching the available body of knowledge and building a track record of inspiring examples.

Source: http://philanthropy.com/blogs/money-and-mission/what-it-takes-to-succeed-in-a-nonprofit-collaboration/28099

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Workout Playlists: Cycling Songs | Women's Health Magazine

Why it works It's not because all spin instructors are ecstasy-loving club kids in disguise. It's because fast music inspires you to move. A 2007 study at Brunel University in London found that runners on a treadmill were more productive when they matched their stride to music with a tempo of 120 to 140 beats per minute (aka bpm--for the average music buff, that's the number of times you tap your foot to a song in one minute).

How does this translate to spin class? According to a study by Costas Karageorghis, Ph.D., a senior lecturer in sports psychology at Brunel, you'll work up to 7 percent harder while grooving to music synched to your pedal stroke and not feel any more fatigued. To get the most pedal power from your playlist, Karageorghis recommends songs around 120 bpm for medium to high levels of exertion (when you can speak in spurts of three or four words). When it's time to raise the intensity, bump up your soundtrack to 140.

People Are People Depeche Mode

Control Janet Jackson

How Bizarre (Mix) OMC

I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing Pet Shop Boys

Blue Monday New Order

You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) Dead or Alive

Higher Ground Stevie Wonder

Clocks Coldplay

Run-Around Blues Traveler

Maneater Nelly Furtado

Have an awesome playlist? Send it to us at playlists@womenshealthmag.com.

Source: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/workout-songs-cycling-playlist

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4th round of talks start over Iran nuclear program

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, left, and Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev greet each other prior their talks in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. Iran and six world powers, five permanent U.N. Security council members and Germany, are set to hold talks in Kazakhstan this week on Tehran's controversial nuclear program.(AP Photo/Pavel Mikheyev)

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, left, and Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev greet each other prior their talks in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. Iran and six world powers, five permanent U.N. Security council members and Germany, are set to hold talks in Kazakhstan this week on Tehran's controversial nuclear program.(AP Photo/Pavel Mikheyev)

Chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, left, shakes hands with Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev prior their talks in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. Iran and six world powers, five permanent U.N. Security council members and Germany, are set to hold talks in Kazakhstan this week on Tehran's controversial nuclear program.(AP Photo/Pavel Mikheyev)

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) ? World powers began their fourth round of high-level talks with Iranian officials on Tuesday as negotiators from both sides pledged to offer new ways to break a years-long impasse over Tehran's nuclear program and its feared ability to make atomic weapons in the future.

Few believe the latest attempt to reach compromise will yield any major breakthroughs, and negotiators refused to detail what the new solutions might be. Instead, officials described the latest diplomatic discussions as a way to build confidence with Iran as it steadfastly maintains its right to enrich uranium in the face of harsh international sanctions.

"The offer addresses the international concern on the exclusively peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program, but it is also responsive to Iranian ideas," said Michael Mann, spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who is leading the negotiations. "We've put some proposals forward which will hopefully allow Iran to show some flexibility."

Mahmoud Mohammedi, a member of the Iranian delegation, said Tehran also is prepared to make an offer of it's own to end the impasse but refused to provide any details.

The Obama administration is pushing for diplomacy to solve the impasse but has not ruled out the possibility of military intervention in Iran to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon. And Israel has threatened it will use all means to stop Iran from being able to build a bomb, potentially as soon as this summer, raising the specter of a possible Mideast war.

A senior U.S. official at the talks said on Monday that some sanctions relief would be part of the offer to Iran but also refused to detail it. The new relief is part of a package that the U.S. official said included "substantive changes ? whether you'd call them super-substantial, I'll leave to history." The official acknowledged reports earlier this month that sanctions would be eased to allow Iran's gold trade to progress, but would neither confirm nor deny they are included in the new relief offer, and spoke only on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic talks more candidly.

In a statement before the talks began Tuesday afternoon, Interfax news agency cited Russia's envoy as saying easing of sanctions is possible only if Iran can assure the world that its nuclear program is for exclusively peaceful purposes.

"There is no certainty that the Iranian nuclear program lacks a military dimension, although there is also no evidence that there is a military dimension," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

Officials from both sides have set low expectations for a breakthrough in Almaty ? the first time the high-level negotiators have met since last June's meeting in Moscow that threatened to derail the delicate efforts.

The talks are being held in private at a hotel in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, and were deemed so sensitive that reporters were not allowed on the premises Tuesday save for a small handful of TV cameras and photographers allowed to watch Ashton, who is leading the negotiations, greet Saeed Jalili, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

Tehran maintains it is enriching uranium only to make reactor fuel and medical isotopes, and insists it has a right to do so under international law. It has signaled it does not intend to stop, and U.N. nuclear inspectors last week confirmed Iran has begun a major upgrade of its program at the country's main uranium enrichment site.

