CA-NEWS Summary

Canada thwarts "al Qaeda-supported" passenger train plot

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian police said on Monday they had arrested and charged two men with plotting to derail a Toronto-area passenger train in an operation they say was backed by al Qaeda elements in Iran. "Had this plot been carried out, it would have resulted in innocent people being killed or seriously injured," Royal Canadian Mounted Police official James Malizia told reporters.

French embassy in Tripoli hit by car bomb: embassy source

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - France's embassy in Libya has been hit by what appeared to be a car bomb, injuring two guards, an embassy official said on Tuesday. "There was an attack on the embassy. We think it was a booby trapped car," the official told Reuters.

North Korea demands recognition as nuclear arms state

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea demanded on Tuesday that it be recognized as a nuclear weapons state, rejecting a U.S. condition that it agree to give up its nuclear arms program before talks can begin. After weeks of tension on the Korean peninsula, including North Korean threats of nuclear war, the North has in recent days begun to at least talk about dialogue in response to calls for talks from both the United States and South Korea.

Security officials face questions over Boston Marathon bombings

BOSTON (Reuters) - Top security officials face a grilling from lawmakers on Tuesday over whether authorities who have charged one man with the Boston Marathon bombings may have overlooked warning signs two years ago flagging the other suspect. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was formally charged with using a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death at a bedside hearing on Monday in his hospital room, where he was recovering from gunshot wounds suffered in shootouts with police.

What next for Boston bombing suspect?

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A decision to charge the Boston Marathon bombing suspect in a civilian rather than a military court means he will face the same legal process as other federal criminal defendants in U.S. courts. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was charged on Monday with using a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death.

Japan nationalists near disputed isles, MPs visit shrine

EAST CHINA SEA (Reuters) - Japanese nationalists sailed a flotilla of boats on Tuesday in waters near islands at the centre of a row between China and Japan, putting further strain on Tokyo's tense ties with Beijing as a group of more than 160 Japanese lawmakers visited a shrine seen by critics a symbol of Japan's past militarism. Last year members of the same right-wing group landed on one of the disputed islets and triggered anti-Japanese protests in China, where lingering bitterness over Japan's wartime aggression has been rekindled in recent days.

Assad urges Lebanon to help fight his foes: Lebanese delegates

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad believes neighboring Lebanon cannot shield itself from the civil war in his country and that both states should fight his opponents, three members of a Lebanese delegation who visited Assad said on Monday. Lebanon, which suffered its own civil war from 1975 to 1990 and endured a military presence by its historically dominant neighbor for 29 years until 2005, has maintained a policy of "dissociation" from Syria's two-year-old conflict.

Insight: China consolidates sea claims as Asian diplomacy struggles

MASINLOC, Philippines (Reuters) - For decades, fishermen along the northwestern Philippine coast treated the teeming fishing grounds of the Scarborough Shoal as their backyard, less than a day's boat ride away. Now, they see it as a foreign country.

Palestinian prisoner in deal with Israel to end fast

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - A Palestinian prisoner held by Israel has agreed to end an on-off hunger strike on Monday which lasted for more than eight months in exchange for an early release, Palestinian officials told Reuters. The fast by Samer al-Issawi, 32, from a suburb of Jerusalem, had stoked weeks of street protests and concerns by Israel that his death might lead to mass unrest.

Irate Italian president to begin talks on new coalition

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's president launches urgent talks on Tuesday that could see a prime minister designated after two months of post-electoral stalemate that has weighed on a stagnant economy and alarmed Rome's partners in the euro. After directing an emotional blast of impatience on Monday at the very parliament which handed him an unprecedented - and heartily unwanted - second term as head of state at the weekend, 87-year-old Giorgio Napolitano has announced a "rapid round of consultations" with political leaders, starting early Tuesday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-003014290.html

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First 2,000-year-long temperature reconstructions for individual continents

Apr. 19, 2013 ? Past climate change varied remarkably between regions. This is demonstrated in a new study coordinated by the international Past Global Changes (PAGES) project, which reconstructed temperature over the past 1,000 to 2,000 years.

It is the first comprehensive temperature reconstruction on a continental scale. One of its main findings is that a general cooling trend, caused by different factors (e.g. orbital-driven insolation and changes in solar and volcanic activity), was ubiquitous across all continental-scale regions and was reversed by a distinct warm trend beginning at the end of the 19th century.

The scale of this project is impressive. Some 80 researchers from all over the world collaborated on the study, which has just been published in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience. In one of the widest-ranging efforts yet undertaken to reconstruct climate across the globe, the international author team evaluated data from all continents to track the evolution of temperatures over the past one to two millennia.

This major project was initiated and coordinated by the Past Global Changes (PAGES) organization. PAGES was established in 1991 to facilitate international research into understanding climatic and environmental dynamics by studying the past. The program receives funding mainly from the Swiss and US national science foundations. In 2006, ambitious scientists in the PAGES network decided to organize an initiative to reconstruct the climate of the last 2000 years in unprecedented quality.

The first results of the collective effort have now been published. "A key aspect of the consortium effort was to engage regional experts who are intimately familiar with the evidence for past climate changes within their regions," says Heinz Wanner, emeritus professor at the University of Bern and one of the original architects of the PAGES 2k Network.

"Several mathematical procedures were applied to reconstruct the continental temperature time series and they were compared to assess the extent to which the main conclusions of the study stood up to the different analytical approaches." Previous attempts to reconstruct temperature changes focused on hemispheric or global-scale averages, which are important, but overlook the pronounced regional-scale differences that occur along with global changes, he points out.

Natural climate archives and documentary sources

For the present study, "Continental-scale temperature variability during the last two millennia," the researchers drew up temperature curves for large regions at seven continents, using 511 local temperature records. These were based on the analysis of tree rings, pollen, corals, lake and marine sediments, ice cores and stalagmites as well as historical documents.

In most cases the data used were highly resolved, attesting to short-term variations over decades or less, rather than smoothing over centuries. In Africa, there were too few records to accurately determine long-term temperature changes for that continent. Nevertheless, the expansive new dataset will undoubtedly be used in future studies, including for comparisons with the output of climate models used to help project future climate change.

