Same-sex couples line up to marry in California

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Dozens of couples in jeans, shorts, white dresses and the occasional military uniform filled San Francisco City Hall on Saturday as clerks resumed issuing marriage licenses one day after a federal appeals court removed the last obstacle to making same-sex matrimony legal again in California.

Although a few clerk's offices around the state stayed open late on Friday, San Francisco was the only jurisdiction to hold weekend hours so same-sex couples could take advantage of their newly restored right, Clerk Karen Hong said.

A sign posted on the door of the office where a long line of couples waited to fill out applications listed the price for a license, a ceremony or both above the words "Equality=Priceless."

"We really wanted to make this happen," Hong said, adding that her whole staff and a group of volunteers came into work without having to be asked. "It's spontaneous, which is great in its own way."

The timing could not have been better for California National Guard Capt. Michael Potoczniak, 38, and his partner of 10 years, Todd Saunders, 47, of El Cerrito.

Potoczniak, who joined the Guard after the military's ban on openly gay service was repealed almost two years ago, is scheduled to fly out Sunday night for a month of basic training in Texas.

"I woke up this morning, shook him awake and said, 'Let's go," said Potoczniak, who chose to get married in his Army uniform. "It's something that people need to see because everyone is so used to uniforms at military weddings."

The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for gay marriage to return to the nation's most populous state by ruling 5-4 on Wednesday that the sponsors of California's voter-approved ban on same-sex unions lacked authority to defend the measure in court.

Also Wednesday, the Supreme Court overturned the federal law that prevented the government from awarding federal benefits to same sex couples, a decision with extra significance for military couples such as Saunders and Potoczniak.

"It scared me, honestly, before this all happened, that something could happen to me," Potoczniak said, "Things like my body, who would take care of him, even just getting the health insurance...It gives me a lot more peace of mind to know that the Army is taking care of us."

Also waiting to wed Saturday were Scott Kehoe, 34, and his fiancee, Aurelien Bricker, 24. After finding out on Facebook that the city was issuing same-sex marriage licenses Friday, the San Francisco couple rushed out to Tiffany's to buy wedding rings.

"We were afraid of further legal challenges in the state," Kehoe said.

Bricker is a French citizen living in the United States on a student visa, and the couple has contemplated moving to France once he completes his studies next year.

Now that the Defense of Marriage Act has been struck down and California's gay marriage ban lifted, Kehoe can sponsor his husband for U.S. citizenship or permanent residency.

Hong said 81 same-sex couples wed in San Francisco on Friday just hours after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a brief order saying it has dissolved a stay it imposed on gay marriages while a lawsuit challenging the ban, known as Proposition 8, worked its way through the courts.

Within hours of the appeals court's action Friday, the two lead plaintiffs who in 2009 sued to overturn Proposition 8, Kristin Perry and Sandra Stier of Berkeley, became the first couple to marry in San Francisco in a hastily arranged ceremony.

The city, home to both a federal trial court that struck down Proposition 8 as unconstitutional and the 9th Circuit, has been the epicenter of the state's gay marriage movement since then-Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered his administration in February 2004 to issue licenses to gay couples in defiance of state law.

A little more than four years later, the California Supreme Court, which is also based in San Francisco, struck down the state's one-man, one-woman marriage laws.

City Hall was the scene of many more marriages in the 4 1/2 months before a coalition of religious conservative groups successfully campaigned for the November 2008 passage of Proposition 8, which amended the state constitution to outlaw same-sex marriages.

Standing amid the beaming couples on Saturday, John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney of the advocacy group Marriage Equality USA looked like proud fathers. The men have been together 26 years, got married in February 2004, had their union invalidated six months later and then became one of the 18,000 couples estimated to have tied the knot in California before Proposition 8 was enacted.

"I don't think getting a license means as much to anyone who hasn't worked so long for it and fought so hard for it," Gaffney said. "It's been a very long engagement."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/same-sex-couples-line-marry-california-202427117.html

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Energy Efficient Model Home

CHERRY VALLEY (WIFR) -- A local contractor is trying to reel in buyers by offering a home that could cut down on our utility bills.

Jason Wigget Construction, partnering with e2residential, recently finished its model home, which is 50 percent more efficient than a traditionally built new home.

The company says it can save the homeowner $1,995 in annual energy costs.

Using e2residential's patent pending building system, the home conserves energy by holding in the heat and cool air with its insulation.

Wigget also says his homes are great for people with allergies because it can also clean the air through the filters in the ventilation system.

"We have a pretty good handle on what everything is, we know how to explain it and we know we have a really good product," said Wigget. "We know that it's superior to what's sitting out there now so we're pretty confident."

The model home will be open for the public to see every Saturday and Sunday 1-4 p.m. throughout July.

Source: http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/Energy-Efficient-Home--213712351.html

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PTSD tied to raised heart disease risk

By Andrew M. Seaman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may also be at increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to a new study of Vietnam War veterans.

After following nearly 300 pairs of male twins, all Vietnam vets, for more than a decade, researchers found that almost a quarter of the men diagnosed with PTSD also had heart disease, compared to less than a tenth of the men without the combat-related stress disorder.

"As time goes by, it's become more and more clear that PTSD is not just something that impacts psychological health. It has broad repercussions throughout the body," said Dr. Viola Vaccarino from the Emory University School of Public Health in Atlanta, the study's lead author.

Behavioral symptoms of PTSD include reliving the traumatic event in memories or nightmares, avoiding situations that may trigger those memories and feelings of paranoia, fearfulness and guilt, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The symptoms tend to start shortly after a person experiences a traumatic event, such as combat, terrorist attacks, serious accidents, natural disasters and personal violence or abuse.

Physically, Vaccarino's team notes, PTSD sufferers are known to often have raised levels of stress hormones and other chemicals signaling overactivation in the fight-or-flight pathways of the nervous system.

Previous research, including one study examining U.S. veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, have found that people diagnosed with PTSD and other stress disorders are more likely to develop heart troubles (see Reuters Health story of August 5, 2009 here:).

Vaccarino said, however, that other studies found conflicting results and some relied on data from interviews and questionnaires, which may provide inaccurate information.

For its study, Vaccarino's group used data from a study of twins who were all Vietnam War veterans born between 1946 and 1956. None of the men in the new analysis had heart disease when the study started, between 1987 and 1992.

The 281 twin pairs were asked to return for follow-up exams and interviews between 2002 and 2010 - about 13 years later - and were tested to see how many of the men had developed heart disease.

Overall, 137 participants had met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD at the start of the study and 69 men developed heart disease by the time of their follow-up exam.

About 23 percent of those with PTSD had heart disease, compared to about 9 percent of those without the stress disorder.

The results translated to those with PTSD at the outset being twice as likely as men without the disorder to develop heart disease by the end of the study.

That difference remained even after the researchers accounted for the higher rates of smoking, drinking and high blood pressure among the PTSD sufferers, which could also contribute to heart risks.

Vaccarino told Reuters Health that she and her colleagues were able to confirm their findings by imaging the participants' hearts and showing reduced blood flow in the men with PTSD.

While their study cannot prove that PTSD caused heart disease in the men, she said, people should know the two conditions share an association.