Negotiators hope that easing some of the sanctions will make Tehran more agreeable to halting production of 20 percent enriched uranium ? the highest grade of enrichment that Iran has acknowledged and one that experts say could be turned into warhead grade in a matter of months. The six world powers ? United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany ? also want Iran to suspend enrichment in its underground Fordo nuclear facility, and to ship its stockpile of high-grade uranium out of the country.

Over the last eight months, the international community has imposed harsh economic sanctions on Iran that U.S. officials said have, among other things, cut the nation's daily oil output by 1 million barrels and slashed its employment rate. Western powers have hoped that the Iranian public would suffer under sanctions so badly that the government would feel a moral obligation to slow its nuclear program.

But an analysis released Monday by the International Crisis Group concluded that the web of international sanctions have become so entrenched in Iran's political and economic systems that they cannot be easily lifted piece-by-piece. It found that Tehran's clerical regime has begun adapting its policy to the sanctions, despite their crippling effect on the Iranian public. Doing so, the analysis concluded, has divided the public's anger "between a regime viewed as incompetent and an outside world seen as uncaring."

Iran has been unimpressed with earlier offers by the powers to provide it with medical isotopes and lift sanctions on spare parts for civilian airliners, and new bargaining chips that Tehran sees as minor are likely to be snubbed as well. Iran insists, as a starting point, that world powers must recognize the republic's right to enrich uranium.

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Follow Peter Leonard on Twitter at https://twitter.com/pete_leonard and Lara Jakes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/larajakesAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-26-Iran-Nuclear/id-26f9a15295a54733b79ddf3e4c8bad9f

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Ancient shoes found hidden in Egyptian temple

Franco M. Giani - Milano - Italy

The unwrapped shoe bundle showing the two pairs of children's shoes and the adult isolated adult shoe.

By Owen Jarus
LiveScience

More than 2,000 years ago, at a time when Egypt was ruled by a dynasty of kings of Greek descent, someone, perhaps a group of people, hid away some of the most valuable possessions they had ? their shoes.

Seven shoes were deposited in a jar in an Egyptian temple in Luxor, three pairs and a single one. Two pairs were originally worn by children and were only about 7 inches (18 centimeters) long. Using palm fiber string, the child shoes were tied together within the single shoe (it was larger and meant for an adult) and put in the jar. Another pair of shoes, more than 9 inches (24 cm) long that had been worn by a limping adult, was also inserted in the jar.

The shoe-filled jar, along with two other jars, had been "deliberately placed in a small space between two mudbrick walls," writes archaeologist Angelo Sesana in a report published in the journal Memnonia.

?Whoever deposited the shoes never returned to collect them, and they were forgotten, until now. [See Photos of the Ancient Egyptian Shoes]

In 2004, an Italian archaeological expedition team, led by Sesana, rediscovered the shoes. The archaeologists gave Andr? Veldmeijer, an expert in ancient Egyptian footwear, access to photographs that show the finds.

Franco M. Giani - Milano - Italy

Archaeologists discovered seven shoes, which appear to be made out of bovine, within a jar in an Egyptian temple. The shoes date back more than 2,000 years and this picture shows the inside of the jar before the shoes were removed.

"The find is extraordinary as the shoes were in pristine condition and still supple upon discovery," writes Veldmeijer in the most recent edition of the Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt. Unfortunately, after being unearthed the shoes became brittle and "extremely fragile," he added.

Pricey shoes
Veldmeijer's analysis suggests the shoes may have been foreign-made and were "relatively expensive." Sandals were the more common footwear in Egypt and?the style and quality of these seven shoes was such that "everybody would look at you," and "it would give you much more status because you had these expensive pair of shoes," said Veldmeijer, assistant director for Egyptology of the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo.

The date of the shoes is based on the jar they were found in and the other two ?jars, as well as the stratigraphy, or layering of sediments, of the area. It may be possible in the future to carbon date the shoes to confirm their age.

Why they were left in the temple in antiquity and not retrieved is a mystery. "There's no reason to store them without having the intention of getting them back at some point," Veldmeijer said in an interview with LiveScience, adding that there could have been some kind of unrest that forced the owners of the shoes to deposit them and flee hastily. The temple itself predates the shoes by more than 1,000 years and was originally built for pharaoh Amenhotep II (1424-1398 B.C.).

Design discoveries
Veldmeijer made a number of shoe design discoveries. He found that the people who wore the seven shoes would have tied them using what researchers call "tailed toggles." Leather strips at the top of the shoes would form knots that would be passed through openings to close the shoes. After they were closed, a long strip of leather would have hung down, decoratively, at either side. The shoes are made out of leather, which is likely bovine.