The evolution of temperature across all the continents was noticeably more similar within the hemispheres than between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. "Distinctive periods, such as the Medieval Warm Period or the Little Ice Age stand out, but do not show a globally uniform pattern," says professor Heinz Wanner.

By around 1500 AD temperatures did indeed fall below the long-term mean everywhere. However, in the Arctic, Europe and Asia this temperature drop occurred several decades earlier than in North America and the Southern Hemisphere. These new findings will certainly stimulate vibrant discussions within the research community, Wanner believes.

Long-term cooling trend reversed

The most consistent feature across the regions over the last 2,000 years was a long-term cooling trend, which was likely caused by a combination of factors such as an overall increase in volcanic activity, a decrease in solar irradiance, changes in land cover, and slow changes in earth's orbit. This cooling only came to an end toward the end of the 19^th century.

The warming during the last century has reversed this long-term cooling, the study found. It remained cold only in Antarctica. An analysis of the average temperatures over 30-year periods indicates that interval from 1971-2000 was probably warmer than any other 30-year period in the last 1,400 years.

Cooler 30-year periods between the years 830 and 1910 AD were particularly pronounced during weak solar activity and strong tropical volcanic eruptions. Both phenomena often occurred simultaneously and led to a drop in the average temperature during five distinct 30- to 90-year intervals between 1251 and 1820.

Warming in the 20^th century was on average twice as large in the northern continents as it was in the Southern Hemisphere. During the past 2,000 years, some regions experienced warmer 30-year intervals than during the late 20^th century. For example, in Europe the years between 21 and 80 AD were possibly warmer than the period 1971-2000.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Bern.

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Journal Reference:

1. Moinuddin Ahmed, Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Asfawossen Asrat, Hemant P. Borgaonkar, Martina Braida, Brendan M. Buckley, Ulf B?ntgen, Brian M. Chase, Duncan A. Christie, Edward R. Cook, Mark A. J. Curran, Henry F. Diaz, Jan Esper, Ze-Xin Fan, Narayan P. Gaire, Quansheng Ge, Jo?lle Gergis, J Fidel Gonz?lez-Rouco, Hugues Goosse, Stefan W. Grab, Nicholas Graham, Rochelle Graham, Martin Grosjean, Sami T. Hanhij?rvi, Darrell S. Kaufman, Thorsten Kiefer, Katsuhiko Kimura, Atte A. Korhola, Paul J. Krusic, Antonio Lara, Anne-Marie L?zine, Fredrik C. Ljungqvist, Andrew M. Lorrey, J?rg Luterbacher, Val?rie Masson-Delmotte, Danny McCarroll, Joseph R. McConnell, Nicholas P. McKay, Mariano S. Morales, Andrew D. Moy, Robert Mulvaney, Ignacio A. Mundo, Takeshi Nakatsuka, David J. Nash, Raphael Neukom, Sharon E. Nicholson, Hans Oerter, Jonathan G. Palmer, Steven J. Phipps, Maria R. Prieto, Andres Rivera, Masaki Sano, Mirko Severi, Timothy M. Shanahan, Xuemei Shao, Feng Shi, Michael Sigl, Jason E. Smerdon, Olga N. Solomina, Eric J. Steig, Barbara Stenni, Meloth Thamban, Valerie Trouet, Chris S.M. Turney, Mohammed Umer, Tas van Ommen, Dirk Verschuren, Andre E. Viau, Ricardo Villalba, Bo M. Vinther, Lucien von Gunten, Sebastian Wagner, Eugene R. Wahl, Heinz Wanner, Johannes P. Werner, James W.C. White, Koh Yasue, Eduardo Zorita. Continental-scale temperature variability during the past two millennia. Nature Geoscience, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/NGEO1797

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/fzlybpPOjQw/130421152401.htm

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Video: Haslam remains involved in draft preparations

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/51597993#51597993

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Formation 8 Raises Its First Fund Of $448M To Plug Silicon Valley Startups Into Asian Conglomerates

Formation 8 wants to bring venture capital back to its roots: investing in solutions to hard technology problems that could change the world. It just raised its first fund of $448 million -- but with a twist. Formation 8 plans to draw on its extensive network in Asia to win its portfolio of smart enterprise and energy technology companies' huge deals with conglomerates in the region.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3OgzweBMM3I/

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Boeing's grounded Dreamliner could fly next month

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Published reports say Boeing's grounded 787 jetliners could soon be flying again.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Federal Aviation Administration is set to approve Boeing's fix for the ion-lithium batteries. The 787 Dreamliner has been grounded since mid-January because of smoldering batteries that in one case caused a serious fire.

The Journal says the FAA is expected to announce Friday that Boeing's redesigned batteries are safe. The fix includes more heat insulation and a battery box designed to vent any hot gases from the batteries outside the planes.

There was no immediate comment from the FAA and a Boeing spokesman declined to comment on the report.

The New York Times, which also reported the development, says the aircraft could be back in service next month.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/reports-boeing-dreamliner-could-fly-100013991.html

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Canon PowerShot Elph 330 HS

The Canon PowerShot Elph 330 HS ($229.99 direct) is one of the best compact cameras that you can buy for under $250. It's easy for anyone to use, has a generous 10x zoom range, and allows you to share photos via built-in Wi-Fi. Most importantly, the images it captures are sharp and the 12-megapixel CMOS sensor lets you shoot at ISO 1600 without introducing too much noise into photos. It's not perfect?the 1080p video frame rate is locked at 24fps, you'll need to record in 720p to capture footage at the more common 30fps. But aside from that, there's not much bad to say. It earns our Editors' Choice award for mid-price compact cameras, ousting the aging Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX150 from its perch.

Design and Features
The Elph 330 HS is part of Canon's midrange line of compact cameras. It's got a sleeker look than the budget A series, with an all-metal exterior and curved lines that make it comfortable to hold. Available in black, pink, or silver, the Elph 330 HS measures just 2.2 by 3.8 by 0.9 inches and weighs a mere 5.1 ounces, so it's easy to slide into a shirt pocket. It's a bit smaller than the 4.8-ounce 10x-zoom Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7.