"This study and the other studies provide pretty good evidence that there's an association here and it's likely to be causal, but we don't have the proof," said Dr. Stephen Sidney, director for research clinics at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research in Oakland.

"There is enough of an association that physicians should be aware of it," said Sidney, who wrote an editorial accompanying the new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Vaccarino said more research is needed to find out exactly how the two conditions are related, but "in the meantime, we need to act on those things that are protective against heart disease in general."

"Patients with PTSD need to realize that they need to take care of their heart, because they are at a higher risk," she said.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/11AIhhY Journal of the American College of Cardiology, online June 2013.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ptsd-tied-raised-heart-disease-risk-205231393.html

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Chopped Recap: Climbing and Cooking

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/chopped-recap-climbing-and-cooking/

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U.S. bugged EU offices, computer networks: German magazine

BERLIN (Reuters) - The United States has bugged European Union offices and gained access to EU internal computer networks, according to secret documents cited in a German magazine on Saturday, the latest in a series of exposures of alleged U.S. spy programs.

Der Spiegel quoted from a September 2010 "top secret" U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) document that it said fugitive former NSA contractor Edward Snowden had taken with him, and the weekly's journalists had seen in part.

The document outlines how the NSA bugged offices and spied on EU internal computer networks in Washington and at the United Nations, not only listening to conversations and phone calls but also gaining access to documents and emails.

The document explicitly called the EU a "target".

U.S. officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, said that if the report was correct, it would have a "severe impact" on relations between the EU and the United States.

"On behalf of the European Parliament, I demand full clarification and require further information speedily from the U.S. authorities with regard to these allegations," he said in an emailed statement.

Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn told Der Spiegel: "If these reports are true, it's disgusting.

"The United States would be better off monitoring its secret services rather than its allies. We must get a guarantee from the very highest level now that this stops immediately."

Snowden's disclosures in foreign media about U.S. surveillance programs have ignited a political furor in the United States and abroad over the balance between privacy rights and national security.

According to Der Spiegel, the NSA also targeted telecommunications at the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels, home to the European Council, the collective of EU national governments.

Without citing sources, the magazine reported that more than five years ago security officers at the EU had noticed several missed calls and traced them to NSA offices within the NATO compound in Brussels.

Each EU member state has rooms in Justus Lipsius with phone and Internet connections, which ministers can use.

Snowden, a U.S. citizen, fled the United States to Hong Kong in May, a few weeks before the publication in the Guardian and the Washington Post of details he provided about secret U.S. government surveillance of Internet and phone traffic.

Snowden, 30, has been holed up in a Moscow airport transit area since last weekend. The leftist government of Ecuador is reviewing his request for asylum.

(Reporting by Annika Breidthardt and Ben Deighton in Brussels; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-bugged-eu-offices-computer-networks-german-magazine-162017024.html

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Suspect in Boston Marathon bombing indicted

BOSTON (AP) ? Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev downloaded bomb-making instructions from an al-Qaida magazine, gathered online material on Islamic jihad and martyrdom, and later scribbled anti-American messages inside the boat where he lay wounded, a federal indictment charged Thursday.

The 30-count indictment includes the bombing charges, punishable by the death penalty, that were brought against the 19-year-old Tsarnaev in April. But prosecutors added charges covering the slaying of an MIT police officer and the carjacking of a motorist during the getaway attempt that left Tsarnaev's older brother, Tamerlan, dead.

Three people were killed and more than 260 wounded by the two pressure-cooker bombs that went off near the finish line of the marathon on April 15.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured four days later, hiding in a boat parked in a backyard in Watertown, Mass.

According to the indictment, he scrawled messages on the inside of the vessel that said, among other things, "The U.S. Government is killing our innocent civilians," ''I can't stand to see such evil go unpunished," and "We Muslims are one body you hurt one you hurt us all."

The Tsarnaev brothers had roots in the turbulent Russian regions of Dagestan and Chechnya, which have become recruiting grounds for Islamic extremists. They had been living in the U.S. about a decade.

But the indictment made no mention of any larger conspiracy beyond the brothers, and no reference to any direct overseas contacts with extremists. Instead, the indictment suggests the Internet played a central role in the suspects' radicalization.

Sometime before the attack, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev downloaded onto his computer the summer 2010 issue of Inspire, an online English-language magazine published by al-Qaida, according to the indictment. The issue detailed how to make bombs from pressure cookers, explosive powder extracted from fireworks, and lethal shrapnel.

He also downloaded various pieces of extremist Muslim literature, including "Defense of the Muslim Lands, the First Obligation after Imam," which advocates "violence designed to terrorize the perceived enemies of Islam, among other things," the indictment said.

One tract downloaded included a foreword by Anwar al-Awlaki, an American propagandist for al-Qaida who was killed in a U.S. drone strike, federal prosecutors said.

The indictment assembled and confirmed details of the case that have been widely reported over the past two months, and added new pieces of information.

For example, it confirmed that Tamerlan Tsarnaev bought 48 fireworks mortar shells containing about eight pounds of explosive powder from a Seabrook, N.H., fireworks store. It also disclosed that he used the Internet to order electronic components that could be used in making bombs.

The papers detail how, after using the Internet to study jihad propaganda and bomb-making instructions, the brothers placed knapsacks containing shrapnel-packed bombs near the finish line of the 26.2-mile race.

The court papers also confirm that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev inadvertently contributed to his brother's death by running him over during a shootout with police.

The charges also cover the slaying of Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier, who authorities say was shot in his cruiser by the Tsarnaevs during their getaway attempt. The brothers tried to take his gun, prosecutors said.

At the same time the federal indictment was announced, Massachusetts authorities brought a 15-count state indictment against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev over the MIT officer's slaying and the police shootout.

___

Tom Hays reported from New York.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suspect-boston-marathon-bombing-indicted-174349166.html

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America's deadliest soldier? Dillard Johnson says he never made that claim.

Retired Army Sgt. Dillard Johnson's new Iraq war memoir has angered other veterans. He says the criticism is mostly unfair.

By Dan Murphy,?Staff writer / June 27, 2013

Yesterday I wrote about Dillard Johnson's new book "Carnivore," published by the News Corporation's HarperCollins and heavily promoted by News Corporation outlets like the New York Post and Fox News.

Skip to next paragraph Dan Murphy

Staff writer

Dan Murphy is a staff writer for the Monitor's international desk, focused on the Middle East.?Murphy, who has reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, and more than a dozen other countries, writes and edits Backchannels. The focus? War and international relations, leaning toward things Middle East.

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The promotional effort around the book has carried a hard-to-believe, almost impossible claim: that Johnson had 2,746 "confirmed" enemy kills over the course of two tours in Iraq. His first tour came during the 2003 invasion and the second for roughly 12 months starting in February 2005. The claimed kills, which first surfaced in NewsCorp's New York Post on Monday ("With 2,746 confirmed kills, Sgt. 1st Class Dillard Johnson is the deadliest American soldier on record ??and maybe the most humble"), was then repeated on a number of Fox News programs this week and mirrored around the Internet.