Most surprising was that the isolated shoe had what shoemakers call a "rand," a device that until now was thought to have been first used in medieval Europe. A rand is a folded leather strip that would go between the sole of the shoe and the upper part, reinforcing the stitching as the "the upper is very prone to tear apart at the stitch holes," he explained. The device would've been useful in muddy weather when shoes are under pressure, as it makes the seam much more resistant to water.

In the dry (and generally not muddy) climate of ancient Egypt, he said that it's a surprising innovation and seems to indicate the seven shoes were constructed somewhere abroad.

Health discoveries
The shoes also provided insight into the health of the people wearing them. In the case of the isolated shoe, he found a "semi-circular protruding area" that could be a sign of a condition called Hallux Valgus, more popularly known as a bunion. [The 9 Most Bizarre Medical Conditions]

"In this condition, the big toe starts to deviate inward towards the other toes," Veldmeijer writes in the journal article. "Although hereditary, it can also develop as a result of close-fitting shoes, although other scholars dispute this ...."

Another curious find came from the pair of adult shoes. He found that the left shoe had more patches and evidence of repair than the shoe on the right. "The shoe was exposed to unequal pressure," he said, showing that the person who wore it "walked with a limp, otherwise the wear would have been far more equal."

Still, despite their medical problems, and the wear and tear on the shoes, the people who wore them were careful to keep up with repairs, Veldmeijer said. They did not throw them away like modern-day Westerners tend to do with old running shoes.

"These shoes were highly prized commodities."

Veldmeijer hopes to have the opportunity to examine the shoes, now under the care of the Ministry of State for Antiquities, firsthand.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook?and Google+.

?

Source: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/26/17104950-ancient-shoes-found-hidden-in-egyptian-temple?lite

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World powers and Iran begin nuclear talks

ALMATY (Reuters) - World powers are expected to offer Iran limited sanctions relief on Tuesday if it agrees to halt its most sensitive nuclear work, in a new attempt to resolve a dispute that threatens to trigger another war in the Middle East.

In their first meeting in eight months - time that Iran has used to expand atomic activity that the West suspects is aimed at developing a bomb capability - the powers hope Iran will engage in serious talks on finding a diplomatic solution.

The negotiations formally got under way in the Kazakh city of Almaty - which follows three inconclusive meetings last year in Istanbul, Baghdad and Moscow - at around 1:30 p.m (0730 GMT).

But with the Islamic Republic's political elite pre-occupied with worsening internal infighting ahead of a June presidential election, few believe the meeting Tuesday and Wednesday in the Kazakh city of Almaty will yield an immediate breakthrough.

At best, diplomats and analysts say, Iran will take the joint offer from the United States, Russia, France, Germany, Britain and China seriously and agree to hold further talks soon on how to implement practical steps to ease the tension.

The powers would like to see "a recognition by our Iranian colleagues that our offer is a serious one ... but it is not the final act in the play," said one diplomat participating in the talks. "I wouldn't predict a decisive breakthrough."

Iran is showing no sign, however, of backing down over a nuclear program it says is for entirely peaceful energy purposes. The program has drawn tough Western sanctions that have greatly reduced its oil exports, an economic lifeline.

A U.N. nuclear watchdog report last week said Iran was for the first time installing advanced centrifuges that would allow it to significantly speed up its enrichment of uranium, which can have both civilian and military purposes.

HIGH STAKES

Tightening Western sanctions on Iran over the last 14 months are hurting Iran's economy, slashing oil revenue and driving the currency down, which in turn has pushed up inflation.

But they are not close to having the crippling effect envisaged by Washington, analysts say, and - so far at least - have not prompted a change in nuclear course by Tehran.

Western officials say the powers' offer - an updated version of one rejected by Iran in the last meeting in June - would include an easing of sanctions of trade in gold and other precious metals if Tehran closes its underground Fordow enrichment plant.

The stakes are high. Israel, assumed to be the only nuclear-armed power in the Middle East, has hinted strongly at possible military action to prevent its foe from obtaining such arms. Iran has threatened to retaliate hard if attacked.

The fact that the meeting takes place in Kazakhstan - which gave up its nuclear arsenal after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s - has symbolic resonance.

A U.S. official said the Central Asian state could serve as a "good role model" for the benefits of making "certain choices", in clear reference to Iran's atomic ambitions.

Western officials acknowledge an easing of U.S. and European sanctions on trade in gold represents a relatively modest step. But it could be used as part of barter transactions that might allow Iran to circumvent tight financial sanctions.

Iran so far appears to be showing little interest. Its Foreign Ministry spokesman last week dismissed the reported incentive as insufficient and a senior Iranian lawmaker has ruled out closing Fordow, located close to the holy city of Qom.

Iran says it enriches uranium to a fissile concentration of 20 percent to make fuel for a medical research reactor in the capital Tehran. But it also represents most of the work required to reach weapons-grade material of 90 percent.