The lens is a 10x zoom design, covering a 24-240mm field of view with a variable aperture that starts at f/3 and closes down to f/6.9 when zoomed all the way in. The Samsung DV150F has a lens that opens up to f/2.5 at its widest angle, but doesn't do as well at higher ISO settings and its lens dwindles to f/6.3 when zoomed all the way in. These conspire to negate the roughly 50 percent advantage that f/2.5 enjoys over f/3.0 in terms of light-gathering capability.

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The 3-inch rear LCD is reasonably sharp thanks to a 461k-dot resolution, but it isn't the best we've seen on a compact camera. The Nikon Coolpix P310 packs roughly twice as many pixels. That camera is a bit more expensive, and has a wider aperture lens, but a shorter zoom range. The Elph's display is plenty bright, so you should feel confident using it outdoors. It's viewable from almost any angle, which will help when shooting photos from an off-kilter point of view.

There aren't a ton of control buttons squeezed into the Elph's small frame, but you get what you need to make quick adjustments; more knowledgeable shutterbugs will find themselves turned off by the lack of full manual, Shutter Priority, and Aperture Priority modes. You can shoot in Canon's Hybrid Automatic mode, which takes most of the control out of your hands. You'll be able to set the self-timer and decide whether the flash is on or set to automatic mode, but that's it.

Switching to program shooting via a toggle switch gives you a bit more control. When in this mode the rear control button that adjusts EV Compensation, which lets you easily make your photos appear brighter or darker, works. Also coming alive is the flash control?you can now force it to fire, or set it to fire properly when using slower shutter speeds?and manual control over macro focusing. Other shooting controls are accessible via an overlay menu, activated by the Function/Set button. These include the metering pattern, ISO setting, white balance, continuous drive mode, and image aspect ratio. In addition to Program, there are a number of scene modes?ranging from old standards like Snow and Fireworks to more artistic filters like Toy Camera, Miniature Effect, and Smooth Skin. There's no dedicated mode for sports; to get the fastest shutter speed possible to capture action you'll want to boost the ISO as high as you feel comfortable and shoot in Program mode.

Canon's Wi-Fi implementation here isn't as simple to configure or as full-featured as you see on Samsung cameras like the WB250F or the Android-powered Galaxy Camera. Those models let you to post photos to social networks right out of the box, and even control the zoom and shutter via your smartphone. Canon doesn't go that far. First, you'll have to configure Web services like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook through Canon's Image Gateway software. This requires you to plug the Elph into your PC or Mac via the included USB cable. It's a pretty painless process, thankfully. You can pair the camera with your smartphone or tablet via a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connection to transfer photos. If you leave the Camera Window app running while you shoot you can enable location logging, which will add GPS data to photos upon transfer. The app is free for Android and iOS devices.

You can also transfer photos directly to your computer. Some shooters may use this to download images, but we still recommend using an SD card reader. It's quicker and won't drain your camera's battery. You can send photos directly to or from another Canon camera with Wi-Fi, and you can send a photo directly to a compatible wireless printer. The former doesn't seem like a use case that would be all that common; the latter, well, you're printing without cropping or performing any retouching?it seems like you'd want to take more care before using the paper and ink.

Performance and Conclusions
The Elph 330 HS starts and grabs a photo in just about 1.8 seconds. Shutter lag is an impressive 0.15-second, and it fires off shots at 2 frames per second. It's not the absolute fastest compact that we've tested, but it's no slouch. The Sony WX150 is a bit speedier?it starts and shoots in 1.4 seconds, has an almost nonexistent shutter lag, and and can fire off a 10-shot burst at about 6.7 frames per second, but will make you wait about 8 seconds before you can shoot another photo after the burst is captured.

I used Imatest to check the sharpness of the Elph's lens. A score of 1,800 lines per picture height, calculated using a center-weighted average, is required for a photo to be considered sharp. The 330 HS scores 2,069 lines, an impressive result for a compact. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 only scored 1,563 lines on the same test.

Imatest also checks for noise, which can really hurt image quality when the camera's sensitivity to light, measured in ISO, is increased. The Elph keeps noise under 1.5 percent through ISO 1600, a good result for a camera with a small image sensor. Close examination of photos shot at ISO 1600 show that there's a very good amount of detail, although some very fine textures are not captured. Images show 1.9 percent noise at ISO 3200, and some details start to disappear, but the camera is still very useable at that setting?especially if photos are destined for web sharing. Compare this to the Samsung DV150F; it keeps noise below 1.5 percent through ISO 800, but excessive noise reduction kills image quality at ISO 400 and above. You'll always want to shoot the Elph 330 HS at the lowest ISO you can manage and still get a sharp, in-focus shot, but don't hesitate to push it to ISO 1600 when the lighting calls for it. You can go as high as ISO 3200 in a pinch, but you'll likely want to avoid ISO 6400 as images are noisy and detail is lacking.

Video is recorded in QuickTime format in 1080p24 or 720p30 quality. The footage looks very good, but the 24fps frame rate is a little slow for capturing fast action. It's often used in Hollywood films, and using it in your home movies can give them a cinematic look, but you'll want a faster frame rate if smoother motion capture is what you crave. You can reduce the resolution to 720p to hit 30 frames per second, but some cameras, like the rugged Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS can shoot at 1080p60.

You can zoom in or out when recording, but the sound of the lens moving is quite audible on the soundtrack. Autofocus during video is quick, quiet, and accurate. There's a mini HDMI, so you can connect the camera directly to an HDTV, as well as a mini USB port to plug it into a computer. Standard SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards are supported, and a rechargeable battery is included. Canon still includes a plug-in wall charger, while many other recent compact models require you to charge the battery in the camera itself. A second battery is always a good idea, especially during vacations, and having an external charger on hand makes it possible to recharge a spent battery while shooting with your spare.

The Canon PowerShot Elph 330 HS is a compact camera with a standard 1/2.3-inch image sensor, so don't expect it to compete with a D-SLR in terms of image quality. But when you compare it with its peers, it's an excellent performer. The lens packs a 10x zoom range, and it's sharp. The image quality holds up through ISO 1600, the camera is a speedy performer, and Wi-Fi makes it easy to share photos online. The video mode is a bit disappointing, and a wider aperture lens would go a long way to letting you use lower ISO settings in dim light. But despite these flaws, the Elph 330 HS is worthy of our Editors' Choice award for midrange compact cameras. It's an excellent value at its asking price, and to get a significantly better camera you'll need to spend quite a bit more.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/vRf_wxHyn6U/0,2817,2417693,00.asp

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In Shell win, ruling limits jurisdiction in foreign rights cases

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a closely watched ruling that left questions unanswered, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday that federal courts do not have jurisdiction to hear lawsuits against foreign corporations accused of aiding in human rights abuses abroad.