Similar claims are made in HarperCollins' publicity for the book ("He is recognized by the Pentagon to have accounted for more than 2,000 enemy killed in action," says the book jacket; "Credited with more than 2,600 enemy KIA, he is perhaps the most lethal ground soldier in U.S. history," says both the book jacket and a blurb the publisher supplied to Amazon; the book cover calls him "One of the deadliest American soldiers of all time.")

Mr. Johnson says there's one problem: It isn't true.

He says the book doesn't contain that claim, that he never claimed to have killed 2,746 enemy fighters in Iraq, and that he didn't kill that many people in Iraq. He says a combination of innocent mistakes by others and a desire by HarperCollins and his co-author to promote the book have led to the impression he's making claims that he hasn't made. He says a personal and informal total of likely enemy fighters killed during engagements in the Iraq invasion has been attributed to him, when in fact the total includes shooting from the Bradley he commanded as well as shots fired from Bradleys around him and commanded by others ??his wingmen.

"Am I one of the deadliest American soldiers of all time? Probably not," says Johnson. "Do I think I did a lot of damage with my vehicle and stuff, with me being decisive? Yeah, absolutely."

These and other claims have drawn angry denunciations from a large number of soldiers who served with him in Iraq, who say he played an important role in their effort but did not come close to what's been written about him in the press.

Johnson says he agrees, and says the attribution of so many dead to him personally traces back to a 2004 Pentagon history of the invasion, On Point: The United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was interviewed for the book and says it's been wildly misinterpreted, especially since the chapter he features in was excerpted by Soldier of Fortune magazine, with editorial changes made by someone there that exaggerated his personal role in the fighting.

His assertion of 121 "confirmed" sniper kills made in his book has also drawn howls of derision. Johnson is not trained as a sniper and was not equipped with a sniper rifle. He says his personal tally of 121 enemy killed during his second tour is correct, but that "I didn?t use a sniper rifle, I am not a sniper. Nowhere in the book does it say that I?m a sniper. It?s in the jacket, again, but I didn?t write that." He told me that all these kills were with M4 and M14 rifles.

He told Fox New's Laura Ingraham on the O'Reilly Factor ? the evening after an appearance on Fox & Friends that morning that infuriated many veterans, and prompted angry emails from some former comrades ? that the 121 kills involved "the M14 and my M4 personal rifle and some 203 ones." A 203 is a single shot grenade launcher and attributing specific deaths to a grenade launched over distance is both difficult and definitely not a form of "sniping."

Johnson explains that the choice of "sniper" in the book was for ease of understanding for the general civilian public. "When you look inside the cover and see the talk about the 121 confirmed sniper kills [that's because] most civilians don?t know what a designated marksman is," he says. He said his platoon didn't have many trained marskmen and that since he was a naturally good shot, he took on those kinds of duties to protect himself and his men.

Some of Johnson's stories have shifted over time.

He told Ms. Ingraham this week that the long shot, which he says in that interview was 821 yards, "was sort of a sniper battle from a rooftop and I got this guy. It took me 15 shots. He was a better shot than me. I just had better equipment and he was missing all around me and I basically just got lucky." But here's what Stars and Stripes reported him as saying about the incident on Dec. 20, 2005:

?I used my laser rangefinder to give me the distance to the enemy location, it was 852 meters exactly, a long shot,? Johnson said then, according to a 2nd Brigade Combat Team press release carried by the newspaper. He reported there were two insurgents there and that they were firing towards his rooftop position. ?I engaged one enemy shooter with my own rifle. My first round fell short but it must have scared him because he stood up to run away. The next round I fired, hit him and he went down,? Johnson said.

On his O'Reilly appearance, Johnson corrected his host when she attributed 2,746 kills in Iraq to him personally. He says he wished he'd done that in the earlier Fox & Friends interview but that he was only on for about three minutes, and as it was his first television appearance, he was a little flustered.

"I was trying to get that in on Fox & Friends, but didn?t have time. Did on O?Reilly with Laura Ingraham," he tells me. He told Ingraham:?

"As far as the kills go ... I?m not really proud of those numbers being out there, it was part of the battle damage assessment that we did. My gunner actually did, you know, most of those or over half of those in the vehicle there and I was just present on the vehicle ... which I was the commander of."

Soldiers in general don't like to keep body counts, and while they may be proud of killing enemies in engagements, keeping their buddies safe, and accomplishing their missions, bragging about kill numbers is generally seen as uncouth, if not a downright creepy. Johnson agrees with that, and says there's no intent to brag about killing. Rather, he says, he kept track of enemy dead by counting rifles on the battlefield after engagements (on the reasoning that "one rifle equals one man") as a way to keep senior officers as informed as possible about the course of the war.

Johnson was kind enough to speak to me for about two hours last night. I'm currently sifting through my long notes of my conversation with him, and will revisit the story after I read his book myself this evening.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/JrpzKwO8tNg/America-s-deadliest-soldier-Dillard-Johnson-says-he-never-made-that-claim

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The violent birth of neutron stars

June 27, 2013 ? A team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics conducted the most expensive and most elaborate computer simulations so far to study the formation of neutron stars at the center of collapsing stars with unprecedented accuracy. These worldwide first three-dimensional models with a detailed treatment of all important physical effects confirm that extremely violent, hugely asymmetric sloshing and spiral motions occur when the stellar matter falls towards the center. The results of the simulations thus lend support to basic perceptions of the dynamical processes that are involved when a star explodes as supernova.

Stars with more than eight to ten times the mass of our Sun end their lives in a gigantic explosion, in which the stellar gas is expelled into the surrounding space with enormous power. Such supernovae belong to the most energetic and brightest phenomena in the universe and can outshine a whole galaxy for weeks. They are the cosmic origin of chemical elements like carbon, oxygen, silicon, and iron, of which Earth and our bodies are made of, and which are bred in massive stars over millions of years or freshly fused in the stellar explosion.

Supernovae are also the birth places of neutron stars, those extraordinarily exotic, compact stellar remnants, in which about 1.5 times the mass of our Sun is compressed to a sphere with the diameter of Munich. This happens within fractions of a second when the stellar core implodes due to the strong gravity of its own mass. The catastrophic collapse is stopped only when the density of atomic nuclei -- gargantuan 300 million tons in a sugar cube -- is exceeded.

What, however, causes the disruption of the star? How can the implosion of the stellar core be reversed to an explosion? The exact processes are still a matter of intense research. According to the most widely favored scenario, neutrinos, mysterious elementary particles, play a crucial role. These neutrinos are produced and radiated in tremendous numbers at the extreme temperatures and densities in the collapsing stellar core and nascent neutron star. Like the thermal radiation of a heater they heat the gas surrounding the hot neutron star and thus could "ignite" the explosion. In this scenario the neutrinos pump energy into the stellar gas and build up pressure until a shock wave is accelerated to disrupt the star in a supernova. But does this theoretical idea really work? Is it the explanation of the still enigmatic mechanism driving the explosion?