A U.S. official said the powers hoped that the Almaty meeting would lead to follow-up talks, either at a political or technical level, before Iran's New Year celebrations in March.

(Reporting by Justyna Pawlak, Fredrik Dahl, Yeganeh Torbati, Editing by Jon Boyle)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/powers-offer-iran-sanctions-relief-nuclear-talks-055616179.html

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US scrambles to salvage Syrian opposition talks

LONDON (AP) ? The U.S. is frantically trying to salvage a Syrian opposition conference set for this coming week that John Kerry plans to attend during his first official overseas trip as U.S. secretary of state.

A senior Obama administration official said Sunday that Kerry has sent his top Syrian envoy to Cairo in hopes of convincing opposition leaders that the Rome conference will be critical to securing additional aid from the United States and Europe.

Some members of the sharply divided Syrian Opposition Council are threatening to boycott Wednesday's meeting.

According to the official, U.S. envoy Robert Ford will say that the conference is a chance for foes of Syrian President Bashar Assad to make their case for new and enhanced aid, and especially to America's new chief diplomat.

The official was not authorized to discuss sensitive diplomatic matters publicly and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

If the meeting with Kerry were to be postponed, the official said the delay would hurt chances for short-term boosts or shifts in Syria policy.

The U.S. is concerned that the same kind of infighting that doomed the Syrian National Council may be hindering the SOC.

In addition to Ford's trip to Cairo, the top U.S. diplomat for the Mideast, Beth Jones, planned to head to Rome on Monday to add her voice to the argument.

Kerry is on a self-described "listening tour" of Europe and the Mideast, chiefly focused on ending the crisis in Syria.

The former Democratic senator from Massachusetts has said he is bringing new ideas to increase the pressure on Assad to leave power and make way for a democratic transition. Violence in Syria has killed at least 70,000 people.

Kerry has not elaborated on those plans, but there is internal debate in the Obama administration about stepping up aid to the rebels, perhaps to include lethal military assistance.

In London, his first stop, Kerry was expected to be asked by the British about the administration's views on Britain's dispute with Argentina over the Falkland Islands. London is looking to Washington to support a referendum next month on the islands' future. Residents are expected to vote widely in favor of remaining part of Britain.

Senior officials traveling with Kerry would not discuss possible outcomes or the vote, and the U.S. position remains that it is up to Britain and Argentina to work out a resolution. Argentina claims the islands as the Islas Malvinas.

Britain asserted control of the South Atlantic islands by placing a naval garrison there in 1833. Britain and Argentina fought a brief war in 1982 after Argentina invaded the islands. More than 900 people died, most of them Argentines.

Kerry's nine-nation, 10-day trip will also take him to America's traditional European allies of Germany, France and Italy, along with Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

In addition to Syria, he will focus on conflicts in Mali and Afghanistan, and on Iran's nuclear program.

In Germany, Kerry will discuss trans-Atlantic issues with German youth in Berlin, where he spent time as a child as the son of an American diplomat posted to the divided Cold War city. He also will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the German capital.

In Paris, Kerry plans to discuss France's intervention in Mali.

Despite the numerous Middle East stops. Kerry will not travel to Israel or the Palestinian territories. He will wait to visit them when he accompanies Obama there in March.

___

Online:

Trip details: http://www.state.gov/secretary/travel/2013/205086.htm

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-scrambles-salvage-syrian-opposition-talks-195009126.html

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Pope gives final Sunday blessing; says 'I'm not abandoning the Church'

Pope Benedict XVI has given his final Sunday blessing from his studio window to the cheers of tens of thousands of people in St Peter?s Square, Rome.

Benedict said that even though he is retiring on Thursday from the papacy, the first Pope in 600 years to do so, he is ?not abandoning the Church?.

Instead he said he will serve the Church with the same dedication he has until now, but will do so in a way ?more suitable to my age and my strength?.

Benedict, 85, will spend his last years in prayer, meditation and seclusion in a monastery on Vatican City?s grounds.

He has one more public appearance, at his weekly audience on Wednesday in the square.

Benedict has lately looked tired and frail but the crowd filling the cobblestone square seemed to energise him, and he spoke in a clear, strong voice, repeatedly thanking the faithful for their closeness and affection as they interrupted him, again and again, with applause and cheers.

Police estimated some 100,000 people turned out.

Benedict told the crowd that God is calling him to dedicate himself ?even more to prayer and meditation?, which he will do in a secluded monastery being renovated for him on the grounds behind Vatican City?s ancient walls.

?But this doesn?t mean abandoning the church,? he said, as many in the crowd looked sad at his departure from regular view. ?On the contrary, if God asks me, this is because I can continue to serve it (the church) with the same dedication and the same love which I have tried to do so until now, but in a way more suitable to my age and to my strength.?

The phrase ?tried to? was the Pope?s ad-libbed addition to his prepared text.