In one of the court's biggest human rights cases in years, the justices ruled unanimously that a federal court in New York could not hear claims made by 12 Nigerians who accused Anglo-Dutch oil company Royal Dutch Shell Plc of complicity in a violent crackdown on protesters in Nigeria from 1992 to 1995.

The ruling immediately sparked another debate, not least in concurring opinions written by justices in response to Chief Justice John Roberts' majority opinion, about exactly what claims can still be made under the Alien Tort Statute. The 1789 law had been dormant for nearly two centuries before lawyers began using it in the 1980s to bring international human rights cases in courts.

What is clear is that the ruling is a major win for such non-U.S.-based multinational companies as Royal Dutch that do business in the developing world and become embroiled in local political controversies. Those companies, which are still subject to suit in foreign courts, fear U.S. courts because of the possibility of large damage awards.

The decision also means that U.S. corporations could find it easier to defend themselves against similar types of claims, although it could depend on the extent to which the alleged conduct was directed from the United States.

The ruling is likely to affect other cases, including those involving similar claims against Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto Plc over its conduct in Papua New Guinea and against Exxon Mobil Corp over its activity in Indonesia.

Esther Kiobel, the named plaintiff in the Royal Dutch case and now a U.S. citizen, brought her lawsuit in 2002 on behalf of victims of the crackdown in Nigeria, including her husband, Barinem, who was executed in 1995.

Chief Justice Roberts in the majority opinion wrote that a presumption against extraterritorial application of federal laws applies to the Alien Tort Statute.

The court did not decide the question originally before it in the case: whether corporations can ever be liable under the statute.

DIFFERENCES OF OPINION

Although all nine justices concurred with the outcome, only four agreed with the chief justice's reasoning. Justice Stephen Breyer wrote a separate opinion in which he was joined by three other justices.

"Nothing in the text of the statute suggests that Congress intended causes of action recognized under it to have extraterritorial reach," Roberts wrote.

He also said the ruling leaves open some lawsuits under the Alien Tort Statute, including against corporations, as long as there is a sufficient connection with the United States. The claims must have "sufficient force to displace the presumption" against extraterritorial application, he added.

Addressing liability of companies that are either based in the United States or have considerable interests there, Roberts said, "It would reach too far to say that mere corporate presence suffices."

Justice Anthony Kennedy and Justice Samuel Alito wrote separately in agreement with Roberts, with both making clear that the court had not resolved for good the question of under what circumstances individuals and corporations can be liable.

In his concurring opinion, Justice Breyer said he would not have applied the presumption against extraterritoriality. Regardless, he said, in the Shell case, "The parties and relevant conduct lack sufficient ties to the United States."

Sandy Weisburst, one of Royal Dutch's lawyers at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, said the ruling was a "vindication of Shell's primary position in this case." Future cases against other defendants would, he said, determine "when is there sufficient U.S. conduct" to give U.S. court's jurisdiction.

Paul Hoffman, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said it "seems pretty clear" that corporations are covered by the statute and "there will be corporate cases in the future" in some circumstances.

Marco Simons, a lawyer with Earthrights International who represents plaintiffs in human rights cases, said that although it was clear a presumption against extraterritorial application would now apply, the court is not "suggesting that no cases can be brought where abuses happened abroad."

He noted one of his group's own cases, against Chiquita Brand International, in which plaintiffs claim that the company made decisions in the United States about funding paramilitaries in Colombia, as a possible example of a claim that could go forward because there was a sufficient U.S. nexus.

That case is currently before the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. John Hall, a lawyer for Chiquita, declined to comment, saying he had not had a chance to review Wednesday's ruling.

Rio Tinto's appeal of a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is pending before the Supreme Court, as is a separate appeal from the same court brought by Daimler AG concerning alleged abuses in Argentina. In the Exxon case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held off on deciding whether to rehear it while the Shell case was pending.

The case is Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 10-1491.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley and Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Howard Goller, John Wallace, Steve Orlofsky and Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/shell-win-ruling-limits-jurisdiction-foreign-rights-cases-192745715--finance.html

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NKorea lashes out anew over protest in Seoul

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ? North Korea said it was open to talks, but not as long as the United States is "brandishing a nuclear stick," while Washington insisted that the burden for renewed negotiations now rests with Pyongyang.

North Korea also warned that it will intensify unspecified "military countermeasures" unless the U.S. stops conducting military drills on the peninsula and withdraws the military assets that Pyongyang says threaten the North with a nuclear attack.

The statements Tuesday came amid international fears that the North is preparing to conduct a medium-range missile test and also as North Korea marked the second day of festivities in honor of the April 15 birthday of its first leader, Kim Il Sung.

The renewed vitriol began after a Monday protest by about 250 people in downtown Seoul, where effigies of Kim Il Sung and his late son and successor, Kim Jong Il, were burned. Such protests are fairly common in South Korea, and though Monday's was held on the holiday that North Korea calls "The Day of the Sun," some analysts suggested North Korea was using it as a pretext to reject calls for a dialogue with the South, at least for the time being.

North Korea often denounces protests like the one held Monday, but this time responded with a statement from the Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army, which is headed by Kim Il Sung's grandson and North Korea's overall leader, Kim Jong Un.

The North's statement said it would refuse any offers of talks with the South until it apologized for the "monstrous criminal act."

"If the puppet authorities truly want dialogue and negotiations, they should apologize for all anti-DPRK hostile acts, big and small, and show the compatriots their will to stop all these acts in practice," the statement said. North Korea's official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK.

Later in the day, its state media quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman saying North Korea has no intention of holding talks with the U.S. unless it also abandons its hostility against the North.

North Korea is not opposed to dialogue but has no intention of "sitting at the humiliating negotiating table with the party brandishing a nuclear stick," the statement said.

But in Washington, State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell later told reporters that North Korea needs to make the first move.