Unfortunately (or luckily!) the processes in the center of exploding stars cannot be reproduced in the laboratory and many solar masses of intransparent stellar gas obscure our view into the deep interior of supernovae. Research is therefore strongly dependent on most sophisticated and challenging computer simulations, in which the complex mathematical equations are solved that describe the motion of the stellar gas and the physical processes that occur at the extreme conditions in the collapsing stellar core. For this task the most powerful existing supercomputers are used, but still it has been possible to conduct such calculations only with radical and crude simplifications until recently. If, for example, the crucial effects of neutrinos were included in some detailed treatment, the computer simulations could only be performed in two dimensions, which means that the star in the models was assumed to have an artificial rotational symmetry around an axis.

Thanks to support from the Rechenzentrum Garching (RZG) in developing a particularly efficient and fast computer program, access to most powerful supercomputers, and a computer time award of nearly 150 million processor hours, which is the greatest contingent so far granted by the "Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe (PRACE)" initiative of the European Union, the team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) in Garching could now for the first time simulate the processes in collapsing stars in three dimensions and with a sophisticated description of all relevant physics.

"For this purpose we used nearly 16,000 processor cores in parallel mode, but still a single model run took about 4.5 months of continuous computing," says PhD student Florian Hanke, who performed the simulations. Only two computing centers in Europe were able to provide sufficiently powerful machines for such long periods of time, namely CURIE at Tr?s Grand Centre de calcul (TGCC) du CEA near Paris and SuperMUC at the Leibniz-Rechenzentrum (LRZ) in Munich/Garching.

Many Terabytes of simulation data (1 Terabyte are thousand billion bytes) had to be analysed and visualized before the researchers could grasp the essence of their model runs. What they saw caused excitement as well as astonishment. The stellar gas did not only exhibit the violent bubbling and seething with the characteristic rising mushroom-like plumes driven by neutrino heating in close similarity to what can be observed in boiling water. (This process is called convection.) The scientists also found powerful, large sloshing motions, which temporarily switch over to rapid, strong rotational motions. Such a behavior had been known before and had been named "Standing Accretion Shock Instability," or SASI. This term expresses the fact that the initial sphericity of the supernova shock wave is spontaneously broken, because the shock develops large-amplitude, pulsating asymmetries by the oscillatory growth of initially small, random seed perturbations. So far, however, this had been found only in simplified and incomplete model simulations.

"My colleague Thierry Foglizzo at the Service d' Astrophysique des CEA-Saclay near Paris has obtained a detailed understanding of the growth conditions of this instability," explains Hans-Thomas Janka, the head of the research team. "He has constructed an experiment, in which a hydraulic jump in a circular water flow exhibits pulsational asymmetries in close analogy to the shock front in the collapsing matter of the supernova core." This phenomenon was named "SWASI" ("Shallow Water Analogue of Shock Instability") and allows one to demonstrate dynamical processes in the deep interior of a dying star by a relatively simple and inexpensive experimental setup of table size, of course without accounting for the important effects of neutrino heating. For this reason many astrophysicists had been sceptical that this instability indeed occurs in collapsing stars.

The Garching team could now demonstrate for the first time unambiguously that the SASI also plays an important role in the so far most realistic computer models. "It does not only govern the mass motions in the supernova core but it also imposes characteristic signatures on the neutrino and gravitational-wave emission, which will be measurable for a future Galactic supernova. Moreover, it may lead to strong asymmetries of the stellar explosion, in course of which the newly formed neutron star will receive a large kick and spin," describes team member Bernhard M?ller the most significant consequences of such dynamical processes in the supernova core.

The researchers now plan to explore in more detail the measurable effects connected to the SASI and to sharpen their predictions of associated signals. Moreover, they plan to perform more and longer simulations to understand how the instability acts together with neutrino heating and enhances the efficiency of the latter. The goal is to ultimately clarify whether this conspiracy is the long-searched mechanism that triggers the supernova explosion and thus leaves behind the neutron star as compact remnant.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/xulUjZRJoLM/130627083034.htm

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TWC Is Installing Another 1000 Free Wi-Fi Hotspots in Manhattan

We're not always the biggest fans of Time Warner Cable; it's unreliable, expensive, and they don't seem to care two hoots about improving it. But we applaud the company's plan to beef up the free Wi-Fi coverage it offers customers?especially in the congested airspace of New York. Beyond the 1700 hotspots already out there in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, the company will have 1000 ready to go in Manhattan by mid-July. [TWC]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/twc-is-installing-another-1000-free-wi-fi-hotspots-in-m-596639834

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Amanda Bynes Threatens to Sue Over "Morphed" Paparazzi Pics

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/amanda-bynes-threatens-to-sue-over-morphed-paparazzi-pics/

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Perry, filibuster star clash over Texas abortions

GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) ? Gov. Rick Perry hit back Thursday at the star of a Democratic filibuster that helped kill new Texas abortion restrictions, saying state Sen. Wendy Davis' rise from a tough upbringing to Harvard Law graduate should have taught her the value of each human life.

The Republican governor expanded on those remarks later, publicly wondering what might have happened if Davis' own mother had undergone an abortion rather than carry her child to term.

Davis, a Fort Worth Democrat, shot back that Perry's statement "tarnishes the high office he holds."

Before the white-hot battle over abortion in the nation's second-largest state turned personal, Davis staged a marathon filibuster Tuesday helping to defeat an omnibus bill that would have further limited abortions in a place where it's already difficult to undergo them. But Perry called lawmakers back for a second special session next week to try and finish the job.

"Who are we to say that children born in the worst of circumstances can't lead successful lives?" Perry said in a speech to nearly 1,000 delegates at the National Right to Life Conference in suburban Dallas. "Even the woman who filibustered the Senate the other day was born into difficult circumstances."

Davis, 50, has rocketed to sudden, national political stardom thanks to donning pink tennis shoes and delivering the marathon speech on the floor of the state Senate.

She started working at age 14 to help support a household of her single mother and three siblings. By 19, she was already married and divorced with a child of her own, but she eventually graduated with honors from Harvard Law School and won her Senate seat in an upset.

Perry pointed out that personal history in his speech, adding "it's just unfortunate that she hasn't learned from her own example that every life must be given a chance to realize its full potential and that every life matters."

In comments to reporters afterward, he went even further.

"I'm proud that she's been able to take advantage of her intellect and her hard work, but she didn't come from particularly good circumstances," the governor said. "What if her mom had said, 'I just can't do this. I don't want to do this.' At that particular point in time I think it becomes very personal."

Davis quickly fired off an email blasting Perry's comments.

"They are small words that reflect a dark and negative point of view," she said. "Our governor should reflect our Texas values. Sadly, Gov. Perry fails that test."

Davis' supporters argued Perry never would have made such suggestions to a male politician.

"Rick Perry's remarks are incredibly condescending and insulting to women," Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund and daughter of the late former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, said in a statement. "This is exactly why the vast majority of Texans believe that politicians shouldn't be involved in a woman's personal health care decisions."

The Texas Legislature adjourned May 27, but Perry called legislators into a first 30-day special session to pass stricter limits on abortion, including banning the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy. But with the extra session set to end at midnight on Tuesday, Davis was on her feet for more than 12 hours ? speaking most of that time ? as Senate Democrats attempted a filibuster.

Just before the final gavel, Republican lawmakers silenced her for addressing a topic other than the bill she was opposing ? only to have hundreds of abortion rights activists cheer so loudly from the public gallery that all business in the chamber halted until it was too late.