Benedict smiled at the crowd after an aide parted the white curtain at his window, telling the people, ?thank you for your affection?.

Heavy rain had been forecast for Rome, and some drizzle dampened the square earlier in the morning. But when Benedict appeared, to the peal of church bells as the clock struck noon, blue sky crept through the clouds.

?We thank God for the sun he has given us,? the Pope said, sounding cheerful.

As cheers continued in the crowd, the pontiff simply turned away from the window and stepped back down into apartment, which he will leave on Thursday, taking a helicopter to the Vatican summer residence in the hills outside Rome while he waits for the monastery to be ready.

A child in the crowd held up a sign on a yellow placard, written in Italian, ?You are not alone, I?m with you.? Other admirers held homemade signs, saying ?Grazie?.

No date has yet been set for the start of the conclave of cardinals, who will vote in secret to elect Benedict?s successor.

One Italian in the crowd seemed to be doing a little campaigning, hoisting a sign which mentioned the name of two Italian cardinals considered by observers to be potential contenders in the selection of the next pontiff.

Flags in the crowd represented many nations, with a large number from Brazil.

The cardinals in the conclave will have to decide whether it is time to look outside of Europe for a Pope.

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Likely ZTE Open spotted at Mozilla press conference: it's blue and open, like the ocean

Remember that orphaned spec list we saw for the Mozilla-powered ZTE Open? Well, we think we've just spotted the device that it describes. It only came out for a second, clasped in the hand of someone from Mozilla, but we were just about able to grab a shot. As we saw in an earlier leak, it should be arriving with a 3.5-inch HVGA TFT screen, Cortex -A5-based processor, 512MB of RAM and a 3.2-megapixel camera. Check it out in the dark sea of shapes above and then remind yourself of the rest of the likely specs after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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

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For Taliban victims, Pakistani peace talks feel like betrayal

Recently, the Pakistani government and Taliban forces in the country have expressed interest in peace talks. But for thousands of civilians who have been injured or lost a loved one at the hands of the Taliban, the idea is abhorrent.

By Asif Shahzad,?Associated Press / February 23, 2013

Pakistani student Hazratullah Khan, 14, who was injured in a car bombing on December 17, 2012 in Peshawar, poses for a picture in Peshawar, Pakistan on Thursday. Hazratullah Khan's right leg was amputated below the knee after he survived a car bombing as he was on his way home from school. His response when asked whether peace talks should be held with the Taliban leaders who ordered attacks like the ones that maimed him is simple: Hang them alive.

Muhammed Muheisen/AP

Enlarge

Hazratullah Khan, who lost his right leg below the knee in a car bombing, answers immediately when asked whether the Pakistani government should hold peace talks with Taliban leaders responsible for attacks like the one that maimed him.

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"Hang them alive," said the 14-year-old, who survived the explosion on his way home from school. "Slice the flesh off their bodies and cut them into pieces. That's what they have been doing to us."

Khan, who is from the Khyber tribal region, pondered his future recently at a physical rehabilitation center in Peshawar.

"What was my crime that they made me disabled for the rest of my life?" he asked as he touched his severed limb.

In recent weeks, the Pakistani government and Taliban forces fighting in northwestern tribal areas have expressed an interest in peace talks to end the years-long conflict. An estimated 30,000 civilians and 4,000 soldiers have died in terrorist attacks in Pakistan since Sept. 11, 2001 ? many at the hands of the Pakistani Taliban.

To many victims of Taliban violence, the idea of negotiating with people responsible for so much human pain is abhorrent. Their voices, however, are rarely heard in Pakistan, a country where people have long been conflicted about whether the Taliban are enemies bent on destroying the state or fellow Muslims who should be welcomed back into the fold after years of fighting.

The Associated Press spoke with victims of terrorist attacks in Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and the tribal areas and their families to find out how they felt about negotiating peace with the Taliban.

Khan's classmate, Fatimeen Afridi, who was also injured in the same bombing in Khyber, said he would be happy to see negotiations with the militants ? but only after those who maimed him were punished. Afridi's left leg was amputated below the knee, shattering his dream of becoming a fast bowler on Pakistan's cricket team.

"If I find them, I will throw them in a burning clay oven," he said.

The push for peace talks gained momentum in December when the leader of the Pakistani Taliban offered to negotiate. The government responded positively, and even hinted that the militants would not need to lay down their weapons before talks could begin. That would be a reversal of the government's long-held position that any talks be preceded by a ceasefire.

So far, there have been few concrete developments, and it's unclear whether Pakistan's powerful military supports negotiations.

Skeptics doubt the militants truly want peace and point to past agreements with the Taliban that fell apart after giving militants time to regroup. Others say negotiations are the only option since numerous military operations against the Taliban have failed.