"They know what they need to do in terms of stopping their provocations and showing a seriousness of purpose, and so they know what's required of them," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said during a recent trip through Asian capitals that a North Korean missile test would be a provocation that would further isolate the country and its impoverished people. He said Sunday that the U.S. was "prepared to reach out," but that Pyongyang must first bring down tensions and honor previous agreements.

This year's festivities in honor of Kim Il Sung's birth were mostly low key, with Pyongyang residents gathering in performance halls and plazas and taking advantage of subsidized treats, like shaved ice and peanuts. Last year's anniversary ? the birth centennial ? was marked with days of immense festivities and a massive military parade.

Instead of such grandiose events, the front page of the Rodong Sinmun, the Workers' Party newspaper, on Tuesday featured photos of Kim Jong Un at an orchestral performance with his aunt, Kim Kyong Hui, and other top officials. North Korean media also reported that he watched volleyball and basketball games between Kim Il Sung University of Politics and Kim Il Sung Military University.

After Pyongyang's latest volley of rhetoric, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said South Korea was closely monitoring its moves and would "thoroughly and resolutely punish North Korea if it launches any provocation for whatever reason."

The calm over the past two days in Pyongyang has been a striking contrast to the steady flow of retaliatory threats North Korea has issued over ongoing military exercises between South Korea and the United States. Though the maneuvers, called Foal Eagle, are held regularly, North Korea was particularly angry that this year they included nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers and F-22 fighters.

"The ultimatum is just North Korea's way of saying that it's not willing or ready to talk with the South," said Chang Yong-seok at the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National University. "North Korea apparently wants to keep the cross-border relations tense for some time to come."

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin told a parliamentary committee Monday that North Korea still appeared poised to launch a missile from its east coast. North Korea, which conducted a nuclear test in February, has already been slapped with strengthened U.N. sanctions for violating Security Council resolutions barring the regime from nuclear and missile activity.

To further coordinate their response, South Korea's new president, Park Geun-hye, will meet with President Barack Obama on May 7 at the White House.

The U.S.-South Korean military drills are scheduled to end April 30. On Tuesday, a Marine CH-53E helicopter made a "hard landing" during the exercises, according to a statement from United States Forces Korea. Twenty-one personnel were on board the helicopter, including five crew members, the statement said. All were taken to the hospital, but 15 were quickly released. The remaining six were in stable condition.

North Korea has also pulled its workers from a joint factory complex on its side of the heavily armed border ? the last remaining symbol of inter-Korean complex. Pyongyang has also barred South Korean managers from traveling to the complex, though it hasn't forced South Koreans to leave.

About 200 South Koreans remain inside Kaesong. Some recently told The Associated Press they were subsisting on instant noodles.

Ten South Koreans from the South Korean companies working in Kaesong hoped to visit the park Wednesday to relay their worries to the North and pass along food and other necessities to their colleagues still living inside. But the North again refused to allow them to cross the border, citing the current tension, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry.

The North's entry ban is "very regrettable," ministry spokesman Kim Hyung-suk told reporters, saying North Korea should quickly resume operations at the park.

___

Associated Press writers Sam Kim and Hyung-jin Kim contributed to this report from Seoul, South Korea.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nkorea-lashes-anew-over-protest-seoul-125311002.html

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Asia stocks sink on global growth worries

BANGKOK (AP) ? Asian stock markets were mostly lower Tuesday as weak economic data, falling commodity prices and big losses on Wall Street shook investors. A deadly bombing in the U.S. also rattled confidence.

The sell-off in markets was triggered by the Chinese government's report Monday that growth in the world's second-largest economy slowed to 7.7 percent in the first quarter from 7.9 percent in the final quarter of last year. Growth was expected to accelerate slightly to 8 percent.

The report stoked worries about the strength of China's economy at a time when U.S. economic data has disappointed and Europe remains embroiled in its government debt crisis. It also pummeled oil and commodity prices.

A bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon that appeared timed for maximum casualties further fanned anxiety. Three people were killed and more than 140 injured. No one has claimed responsibility.

"China GDP data spooked investors into thinking that the world's second largest economy is slowing at a faster rate than anticipated," said Evan Lucas of IG Markets in Melbourne. "All these gyrations on commodity and currency markets were compounded further by the dreadful events in Boston."

Lucas said the markets were probably overreacting to the China growth news, but it creates a disquieting picture when coupled with last week's trade data showing some weakness in the country's exports.

Japan's Nikkei was down 0.1 percent at 13,265.01, recovering from sharp losses in the morning when the yen rose against the dollar.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.6 percent to 21,648.15. South Korea's Kospi opened lower but flattened out by midday at 1,920.55. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.3 percent to 4,953.30. Benchmarks in mainland China, New Zealand and the Philippines also fell. Indonesia, India, Singapore and Taiwan rose.

On top of the disappointing data from China were figures on Monday showing a drop in U.S. homebuilder confidence. A separate report showed weak manufacturing in the Northeast. On Friday, the Commerce Department said retail sales fell 0.4 percent in March from the previous month, reinforcing views that the U.S. recovery is losing some steam.

The negative news pummeled Wall Street on Monday, its worst day of the year. The Dow Jones industrial average down 1.8 percent to close at 14,599.20. The S&P 500 index fell 2.3 percent to 1,552.36. The Nasdaq composite dropped 2.4 percent to 3,216.49.

Concerns that Cyprus and other troubled European countries may sell gold to raise cash have also weighed on prices for precious metals. On Tuesday, gold continued its descent, dropping more than $21 early in Asia to $1,339.50 an ounce. Gold has fallen sharply over recent trading sessions. It stood at $1,689 at the beginning of the year.

Gold-linked shares across the region fell. Hong Kong-listed Zijin Mining Group, China's biggest gold miner, fell 3 percent. In Australia, Kingsgate Consolidated tumbled 5.1 percent and Newcrest Mining fell 5.4 percent. Mining and resource shares were also hard hit. Hong Kong-listed Jiangxi Copper Co. slid 4.6 percent. PetroChina, China's largest oil and gas producer, shed 1.8 percent.

Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's flagship carrier, sank 6.1 percent. Enthusiasm for airline shares has been damped by threatening rhetoric from North Korea in recent days.

The sharp decline in gold and fears about global growth reverberated throughout commodity markets. Benchmark oil for May delivery dived $1.39 to $87.32 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract dropped $2.58, or 2.8 percent, to finish at $88.71 a barrel on Monday.