Perry, a conservative and devout Christian, has put the abortion measure at the top of the agenda for the second special session, which begins Monday. It would force many clinics that perform abortions to upgrade their facilities to be classified as ambulatory surgical centers. Doctors also would be required to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles.

Opponents say such improvements are so expensive that only five of Texas' 42 abortion clinics would remain in operation.

Abortion rights groups have promised to respond with more protests, including one scheduled Monday for the state Capitol. Perry, meanwhile, called those who oppose abortion to action, telling the conference, "the world has seen images of pro-abortion activists screaming, cheering. Going forward, we have to match their intensity."

Adding intrigue to his grudge match with Davis is the fact that Perry had been expected to announce this week if he will seek a fourth full term as governor next year. But he said Thursday that announcement will now be delayed until lawmakers can finish the extra work he's given them.

Davis is up for re-election too next year, but had been urged by Democratic operatives even before her filibuster to consider running for governor.

She has acknowledged mulling a run for statewide office but says she wants to wait for the right time. A Democrat hasn't won such a post in Texas since 1994, and the state Democratic Party would face a major challenge establishing the organization or infrastructure necessary to deliver enough dependable votes.

Asked what he thought of Davis as a possible gubernatorial candidate, Perry shrugged and said: "I don't have a clue."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/perry-filibuster-star-clash-over-texas-abortions-175240836.html

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Carrefour considering sale of China, Taiwan businesses: report

(Reuters) - Carrefour SA the world's second largest retailer, is exploring a sale of its businesses in China and Taiwan, including a possible initial public offering in Hong Kong or a combination of some of those assets with another company, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

An IPO route could represent around $1 billion in funds, the Journal said, citing a source, adding that Carrefour's plans were still at a preliminary stage. (http://r.reuters.com/mug29t)

Carrefour has not hired bankers yet, The Wall Street Journal said, citing sources.

Carrefour declined to comment on the report.

The French group, which is Europe's largest retailer, has been struggling for years in Europe, partly due to a reliance on hypermarkets, which have been losing out as time-pressed shoppers buy more goods locally and online and prefer to buy general merchandise from specialists.

Carrefour has been exiting non-strategic markets to raise cash and to cut its debt. However, investors are concerned that the company is retreating from too many high-growth markets.

(Reporting by Karen Rebelo and Abhirup Roy in Bangalore; Additional reporting by Dominique Vidalon in Paris; Editing by Leslie Adler)

(This story is refiled to correct Reuters Instrument Code in first paragraph to from )

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/carrefour-considering-sale-china-taiwan-businesses-report-072259665.html

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Getting the carbon out of emissions

Public release date: 26-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sarah McDonnell
s_mcd@mit.edu
617-253-8923
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Many researchers around the world are seeking ways to "scrub" carbon dioxide (CO2) from the emissions of fossil-fuel power plants as a way of curbing the gas that is considered most responsible for global climate change. But most such systems rely on complex plumbing to divert the steam used to drive the turbines that generate power in these plants, and such systems are not practical as retrofits to existing plants.

Now, researchers at MIT have come up with a scrubbing system that requires no steam connection, can operate at lower temperatures, and would essentially be a "plug-and-play" solution that could be added relatively easily to any existing power plant.

The new electrochemical system is described in a paper just published online in the journal Energy and Environmental Science, and written by doctoral student Michael Stern, chemical engineering professor T. Alan Hatton and two others.

The system is a variation on a well-studied technology that uses chemical compounds called amines, which bind with CO2 in the plant's emission stream and can then release the gas when heated in a separate chamber. But the conventional process requires that almost half of the power plant's low-pressure steam be diverted to provide the heat needed to force the amines to release the gas. That massive diversion would require such extensive changes to existing power plants that it is not considered economically feasible as a retrofit.

In the new system, an electrochemical process replaces the steam-based separation of amines and CO2. This system only requires electricity, so it can easily be added to an existing plant.

The system uses a solution of amines, injected at the top of an absorption column in which the effluent gases are rising from below. The amines bind with CO2 in the emissions stream and are collected in liquid form at the bottom of the column. Then, they are processed electrochemically, using a metal electrode to force the release of the CO2; the original amine molecules are then regenerated and reused.

As with the conventional thermal-amine scrubber systems, this technology should be capable of removing 90 percent of CO2 from a plant's emissions, the researchers say. But while the conventional CO2-capture process uses about 40 percent of a plant's power output, the new system would consume only about 25 percent of the power, making it more attractive.

In addition, while steam-based systems must operate continuously, the all-electric system can be dialed back during peak demand, providing greater operational flexibility, Stern says. "Our system is something you just plug in, so you can quickly turn it down when you have a high cost or high need for electricity," he says.

Another advantage is that this process produces CO2 under pressure, which is required to inject the gas into underground reservoirs for long-term disposal. Other systems require a separate compressor to pressurize the gas, creating further complexity and inefficiency.

The chemicals themselves mostly small polyamines are widely used and easily available industrial materials, says Hatton, the Ralph Landau Professor of Chemical Engineering Practice. Further research will examine which of several such compounds works best in the proposed system.

So far, the research team, which also includes former MIT research scientist Fritz Simeon and Howard Herzog, a senior research engineer at the MIT Energy Initiative, has done mathematical modeling and a small-scale laboratory test of the system. Next, they hope to move on to larger-scale tests to prove the system's performance. They say it could take five to 10 years for the system to be developed to the point of widespread commercialization.

Because it does not rely on steam from a boiler, this system could also be used for other applications that do not involve steam such as cement factories, which are among the leading producers of CO2 emissions, Stern says. It could also be used to curb emissions from steel or aluminum plants.

It could also be useful in other CO2 removal, Hatton says, such as in submarines or spacecraft, where carbon dioxide can accumulate to levels that could endanger human health, and must be continually removed.

###

The work was supported by Siemens AG and by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy.

Written by David Chandler, MIT News Office

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Public release date: 26-Jun-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sarah McDonnell
s_mcd@mit.edu
617-253-8923
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Many researchers around the world are seeking ways to "scrub" carbon dioxide (CO2) from the emissions of fossil-fuel power plants as a way of curbing the gas that is considered most responsible for global climate change. But most such systems rely on complex plumbing to divert the steam used to drive the turbines that generate power in these plants, and such systems are not practical as retrofits to existing plants.

Now, researchers at MIT have come up with a scrubbing system that requires no steam connection, can operate at lower temperatures, and would essentially be a "plug-and-play" solution that could be added relatively easily to any existing power plant.

The new electrochemical system is described in a paper just published online in the journal Energy and Environmental Science, and written by doctoral student Michael Stern, chemical engineering professor T. Alan Hatton and two others.

The system is a variation on a well-studied technology that uses chemical compounds called amines, which bind with CO2 in the plant's emission stream and can then release the gas when heated in a separate chamber. But the conventional process requires that almost half of the power plant's low-pressure steam be diverted to provide the heat needed to force the amines to release the gas. That massive diversion would require such extensive changes to existing power plants that it is not considered economically feasible as a retrofit.

In the new system, an electrochemical process replaces the steam-based separation of amines and CO2. This system only requires electricity, so it can easily be added to an existing plant.