The biggest question ? especially for many of the Taliban's victims ? is whether the Taliban will have to pay any price for the people they are believed to have killed and wounded. The government hasn't said whether it would offer the Taliban amnesty for past offenses.

Many of the victims feel forgotten, saying no one has asked their opinion about holding peace talks. They have to fight for what little health care they can obtain, and there's almost no assistance for dealing with psychological trauma caused by the attacks.

Dr. Mahboob-ur-Rehman runs a private medical complex in Peshawar, a large facility that houses a prosthetic workshop and a therapy school, where both Khan and Afridi are being treated. Rehman said the Pakistani army has a state-of-the-art facility to treat its soldiers while there is little help for civilians. He estimated that roughly 10,000 civilians have been permanently disabled after losing limbs in Pakistani Taliban attacks.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/fpkPwfgifko/For-Taliban-victims-Pakistani-peace-talks-feel-like-betrayal

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Oil and Gas Pipelines in Middle East

Now in its 13th edition, MEPIPES is the place to be for pipeline operators, technology providers and R&D experts from the region and beyond. Over 30 speakers will be joining us to share their 20+ years of experience.

From technical papers to debates: 4 days of networking and sharing among key professionals from both the pipeline and corrosion industries.

Disclaimer:

The information listed in the AMEinfo.com Event directory is updated continuously and the above details are accurate to the best of our knowledge. AMEinfo.com is not to be held responsible for the accuracy of the information listed nor can AMEinfo.com be held liable for any loss as a result of inacurate information.

If you are aware of any inaccurate information, please report errors to our editors and provide them with the updated details. You may also claim ownership of this record by clicking the 'Edit' option at the top of the page - this will allow you to edit the current entry in our database, provided you are granted ownership of the entry.

? 1996-2013 AME Info FZ LLC / 4C. All rights reserved. Replication or redistribution of AMEinfo.com content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AME Info FZ LLC / 4C.

Source: http://www.ameinfo.com/events-492459.html

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Andy Samberg Recycles MTV Movie Awards Jokes As Indie Spirits Host

'Exact same jokes. They aged well,' the 'SNL' alum tells MTV News of mining his 2009 hosting gig for Saturday's show.
By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Andy Samberg attends the 2013 Indie Spirit Awards
Photo: Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702497/andy-samberg-2013-indie-spirit-awards.jhtml

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Inaugural 3D Creative Summit Will Take Off in London

February 23rd, 2013 ? No Comments ? Newsflash

The inaugural 3D Creative Summit will be held at the British Film Institute Southbank in London on March 27-28.

The event is open to industry professionals, as well as to the public. It is being produced by the International 3D Society and Ravensbourne digital design college.

Attendees may expect to hear executives from companies such as Dreamworks, FOX, and SKY speak about last year?s strides in 3D cinema and TV.

Creator of hit SKY series, Galapagos: 3D, Sir David Attenborough will also speak. Attendees will have a chance to learn about shooting 3D film at an event called ?The Rig Zone.? Two day tickets for non-members are going for 99 British pounds.

Source: ScreenDaily.com

Tags: 3d creative summit?International 3D Society?ravensbourne?sir david attenborough

Source: http://hdguru3d.com/inaugural-3d-creative-summit-will-take-off-in-london/

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Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 official: 1.6GHz Exynos 4 Quad, 1280 x 800 display, HSPA+ 21, Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2

We knew another Note was coming. After all, Samsung Mobile head JK Shin confirmed the news back in January. But here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the tablet's finally been made official. If you haven't already inferred from its name, Samsung's latest S Pen entry boasts an 8-inch 1,280 x 800 TFT display. That puts it on par with the Note 10.1's resolution, although here users will obviously benefit from a more eye-pleasing pixel density (189ppi) and smaller 210.8mm x 135.9mm x 7.95mm (8.3 x 5.4 x 0.31 inches) footprint. Beneath that love it or hate it sealed plastic chassis, lies the company's Exynos 4 Quad processor clocked at 1.6GHz and paired with 2GB RAM, radios for WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, GLONASS and HSPA+ 21 (850/900/1900/2100MHz), up to 32GB of internal storage (microSD expansion available), in addition to a 4,600mAh battery. And, as with most Android products rolling out as of late, the Note 8.0 will ship with version 4.1.2 of Jelly Bean onboard -- skinned with the requisite TouchWiz UX.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0

Filed under: Tablets, Samsung

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/23/samsung-galaxy-note-8/

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Apple seeds iOS 6.1.3 Beta 2 to developers with security fix

• Dan
• On February 22, 2013
• http://www.tapscape.com

Security flaws in iOS are not exactly a new thing, especially those that allow access on the passcode lockscreen to resources behind the supposedly locked screen. That?s why when a bug surfaced that allowed a user to bypass the passcode and access the phone app, it wasn?t really surprising. To address this, Apple have issued iOS 6.1.3 Beta 2 to fix the security flaw.