In currencies, the euro rose slightly to $1.3038 from $1.3036 late Monday in New York. The dollar rose to 97.55 yen from 97.18 yen.

___

Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pamelasampson

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/asia-stocks-sink-global-growth-worries-035929098--finance.html

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Medical researchers implant telescope for macular degeneration

Apr. 15, 2013 ? Physicians at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center have become the first in Virginia to successfully implant a telescope in a patient's eye to treat macular degeneration.

The telescope implant is designed to correct end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most advanced form of AMD and the leading cause of blindness in older Americans. Patients with end-stage AMD have a central blind spot. This vision loss makes it difficult or impossible to see faces, to read and to perform everyday activities such as watching television, preparing meals and self-care.

William H. Benson, M.D., a cornea specialist and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the VCU School of Medicine, performed the procedure.

"We are excited to provide this new surgical option to our advanced macular degeneration patients, who up until now have had limited options for improving vision," Benson said. "Advanced macular degeneration is a devastating disease, which cannot be treated by any available drugs or surgical procedures. The telescope implant offers a new hope for patients with limited vision."

Smaller than a pea, the telescope implant uses micro-optical technology to magnify images that would normally be seen in one's "straight ahead" or central vision. The images are projected onto the healthy portion of the retina not affected by the disease, making it possible for patients to see or discern the central vision object of interest.

The Implantable Miniature Telescope (By Dr. Isaac Lipshitz) is a product of VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, Inc.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/cLuXWEbYCow/130415151446.htm

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SKorea plans $15 bln extra budget to boost economy

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? The South Korean government proposed a $15.3 billion stimulus Tuesday to boost slowing growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy.

The stimulus would be South Korea's third-largest supplemental budget ever, exceeded only by those approved after the 1998 Asian financial crisis and the 2008 global financial turmoil.

The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said the budget will be used to cover a tax revenue shortfall, aid small and medium firms, create jobs and boost the stagnant real estate market. The statement said the ministry will submit the 17.3 trillion won ($15.3 billion) plan to parliament on Thursday.

It estimated a tax revenue shortfall of 6 trillion won due to the slower-than-expected economic recovery and another 6 trillion won shortfall from the delay in selling stakes in state-owned banks. The remaining 5.3 trillion won will be a net increase in the government's budget.

In addition to the extra budget requiring a parliamentary approval, the ministry will also use 2 trillion won in state funds that do not need to go through the assembly to stimulate the economy.

The stimulus plan comes after the ministry sharply revised down its growth forecast of South Korea's economy last month.

It said South Korea's economy will expand 2.3 percent this year, instead of 3 percent it had predicted three months earlier, citing the yen's slide that is hurting South Korean exporters, weak consumer sentiment and sluggish capital investment.

The stimulus move underlines how the government is seeking a quick fix to the slowdown. South Korea's economy expanded 2 percent in 2012, the slowest rate in three years, as weak global recovery and trade.

The extra budget will stimulate growth by 0.3 percentage point this year and add 40,000 new jobs, it said.

Despite the government's calls for all-out efforts to boost the economy, South Korea's central bank resisted calls to lower borrowing costs.

Last week, Bank of Korea kept its key interest rate unchanged at 2.75 percent for a sixth month. Gov. Kim Choong-soo said the economy is on track to a slow recovery and the monetary policy is "accommodative" to encourage borrowing and spending.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-15-AP-AS-SKorea-Stimulus/id-d54245728f5445aa8da24b263ea0cb80

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AP PHOTOS: 2 bombs explode at Boston Marathon

AAA??Apr. 15, 2013?7:08 PM ET
AP PHOTOS: 2 bombs explode at Boston Marathon
By The Associated Press??By The Associated Press

Medical workers aid an injured man at the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two bombs exploded near the finish of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing at least two people, injuring at least 22 others and sending authorities rushing to aid wounded spectators. (AP Photo/The Boston Globe, David L. Ryan)

Medical workers aid an injured man at the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two bombs exploded near the finish of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing at least two people, injuring at least 22 others and sending authorities rushing to aid wounded spectators. (AP Photo/The Boston Globe, David L. Ryan)

Medical workers aid an injured woman at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following two explosions there, Monday, April 15, 2013 in Boston. Two bombs exploded near the finish of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing at least two people, injuring at least 23 others and sending authorities rushing to aid wounded spectators. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

In this image from video provided by WBZ TV, spectators and runners run from what was described as twin explosions that shook the finish line of the Boston Marathon, Monday, April 15, 2013, in Boston. Two explosions shattered the euphoria of the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts. (AP Photo/WBZTV) MANDATORY CREDIT

Police clear the area at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon as medical workers help injured following explosions in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. The explosions near the finish of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killied at least two people, injuring over 20 others. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Medical workers aid an injured man at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two bombs exploded near the finish of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing two people, injuring 22 others and sending authorities rushing to aid wounded spectators, race organizers and police said. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Bloodied victims are carried on stretchers and pushed in wheelchairs to safety. Police clear the scene strewn with debris and broken glass. A runner, crying, is comforted after the explosions.

Here are some images from the bombing at the Boston Marathon.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-15-Boston%20Marathon-Photo%20Gallery/id-41d5e6e59c6046528540136851b5ca6a

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Traveller - Classic

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Turkish womb transplant patient is pregnant

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The first woman to have a successful womb transplant from a dead donor is pregnant, a hospital in southern Turkey said.

Derya Sert, 22, who was born without a womb, had been receiving in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment after the transplant in August 2011.

"Early test results are consistent with pregnancy. The patient is in good health at the moment. We will continue to update on developments in the coming period," Akdeniz University Hospital in Turkey's Mediterranean city of Antalya said in a statement late on Friday.

One in every 5,000 women globally is born without a womb, while thousands more have the organ removed due to cancer or other diseases, leaving them unable to get pregnant.

In September, doctors in Sweden performed the world's first mother-to-daughter womb transplants on two Swedish women, both in their 30s.