The system uses a solution of amines, injected at the top of an absorption column in which the effluent gases are rising from below. The amines bind with CO2 in the emissions stream and are collected in liquid form at the bottom of the column. Then, they are processed electrochemically, using a metal electrode to force the release of the CO2; the original amine molecules are then regenerated and reused.

As with the conventional thermal-amine scrubber systems, this technology should be capable of removing 90 percent of CO2 from a plant's emissions, the researchers say. But while the conventional CO2-capture process uses about 40 percent of a plant's power output, the new system would consume only about 25 percent of the power, making it more attractive.

In addition, while steam-based systems must operate continuously, the all-electric system can be dialed back during peak demand, providing greater operational flexibility, Stern says. "Our system is something you just plug in, so you can quickly turn it down when you have a high cost or high need for electricity," he says.

Another advantage is that this process produces CO2 under pressure, which is required to inject the gas into underground reservoirs for long-term disposal. Other systems require a separate compressor to pressurize the gas, creating further complexity and inefficiency.

The chemicals themselves mostly small polyamines are widely used and easily available industrial materials, says Hatton, the Ralph Landau Professor of Chemical Engineering Practice. Further research will examine which of several such compounds works best in the proposed system.

So far, the research team, which also includes former MIT research scientist Fritz Simeon and Howard Herzog, a senior research engineer at the MIT Energy Initiative, has done mathematical modeling and a small-scale laboratory test of the system. Next, they hope to move on to larger-scale tests to prove the system's performance. They say it could take five to 10 years for the system to be developed to the point of widespread commercialization.

Because it does not rely on steam from a boiler, this system could also be used for other applications that do not involve steam such as cement factories, which are among the leading producers of CO2 emissions, Stern says. It could also be used to curb emissions from steel or aluminum plants.

It could also be useful in other CO2 removal, Hatton says, such as in submarines or spacecraft, where carbon dioxide can accumulate to levels that could endanger human health, and must be continually removed.

###

The work was supported by Siemens AG and by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy.

Written by David Chandler, MIT News Office

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/miot-gtc062613.php

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Supreme Court guts key part of landmark Voting Rights Act

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday gutted a key part of the landmark Voting Rights Act, passed in 1965 to end a century of attempts by former slaveholding states to block blacks from voting.

In a 5-4 ruling with the court's conservatives in the majority, the justices ruled that Congress had used obsolete reasoning in continuing to force nine states, mainly in the South, to get federal approval for voting rule changes affecting blacks and other minorities.

The court ruled in favor of officials from Shelby County, Alabama, by declaring invalid a section of the law that set a formula that determines which states need federal approval to change voting laws.

President Barack Obama quickly called on Congress to pass a new law to ensure equal access to voting polls for all.

"I am deeply disappointed with the Supreme Court's decision today," Obama, the first black U.S. president, said in a statement, adding that the court's action "upsets decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent."

The ruling upended important legal protections for minority voters that were a key achievement of the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1960s led by Martin Luther King Jr. The decision also placed the burden on Congress - sharply divided along party lines to the point of virtual gridlock - to pass any new voting rights law like the one sought by Obama.

Writing for the majority, conservative Chief Justice John Roberts said the coverage formula that Congress used when it most recently re-authorized the law in 2006 should have been updated.

"Congress did not use the record it compiled to shape a coverage formula grounded in current conditions," he wrote. "It instead re-enacted a formula based on 40-year-old facts having no logical relationship to the present day."

The coverage formula therefore violates the sovereignty of the affected states under the U.S. Constitution, Roberts said.

One of the most closely watched disputes of the court's current term, the case centers on the civil rights-era law that broadly prohibited poll taxes, literacy tests and other measures that prevented blacks from voting. In the 1960s, such laws existed throughout the country but were more prevalent in the South with its legacy of slavery.

The Shelby County challengers said the kind of systematic obstruction that once warranted treating the South differently is over and the screening provision should be struck down.

The Obama administration, backed by civil rights advocates, had argued that the provision was still needed to deter voter discrimination.

The ruling is a heavy blow for civil rights advocates, who believe the loss of that section of the law could lead to an increase in attempts to deter minorities from voting. They said 31 proposals made by covered jurisdictions to modify election laws had been blocked by the Justice Department under Section 5 of the law since the measure was re-enacted in 2006.

Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, accused the Supreme Court of leaving "millions of minority voters without the mechanism that has allowed them to stop voting discrimination before it occurs."

SENATE ACTION

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, on Tuesday pledged to move quickly to try to restore voting rights protections after the ruling.

"I intend to take immediate action to ensure that we will have a strong and reconstituted Voting Rights Act that protects against racial discrimination in voting," Leahy said.

The court, split on ideological lines, did not go so far as to strike down the core Section 5 of the law, known as the preclearance provision, which requires certain states to get approval from the Justice Department or a federal court before making election-law changes.

But the majority did invalidate Section 4b of the act, which set the formula for states covered by Section 5 and was based on historic patterns of discrimination against minority voters.

Although Section 5 is technically left intact, it is effectively nullified, at least for the near future, as Congress would now need to pass new legislation setting a new formula before it can be applied again.

In her dissenting opinion on behalf of the liberal wing of the court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Section 5 is now "immobilized."

Ginsburg read a summary of her dissent from the bench, quoting the late civil rights leader King. In her written opinion, she accused Roberts of downplaying the authority Congress has under amendments to the Constitution that were enacted after the U.S. Civil War when slavery was first prohibited but concerns remained about how former Confederate states would treat black people.

Congress approached the 2006 re-authorization "with great care and seriousness," she added. "The same cannot be said of the court's opinion today."

Section 5 of the law required certain states, mainly in the South, to show that any proposed election-law change does not discriminate against black, Latino or other minority voters.

The nine fully covered states were Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York said of the ruling: "Make no mistake about it, this is a back door way to gut the Voting Rights Act. As long as Republicans have a majority in the House and Democrats don't have 60 votes in the Senate, there will be no preclearance."

"It is confounding that after decades of progress on voting rights, which have become part of the American fabric, the Supreme Court would tear it asunder," Schumer added.

Tuesday's ruling leaves intact Section 2 of the act, which broadly prohibits intentional discrimination in the voting arena. The Justice Department will still be able to intervene to enforce the law in that respect.

ISSUE STILL PROMINENT

The issue of voting rights remains prominent in the United States. During the 2012 presidential election campaign, judges nationwide heard challenges to new voter identification laws and redrawn voting districts. The most restrictive moves ended up being blocked before the November elections.

Just last week, the Supreme Court struck down an Arizona state law that required people registering to vote in federal elections to show proof of citizenship, a victory for activists who said it discouraged Native Americans and Latinos from voting.

Democrats say that and similar measures, championed by Republicans at the state level, were intended to make it more difficult for certain voters who tend to vote Democratic to cast ballots.

In February, Obama, a Democrat, decried barriers to voting in America and announced a commission to address voting issues.

The case is Shelby County v. Holder, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-96.