Interestingly, it seems iOS 6.1.3 Beta 2 is actually an update to the recently released iOS 6.1.1 Beta 1 firmware that was seeded to developers for various bug fixes with Maps. It is also likely that the new iOS 6.1.3 Beta 2 will fix the Evasi0n exploit used for jailbreaking which has, up until now, been unpatched, although this remains unconfirmed. Until such time it is deemed safe to upgrade, please stay away from iOS 6.1.3 Beta 2 if you value your Jailbreak.

The entire changelog for iOS 6.1.3 Beta 2 can be found below?

iOS 6.1.3 beta 2 includes a security fix for a Lock screen bug and the following improvements to Maps for Japan:

• Improved pronunciation of roads during turn-by-turn navigation
• Optimized directions to more strongly prefer highways over narrower roads
• Now indicates upcoming toll roads during turn-by-turn navigation
• Added labels for junctions, interchanges, on-ramps, off-ramps, and intersections
• Added indicators for transit station buildings, subway lines, and?traffic lights
• Updated freeway?color to?green
• Updated icons for some location categories including fire stations, hospitals, and post offices Added 3D buildings including Tokyo Station, Japan?Imperial Palace, and Tokyo Tower

You can download iOS 6.1.3 Beta 2 here?if of course you have an Apple developer account. Remember, stay away from this update if you have or would like to Jailbreak your device in future.

Let us know in the comments section below if there are any additional features or changes you find in iOS 6.1.3 Beta 2 that have been missed out above.

Source: http://www.tapscape.com/apple-seeds-ios-6-1-3-beta-2-to-developers-with-security-fix/

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Contract Profile: IPKeys Helps Motorola Build Public Safety Radio ...

Communications technology firm IPKeys Technologies helped?Motorola Solutions implement a new radio system for a public safety network in Tennessee under a subcontract.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol awarded Motorola Solutions a prime contract to install both the radio system and IPKeys? microwave-based multiprotocol label switching backhaul network.

IPKeys and Motorola Solutions collaborated to build, stage, integrate, test and implement the final system for the Tennessee Highway Patrol?s communications network, supported by a private transport.

Project work was scheduled to complete in October 2012.

IPKeys is a Small Business Administration-certified 8(a) and women-owned business that provides smart grid communications technology to the energy, federal, defense and commercial sectors.

Source: http://blog.executivebiz.com/2013/02/contract-profile-ipkeys-helps-motorola-build-public-safety-radio-net/

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For embolism patients, clot-busting drug is worth risk, study suggests

Feb. 21, 2013 ? When doctors encounter a patient with a massive pulmonary embolism, they face a difficult choice: Is it wise to administer a drug that could save the patient's life, even though many people suffer life-threatening bleeding as a result?

Based on new findings published in the American Journal of Medicine, Michigan State University researchers are answering that question in no uncertain terms.

"The message to doctors is clear: Take the chance," said Paul D. Stein, a professor in MSU's Department of Osteopathic Medical Specialties. "It doesn't matter how old the patient is or what other chronic diseases the patient has. Administering the drug saves lives."

Pulmonary embolism is a potentially deadly blockage of arteries in the lungs caused by blood clots that travel from elsewhere in the body, usually the leg. Clot-dissolving drugs known as thrombolytic agents often can remove the blockage, but they also can cause brain hemorrhages and other major bleeding.

Stein found in an earlier study that only about a third of unstable pulmonary embolism patients -- those who are in shock or require a ventilator -- received thrombolytic therapy, even though the drugs decreased the risk of dying in the hospital from 50 percent to 15 percent.

"Doctors are smart," Stein said, "so why are only a third of patients getting the drug?"

To find out, Stein and Fadi Matta, MSU associate professor of osteopathic medical specialties, reviewed a national database of records from more than 1,000 hospitals. Their findings suggest that concern over the bleeding associated with thrombolytic therapy may keep doctors from giving the drug to patients who could be at higher risk.

In the study, only 20 percent of unstable patients with associated chronic conditions received the drug, compared to 80 percent of those without such conditions. Patients older than 60 also were less likely to receive the treatment.

Yet, even if patients had associated chronic conditions in addition to pulmonary embolism, the in-hospital death rate was 20 percent among those who received thrombolytic therapy, compared to 47 percent of those who did not get the clot-dissolving drug. The death rate also was lower among elderly patients who got the drug.