(Writing by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Jonathon Burch and Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/turkish-womb-transplant-patient-pregnant-102432700.html

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Discover the Text-Based Adventure Game Built Into Your Mac's Terminal

Everyone seems to love "retro" 8-bit video games, but it doesn't get much more retro than a text-based adventure. If you've never tried one before, or you're just bored and have a Mac nearby, open up Terminal and give its built in MUD (multi-user dungeon) a spin.

You won't need to download anything here. Just type the following into Terminal, and the game will launch automatically.

emacs -batch -l dunnet


If you've never played a MUD before, you'll find that it's actually pretty intuitive. For example, you start the game standing on a road with a shovel nearby. Type "take shovel" to add the shovel to your inventory, and "go east" to walk down the road. Typing "Inventory" will show you what you're carrying, "save" and "restore" let you play through in multiple sessions, and "help" gives you some tips if you're stuck. I'd also recommend using some scratch paper to map out the area as you discover it. Check out the source link for a few other Terminal easter eggs to help you kill some time this weekend.

Terminal 101: 4 emacs Easter eggs | Mac|Life

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/SobRdBHJZbk/discover-the-text+based-adventure-game-built-into-your-macs-terminal

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Amtrak derails near Oakland, delay but no injuries

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) ? Amtrak says a passenger train carrying nearly 200 people has derailed near Oakland, but there were no injuries.

Spokeswoman Christina Leeds says the train was en route from Los Angeles to Vancouver, Canada, when the front wheels of an engine went off the track about 9 p.m. PDT just north of Fremont, about 20 miles southeast of San Francisco.

Leeds tells The Associated Press that the train was traveling very slowly and none of the 11 passenger cars derailed.

She says there was "very minimal impact" to the train's 164 passengers. There are also 14 crew members.

Leeds says that the lead engine was removed and the train got under way again about 12:30 a.m. PDT Sunday, under power of the second engine.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/amtrak-derails-near-oakland-delay-no-injuries-075233231.html

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Groundbreaking improv comic Jonathan Winters dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Jonathan Winters, the cherub-faced comedian whose breakneck improvisations and misfit characters inspired the likes of Robin Williams and Jim Carrey, has died. He was 87.

The Ohio native died Thursday evening at his Montecito, Calif., home of natural causes, said Joe Petro III, a longtime friend. He was surrounded by family and friends.

Winters was a pioneer of improvisational standup comedy, with an exceptional gift for mimicry, a grab bag of eccentric personalities and a bottomless reservoir of creative energy. Facial contortions, sound effects, tall tales ? all could be used in a matter of seconds to get a laugh.

"Jonathan Winters was the worthy custodian of a sparkling and childish comedic genius. He did God's work. I was lucky 2 know him," Carrey tweeted on Friday.

On Jack Paar's television show in 1964, Winters was handed a foot-long stick and he swiftly became a fisherman, violinist, lion tamer, canoeist, U.N. diplomat, bullfighter, flutist, delusional psychiatric patient, British headmaster and Bing Crosby's golf club.

"As a kid, I always wanted to be lots of things," he told U.S. News & World Report in 1988. "I was a Walter Mitty type. I wanted to be in the French Foreign Legion, a detective, a doctor, a test pilot with a scarf, a fisherman who hauled in a tremendous marlin after a 12-hour fight."

The humor most often was based in reality ? his characters Maude Frickert and Elwood P. Suggins, for example, were based on people Winters knew growing up in Ohio.

A devotee of Groucho Marx and Laurel and Hardy, Winters and his free-for-all brand of humor inspired Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Tracey Ullman and Lily Tomlin, among many others. But Williams and Carrey are his best-known followers.

"First he was my idol, then he was my mentor and amazing friend. I'll miss him huge. He was my Comedy Buddha. Long live the Buddha," Williams said in a statement Friday.

Williams helped introduce Winters to new fans in 1981 as the son of Williams' goofball alien and his earthling wife in the final season of ABC's "Mork and Mindy."

The two often strayed from the script.

"The best stuff was before the cameras were on, when he was open and free to create," Williams once said. "Jonathan would just blow the doors off."

Carson, meanwhile, lifted Winters' Maude Frickert character almost intact for the long-running Aunt Blabby character he portrayed on "The Tonight Show."

"Beyond funny. He invented a new category of comedic genius," comedian Albert Brooks tweeted Friday.

In other Twitter posts, Richard Lewis called Winters "the greatest improvisational comedian of all time" and Roseanne Barr added "a genius has vacated this realm."

Winters' only Emmy was for best-supporting actor for playing Randy Quaid's father in the sitcom "Davis Rules" (1991). He was nominated again in 2003 as outstanding guest actor in a comedy series for an appearance on "Life With Bonnie."

He also won two Grammys: One for his work on "The Little Prince" album in 1975 and another for his "Crank Calls" comedy album in 1996.

"I knew him for 55 years and he's always been silly, every moment of his life," veteran announcer Gary Owens, who collaborated with Winters on four comedy albums, recalled warmly Friday in an interview with the AP.

He spoke by phone with him just two days ago, Owens said, and although frail, Winters still broke into a routine in which he was being pecked in the head by a pet peregrine falcon he claimed to keep by his bed.

Winters received the Kennedy Center's second Mark Twain Prize for Humor in 1999, a year after Richard Pryor.

In later years, he was sought out for his changeling voice, and he contributed to numerous cartoons and animated films. He played three characters in the "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" movie in 2000.

The Internet Movie Database website credits him as the voice of Papa in the forthcoming "The Smurfs 2" film.

He continued to work almost to the end of his life, and to influence new generations of comics.

"No him, no me. No MOST of us, comedy-wise," comic Patton Oswalt tweeted Friday.

Winters made television history in 1956 when RCA broadcast the first public demonstration of color videotape on "The Jonathan Winters Show."

The comedian quickly realized the possibilities, author David Hajdu wrote in The New York Times in 2006. He soon used video technology "to appear as two characters, bantering back and forth, seemingly in the studio at the same time. You could say he invented the video stunt."

Winters was born Nov. 11, 1925, in Dayton, Ohio. Growing up during the Depression as an only child whose parents divorced when he was 7, he spent a lot of time entertaining himself.

Winters, who battled alcoholism in his younger years, described his father as an alcoholic. But he found a comedic mentor in his mother, radio personality Alice Bahman.

"She was very fast. Whatever humor I've inherited I'd have to give credit to her," he told the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2000.