(Additional reporting by Joan Biskupic and Richard Cowan; Editing by Howard Goller and Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/supreme-court-strikes-down-key-part-voting-rights-141933323.html

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Inside the Supreme Court's affirmative action case

Abigail Fisher, who sued the University of Texas when she was not offered a spot at the university's flagship Austin campus in 2008, stands at a news conference at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, Monday, June 24, 2013. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action in higher education will have "no impact" on the University of Texas' admissions policy, school president Bill Powers said Monday, noting UT will continue to use race as a factor in some cases. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Abigail Fisher, who sued the University of Texas when she was not offered a spot at the university's flagship Austin campus in 2008, stands at a news conference at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, Monday, June 24, 2013. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action in higher education will have "no impact" on the University of Texas' admissions policy, school president Bill Powers said Monday, noting UT will continue to use race as a factor in some cases. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

University of Texas president Bill Powers, right, address questions during a news conference, Monday, June 24, 2013, in Austin, Texas. Affirmative action in college admissions survived Supreme Court review Monday in a consensus decision that avoided the difficult constitutional issues surrounding a challenge to the University of Texas admission plan.(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The Supreme Court's ruling on the use of racial preferences in college admissions left many questions unanswered: Is the University of Texas' admissions policy that uses race as a factor constitutional? And do colleges around the country need to change how they use racial preferences to achieve a diverse student body?

Those and other questions will have to wait, at least until the next time the court considers an affirmative action case.

But the ruling was nonetheless significant. On the one hand, it validated earlier court rulings that racial diversity is a "compelling state interest" and that colleges may use racial preferences to achieve it. However, the justices also sent a sharp reminder to higher education. The 7-1 decision, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, showed virtually the entire court believes that colleges must, at the very least, meet a high bar in demonstrating such preferences are absolutely necessary, and that race-neutral methods of enrolling a diverse student body won't create such a student body on their own.

A look at some of the key questions and possible results of the ruling.

___

Q. What was this case about?

A. The focus of the case was a University of Texas admissions policy, used to select a small portion of the class at its flagship Austin campus, which took race into account as one factor among many. Abigail Fisher, a rejected white applicant, sued. But in deciding her case, the court also had the opportunity to consider the broader issue of how far colleges nationally can go in taking race into account in their admissions policies.

The key question is how to resolve sometimes conflicting rights ? the educational right of a college to create a diverse class it believes will benefit all students, versus the equal protection right of students not to face discrimination on the basis of race.

Q. What did the court decide?

A. On the Texas policy, it sent the case back down to a federal appeals court, which previously had sided with the university against Fisher. The Supreme Court said the lower court hadn't subjected the university's justification for the preferences to enough scrutiny. A university's educational judgment and experience can play a role in justifying racial preferences, the court said. But it also said lower courts shouldn't just take a university's "good faith" word that racial preferences are educationally necessary, or that such programs have been "narrowly tailored" to achieve their goals.

Rather, the justices ruled, courts must closely evaluate a college's claims about why it needs to use racial preferences, and why race-neutral alternatives (such as simply giving a boost to low-income students, regardless of race) won't achieve the diversity they need.

Q. What happens now?

A. The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will reconsider the case in light of the Supreme Court's instructions to give the University of Texas more scrutiny; the university will now have to meet a higher standard to persuade the court it needs to use racial preferences. If the university can meet that standard, its policy could survive. But the case could return to the Supreme Court for another ruling, which could open the door to a broader decision on exactly what colleges can and cannot do when it comes to implementing racial preferences.

Q. Who won?

A. Both sides will claim something of a victory. Opponents of affirmative action will cheer the court's sharp reminder that colleges must prove they have tried other alternatives before resorting to racial preferences. Many may now be more vulnerable to lawsuits, which could cause them to use racial preferences less aggressively (you can certainly count lawyers among the winners).

Overall, however, defenders of affirmative action are most relieved. The court upheld the essence of an idea it last articulated in a 2003 case involving the University of Michigan: Diversity is so important in education that it can justify racial preferences ? at least sometimes. "It's a strong affirmation of the importance of student body diversity in higher education, by a strong majority of the court," said Marvin Krislov, who was the University of Michigan's general counsel during the last affirmative action case and is now president of Oberlin College in Ohio.

"Relief is a good word," said Lee Bollinger, a constitutional scholar and president of Columbia University who previously had warned that the use of affirmative action might be imperiled by this case. He emphasized that the court, in a series of decisions, now has upheld the value of diversity in education and made that value "completely solid constitutional doctrine."

Q. What effect will the ruling have on college admissions policies, and which students go to which schools?

A. Probably very little, at least in the short run, according to numerous experts. First, remember that racial preferences are mostly an issue at perhaps several hundred colleges nationwide where slots are scarce; the majority of schools take anyone who meets baseline requirements and are able, even eager, to make room for more.

Many selective schools, however, have been practicing some form of affirmative action since about the early 1970s. Presumably, those schools used race in a manner they believed was consistent with what the Supreme Court allowed in 2003. On Monday, the court didn't change those standards; it just instructed courts to review more closely what colleges do.

Q. What about in the long run?

A. The ruling could embolden rejected applicants like Fisher who believe they've been discriminated against, because universities know they must meet a higher bar to show such policies are justified. Such litigation likely would produce cases that get more deeply into the nuts and bolts of how admissions offices use race to make decisions. If those cases bubble up to the Supreme Court, the justices may then address more specifically what they think colleges can and cannot do.

But for now, the general right of colleges to make use of racial preferences to ensure a diverse student body is safe.

___

Follow Justin Pope on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/JustinPopeAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-06-25-Supreme%20Court-Affirmative%20Action-QandA/id-3dd8020959944569b67112a35ded8d2b

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HP seriously just unveiled a 21.5-inch Android tablet

In effort to reverse eroding PC sales, HP on Monday announced a new 21.5-inch Android tablet that will be marketed as an all-in-one desktop.?The Slate 21 AIO is equipped with a full HD IPS display, a quad-core Tegra 4 processor and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. The device is compatible with a mouse and keyboard, and also includes a kickstand that allows it to be propped up at a 30-degree angle. HP did not disclose pricing information or availability details, although the Slate 21 AIO is expected to launch later this year. The company?s press release follows below.

HP released a new PC era new strategy for consumer products

[More from BGR: New iPhone 5S images leak, revealing several new details]

June 24, 2013, Beijing, China ? Today, Hewlett-Packard in Beijing held a two-day world tour events. In which ?I era, a new experience,? HP consumer PC era new product strategy conference, HP printing and Information Products Group (PPS) official in the domestic consumer products released a new strategy, new product forms that were smart ten o?clock touch experience, as well as an optional three aspects of multiple operating systems, to provide consumers with innovative value consumer computer products.

Meanwhile, HP is also officially released in the event including the new detachable type notebook computers, tablet PCs, laptops and one computer and other rich products can provide consumers with a new cool experience.

?New? form of portable performance two have both

present, notebook and tablet consumers increasingly strong demand for the product, both expected to have notebook product highly scalable and high performance, while hoping to get flat products like ultra- Strong portability and touch experience. Therefore, notebook and tablet form can freely switch between products gradually become a trend. In this regard, HP introduced the PC / tablet combo products can provide consumers with this ?100% +100% tablet notebook? feature, and has other distortion products can not match the absolute advantage.