"Physicians apparently are afraid to give thrombolytic drugs to pulmonary embolism patients if they are elderly or have associated illnesses, and for good reason," Stein said. "Bleeding can be severe with such drugs, but the fact is, a lot more patients die if they don't get the drug than if they do."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Michigan State University.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Paul D. Stein, Fadi Matta. Treatment of Unstable Pulmonary Embolism in the Elderly and Those with Comorbid Conditions. The American Journal of Medicine, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2012.12.007

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/xYxrg72MA54/130221194259.htm

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Deepest undersea vents discovered

21 February 2013 Last updated at 02:53 ET By David Shukman Science editor, BBC News

David Shukman joins researchers examining the sea bed

UK scientists exploring the ocean floor in the Caribbean have discovered an "astounding" set of hydrothermal vents, the deepest anywhere in the world.

Deploying a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) in the Cayman Trough, they stumbled across a previously-unknown site nearly 5000m below the surface.

Video pictures relayed live back to the research ship mounting the operation show spindly chimneys up to 10m high.

They are belching out dark water - "a stunning sight", one scientist said.

In the immense pressure of the sea three miles down, the ROV, known as ISIS, was gently steered around the vents, taking pictures and gathering samples.

One of the people "piloting" the ROV said seabed smokestacks remind him of "the industrial Midlands".

Hydrothermal vents are among the strangest features of the deep ocean and their existence was not known until the 1970s. Since then they have been discovered at about 200 sites around the world including the Southern Ocean and the Atlantic.

But it was only three years ago that vents were first detected in the Cayman Trough, a deep trench formed by the boundary between two tectonic plates. One set of vents, known as Beebe, was established as the deepest on record - until the discovery last night of another slightly deeper set nearby, at 4,968m. or about three miles.

The water being blasted from the newly-found vents was measured at 401C, making this set among the hottest on the planet.

The expedition, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, is being run from a British research ship, the James Cook, named after the 18th century explorer who blazed a trail of discovery around the Pacific.

Now the ship bearing his name is using the latest technology to open up and understand an underwater world of eerie landscapes and unusual life forms.

A live stream of video is relayed back to a control room on board - where a cheer went up when the ROV's lights and high definition cameras picked out the new vents amid total darkness.

The team had been looking for a set first identified a year ago but their search took them unexpectedly into an entirely new field.

The tallest of vents reaches about 10m.

The chief scientist, Dr Jon Copley of the National Oceanography Centre, said the discovery of "astounding mineral spires" was a "complete surprise".

"We initially thought it was a site we'd been to before but it looked so different we thought it had changed. But eventually we realised it looked different because it was different," Dr Copley told BBC News.

"The beauty of working in the deep oceans is that you're always stumbling over things that are completely new.

"It's teaching us how little we know and for a few minutes it's not about the science, it's about the wonder of the planet, something that's been hidden for so long."

The ROV remained on station for nearly 24 hours - a typical length for a dive - before being returned to the James Cook bearing samples of water and wildlife.

For the biologists on board, the vents act as a highly unusual habitat with a massive contrast between the water from the vents measuring just over 400C, compared to the surrounding sea temperature of around 4C.

The narrow interface between the two extremes of water - sometimes as narrow as a few centimetres - provides a unique environment for an array of creatures.

Ghostly-white shrimp - clustered on the rocks in teeming crowds - appear to have lost the ability to see because their eyes are fused together.

Verity Nye is one of the researchers studying the blind shrimp, brought up in the ROV's containers, filled at the seabed.

"We don't think they have functioning eyes but they have a really unusual organ on their backs which is like a warning system for them to tell them when they're getting too hot so they don't get too close to the hot water from the vents.

"But we really don't know how life operates down there so we're still trying to understand it."

According to Dr Copley, the expedition has already yielded finds that are likely, after lab analysis back home, to prove to be new species including a white anemone and starfish.

Further dives are scheduled in the coming days, with Japanese and American researchers planning investigations here later in the year.

The scientists on the James Cook hope the research will eventually answer two key questions: why and how life evolved in such a seemingly hostile environment.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21520404#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Led By Vine Investor Adam Ludwin, Albumatic Launches A Collaborative Photo Album App That People Might Actually Use

One of the the startup ideas that I've been hearing about for years is the social photo album ? in other words, a service that doesn't just let you share photos with your friends, but also create albums with them. Adam Ludwin and Devon Gundry have seen a lot of those startups too, but they're trying to crack the problem with their new startup Albumatic. Ludwin (a principal at RRE Ventures, where he led the seed round in Twitter-acquired social video startup Vine) told me that when he and Gundry (a musician who also started a social media company with actor Rainn Wilson) first started thinking about the app, they realized there were a bunch of other products that never got significant consumer traction ? the most high-profile flameout was probably Color. And they decided that the key factor was location.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/6ROHgjGEr6o/

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Tamagotchi is coming to Android and iOS? Tell me more.

While most kids aren?t carrying around little plastic Tamagotchi eggs anymore, there?s still a big virtual pet market on Android and iOS. And that?s exactly where Tamagotchi is going next, with an app/game being launched soon by Bandai.?

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This just makes sense.

Source: http://zerachin.tumblr.com/post/43579447955

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