Winters joined the Marines at 17 and served two years in the South Pacific. He returned to study at the Dayton Art Institute, helping him develop keen observational skills. At one point, he won a talent contest (and the first prize of a watch) by doing impressions of movie stars.

After stints as a radio disc jockey and TV host in Ohio from 1950-53, he left for New York, where he found early work doing impressions of John Wayne, Cary Grant, Marx and James Cagney, among others.

One night after a show, an older man sweeping up told him he wasn't breaking any new ground by mimicking the rich or famous.

"He said, 'What's the matter with those characters in Ohio? I'll bet there are some far-out dudes that you grew up with back in Ohio,'" Winters told the Orange County Register in 1997.

Two days later, he cooked up one of his most famous characters: the hard-drinking, dirty old woman Maude Frickert, modeled in part on his own mother and an aunt.

Appearances on Paar's show and others followed and Winters soon had a following. Before long, he was struggling with depression and drinking.

"I became a robot," Winters told TV critics in 2000. "I almost lost my sense of humor ... I had a breakdown and I turned myself in (to a mental hospital). It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

Winters was hospitalized for eight months in the early 1960s. It's a topic he rarely addressed and never dwelled on.

"If you make a couple of hundred thousand dollars a year and you're talking to the blue-collar guy who's a farmer 200 miles south of Topeka, he's looking up and saying, 'That bastard makes (all that money) and he's crying about being a manic depressive?'" Winters said.

When he got out, there was a role as a slow-witted character waiting in the 1963 ensemble film "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World."

"I finally opened up and realized I was in charge," Winters told PBS interviewers for 2000's "Jonathan Winters: On the Loose." ''Improvisation is about taking chances, and I was ready to take chances."

Roles in other movies followed, as did TV shows, including his own.

While show business kept Winters busy, the former art school student was also a painter and writer. His paintings and sketches were often filled with humor.

"I find painting a much slower process than comedy, where you can go a mile a minute verbally and hope to God that some of the people out there understand you," he said in the 1988 U.S. News and World Report interview. "I don't paint every day. I'm not that motivated. I don't do anything the same every day. Discipline is tough for a guy who is a rebel."

Among his books is a collection of short stories called "Winters' Tales" (1987).

"I've done for the most part pretty much what I intended ? I ended up doing comedy, writing and painting," he told U.S. News. "I've had a ball. And as I get older, I just become an older kid."

Winters' wife, Eileen, died in 2009. He is survived by two children, Lucinda Winters and Jay Winters.

___

Associated Press Writers David Zelio and Robert Jablon and AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle contributed to this story.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/groundbreaking-improv-comic-jonathan-winters-dies-165302142.html

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Chat heads go live on Facebook Messenger as we await Facebook Home

Facebook app also updated to prep for Facebook Home's launch today

Facebook this morning has rolled out an update to its Facebook Messenger app -- and "chat heads" are now live! These are the little persistent notifications that you get when someone messages you. Tap it to open and reply. You can move it around on the screen, but it'll remain docked to an edge. To get rid of it, just press, hold and toss to the bottom of the screen.

If you use Facebook Messenger but hate chat heads, there's an option in the settings to turn them off when you're using other apps, so they won't just float on your screen.

The Facebook application itself also has gotten an update this morning, in preparation for Facebook Home. (Some bugs were also squashed, according to the new changelog.)

We're expecting Facebook Home (the launcher) to go live anytime now.

• More: Facebook Home and the HTC First - What you need to know!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Ikroyjq8lpU/story01.htm

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Sunday plans? Try spotting Jupiter in daylight

Starry Night Software

On Sunday, there will be a rare opportunity to observe Jupiter in daylight because it will be very close to the moon.

By Geoff Gaherty
Space.com

Have you ever seen Jupiter in daylight? This weekend, you just might get your chance.

Very few people have, but you could get an opportunity to join those elite ranks on Sunday. On that date, the moon will pass close to Jupiter, and can be used to locate the planet in the daytime sky.

Although the daytime sky looks like an unbroken blue blanket on a clear, sunny day, it is actually just as transparent in daylight as it is on a dark night. The difference is that much of the sunlight is scattered by the air molecules in our atmosphere, called Rayleigh scattering. Despite the overall blue cast this gives to the sky, stargazers can still easily see the sun and moon through it.

If you know exactly where to look ? and have something to focus your eyes on ? you can also see the brighter planets in a blue sky. Venus is easily observed, including the famous incident at Abraham Lincoln's second inauguration, when large numbers in the crowd saw?Venus over the Capitol Dome. [Amazing Night Sky Photos for April]

Although it is much larger than Venus, Jupiter is more difficult to spot in daylight because it is farther from the sun. Because of its proximity to the star, it is not as well-lit. When Jupiter is close to the moon, it is easier to spot. The moon shows you where to look, and also gives your eyes something to focus on.

Starry Night Software

This close-up view shows the exact position of Jupiter relative to the moon at 2 p.m. EDT, the time of closest approach.

While Jupiter will be visible without optical aid on Sunday, it will be easier to spot first with binoculars. First locate the moon in the south-southeastern sky. Then, look slightly above and to the left of the moon to spot the tiny speck of Jupiter. Once you have spotted Jupiter in binoculars, try the greater challenge of seeing it without optical aid.

If you have a telescope, you can locate Jupiter in the same way.

Amateur astronomers whose telescopes?have setting circles or GoTo computers can locate Jupiter any time without needing the help of the moon. Using these methods, you can also observe the planet Mercury and the bright stars Sirius and Procyon in full daylight.

Always remember to use?extreme caution?when using binoculars or a telescope when the sun is above the horizon. Be especially careful with GoTo telescopes, as these often take quite unpredictable paths across the sky and may catch the sun in passing.

Editor's note:?If you snap an amazing photo of Jupiter in daylight or any other stargazing photo you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please contact Managing Editor Tariq Malik at?spacephotos@space.com.

This article was provided to Space.com by?Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions. Follow Starry Night on Twitter?@StarryNightEdu. Original article on Space.com.

Copyright 2013 Space.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2a9de528/l/0Lscience0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C110C1770A93560Esunday0Eplans0Etry0Espotting0Ejupiter0Ein0Edaylight0Dlite/story01.htm

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