To be able to provide consumers with more exciting product experience, the HP officially launched in the country two new PC / Tablet combo products-SlateBook HPx2andHP Splitx2.Both products not only have a notebook full functionality, while consumers can also, through its unique and innovative magnetic plug design, easy to screen and body products were separated, and thus switch to the tablet form, to become an exquisite tablet products.

Which, HP SlateBook x2 is the first Android system equipped with PC / tablet combo products. It uses a 10.1-inch high definition touch screen with WUXGA (1920 ? 1200) 16:10 Full HD resolution. Using a combination of IPS panel, you can bring consumers more clear, bright screen display(2).The wide viewing angle, but also convenient for consumers to share with friends HP SlateBook x2 brings exciting. With detachable type of body structure, this product can be described as sets Tablet PC notebook high portability and scalability in a, allowing consumers to easily switch between work and play.

Hardware side, HP SlateBook x2 uses NVIDIA Tegra 4 mobile processor, consumers can visit the Tegra Zone Download THD version of the game, enjoy the dripping fun mobile gaming experience(1).In addition, it supports DTS Sound + Solution sound, and unique dual-battery design makes this product can provide sufficient battery life. It uses Android 4.2.2 version of the operating system, built-in such as Google search, Gmail and a series of application services(4),while consumers can get more richer applications software and other digital content(1).Has many features of HP SlateBook x2, price is only 3,299 yuan(5),cost is very prominent.

HP Split x2 performance is currently the most powerful PC / tablet combo products. With powerful Intel third-generation Core processor, this product has a stronger hardware performance. Especially when it is in a state of flat products, the powerful processor is still able to play a full strength, truly portable and strong performance, the perfect fusion. Consumers can also be part of the product?s base optional extra hard disk module to expand the memory capacity(3).The body of the dual battery design, you can bring a longer life time.

Other aspects, this product is also equipped with a 13.3-inch (diagonal) high-definition touch screen, built-in Beats Audio sound system, consumers can enjoy better visual experience and higher quality music playback. So a strong performance PC / tablet combo products, price range is only 4999-6999 yuan(5),great value!

?Wisdom? Touch, a new era of universal touch

using the new form includes two new products, including consumer, HP?s new integrated computer and strong consumer notebook products use an intelligent ten-point touch display technology, can provide more intuitive Windows 8 touch experience. More importantly, the different positioning of the product can support this feature, consumers can more easily choose according to their needs and reasonable.

The new appearance of the HP Pavilion TouchSmart 11 is HP?s first small-size, full-performance notebook touch, two-color design, silver shell built-in midnight black metal style, add a touch of their unique fashion charm. This product comes with Windows 8 operating system, Microsoft Office 2013 document processing software(4),combined with powerful hardware configuration, petite but with the body, including VGA, HDMI, and Ethernet ports, including the rich interfaces, its price only 2,999 yuan(5),known as ?universal touch this? is not an exaggeration. It supports intelligent ten-point touch technology that can bring the best Windows 8 operating experience, and the volume is 11.6 inches have better portability. In addition, it is equipped with AMD Temash A6/A4 processors, providing up to four core processing unit, with excellent computing performance, while also providing excellent video processing, acceleration performance, the audio and video entertainment also has eye-catching performance.

In addition to notebook products other than the new HP ENVY TouchSmart 14 Touch Ultrabook is suitable for those who need ultra-portable touch anywhere to get the fastest response functions and consumer choice(3).It?s very slim, but also has a strong hardware configuration.

The touch super this product is equipped with Intel?s new release of fourth-generation Core Duo processor, and provides Core ? i5-4200U and Core ? i7-4500U two configurations for consumers to choose. Although it uses a 14-inch display panel, but it provides, including 1366 x 768,1600 x 900, and 3200 x 1800 high resolution three different configurations to meet the needs of different consumers. Entertainment, the series is not only equipped with Beats Audio sound system, also has dual speakers and a subwoofer design, providing PC?s most outstanding sound quality. The 2GB memory NVIDIA GT740M discrete graphics super-configuration, but also enable consumers to indulge in an extraordinary picture quality, ultra-realistic games(2).In a strong performance, while multimedia entertainment, this product has reached 9 hours battery life, you can achieve a more lasting companionship, consumers get more exciting.

?Many? system,rich platform Xpress-election

a new generation ofHP consumer PC products using a variety of operating systems to respond to the different needs of consumer preferences, advanced technology and current seamlessly combines fast-paced life. HP offers a variety of face using Windows, Android and other products of different operating platforms, consumers can very easily pick and choose the most familiar and most products that meet the individual needs to enjoy the best product experience. The most worth mentioning that the above these two operating systems is used in HP?s notebook, tablet computers, and one among the different forms of models, consumers have more choices.

Which, for the first time in the domestic debut of HP Slate7equipped with a 7-inch screen, weighs only 370 grams, the ideal is a trusted personal portable devices. Of course, it is also the industry?s first built-in Beats Audio sound system, Tablet PC products can provide consumers with the best music experience. HP Slate7 integration, including Google searches, including a range of Google services(4),consumers can install their own applications and rich digital content(1).

Hardware, it is equipped with dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 1.6 GHz processor, providing a fast system response experience. The integrated wireless card, you can help consumers anytime, anywhere connectivity with the world, you can send and receive email, browse the Internet and the use of critical applications. It is worth mentioning that this product is used in HFFS panel, wide viewing angle, even in strong outdoor lighting conditions, consumers can easily view documents, play games, view pictures and video and other exciting content.

HP Slate7also provides a 3-megapixel rear camera and VGA front camera, can be used to chat, take photos and videos. In addition to excellent hardware configuration, except that it uses a stainless steel frame design, and available in red and silver colors to facilitate the different preferences of consumers.

In the consumer computer products, HP also announced the Android platform an integrated computer-based products ? HP Slate 21.The sleek appearance of snow Baiying one computer products, equipped with NVIDIA Tegra 4 mobile processor, has a strong entertainment functions, a consumer can not be changed after the home through the large size full HD touch screen Android experience the world of regret. It is equipped with 21.5 inches (diagonal) wide viewing angle IPS Full HD display that supports intelligent ten-point touch functionality. Combined with built-in dual speakers DTS Digital Theater Systems, can give consumers the best audio visual experience, but also facilitate the sharing of exciting content with friends and family(2).And it provides HP TrueVision HD Webcam camera and Wireless Direct wireless printing technology, to ensure that consumers do not need internet connection to be shared between devices on different videos, photos and data(4).

Software, it also uses the Android 4.2.2 operating system, with consumers existing mobile phone and tablet ecosystem seamless. Especially in connection with the same based on the Android operating system for mobile phones, flat products connections, including access to the same screen display, convenient connections richer applications. Meanwhile, HP Slate21also has an excellent multi-tasking performance, can enjoy the music while access to exciting online content(1).

In addition to the above products with new features outside, HP is also updated in the event of its high-performance entertainment notebook HP ENVY 14/15 and other merchandise. They not only uses HP?s new design ID, while also providing a fourth generation, including Intel Core Duo processor, including the new hardware configuration and other products together with HP, together with HP?s innovative technology, to create more for consumers value.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hp-seriously-just-unveiled-21-5-inch-android-162021221.html

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